Freddy Parejo?

[Gopher74]

What's the deal with this guy? I've heard almost nothing about him and he's absolutely blistering right now in AA hitting .429 with an OPS over 1.000.

 

Is this just a fluke, or does this kid have anything? He's 23 in AA, so he's not young for his level, but he's also not that old. He's starting and he's got 20 games, so while it's a small sample size, it's not THAT small.

 

Any hope here for this kid or is this just a hot streak that end up defining his minor league career most likely?

[DrWood]

small sample size.

[bork]

He had a few brief stays on the Power 50 http://www.brewerfan.net/ViewPower50PlayerTracker.do?playerId=583

 

He's done better in the past when getting regular playing time, but he has rarely gotten that regular playing time.

[colbyjack]

There's obviously talent there. He was part of BA's top 30 Milwaukee Brewers prospects a few years ago, I think after he was named one of the Arizona League's top prospects (15th), drawing a comparison to Sammy Sosa (at least a young Sammy Sosa) for his body type and power and speed potential. I hate to discount what he has done so far this year because the talent is there, and similar to someone like Luis Pena, who had a big breakout season a year ago, I would hate to look past Parejo and his success just because he hasn't been more prominently profiled as a prospect. The Brewers clearly have faith in him.

 

Here's his report from the BA Arizona League top prospect list from 2004, a year that Hernan Iribarren was #2, Mark Rogers was #3 and Yovani Gallardo was #13. What's most interesting to think about is that he's not that far behind both Iribarren and Gallardo as far as his progression is concerned.

 

Though Parejo made strides in his first season in the United States, he's still a work in progress. He has above-average speed and power potential but barely has tapped into those tools. Though he runs well, his lack of instincts and arm strength limited him to left field.

 

"He looks a lot like Sammy Sosa when he started out," Guerrero said. "He's got all the tools. But he'd never seen a good curveball until this year. He needs to recognize breaking stuff and stay back on those pitches better."