Erik Komatsu= Legend?

[zelouswheeler4prez]

Erik Komatsu is absolutley destroying pitchers in helena. Because he plays the premium position of centerfield, how quickly do you think he could move through the system? He is a small guy but has a lot of power, home run as well as gap power.

 

 

 

Year Age Tm Lg Lvl Aff G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SB CS SB% SH SF IBB HBP GDP

+----+----+---+---+---+---+----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+---+----+---+---+---+---+---+

2008 20 HEL PIO Rk MIL 39 161 37 53 11 2 7 28 19 16 .329 .405 .553 .958 6 3 67% 0 2 0 3 2

+----+----+---+---+---+---+----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+----+----+----+-----+-----+-----+-----+----+---+----+---+---+---+---+---+

1 Season 39 161 37 53 11 2 7 28 19 16 .329 .405 .553 .958 6 3 67% 0 2 0 3 2

[battlekow]

I'm not sure how well Komatsu projects as a CF as he moves up the chain. It'll be interesting to see if he keeps getting playing time there. He's kind of Caleb Gindl Jr. in that regard (despite being a year older).

[Boy Jeenius]

You might want to check out Logan Shafer. Also a left handed college player, drafted 5 rounds earlier. Shafer's already in West Viginia, also playing CF and putting up better numbers. Tough to get overly excited about college hitters in Helena. Does Komatsu have a chance? You bet. But until he does it at Brevard or Huntsville, I'm not booking his ticket to Milwauke just yet.

[igor67]

While skepticism is certainly warranted with young guys and Helena or small sample A ball stats. It's still kind of sick that Jack spends almost no draft picks on hitters and still finds a couple of guys that can just rake. His athlete tool picks don't tend to work out so well, but does he ever miss on bats?

[battlekow]

Schafer's demonstrated much worse plate discipline than Komatsu and is over a year older.

[Boy Jeenius]

Yep he's a year older so they tossed him straight into WV to see if he could handle it, and handling it quite well he is. At WV he's also facing arms that have a touch of polish. Komatsu's facing a lot of kids who 8 weeks ago were tossing fastballs down the middle in high school. As I said previously, when Komatsu lights up WV, and then Brevard, I'll get excited. Hey, I'm cheering for the guy. just not ready for the "legend" title.

[colbyjack]

I'm sure the legend title was thrown out there playfully, as I think everyone here has seen plenty of college hitters go into Helena and hit extremely well only to never see AA (Tony Festa is the first that comes to mind for me).

 

But I wouldn't go out of my way to sing Logan Schafer's praise over Komatsu. They're both hitting extremely well, but Schafer has struck out a ton at WV without drawing too many walks. That ratio may even itself over time, but that ratio is one of the first things I look at when trying to get a read on a recently drafted college player. Some may say he has somewhat of an empty batting average right now, despite the fact that he is hitting well.

 

And it's hard to compare the two because we don't know how well Komatsu would do if he would have been the one promoted to WV and not Schafer (and I'll admit, I was a little surprised he wasn't). For all we know Schafer's solid defense in CF was the bigger reason, as his skillset may be the perfect way for Lee Haydel to learn by following his lead.

 

Gindl is a good comparison for Komatsu (a comparison I threw out in my scouting report following draft day) as a pure hitter with limited upside, while Schafer has drawn a few Steve Finley comps.

 

Regardless of who you like better, igor makes a good point about how Jack Z. always seems to find good hitters. Hopefully via the gazillion pitchers he drafted this year the number of big-league hitters vs. big-league pitchers he drafted will start to even out in 3-5 years.

[Mike]

It is indeed way too early to tell. They promoted Schafer first because he was drafted five rounds earlier and they have more money invested. They both can hit for avg, Komatsu will have a bit more pop but not near the amount of 2B's and 3B's. Logan is a pure CF while Erik is a corner guy who will need to hit with more pop. Regarding Schafer's low BB/K ratio that is a minor concern, but looking at his career college stats that should improve. I like them both.

 

Legend is a stretch for now.

 

Mike

[LouisEly]

Tough to get overly excited about college hitters in Helena. Does Komatsu have a chance? You bet. But until he does it at Brevard or Huntsville, I'm not booking his ticket to Milwauke just yet.

 

Agreed. Helena is generally considered a step below college-level pitching. Many a college player has raked at Helena and not gotten to or did anything at AA. I'll get excited when he's raking at Brevard or higher. Until then... well, look at the numbers that one of my friends posted in Helena in 1997. That got him nowhere (Beloit the next year, then Stockton the year after and retired a month and a half into the season), despite walking 84 times and striking out 48 times his first two seasons. Plate discipline is nice, but it isn't always the best predictor.

 

It's still kind of sick that Jack spends almost no draft picks on hitters and still finds a couple of guys that can just rake.

 

Not exactly true. I'm sure you were referring to just this year, but their 1st pick was a hitter (Lawrie), as was one of their 2nd rounders (Dykstra) and their 3rd rounder (Schafer). Over his tenure however, Jack has only drafted four pitchers in the first two rounds prior to this year - Jones, Rogers, Gallardo, and Jeffress.

 

Komatsu is doing well, but I wouldn't say that he is "raking".

[battlekow]

look at the numbers that one of my friends posted in Helena in 1997. That got him nowhere (Beloit the next year, then Stockton the year after and retired a month and a half into the season), despite walking 84 times and striking out 48 times his first two seasons.

Baseball Reference has all of your friend's stats in the same place.

 

[JoeHova]

what happened in 97? Did the Brewers switch their affiliate midseason? Did they have 2 affiliates in the Pioneer League?

[1992casey]

The Brewers had two Pioneer League affiliates for several years. From 1996-2000, Ogden (UT) and Helena both had contracts with Milwaukee. In 1994-95, the Brewers sent players to Ogden as part of a co-op arrangement.

 

Since then, rules have been changed to try to standardize the way teams assign their minor league players. Part of that is that a Major League club can't have two affiliates in the same league.

 

Brewers Affiliate History

[LouisEly]

Baseball Reference has all of your friend's stats in the same place.

 

No comments about the OPS he put up in Helena? .479 OBP that year. That's unbelievable. Too bad he got his girlfriend pregnant, which distracted him the first month in Beloit, and then severely distracted him when he was in Stockton (causing the dropoff and the retirement).

225lbs is pretty generous too. I'd say more like 240.

[TheCrew07]

I took a good long look at those stats and my the only thought rattling around my brain was why someone who could put numbers like that would retire like that. Even his last 2 months weren't horrible, those were way better numbers than some current Brewer minor league "prospects". I wasn't going to say anything because I figured you'd interpet my surprise at the abrupt ending of his carreer as me calling him a "quitter", when that's not my intention at all. The dude had game, it's too bad.

[TooLiveBrew]

225lbs is pretty generous too. I'd say more like 240.

 

Funny -- the first baseballcube link you provided had him at 240, the second at 225.

[lovehate]

I'm bringing nothing to a really good thread about those two young players, but looking at the Helena box score everyday I got this image of Master Han from Enter The Dragon standing on the top step commanding "Komatsu - ATTACK!"

 

A great Brewers victory and a little juice will do that sometimes