K-Rod to BAL for 21-year-old High-A 3B Nicky Delmonico

[splitterpfj]

I like this trade, they addressed a need in the system, and they got a kid who has a real chance to stick in the majors for a while. Coming into this season, Delmonico had two knocks against him, the first was that he didn't have a clear position yet, and the second was a knee injury he had last season.

 

At this point, scouts believe third base is his best position, and that works well for the Brewers.

 

When he was drafted, scouts believed he would hit for average, with at least acceptable power for a corner infield spot. So far, the batting average hasn't been there, but he only had 338 pro ABs before this season.

 

One thing that's too bad is, the Tigers were the team most interested in K-Rod, but their bullpen has been better of late, which caused them to back off. If the Brewers were going to get a third baseman who's closer to the big leagues than Delmonico, that was their best shot.

 

I'll take it, this kid has clear potential, and we got him for a guy no one wanted so sign a few months ago.

[splitterpfj]

For those of you who are overly concerned about Delmonico's ability to stick at third base, he just moved to third base this year, it's WAY too early to worry about him.

 

He has more quickness than you think, Baltimore initially tried him at second base, but they found his feet were not quick enough to turn the double play. He's not a middle infielder, but he's more athletic than a typical first base prospect, so he's getting a shot at third base. He's got plenty of time to become a third baseman, we'll all have to wait and see if he can pull it off.

[MadScientist]

Good return for K-Rod, but despite some of the comments here, K-Rod was worth it. He was pitching really well for the Crew and with his past history, he was a solid pickup for a team needing a closer / setup man for a playoff run.

 

For once timing worked in the Brewers favor to sell high on a player.

[Mass Haas]

A bit dated (April 2012), but audio chat w/new #Brewers 3B Nicky Delmonico; well-spoken; insights to his background

[igor67]

There's a chance he cracks our top 5, but I'd have to say our rankings for next year are going to be pretty fluid. Most of our top prospects are farther down in the minors but with the way the season has gone and possibly more deals on the way it would appear that there will be a large number of graduations by the end of the season. As always the recent draftees have played little, so the last month + of the season will have an outsized impact on rating them. Then of course a few guys like Morris and Roache have had so-so seasons so far, but a strong finish could move them around a fair bit. Delmonico too for that matter, a substantial drop in his error rate or uptick in his batting average are all doable here at the end and could really affect how he is viewed heading into next season

[torts]

just think, KRod was sitting at home in April, unsigned, and now he netted the Brewers a nice piece for their system/future.

[djoctagone]

with this move, the brewers 40-man roster is at 38.

[yoshii8]

From what I read, he seems like a prospect w/ huge potential. Got paid like a mid 1st rounder when drafted. I'm excited about some of the bats in the system w/ Coulter, Roache, Tyrone Taylor, and now Delmonico. You have some potential big time hitters. Great job as usual Mr. Melvin.

 

Below is a link to a very detailed scouting report w/ video.

http://baseballnewshound.com/?p=4329

[brewmann04]

Splitter thanks for the heads up

[JohnBriggs12]

I think we need to temper the excitement a bit here. This is not an "absolute steal" or a guy on the level of a supplemental first rounder. He was a 6th rounder in 2011. He's performed to that level, maybe slightly better (he might be a 3-4 round guy if a draft were held today).

 

He apparently has no defensive skills whatsoever. He's made 12 errors in 63 career games at 1B, and his 3rd base play make Mat Gamel and Ryan Braun look like gold glovers there by comparison.

 

He's got some pop, and some patience without ridiculous strikeout totals. But he's an under .250 hitter. Profiles to me as a George Kottaras in the making more than a Prince Fielder.

 

For guys without position, they have to be outstanding hitters. He may become one. He may not. I wouldn't put him in the Brewer top 10. More like around 15. Still he does add depth to a system that can use it so that is a plus.

[Mass Haas]

Delmonico just turned 21. Despite missing approx. six weeks in April and May with the concussion (slid into second base), he is 5th in the High-A Carolina League in HR's. He just barely fails to qualify in the rate categories due to the missed AB's, but if listed, his .469 SLG would be 6th in the league.

 

All this while maintaining a .350 OBP (to match his .351 in the low-A South Atlantic League last year as a 19-20 year old (birthday July 12th).

 

He'll still be 21 for the first 3+ months of his 2014 season in Huntsville.

 

This is a legitimately exciting "get" for Doug. It is so rare the Brewers have prospects well ahead of the age/production nexus. It will be exciting to see him face High-A pitchers that have not seen him yet (vice versa, of course) these next five weeks.

[jjfanec]

I think we need to temper the excitement a bit here. This is not an "absolute steal" or a guy on the level of a supplemental first rounder. He was a 6th rounder in 2011. He's performed to that level, maybe slightly better (he might be a 3-4 round guy if a draft were held today).

 

He apparently has no defensive skills whatsoever. He's made 12 errors in 63 career games at 1B, and his 3rd base play make Mat Gamel and Ryan Braun look like gold glovers there by comparison.

 

He's got some pop, and some patience without ridiculous strikeout totals. But he's an under .250 hitter. Profiles to me as a George Kottaras in the making more than a Prince Fielder.

 

For guys without position, they have to be outstanding hitters. He may become one. He may not. I wouldn't put him in the Brewer top 10. More like around 15. Still he does add depth to a system that can use it so that is a plus.

 

You realize he was a 6th round pick because people knew he would be a tough sign, right? He got paid like a supplemental pick or better. That is where he would have gone if signing wasnt a question. He is 21 years old and has never played 3B until this year. Give him time before saying he cant stick there. Who are the 9-14 guys you would put ahead of Delmonico in our system?

[Dollarbill13]

I think we need to temper the excitement a bit here. This is not an "absolute steal" or a guy on the level of a supplemental first rounder. He was a 6th rounder in 2011. He's performed to that level, maybe slightly better (he might be a 3-4 round guy if a draft were held today)

 

I disagree that he'd be a 3-4 round guy. He signed for >$1.5M which means that at least the Orioles valued him as a late-1st/supplemental guy. BA says that he was viewed as a possible first rounder but part of the reason he fell to the 6th was due to his committment to Georgia.

 

He is currently under .250 for his batting average for his career, however his BABIP is a relatively low .273 at the moment. Given his foot speed and tendency to hit fly balls, I wouldn't expect him to carry a "high" BABIP but there's no reason he couldn't manage a more normal .290-.300 BABIP which would leave him as a ~.265-.275 hitter.

 

I don't think that most on this board are expecting Delmonico to be another Prince Fielder but he has a pretty good shot to be an average-to-above average 1B/3B in a couple years. And given that we picked up K-Rod off the scrap heap and he had no long-term value to the team, getting even an "okay" prospect should be considered a steal.

[JohnBriggs12]

I think we need to temper the excitement a bit here. This is not an "absolute steal" or a guy on the level of a supplemental first rounder. He was a 6th rounder in 2011. He's performed to that level, maybe slightly better (he might be a 3-4 round guy if a draft were held today).

 

He apparently has no defensive skills whatsoever. He's made 12 errors in 63 career games at 1B, and his 3rd base play make Mat Gamel and Ryan Braun look like gold glovers there by comparison.

 

He's got some pop, and some patience without ridiculous strikeout totals. But he's an under .250 hitter. Profiles to me as a George Kottaras in the making more than a Prince Fielder.

 

For guys without position, they have to be outstanding hitters. He may become one. He may not. I wouldn't put him in the Brewer top 10. More like around 15. Still he does add depth to a system that can use it so that is a plus.

 

You realize he was a 6th round pick because people knew he would be a tough sign, right? He got paid like a supplemental pick or better. That is where he would have gone if signing wasnt a question. He is 21 years old and has never played 3B until this year. Give him time before saying he cant stick there. Who are the 9-14 guys you would put ahead of Delmonico in our system?

 

I rank guys not as much on ceiling, but as their likelihood of being a guy who contributes at the major league level. I'd rank him behind Tyrone Taylor, Mitch Haniger, Victor Roache, Scooter Gennnett, Orlando Arcia, Coulter and 8 or 9 pitchers, Nelson, Hellweg, Pena, Jungmann, and a handful of others.

 

It's his lack of position that hurts him in my mind. If he were close to average defensively at 3B, he'd be in my top 6 or 7. But he's not. If all he is is a good power bat at 1B, he joins several others in the system, Nick Ramirez and Garrett Cooper for instance that are on that same level. Those guys are slightly older, but not that much.

[logan82]

I think we need to temper the excitement a bit here. This is not an "absolute steal" or a guy on the level of a supplemental first rounder. He was a 6th rounder in 2011. He's performed to that level, maybe slightly better (he might be a 3-4 round guy if a draft were held today).

 

He apparently has no defensive skills whatsoever. He's made 12 errors in 63 career games at 1B, and his 3rd base play make Mat Gamel and Ryan Braun look like gold glovers there by comparison.

 

He's got some pop, and some patience without ridiculous strikeout totals. But he's an under .250 hitter. Profiles to me as a George Kottaras in the making more than a Prince Fielder.

 

For guys without position, they have to be outstanding hitters. He may become one. He may not. I wouldn't put him in the Brewer top 10. More like around 15. Still he does add depth to a system that can use it so that is a plus.

 

You realize he was a 6th round pick because people knew he would be a tough sign, right? He got paid like a supplemental pick or better. That is where he would have gone if signing wasnt a question. He is 21 years old and has never played 3B until this year. Give him time before saying he cant stick there. Who are the 9-14 guys you would put ahead of Delmonico in our system?

Briggs likes batting average. He's not down with OBP.

[And That]

I think we need to temper the excitement a bit here. This is not an "absolute steal" or a guy on the level of a supplemental first rounder. He was a 6th rounder in 2011.

 

The signing bonus he received was in line was more than what the 17th overall pick received, and was generally in line with what players in the mid 1st round got that year. If you want to compare 6th rounders, we took Danny Ray Keller in 2011.

 

He apparently has no defensive skills whatsoever.

 

Where are people even getting this? As recently as this morning, quoth BA:

 

he’s a fringy—though strong-armed—third baseman or potentially a first baseman

 

Brooks Robinson? No, but not Ryan Braun either.

[MJLiverock]

I'd take this guy 10/10 times versus the 28 year old AAA player with upside to being a 4th OF or 25th guy on the bench that I expected for a KRod rental. Getting a young player with some tools and upside to being even an average 3B at the ML is a pretty good haul. If the guy was a 5 tool prospect with no questions he wouldn't be had for the likes of Krod, having even just some upside (good eye, power, young, trying new position) makes this a great deal. I don't know what else one could expect for a few months of KRod. I don't think anyone expects him to be the next David Wright or Evan Longoria but the chance of filling an organizational hole with even average ML production is pretty good return on a guy who was out of work and then in the minors for the start of the year.

[chadomac]

Briggs likes batting average. He's not down with OBP.

 

Apparently not. If George Kottares was a better catcher, he'd be an extremely valuable player to have.

 

A .350 OBP with power sounds great to me.

[Dollarbill13]

I rank guys not as much on ceiling, but as their likelihood of being a guy who contributes at the major league level. I'd rank him behind Tyrone Taylor, Mitch Haniger, Victor Roache, Scooter Gennnett, Orlando Arcia, Coulter and 8 or 9 pitchers, Nelson, Hellweg, Pena, Jungmann, and a handful of others.

 

It's his lack of position that hurts him in my mind. If he were close to average defensively at 3B, he'd be in my top 6 or 7. But he's not. If all he is is a good power bat at 1B, he joins several others in the system, Nick Ramirez and Garrett Cooper for instance that are on that same level. Those guys are slightly older, but not that much.

 

I guess I'm surprised that you think that Roache, Arcia, and Coulter are more likely to be contributors at the major league level. Delmonico has had much more success with the bat at the A-ball level. Coulter seems to have the same questions about his defensive position and Roache is certainly not known for his defensive skill.

 

Here's how I'd rank our hitting prospects:

 

1) Taylor - similar level of success as Delmonico at a younger age with a more clear position

2) Delmonico - success with the bat as a 20 yr old in A/A+ ball, no clear position but has the tools to be a 3B

3) Haniger - Good defensive skill with decent success in A/A+ ball but older than Delmonico

4) Arcia - If he can develop into an average hitter, he jumps

5) Coulter - still needs to prove himself as a hitter in A ball and find a position.

6) Roache - moderately successful in A ball with the bat but defense is limited

[homer]

I'd take this guy 10/10 times versus the 28 year old AAA player with upside to being a 4th OF or 25th guy on the bench that I expected for a KRod rental.

 

Surely you can't mean Kevin Mench????

[fondybrewfan]

I would probably put Roache #3 simply because his bat really seems to have taken off in the last couple weeks. His OPS is still only 750 for the year but his July has been spectacular. I am hoping that something just clicked. Tyrone Taylor is still my #1 and Delmonico, Roache, and Coulter kind of blend together for me. Haniger seems to have a ceiling of a 4th outfielders and I am just not sure on Arcia yet. Hunter Morris has to be on that list somewhere even though his 2013 has been dissappointing.

 

Also I really like the 2013 high upside guys in Newhaus and Denson; but they are in Maryvale and really long term projects

[splitterpfj]

I'll put the top of the system at:

 

Nelson

Taylor

 

After that, Delmonico, Haniger and now Roache are kind of in a pile for me, every one of them has a chance to do well in the major leagues, but since they're all still in the lower half of the system, and Roache has just taken off, I haven't decided how to separate them yet.

 

Arcia may wind up topping the list, he certainly has better physical skills than most prospects, but I'm not in love yet.

 

Coulter is a guy who has not won me over at this point, I don't see him in the same class as these other players, and I'd also put Hellweg and Jungmann ahead of him for sure.

 

Guys who will slide in these rankings at this point...Morris, Gennett and Thornburg. All three are still definitely good prospects, but Gennett has one plus tool, Morris has looked like a platoon guy at AAA, and Thornburg looks like more bullpen than rotation right now.

 

The next big question is...Devin Williams. He's just a baby, but he could wind up being the best pitcher in the system.

 

I like some of the lesser-known arms too...keep these links handy.

 

viewtopic.php?f=64&t=12293

 

Edit: I left out Jed Bradley, I absolutely hate this, but there's no way I see him in the top ten for this organization at this point. He should be, I hope someday he will be, but right now, he just isn't.

[502 to Right]

Good defense can be developed. Strong arms and athleticism cannot.

 

I love this trade.

[PrinceEatMeat]

I don't know if this has been said, but I saw that MLB.com already has him as the Brewers #3 prospect.

[gregmag]

I think Fondy's right to be high on Roache. Ordinarily I don't put a lot of stock in small samples, but Roache had a broken wrist. That's a classic long-recovery injury for a power hitter. There's unusually good reason to believe that what he's doing now is real -- not that he'll hit five home runs a week for the rest of his life, but that he'll do it often enough to succeed.

 

I love the Delmonico pickup. I'm big on age for level, and this kid is advanced. His strikeout numbers aren't too high, which suggests the BA may improve. He has had a major increase in power between A and A+. I'll add my voice to the chorus of people who are saying he needs time at 3b. He's learning the position, and they put him there because they think he has the skills. That's why they call it "player development."

 

Since this has people talking about top tens, here's mine:

 

Nelson

Taylor

Delmonico

Arcia

Roache

Jungmann

Haniger

Khris Davis

Hellweg

Morris.

 

I don't inherently oppose ranking new draftees, but I just don't know yet what to do with them. Same with Coulter and Rizzo. Roache could slide, obviously.