Impact Bats in the Minors

[jjfanec]

I love Clint Coutler. His power is there. His patience is there. He leads the league in OPS and is quite a bit younger than most of the guys who are close to him. All that on top of the fact that I would assume he is getting much more coaching on his fielding that hitting right now. He is probably my favorite prospect right now because his bat could be so special.

 

I love that Haniger is now top 5 in the Southern League in home runs. He had an awful start so I will probably be much more focused on his splits after that first month or so. His OPS in June is over 1.100. Glad to see him get it together because I think he can become a solid everyday OFer.

 

Tyrone Taylor has fallen off quite a bit since his hot start. I am at the point with hitting prospects I just want to see them get out of Brevard without harm to their confidence. Same for Arcia. Both are very young for the league so I am still pretty excited about their bats.

 

Michael Reed is interesting. He doesnt have much for power but he can run and is able to get on base at an insane clip. Not sure what others think of his projections

 

Zarraga continues to rake but at 25 in AA I am not sure what to make of him

 

Are there other guys you all pay attention to?

[guylanderfridancies]

I think Nick Ramirez is definitely worth keeping an eye on. His power is there but he strikes out quite a bit and thus his average is barely acceptable at .250ish. 27 of 64 hits for extra bases, but 75 K's to 25 walks needs work. Just cause the guys on the Big league roster are doing it doesn't mean you should too Nick! lol

[TooLiveBrew]

I'm not sure about the emphasis being placed on developing Coulter's defense. He's been DHing a lot this season (23 of 58 games so far), which makes me think the Brewers are having him focus first on hitting. For comparison, he DH'd 20/70 games last season, & only 5 of his 33 games with the T-Rats (including catching his final 22 games of the 33).

 

I'm really starting to think a position change is coming for Clint. He's young, strong-willed, and from his own comments really wants to be a catcher. But I'm guessing he wants even more to be a big-leaguer. And imo that's only going to happen at a different position. I wonder if we'll see Coulter moved to a new position after short-season ball starts & the new draftees are integrated into the organization. He's big & athletic, & could handle any corner IF/OF spot save perhaps 3B... & I only say that because the hot corner is the hot corner (it's where I'd move him first, honestly).

 

My assumption is that the Brewers are first making sure they develop what looks like a potential monster bat, and once he hones that part of his game, ask him to learn a long-term defensive position.

[bork]

 

My assumption is that the Brewers are first making sure they develop what looks like a potential monster bat, and once he hones that part of his game, ask him to learn a long-term defensive position.

 

That would seem to be the Brewers MO. Develop the bat and don't worry about the defense until they get to Milwaukee.

[SRB]

I'm interested in seeing what Elvis Rubio does at Helena this season. Signed out of the Dominican Republic a few years ago and at the time was considered a corner OF with a power bat (presumably quite raw). Last season in Arizona he put up some nice numbers (only 154 PA), with a .386 OBP and .482 SLG. Haven't seen much if any buzz surrounding him, but if he has another strong season we could start to see his name more.

[TURBO]

I have been wondering all season why Coulter is DHing so much.

 

Kind of irritates me a bit.

 

His catching skills have improved, he threw 2 guys out last night trying to steal 2nd base. I have been to roughly 10 T-Rats games this season, and last night was only the 2nd or 3rd time I have seen him catch.

[paul253]

One guy that I am pleasantly surprised about is Arcia. He's not showing much power but given his age and the tough hitting conditions in BC he's definitely holding his own. Plus only 33 K's in 242 at bats. I wish they'd just keep him at SS and let Rivera play 2nd. I think Arcia has a much brighter future than Rivera.

 

Also one thing I've noticed. 1/3 of Hunter Morris' walks have come in the last 7 games. Is this just a fluke or has he actually learned some patience?

[TooLiveBrew]

One guy that I am pleasantly surprised about is Arcia. He's not showing much power but given his age and the tough hitting conditions in BC he's definitely holding his own. Plus only 33 K's in 242 at bats. I wish they'd just keep him at SS and let Rivera play 2nd. I think Arcia has a much brighter future than Rivera.

 

Also one thing I've noticed. 1/3 of Hunter Morris' walks have come in the last 7 games. Is this just a fluke or has he actually learned some patience?

He showed improved BB rate after a while last season as well. Hopefully it'll be a sign this year that his bat will start to heat up. We could certainly use a replacement for Overbay, even if it'd only be until the FO trades for a first baseman.

[TheCrew07]

I have been wondering all season why Coulter is DHing so much.

 

Kind of irritates me a bit.

 

His catching skills have improved, he threw 2 guys out last night trying to steal 2nd base. I have been to roughly 10 T-Rats games this season, and last night was only the 2nd or 3rd time I have seen him catch.

 

Only marginally my friend, but his arm is fantastic.

 

As for the other bats I'm super high on David Denson based on what I've seen in WI, I'm still very intrigued by Tucker Neuhaus, and I'm keeping a sharp eye on last year's big bonus babies in Latin America; Nicolas Pierre and Franly Mallen. I'm also still following Victor Roache, he just seems like a guy who's going to need to make major adjustments as he moves up each level.

[HiAndTight]

I have been wondering all season why Coulter is DHing so much.

 

Kind of irritates me a bit.

 

His catching skills have improved, he threw 2 guys out last night trying to steal 2nd base. I have been to roughly 10 T-Rats games this season, and last night was only the 2nd or 3rd time I have seen him catch.

 

Only marginally my friend, but his arm is fantastic.

 

As for the other bats I'm super high on David Denson based on what I've seen in WI, I'm still very intrigued by Tucker Neuhaus, and I'm keeping a sharp eye on last year's big bonus babies in Latin America; Nicolas Pierre and Franly Mallen. I'm also still following Victor Roache, he just seems like a guy who's going to need to make major adjustments as he moves up each level.

 

 

I think it's been significant. He's not stabbing at the ball like he was, he's receiving the ball MUCH better, his hands look much softer.

 

I've seen him several times now this year and I'm just not seeing the MAJOR issues others are seeing. Not when we're talking about a 20 year old in LowA.

 

His arm is great, we agree on that.

His receiving is at least average at this point. A ball pops out here and there, but that was fairly consistent in the past.

His blocking is just a matter of muscle memory. He is very agile for his size. He doesn't always square up, but you'll also see him really do a fantastic job on some pitches that would get by most catchers.

 

He may very well move because the Brewers are happy with their current situation behind the plate and Luc is one of the top 5 catchers in baseball IMO, and his bat looks like it could move quickly, but I think it'd be a big mistake.

 

 

 

One guy I'm still holding out some hope for is Richardson. He has all the tools. I think his time off hurt him, but I'm hoping he has a real big second half and can still turn into a everyday regular.

[Outlander]

One guy I'm still holding out some hope for is Richardson. He has all the tools. I think his time off hurt him, but I'm hoping he has a real big second half and can still turn into a everyday regular.

Very discouraging year from him. I keep hearing that the power will come with maturity but he is 26 in a month and a slugging under 300 just isn't acceptable.

[JohnBriggs12]

"Zarraga continues to rake but at 25 in AA I'm not sure what to make of him."

 

He's only 0.4 of a year older than the average for AA. A .375/.480/.500 line and almost 3 walks for every strike out is impressive in any league at any age, but AA is full of pitchers considered prospects. He may not project as a major league starter, but he could carve out a nice career as a part time player and very useful bench bat especially in the NL. I think he may be the most advanced bat in the entire system and I'd love to see him get a September call up to use some of his skills down the stretch.

 

He wasn't a switch hitter nor did he catch, but a comparable type hitter to Zarraga at the same stage was Matt Diaz. Diaz, a 17th rounder, hit .383/.444/.542 in 280 AB's as a 25 yo in the Southern League in 2003. He didn't walk as much but like Zarraga, rarely struck out. Tampa Bay apparently couldn't find a use for him and ended up waiving him. Diaz had a solid career mostly with the Braves as a platoon bat.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I'm intrigued by Zarraga. How is he defensively? Is he good enough behind the plate to warrant being a regular backup? Not enough information that I can find out there on the guy. I know there was the article on him over at FG that said he projected to a 1.8 WAR for a full season (415 PA's for a catcher), but that doesn't tell me a whole lot about his overall package at defense.

[Mass Haas]

I'm intrigued by Zarraga. How is he defensively? Is he good enough behind the plate to warrant being a regular backup? Not enough information that I can find out there on the guy.

 

Via Adam McCalvy - May 6th

[FVBrewerFan]

Ratterree and Brennan are two guys I'm keeping an eye on. Saw it early with Ratterree, now his numbers are finally showing what I saw in him. Brennan has some real power too. Jason Rogers is my other guy. Not sure if he can put it all together, but it's possible.

[DuWayne Steurer]

I'm intrigued by Zarraga. How is he defensively? Is he good enough behind the plate to warrant being a regular backup? Not enough information that I can find out there on the guy.

 

Via Adam McCalvy - May 6th

 

 

Thanks Mass.

[3and2Fastball]

I'm looking forward to following Gatewood & Harrison on their rise through the minors, especially Gatewood

[Mr Southpaw]

HiAndTight said:

 

One guy I'm still holding out some hope for is Richardson. He has all the tools. I think his time off hurt him, but I'm hoping he has a real big second half and can still turn into a everyday regular.

 

Very discouraging year from him. I keep hearing that the power will come with maturity but he is 26 in a month and a slugging under 300 just isn't acceptable.

 

 

He is a plus plus centerfield with good power. He runs like a deer in the outfield. I will give him a pass until he doesn't hit for two years. He is an amazing athlete. Think of him as a Carlos Gomez lite and need a little time to develop. As of now he is not taking the place of someone at a lower level, although TT needs to be AA next year.

[JohnBriggs12]

I'm looking forward to following Gatewood & Harrison on their rise through the minors, especially Gatewood

 

I am too but the experience with Roache has tempered my enthusiasm until I actually see them play. Roache was supposed to be an impact bat and frankly has been a bust so far.

[fondybrewfan]

At least both Gatewood and Harrison are high school kids. Roache had a questionable hit tool coming out of college. Both of those kids as far as I know are better athletes than Roache as well.

 

I still have hopes for Roache though; he doesn't need to hit 280 to be valuable. He can't hit 200 either though. He might just need to get out of the hitters nightmare that is Brevard County.

[Jenkins5]

Mark Reynolds has had a pretty nice career so far and continuously is a MLB starter. I see Roache being able to put together a Reynolds like career and teams will deal with the .200-.240 BA and 200+ K's due to the impact power he offers. I doubt he will ever really improve his hit tool too much. He is a one-trick pony and that his his golden ticket

[JohnBriggs12]

Mark Reynolds has had a pretty nice career so far and continuously is a MLB starter. I see Roache being able to put together a Reynolds like career and teams will deal with the .200-.240 BA and 200+ K's due to the impact power he offers. I doubt he will ever really improve his hit tool too much. He is a one-trick pony and that his his golden ticket

 

If he can't top .250 in A ball, how can one even project him to hit above .200 in the majors? The name brought up when he was drafted was Greg Vaughn. Vaughn didn't hit for much of an average but it was at least respectable. Vaughn hit for a lot higher average in the minors than Roache has done so far. There's still time, but early returns aren't encouraging. A Reynolds type career might cut it in the infield but not in LF.

[FVBrewerFan]

If he can't top .250 in A ball, how can one even project him to hit above .200 in the majors?

 

Exactly. In fact, if we can barely hit .200 in high A ball, how is he going to hit .200 in MLB? He is barely on my radar to tell you the truth. Saw enough of him last, and not impressed. Sure, he can come around but I'm just not real optimistic.

[TooLiveBrew]

It's far too early to be passing those kinds of judgments.

 

Roache's production appeared to be held down in the first half/portion of 2013 as he recovered fully from his wrist break. He hit like heck in the second half of '13. Now he's facing likely the best pitchers he's ever seen in his life & in a horrible hitters' park in notorious pitchers' league. This season so far, he's had a crappy April, an .828 OPS in May, & a crappy first half of June.

[Never Outhustled]

Mark Reynolds had a 279 average in the minors. Roache has a ton of work to do.

 

The system has just 1 impact bat, Coulter. Arcia is a really good prospect without an impact bat. I've seen Taylor several times and I consider him just really mature for his age and not a high upside prospect. He's a tweener.

 

Hopefully Harrison and Gatewood develop, that would really change the system.