Link Report for Tuesday 4/18

[Mass Haas]

Biloxi 0, Chattanooga 0, after two innings

 

Shuckers and Lookouts suspended by rain on Tuesday night

The game will resumed as part of a Wednesday doubleheader in Chattanooga

 

Biloxi Box Score (thus far)

 

Biloxi Game Log (thus far)

 

Check out RHP Jorge Lopez's Houdini innings, particularly the 2nd...

[Mass Haas]

VIDEOS via @BrewerProspect -- RHP Corbin Burnes and OF Corey Ray

[JohnBriggs12]

Phillips over last 3 games, 13abs 7 hits 1 2B 1 bb only 3 Ks.... hopefully he is starting to figure it out and click. Power is not there this season so far with on 3 XBH & walks are down as well.

 

Broxton better figure it out by June otherwise him & Brinson will be swapping places. He is back & on fire again!

 

Truer words never spoken. I the meantime, how about a CF platoon of Phillips and Perez and Broxton back to AAA and Kirk to oblivion?

[ZBTMP]

Phillips over last 3 games, 13abs 7 hits 1 2B 1 bb only 3 Ks.... hopefully he is starting to figure it out and click. Power is not there this season so far with on 3 XBH & walks are down as well.

 

Broxton better figure it out by June otherwise him & Brinson will be swapping places. He is back & on fire again!

 

Truer words never spoken. I the meantime, how about a CF platoon of Phillips and Perez and Broxton back to AAA and Kirk to oblivion?

 

It doesn’t seem wise to replace the guy who is striking out 45% of the time vs. MLB pitching with the guy who is striking out 40% of the time vs AAA pitching yet..... those 13 at bats aside.

[And That]

The great thing about him is he is athletic and so young. He has the tools to stick behind plate. He is not more of a project like Lawrie, Coulter or Nottingham where there are a lot of red flags they need to fix. His biggest hurdle is age and being raw. Even if bat is outstanding all the way up, think it is hard for a team to move a guy who can actually catch off due to his bat. Plus a bat losses a lot of value often after moved off (unless they are a power hitting OF or 1B) He could be our Meijia we never got in trade. Only 12 games in & I don't see his bat sustaining all season. Overall, you over look offense with a guy like him to make sure he develops right behind plate. Hard to believe he will be 18 all season! It's exciting!

Not to belabor this, but high school catching prospects are so hard to develop because, while they can develop defensively over time, you can't hold back their offensive progression for the sake of seeing if they stick behind the plate. And no, I don't think he'll finish the year with a >.900 OPS. I do think it's possible he could hit Carolina League pitching, though. He has an impressive approach at the plate.

 

I say high school catching prospects are hard to develop because I believe they are the single least likely draft asset to reach the majors, at least among position players (I can't find the research offhand). To wit, going back 10 years beginning in 2014, this is how many players drafted as catchers out of high school, in any round, have reached the big leagues as a catcher (number afterwards is career bWAR)

 

2014 (and 2015/2016): 0

2013: 0

2012: 0

2011: 2 - Blake Swihart (0.6, though he played more OF last year), Austin Hedges (-0.5)

2010: 0* - *J.T. Realmuto was drafted as an infielder and converted to catcher (5.5)

2009: 4 - Steve Baron (-0.3), J.R. Murphy (0.4), Max Stassi (0.4), Tucker Barnhart (1.4)

2008: 3 - Kyle Skipworth (-0.1), Adrian Nieto (-0.1), Christian Vazquez (1.4)

2007: 5 - Devin Mesoraco (3.6), Travis d'Arnaud (1.4), Austin Romine (-0.6), Derek Norris (8.0), Juan Centeno (0.2)

2006: 1 - Hank Conger (2.1)

2005: 3 - Bryan Anderson (-0.5), Josh Thole (-0.9), Luis Exposito (-0.2)

 

In 10 years of drafting, that's... not a lot. 19 guys total counting Realmuto and Swihart, and only 6 with >1 bWAR. Median is 0.4 bWAR. Essentially no production since the 2010 draft. Any list headlined by Derek Norris, is, yah.

 

Which is not to say that Feliciano won't make it as a catcher, but even recognizing his obvious talent, the odds are stacked way against him.

[colbyjack]

Just to support Toby's comments on Feliciano, as last year's draft approached we received numerous reports from Puerto Rico that Feliciano was moving up boards, but was more likely considered a corner outfielder than a catcher at that time. Physically he has the tools, with a strong arm and good quickness/speed for a catcher. However, and again as Toby noted, it was his bat that stood out.

 

This report from David Rawnsley from last May sums up his profile perfectly IMO:

 

The prototypical Puerto Rican catcher can best be summarized as resembling one of the Molina Brothers; a wide lower half, loose actions with very good one-spot quickness, a big throwing arm and polished receiving skills. Plus, they are definitely "defense over offense" in their skill and tool set.

 

Fast rising Puerto Rican Mario Feliciano is pretty much the exact opposite of that.

 

At an extra strong but well proportioned 6-foot-1, 195-pounds, Feliciano has a mature build that would look at home on a football field in Texas or Pennsylvania. He has surprisingly good straight-ahead speed and has run a 6.8 60-yard dash, but his shifting and blocking behind the plate are not quick and athletic enough to be called one of his best tools. And while Feliciano has a strong arm that is notably accurate, it grades out as a 50 (average) tool on the professional scouting scale. There are any number of other positions on the field that Feliciano could be playable at defensively with his athleticism and tools, not always something one can say about a catcher.

 

The big difference right now, though, is that Feliciano is definitely an "offense over defense" present talent. Here are the hitting notes from Feliciano's 2015 PG National Showcase report:

 

Righthanded hitter, big leg lift trigger but gets his foot down in time for the most part, big lower half coil, can keep his hands back even when opening early, pull and lift approach, swings hard and has very good bat speed, gets extended well when timed, big power when squared and has a feel for the barrel, impressive hitting prospect.

 

Some prospects are top-level hitting prospects because they have well constructed and repeatable hitting mechanics that have been honed through innumerable swings and repetitions. Feliciano is a top-level hitting prospect as much because of his combination of raw strength driven bat speed and aggression in trying to hit the ball very, very hard as anything. He's a "bat speed over mechanics" hitter who simply looks to crush the ball as hard and often as he can. And that definitely works for him.

[LouisEly]

Taylor Williams gave up his first run of the year, but struck out 6 in 3 innings.