Minors Not Short on Talent
One of the complaints that followed the former Devil Ray front office clan -- led by Chuck Lamar -- centered around B.J. Upton. Lucky enough to draft him in 2002 (thanks to a Pirates gaffe), Upton's bat predictably tore through the minors. Conversely, his glove played as if it had a tear down the center. Entering the season, Upton's minor league line read: .304/.396/.474, in over 1,400 at-bats. By contrast, the Devil Rays' left side hit about .290/.350/.430 last year. Fans called for Bossman's promotion. Lamar and company pointed to his fielding record: 144 errors in 367 games. Fans called for a position change. The front office went silent. While Lou Piniella had toyed with the idea of using Upton at the hot corner in 2004, last year Upton played in Durham while no one offered a direction. When the group was fired, Tampa fans reveled in the hope that Andrew Friedman and Gerry Hunsicker would bring Upton Blueprints. Thus far, the two have been bailed out as Upton's bat has yet to warm up. In fact, the current Devil Ray SS line (.273/.360/.386) is better than Upton's in the International League. However, his patient approach and aggressive baserunning mentality (8/9 already this season) have left Tampa fans again salivating. But again, they remain disappointed, as all the focus has been on Upton's fielding: 7 errors in his first 11 games. Despite the pessimism that Upton's fielding record produces, no one questions that his future is bright. They do question, however, the existence of a plan. A long-term plan like the organization that B.J.'s brother was just drafted into. A prep superstar with a scouting report more glowing than his brother, Justin Upton was drafted listed at the most ideal position on the defensive spectrum. However, when he opens his season in a few weeks, Upton will be in centerfield, where the club believes it can best utilize Upton's arm. Once magnificently wild in high school, it will now be difficult for Justin to overthrow his target. In addition to his mistake-prone issues at shortstop, the first overall pick was also moved thanks to foresight by the D-Backs' new front office. Like Tampa with Upton, Arizona was lucky on draft day to land their blue-chip shortstop -- Stephen Drew, who fell into the teens in 2004 thanks to signability concerns. Once signed, the path to the Majors was set into action for Stephen, who began his minor league career by tearing up the California League last season. Now playing for Tucson in the Pacific Coast League, Drew is -- like Upton -- struggling in the early going. Fans have been put off by his .269 OBP, as well as a high strikeout percentage: 12 in 48 at-bats. However, there is a sign of the player chosen to lead Arizona into the next decade -- four home runs through his first twelve games. No one expected AAA to be easy for Drew, barely removed from AA, and he has plenty of time to be acclimated. Craig Counsell signed with Arizona in December of 2004, months after the club had drafted Drew, months before they signed him. Now, the two-year contract to which Counsell was handed appears to be the perfect length, as Stephen will be given a full season to prepare for the Major Leagues. There will be no worries about player's catching him from the minors, or some veteran taking his slot. Drew is aware that on Opening Day, 2007, the shortstop job in Phoenix is his until he loses it. This is what the Devil Rays need to provide Upton: a clear view at his future. With that weight off Upton's shoulders, it might be then that his potential is truly untapped. Once the undeniable best shortstop prospect in the minors, the Tampa front office has allowed Upton to lose that label. Looking at the other top shortstop prospects in the minors... Wood is already putting pressure on the Angels to consider moving Cabrera, or even, move Wood to the hot corner. His power spike has not dulled in eleven contests, as Brandon has eight extra-base hits in 44 at-bats. However, before Wood holds Bill Stoneman's hands to the fire and forces him to make a move, the strikeouts need to decrease. With fifteen whiffs already in eleven games, Brandon is doing nothing to inspire projections of his future batting average. Even given his weaknesses and uncertainty, Wood's big-time power leaves him with an advantage over both Stephen Drew and B.J. Upton. While Tulo is close to spending most of his time in Coors Field, our other second tier shortstops are a simple injury or slump away. Dustin Pedroia needs to restore his own injury before Boston becomes a reality, but it isn't as if the Sox are too emotionally invested into Alex Gonzalez. Pedroia, a small player with limited upside but nearly guaranteed certainty, should be up by the trade deadline. Erick Aybar should be in Los Angeles before then. Cabrera's contract be damned, Aybar is ready, currently hitting .348/.362/.543 in Salt Lake. It appears at this point that Aybar has certain flaws that we will simply have to deal with: a lack of baserunning instincts, no discernable plate discipline, and no great power. But given his good contact abilties, plus speed and great defense, Aybar has everything needed to become a Major League shortstop. Everything but a job. Readers know the players I find most intriguing -- the group I choose each season as my projected breakout players. One this season, Reid Brignac, has assured himself good early season statistics by hitting three home runs in a game earlier this season. Besides that, Brignac is off to a start that proves his potential. It is his ceiling that has me thinking Brignac might be a better prospect than Marcus Sanders, one of the two biggest Shortstop Slumpers of the early season. Since Opening Day, in which Sanders doubled and walked, the Giant prospect has reached base just three times, and never via the extra-base hit. Still, once the ball starts to find the holes, Sanders will start again wreaking havoc on the basepaths and proving his future as the projected Giants leadoff hitter. While many pegged those two players for breakout seasons, I opted for Australian Brad Harman. Also in the FSL, Harman has shown nothing close to Plouffe's polish. Instead, Harman has been awful, hitting just .205/.289/.231 through his first 11 games. His struggles outshine even those of Eduardo Nunez, a PECOTA sleeper with a similar sub-.600 OPS in the Florida State League. Something must be in the water in the Sunshine State. 1. Brandon Wood - Angels |
Comments
How close was Yunel Escobar from making the list? Also, isn't Marcus Sanders' arm strength forcing him to move to 2B?
Posted by: Dave Duncan at April 19, 2006 6:51 AM
To making the top ten? Not particularly close. To being mentioned in the article? Close, as he wasn't far from some of the 2005 draftees that I mention. But you have to realize there were even more SS picked between Bianchi and Escobar, including Ryan Mount and P.J. Phillips.
The Braves surprised me with their aggressive promotion of Escobar, playing in AA already. So, his early season struggles (.244/.340/.289) are no surprise. He's OK, and probably a future bench player, but we don't have enough performance to get excited about yet.
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I should have mentioned that Sanders might change positions, thanks for pointing that out. While I didn't even include a player like Matt Tuiasasopo on this list because I don't consider him a shortstop at all, Sanders almost missed for the same reason. But the Giants seem to be clinging to the hope he'll be able to play both, likely in case he flops and needs to just be a bench player.
Posted by: Bryan Smith at April 19, 2006 7:06 AM
How about Trevor Plouffe or Chris Nelson? Nelson looks like he might be making strides this year.
Posted by: Tom Cunningham at April 19, 2006 7:34 AM
Tom, 11 and 12 are Nelson and Plouffe, respectively. Both have the potential to fly up the list this year.
Posted by: Bryan Smith at April 19, 2006 8:24 AM
How close was Asdrubal Cabrera from making the list.
The M's have been very aggressive in promoting him to AAA already, and his stats may suffer a bit. But if you consider age/level and his defensive prowess, he is a pretty intriguing prospect.
What are your thoughts on him?
Posted by: Jerry at April 19, 2006 8:35 AM
Long-time readers know that I love Cabrera. He was on my breakout list before the 2005 season, and he was in my top 75 this past winter.
Thanks to Yuniesky Betancourt, however, Cabrera is not going to play shortstop with the Seattle Mariners. A marvelous defensive player, the M's have dreams of the best double play combination in baseball with Betancourt at short and Cabrera at second.
Seattle has been very aggressive, but each step of the way, Asdrubal has responded. He's done his thing despite position changes, aggressive promotions, etc. He can be patient when he wants to be, is a good contact hitter, and has some power in his bat. He's a better hitter than Betancourt.
However, for Asdrubal to really get a chance in Seattle, I fear he will need a big Jose Lopez slump. As I was never high on Lopez, I think it's a matter of time, but those U.S.S. Mariner guys seem to think that Lopez is the second baseman of the future. Let's hope it doesn't block Cabrera for too long.
And by the way, if Cabrera was on this list, he would rank 7th, and he's within spitting distance of 5th at this point.
Posted by: Bryan Smith at April 19, 2006 8:39 AM
Re Brandon Wood, don't know if you noticed, Bryan, but Dallas McPherson has been playing a lot of first base at Salt Lake. IMO he's being groomed for a trade.
Posted by: Rob McMillin at April 19, 2006 10:11 AM
Bryan: would Asdrubal Cabrera be listed if you were to do a similar post on the minors' top second basemen? If so, where would he rank?
Posted by: JH at April 19, 2006 12:28 PM
Jon, thanks for the question, but I'm not going to answer it. I'm hoping on making the position insight a semi-weekly feature, and if so, second base would be up third (catcher is next). So keep reading, and we'll get there eventually.
Posted by: Bryan Smith at April 19, 2006 12:46 PM
are pennington or petit the A's SS of the future? I like crosby but his nagging injuries are very annoying since he got injured again today. Should i expect a petit/pennington SS along with Melillo at 2b combo in the next several years?
Posted by: ray at April 22, 2006 3:04 AM
Nigel Octavio Diego Shannon Spencer Ernest
Posted by: Korey at April 28, 2006 2:02 AM