Jose Rodriguez hit everywhere he went in 2021. Do we believe in this talent?
Category Archives: Batter
Tirso Ornelas, OF, SD
After a lost 2019 where he bottomed out in skill, and a lost 2020 to a pandemic, how much did Tirso Ornelas look forward to 2021? Glad you asked…
Joshua Mears, OF, SD
Joshua Mears is known for one thing, and something else — Joshua Mears is known for a couple of things along with — among the things Joshua Mears is known for are power, on-base ability, and uh, those strikeouts. Oh, and a little speed too. He draws walks, did I mention that?
Justin Yurchak, 1B, LAD
One of the best hitters in the minor leagues gets ignored by the scouts. What gives?
Edouard Julien, 2B, MIN
Meet the batter who drew more walks than anyone else in the minor leagues in 2021.
Steven Kwan, OF, CLE
What a year Steven Kwan had! How much of that do we believe?
Felix Valerio, 2B, MIL
Felix Valerio got off to a hot start in 2021, and then cooled off later. Which one is the real Valerio?
Matt Fraizer, OF, PIT
Another Pittsburgh Pirate prospect, Matt Fraizer had himself quite a spiffy year, so why aren’t more scouts putting him high on their lists? Let’s find out…
Nick Gonzales, 2B, PIT
Nick Gonzales was drafted as a hit-first infielder in 2020, and then had a non-season like everyone else. When 2021 began, he put up a modest .333 OBP in May and June. What happened next?
Jonathan Aranda, 2B, TAM
This past week saw the Rays make some deals to create more room on their 40-man roster, so they could, in part, add 23-year-old infielder Jonathan Aranda to that 40-man. When a team as loaded as the Rays tries to make room for you, you must be pretty good. Meet Mr. Aranda.
Juan Yepez, 1B, STL
Some teenagers take the world by storm, but most teenagers are merely figuring out how to do the job they want to succeed at. The skills develop over time, and next thing you know you have a skilled worker. Meet former teenager Juan Yepez.
Carlos Cortes, 2B/OF, NYM
24-year-old Carlos Cortes is having a fine Arizona Fall League start. Does he have what it takes to be more than a role player in the majors?
Nick Yorke, 2B, BOS
The Red Sox reached for Nick Yorke in the 1st round of the 2020 Draft. Or did they reach?…
Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, KC
Some prospects pop up and people get all excited (SP, SS), and some prospects pop up and people look at their watches (1B). Here’s why those people can’t tell time.
Elehuris Montero, 1B/3B, COL
One of the prospects brought over in the Arenado trade, Elehuris Montero has stepped up in a big way in 2021. Can we trust the numbers?
Bryson Stott, SS, PHI
Bryson Stott could always hit, which is how he wound up a 1st-round pick by the Phillies. But the knock on him was that the raw power might not translate to game power, and his habit of expanding the strike zone by being athletic enough to reach for pitches waaay out of the zone mightContinue reading “Bryson Stott, SS, PHI”
Alex Kirilloff, OF, MIN
Called up this week to be the extra man for a doubleheader, 23-year-old Alex Kirilloff made his major league regular season debut starting in LF. What can we expect of Alex once he gets his regular chance in the majors?
Tucupita Marcano, INF, PIT
After hitting .405/.479/.619 in 49 PA in spring training, 21-year-old Tucupita Marcano was a surprise addition to the Padres 26-man roster. In the first seven days of the regular season, Marcano had one plate appearance per game, where he cumulatively drew one walk and hit one single. Those two sentences tell you everything you needContinue reading “Tucupita Marcano, INF, PIT”
Bobby Dalbec, 1B, BOS
As I write this, 26-year-old Bobby Dalbec is hitting .300/.382/.833 in 34 PA in spring training. He had 92 PA in 2020, and is about to lose prospect status. What do the Red Sox have in this first baseman who looks to open the season batting ninth?
Ryan Mountcastle, 1B/OF, BAL
24-year-old Ryan Mountcastle had a nice first season in the majors in 2020, but juuust avoided losing rookie eligibility. He should be a regular in the outfield for the Orioles in 2021, and maybe play 1B a little as well. What does the team have in this young player?
Cristian Pache, OF, ATL
Let’s look at some rookie-eligible players likely to make their team’s Opening Day rosters. We will start with young Braves outfielder Cristian Pache.
Hudson Head, OF, PIT
A main piece in the Joe Musgrove trade to San Diego, just who did the Pirates get when they traded for (among others) Hudson Head? [Fourth in my offseason look at prospects without much of a track record, but the scouts like him]
Alexfri Planez, OF, CLE
He’s only played at the Rookie league level as a 17-year-old, yet Alexfri Planez is already showing up in Top 200 lists of prospects. What gives? [This is the third of an occasional series of players I will analyze in the offseason simply because they are being ranked highly by Top Lists in the industry,Continue reading “Alexfri Planez, OF, CLE”
Luis Matos, OF, SF
[This is the second of an occasional series of players I will analyze in the offseason simply because they are being ranked highly by Top Lists in the industry, yet they have little track record. ‘What are the rankers seeing?’ is the question I will try to answer.]
Kristian Robinson, OF, ARI
[This is the first of an occasional series of players I will analyze in the offseason simply because they are being ranked highly by Top Lists in the industry, yet they have little track record. ‘What are the rankers seeing?’ is the question I will try to answer.] Robinson was already on industry Top 30Continue reading “Kristian Robinson, OF, ARI”