2/27/09
Ryan Kelley
There's a lot of guys out there that can make it in the Bigs without many physical gifts beyond brains and eyesight- Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia are two very good examples. In the end however, I, along with most scouts, like to see a physical specimen. We like a guy with all 5 tools and a goody body. Below is a list of players that are physically gifted. How gifted? That's what the list is for...
1. Tim Beckham, SS, Tampa Bay Rays- Beckham was drafted out of highschool almost purely because of his body. If you want to talk about 5 tool players here's a damn good example. Beckham is as fast as diamonds are valuable and makes contact with the best of them. His .243 average in his first taste of professional ball isn't supporting the scouts raving about his ability, but he definitely will make the big ball club. It's always a crapshoot as to whether or not a super prospect will be a star, or even make their MLB team, but Beckham looks pretty close to a sure thing.
2. Matt Wieters, C, Baltimore Orioles- Wieters again!? Yeseroo. Wieters has the best tools of any catcher in the minors and maybe even the majors (not counting Joe Mauer). He has a rifle for an arm, great range, good speed for a catcher and the best bat in the minors. He makes contact at an insane rate and flashed some serious power in AA in 2007. His career 1.054 OPS and .355 batting average in the minors tell Wieters' story.
3. Aaron Hicks, CF, Minnesota Twins- Hicks is one of the few guys on this blog that I haven't seen or met in person. I'm breaking my pledge and rating him here because he's just THAT GOOD. The Twins want him slotted in as an OF, but prior to the draft other teams considered him a pitcher because of his 96 mph fastball. His arm is a rocket, he has great speed and he has been compared to Darryl freak'n Strawberry with the bat. In less than a third of a season in 2008, Hicks hit .318, stole 12 bases and belted 4 bombs.
4. Jeff Samardzija, RHP, Chicago Cubs- Samardzija was Notre Dames version of the "Great White Hope" (as Jim Brown calls it) at wide receiver. Since his huge signing bonus with the Cubbies Samardzija has lived up to his hype. He hits 95 on the gun almost consistently and can dial it up to 97-98 when he wants to. He's a big dude, 6'5" and 220 lbs and he has great stuff. He throws a plus-plus four seamer, a good two seamer, a splitter and a low 80's slider and sometimes a catch-'em-off-guard-change as well. He posted a 3.13 era in AAA in 2008 and then dominated with the Cubs wielding a 2.28 era with 25 k's through 27 innings.
5. Jason Heyward, CF, Atlanta Braves- Heyward won't even be 20 until August 2009 and he's already got scouts mouth's watering. In single A with the Rome Braves, at age 18, he hit .323 with 11 homers and 15 stolen bases in about two thirds of a season. The kid has a super human body is a hulk at 6'4" 220 for a guy with his speed. Heyward is a lot like Elijah Dukes as an athlete, big, fast and strong but he absolutely does not have the asshole gene that Dukes has.
6. Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates- McCutchen's career minor league stats aren't all that impressive- .284/.362/.415-- but I'd rather take a guy with that line that has McCutchen's body than a young Youkilis-bodied player that has hit .300 at every stop. He might be a little bit overrated but he's still darn good. He's been pushed far too quickly through the Pirates' system and they'll clearly make the mistake of sitting him on the MLB team's bench instead of letting him have a breather year in AAA.
7. Greg Halman, CF, Seattle Mariners- Originally I forgot about Halman until a friend of mine reminded me of his Heywardian talent and build. Like Hicks I haven't met Halman just because he plays too darn far away and I try my best to see and meet as many guys as I can, but generally miss the youngest ones. I talked to my uncle, who is a MLB scout, and he let me know that leaving Halman off of this list should land me in prison for 20-life. His stats are pretty darn toolsy, and he has a lot of power and some good speed. With the High Desert Mavericks in the California League in 2008 Halman hit 19 bombs and stole 23 bases (being caught only once) in less than a half season. He put up similar numbers with AA West Tennessee as well. Things that might get him in trouble at higher levels are his less than superb contact (.268 at A+) and his lack of patience which usually leaves him on pace for 30 walks a season. His patience isn't THAT bad, and its often the first thing that improves with age, then power comes.
8. Andrew Brackman, LHP, New York Yankees Brackman was a good basketball player at NC State and has shown that he has the stuff to play pretty well in the majors. The 6'8" beast has the body on a pitcher that scouts like to see, so his obvious need for elbow surgery didn't bother the Yankees when they decided to sign him out of college. The kid throws a fastball between 93-97 mph with plenty of sink. Really he throws 2 fastballs, a four seamer that rides and a 2 seamer that sinks. He also throws a tight knuckle curve that is a plus. His changeup currently reeks but is projected to be plus-plus with some work, and that won't be hard with the Yankees' version of Merlin, minors pitching coach Nardi Contreras.
9. Ben Revere, CF, Minnesota Twins- Revere is my favorite type of player. He makes great contact, he's fast and he plays good defense. In about half a season at single A Revere hit .379 and stole 44 bases. I'm no mathematician but I'd say that projects to be pretty effing sick-nasty over a full season. Revere isn't a big guy, barely 5'9" on his tippie toes, but he's a hell of an athlete/burner. Whats scary is, his small frame packs quite a wallup and may develop 15 homerun power by the time he gets to the majors. Think Ichiro jr.
10. Austin Jackson, CF, New York Yankees- Jackson turned down basketball to sign with the Yanks. He hasn't put his tools to good use yet, but he gets to first in 4.20 seconds (damn quick) and he did hit .345 at A+ in 2007. His dropoff last year in AA was almost expected as he's very inexperienced and only 21. If he can put it together in 2009 there's still hope that he's not Melky Cabrera part II.
11. Michael Main, RHP, Texas Rangers- A superb athlete, the kid, drafted out of highschool, was originally a two way player. The Rangers couldn't let his power arm go to waste though so they quickly converted him to a full time starter to allow him to concentrate on pitching. The kid throws a 98 mph fastball and an 80-85 mph Steve Karsayian power curve. His curve is already plus-plus and is his strikeout pitch--that's saying a lot when he also wields 98 mph heat. The kid looks so good that not even Texas can f*** him up. At age 19 Main had a 2.58 era and struck out 50 in 45 innings in single A. He's such a nuts athlete that he even stole 3 bases and batted .267 in 8 games in the field.
12. David Price, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays- Price is rated by most as the best pitching prospect out there and his body is exactly the kind I like to see on a prospect. Like Jay Bruce, Price has one of those soft (not fat), young, frames that has plenty of room to add muscle-- a stark difference from the overly swollen and muscle-packed frames of Travis Snider and Colby Rasmus. He's not rated the best prospect because he has Chamberlain stuff and could be the next Nolan Ryan but because he's a sure shot to be a great no. 2 or a good number 1. A healthy A.J. Burnett from the left side is a lot like Price. He's a 2 pitch guy, and both are plus-plus.
13. Neil Walker, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates- For such a quick and agile playe in the field its hard to believe Walker doesn't steal more than 10 bases a season. Still, Walker, a catcher-third convert has a rocket arm, covers a lot of ground at third and has the tools to hit for a lot of power. Unfortuntaly for him he'll have to compete with former top prospect Andy LaRoche and super-phenom Pedro Alvarez for the job at third. I personally would bench Jack Wilson and give him a try at third but what the ef do I know. Think of a healthy Brandon Inge.
14. Desmond Jennings, CF, Tampa Bay Rays- Jennings was torn up in 2008 but his '07 numbers tell the story. He stole 45 bases and batted .315 with a .401 OBP and an .865 OPS. The dude covers some serious ground in center and although his game is built around his superb athleticism the kid has good fundamentals as well. Jennings walked 45 times in a half season in 2007 and struck out just 53 times--an impressive number for a young hitter. Maybe a Carl Crawford.
15. Frederick Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves- Its strange to have a first basemen on a list of top athletes, but if you had to pick the most athletic first basemen in the minors to put on this list then Freeman fits the bill. Formerly a two-way player, Freeman was moved to first from third because of his stone hands. Anyway at age 18 he had an .899 OPS and batted .316 with 18 homers with the Rome Braves through 4/5 of a season. He'll shoot up this list if he can learn to field somewhat and the Braves will probably move him back to
third in that case.16. Brett Gardner, CF, New York Yankees- Quietly Gardner has climbed the Yankees' prospect ladder the last few years and ended up in the majors in 2008. Gardner is not a 5 tool guy, his arm is average and he lacks any sort of power-most of his hits are soft line drives. Gardner's true athleticism is his blinding speed and can get to first base in less than 4 seconds (wow). He convinced me that he deserves to stay in the majors not with his two game winning hits last season but the fact that he turned a dunk-in single into a triple because Jose Guillen took a split second too long to get the ball back in. He's very patient, almost too patient for a guy with no power, but if he can improve like he always does his second time around at each level then he could be a baby Juan Pierre. At the very least the bullet from Holy Hill, SC will be the top pinch runner in the AL.
17. Austin Romine, C, New York Yankees- The Yankees may not have the top farm with the departure of Chamberlain, Kennedy and Hughes but they sure have plenty of athletes. Romine was originally drafted for his defense. The son of former MLB catcher Kevin Romine has THE best arm in the minors among position players--not just catchers. He let 18 passed balls go by him in 2008, true, but he'll improve his work behind the plate with age like every other catching prospect. Runners will learn not to run on Romine just like they learned not to run on I-Rod in the late 90's. His also showed off his bat in 2008 and batted an even .300 with 10 homers in 2/3 of a season in the Sally League.
18. Trevor Crowe, OF, Cleveland Indiands- A top prospect Crowe is not but a top 50 prospect is a nice label. Crowe's minor league numbers aren't super impressive but he has shown that he has great speed, makes contact and has some pop. The lanky outfielder stole 45 bases in 2006 in only a little bit more than half a season. He has hit over .300 (.329, .323) at A+ and AA over the past two seasons and has shown that he can swat doubles with the best of 'em as well as a a few homers. He was on pace to hit 44 doubles in 2006 and 50 in 2008 and pronked 5 homers in only 146 at bats at AAA in 2008. A twenty home run guy? Probably not. A decent average, 10-15 homers and 20-30 stolen bases is very possible. Kind of like a Randy Winn.
19. Tyler Colvin, OF, Chicago Cubs- Colvin is a good lesson for scouts that draft purely on athleticism. The kid is quite the athlete but he swings at everything and doesn't walk. He hit .300, stole 17 bases, slugged .488 and hit 15 homers in about 4/5 of a season in 2007. He hasn't been disappointing by any stretch but he hasn't really shown that he's a Carlos Beltran either. Anyway Colvin walked a surprising 44 times in 2008, damn good for him, but has shown poor discipline every other year prior. Anway he's a pretty decent player and he looks like he could be a young Aaron Rowand.
20. Dellin Betances, SP, New York Yankees- Once again, the Yankees are loaded with athletic prospects. Betances is everything a scout wants to see in a young pitcher. He's tall, 6'9" and lean and has arms that are long and lanky. The kid has absolutely nasty stuff, throwing 93-97 mph fastballs and a filthy knuckle-curve. His control, his delivery and his change need wor
k but that's a given considering he just turned 21. He has the body to start, but if the Yankees are ever desperate for a closer once Rivera leaves he, Melancon and Brackman could slide in to that spot pretty easily.21. Elvis Andrus, SS, New York Mets- The Venezuelan with the Alabamian first name is an absolute Energizer Bunny. He stoled 54 bases in less than a full season in 2008 and hit .295 all while flashing some good line-drive power. He has silly-awesome range regularly with a Rf around 5.00 and a filthy zone rating, but he makes way too many errors (32 in 2008). He'll be at short for the Rangers in 2009, and as long as he softens those hands he'll be there for a while.
22. Alcides Escobar, SS, Milwaukee Brewers- Escobar is already the best defensive shortstop in the minors but he has now added a nice stick to go with it. He hit a sparkling .328 and stole 34 bases through about 500 at bats in AA Huntsville in 2008. His OPS isn't great and his patience needs some serious imrovement so instead of rushing him to the majors in 2009 they should let JJ Hardy be and work with Escobar on plate discipline and maybe let his power develop a little more as well.
23. Dexter Fowler, CF, Colorado Rockies- The super thin Fowler is 6'5" and a whole lot of arms and legs. He's only 189 pounds but he generates a ton of power (for a skinny guy) with his legs. He is a 5 tool guy with speed, power, some good D' and some pretty good fundamentals. I actually didn't seek out Fowler, I met him at an autograph signing and the kid is cooler than lemonade and seems way too personable for young super-prospect-- Price and Samardzija are less than friendly/modest if you know what I mean. Anyway Fowler has flashed a pretty nice arm and had 8 assists with Tulsa in 2008. His stolen bases numbers have dropped somewhat, but his contact, patience and whiff rate have all improved over the last few years. The kid doesn't strike out that much and has shown some nice pitch recognition. I've watched him more than a few times in the last few years and can definitely say that he's going to be a nice MLB player--ESPECIALLY when he adds about 10-15 pounds of muscle (power).
24. Sean West, LHP, Florida Marlins- The 6'8" left hander weighing in at 200 pounds has a hell of a body for a pitcher. Like Betances, West is tall and lanky and features some good stuff. He walks way too many people but makes up for it with strikeouts and saavy. Through 100 innings at A+ he 2.41 era, 92 strikeouts and 60 walks. He can walk at that rate in the low minors but once he gets to AAA/MLB he'll have some serious problems unless he works the magic that Bobby Witt did.
25. Michael Saunders, OF (and 3B?), Seattle Mariners- Saunders is tall, fast and strong. He has a good arm, hits for power, makes good contact and can steal about 30 bases in a full season. What more could you ask for? He's not particularly adept at any one aspect of the game but at one stop or another he's either hit about .300, slugged around .480 or stolen 25 bases. There aren't any flaws in his game and the Mariners gave up on him playing third way to early--not ever placing him there after he was drafted. If he's that athletic how can he not figure out
how to field a corner spot?Just Missed
1. Brent Brewer, SS, Milwaukee Brewers- Brewer, the perfect name for his organization, is generally considered the best athlete in the Brewers' system, especially since he turned down a football scholarship just to join the Brewers. BB does a lot of thing right but too many things wrong. First of all, even though he has plus speed and great range, Brewer may be the worst fielding shortstop I've ever seen in person--even beating "Ol' Paddle Hands" Jesus Guzman. The dude made freaking 48 errors in 2007, yes I wrote 48, 4-8 errors in only 125 games. Yea he's that terrible. His bat hasn't woken up just yet, but when it does he could be a .280 and 15 homer guy at his best in the MLB. His speed is plus and he stole 42 bases after hitting 11 homers in 2007. The potential is there. Will he reach it? 50-50.
2. Michael Stanton, 1B/Corner Outfield, Florida Marlins- Stanton isn't a 5 tool guy and lacks both speed and patience. What he does have is an absolutely ripped body and some serious power. Like fellow prospect Brandon Wood he strikes out way too much and pulls tons of bombs. What's even nicer to see is his ability to pull Sammy Sosa and hit a homerun to the opposite field off the end of the bat (all wrist/forearm power)--a nice ability to have for the fastballs in AAA and the MLB. Still he's slow and isn't a good fielder even though his arm is pretty nice. The Marlins have pretty much given up on him as an outfielder and have moved him to first. Personally I would've left him in the outfield--his body isn't bad and if bulky Nick Swisher can play CF for half a season in the majors then Stanton can man RF in the minors.
3. Eric O. Young, CF, Colorado Rockies- Young's time in the infield is over and he's being trained in the art of fourth outfielder--something the Brewers should finally consider doing to Brent Brewer (and sending him to a Beer League). Young is basically Brett Gardner and is all speed. He strikes out way too much for a lead off guy, and his patience and high walk numbers won't last in AAA or the MLB as long as he's hitting below .300 and slapping 3 homers a season. Yes, he's related to the former MLB player Eric Young, but unfortunately hasn't shown to be at Dad's level. Still, he makes this list with his speed, his surprisingly good arm for a former second basemen and the range he's projected to show in the outfield. He has surprisingly good line-drive power for such a little guy as well.
4. Kellen Kulbacki, OF, San Diego Padres- The thin Kulbacki weighing in at a generous 180 lbs and being measured at a very generous 5'11" deserves his place on this list because a guy with a less-than-hulking frame, like Kulbacki's, mashing the way he does HAS to be a damn good athlete. KK had a 1.017 OPS, walloped 2o homers and hit .332 with the California League's Lake Elsinore Storm through a half-season in 2008. The kids bat is serious and he's way too underrated for a guy with that talent. The Padres are said to be prospectless by many of the top names at ESPN and whatnot, but they apparently haven't heard of this guy.
5. Adam Miller, RHP, Cleveland Indians- Like Jeffress, Miller is a flame thrower that doesn't miss as many bats in AA/AAA as I'd like to see. He reminds me a little bit too much of the young Matt Andersons and Mike McDougals that get rushed to the majors and start giving up bombs as soon as they throw their first 100mph heat. Anway, I can't be all that mean about a kid that throws 94-98 mph consistently and can dial it up to 100 when he gets loose. Miller has been groomed as a starter and part of that is because the Indians are already full of good, young relievers and just signed a top tier closer for 2010. I don't know, give it a try but I definitely can't give a very good endorsement for Miller before he learns to pitch.
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