#19 Prospect - SS Greg Miclat

[Frobby]

Tony, who is thought to be the better defender between Miclat and Davis?

[Tony-OH]

Tony, who is thought to be the better defender between Miclat and Davis?

I haven't seen Miclat yet, but I was told Miclat is the better defender between the two.

[murrayfan420]

Does Miclat's encouraging play so far change MacPhail's offseason approach at all? I didn't think he was going to be able to acquire a stud close to ML ready SS anyways, so does he get a stop-gap veteran to hold down the fort until Miclat or someone else looks ready?

[Maverick2143]

Does Miclat's encouraging play so far change MacPhail's offseason approach at all? I didn't think he was going to be able to acquire a stud close to ML ready SS anyways, so does he get a stop-gap veteran to hold down the fort until Miclat or someone else looks ready?

I would hope not, Miclat has a long way to go. Players at short season A shouldn't have any effect on decisions at the MLB level. There is just too many variables.

[O-Arm36]

As to UVA's ballpark, Davenport Field is massive. At the start of Miclat's career, it was 355 down the line and 408 (with a 20-foot wall) in centerfield.

They definitely play small-ball in Charlottesville. Miclat hit at the top of the order and all they wanted from him was to get on base. He was a great table-setter for them and when he got hurt they really had trouble scoring runs. This approach helps them win lots of regular-season games, but hasn't helped them get past the regional round.

Other things of note: Ryan Zimmerman only hit 7 home runs in his career at UVA. Mark Reynolds had a bit more success with 35, but i'd be willing to bet most of those came on the road. Joe Koshansky hit 26 and I think he is still the only guy to hit one out to center. Sean Doolittle also hit as many home runs in 500 minor league at bats this year as he did in his career with the Hoos. Anyway, the point is that all of these guys saw significant jumps in their power numbers in their first full season in pro ball, so hopefully Miclat can follow suit.

[waroriole]

Ryan Zimmerman[/url] only hit 7 home runs in his career at UVA.

Wow, that should tell you all you need to know about UVA's park. Good find.

[NCRaven]

Tony (and Stotle and whoever else wants to chime in), without tipping your cap too much on where we might find Angle, can you explain a little about what makes Miclat a better prospect? I'm sensing that you have a decent gap between the two.

Obviously, one's a SS and the other is a CF, but there are also some obvious similarities.

Oh, and this was the first time that I blatantly went with 'my guy' over trying to determine who you'd pick. I went with Butler and figured I'd be wrong. I wish I'd voted for Wilfrido; poor guy got zero votes.

One other obvious difference -

Angle born 9/85; Miclat born 7/87. I'll generally take the guy that's two years younger over the other player, if they have similar games at this point in time. Angle is closer to his ceiling at this point while Miclat can still project to a higher level.

[Ruzious]

One other obvious difference -

Angle born 9/85; Miclat born 7/87. I'll generally take the guy that's two years younger over the other player, if they have similar games at this point in time. Angle is closer to his ceiling at this point while Miclat can still project to a higher level.

I'd buy that - except Miclat has barely played pro ball, so it's hard to say that they're on the same level. Now, if they both play at the same level this year and have somewhat similar stats, then yes, I'd buy that. Angle has already hit probably above what we'd even hope for Miclat.

[Stotle]

Pedroia is on his way to being arguably the best young player in baseball - an MVP candidate. So, if I believed Miclat had a similar ceiling - except with better defensive ability - I'd rate him as the O's 2nd or 3rd prospect. Is that a fair conclusion?

Yes. Accordingly, if you rated Miclat as a better defender but an inferior hitter (with similar traits) and health concerns, you'd probably have him ranked right around here.

[Ruzious]

Yes. Accordingly, if you rated Miclat as a better defender but an inferior hitter (with similar traits) and health concerns, you'd probably have him ranked right around here.

Is that where you rate him?

[Frobby]

I'd buy that - except Miclat has barely played pro ball, so it's hard to say that they're on the same level. Now, if they both play at the same level this year and have somewhat similar stats, then yes, I'd buy that. Angle has already hit probably above what we'd even hope for Miclat.

I see them as having very similar bats, but that kind of profile works better at SS than it does in the OF.

It will be interesting to see where Miclat starts next year. Tony hinted he could end up at Frederick, in which case he'd be Angle's teammate. However, I think it's more likely that Miclat starts at Delmarva and then moves up if he is having success there.

[Stotle]

Is that where you rate him?

As of right now? Hmmm.

Floor: AAAA player that doesn't hit enough to stick

Ceiling: Above-average SS w/gap-to-gap power and strong defense/arm

Projection: UTL

Now, please keep in mind that the projection is heavily affected by the fact that he hasn't entered full-season ball and he's coming off of an injury that severely hampered his durability. If he has a successful season next year, I'd expect his floor and projection to increase. I don't think there's anything that truly bumps his ceiling past a slightly better than average regular (which is a very good thing to be).

[NoVaO]

Well, to be fair his junior stats are worth basically nothing, analytically, since he had greatly reduced bat speed due to his shoulder. Miclat's a tough case because he had a very strong sophomore year and we never got to see if he'd make that classic soph-->junior breakout.

I fully agree with you that he isn't Pedroia. A player as talented as Pedroia is unique and unlikely to have many players with identical talents. However (and this isn't necessarily a key point) Pedroia is outsdistancing his projections in spectacular fashion. It would be foolish for me to say "Pedroia has exceeded expectations so Miclat likely can". But I think his skill set (when healthy) could translate to a solid everyday SS -- not an elite offensive player.

Pedroia with less pop, but the same hand-eye, strikezone command, ability to square-up and a slightly better defender is a reasonable ceiling, in my opinion. Noting, of course, that is a best-case scenario.

As always, good posts NoVaO.

Sorry I took so long to reply as I wasn't able to log back on in the past couple days.

Anyway, I see what you're saying and I think I misread the comparison being made between Pedroia and Miclat though I actually think the two players aren't all that similar offensively.

Here is how I would compare the two:

I can't say how good Miclat's hand-eye is until I see him play for a consistent basis, but Pedroia is viewed as having one of the best (if not the best) hand-eye coordination in the league. I don't think Miclat will come close to matching Pedroia's power output simply based on swing type and approach. I think Miclat could ultimately walk more since Pedroia hits for a higher average.

Seeing your post above, I basically agree on the floor and mid-level projection, but I would have the upside as an average or slightly below average shortstop. Of course that could all change next year if he goes out and performs next year.