What other minor leaguers do you want to know about?

[Tony-OH]

8 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

At one point he was rated higher than Wander Franco in the Rays’ system. Also a former top 100 prospect. He seems toolsy as all get out. I like him just like Mateo. We should be looking at “high upside” players. 

This should tell you everything you need to know about most national prospect publications/evaluators.

When i saw Franco this year against the Tides, it was clear the guy is a future star. Fox might have tools, but we have years of stats to tell us he can't hit despite the tools.

[sportsfan8703]

5 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

This should ell you everything you need to know about most national prospect publications/evaluators.

When i saw Franco this year against the Tides, it was clear the guy is a future star. Fox might have tools, but we have years of stats to tell us he can't hit despite the tools.

So Fox is more like Freddy Bynum than Mateo?

[Tony-OH]

18 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

So Fox is more like Freddy Bynum than Mateo?

For me, yes. But I'm only going by the stats as I've never seen Fox play. Remember, Mateo was at a .267/.325  /.422/.747 hitter over his minor league career. Mateo has a little pop too, where Fox doesn't. Fox is like Mateo-lite.

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, sportsfan8703 said:

At one point he was rated higher than Wander Franco in the Rays’ system. 

You mean when Wander was a fetus?

I’m only half-joking.   Wander was ranked #96 by BA before he’d played a professional game, before he’d turned 17.  After one pro season at age 17 in the lowly Appy League, he was jumped to no. 4.  Fox was never ranked by BA, though pre-2019 he was ranked 79 by BP (and Franco was ranked 13 by BP at the time).    

[Sydnor]

Stiven Acevedo?

[Tony-OH]

On 11/22/2021 at 4:42 PM, justD said:

I enjoyed watching Connor Pavolony. I heard the coaches like his arm. Does he have any potential to become a viable backup catcher?

The early results were not good on either part of his game, but let's see what he looks like after a full season. Nothing jumped out at me in my early looks, but you never know. 

[Tony-OH]

1 hour ago, Sydnor said:

Stiven Acevedo?

He really didn't do anything to make anyone get excited. Middling average, middling plate discipline, middling power. He's got a decent frame to wish upon but this year didn't put him on the prospects scene.

[CHIP]

On 11/22/2021 at 2:52 PM, Tony-OH said:

Handley is what he was advertised defensively but he can't hit. Probably the best overall defender at catcher in the system, better than Rutschman especially throwing, but he's been pretty much a zero at the plate. 

Daschbach is a bit of stiff power guy for me. More muscle power than quick bat, he did show nice power at Bowie but it came at a price. Not sure he's going to be able to show a consistent enough stick for 1B and he's Mancini like outfielder.

I think you are giving Maverick Handley the short end of the stick...  Pun intended.  I have followed him (and Adley) since there time in the Pac12.  Defensively, Maverick's defense will help win more games than Adley's.  Offensively, without a doubt, Adley has the gifts for his bat to help win more games.  If statistics are true, Aberdeen was the LAST PLACE ballpark for batting average (but had a high HR rate) since they remodeled the field and lights before this season.  It had more to do with than just the worst hitting coach (1st one fired at end of season)

Here is an example:

Gunnar Henderson played at 3 levels and every day.  Of his 65 games played for Aberdeen, 29 were away and 36 were at home.  Gunnar hit 0.192 at home and 0.271 on the road.  His OPS was 0.718 at home and 0.835 on the road. 

Maverick played 70 games for Aberdeen.  27 home and 33 away.  He hit 0.125 at home and 0.261 away.  His OPS was only 0.446 at home but 0.835 away.

With Adley starting at AA before moving to AAA, and then Handley getting injured, it appears he never got the chance to move up.

While his average didn't change much overall, his OBP, SLG, OPS all went up while his SO rate went down.  

Tells me... pegging his bat as dead may be a bit premature.  If he continues to put the work in at Driveline out in Kent, WA (there is a good blog from them on what he did last offseason) and gets stronger, heals up, and doesn't get stuck back in Aberdeen, he may be able to get the reps in and make it to AAA before end of 2022.

I think he will continue to improve, I just don't know if the Orioles will make him a Rule 5 protected player in 2022... or even what that will be like after the new CBA.  His defense can definitely play at the MLB level... but he has to get his reps in and work his way up.   

[Tony-OH]

2 minutes ago, CHIP said:

I think you are giving Maverick Handley the short end of the stick...  Pun intended.  I have followed him (and Adley) since there time in the Pac12.  Defensively, Maverick's defense will help win more games than Adley's.  Offensively, without a doubt, Adley has the gifts for his bat to help win more games.  If statistics are true, Aberdeen was the LAST PLACE ballpark for batting average (but had a high HR rate) since they remodeled the field and lights before this season.  It had more to do with than just the worst hitting coach (1st one fired at end of season)

Here is an example:

Gunnar Henderson played at 3 levels and every day.  Of his 65 games played for Aberdeen, 29 were away and 36 were at home.  Gunnar hit 0.192 at home and 0.271 on the road.  His OPS was 0.718 at home and 0.835 on the road. 

Maverick played 70 games for Aberdeen.  27 home and 33 away.  He hit 0.125 at home and 0.261 away.  His OPS was only 0.446 at home but 0.835 away.

With Adley starting at AA before moving to AAA, and then Handley getting injured, it appears he never got the chance to move up.

While his average didn't change much overall, his OBP, SLG, OPS all went up while his SO rate went down.  

Tells me... pegging his bat as dead may be a bit premature.  If he continues to put the work in at Driveline out in Kent, WA (there is a good blog from them on what he did last offseason) and gets stronger, heals up, and doesn't get stuck back in Aberdeen, he may be able to get the reps in and make it to AAA before end of 2022.

I think he will continue to improve, I just don't know if the Orioles will make him a Rule 5 protected player in 2022... or even what that will be like after the new CBA.  His defense can definitely play at the MLB level... but he has to get his reps in and work his way up.   

You seem to be very close Handley and it's understandable why you are supportive. Saying that, it's silly to say Handley's defense will win more games in the big leagues than Rutschman's bat.

Aberdeen is a tough place to hit home runs because of its deep power alleys so its normal to see ISOs go down there, but Handley has slashed .201/.310/.300/.610 in 365 PAs so far in his professional career with a 38-118 K-BB ratio. He has a 29.4% K rate and just a 6.2% walk rate. Par effects has nothing to do with that.

He was 23 years old in High-A ball and put up a park adjusted 83 wRC+. 

Now I only bring this up because it goes to show that its not just because he's only played Aberdeen. He just hasn't hit. 

Now can he improve? Sure. Is his defense major league quality? Sure, I'd say he could play defensively in the major leagues, but he's got to at least be able to hit some.

Could he potentially improve enough where he could be a back up to Rutschman one day? Potentially. But he's going to have to rework his hitting.

[ScGO's]

12 hours ago, interloper said:

Eh, I think basically they already know they'll be DFAing Martin at some point this off-season, or something along those lines. Just a flyer guy you can bring into ST who is young and has an option. 

Fox will probably be DFA soon I'm an attempt to sneak him through waivers

 

[Frobby]

9 hours ago, Tony-OH said:

You seem to be very close Handley and it's understandable why you are supportive. Saying that, it's silly to say Handley's defense will win more games in the big leagues than Rutschman's bat.

That’s not what he said.   

“Defensively, Maverick's defense will help win more games than Adley's.  Offensively, without a doubt, Adley has the gifts for his bat to help win more games.”
 

[Tony-OH]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

That’s not what he said.   

“Defensively, Maverick's defense will help win more games than Adley's.  Offensively, without a doubt, Adley has the gifts for his bat to help win more games.”
 

Got it, thanks. 

It doesn't change anything else I wrote though unfortunately. I'm rooting for the kid's bat to develop but I don't hold out a lot of hope.

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

Got it, thanks. 

It doesn't change anything else I wrote though unfortunately. I'm rooting for the kid's bat to develop but I don't hold out a lot of hope.

Yeah, it is a shame the bat is so uninspiring.   Let’s hope that he makes headway this winter and comes back improved.