Who Are You .... and what have you done to Bill Rowell?

[Lucky Jim]

I have to respectfully disagree with the "slow bat speed" comments.

One issue Rowell does have is some length in his swing. He can hit with a bit of an arm bar which he gets to in his stride (he keeps his hands tied to a place in space as his momentum moves forward, adding some distance from his bat to contact). Maybe that's what people are seeing? A swing that can get a little long?

I hope that's the case. As "starting your swing earlier" isn't much compensation for middling bat speed. Though probably the stuff of AA allstars.

[Stotle]

I hope that's the case. As "starting your swing earlier" isn't much compensation for middling bat speed. Though probably the stuff of AA allstars.

Rowell doesn't need to start his swing early. His issue (if he hits a wall) would likely be shrinking the holes. As he fills out, I actually expect his bat speed to improve even more. I said this winter that the power jump should come in the next year or two (09/10), based on when I expect his size/swing to start to mesh. If we don't see the breakout then, I'll start to worry.

[allstar1579]

The question is, why would we draft a high-schooler with a slow bat?

It's not tremendously slow, you really don't even notice it much watching him, because he's got a long body and a long swing. There are just guys with short swings (that have tremendously quick bats) and guys with longer swings (that are a bit more methodical than fast). If you look around the majors you'll see plenty of guys with each, hence why guys toy with their batting stances to help their timing. It's a very rhythmical thing.

In all fairness it can be kind of an optical illusion thing, where it seems like he's starting sooner because of his long swing, where other guys can just snap the bat through the zone. It might be the same time, but seem slower because of the way he swings. He's a very tall guy.

[hoosiers]

He does have slow-ish bat speed compared to a lot of hitting prospects. He's got kind of a long swing, but it's very powerful. He would just need to start his swing earlier than a lot of guys, nothing he couldn't adjust to, just a different style. He is still a long ways off from being a bust, but it's frustrating to see guys from HS that year already in the majors and he's in low A.

How many guys is that? I am only aware of Snider.

[Fairfax Bird]

20 year old with a .282 average and 9 BBs in 71 ABs. Lets give up on him, he will never be that good.

[allstar1579]

How many guys is that? I am only aware of Snider.

Snider, and Kershaw are already there. Chris Marrero and Jeremy Jeffress are right behind them, they could be up this year.

[RedDevil00]

Do you have to be a plus member to post video and pics? I have a few of his AB from Sundays game but can't figure out how to post them.

For pictures, upload them to a photo sharing site like Flickr or Photobucket. Video, I dunno...maybe Youtube. No plus membership needed.

[RedDevil00]

Exactly. The main thing is that he is getting some more hits and probably gaining confidence. Just because he's been known for being cocky doesn't mean he's actually confident. His avg up to .282 is hopefully just the start for him.

It almost seems like some people are rooting against him.

Nahhh. Couldn't be.:scratchchinhmm:

[Lefty0315]

Snider, and Kershaw are already there. Chris Marrero and Jeremy Jeffress are right behind them, they could be up this year.

Would this be the same Chris Marrero that is playing for the Potomac Nationals in the same Carolina league as Rowell, nice try.

[allstar1579]

Would this be the same Chris Marrero that is playing for the Potomac Nationals in the same Carolina league as Rowell, nice try.

He's playing there because he broke his leg last June. He is a good hitter, and without the glut of OF/1B that the Nats ended up with last season into this one, he would be knocking on the door. With a .921 OPS so far this year, he's back on track, and will be in AA sooner than later, I would bet on him getting a look in September. But thanks for the complement on my effort.

[hoosiers]

Snider, and Kershaw are already there. Chris Marrero and Jeremy Jeffress are right behind them, they could be up this year.

Ha ha. Whatever. No hitters after Snider and Kershaw was taken before Rowell.

[allstar1579]

Ha ha. Whatever. No hitters after Snider and Kershaw was taken before Rowell.

I didn't say anything about "why did we take him, we could have had so and so." I said that there are other kids from the same draft chosen out of HS in the majors already, and others that could be there soon.

[LookinUp]

This thread has been mostly devastating, but I think I've read enough about Rowell to think that he could still put it together.

He seems to have a long swing, but that can't be abnormal for a 20-year old. He also seems to be a below average defender. OTOH, he still projects to have plus power.

My read is that he will eventually be a 1b or DH who, hopefully, can put up plus power numbers. This isn't a bad thing to have in the organization, although it'll likely put a hit on his prospect status. We just have to be patient and let him build up to his potential.

I bet the Rowell conversation will be a much different one by June/July 2010.

[stnwall00]

Yeah we'll probably be talking about the kid floundering in another teams system.

[LookinUp]

Yeah, we'll probably be talking about the kid floundering in another team's system.

Two things...

1. Right now he's hitting .282 with a .771 OPS. Not great, but not terrible either.

2. I fixed the punctuation in your message above. I figure, if you're going to be a smart alec, you might want to come across as intelligent in doing so.