Just how good of a prospect is Brandon Waring?

[Big Mac]

There is also the sinister fact that 23-year-olds in High-A with Waring's skill set don't project to make the majors, not by a long shot.

WTF? You call asking questions "blanket statments"? I asked if he really can stick at third and mentioned what my understanding was, I hardly slapped him down or was rude. I'm trying to have a discussion.

Man, everyone is so ****ing snippy on the board today...

If that's not a blanket statement, what is?

[MisterCrash]

Well, hell, I thought that was established fact, like "Kindling is the best way to start a fire." I was actually worried that people would find it too obvious, since most players don't make it to the majors anyways no matter WHAT their skill set.

As I've said in posts past, Waring could make the majors and be effective. His play at Frederick will likely see him start 2010 at Bowie. He may hit well enough at Bowie to warrant a move to Norfolk by the end of 2010 or the start of 2011. At that point he'll be a 25-year-old 1B/DH in AAA, and if he doesn't hit well enough in 2011 to demand a call up (similar to what Reimold did this year with the Tides) he's going to be pretty much done as a prospect, a 26-year-old with limited defensive value stuck in AAA. There are a ton of HUGE "ifs" surrounding him, and even a best-case-scenario still gives him an outside shot (not to mention he's blocked by Snyder, though that has nothing to do with how good he is on his own).

[TheOtherRipken]

Bell

Snyder

Welty

Waring

Joseph

Waring is definitley higher than Turner and also higher than Joseph, IMO.

Waring is definitely not higher than Joseph. I can't envision any situation where that could be true.

I don't see how you put Welty before Joseph either, or Welty before Waring.

Waring could stick at third, but don't except him to ever win a gold glove there. He could stick, and be a below average defensive third baseman, but he isn't unable to play the position.

EDIT: Like Tony said I don't think we are talking about a Walter Young type player here although I admit there is definite bust potential with Waring. Time will tell.

[mikezpen]

Ask me how good he is when he does this at Bowie.

[jcumansky28]

Waring is definitely not higher than Joseph. I can't envision any situation where that could be true.

I don't see how you put Welty before Joseph either, or Welty before Waring.

Waring could stick at third, but don't except him to ever win a gold glove there. He could stick, and be a below average defensive third baseman, but he isn't unable to play the position.

EDIT: Like Tony said I don't think we are talking about a Walter Young type player here although I admit there is definite bust potential with Waring. Time will tell.

I'm not out to diss Waring, but I really believe that anyone who has watched him try to play third, swing at pitches well out of the strike zone (usually resulting in a 'K'), and slog around the bases will see him as a budding AAAA type (which would put him a couple levels above where Doug Gredvig ended up, Tony)--and not a prospect. Turner plays effectively on offense and defense two levels higher. The difference in their walk rates can be attributed solely to Waring's edge in power; he gets more intentional and "not-explicitly-intentional" walks. There seems to be agreement that the spring in Joseph's bat and his defensive possibilities makes him a better prospect than these two. That's all I'm sayin'.

[Big Mac]

Waring is definitely not higher than Joseph. I can't envision any situation where that could be true.

I don't see how you put Welty before Joseph either, or Welty before Waring.

Waring could stick at third, but don't except him to ever win a gold glove there. He could stick, and be a below average defensive third baseman, but he isn't unable to play the position.

EDIT: Like Tony said I don't think we are talking about a Walter Young type player here although I admit there is definite bust potential with Waring. Time will tell.

Joseph's low BB totals worry me, I'm not sure if he can stick at catcher and doubt he will hit enough for a corner spot.

Welty is an absolute pure hitter, I don't know if you've seen him play, but this is a guy who I could see being a .300 hitter year in and year out. I see a lot of Markakis in him, and he has plenty of room in his frame to add more power. He is also an excellent defender.

Turner profiles to me as a UTIL guy, see he is definitley below the other 5 I listed.

To me, Welty, Jospeh and waring are just about interchangeable, though I have very good reasons for why I ranked them how I did. Turner is definitley a step below those three, IMO.

[Tony-OH]

Waring can play third? My understanding is that there is NO chance Waring sticks at third, and the one time I saw him in person did little to change that opinion. I've heard him compared to Huff playing third - an absolute "break glass in case of emergency" type.

There is also the sinister fact that 23-year-olds in High-A with Waring's skill set don't project to make the majors, not by a long shot.

I saw Waring play one game at third this year, but I did talk to his manager and a few scouts, and they agreed that Warring might not be a gold glover, but he can handle third base.

I only saw him make two plays and I saw plenty of arm but neither play requireed a lot of lateral movement so I'll have to defer to the experts on saying Waring can stick at third if required.

I'd probably say he could be a better first baseman when it's all said and done though.

[MisterCrash]

I saw Waring play one game at third this year, but I did talk to his manager and a few scouts, and they agreed that Warring might not be a gold glover, but he can handle third base.

I only saw him make two plays and I saw plenty of arm but neither play requireed a lot of lateral movement so I'll have to defer to the experts on saying Waring can stick at third if required.

I'd probably say he could be a better first baseman when it's all said and done though.

Thanks for your input. I didn't realize the coaches had such a high opinion of his glovework.

[AVencill]

I saw Waring play one game at third this year, but I did talk to his manager and a few scouts, and they agreed that Warring might not be a gold glover, but he can handle third base.

I only saw him make two plays and I saw plenty of arm but neither play requireed a lot of lateral movement so I'll have to defer to the experts on saying Waring can stick at third if required.

I'd probably say he could be a better first baseman when it's all said and done though.

Thanks for calling me an expert Tony, I appreciate that!

I wanted to chime in on Waring's defense at third versus first base. Waring fields his position at first base very well, and he's had to make a number of good picks on low throws this season. He has not been tested much by Ryan Adams arm much at first, but that's not the point here. He's a very average third baseman as it comes to fielding his position, but his lateral movement to get to balls hit down the third base line or hit in the hole between third and short is not very good. I think his range factor at that spot limits him more so than first base where he's seen less action as far as ground balls hit between the first base hole to second and groundballs down the first base line. I think that's why he projects as a better fielding first baseman, but because he's got so much power, he's able to get by with his bat and play both positions.

We'll see how that translates next season in a more advanced league at AA, but he's shown mastery of high-A ball, and his versatility with learning first base is only going to assist him in climbing the ladder.

As far as questioning his speed, like Tony said he's not a base clogger and he runs aggressively when balls are hit into the outfield. I'll admit he's a little slow out of the box (not to harp on Adams again, but he's looked sluggish running out of the box), but I've seen him make the first to third runs on singles into the outfield. He's not as slow as you think. He has two triples and he's got 34 doubles, but to each his own.