SS Greg Miclat promoted to AA Bowie

[Tony-OH]

Tony, do you think Hoes will hit enough to hold down third base?

I keep hearing more and more good things about Hoes. I heard he was putting on a clinic during BP down in Aberdeen where he's still one of the youngest guys on the team yet easily the most advanced hitter. I heard he was pounding the ball off the clubhouse roof in left pretty consistently.

I'm very encouraged by his ability to get on base and work counts. A .413 OBP and .290 average in the Carolina League as a 20-year old is very, very encouraging for future success.

I don't think he's ever going to be a big power guy, but hearing about his raw power starting to show makes me think he could end up a 15-20 Home run guy. If he couples that with a .290-.315 average and a .400+ OBP and that's a guy who can start at 3B just about anywhere.

[Tony-OH]

Tony, would you say Jeff Keppinger would be a good comp for Miclat?

When you look at Keppinger's stats the first thing you noticed and how little he struck out in the minors. He also hit for more power than Miclat but had less speed.

I think Miclat's absolute ceiling could be Chone Figgens, but he's more likely a Nick Punto-type guy.

[soxhotcorner14]

I love when you call me out.

I just like listening to your justifications when you mention certain things. I want to know why you come to the conclusions on players. Especially if it's a player we've both have seen play.

I agree with what your'e saying, and you're absolutely right he has to hit his stride and continue to put up these numbers to be even considered in the mix as one of the guys that I mentioned. Usually, if a player is going to start making noise in an organization it's right about this time (High A Ball). So hopefully he keeps making strides.

You know the old saying: If you hit, you don't sit. They'll find a spot for any player that can hit and get on base.

[ScottieBaseball]

I keep hearing more and more good things about Hoes. I heard he was putting on a clinic during BP down in Aberdeen where he's still one of the youngest guys on the team yet easily the most advanced hitter. I heard he was pounding the ball off the clubhouse roof in left pretty consistently.

I'm very encouraged by his ability to get on base and work counts. A .413 OBP and .290 average in the Carolina League as a 20-year old is very, very encouraging for future success.

I don't think he's ever going to be a big power guy, but hearing about his raw power starting to show makes me think he could end up a 15-20 Home run guy. If he couples that with a .290-.315 average and a .400+ OBP and that's a guy who can start at 3B just about anywhere.

It was funny when Kevin Hess and I watched him play in Aberdeen's opener, I remember thinking, "Yeah, that's nice, but he's too old for the NYPL."

It wasn't until I looked in the program that it hit me that he's one of the youngest guys on the roster. I had in my mind that he's uber-patient at the plate, selective, showing some power tendencies, but all because he's at the age where this stuff is supposed to emerge.

In other words, his unusal success at his age had me buffaloed into thinking he's older than he actually is. He plays much more mature than a 20-year-old.

[Frobby]

Good discussion here. My feeling is that if Miclat can post a .370ish OBP at the major league level, he won't need much power to justify holding down a job. But if he's a .340ish OBP guy in the big leagues, he's going to be a utility guy at best.

[mcgraw238]

Great discussion going on here...To bad we don't have more topics like this to regularly discuss. Reading through the thread, I see reason for optimism in the development of both Hoes and Miclat, though it is still early on both fronts.

Tony - Have you had any discussions on the development Avery?

[RVAbird]

Good discussion here. My feeling is that if Miclat can post a .370ish OBP at the major league level, he won't need much power to justify holding down a job. But if he's a .340ish OBP guy in the big leagues, he's going to be a utility guy at best.

I agree with this. If he can keep the contact rate and discipline high he'll be okay, but I wouldn't be surprised to see both come down a bit at the higher levels.

If I had to guess, I'd say .280/.350/.350 sounds about right. Combined with mediocre defense that's a marginal starting SS.

I'd also like to point out that I think it's disingenuous to even say that Miclat has gap power. He has almost zero ability to hit the ball out of the park, and you would think that with a reasonable FB rate and the high contact rates and BA Miclat has posted thus far that he'd be able to notch more than 12 doubles to this point.

[allstar1579]

I agree with this. If he can keep the contact rate and discipline high he'll be okay, but I wouldn't be surprised to see both come down a bit at the higher levels.

If I had to guess, I'd say .280/.350/.350 sounds about right. Combined with mediocre defense that's a marginal starting SS.

I'd also like to point out that I think it's disingenuous to even say that Miclat has gap power. He has almost zero ability to hit the ball out of the park, and you would think that with a reasonable FB rate and the high contact rates and BA Miclat has posted thus far that he'd be able to notch more than 12 doubles to this point.

I thought Miclat was supposed to be good with the glove. The early news I heard on him when he got drafted was all glove, no power SS, maybe shift to 2B.

[Arthur_Bryant]

I thought Miclat was supposed to be good with the glove. The early news I heard on him when he got drafted was all glove, no power SS, maybe shift to 2B.

I think his arm may be marginal for SS.

[allstar1579]

I think his arm may be marginal for SS.

Oh ok, you can get by with a marginal SS arm if he can field well, I'd like that better than a guy with a rocket arm and a concrete glove.

[RVAbird]

Oh ok, you can get by with a marginal SS arm if he can field well, I'd like that better than a guy with a rocket arm and a concrete glove.

Marginal arm, average footwork, hands, and range from what I've heard. I have only seen him play once, though.

[Frobby]

Marginal arm, average footwork, hands, and range from what I've heard. I have only seen him play once, though.

Well, I assume you've seen quite a bit of Blake Davis. I know Gary Kendall, who managed Miclat at Aberdeen and is also familiar with Davis, said at the end of 2008 that Miclat was the best defensive SS in the system. What's your take on Davis's arm, footwork, hands and range?

[allstar1579]

Well, I assume you've seen quite a bit of Blake Davis. I know Gary Kendall, who managed Miclat at Aberdeen and is also familiar with Davis, said at the end of 2008 that Miclat was the best defensive SS in the system. What's your take on Davis's arm, footwork, hands and range?

Yeah, I've heard the same thing, that Miclat was really good defensively, that's why I was a bit confused to hear about marginal defense. He was rated as the top defensive position player in NC coming out of HS, and when I saw him in college he looked pretty solid to me. Never had any real super challenges or anything, but always made the play, showed decent range and really sure hands. I mean, he made 20 errors in college (2 years) but I know a good chunk of those were overthrows trying to make up for arm strength in the hole.

[RVAbird]

Well, I assume you've seen quite a bit of Blake Davis. I know Gary Kendall, who managed Miclat at Aberdeen and is also familiar with Davis, said at the end of 2008 that Miclat was the best defensive SS in the system. What's your take on Davis's arm, footwork, hands and range?

Yes, I've seen a lot of Davis. He is an excellent defensive shortstop. Above average range, very fluid actions, more than enough arm. Pretty good instincts. I hate Davis' bat, but every time I've seen him he jumped out at me as a natural shortstop.

I didn't get the same impression with Miclat, but there was also nothing about him that turned me off. I really haven't seen enough of him to make a judgment. I've heard from some that his arm and range might be limited. If his hands, footwork and positioning are good enough, that might not be a problem. I'm a bit skeptical of Kendall's assessment that Miclat is a better defender than Davis, but that's certainly encouraging.

I thought I remembered someone reputable on the board (maybe Tony himself?) calling Miclat's defense into question and it stuck out in my mind.

I'd like to repeat, though, that I haven't seen enough of him to judge. I'll type up a report after Bowie spends another three days in Richmond next month.

[bluehens45]

I keep hearing more and more good things about Hoes. I heard he was putting on a clinic during BP down in Aberdeen where he's still one of the youngest guys on the team yet easily the most advanced hitter. I heard he was pounding the ball off the clubhouse roof in left pretty consistently.

I'm very encouraged by his ability to get on base and work counts. A .413 OBP and .290 average in the Carolina League as a 20-year old is very, very encouraging for future success.

I don't think he's ever going to be a big power guy, but hearing about his raw power starting to show makes me think he could end up a 15-20 Home run guy. If he couples that with a .290-.315 average and a .400+ OBP and that's a guy who can start at 3B just about anywhere.

I got to catch BP and a couple games at Aberdeen last week and I can tell you Hoes looked like a man amongst boys. He is far and away the best player and even casual fans noticed it. He hit a couple absolute bombs for his size and its obvious his power is developing. He looks like he could easily put on another 10-15 pounds. He was the only reason I went down to see the Ironbirds and I left extremely impressed with the strides he has made.