In
the minor leagues, numbers really don't mean a whole lot.
Don't
get me wrong; I should say that they don't mean as much as they would
in the majors. Down here, it's all about developing talent, not
reaping the rewards of the end product.
With
that in mind, there is much to like about this Legends team.
While
it is true that our offense has had its issues, the second half has
been a stunning success overall. Not only are the Legends in first
place in their division (17-9, 2.0 games ahead of 2nd place
Greenville), they currently have the best second half record in all
of the South Atlantic League. They've been able to accomplish this
largely on the strength of an outstanding pitching staff and
well-timed hits. No single hitter on this team has stood out this
year, but there are a number of highlights of note. A quick look at
some of the hitters:
Michael Antonio, 3B
2013:
86 games, 337 PA, 17 R, 14
2B, 4 HR, 32 RBI, 28 BB, 53 K, .195 BA, .268 OBP
Antonio has, like many of
the hitters on this team, had a tough go of it at the plate this
year. One of my favorite players to watch, I still see at least one
issue with his approach. He has good natural power, but it comes from
a sometimes-violent swing which could likely be shortened up a bit
without his giving up much power. Until he's able to do that, he's
going to strike out quite a lot. However, even with this approach,
he's at his best in clutch situations (.246 BA with 2 outs and
runners in scoring position). I would still like to see him shorten
up a little. Being an aggressive swinger is not, in and of itself, a
bad thing. But in his case, it's hurting more than it's helping.
Mark Donato, 1B-DH
2013:
38 games, 156 PA, 13 R, 8
2B, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 9 BB, 26 K, .292 BA, .333 OBP, .764 OPS
I did an interview with Donato near the end of last season in anticipation that he would be
with us this year. I expected big things of him, and he has not
disappointed. In 38 games with Lexington, he has either driven in or
scored (or both) 34 runs, and he's on pace for 30+ doubles and
double-digits in homers. He's hit significantly better at home (.339
BA, .938 OPS at home vs. .259 and .641 on the road), and has flagged
off a bit in July (.233 BA in 12 games), but I expect this will
balance itself out. He handles first base well, as he is quick on his
feet, shows ample range to both sides, and is confident in every
defensive scenario in which I've seen him, thus far. A full year here
in Lexington could bring 20+ homers and at least 90 RBI, numbers
which he could potentially meet this year even though he's only been
here since the end of May.
Fred Ford, RF
2013:
87 games, 342 PA, 36 R, 13
2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 32 RBI, 42 BB, 119 K, .207 BA, .681 OPS
Ford started out the year
at first base, a position with which he was not nearly as accustomed
as right field. He acquitted himself well filling in for an injured
Mark Threlkeld, but I feel that his switch to first (along
with this being his first year in Class A ball) likely affected his
batting a bit. At 6'5”, Ford is always going to have to work hard
to control the strike zone. He showed a notable improvement in this
regard when in June he cut his strikeouts down to 26 in 22 games, as
opposed to the previous month when he was rung up 40 times in 28
games. His BB/K ratio was significantly better in June than in any
other month so far, and he posted a monstrous .912 OPS in that month.
Ford will post strong power numbers in the future as long as he can
make more frequent contact than he is now. Again, I think this will
come along with time.
Cam Gallagher, C
2013:
40 games, 156 PA, 10 R, 11
2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 12 BB, 12 K, .230 BA, .647 OPS
Gallagher has played in
only 40 games thus far, having missed a chunk of time when Asheville
righty Shane Broyles plunked him in the arm on April 24th
(Cory Hall returned the favor, with 1B Derek Jones
being the victim), so he's had to deal with recovering from the
resultant fractured forearm. Gallagher has been a prospect of note
since he was drafted in the 2nd round in 2011, and he will
certainly show above-average power when he hits his peak. Catchers
traditionally take longer to develop, but he will definitely be worth
the wait. I expect his CS rates to improve in the near future (he's
thrown out 29% of basestealers, thus far), while he already handles
the staff very well.
Terrance Gore, LF
2013:
86 games, 359 PA, 53 R, 5
2B, 2 3B, 20 RBI, (spoiler alert, T!) 50 SB, 41 BB, 73 K, .226 BA,
.342 OBP
Gore is one of the fastest
players I've ever seen, at any level. I've timed him at 3.9 or less
to first so many times that I've stopped keeping track, and he
continues to cover enough territory in the OF that the Legends could
almost get away with two outfielders. He plays the field next to CF
Bubba Starling, who is a speedster in his own right, and there
are plenty of times when they arrive at a fly ball at the same time.
It's starting to look like my preseason prediction about Gore will
be, at least, pretty darn close (I said I'd expect 100 swipes out of
him if he spent the whole year in Lexington). There's more to him
than just speed, though; while he is a smallish player, he is
powerfully built. When his bat catches up, he should be the kind of
hitter who produces double-digits in doubles and triples, with 50+
steals in the majors. It all depends on that bat, however.
Raul Mondesi, SS
2013:
83 games, 357 PA, 38 R, 11
2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, 38 RBI, 16 SB, .261 BA, .680 OPS
Mondesi is batting .261, is helping a great deal to carry the offense, has a cannon for an arm
and has invaded the right side of the infield as a shortstop. And he
turns 18 on the 27th of this month. There's nothing I need
to add to that. He's pretty good.
Bubba Starling, CF
2013:
85 games, 343 PA, 41 R, 14
2B, 8 HR, 41 RBI, 12 SB, 36 BB, 89 K, .217 BA, .656 OPS
By now, most Legends fans
know that Bubba started the year having great difficulty picking up
the ball while at the plate. There's a 100-point difference in his BA
between day and night games (.289 in day games, .189 at night), and
that was a big red flag from the get-go. He has since had LASIK
surgery to correct that. There has been concern in the past from
fans who felt that he was too raw to ever reach his full potential in
baseball, and that he should have gone the football route. Those fans
were premature in their assessment. Starling will, at the very least,
develop into a plus defender with above-average power and speed, and
even if that's all he gives the Royals then they should be more than
happy with it. Fans should also keep in mind that he doesn't turn 21
until August 3rd, so I think taking a 'wait and see'
approach is the best way to go, here. He has already made strides in
the past month, though he does continue to strike out a lot more than
you'd like to see. He may always record a lot of Ks, but he'll offset
that with extra-base hits in bunches. Worth it, I'd say.
