FEB
11th, 2014-While there can be a number
of reasons for a player to repeat a level in the minors, often those
reasons have to do with age and inexperience. Those two go
hand-in-hand, when you're working up from the lower rungs. Last year,
Lexington's average age for position players was 20.8, which is
awfully young even for the South Atlantic League. Indeed, only the
Hickory Crawdads and Lakewood BlueClaws could boast a younger group,
even though the average difference was no more than half a year.
In
Class A, which is the first full-season level in the minors, you
usually see players who haven't been in the game longer than a couple
of years. Two exceptions to that are non-drafted free agent signings
who entered pro ball at 16 or 17, or players who may have stepped
back as part of a rehab assignment. SS Raul
(Adalberto) Mondesi was
only 17 when he spent last year in Lexington and performed well
beyond his years. With a .261 BA, 13 doubles, 7 triples and 7 homers
to go with 47 RBI and 24 steals, Mondesi was actually one of the
core run producers in the lineup. He had the
sort of struggles at the plate you'd expect from a teenager in Class
A (118 strikeouts), but he rarely looked out-of-place in the field.
Yes, he did make 30 errors at short in 108 games, but many of those
were on balls that most infielders would never have reached in the
first place. One could argue that Mondesi could jump two levels on
his glove alone. It hardly matters; he could make a career in the
Majors without even swinging a bat, as far as I'm concerned. He's got
as much range and plays as fluid and natural at short as I've ever
seen. So to recap: great glove, great range, great arm, speedster,
switch-hitter. There's a lot to like, and we'll be liking it from the
stands when he comes back for a return engagement.
Catcher
Chad
Johnson
made it to Lexington for only 4 games last year, playing 38 in
rookie-level Burlington. The view on him so far is “strong arm,
good glove, possible average or above-average pop at catcher”, and
I can't argue with that (mainly because, hey, 4 games at Lexington).
He did throw out 30% of would-be base-thieves in the Appy League,
which isn't bad, but hasn't yet demonstrated any semblance of power
at the plate. If he can start to turn some of those groundballs into
line-shots, you'll probably see good doubles power from him. He's
going to need more time here at The Bank in order to make that
happen, so expect him to return.
IF
Humberto
Arteaga
spent a difficult 61 games in Lexington (.188 BA, 13 RBI, 0 SB in 61
games) before going back down to rookie-level Idaho Falls and turning
into an RBI machine. He was only nineteen, himself, so a bit young
for Class A. Once he hit the Pioneer League (literally), he lit up
for 15 doubles, an unreal 58 RBI and 56 runs scored to go with his
.280 BA in his 69 games there. Arteaga is 6'1”. 160, so there's a
lot of projectability there, and he could add some pop as he fills
out. As it stands now, he's got the versatility to play second and
short, though second base is probably the best fit. He also has a
great deal of range for either position, and a middle infield with
Mondesi and Arteaga makes it a tough go for anyone putting the ball
on the ground. He should return for 2014.
Ah,
Bubba
Starling...the
name seems to encourage lively debate amongst prospect enthusiasts.
The physical tools are most certainly there; there's no arguing
against that. Whether he can develop them to their fullest is up for
discussion. Starling's got a great arm, covers all sorts of ground in
center with little effort, and runs the bases far better than you'd
expect for someone who's 6'4”. Not a lot of tall basestealers around. He struggled for much of the season
offensively, though a good portion of that can be written off to
vision problems which (I believe) were corrected. He did bat .322 in
August, a dramatic improvement over the high of .250 he had in June.
Couple this with an overall .298 with 2 outs and runners in scoring
position and you can see a small part of why he was a 1st-round pick.
There were moments when he let his youth and inexperience shine
through in less-than-positive ways (ahem), but that could be a result
of having so much pressure on him as a 5th-overall pick mixed with
having to develop while playing against more-experienced players.
Being a two-sport star does have its disadvantages, after all.
Starling has the tools and size to become a middle-of-the-order run
producer who could swipe 20-25 bags a year. The way I see it, most of
that hinges on his mental approach and maturity; he can be what he
wills
himself to be. Coaching aside, the bulk of his future production lies
with this factor. If Kansas City wants to handle his development the
right
way, he should come back to Class A for at least the first part of
the season.
Cam
Gallagher,
who had 66 games in Lexington between injury issues, is another
well-regarded talent in the Royals system. Gallagher calls a good
game, commits few miscues and has a better arm than his 29%
caught-stealing rate would suggest. I expect that he could develop
enough power to move to 1st,
if needed, especially if he splits his time between there and behind
the plate. He's 6'3”, so a move might be best for him (and his
legs) in the long run. It's awfully soon to tell just how well he'll
turn out, but he's a legit prospect and has yet to show us what he
can do. Returning to Lexington would be the best thing for Cam; he
needs to establish that he can make it through a full year of ball.
OF-1B
Fred
Ford
has pop (definitely) and filled in at first base as well as RF,
though he did make 8 errors at first (47 games) and 6 in right (74
games). Keep in mind He'd be at least average defensively at either
position, but I like his arm in RF. The downside of being 6'5” is
that your strike zone is the size of a Buick, and Ford's 166 Ks in
126 games is testament to that. He'll have to shorten his swing if
he's going to cut those Ks down to a manageable number, and he did
show that he's working on that in the games I saw him in. Still, if
he can make more frequent contact he could produce 20 homers by
accident. That .193 average is troubling, but he did draw 52 walks as
well. Even with the talent he has and his relative youth (22 on April
10th),
he's at a crossroads. He has
to come back.
-3B
Hunter
Dozier
was last year's 1st
round pick for the Royals. 24 doubles in 54 games for Idaho Falls,
along with a .303 BA, .403 OBP, 7 HR and 43 RBI. He played 15 games
with the Legends, notching 6 more doubles and 9 RBI with his .327 BA
(55 AB). At 6'4”, 220, he'll either end up starring at third or at
first. But he'll star somewhere.
Pitchers
up, next. Also, more of the players who could be paying us a visit
for the 1st
time in 2014.
