Ryan Westmoreland, Casey Kelly, Jose Iglesias On Top 50 Prospects List
by Randy Booth on Jan 27, 2010 10:05 PM EST
in Minors
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PrintMLB.com released its top 50 prospects list today and the Red Sox have three prospects that make the cut.
Outfielder Ryan Westmoreland slotted in at No. 27, pitcher Casey Kelly was one place behind at 28 and Jose Iglesias makes the list at No. 45.
Reports were very high on both Westmoreland and Kelly. Iglesias had a nice long video recap on him, where the experts say pretty much what we've all said: his defense is amazing, but is his bat good enough to keep him in the bigs?
It's interesting to see Iggy crack the top 50, when our list has him at No. 7. I think that has a lot to do with his high ceiling, though. His potential is amazing, but maybe the OTM list is a bit more conservative and level headed.
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Tim "fat ass" Beckham before Westmoreland?
He can’t hit
Can’t take a walk
Can’t field
Can’t run
Can’t throw
Ks a TON
What on earth made him ranked before his highness?
"That was a lot of fun… You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." Jeff Francoeur
Surprised about Iglesias at #45.
I mean, I like him and want him to succeed, but I’m surprised.
Omar Vizquel, anyone?
Manny ain't the only bad man.
Heh, Iggy made me think of Omar too.
Not a bad association at all.
Omar and Ozzie are the popular comparisons defensively.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Jan 28, 2010 12:11 AM EST up reply actions
I watched a lot of Omar in his prime years in Seattle
I know we all recently heard the phrase ‘stupid good’ to describe Beltre’s defense.
Omar’s defensive was beyond stupifying. It rendered you speechless and stunned.
I swear, the guy had a magnet in his bare hand, the number of times the ball would leap into his bare hand while he seemingly was already in his throwing motion.
I hope we get a few Portland games televised.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Jan 28, 2010 12:38 AM EST up reply actions
Is he starting in Portland?
"Ninety percent [of my salary] I'll spend on good times, women, and Irish whiskey. The other ten percent I'll probably waste."
-Tug McGraw
If he is
I’m driving there for the first home weekend…
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Probably his peak
Vizquel is probably Iglesias’ peak unless he develops some power….but darn we’d be glad to have a Vizquel type manning the SS slot for numerous years
Visquel eventually became a fairly decent hitter.
Never had power, but he was for several years he at least posted above-average OBPs consistently.
I also think that MLB's list is more...mainstream.
Tailored to those who hear about prospects on ESPN for the most part. And thus likely to have heard of Iglesias, but not of Kalish.
USG
Good point
SB Nation's Boston Red Sox community:
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Follow Randy on Twitter: @RCBooth
I think a good comp in terms of prospect status
is Alcides Escobar. Ive been using this as a contrast to Iglesias. Escobar is VERY high on some lists. He’s an excellent SS (though not quite on Iglesias’s level) and his bat is pretty shaky.
If Escobar is being rated that highly its hard for me to see a huge gap between him and Iglesias. I do like Escobar’s bat more than Iglesias though.
eh i'm gonna guess because
Stolmy Pimentel isn’t one of the top 50 prospects in baseball. But that’s just a guess.
Keith Law's Top 100
KLaw’s Top 100 is out
Details only to insiders but the list is on the right
7 Red Sox
Kelly (18)
Westmoreland (32)
Rizzo (53)
Anderson (56)
Kalish (86)
Iglesias (91)
Tazawa (98)
Numbers by System
Boston with the MOST
7 – BOS (7)
6 – TAM (13)
5 – ATL, CLE, CIN (28)
4 – TEX, BAL, CHC, MIN, TOR , NYM, KAN (56)
3 – WAS, SFO, FLA, COL, OAK, PIT, HOU, DET, LAA (83)
2 – NYY, SDG, STL, LAD, SEA, MIL, CHW (97)
1 – PHI, ARI (99)
Whoops mis-counted by one
Hagadone in at 100
Law seems to have Kalish slotted solidly at corner outfield.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Jan 28, 2010 4:38 PM EST up reply actions
Gotta think that's it
He did struggle after his promotion, though, so maybe Law saw him then or talked to people who saw him then.
On the Rizzo ranking
I’ll try to break down what Law wrote about him and see if the numbers and the scouting reports confirm that:
He’s fully recovered now and, during his time away from baseball, transformed himself physically, making himself leaner and more athletic. In the process, he became one of the best defensive first basemen in the minors.
TotalZone rates him as a +6 runs and Matt Forman from Baseball America tend to agree
He’s a plus defender, and I even had some people tell me that he could play above-average first base in the bigs right now. Rizzo has good glovework and footwork around the bag. The biggest thing managers commented on was his body he did a great job of getting into shape after chemotherapy, and one manager said he’s shaped like an NFL tight end
Let’s get to the htting part of his game:
He’s a left-handed hitter with a very easy stroke that generates line drives to all fields, although as he grows he should develop 25-30 home run power.
A quick look at his hit f/x confirms that too:
GB%: 37.8%
LD%: 29.7% (That is insane!!!!)
FB%: 32.4%
That tells me that he has that natural lift in his swing (Think Todd Helton) and knowing that:
- He comes from Cancer treatment (lack of stamina and not at a 100% strength)
- He played in a pitcher friendly ball park* (unsurprisingly he hit all his 3 HRs away)
* I invite you to check out the awesome work done by Dan Szymborski at Baseball Think Factory here and you’ll find out that Lewis-Gale Field wasn’t very friendly to power hitters.
- Power is the last tool to develop.
I am not worried about his lack of game power and I’m not surprised, like wolf, by his high ranking.
Rizzo’s approach at the plate:
His approach at the plate remains immature, unsurprising given the time he missed, and he has to work on getting himself into better counts where he can stay back and drive the ball.
I tend to disagree with part of Law analysis because numbers don’t match:
In Greenville, his BB rate was 9.5% versus a 21.8% K rate in 275 PAs
In Salem, his BB rate was 10.5% versus a 17% K rate in 229 PAs
Mike Newman of ScoutingTheSally.com about AR approach:
He’s also very comfortable working deep counts. During one at bat, he fouled off at least half a dozen pitches before hitting a hard single back up the middle
Don’t get me wrong, there’s some weaknesses in his game (I have some concerns about his swing that makes him not able to handle the high inside fastball) but hey he’s barely 20 years old and I’m sure that Victor Rodriguez and the Minor Leagues Instructors will work with him on that.
There’s a lot to like with kid…Hell I’m changing my Avatar with a picture of him wearing a Batman suit during this year Halloween ;)
"That was a lot of fun… You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." Jeff Francoeur
by radiohix on Jan 28, 2010 6:13 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
Rizzo's swing
First check out this video dating from his playing time for Greenville Drive.
His X-Factor angle (angle of separation between hip and shoulder) is at least 40 degrees and could be close to 45 degrees. Rule of thumb is that 30 degrees=30 home runs, and the rest get taken care of by strength, bat speed, etc..
Much of anything past 30-35 degrees will cause big problems for covering the inner half. His counter rotation load gives him his power but gives him a hole up and in. Check how far his hands are buried behind his front shoulder. Gonna take a long time to get those hands through to the inside pitch.
He’s either gonna have to move off the plate and make a living as a punisher of balls away and smash mistakes up to left center, move his hands out away from his body, or get a better and less inhibiting loading mechanism. Or a combination of 2 of the 3.
"That was a lot of fun… You just keep pounding balls into the gap. The one thing you don’t want to do is hit a home run. That’s a rally-killer." Jeff Francoeur
Have to be very careful with minor league components
They are not kept consistently. The average LD% for the Cal League was like 6% a couple years ago.
They just arent reliable. I don’t trust them at all.
"Approach" is very subjective.
It isnt completely interchangeable with walk rate, though Im often guilty of doing that too.
For instance, Tyler Flowers walks a lot, but his approach at the plate is not great. There’s some thought he’s too patient and works himself into hitters counts because he knows his contact skills are subpar.
Another example is Lars. No one would praise his approach this year, but he was still walking a lot.
Though - I actually really like Rizzo's approach
But understand that Law could have seen him a few times or talked to a few people that saw him a few times and didnt like the ABs he had… sometimes that’s all scouts mean…
Looking for more on Red Sox Prospects?
My blog posted a load of info pertaining to how Boston’s prospects will affect the fantasy baseball landscape this coming season and beyond. Would love to hear thoughts!
by Steve @ MLB Fantasy Prospects on Jan 30, 2010 12:09 PM EST reply actions
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