BA Top 100

[Guest]

Great profile on Brett Jackson from BP here: http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=13124

[soonercub]

It appears Baseball America has an article on him as well. I don't have membership so I can not summarize it at all. If anyone else does please share. I also notice a while back that BA did a right up of Darvill and Geiger. Anyone know anything about that article?

[BeerHere]

It appears Baseball America has an article on him as well. I don't have membership so I can not summarize it at all. If anyone else does please share. I also notice a while back that BA did a right up of Darvill and Geiger. Anyone know anything about that article?

 

Not really much there, here are the highlights:

 

Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound lefthanded hitter, combined to hit .297/.395/.493 between high Class A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee last season. He had 12 home runs and stole 30 bases despite battling a strained wrist. He later joined Team USA for the Pan-Am qualifier in Puerto Rico, but a bruised heel and staph infection in his shin sidelined him after he got off to a fast start.

 

Jackson likely will open 2011 with Triple-A Iowa, but it could be his last Opening Day in the minor leagues. This is the last year of Kosuke Fukudome's contract, and both Colvin and Jackson offer flexibility, with the ability to play center field as well as the outfield corners. A big first half by Fukudome could prompt a trade that would open the door for Jackson. Or, like Colvin, he could just force his way into the picture.

 

I don't see any articles on Darvill or Geiger.

[Guest]

Here you go:

 

BA[/url]"]Whenever Ramirez departs, Chicago will have no shortage of internal options to replace him. They include Marquez Smith, Josh Vitters and D.J. LeMahieu. Beyond those players are two sleepers who have yet to reach full-season ball: Wes Darvill and Dustin Geiger.

 

Darvill has hit just .225/.314/.241 in two pro seasons, but his numbers belie his potential. He didn't turn 19 until after the 2010 season and he has yet to full out his 6-foot-3, 175-pound frame.

 

Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken said Darvill reminded him of a raw version of Reid Brignac when Darvill signed for $142,200 as a fifth-round pick out of a Canadian secondary school in 2009. He has plenty of bat speed and controls the strike zone, so he should hit for power and average once he adds strength, which he began doing in Chicago's offseason conditioning program. He also has the athleticism and arm strength to be an above-average defender at third base.

 

"He won't come quickly. He's four years away," Wilken said. "But wait until you see what he can become."

 

The Cubs drafted Geiger in the 24th round out of a Florida high school last June, signing him away from a Central Florida scholarship for $150,000. He spent his pro debut in Rookie-level Arizona League, where he batted .244/.312/.358. He's already 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, and Wilken envisions him adding another 25 pounds of muscle.

 

"He's going to be very big and he'll carry the weight easy," Wilken said. "He plays a very good third base and we really like the bat quite a bit. He's a confident kid."

[Splendid Splinter]

Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound lefthanded hitter, combined to hit .297/.395/.493 between high Class A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee last season. He had 12 home runs and stole 30 bases despite battling a strained wrist. He later joined Team USA for the Pan-Am qualifier in Puerto Rico, but a bruised heel and staph infection in his shin sidelined him after he got off to a fast start.

 

I knew about the bruised heel and staph infection, but he was battling a strained wrist as well??? When did that happened? Pretty impressive to put up those numbers with a strained wrist, esp. the power numbers. It's probably a very minor league as it didn't seem to affect him that much, but still, if he didn't have that strained wrist... what kind of numbers would've he really end up with?

 

 

Nice to see the piece on Darvill and Geiger, but again, they're a long way away from what I'm reading there so I don't care about them at the moment due to they won't replace A-Ram anytime soon. I'll be watching for those 2, but I'm more worried about who CAN replace A-Ram next year (if he leaves after this year) or very soon (or extend him to a 1 or 2 more years). I'm surprised that BA said Cubs have no shortage of internal options for 3B. It seems like Smith is the only option right now unless one or both of Vitters and DJ have a great season this year for 3B next year if A-Ram is gone.

[davell]

Personally, even if Vitters has a breakout season in AA this year, I want him to spend next year in AAA. May be in the minority here, but I still think he's got time on his side and I don't want to see him rushed any more than he already has been.

 

As for LeMahieu, I'm holding out hope he's able to stick at 2B and has enough pop in his bat to become an asset there, since he's probably never going to have the pop to be a 3B offensively.

[Splendid Splinter]

Personally, even if Vitters has a breakout season in AA this year, I want him to spend next year in AAA. May be in the minority here, but I still think he's got time on his side and I don't want to see him rushed any more than he already has been.

 

As for LeMahieu, I'm holding out hope he's able to stick at 2B and has enough pop in his bat to become an asset there, since he's probably never going to have the pop to be a 3B offensively.

 

I'm with you... If Vitters is a great season, let him get called up in Sept. to have a few ABs this year to let him get an idea on what it's like in MLB and then let him play AAA all next year (let Smith play 3B for a year if A-Ram is gone) and get called up again in Sept., but let him play more this time around. By this time, he will still only be 23 years old and 6 seasons in the minors under his belt. Heck I would be fine if Vitters stay at AAA again (for his 7th minor season for like some fine tuning on his approach at the plate and defense) after next year. He's still young enough (and shown enough potential at times) that you can't give up on him until he's 24. Some players take a long time to get through the minors and some don't (Castro for example). Vitters is the guy who will take awhile.

 

As for DJ, I'm hoping he stays at 2B as well, but I'm just worried that he just might be too big for that position. Is there a 2B out there that's like 6'4"???

[Guest]

It would also be nice if Darvill could stick at 2B. Of course he's very raw and a long ways away. He hasn't even stuck yet at Boise.

[CubsWin]

Personally, even if Vitters has a breakout season in AA this year, I want him to spend next year in AAA. May be in the minority here, but I still think he's got time on his side and I don't want to see him rushed any more than he already has been.

 

As for LeMahieu, I'm holding out hope he's able to stick at 2B and has enough pop in his bat to become an asset there, since he's probably never going to have the pop to be a 3B offensively.

 

I'm with you... If Vitters is a great season, let him get called up in Sept. to have a few ABs this year to let him get an idea on what it's like in MLB and then let him play AAA all next year (let Smith play 3B for a year if A-Ram is gone) and get called up again in Sept., but let him play more this time around. By this time, he will still only be 23 years old and 6 seasons in the minors under his belt. Heck I would be fine if Vitters stay at AAA again (for his 7th minor season for like some fine tuning on his approach at the plate and defense) after next year. He's still young enough (and shown enough potential at times) that you can't give up on him until he's 24. Some players take a long time to get through the minors and some don't (Castro for example). Vitters is the guy who will take awhile.

 

As for DJ, I'm hoping he stays at 2B as well, but I'm just worried that he just might be too big for that position. Is there a 2B out there that's like 6'4"???

Put me in this camp. Vitters spends most of this season if not all of it at AA. The only way he gets a promotion is if he kills it all season long and even then the earliest it should happen would be after the all-star break. Otherwise keep him there all year. Maybe a cup of coffee if he earns it.

 

Next season, the Cubs can pick up Ramirez's option (if he does well this season). If not, they can either bring Rammy back at a lower cost, or let Smith and a 1yr FA signee battle it out in ST. Meanwhile, Vitters refines things at AAA.

 

I, too, hope LeMaheiu can stick at 2B. Even if he doesn't develop great power, if he is defensively solid at the position, his ability to hit for average should be good enough to make him an asset.

[CUBZ99]

Personally, even if Vitters has a breakout season in AA this year, I want him to spend next year in AAA. May be in the minority here, but I still think he's got time on his side and I don't want to see him rushed any more than he already has been.

 

As for LeMahieu, I'm holding out hope he's able to stick at 2B and has enough pop in his bat to become an asset there, since he's probably never going to have the pop to be a 3B offensively.

 

Vitters has been very consistent throughout the minors, he struggles immediately after getting promoted and then mashes. Based on every other season he has been in the minors he will start in AA until he starts hitting well and then will finish the rest of the year in AAA.

 

I hope that he follows that pattern again this year and the Cubs continue to promote him. With Ramirez having another option year, Vitters has two years to show them that he is the 3b of the future.

[toonsterwu]

I was very happy with the Geiger pick, and it's good to hear Wilken opine that Geiger can handle 3rd base, considering the pre-draft concerns about him having to move to the OF or 1st eventually. If he can, we might just have ourselves a semi-legitimate corner player, as there's definitely power in that body.

 

I've liked Darvill since we got him, but I'm still not sure what he is. The BA thing makes it seem like he's destined for 3rd, although Wilken's comparison to Brignac, which has been oft-used, still gives me hope that he can somehow stick up the middle. Here's hoping he doesn't physically mature the way Flaherty has, and can stick in the middle infield.

[toonsterwu]

Personally, even if Vitters has a breakout season in AA this year, I want him to spend next year in AAA. May be in the minority here, but I still think he's got time on his side and I don't want to see him rushed any more than he already has been.

 

As for LeMahieu, I'm holding out hope he's able to stick at 2B and has enough pop in his bat to become an asset there, since he's probably never going to have the pop to be a 3B offensively.

 

Vitters has been very consistent throughout the minors, he struggles immediately after getting promoted and then mashes. Based on every other season he has been in the minors he will start in AA until he starts hitting well and then will finish the rest of the year in AAA.

 

I hope that he follows that pattern again this year and the Cubs continue to promote him. With Ramirez having another option year, Vitters has two years to show them that he is the 3b of the future.

 

I get the feeling that, if Aramis doesn't have a monster season to justify the option and moves on, and Vitters isn't ready, that the Cubs might plug Marquez Smith in there for a year or two anyways. Nothing to base it off of, other than Bruce Miles saying that the Cubs view him as being somewhat similar to Casey McGehee.

[Rob]

I wouldn't have a problem with Vitters getting a promotion if he's earned it, but I'd want it to be after the all-star break. Wouldn't bother me if he got a cup of coffee, either.

 

If we end up letting Aramis walk after this season, I'm really curious as to how we handle 3B. Smith is probably the #1 option. If Vitters tore the cover off the ball all year this year, I wouldn't have a problem with letting him battle it out with Smith in ST for a shot at the job. We could always send him back down if he struggles. I could also see DJ getting a shot depending on his year, and I think the org would be willing to jump Flaherty up in a hurry as well if he was hitting well.

[craig]

I get the feeling that, if Aramis doesn't have a monster season to justify the option and moves on, and Vitters isn't ready, that the Cubs might plug Marquez Smith in there for a year or two anyways. Nothing to base it off of, other than Bruce Miles saying that the Cubs view him as being somewhat similar to Casey McGehee.

 

I don't think Smith is much of a factor. Guys who are viewed as significant starter-material tend to get 40-man rostered, especially when there was as much space and as many expendibles as we had this winter. And guys who are viewed as significant starter-material tend to get valued by at least one of the 30-teams in the majors. But not a single one picked him in Rule 5.

 

A contact is pretty connected with a bunch of the AA people. He was told that the Cubs were going to cut Smith last spring, but he survived the cuts because somebody got hurt.

 

Keith Law on Marquez Smith: >I've received a lot of questions about Cubs infielder Marquez Smith, who was Rule 5 eligible but went unselected despite his .314/.374/.584 line in about 300 plate appearances in Class AAA last year. It's just one game, but I can guess why he didn't garner much interest or a 40-man spot from Chicago. He took some awful hacks against breaking balls, including one on a 72 mph Little League curveball for a strikeout in his first at bat. He's a below-average runner, and struggled to make a throw from third base on a soft grounder. That's not to say he has zero value, but it's a long list of flaws to steer teams away from him.<<

 

If a guy hits enough and with enough power, he can be below average in the other three tools and still get a career. Hopefully that will be Smith.

 

But I suspect that he's pretty low on the Cubs internal ladder, and that there is little consideration for him as a long-term solution to the 3B situation.

[toonsterwu]

I get the feeling that, if Aramis doesn't have a monster season to justify the option and moves on, and Vitters isn't ready, that the Cubs might plug Marquez Smith in there for a year or two anyways. Nothing to base it off of, other than Bruce Miles saying that the Cubs view him as being somewhat similar to Casey McGehee.

 

I don't think Smith is much of a factor. Guys who are viewed as significant starter-material tend to get 40-man rostered, especially when there was as much space and as many expendibles as we had this winter. And guys who are viewed as significant starter-material tend to get valued by at least one of the 30-teams in the majors. But not a single one picked him in Rule 5.

 

A contact is pretty connected with a bunch of the AA people. He was told that the Cubs were going to cut Smith last spring, but he survived the cuts because somebody got hurt.

 

Keith Law on Marquez Smith: >I've received a lot of questions about Cubs infielder Marquez Smith, who was Rule 5 eligible but went unselected despite his .314/.374/.584 line in about 300 plate appearances in Class AAA last year. It's just one game, but I can guess why he didn't garner much interest or a 40-man spot from Chicago. He took some awful hacks against breaking balls, including one on a 72 mph Little League curveball for a strikeout in his first at bat. He's a below-average runner, and struggled to make a throw from third base on a soft grounder. That's not to say he has zero value, but it's a long list of flaws to steer teams away from him.<<

 

If a guy hits enough and with enough power, he can be below average in the other three tools and still get a career. Hopefully that will be Smith.

 

But I suspect that he's pretty low on the Cubs internal ladder, and that there is little consideration for him as a long-term solution to the 3B situation.

 

That was my original assumption as well, but the way Bruce Miles has worded it in his blogs, it lends one to think that the Cubs are higher on Marquez than perhaps we are, as fans.

 

Two notes -

 

a) Bruce noted that the Cubs were very disappointed in Marquez last spring because he was out of shape, but by year's end, they were very pleased with him.

 

b) I wasn't suggesting that I think Bruce was implying that Marquez was a long term solution. The way that Bruce phrased it, though, makes it sound like he could be a short term solution (say, for a year).

 

I've queried Bruce a few times in the past about Marquez, but this was the most recent exchange from his blog on 2/19/2011:

 

Positional Versatility

 

Bruce, I'm wondering if it's possible to find out the Cubs take on enhancing a player's positional versatility. I imagine that any answer will be somewhat ... anticipated, but I'm curious about the decision making to try guys at other positions. In particular, I'm thinking about a guy like Marquez Smith, a guy who has a decent chance of seeing some time in the bigs at some point in his career. He dabbled at 2nd in Low A, but since then, to the best of my knowledge, has only played 3rd (and the reports on his defense at 2nd were pretty ... pedestrian to below-average). I look at a guy like Marquez and think that, if he could handle some corner OF duties, and dabble at 1st, his chances of reaching the bigs are probably significantly enhanced. They had a mildly similar guy who is back again (Scott Maine), so I'm more curious on process and decision-making.

Posted by toonsterwu on Sat, 02/19/2011 - 11:03

 

On Smith

 

They're not thinking about him as an outfielder right now. Last year, he came to camp heavy, and there were severe mobility issues that precluded any more talk of 2B. At one point, they toyed with the idea of making him a catcher. With a need at third base all around baseball, they feel that might be Smith's ticket, much in the vein of Casey McGehee. They were more than pleased with his season at Iowa last year.

 

I fully acknowledge that I may be reading a tad much into it, but the implication that the Cubs feel that Smith could be McGehee, along with how pleased they were with him last year ... that strikes me as ... something that catches attention.

 

___

 

I've said this elsewhere, but while I think Marquez might be a tad underrated by Cubs fans, I'm also not sure he's that much better than Scott Moore. Moore's only 1.5 years older, is a bit more versatile/athletic, has a bit more raw power, and like Marquez, has shown a decent approach in the minors. (as a total side note, I hope Wes Darvill ends up better than Moore ... but I could see him develop along those lines, as Moore was a former prep shortstop as well).

[craig]

Smith, Moore, Darvill, and McGehee each have some things in common and some differences. In common, of course, is playing 3B for Cubs, and none of them moving up as highly valued guys. (Well, Moore was once, but that was past by the time he got to us.).

 

Moore vs Smith: Moore has more BP power and is much more athletic and has resultingly superior defensive tools. Smith has simply been better as a hitter. But if you hit well enough, that can overcome everything else. A commonality is that they both K a lot, reflecting holes in swing and the probably inability to hit breaking balls.

 

McGehee is very different in that he's always been a contact hitter, and the power came late and unexpectedly. He's a nice comp in that any 3B who isn't scouted as promising enough to justify a 40-man roster spot, but still has a chance to hit his way into the majors, can use him as a model. That works for Smith, if he hits enough. But I think otherwise their actual profiles are pretty different. McGehee was always smart, motivated, and hit for contact. He never K'd or had the hitting holes like Smith, and he was never the type to come in fat.

 

Darvill shares with Moore origins in middle infield, which might suggest he has better pure defensive tools than McGehee or Smith. But I think he shares McGehee's early nature as a good-contact hitter who has power questions.

 

This is why I think Darvill's ceiling is high. If he's a contact hitter who doesn't have Moore-like holes; if he's got good plate disciipline; and if he's got solid defensive tools; then if he can grow into power he's got a chance to be very very good. So I think his McGehee-like pure hitting skills give him a better chance that Smith or Moore to grow into a McGehee type big-league career, with better speed and perhaps better defensive range.

 

Tangent, Toonster, did you notice that Lemahieu hit a long HR yesterday? As I've wished before, I hope he's added enough strength so that he can now increase his range of places where he can get hits. If he's now strong enough where he can productively add both his pull field, and the over-the-wall HR area (where OFers never catch the ball!), then all of his offensive numbers could benefit accordingly. boost his average with over-the-wall hits, and so that it now makes sense for him to use the whole field, including his pull direction, and more than the whole field, including the over-the-wall balls that OFers never catch.

[Scotti]

Tangent, Toonster, did you notice that Lemahieu hit a long HR yesterday? As I've wished before, I hope he's added enough strength so that he can now increase his range of places where he can get hits. If he's now strong enough where he can productively add both his pull field, and the over-the-wall HR area (where OFers never catch the ball!), then all of his offensive numbers could benefit accordingly. boost his average with over-the-wall hits, and so that it now makes sense for him to use the whole field, including his pull direction, and more than the whole field, including the over-the-wall balls that OFers never catch.

 

Craig, if hitting happened in a vacuum then adding HR would mean added batting average but that isn't always the case. A guy who discovers that he can hit HR will often alter his swing in order to hit the ball harder.

 

A career .316 hitter like Lemahieu (with only 2 HR, 8 3B and 30 2B in 731 AB) who starts swinging for the fences could wind up hitting 20 HR (or more) if he continued to add strength and bulk but, in the process, hit plenty more fly balls outs than he has done historically as a Punch-and-Judy/groundball hitter. Look at what happened to Theriot. .300 hitter by hitting the ball to right field. Uncle Lou talked to him about hitting the ball harder and using the whole field and he's a .270-.280 hitter.

 

Now, with the Theriot issue, everyone has an opinion so, hopefully, my main point won't get lost: When a Type X hitter attempts to be a Type Y hitter the end result is usually bad. In the days of Free Preservatives a guy could take a little of this and a little of that and add 30-40 pounds of lean muscle and become a much better hitter but those guys were not changing their STYLE of hitting. None of the big roid guys were ever slap hitters. They just got better at doing what they had been doing (20 HR became 30 or 40+).

 

Even Colvin, who by all accounts has developed naturally, just added more power to a stroke that was already suited for power. Lemahieu all of a sudden pulling the inside pitch would be a huge point of departure for him. All of that said, there are occasions where someone does change their style of hitting with success (Sandberg)--but those changes are rare.

 

Certainly something needs to happen for Lemahieu because, .316 or no, .070 isolated power is awful for a guy who doesn't add OBP, speed and/or defense. But that something could just be a guy who still uses the stroke that got him to where he is but just with some more solid line drives (leading to more 2B, 3B and a small handful of "accidental" HR).

 

If Lemahieu does go all Sandberg on us (or Sandberg Jr. with, say, 16-18 HR) then that is great but highly unlikely. Far more likely in a scenario where Lemahieu is pulling the ball is that he starts pulling outside pitches to the SS (the ones that he used to hit to RF to get his .316 BA) thus lowering his batting average while hitting a few more balls to where the outfielders can't catch them.

[Guest]

In Lemahieu's defense, even when he was drafted there was some thought that he would have some pop, even if it was just second baseman pop. And also, considering he's hit over .315 as a professional, I think he has a little room to sacrifice pop for average. In the Theriot example it didn't work because he physically wasn't able to punish pitchers. He's generously listed at a thin 5-11, and simply wasn't capable of burning pitchers who pounded the zone against him. Lemahieu has a lot less of his story told, with less than 800 professional PA's. He's also 6-4 and has been talked about as a guy who can hit a few HRs like I mentioned earlier. I don't disagree that a guy trying to change the type of hitter he is mostly a losing proposition(see: WHY CAN'T ADAM DUNN JUST CHOKE UP WITH TWO STRIKES?), but I think we're too soon into DJ's career to necessarily label that change as being a fundamental shift, and I don't think the Theriot comparison works because of their tools.

[craig]

The principle certainly holds that if a guy changes his approach, his results may change, for better or for worse. If a guy sells out for power, his average can suffer even if he adds some HR's. I don't really disagree with any of scotti's points. It's entirely possible that DJ will be a bad hitter if he tries to swing for power, and will lose the one thing that he's really good at, the contact thing. It's also entirely possible that if he remains as he is, a contact guy with no walks and no power, that he'll spend time in the high minors but will never be a good major leaguer. So probably as with any projectible guy coming out of A-ball, the odds are safe to predict that he won't make it.

 

That said, I think it's quite common that imperfect A-ballers will need to make some adjustments to be successful. Of course most don't, but some do. DJ, we'll see. Possible yes, probable, maybe not.

 

I also think that "accidental" HR's are an important thing, and could improve significantly for him. A guy gets bigger and stronger, some accidental HR's can follow without changing what he does well.

 

But, I also think their is logic in my concept of making some adjustments. Yes, you can adjust for the worse, but some guys do for the better. If a slugger is pulling the ball all the time, don't coaches continually press on him to go with the pitch and use the opposite field? If it's bad for a power guy to not go with pitches and to not use the whole field, and it's appropriate to help them adjust favorably; then why isn't it bad for a low-power guy to not go with pitches and to not use the whole field? Isn't it appropriate to help him to adjust favorably and use the whole field, including the pull field and to go with inside pitches to that pull field? And, if the pitch happens to be in his sweet spot, to "accidentally" go with the pitch over the wall into the bleachers part of the field where OFers never catch the ball? Over a season, doing that just once a month is worth 10 points in batting average and 50 points in OPS. Can't a guy do that naturally without taking away anything good that he can already do?

 

I also think the point you made, TT, is fair, that when you're a .315 no-K hitter, you can afford to lose a few singles in the pursuit of a few HR's, and still have a high average.

 

I guess I also kind of believe that guys who have the gift of contact, they are the ones most likely to be able to make adjustments. When hitting the ball is as hard as was true for Corey, it's hard to change things without making things even worse. But for gifted hitters, they can sometimes play around a little more without losing that gift of contact. I'm hoping that applies to DJ.

 

Hendry has seemed to have that view too, as you mentioned TT. He figured that DJ would gain some power naturally, without losing what he does well. We'll see.

[videographer]

There is an important distinction with D.J. when comparing him to HR hitters that sacrifice avg. for power: hitting approach. D.J. is a natural hitter who's scouting reports state a level, inside-out swing. His history is to swing for singles and get on base. Maybe his thin frame and previous coaching molded this mind-set. Whichever, he shows a talent for hitting. The Cubs see a natural hitter who can add muscle and "learn" to hit HRs by adjusting his approach. Sandberg is an important bench-mark for D.J., he started hitting HRs when he learned to recognize pitches he could pull for power.

 

As D.J. matures as a hitter, I fully expect him to increase his power and maintain his avg. by having a better understanding of which pitches he takes out of the yard. This approach and added muscle will increase his confidence in swinging for power - how much power? TBD. My hope would be 20 HRs a year as I see him more of a 3B than at 2B. His defensive skill set, from what I understand reading this forum, is 3B. I predict that D.J. will add power slowly through his minor league career, maybe 10-12 HRs this year and possibly 15 HRs next year as a high water mark while hitting over .300.

 

One thing that did catch my eye from last year's stats, he finished with 73 RBIs - without power. That tells me he can be a clutch hitter. With added power, he may reach 85-100 RBIs a year, if not more. That is a #3 through #6 run producer who doesn't strike out much. I'll take that at Wrigley.

[javy knows my name]

There is an important distinction with D.J. when comparing him to HR hitters that sacrifice avg. for power: hitting approach. D.J. is a natural hitter who's scouting reports state a level, inside-out swing. His history is to swing for singles and get on base. Maybe his thin frame and previous coaching molded this mind-set. Whichever, he shows a talent for hitting. The Cubs see a natural hitter who can add muscle and "learn" to hit HRs by adjusting his approach. Sandberg is an important bench-mark for D.J., he started hitting HRs when he learned to recognize pitches he could pull for power.

 

As D.J. matures as a hitter, I fully expect him to increase his power and maintain his avg. by having a better understanding of which pitches he takes out of the yard. This approach and added muscle will increase his confidence in swinging for power - how much power? TBD. My hope would be 20 HRs a year as I see him more of a 3B than at 2B. His defensive skill set, from what I understand reading this forum, is 3B. I predict that D.J. will add power slowly through his minor league career, maybe 10-12 HRs this year and possibly 15 HRs next year as a high water mark while hitting over .300.

 

One thing that did catch my eye from last year's stats, he finished with 73 RBIs - without power. That tells me he can be a clutch hitter. With added power, he may reach 85-100 RBIs a year, if not more. That is a #3 through #6 run producer who doesn't strike out much. I'll take that at Wrigley.

 

Ah man, I was right with you the whole way until RBIs and clutch-ness

[JeffH]

Lemahieu all of a sudden pulling the inside pitch would be a huge point of departure for him.

 

What else are you supposed to do with the inside pitch?