Pirate 1996 Scouting Report - Second Basemen
Last Updated 9 December 1995
On Sunday Dec 2 1995,
Mark Jareb (mij6t@avery.med.virginia.edu) posted the
following to the Pirate e-mail
list. I have edited it and included it here with his
permission:
"Notes: when you see ###/###/###, that stands for
BA/OBP/SLG (or just OBP/SLG sometimes). I'll probably harp a lot
on OBP because I see that as the Pirates major offensive problem
(compared to the league, their OBP is relatively worse than their
SLG). I list players currently in the organization
based on the highest level they played in '95. Whenever you
see a player's age listed, that refers to what his age will be
during the '96 baseball season."
Index: | Pirates
| Calgary
| Carolina
| Lynchburg
| Augusta
| Erie
| GCL
| Projections |
Pirates
Carlos Garcia: He's 28 years old; he was signed
out of Venezuela in 1987. He had his best offensive season in
'95 hitting 294/340/420. He will never be good in terms of On
Base Percentage, but those numbers are definitely above average
for a second baseman. In terms of Defensive Average, he's been a
little below average thus far in his career. He played Shortstop
all the way through the minors and then switched to second base
in Pittsburgh (because Jay Bell was at Short and Jose Lind was at
Second). He may switch back to Shortstop if Bell is traded or
leaves via free agency after '96. He hasn't hit with as much
power as I expected, but a 15 Home Run season could pop up in the
next year or two. Under current rules, he won't be eligible for
free agency until after '98.
Nelson Liriano: He's 32 years old; he was signed
out of the Dominican Republic by the Blue Jays in '82. He was
obtained off waivers from Colorado in the '94 off-season. He was
just signed to a 2 year deal worth $700,00. He would have been a
free agent at the end of this year otherwise. He has hit well
over the past 3 seasons (though the first 2 were in Colorado).
Taking park effects into consideration, his best hitting year was
probably in '95, going 286/347/398. He can take a walk, though
'95 was one of his worst years in that category -- that may be
due to leading the team in pinch hitting appearances
(which makes batters a little more swing-happy at the plate).
Between Garcia, Liriano, and possibly Jeff King, Second Base is
well covered for the next 2 years. Accordingly, we really don't
have any second base prospects in the high minors.
Calgary AAA
Erik Johnson: He's 30 years old; he was drafted
in the 18th round by the Giants in '87. He played his entire
minor league career with the Giants, then was traded to the Rangers
and then to the Pirates in the '94 off-season. He hit
297/348/420 at Calgary which is actually pretty lame when taking
park effects into account -- STATS gives that a Major League
Equivalent (MLE) of 245/286/333. He strikes me as Carlos Garcia
without the power or speed. He can play Shortstop. He is a
six-year minor league free agent -- he could very well be in
another organization by '96.
Francisco Matos: He's 26 years old; he was signed
out of the Dominican Republic in '88 by the A's. He was obtained
from the A's as a 6-year minor league free agent. He has very little
ability to get on base and very little power. He hit 323/335/416
at Calgary. He is a Minor league free agent again, and the Bucs
are looking to resign him. He has played a fair amount of
Shortstop in the minors as well. He is decent insurance to have
at AAA in case of injury, but don't expect him in the majors
unless that happens. He's two months older than Tony Womack and
the two are practically identical in terms of their production.
Carolina AA
Tony Beasley: He's 29 years old; he was drafted by
the Bucs in '89. He retired/was released after the '93 season,
but he came back as a replacement player and stuck around at AA
for the year. He had his best season ever going 281/343/370.
His MLE from STATS beats all the other too-old-to-be-a-prospect,
no-hit middle infielders at 256/303/324. Perhaps he'll become a
coach or replace Johnson at Calgary.
Omer Munoz: He's 30 years old; he was originally
signed by the Giants in '85. He has seen time in the Expos' and
Reds' minors as well. 1995 was his second season at Carolina.
He is in the Venezuela Winter League right now, but as a coach.
I wouldn't expect him back as a player.
Chance Sanford: He's 24 years old; he was drafted
in the 10th round in '91 by the Bucs -- he didn't sign and we
redrafted him in the 23rd round in '92. He can flat out
hit. However, he was injured for most of '95. In his 137
Plate Appearances, scattered between Bradenton, Lynchburg, and
Carolina, he hit 298/375/545. In '94 at Salem (which is a
hitter's park), he hit 278/351/487. As a reference, at the same
age in Salem, Carlos Garcia hit 283/323/417. If he's healthy
from his injuries, he will probably start out at Carolina. I
would expect either Zapata (see below) or he will get promoted to
AAA by mid-season. As one can see, he has good power and decent
OBP, especially for a Middle Infielder. He could be our
second baseman in '98. He bats Left Handed.
Lynchburg A (full season, high)
Ramon Zapata: He's 25 years old; he was signed out
of the Dominican Republic in 1990. I don't understand why he
didn't play in Carolina this past season. He hit 298/365/430 at
Lynchburg making the Carolina League All-Star team. From
what I saw, he is a good fielder as well. In '94, he hit
287/373/387 at Salem earning a promotion to AA at the end of the
season where he hit 262/286/410. Clearly, he wasn't overmatched
with AA pitching in his short stint. It's not like someone was
blocking him -- the Pirates played a 28 and a 29 year old at
second base in Carolina while leaving him in Lynchburg. I expect
him to start the season in Carolina as well. He's a little old
considering the level he was at, though there didn't seem to be a
reason not to be playing at a higher level.
Augusta A (full season, low)
Derek Swafford: He's 21 years old; he was drafted
in the 3rd round in '93. He hit 253/314/329. He doesn't get on
base very well, although his calling card is speed. He stole
52 bases (Caught Stealing 16 times) this past season. This
was his best season at the plate thus far. He might develop or
might not. One negative aspect is that he strikes out a lot for
someone who isn't a power hitter (101 K's in '95). He'll be the
second baseman in Lynchburg next year.
Juan Segura: He's 22 years old; he was signed out
of the Dominican Republic in '92. He also plays ShortStop and
Third Base quite a bit. After playing all season in Augusta and
Salem in '94, he split his time last season between Augusta and
Erie. He's not a good hitter -- in Augusta: '94-219/249/253;
'95-225/232/250. If he's back next season, he will probably
still be in Augusta.
Erie A (short season)
Chris Miyake: He's 22 years old; he was drafted
22nd out of UC-San Diego in '95. He played the entire season at
Erie hitting 308/355/405. He doesn't walk that much thus far,
but still the numbers look pretty good. He is considered good
defensively by his first baseman in Erie. He should be the
starter in Augusta next season.
Rich Venezia: He's 22 years old; he was drafted in
the 32nd round out of California (PA) in '94. 1995 was his second
season at short A. He can take a walk, but doesn't appear to be a
good hitter. In '94 194/299/210 and in '95 204/285/250. He probably
won't be back next season as others in the system move up.
Stan Schreiber: He's 20 years old: he was drafted
in the 26th round in '94. He played only 3 games in Erie,
spending most of the time in rookie ball. He hit 258/368/297 in
Bradenton. He'll probably start in Erie next year.
Gulf Coast (Rookie League)
Dan Delgado: He's 19 years old; he was drafted in
the 10th round in '95. He hit 179/287/198. He's still pretty
raw, but with potential. He'll probably start out in Rookie
League again next year.
Ovidio Frias: He's 19 years old; I don't know
where he came from. This is his first year in the minors. I'm
guessing we signed him out of the Dominican. He hit 283/349/374,
so his numbers look good so far. I'd expect him to start in
Erie, though it is possible that he or Schreiber (above) could be
a utility infielder at Augusta.
Projections:
Bucs: Carlos Garcia, Nelson Liriano
Calgary: Francisco Matos, Tony Beasley
Carolina: Chance Sanford, Ramon Zapata
Lynchburg: Derek Swafford
Augusta: Chris Miyake, Juan Segura
Erie: Stan Schreiber, Ovidio Frias
Gulf Coast League: Dan Delgado
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