Pirate 1996 Scouting Report - Outfield
Last Updated 14 January 1996
On Tuesday December 26 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
Al Martin: He's 28 years old; he was drafted in
the 8th round by the Braves out of USC in '85. He was signed by
the Bucs as a 6-year minor league free agent in 1991. Actually,
he started out as a first baseman in the minors. He hit
282/351/442 in '95 after a slow start. A wrist injury at the end
of '94 might account for the slow start. It may also account for
his extremely strong platoon split in '95 (Martin hit 134/147/179
vs LHP; 307/383/481 vs RHP). He had shown a strong platoon split
every year except '94, but nothing compared to the split in '95.
Defensively (based on DA), he has little range. He is probably
the worst of our OF defensively and the best offensively. The
present word from the Bucs is that he'll be platooned with
Brumfield in LF (the platoon is a smart idea); Martin will get
the majority of plate appearances since he's a Left-Handed
batter. He's eligible for arbitration this year.
Jacob Brumfield: He's 31 years old; he was
drafted in the 7th round by the Cubs in '83. He was traded from
the Reds to the Bucs for Danny Clyburn after the '94 season. He
hit 271/339/368 in '95, which was his first ML season as a
starter. Based on DA, he was average defensively. It is
understandable why the Bucs are looking for a CF, but Brumfield
will probably be better than Kingery in '96 anyhow. Jacob will
be the Right-Handed platoon-mate of Martin and/or Kingery, though
he appears only to be a little better against LHP than RHP.
Actually, against LHP, he tends to have a high BA, poor OBP, and
some power because he doesn't take any walks; against RHP he
takes walks so his OBP is decent but his BA and SLG are lower.
He will be arbitration eligible after '96.
Orlando Merced: He's 29 years old; he was signed
out of Puerto Rico in '85. Initially, he started as an Infielder
(mainly 3B), but moved to the OF and 1B (pretty much strictly OF
now). He had his best season power-wise in '95, though his OBP
was down compared to his other good years (300/365/468).
Surprisingly, he had a platoon split this year (225/301/408 vs
LHP; 322/384/488 vs RHP; in years past, he hasn't shown any
significant split) -- I'm thinking the split may be due to his
attempt to hit more for power. Our best OF defensively with good
range and a good arm. He signed a 2-year deal for $5.4 million.
In his career, he has yo-yo'ed from good to bad. He would be due
for a bad season now, which I hope doesn't come to pass.
Dave Clark: He's 33 years old; he was drafted in
the 1st round by the Indians in '83. He was picked up by the
Bucs in '92 after being released by KC. He didn't hit for the
power in '95 that he exhibited in '93 and '94, but again he had a
good OBP (281/359/372). He is another Left-Handed bat who
tends to have a strong platoon split. He will be a free agent
after this year; right now, he's making ~$600K. He's solid
defensively and can play all 3 OF positions. He's much better
than Kingery but I doubt he'll be in a Bucs uniform next year or
receive as much playing time as Kingery. Clark is one of my
favorites on the team, but I think he would be a good candidate
to trade. He would be a solid DH for some AL team. At this
point he'll probably be our 4th OF and #1 pinch-hitter against
RHP.
Mike Kingery: He's 35 years old; he was signed as
an undrafted free agent by Kansas City in '79. He was signed by
the Bucs as a free agent this off-season (2 years for $1.5
million). After a career year in '94 with Colorado, he hit
269/351/411 in '95. Taking Coors Field into account, his '95
numbers drop him below Brumfield's production numbers. People
will argue that Kingery actually didn't show any home/road split
-- essentially that means he really did poorly when batting at
home. Kingery is also a LH batter with a strong platoon split
(with what few AB he's had against LHP over the years). He's
expected to be the starting CF -- I expect that when Leyland sees
him batting against LHP, he'll get platooned pretty quickly.
Reportedly, he was acquired for his defense -- by RF or DA, he
was the worst defensive CF last year. Coors Field definitely has
an effect here but I don't know how strong. I can't believe that
he's any better than Brumfield though.
Midre Cummings: He's 24 years old; he was drafted
as a 1st round supplemental pick by the Twins in '90. He has put
up good minor league numbers until '95, but he hasn't shown much
when he's been in Pittsburgh. He hit 243/303/342 in '95 with the
Bucs. He has been labeled as having an attitude problem, though
until I hear some specifics, I'm a little skeptical. He started
showing signs of power in '92 and '93, but he really dropped off
power-wise since '94. This seems to coincide with a back injury
in '94; (he had a broken vertebra which he tried to play with for
awhile until it was diagnosed), though, his drop in power
could've been due to a hitting coach-induced change in approach.
He doesn't walk much, so his OBP will never be that good. He's
average defensively with reportedly not enough range to be a CF.
Nevertheless, he deserves to get a shot to be a starting OF for
at least one season. He's another LH bat and he won't get the
starting shot this year - if ever. I can't believe that the
Pirates will carry 6 OF to start the season (5 of which bat LH),
so expect something to give in the way of trades. If not, expect
to see Midre back at AAA.
Patricio Claudio: He's 24 years old; he was signed
out of the Dominican by Cleveland in '91. The Pirates took him
in the Rule V draft this winter -- therefore, he must remain on
the Pirates Major League roster throughout the year, or be
offered back to the Indians for $25K. He just finished playing
his 2nd consecutive year at Kinston (Class A (high); same league
as Lynchburg and batted 265/323/366) though he started the year
being loaned out to Bakersfield in the California League
(also high A; 281/357/422). His asset is his speed and good CF
defense -- too bad he can't hit and can only walk a little
below league average. I'll be shocked and disappointed with the
Bucs if he sticks -- they have 5 or 6 guys like him in the
minors already. Actually, there's definitely a possibility
that the Indians will refuse him and then he'll get assigned to
the minors, probably at Carolina.
Calgary AAA
Trey Beamon: He's 22 years old; he was drafted in
the 2nd round in '92. He's our #2 prospect (behind Jason
Kendall) according to Baseball America. As the youngest player
in the Southern League (Class AA) in '94, he led league in
Batting Average. At Calgary, he didn't have as good a year
after taking park effects into account, but still hit 334/387/454
(MLE by STATS: 278/317/365). He doesn't walk enough for my
liking, but could still have decent OBP if his BA is in the
.320 range. Defensively, he's considered to have OK range with a
below-average arm. He started out in the minors as a CF, but
played exclusively in LF in '95. Another LH bat, though based on
BA, he doesn't appear to have any platoon split. He's slated for
another year at AAA in '96. Expect to see him at least during
September call-ups, with a shot at the Bucs' starting lineup in
'97.
Here is another scouting
report on Trey.
Jermaine Allensworth: He's 24 years old; he was
drafted as a supplemental 1st round pick out of Purdue in '93 (he
was the Bucs' pick for losing Drabek to free agency). He had an
OK year at the bat (the key being a solid improvement from '94).
A good defensive CF, it's his bat that's keeping him from the
majors. Importantly, he is a Right-Handed bat. He began
'95 at Carolina and hit only 269/357/365 before being promoted;
he hit 316/375/474 at Calgary which was fairly comparable to
Beamon's numbers there. He has shown no signs of HR power, and
considering his age, in his career year, he might hit 10 HRs. He
needs to work on his BB ability to get his OBP to a
necessary level to ever be considered productive. He played in
the Arizona Fall League and hit 255/344/307. He will start the
season at AAA, but could be called up to platoon with Kingery
(provided some other OF gets traded).
Darryl Ratliff: He's 26 years old; he was drafted
by the Bucs in '89. He has no power and doesn't get on base very
well, except by hitting singles. I don't think anyone actually
considers him a prospect. AAA will probably be the highest level
he ever reaches. I expect him as the 4th OF in Calgary, though
he's a 6-yr minor league free agent.
Carolina AA
Jake Austin: He's 26 years old; he was drafted by
the Bucs in '92. He started as a 3B and moved to OF in '94.
Austin broke out offensively in '94 in Salem (300/372/485, 21 HR)
but then had an abysmal '95. Salem is definitely a HR park, but
in roughly the same amount of Plate Appearances in '95, he only
hit 5 HRs. He spent most of '95 at Carolina, hitting 236/273/335
and was demoted to Lynchburg at end of year. He'll probably
start at Carolina again, but he's essentially a non-prospect at
this point.
Jeff Conger: He's 24 years old; he was drafted in
the 8th round in '90. He played most of the season at Lynchburg
(his 3rd consecutive season), but was promoted to Carolina for
the last quarter of the season. He had his best year at the
plate and carried that over when he got promoted to AA. He hit
264/345/365 at Lynchburg and 289/378/375 at Carolina. He doesn't
hit for power, but he at least can take a walk to have a decent
OBP. He will be in Carolina in '95.
Ramon Espinosa: He's 24 years old; he was signed
in '91. 1995 was his 2nd season at Carolina; he hit 286/316/370.
Quintessential no power, bad OBP, speedy OF who gets caught a lot
stealing bases. He is playing winter ball in the Dominican; thus
far in Winter Ball, he has a Batting Average of .349, but only
has a OBP of .367. He will probably be in Calgary next year
though.
Jon Farrell: He's 24 years old; he was drafted in
the 1st round in '91. Originally drafted to be a catcher, he
fairly quickly moved to the OF. He's been a major disappointment
so far. He has some power, but that's about it. He hit
220/262/357 in '95 (battled injuries throughout year). He'll be
in Carolina again.
Charles Peterson: He's 22 years old; he was
drafted in the 1st round in '93. He's considered the best
athlete in the organization and a good defensive CF. He's ranked
as the #5 prospect in the organization by Baseball America.
He had a solid year at the bat, playing mostly at Lynchburg
(274/345/371) and then was called up for the last 20 games
to Carolina (329/415/400). He walks slightly above the league
average and is starting to show a little sign of power. He
played in the Hawaiian Fall League where he started out really
poorly and ended up with 235/286/346. He will probably spend the
whole season at AA, but could move up. He's still pretty raw at
the plate. This year will probably be an important gauge of
his development.
Lynchburg A (full season, high)
Adrian Brown: He's 22 years old; he was drafted in
'92. He began his second season at Augusta after missing all of
'93 due to injury. He was promoted about halfway through the
season to Lynchburg. He hit well at Augusta (300/372/422), then
dropped off at Lynchburg (242/284/298). He seems to be just a
little below league average in walking, but doesn't strike out
very much. He needs to get the OBP up since he doesn't have much
power. I could see him developing more OBP since he doesn't
strike out much. He will be in Lynchburg in '96.
Jay Knoblauh: He's 30 years old; he was drafted
by the Yankees in '88. He was signed as a replacement player in
'95. Prior to that, he was last seen at AAA Columbus in '93. He
hit 277/326/443 in '95. He's a 6-year minor league free agent.
I doubt he'll be back.
Tommy Robertson: He's 24 years old; I don't know
where he came from. I'm guessing he was a replacement player
signing as well. He was the backup OF in '95 and hit
273/353/335. He might stick around for another year at
Lynchburg, but I doubt it.
Augusta A (full season, low)
Aaron Edwards: He's 22 years old; he was drafted
in the 2nd round out of Cal-Poly Pomona in '94. He began the '95
season at Erie (264/339/264) and then spent most of the year at
Augusta (though only got about 175 PA; 263/312/313). Another
speedy, no power guy, who walks a little below average. He'll be
in Augusta in '96.
Jose Guillen: He's 20 years old; he was signed out
of the Dominican in '93. Baseball America ranks him as our #7
prospect. He can hit for power and has a gun for an arm (he
plays RF). He spent most of the season in Erie (314/367/527),
and then was promoted and played in 10 games at Augusta
(235/316/500). He walks considerably below the
league average (his OBP comes more from his HBP [14] vs BB
[12]). Still, at age 19, to hit 14 HR at any level is impressive
(throw in 18 doubles and 2 triples as well). He seems to be a
lot like Raul Mondesi (with whom he's good friends). He will
probably be starring in Augusta in '96, though may be in
Lynchburg just due to the lack of Outfielders above him.
Here is another scouting
report on Jose.
Erskine Kelly: He's 25 years old; he was drafted
in '92. 1995 was his 2nd season at Augusta; he was worse in '95
(218/277/318; in '94 250/313/394). He seemed to have a real
drop-off in power as well as BA. He probably would be a waste of
a roster position to stay in Augusta, so I'm guessing he'll start
in Lynchburg or not be in organization.
Elton Pollock: He's 23 years old; he was drafted
in the 15th round out of Presbyterian College (SC) in '95. He
began the year at Erie (299/346/385) and then hit 234/282/309 at
Augusta. He appears to be another player in the Pirates long
line of low OBP, little power, speedy OF. He'll probably be in
Augusta in '96.
TJ Staton: He's 21 years old; he was drafted in
the 10th round in '93. He had a good year in '95 hitting
292/340/409. He's another low OBP guy, but looks like he's
developing some power. He played in the Hawaiian Fall League
and made the All-Star team there (though a friend of mine in
Hawaii was not impressed by Staton). He hit 273/342/400 there.
He'll be starting in Lynchburg.
Shon Walker: He's 22 years old; he was drafted in
the 2nd round in '92 (his pick was compensation for the loss of
Bonilla to Free Agency). Walker is the one player who
hasn't panned out of the big 4 picks we had in '92 (Beamon,
Kendall, and Clyburn who was traded for Brumfield were the
other 3). 1995 was his second season at Augusta; he only hit
229/345/339; however, he started out really well (eg. in his
first ~170 Plate Appearances, he was at 301/387/476 w/ 5 HR).
That means for the rest of the season (~260 PA), he hit
181/331/242 w/ 1 HR. The guy takes a walk better than anyone
in the Bucs minors (was 227/382/310 in '94 at Augusta), and
at times, he has shown good power for his age.
Side note: he's only had 1 HBP in the 2 seasons at Augusta,
which is very low for that level, especially considering he
must see a lot of pitches to get all those BB. This might
suggest that he stands too far back or he bails out too quickly
and thus doesn't get any coverage over the outside half of the
plate. He should be in Lynchburg this coming season and I'm
very curious to see him bat.
Erie A (short season)
Jason Adamson: He's 20 years old; he was a draft
and follow from the 33rd round in '94. He started 1995 in Erie
and got 2 singles in 7 AB, and then played the rest of the year
in the Rookie League going (255/345/338). He walks a little
better than league average and shows signs of power in the
future. He'll start in Erie in '96.
Albert Davis: He's 19 years old; he was drafted in
the 39th round in '94. He had a solid year in the Rookie League
in '94 (281/377/391); he started there again in '95 (302/318/581;
44 PA), then hit 230/318/349 in Erie in 170+ PA. He walks at a
rate above the league average, has shown decent power for his
age, plus he seems to steal bases well (9 SB, 2 CS in '95). He
was a good find for the 39th round; he'll probably start in
Augusta in '96.
Freddie May: He's 20 years old; he was drafted in
the 9th round in '95. He tore up the Rookie League (333/435/490)
and was promoted to Erie halfway through season. He hit
267/305/356 in Erie. He really dropped off in # of BB in Erie vs
Bradenton, but that's a pretty small sample size. He's reported
to have above-average wheels and good range defensively in CF.
He looks like another solid draft pick from '95. I'm guessing
he'll start out in Erie with a promotion to Augusta likely.
Bo Springfield: He's 20 years old; he was drafted
in the 8th round in '94. He didn't play at all in '94; in '95,
he started out in the Rookie League for 6 AB and then played the
rest of the year in Erie. He hit 263/367/368. He took BBs
considerably above the league average, yet appears to have little
power, but is a speedy OF. He'll probably start in Augusta in
'96.
Gulf Coast (Rookie League)
Dawan Elliott: He's 19 years old; he was drafted
in the 5th round in '95. He's extremely athletic, but considered
very raw. He hit 220/261/266. He's expected to have a
combination of power and speed (though he doesn't appear to take
a walk yet). He'll probably start '96 in Bradenton.
Alex Hernandez: He's 19 years old; he was drafted
in the 4th round in '95. He hit 269/330/344. He's considered a
solid defensive RF. He can walk at about the league average, and
he might develop some power. He'll probably be in Erie in '96.
Alex Pena: He's 18 years old; he was signed out
of the Domincan (probably in '94). In his first season in US, he
hit 238/264/331. His walk rate is considerably below the league
average. He'll probably in Erie in '96.
Projections:
Bucs: Al Martin, Mike Kingery, Orlando Merced, Jacob
Brumfield, Dave Clark
Calgary: Trey Beamon, Jermaine Allensworth, Midre
Cummings, Ramon Espinosa
Carolina: Jeff Conger, Charles Peterson, Jake Austin, Jon
Farrell
Lynchburg: Adrian Brown, TJ Staton, Shon Walker
Augusta: Aaron Edwards, Bo Springfield, Jose Guillen,
Elton Pollock, Albert Davis
Erie: Jason Adamson, Freddie May, Alex Hernandez, Alex
Pena
Gulf Coast League: Dawan Elliott, draftees
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