Pirate 1999 Scouting Report - ShortStops

Last Updated 17 January 1999

On January 7, 1999, Mark Jareb (lshark@akula.com) posted the following to the Pirate e-mail list. I have edited it and included it here with his permission.

Index: | Pirates | Nashville | Altoona | Lynchburg | Hickory | Williamsport | GCL | Projections |
Pirates
Mike Benjamin: 33-11/22/65; #3 '87(Giants); Arizona St.
SS/2B/3B, R-R, 6-0 170
Benjamin was signed as a Free Agent to a 2 year deal for $1.4M this offseason. Considering his offensive numbers over the years, plus his salary last season, I'd say that Bonifay heavily overpaid for him. Benjamin got some PT in '98 due to injuries for various Red Sox 2Bmen, and he put up career high numbers. Bonifay thinks Benjamin's '98 batting stroke can continue in '99 with regular playing time, but I look for the shortstop's offensive numers to plummet back down to previously established levels. He's the frontrunner for the starting SS job. Primarily signed by Bonifay for his veteran presence and to shore up the middle defensively, his defensive numbers have been excellent throughout his career. Even if he doesn't win the starting job, he's at least assured of a backup job on the club as a defensive specialist. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
89 SFG    6   1   0  0  0   0   1   0  0  167/167/167
90 SFG   56  12   3  1  2   3  10   1  0  214/254/411
91 SFG  106  13   3  0  2   7  26   3  0  123/188/208
92 SFG   75  13   2  1  1   4  15   1  0  173/215/267
93 SFG  146  29   7  0  4   9  23   0  0  199/264/329
94 SFG   62  16   5  1  1   5  16   5  0  258/343/419
95 SFG  186  41   6  0  3   8  51  11  1  220/256/301
96 PHI  103  23   5  1  4  12  21   3  1  223/316/408
97 BOS  116  27   9  1  0   4  27   2  3  233/262/328
98 BOS  349  95  23  0  4  15  73   3  0  272/312/372

Rafael Bournigal: 33-5/12/66; #19 '87(LAD); Florida St.
SS/2B/3B, R-R, 5-11 165

Bournigal's offensive numbers were almost as bad as Polcovich's in '98. However, Raffy is known as being good with the glove and his defensive numbers are consistent with that reputation. He appears to be the likely frontrunner for the backup SS job, though I think he's the worst candidate. If he doesn't make the team, then he'll likely be at AAA as the utility IFer. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
'87-90 AA ball or lower
91 A     66  16   2  0  0   1   3   2  1  242/250/273
   AA    65  21   2  0  0   2   7   2  3  323/338/354
   AAA  215  63   5  5  0  14  13   4  1  293/330/363
92 AAA  395 128  18  1  0  22   7   5  3  324/364/375
   LA    20   3   1  0  0   1   2   0  0  150/227/220
93 AAA  465 129  25  0  4  29  18   3  5  277/321/357
   LA    18   9   1  0  0   0   2   0  0  500/500/556
94 AAA  208  69   8  0  1   9   9   2  3  332/358/385
   LA   116  26   3  1  0   9   5   0  0  224/291/267
95 AA    95  21   3  1  0  11   8   1  0  221/306/274
   AAA   85  15   5  0  0   3   6   0  0  176/222/235
96 OAK  252  61  14  2  0  16  19   4  3  242/290/313  210/234/274 253/307/326
97 OAK  222  62   9  0  1  16  19   2  1  279/339/333  232/293/246 301/359/373
98 OAK  209  47  11  0  1  10  11   6  1  225/265/292  233/270/317 221/263/282

Kevin Polcovich: 29-6/28/70; #30 '92; U. of Florida
SS, R-R, 5-9 165

After a miracle year in '97 where Polky outperformed anything he'd done previously, his '98 season was considerably worse than anything he'd shown before. Both offensively and defensively, he played poorly. Taken off the 40-man roster this offseason, he hasn't even been invited to spring training as of this writing. If he remains in the organization in '99, it will likely be as a utility IFer at either Nashville or Altoona.
Previous Polcovich Reports. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
92 AA    35   6   0  0  0   4   4   0  2  171/293/171
   A    153  40   6  2  0  18  30   7  7  261/369/327
93 A     48  13   2  0  0   7   8   2  1  271/357/313
   AA    11   3   0  0  0   1   1   0  0  273/333/273
   A+   282  72  10  3  1  49  42  13  6  255/384/323
94 AA   406  95  14  2  2  38  70   9  4  234/311/293
95 AA   221  70   8  0  3  14  29  10  5  317/369/394
   AAA  213  60   8  1  3  11  32   5  6  282/336/371
96 AAA  336  92  21  3  1  18  49   7  6  274/335/363
97 AA    50  16   5  0  3  10   4   4  2  320/452/600
   AAA   62  19   4  0  1   1   7   0  0  306/323/419
   PIT  245  67  16  1  4  21  45   2  2  273/350/396
98 PIT  212  40  12  0  0  15  33   4  3  189/255/245

Lou Collier: 25-8/21/73; #31 '92, Triton,IL(JC)
SS/2B, R-R, 5-10 170
(gone via waivers to Milwaukee)

Abraham Nunez: 23-3/16/76; ND '94 (TOR); Dom. Rep.
SS/2B, S-R, 5-11 170

Nunez had a relatively disappointing year in '98 with relatively poor offensive numbers and a shaky showing defensively in his short stint in September. A couple of things though make me hopeful for the future. Nunez actually hit decently vs RHP in '98 with a slightly above average BB rate. He may be strictly a good hitter from the left side, or his batting performance from the right side may have been affected by his wrist injury at the beginning of '98. The other thing is that his fielding in '97 and throughout the minors has always been good. I expect that Honest Abe will compete for the SS job this spring training, but most likely he'll be back at Nashville to start '99. I also expect he'll play well, get called up at some point in '99, and be the Bucs starting SS from that point on into next year and beyond. He had some regular playing time in the Dominican winter league this off season and also saw some action at 2B.
Previous Nunez Reports. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
94 DSL  188  47   5  0  0  42  37   -  -  250/387/277
95 DSL  186  56  10  3  4  30  27   -  -  301/398/452
96 A-   297  83   6  4  3  31  43  37 14  279/348/357
97 A+   304  79   9  4  3  23  47  29 14  260/313/345
   AA   198  65   6  1  1  20  28  10  5  328/385/384
   PIT   40   9   2  2  0   3  10   1  0  225/289/375  375/444/875 188/250/250
98 A+    18   4   1  0  0   3   1   1  0  222/333/278
   AAA  366  91  12  3  3  39  73  16  8  249/328/322  181/238/213 272/345/360
   PIT   52  10   2  0  1  12  14   4  2  192/344/288  000/100/000 233/389/349
   DOM
Nashville AAA
Matt Howard: 31-9/22/67; #34 '89(LAD); Pepperdine U.
SS/3B/2B, R-R, 5-10 170
Though he primarily played 3B last year for AAA Fresno, Howard historically has played more SS in his career in the minors. He was signed this offseason to a minor league contract with a spring training invite. He hits decently for a middle IFer (though most of his time has been on hitter-friendly PCL teams), while his defense is adequate. I think he has the least shot of any invited middle IF to make the team, though I think he'd be a better choice than Raffy Bournigal or Doug Strange. Due to the logjam at AAA, I'm actually guessing that Howard ends in up in Altoona to start '99; his main competition for a utility role in the system will be Polcovich. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
'89-'91 A ball and lower
92 AA   345  93  12  5  2  28  38  18 15  270/331/351
   AAA  116  34   3  0  0   9   7   1  2  293/344/319
93 AAA   26   4   0  1  0   3   2   1  1  154/233/231
   AA   122  35   5  1  0  16  14   4  5  287/383/344
94 AAA  267  79  12  6  1  14  13  15  8  296/344/397
95 AA   251  76   8  2  1  29  27  22  4  303/385/363
96 AAA  202  70  12  2  2  18   9   9  3  347/401/455
   MLB   54  11   1  0  1   2   8   1  0  204/228/278
97 AAA  478 149  28  7  6  54  33  22  7  312/391/437
98 AAA  407 113  21  0  2  40  34  10  6  278/355/344
Altoona AA
Randy Brown:
SS/2B
(gone as minor league FA to Mariners)

Luis Figueroa: 25-2/16/74; FA '97; Puerto Rico
SS/2B/3B, R-R, 5-9 158

Figueroa was signed out of Puerto Rico at a relatively old age. He did play a solid SS this past year at Carolina while drawing a lot of BB. His main offensive skill is his OBP which was pretty impressive for his first time at AA. His K rate is also relatively low, suggesting that he may be able to have similar production at higher levels. He'll likely be back at AA Altoona in '99 as the main SS, though he may see some time at 2B due to the logjam of SS signed at MLB and AAA levels this offseason.
Previous Figueroa Reports. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
97 A    248  56   8  0  0  35  29  22  6  226/322/258
   A+    89  25   5  0  0   7   6   1  2  281/333/337
98 AA   350  87   9  3  0  71  46   6  5  249/376/291  253/350/282 245/384/294
Lynchburg A+ (full season, high)
Chris Miyake: 25-5/18/74; #22 '95; UC-San Diego
SS/2B, R-R, 6-2 185
Miyake now has had 2 consectutive years at Lynchburg filling in at whichever middle IF spot is open. His offense isn't that good, while his fielding is solid. He'll likely take over the utility IF role at Altoona in 99, or he may be out of the organzation.
Previous Miyake Reports. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
95 A-   227  70   6  5  2  12  31  14  6  308/343/405
96 A    367  88  12  0  2  22  55  10 10  240/283/289
97 A+   288  72  14  1  2  28  57   3  2  250/319/326
   AA     9   0   0  0  0   0   4   0  0  000/000/000
98 A+   411 104  20  3  2  32  79   5  3  253/309/331

Matt Bryant: 24-4/28/75; FA '98; Arkansas St.
SS/3B/2B, R-R, 6-0 185

Bryant initially began his pro career with the Canton Crocs in the Frontier League, and then the Bucs bought his contract in the '97-'98 offseason. He hit pretty decently for a middle IFer in Augusta and Lynchburg last year. His defense looks to be adequate, though I think he might be shifted more towards 2B/3B rather than SS in the future. I expect he'll start '99 in Lynchburg as the utility IFer, though there's an outside shot he could be in Altoona.
Previous Bryant Reports. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
97NCAA  205  75  18  1  8   -   -   4  -  366/   /
  IND   224  73  15  1  5   -   -   5  -  326/   /
98 A    177  53   4  1  2  26  29   1  5  299/388/367
   A+   177  49   7  1  2  17  38   1  1  277/340/362
Hickory A (full season, low)
Victor Gutierrez: 21-12/23/77; FA 11/94; Dom. Rep.
SS/2B R-R, 5-11 170
Gutierrez made the jump to full season ball pretty well. He showed an average BB rate while stealing a ton of bases. He's supposedly pretty good in the field, though he made a lot of errors at Augusta (50 to be exact). Obviously there are aspects of his game that need work, but he's shown enough skills to warrant keeping an eye on him. I expect he'll be the starting SS in Lynchburg in '99.
Previous Gutierrez Reports. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
95 DSL  150  37   3  1  3  17  21   -  -  247/323/340
96 DSL  278 100  20  1  3  32  41  44  -  360/426/471
97 R    156  37   1  1  1  20  27  10  3  237/328/276
98 A    460 113  19  4  1  54  67  60 18  246/327/311
Williamsport A- (short season)
Ambioris Cleto: 19-1/5/80; FA 8/96; Santo Domingo, DR
SS, R-R, 6-0 160
Cleto is relatively young, but has put up two very poor offensive years thus far. He's OK defensively, but his bat really has to come around for him to even be labeled any kind of prospect. Regardless, I expect the Bucs will promote him to Hickory to start '99.
Previous Cleto Reports. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
97 R    101  19   4  0  1  15  27   1  7  188/322/257
   A-    22   4   0  0  0   3  11   0  3  182/308/182
98 A-   167  32   4  0  0  17  49   4  2  192/286/216

Shaun Skrehot: 23-12/5/75; #38 '98; U. of Houston
SS/2B/3B, R-R, 5-10 170

Skrehot was spoken of very highly by Tracy Woodson (manager at Erie) as a hustler and a "scrapper". Regardless, his future prospects don't look very good as he doesn't appear to hit for average, has very little power, and has poor plate discipline. Still, because of his age and fielding versatility, I wouldn't be surprised to see him at Hickory in '99. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
98NCAA  190  52  12  4  1  11  27  12  4  274/320/395
98 A-   269  67  10  0  2   7  43  10  1  249/276/309
Gulf Coast (Rookie League)
Brice Pelfrey: 19-5/16/80 ; #6 '98; Tate HS (FL)
SS, R-R, 6-1 160
Pelfrey was drafted more for his glove than his hitting. He began the year hitting pretty well at Bradenton but tailed off badly. Offensively, he can draw a walk, but did little else. He may see some time in Williamsport in '99, but just as likely could find himself back in Bradenton. 
         AB   H  2B 3B HR  BB  SO  SB CS   BA/OBP/SLG  vs LHP      vs RHP
98 R    164  31   3  0  0  12  29   5  2  189/274/207
Projections:

Bucs: Benjamin Bournigal
Nashville: Nunez Polcovich
Altoona: Figueroa Howard Miyake
Lynchburg: Gutierrez Bryant
Hickory: Skrehot Cleto
Williamsport: Araujo Pelfrey
Gulf Coast League: draft pick

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