whitesox61382 Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 This guy seems to be flying under the radar(with the Sox minor league outfield depth) and is putting together quite a season at AA. What is the scouting report on this guy? I know that he has some serious speed. Could this guy be a Juan Pierre calibur player? It seems that he has many of the same qualities as Pierre(from a statistical standpoint). What is your input Rex since he is currently playing in your part of the country? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasox24 Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 He's only 23 so he's still fairly young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MnSoxFan Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 This guy seems to be flying under the radar(with the Sox minor league outfield depth) and is putting together quite a season at AA. What is the scouting report on this guy? I know that he has some serious speed. Could this guy be a Juan Pierre calibur player? It seems that he has many of the same qualities as Pierre(from a statistical standpoint). What is your input Rex since he is currently playing in your part of the country? I have discussed him with Rex some. We like him, he is quite fast, and showing a bit more pop with his bat this year, but he is far from being Pierre-like. He seems to be a very servicable OFer, maybe not a starter in majors, but a nice reserve, but who knows, he might be able to break out. I know he is accomplishing more this season than expected. But he did well for half seasons previously and then wore down, I think that is important to watch the 2nd half of the season, can he keep average up or does it end up sinking again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 whitesox61382, you need to put to memory my scouting reports! Ditto on what MSF said.... Too add to that...... Spidale is an interesting guy who could go one of two ways.... I don't see him as a starter in the big leagues, so in my mind he will either make it as a 4th OF type or get stuck as a AA/AAA outfielder forever. This year is very important for him. As MSF mentioned, he has fallen off late in the season in past years. Last year he had two bad months. His average fell from .306 on June 11 to .234 on August 16. He rebounded in the last two weeks of the season to take his average back up to .262 which is where he ended up. The year before he was pretty consistent except for two weeks in July (coming back from an injury) where he hit .170. If he can maintain a .280 or better average and continue to take walks like he has then they will start taking him seriously. He has a ton of doubles this year which helps as well. His weaknesses are no HR power whatsoever and a weak arm, which is why he is playing LF more than CF. The Sox had planned on sending him back to Winston-Salem this year and only switched him to the Birmingham roster the week before ST camp broke, so that tells me he really isn't in their plans. Staying strong for the rest of this year could change that. It needs to if he ever wants to see Chicago other than visiting family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitesox61382 Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 The Juan Pierre comparison might be a little bit of a stretch, but I see a lot of similarities from a statistical standpoint. The big difference between the two is that Pierre was a career .330 hitter in the minors, and Spidale hasn't come close to matching that until this season(so far). IF Spidale can keep his average over .300, which is a big IF considering he seems to slow down as a season goes on, than I think he will go a long way in putting himself on the map and establishing himself as a legit prospect. Besides BA, they are almost identical. Here is a look at Pierre's stats at AA in 2000(he was 23) and a comparison to Spidale to this point: .326 439 AB 63 R 16 2B 4 3B 0 HR 32 RBI 46 SB 33 BB 26 SO .317 161 AB 30 R 15 2B 2 3B 0 HR 13 RBI 10 SB 23 BB 25 SO Obviously Pierre has far more AB's, but the trends are very similar. In fact, Spidale is on pace to score more runs, more doubles, more triples, similar amount of RBI's, fewer SB, more BB, and more SO. They seem to be similar players, ie guys that hit for average, put the ball into play, have great speed, have no power, about a 1:1 SO:BB ratio, cover a lot of ground defensively, and have weak arms. Lets just hope that Spidale can keep it up and put his name among the other top outfield prospects in the organization. Having a Juan Pierre type player at the top of the order is a valuable weapon to have. I guess it is a little wishful thinking on my behalf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogie Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Spidale is only 22-not 23. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 His number of walks vs. strikeouts is almost identical so far this year. He's gone up a level, and improved his plate discipline to boot ... good sign. Also leads the Barons with 11 stolen bases. He's from my sister's alma mater, Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrandoFan Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 This guy seems to be flying under the radar(with the Sox minor league outfield depth) and is putting together quite a season at AA. What is the scouting report on this guy? I know that he has some serious speed. Could this guy be a Juan Pierre calibur player? It seems that he has many of the same qualities as Pierre(from a statistical standpoint). What is your input Rex since he is currently playing in your part of the country? 420 OBP + big wheels = impressive Now....how is his defense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogie Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 I have seen him play alot and he is a exceptionally good outfielder defensively. He covers alot of ground and makes alot of tremendous catches. He saves alot of runs out there. Has great speed, great jump, great instincts out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JimH Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Do you agree with Rex's assessment that he's got a below average arm? Or do you see something different? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 Haven't seen Spidale throw enough, but the few games I saw him play he showed great range. I'd compare him to someone like Johnny Damon (upside wise defensively). Probabaly a little out of the league, but I trust Rex's analysis on the arm and well Damon has great range and NO arm. Of course, I haven't seen him enough to make that type of comparison, but I made it anyway, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bogie Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 I never noticed anything negative about his arm. It is definately adequate enough. He just gets to alot of balls with ease that alot of other outfielders might not get to. He isn't shy about crashing into a wall either. It was either this year or last year Baseball America tabbed him as the best defensive outfielder in the system...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 He goes back on the ball as well as anyone I saw last year. The two games I saw, there were a few shots hit that I swore the ball was going over his head and the guy just went back and for one of them layed out and made a great catch. He really had good closing speed and seemed to get good jumps on the ball. Its impressive that his hitting and eye are improving with the jump and hopefully he can continue with his development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MnSoxFan Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 I think he has a future for sure. He has really had a good year, lets see how he holds up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Hudler Posted June 4, 2004 Share Posted June 4, 2004 His arm is definitely weak. He has a funky throwing motion and lacks strength. Defensively, he looks good to me. He has played mostly LF in Birmingham and goes and gets the ball in the gap like a CF. That is a nice luxury to have. Overall, I still project him as a 4th OF if he keeps doing what he is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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