IL Top 20 Prospects

[ChiSox_Sonix]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...res/265012.html

 

The International League Top 20 is out and Josh Fields came in at #4 (behind Bruce, Bailey and i forget who was 3). Danny Richar and Ryan Sweeney were mentioned in the blurb as up for consideration but not making the final cut.

 

If anyone is a subscriber, you should ask just how close those two were and what people feel about them.

[daa84]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prosp...res/265012.html

 

The International League Top 20 is out and Josh Fields came in at #4 (behind Bruce, Bailey and i forget who was 3). Danny Richar and Ryan Sweeney were mentioned in the blurb as up for consideration but not making the final cut.

 

If anyone is a subscriber, you should ask just how close those two were and what people feel about them.

wow fields beat out some really good names....BA must think pretty highly of him....btw #3 was garza

 

 

In 667 at-bats at the Triple-A level during 2006-07, Fields hit .298/.384/.510 with 29 homers and 46 doubles, proving he was more than ready to step in when Joe Crede went down with a season-ending back injury early in June. Though Fields struggled to hit for average in the majors because of a sky-high strikeout rate, he continued to hit for power, with 23 home runs in half a season.

 

The ball sounds different off Fields' bat. He has strength, bat speed and above-average power from left field to right-center. Though he didn't show it as a rookie, he should be a solid-average hitter. He tended to be overaggressive against major league breaking balls from righthanders, the source of most of his strikeouts. Fields has worked hard to become an average defender with a strong arm at third base, and his bat profiles in left field, too, if and when Crede returns. An athletic and gritty player, Fields is a slightly below-average, though smart runner, successful in 36 of 46 Triple-A stolen base attempts.

Edited October 12, 2007 by daa84

[CWSGuy406]

wow fields beat out some really good names....BA must think pretty highly of him....btw #3 was garza

 

He tended to be overaggressive against major league breaking balls from righthanders, the source of most of his strikeouts.

 

I'll admit that I didn't see many September games, but I thought most of his K's came because he was swinging through balls in the zone (moreso fastballs than anything else)? That's not to say his bat speed is slow -- it's something I can't put my finger on. Maybe he's more of a guess hitter and isn't good enough to protect when his guess is wrong?

 

I should also say that I don't really care about the strikeouts so long as he's still able to slug around .500 and keep his OBP respectable (.315-.350, preferably towards the further end of that spectrum).

[Calderon]

How is Jack Egbert not on this list!?!? I'm appalled.

 

 

 

 

[29andPoplar]

On Sweeney, the chat guy said Int'l League observers were disappointed in Sweeney's unwillingness to make adjustments which would allow him to drive the ball. It was mentioned he appears content to just flick the ball the other way. They added that he's just 22, has great physical tools and is far from a finished product, which sounds like a "don't write him off yet" comment.

 

On Broadway, he said Int'l League managers really liked him, especially the big frame and the power breaking stuff. He rated somewhere from 20-30 on the list. Noted he needs to command the fastball better and cited his 78 walks.

[Gene Honda Civic]

I'll admit that I didn't see many September games, but I thought most of his K's came because he was swinging through balls in the zone (moreso fastballs than anything else)? That's not to say his bat speed is slow -- it's something I can't put my finger on. Maybe he's more of a guess hitter and isn't good enough to protect when his guess is wrong?

 

I should also say that I don't really care about the strikeouts so long as he's still able to slug around .500 and keep his OBP respectable (.315-.350, preferably towards the further end of that spectrum).

You're right, and that's just lazy writing/reporting by BA. Anyone who's seen him knows his problem is with fastballs, and anything above the belt. The fastball problem is because of his set-up, initial take away. His hands go back and up as he starts his stride. They then go down before going back forward with a mild uppercut swing -- a good hitting coach would be all over this loopy long loading, but Greg Walker's not worried -- The result is he cant catch up to a good fastball, and because he lowers his hands before he takes his swing, he can't hit anything in the upper half of the zone.

 

He's hit well against breaking balls because the loop hand loading makes him wait back on those pitches. He'll hold his hand up at the bottom of their path before going forward and crushing a ball.

 

His setup/load needs a Crede-like overhaul, and then he'll need to relearn how to hit breaking balls without a hitch in his swing.

 

Also calling him a high average hitter in the majors is extremely misguided. He strikes out 30% of the time. He's got average speed. There's little chance of him becoming a .300 hitter. His best chance is to improve his batting eye while continuing to improve his power.

[RockRaines]

As soon as he quiets his bat before his swing, he will be a much more dangerous hitter. Right now he has to read fastball so early to hit it, its making his avg go down and his k's up.

[3E8]

You're right, and that's just lazy writing/reporting by BA. Anyone who's seen him knows his problem is with fastballs, and anything above the belt. The fastball problem is because of his set-up, initial take away. His hands go back and up as he starts his stride. They then go down before going back forward with a mild uppercut swing -- a good hitting coach would be all over this loopy long loading, but Greg Walker's not worried -- The result is he cant catch up to a good fastball, and because he lowers his hands before he takes his swing, he can't hit anything in the upper half of the zone.

 

He's hit well against breaking balls because the loop hand loading makes him wait back on those pitches. He'll hold his hand up at the bottom of their path before going forward and crushing a ball.

 

His setup/load needs a Crede-like overhaul, and then he'll need to relearn how to hit breaking balls without a hitch in his swing.

 

Also calling him a high average hitter in the majors is extremely misguided. He strikes out 30% of the time. He's got average speed. There's little chance of him becoming a .300 hitter. His best chance is to improve his batting eye while continuing to improve his power.

 

I basically echoed your analysis in a post a couple weeks back which I don't want to look for. Below is a video to emphasize what we are seeing. Fields' hands start at his shoulders and dip slightly below his chest before bringing them back up. With the downward movement in his hands during loading, he just doesn't have enough time to raise them again to catch fastballs above the belt. But he has little trouble with offspeed pitches that enter the bottom-half of the zone with this swing, as seen here.