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QUOTE (YASNY @ Oct 25, 2008 -> 11:18 PM)
I just ran across this critique of Jordan Danks. Scroll down, you'll find him.

 

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/...equests-part-3/

Back when he was first drafted by the Sox (05, I think)his upside was compared to Paul O’Neill. Who while never great was certainly a well-rounded player. Assuming Danks works out his swing, and continues driving the ball it appears we might have a really good player on our hands.

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Ask and you shall receive...

 

Jordan%20danks.jpg

 

From the 2007 Team USA Report before the Pan-Am games...

Center Field: Jordan Danks, sophomore, Texas: A first round talent in high school that wanted to attend college, Danks is a fantastic fit for this team. He’s a gifted defender in center, with speed and great baseball instincts. He probably hits second on the team behind Weeks, and this could be his last chance to prove he still has power potential.

 

This from March 2nd...

H/W: 6-5 205 lb. B/T: L/R DOB: 8/7/86

 

The White Sox were elated to see the lanky Longhorn fall to them in the 5th round of the 2008 draft. Immediately after signing, Danks was sent to full season Low-A Kanapolis where he batted .325 with 2 HR 7 RBI and 10 runs scored in 10 games. He continued to impress during his brief stint in the Arizona Fall League hitting .302 with a HR 7 RBI and 3 SB in 18 games. Long and lean, Danks has excellent athleticism and speed that serves him well in CF and on the bases. Coming out of high school, Danks was projected to develop into a power hitter, but that skill never manifested itself during his time with the University of Texas. Instead, he employs a short, quick stroke from the left side which produces hits to the gaps and the occasional long ball. Danks allows for the ball to travel deep into the strike zone which gives him a little more time to see a pitch. As a result, his plate discipline is quite advanced and he feels comfortable working deep into counts. There is quite a bit of projectibility left in his frame and with some adjustments to his swing, he could become more of a power hitter in the future.

 

2009 Projection: Danks' build and overall game is almost identical to Cincinnati Reds prospect and fellow Longhorn Drew Stubbs. The White Sox will probably send him to High-A Winston-Salem for the start of the '09 season and if things go well, a move to AA Birmingham is by no means out of the question. Watch to see how Danks' game evolves this season. He is a player that could develop as a tall, athletic top of the order player a la Dexter Fowler or he could tap into his power potential and become more of a mid-lineup player that hits 20+ HR per season. Either way, Jordan has an exciting batch of skills that should continue to bloom over the next couple of seasons as he works his way to meet up with his brother, John, in Chicago.

 

A pre-draft report...

Jordan Danks

 

Jordan Danks is the younger brother of White Sox pitcher John Danks. He was a first round talent coming out of high school but had a strong commitment to Texas that caused him to drop. Danks is a 6-foot-5, 205 pound outfielder. He is NOT a true five-tool player, as many would lead you to believe.

 

At The Plate

Everything about Danks at the plate is in control. He has a short stroke, short step forward, easy & compact swing. He has a good eye and is able to slow his bat down on off-speed pitches. For this reason, Danks is able to draw a lot of walks and avoid strikeouts. Danks is the kind of guy who will hit for good average and draw a lot of walks.

 

Danks has the ability to hit for power. Despite his low power numbers in college, Danks does have ok power at the present. Texas is a larger college ballpark & Danks has room to fill out. He has a nice frame and a pretty good power stroke. He is good gap-to-gap and some of his doubles will turn into home runs. Ultimately, he’s a guy that could hit 20 home runs in a season but he isn’t there yet.

 

Baserunning

Danks is a very quick athlete and it shows on the bases. He’s capable of stealing as many bases as he wants. He rarely gets caught because his speed and quickness allow him a larger lead from first & he gets to second very fast. He’s a heads-up baserunner. During the three games I watched, he aggressively took two extra bases that most runners would not have been able to take.

 

Defense

Along with his excellent speed on the bases, Danks utilizes his speed well in the field. He is one of the more rangy college outfielders I’ve seen in a while. However, I question his arm strength. I would not hesitate calling it poor. I remember a lot of talk about his arm being strong when he was coming out of high school so I was quite surprised to see his arm strength as poor as it was.

 

Concluding Comments & Draft Status

My first thoughts on Danks were that he’s a low risk investment. His speed and range in centerfield will keep him moving, even if his bat doesn’t play well with the wood bat. He reminded me of Jacoby Ellsbury in terms of skillset after the first game I saw but I think Danks is going to be a higher OBP player with a little less range, similar arm & more power.

 

Danks makes a lot of sense for a few teams in the second half of the first round. If a team can get him in for some A-ball this summer, I think he’s a guy who might make an MLB debut in early 2010. There will be more analysis of where he’ll go as I fire up some draft preview later this week but he’s a good fit for a team like Colorado. A rangy outfielder in that park would help the Rockies out tremendously and while I’ll repeat this over and over–You don’t draft for need–he’d be a nice investment for the Rockies.

 

From Feb 2008, College Baseball Prospects...

Coming out of high school, left handed outfielder Jordan Danks was projected to be a first round pick like his older brother, John, a pitcher now with the White Sox. However, since he informed teams of his strong commitment to the University of Texas, he wasn't chosen until the 19th round. The 6'5" 205 pound junior possesses exceptional speed and a line drive stroke at the plate. Although he's only accumulated 6 home runs in his first two years at school, expect Danks to bust out this season and start hitting the ball with more authority.

 

A highly touted freshman, Danks was named a Pre Season All American even before he played his first college game. He hit .319 with 2 homers and 7 doubles while tying the UT record for triples with five. On the basepaths, he was a perfect 7 for 7 in stolen bases. That summer, he had a successful stint in the M.I.N.K. League, batting .394 with 8 doubles, 7 HR's, and 11 SB's.

 

As a sophomore at UT, Danks hit .332 with 17 doubles and 63 runs. He walked 47 times and was perfect in 19 stolen base attempts. In 62 starts in the outfield he did not commit an error. Chosen to play for the US National Team, Jordan hit .287 with wood. Batting leadoff, he collected 4 doubles, 2 triples, and 2 home runs. On the basepaths, he was 5-6 in stolen base attempts.

 

Danks profiles as an outstanding center fielder with plus athletic ability and great speed. If his power develops into his strong 6'5" frame, there is no question he will be the top outfielder in the nation.

 

He was originally drafted in 2005 by the White Sox in the 19th round in 2005 but chose to play at Texas. He was out 7th round pick last season, but many saw him as 1st round talent.

 

So some names that he's been compared to are Dexter Fowler, Drew Stubbs, and Jacoby Ellsbury, which is promising. He's an average/on-base guy with potential for 20+ HR if he fills out more. Could be the lead-off man we're looking for down the road.

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Here's some info on the guys Danks is usually compared to the most, his Texas teammate Drew Stubbs:

 

From Baseball America

No. 12 DREW STUBBS, CF, REDS

 

Team: Triple-A Louisville (International)

Age: 24

Why He's Here: .423/.516/.692 (11-for-26), 7 2Bs, 2 RBIs, 5 BB, 8 SO, 3-for-3 SB

The Scoop: Facing Wade Davis and the Rays on Wednesday night, Stubbs gave a perfect summation of his strengths and weaknesses. He struck out on three straight fastballs his first time up, then struck out on a Davis curveball in the fifth. But facing a potential 0-for-4 night, Stubbs managed to fist a bloop hit into short right field. Then by flying out of the box, he turned what looked like a single into a double, giving him a streak of seven straight games with a double. Stubbs may not be hitting the homers that were expected out of him, but he's getting on-base (.400 OBP) and his 13 doubles lead the IL, which suggests that eventually the home runs may come.

 

 

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Last 10 games..

 

AVG-.366 (H-15 AB-41) 2B-1 HR-1 RBI-3 BB-6 SO-12 SB-2 CS-0

 

7 game hit streak (Jon Gilmore has an 8 gamer himself) Kid is on automatic.

 

13 games: .370/.433/.481/.915 6/14 BB:SO

 

2009 season in the minors: .337/.416/.512/.928 2B-14 3B-3 HR-4 RBI-24 (24/46 BB:SO) SB-7 CS-2

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Jordan's Baseball Cube page

 

Those batting averages (including college) look very impressive.

 

Minor League Splits for Jordan

 

Impressively, he has similar numbers vs. lefties and righties so far in AA. Obviously, the sample size is tiny, but that's an encouraging start. For that matter, he had similar L/R splits when he was with Winston-Salem. Hopefully this keeps up and he can hold his own against lefties in the Majors, assuming he gets there. Also, very notable: Jordan has a .444 BABIP between both levels. That's completely unsustainable so hopefully Jordan can cut down on the strikeouts.

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  • 2 weeks later...
QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 07:11 PM)
Buddy Bell was just interviewed and said he thinks Danks is major league ready. I imagine things might move rather quickly for the kid if we don't have our situation CF figured out by the All Star Break.

Wow. That's unexpected - I thought maybe at best he was going to get a spring training shot for Opening Day next year.

 

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QUOTE (NorthSideSox72 @ Jun 5, 2009 -> 07:44 AM)
Wow. That's unexpected - I thought maybe at best he was going to get a spring training shot for Opening Day next year.

Yeah. But I am actually all for brining the kids up. This season is a wash. We are going to be 5 games under to 5 games over the whole year, more likely the under. I really wouldn't mind getting the kids feet wet and building toward next year when we can add via FA. Danks is definitely ready fielding wise, but he would probably hit poorly right away in the majors due to his high K rate. My best guess right now if he came up right now he could produce: .240, 15 HR, 20 SB, but great CF ability (over a full season, BTW, the numbers reflect). The average could be wishful thinking. I know people will point out a great average in the minors, but when you K a lot, it translate usually to a poor ML average, at least right away. Still, I am not averse to bringing him up and just playing him.

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QUOTE (maggsmaggs @ Jun 5, 2009 -> 07:41 AM)
Yeah. But I am actually all for brining the kids up. This season is a wash. We are going to be 5 games under to 5 games over the whole year, more likely the under.

This team simply is not going to put up the worst OPS in the league at home all season.

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QUOTE (Kenny Hates Prospects @ Jun 5, 2009 -> 08:13 AM)
I didn't expected to hear this, but I trust Buddy Bell. If Buddy Bell says he's ready, and if we're not going to give Anderson a full year, then there's nothing to lose. Bring the kid up.

On that one I'll reluctantly agree. If we're going to bench Anderson for someone, at least let it be D2: the mighty Danks. I could live with that.

 

I just fear that we'll call up Danks, send down Anderson, and Danks will only wind up playing 1/3 of the games because Wise needs his at-bats.

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QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Jun 5, 2009 -> 10:45 AM)
On that one I'll reluctantly agree. If we're going to bench Anderson for someone, at least let it be D2: the mighty Danks. I could live with that.

 

I just fear that we'll call up Danks, send down Anderson, and Danks will only wind up playing 1/3 of the games because Wise needs his at-bats.

The funny part is, I read that and thought you must be joking before it dawned on me that actually, that is a possibility. It's funny how easily what should be obvious jokes re: our CF situation end up turning into frightening realities. Or even outfield matters as a whole, like keeping Ryan Sweeney in Charlotte during a 90-loss season in order to play Scott Podsednik and Darin Erstad.

 

If that happens though, I fully believe Kenny Williams will set a new world record for table flipping. I'm of the opinion - or maybe it is an irrational hope - that Ozzie is the one who won't play BA, and that Kenny never acquired a long-term CF option because he wanted BA to take the spot. If Ozzie tried benching D2 I have to imagine Kenny wouldn't sit back any longer. He'd get in Ozzie's face and let him know what's up.

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QUOTE (Thunderbolt @ Jun 4, 2009 -> 06:11 PM)
Buddy Bell was just interviewed and said he thinks Danks is major league ready. I imagine things might move rather quickly for the kid if we don't have our situation CF figured out by the All Star Break.

WOW! That's awesome to hear.

 

The future is turning into the present rather quickly.

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Once the Barons clinch the first half, first place, I expect both Allen and Danks to be promoted assuming they still are playing well. Retherford might also, but that would mean three AAA people have to be demoted or released, which is a lot. I don't think they would go from AA to the majors with Danks, giving him some AAA time would be good. Allen could also be test more and I think his prodigious power would show up more in Charlotte.

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