Morris & May getting some love from Minorleagueball.com

[beautox]

you can check out the article here. Glad to see the system continuing to get some love, It wouldn't surprise me that going into spring training next year sox have a system ranked right outside of the top ten.

[hi8is]

I had no idea Jacob May was related to Carlos Lee.

Interesting.

[Quin]

I had no idea Jacob May was related to Carlos Lee.

Interesting.

 

You're thinking Carlos May.

[oldsox]

Is May a better prospect than Hawkins? I bet we'll know by mid-June, barring injuries.

[witesoxfan]

Is May a better prospect than Hawkins? I bet we'll know by mid-June, barring injuries.

 

No

[NorthSideSox72]

Can any of the FS guys (or anyone for that matter) comment on the hitting environment for Great Falls?

The Pioneer League generally is one of the most prolific hitters' leagues, behind only PCL typically. As a park though, GF's Centene Stadium is actually more of a pitchers' park relative to league. Overall I'd say you should consider GF hitters' results to be slightly inflated.

 

On the article linked, I'm a little surprised at Jacob Morris being on the list, let alone near the top. I can't easily dismiss that 34% K rate. If you want a guy in GF who looked particularly good as a hitter from the 2013 draft, I'd go with Christian Stringer. He hit .312, walked 22 times versus just 12 K's in 189 PA. And he's a guy who was drafted mostly on defense.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

Is May a better prospect than Hawkins? I bet we'll know by mid-June, barring injuries.

Nowhere near Hawkins' ceiling, but I'd say he has just as much floor or maybe even slightly better floor than Hawkins. May's speed and defense mean he isn't as reliant on power as Hawkins has to be. But overall, no, May is not at Hawkins' level yet.

 

[witesoxfan]

The Pioneer League generally is one of the most prolific hitters' leagues, behind only PCL typically. As a park though, GF's Centene Stadium is actually more of a pitchers' park relative to league. Overall I'd say you should consider GF hitters' results to be slightly inflated.

 

On the article linked, I'm a little surprised at Jacob Morris being on the list, let alone near the top. I can't easily dismiss that 34% K rate. If you want a guy in GF who looked particularly good as a hitter from the 2013 draft, I'd go with Christian Stringer. He hit .312, walked 22 times versus just 12 K's in 189 PA. And he's a guy who was drafted mostly on defense.

 

I personally find it hard to put much stock into Pioneer League stats as is though, regardless of environments. Whereas I think you can look at numbers for guys even as low as Kannapolis and basically grade them on some sort of letter grade scale, I look at the Pioneer League (and now the Sox AZL team) as pass/fail. So many of the guys on those rosters are primarily used just as fill-ins that it's hard to put faith in those numbers.

[NorthSideSox72]

I personally find it hard to put much stock into Pioneer League stats as is though, regardless of environments. Whereas I think you can look at numbers for guys even as low as Kannapolis and basically grade them on some sort of letter grade scale, I look at the Pioneer League (and now the Sox AZL team) as pass/fail. So many of the guys on those rosters are primarily used just as fill-ins that it's hard to put faith in those numbers.

GF and Bristol are certainly hard to evaluate statistically. First, any and all rookie leagues, the numbers need to be taken with a few grains of salt - rawness, task focuses, adjustment to pro ball all have effects. In Bristol's case (now the AZL team), they are usually the younger guys too, so even more raw.

 

GF has some filler like any team, and it is really hard to know how the org sees these guys. We also rarely see any video or in-person scouting reports. In terms of stats, not only is there league inflation, you are also talking about a rookie league where defense will generally be poor. Then there's the fact that usually, the Sox put their college guys (typically 22-23 year olds, with some exceptions) on that roster, so you have to sort of expect a stronger level of performance from them. Other teams use their PIO teams for younger, more raw guys too, so the Voyagers sometimes have an advantage that way (as a result, they are almost always a playoff team).

 

But that doesn't mean you can't read ANYTHING from it. A strike out rate in the 30's isn't a death rattle or anything, but it is a red flag. On the other hand, showing the ability to draw walks and make consistent contact are less effected by park factors and the like, and so I think they can be indicators of potential.

 

[witesoxfan]

GF and Bristol are certainly hard to evaluate statistically. First, any and all rookie leagues, the numbers need to be taken with a few grains of salt - rawness, task focuses, adjustment to pro ball all have effects. In Bristol's case (now the AZL team), they are usually the younger guys too, so even more raw.

 

GF has some filler like any team, and it is really hard to know how the org sees these guys. We also rarely see any video or in-person scouting reports. In terms of stats, not only is there league inflation, you are also talking about a rookie league where defense will generally be poor. Then there's the fact that usually, the Sox put their college guys (typically 22-23 year olds, with some exceptions) on that roster, so you have to sort of expect a stronger level of performance from them. Other teams use their PIO teams for younger, more raw guys too, so the Voyagers sometimes have an advantage that way (as a result, they are almost always a playoff team).

 

But that doesn't mean you can't read ANYTHING from it. A strike out rate in the 30's isn't a death rattle or anything, but it is a red flag. On the other hand, showing the ability to draw walks and make consistent contact are less effected by park factors and the like, and so I think they can be indicators of potential.

 

Absolutely, and I think we're on the same page here. It's just that, when I see a guy put up a .350/.450/.600 line with great peripherals in Great Falls, I don't even get close to thinking "ohh he looks like a great prospect" even if it's a high schooler (though that's obviously more impressive). Instead, my initial thought is "let's see what he does in A ball."

 

Take Tyler Kuhn's 2008. He hit .375/.424/.570/.995 as a 15th round pick out of West Virginia. His walk rate was 7.5% and his strikeout rate was 12.5%. Those are all great numbers, especially from a guy playing middle infield, but, had I known what I do now, I'd basically just say "let's see what he does in A ball."

[southsider2k5]

you can check out the article here. Glad to see the system continuing to get some love, It wouldn't surprise me that going into spring training next year sox have a system ranked right outside of the top ten.

 

There are going to be a lot of graduates this year to the majors, but hopefully some others take steps up to replace them.

[southsider2k5]

Is May a better prospect than Hawkins? I bet we'll know by mid-June, barring injuries.

 

Much lower ceiling, higher floor.