Prospect Report: Hitter's Edition

Let's take a look at how some of the hitter's have fared over the season's first week:

Dayan Viciedo—Chicago White Sox—third baseman
There were thoughts that he could break camp with the team and at Double-A he’s trying to make a case to get their sooner rather then later. 

He’s started 7-20 (.350) with zero HR, four RBI, three R, and one SB. The 20-year-old Cuban is a real wild card. He hasn’t walked yet and he isn’t striking out excessively either. 

I really want to see how he progresses before deciding one way or another on him.

Mat Gamel—Milwaukee Brewers—third baseman
The Brewers started him at Triple-A and his 2008 second half struggles seem to be a thing of the past. 

He has gotten off to a red-hot start, hitting .556 with two HR, 10 RBI, and seven R.  One of his home runs came against Rangers' super-prospect Derek Holland, a favorite here at Rotoprofessor. 

Yes, the average is going to come back down to earth, but the fact that he’s walked four times versus two strikeouts is a definite eye-popper. At Double-A last season he posted 111 Ks and 55 BBs.  We’ll keep an eye on that.

Alcides Escobar—Milwaukee Brewers—shortstop
He’s been solid in the early going, hitting .333 with zero HR, one RBI, four R, and three SB. His ticket to the majors is his speed, with 34 SB at Double-A last season. 

Unfortunately, J.J. Hardy blocks his path, and as I’ve said before, the only way I see him making an impact in 2009 is if Rickie Weeks falters. That certainly is a realistic possibility. 

Escobar is proving early on at Triple-A that he can excel against the toughest of competition and certainly could make an impact in the second half.

Lars Anderson—Boston Red Sox—first baseman
The 21-year-old has gotten off to an inauspicious start, hitting .238 with zero HR, two RBI, and one R. In fact, he was without an extra base hit over the first five games of the season. 

He’s had his opportunities, going just 1-7 with runners in scoring position. At Double-A last season, he hit five HR over 133 AB, so it is certainly possible that he just needs more time to adjust to pitchers at the upper levels.  He has struck out four times, so I’d look for improvement in the near future.

Jason Heyward—Atlanta Braves—outfielder
He’s got a ton of potential, but it just isn’t showing yet.  At High Single-A, he’s started 4-21 (.190) with one HR, three RBI, three R, and zero SB. He’s walked once. 

At 19-years-old, he has just one full season of professional experience under his belt.  We’ll monitor his progress, but he needs time to develop.

Justin Smoak—Texas Rangers—first baseman
The Rangers have started their 2008 First Round Draft Pick at Double-A and his start has been a mixed bag. He’s hitting .250 with one HR, four RBI, and three R. 

The thing is, the left-handed hitter is just 1-9 against lefties, though the one hit was his home run. Against righties, he’s hitting .364. 

It’s a small sample size, but it is certainly worth monitoring how he fairs against left-handed pitching as the season progresses.  If he can start hitting, he could conceivably reach the majors before seasons end.

Andrew McCutchen—Pittsburgh Pirates—outfielder
He’s gotten off to a terrible start at Triple-A, going 5-23 with zero HR, one RBI, three R, and two SB. To make matters worse, the right-handed hitter is 0-8 against southpaws thus far this season. 

He fared well last season at Triple-A, hitting .283 with 34 SB, so give the 21-year-old the benefit of the doubt.

Carlos Santana—Cleveland Indians—catcher
We talked about him after his hot start at Double-A, but since then things have not been so great. 

He’s struck out five time in his last four games, going 2-12, though he has scored in each of the past two games. 

Overall, he’s hitting .250 with one HR, six RBI, and three R. He’s got a ton of talent, but it’s unlikely he reaches the majors this season given the teams depth at the position.

Mike Moustakas—Kansas City Royals—shortstop
He’s at Single-A, hitting just .150 with zero HR, three RBI, three R, and zero SB. He’s struck out five times, only managing to avoid the whiff in one game. He’s 20-years-old, so give him time.

Brett Wallace—St. Louis Cardinals—third baseman
(His stats are through Tuesday). With Troy Glaus’ status up in the air, it would not be surprising to see this 2008 first round draft choice reach the majors in 2009. 

He’s gotten off to a good start, hitting .261 with two HR, eight RBI, and six R. While he’s struck out eight times, four of them came in one game, and two in another (he’s played in six games), so that is slightly deceiving. 

Still, it is worth monitoring.

Austin Jackson—New York Yankees—outfielder
(His stats are through Tuesday). He’s gotten off to a tremendous start, hitting safely in all six games, with four multi-hit games. 

He’s hitting .480 with zero HR, six RBI, six R, and three SB at Triple-A. He has struck seven times, but also walked five times. 

He did not show much power (nine HR) or speed (19 SB) last season at Double-A, so we’ll continue to monitor him to see if he bucks that trend.

Fernando Martinez—New York Mets—outfielder
(His stats are through Tuesday). The 20-year-old is at Triple-A, so it should not be surprising if he is a bit over matched. 

He’s hitting .240 with one HR, one RBI, and three R. All six of his hits have been for extra bases, so that certainly is a positive. 

It’s tough to see him breaking into the major leagues this season, with Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Daniel Murphy, and Gary Sheffield in the majors but you never know. 

I for one think he’d be better off getting a full season at Triple-A to develop.

Anyone have any thoughts on these guys?  If there is anyone else you would like to see included in these updates, please let me know.

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