Fantasy Baseball Prospect Report: Will Myers
Considered a potential first round selection, Will Meyersโ asking price caused him to fall to the third round of the 2009 draft where the Royals happily selected him.ย Currently listed as a catcher, there has been some talk that he may ultimately move out from behind the plate, possibly to the outfield.ย What heโs proven early on in 2010, however, is that his bat should translate anywhere on the diamond:
239 At Bats
.293 Batting Average (70 Hits)
10 Home Runs
45 RBI
41 Runs
10 Stolen Bases
.409 On Base Percentage
.506 Slugging Percentage
.345 Batting Average on Balls in Play
The 19-year old is certainly showing that he has both power and speed while playing in Single-A.ย You donโt expect too many catchers to be 10/10 at this point at any level, meaning he has the potential to go 20/20, an impressive feat considering his age.
The power heโs shown is 100% for real.ย He currently has a fly ball rate of 44.6 percent, certainly conducive to hitting home runs.ย He has also been consistent, with no more then 4 HR in a month to date, telling us that it wasnโt one little hot streak.ย On top of that, he has hit a bunch of doubles (19), which just adds to things.
Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked him as the Royals third best prospect and said:
โCapable of turning around a quality fastball with a flick of his wrists, Myers has excellent raw power. His swing isnโt textbook and heโll sometime shift his weight to his front foot too early, but he manages to keep his hands back and hit line drives all over the park. He should hit for average as well as power.โย
He actually started off slowly, hitting .232 in April, but has turned up the dial since:
May - .330
June - .319
Yes, you can argue that his BABIP is slightly inflated, but with his speed it is not completely impossible.ย He also could improve his strikeout rate (23 percent), given his lack of experience.ย His struggles havenโt been due to a lack of a good eye at the plate (16.4 percent walk rate).ย Just give him time to adjust to the professional game.
The bottom line is that the kid can hit.ย If he can stick behind the plate we have a future fantasy gem on our hands.ย If not, well, we have a usable solid-to-above average option nonetheless.
Heโs not going to reach the majors for a while, maybe 2012 (possibly the end of 2011), but he should certainly be on radars.ย Weโll be keeping a close eye on him as the year progresses to see how he fares.
What are your thoughts on Myers?ย How good could he be?ย Will he be able to stick at catcher?
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