This article was written for the greatness of Project Prospect, an online in-depth scouting system of which I am now a contributing author. We urge all of you to check it out.
The great thing about prospect hunting is there is someone playing somewhere every single day. While affiliated minor league clubs ended their seasons, baseball does not stop for every team other than the eight big league clubs vying to reign supreme in October. October in the land of prospects is the provenience of developmental leagues in Arizona and Hawaii. This series of articles will keep you abreast of the all the baseball-arific happenings on the big island.
Matt Wieters C – Honolulu Sharks (Baltimore) Batting line thru 4 games: .222/.462/.333 4BBs 1K
Wieters is the alpha male in the league. This past June’s #5 overall pick out of Georgia Tech is making his professional baseball debut for the Sharks as his protracted contract negotiations eliminated the chance for him to start in the minors this year. A two time All-American in college, Wieters doubled as the Yellow Jackets’ closer and, obviously, possess a strong throwing arm behind the plate. While his defense is solid what really makes Wieters special is his bat; hitting .358/.480/.592 last year in NCAA action. Bat control, zone recognition, and power are all plus tools for this 6’5’’ switch hitting stud who currently sits at #22 overall on our big board…and you could make a strong argument based on his skill and positional scarcity that that is too low.
Ryan Harvey OF – Honolulu Sharks (Chicago Cubs) thru 5 games: .353/.353/.353 0BBs 6K
Harvey joins Wieters in the “former #5 overall picks club” for the Sharks. The North-Siders hope the 6’5’’ 240lb slugger can regain the promise that he once showed. Harvey has been mostly a boom or bust type hitter with the emphasis on bust after posting just a .716 OPS this year in the Florida State League. That in and of itself is not terrible, but when a .716 OPS is turned by a 23 year old who struck out 53 times in 224 at bats while only walking 7, the outlook for the future turns dim. The thing that really stands out about Harvey’s HWB batting line is that he has 0 walks and all of his hits are singles making his batting average, on-base and slugging percentages the exact same.
Brian Jeroloman C – West Oahu CaneFires (Toronto) in 2 games: .429/.556/1.143
Conversations of odd batting lines should always lead to Jeroloman who hit an unusual .259/.421/.338 this year in high A ball. Great bat control and a keen eye have always been a part of Brian’s repertoire, going back to his University of Florida playing days where he was among the national leaders in on base percentage. The ball has been flying off of Jeroloman’s bat in the extremely early going of the HWB but if he can add even a modicum of power to his arsenal, he will become of the best catcher prospects around.
Justin Sellers SS/2B – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland) 3 games: .182/.308/.273
While Jeroloman remained an extremely productive offensive player despite a lack of pop this year, Justin Sellers has the unfortunate combination of no power and merely a good batting eye. After a solid .274/.350/.378 line in high A, Oakland sent Sellers to Hawaii where his skills and limitations are on display. A fine defensive player with good athleticism and bat control Sellers’ appears to have made a conscience decision to forgo power in-lue of contact. Sellers’ stance is conventional except for the fact that he holds the bat with his hands even with his back ear and far out in front of his head. While many players hold the bat in odd ways before the ball is pitched, Sellers keeps his position and simply pushes the bat out towards the ball. His unique set position makes his swing markedly shorter than most. For all our physics majors out there, shorter distance equals less acceleration which equals less force imparted on the batted ball.
Joshua Bell 3B – West Oahu CaneFires (LA Dodgers) 4 games: .294/.333/.412 1BB 6K
Bell is one of the most exciting prospects in the entire league. A 4th round pick out of high school in ’05, Bell has a tantalizing combination of athleticism and power that let scouts dream on the 6’3’’ switch hitter. Going .308/.367/.544 out of the shoot professionally in rookie ball Bell really opened the eyes of those who had not seen him in high school. While his power is a big league threat, from both sides of the plate, pitch recognition remains a prohibitive problem for the uber-talented Bell; he struck out nearly four times as often as he walked this year. His .412 slugging percentage may not seem like much on the surface but for a league where the average hitter slugged just .357 last year, Bell’s power is more apparent. The Dodgers hope that facing some talented hurlers in this extreme pitchers league will aid Bell in his development.
Austin Jackson CF – Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees) 5 games: .067/.176/.067 2BB 7K 2SB
Jackson put up one of the best seasons in the minors this year and the Evil Empire rewarded him with a trip to Hawaii. It appears that Jackson is taking the early part of the season as a vacation after his marvelous .345/.398/.566 effort for the Tampa Yankees. Jackson was the beneficiary of a .395 BABIP while playing in Tampa, but he has all the talent in the world and still projects as a good big league player.
Jermaine Mitchell CF – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland) 4 games: .500/.588/.643
Mitchell is my early pick to be the break out star of this HWB season. Jermaine Cornelius Mitchell (his actual name) is a strong, speedy centerfielder with an impressive combination of raw talent and polished baseball skill. The A’s nabbed Mitchell in the 5th round of last summer’s draft out of the University of North Carolina…not Chappell Hill, but Greensboro where he lead the Spartans in every important offensive category and most not important ones as well. Always a multi sport athlete, Mitchell is still new to being a baseball player full time. Cornelius is off to a fast start in winter ball after a productive .288/.390/.413 year in Kane Country. The left handed centerfielder looks like Barry Bonds at the plate, the Pittsburg Pirates version, and has plus-plus speed in the outfield.
Mat Gamel 3B – North Shore Honu (Brewers) 5 games: .412/.474/1.059 3HR
Gamel is coming off a .300/.378/.472 triple slash season in the Florida State League and has one of the best bats in a system known for producing top notch hitters. Doug Melvin and the Brew Crew brass gave Gamel a round trip ticket to Hawaii with the express purpose of working on one area of his game, fielding. While playing for the Brevard Country Manatees, Gamel made 53 errors in 128 games. His future may ultimately be as a DH, which does not bode well for his future in the National League, but Milwaukee will give him every chance to prove himself in the field because his bat is for real.
Cale Iorg SS – North Shore Honu (Tigers) 4 games: .176/.222/.176 1BB 7K
Iorg is perhaps the most intriguing player in the league. After a year in which he hit .280/.331/.415 playing everyday as a true freshman for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Iorg left baseball all together for two years to pursue mission work in Portugal. Detroit felt strongly enough about the athletic, slick fielding shortstop to offer up $1.5 million dollars to Cale, who is Mormon. He played fairly well in the eight professional games he got under his belt this year, but playing for the Honu, which means sea turtle, will be Iorg’s first real test at extended playing time in almost three years.
Shane Lindsay P – Waikiki Beach Boys (Rockies) 2 games: 3IP 5K 2BB 3ER
Hitters have been the focus of this article as games have just been going on for a week and the league leader in innings pitched is up to a whapping 7. However, I got the chance to see Lindsay pitch on Wednesday night via the magic of Milb.tv and came away impressed with the Australian right hander. In Lindsay’s first game he did not fair well, giving up 2 runs in just a third of an inning of work. On the night I caught Lindsay however, he showed what makes him special; featuring a mid 90’s fastball that reached 98 mph to dominate hitters to the tune of five whiffs in two and two-thirds work. Shane looks a bit like a tennis player trying to get a serve in when he pitches as he moves his glove arm in a high sweeping arc and follows it with his throwing arm only slightly lower. This deceptive motion helps Lindsay, who is listed at just 6’1’’, throw with a sharp downward plane that when coupled with his velocity makes him especially hard to hit. His arm motion may also have something to do with the fact that Lindsay, despite his elite stuff, has been worthless as a prospect because he has missed most of the past two years, including all of last year, with shoulder problems. The fastball was great and he flashed a plus 11 to 5 breaking curve as well a few sliders that were not much more than rudimentary offerings at this point but the biggest plus for Lindsay is that he looked healthy.
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