Printer-friendly

Contact Author

July 21, 2008

Future Shock

Monday Ten Pack

by Kevin Goldstein

Wladimir Balentien, OF, Triple-A Tacoma (Mariners)
When one gets sent down, all one can do is keep on hitting. That's easier said than done, as there's a mental aspect to overcome when going from chartered plane trips and giant per diems back to the bus leagues. After batting .196/.265/.346 in a 32-game audition with the Mariners this year, Balentien struggled upon his return to Triple-A, batting just .178 in his first 12 games at Tacoma. Since then, he's been gunning for another chance. The Curacao native hit home runs on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, giving him bombs in four straight games and six in his last seven—for a .339/.442/.726 line in July. With nothing left to play for this year, Seattle needs to figure out where he fits into their future.

Scott Campbell, 2B, Double-A New Hampshire (Blue Jays)
A tenth-round pick out of Gonzaga in 2006, Campbell entered the year as an off-the-radar guy with averages of .284/.393/.379. Jumped two levels to Double-A this year, he's become a very real prospect, and the New Zealander was selected to the Futures Game roster as he guns to become the first New Zealander to reach the big leagues. Among the Eastern League leaders in batting and on-base percentage throughout the season, Campbell went on a surprising power surge over the weekend, blasting his sixth home run of the year on Saturday, and adding his seventh and eighth on Sunday, bringing his numbers on the season up to an even more impressive .333/.422/.474. Campbell's athleticism doesn't blow anyone away—he's a fundamentally-sound second baseman, though not especially rangy, and his speed is average at best. His power—this weekend notwithstanding—is below average, but the most important tool is the hit tool, and scouts are grading that high, convinced that the Kiwi will make history at some point next year.

David Cooper, 1B, Low-A Lansing (Blue Jays)
With Travis Snider ranking as the entire organization's only prospect who projects as a middle-of-the-order force, to compensate Toronto focused on advanced college bats with their first-round pick this June, and selected Cooper with the 17^th overall pick. A first baseman whose only tool is the bat, Cooper has had zero issues in translating his skills to the pros, and after batting .341/.411/.553 in 21 New York-Penn League games, he's now tearing apart the Midwest League. The former Cal star slugged his first two full-season home runs over the weekend, and is batting .386/.438/.614 in 11 games overall for the Lugnuts, looking very much like the kind of hitter who could rocket through the minors. Seeing him in Double-A at some point in 2009 could be a reasonable expectation.

Zach Cozart, SS, Low-A Dayton (Reds)
A second-round pick last year, Cozart entered pro ball as an outstanding defensive shortstop with little offense to offer. The first part of that equation hasn't changed, but the offensive aspect of his game has taken a shocking turn. After hitting just two home runs over 184 at-bats in last year's pro debut, Cozart just slugged his 11^th and 12^th home runs of the season over the weekend, and is now hitting a shocking .269/.330/.470 in 70 games for the Dragons. The on-base skills are still lacking, but the power development is downright shocking, and all he needed was some kind of offensive upside to project as an everyday player in the big leagues, because the defense really is that good.

Brian Dopirak, 1B, High-A Dunedin (Blue Jays)
Three years ago, Dopirak was one of the top power prospects in the game after slugging 39 home runs in the Midwest League in a .307/.367/.593 campaign for the Cubs' Low-A affiliate in Lansing. Then, the wheels just fell off, as he hit only .235/.289/.381 in the Florida State League the next year, and then the injury bug bit, limiting him to just two Double-A home runs in 257 at-bats last year. The Jays decided to give him one last shot, and sent him to their High-A affiliate in Dopirak's hometown of Dunedin, and all of a sudden he's hitting again. It's difficult to call him a prospect again, but he's still just 23 years old, and with four home runs over the weekend, he now leads the Florida State League in home runs (21), RBI (70), and runs scored (62), while batting .293/.368/.536. At the very least, he's back in the picture.