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April 3, 2009

Future Shock

Arizona Scouting Notebook

by Kevin Goldstein

As spring training camps prepare to break, here's what some scouts on the left side of the country have been talking about while they wrap things up in the desert.

One player receiving nearly universal praise was White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham, who was sent down to the minors (he'll begin the year at Double-A) at the end of March after batting .270/.325/.568 in 37 at-bats. The 2008 first-round pick has just 14 pro games on his resumé, but he still almost made the team. "As a pro scout, I'd never seen him, so he came here with a lot of hype and I went in looking for something not to like," said one evaluator. "I was totally knocked out by him. He works the count like a pro, centers the ball every time up—he's just doing everything right," he concluded. Another scout who saw Beckham was equally impressed, saying that only his lack of experience was working against him when it came to roster decisions. "If he was 24 and was a guy with a couple of years in the minors," the scout explained, "he just flat-out would have made this team."

Another 2008 first-round pick earning glowing reports is Rangers first baseman Justin Smoak, who hit .280/.357/.600 over 25 at-bats in big-league camp. "He's just fun to watch—he certainly looks like he belongs in big-league games, and the team doesn't miss a beat with him out there," said one scout, who had even stronger words for the former South Carolina star when the subject of Smoak being blocked by Chris Davis came up. "He's going to be better than Davis," the scout concluded. "He's going to be an All-Star, no question about it."

The scout was also impressed with Rangers catcher Taylor Teagarden, who has hit .300/.364/.700 this spring, re-kindling the debate over whether he or Jarrod Saltalamacchia should be the team's everyday option behind the plate. "Teagarden is just an unbelievable defender, and he really shuts the running game down," said the scout. "And I think he's going to hit," he added. "He's narrowed the gap offensively more than Salty, who has gotten better behind the plate defensively. It's a nice problem to have."

Indians outfielder Matt LaPorta had a tough second half of the 2008 season after being the primary talent acquired in the CC Sabathia deal. Based on what scouts saw this spring, the bat is back, and the numbers agree as he hit .361/.439/.611 in 36 at-bats before being reassigned to Triple-A. "He looked good enough to be in the big leagues to me," said one scout. "If they need a corner outfielder, I wouldn't feel uncomfortable at all starting him in the big leagues—he should be one of their first call-ups unless they decide to work his service clock."