May 29, 2009
Future Shock Blog
May 29
by Kevin Goldstein
Movin' on up, soon to the south side?
Gordon Beckham, 3B, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte)
Thursday's stats: 1-for-4, 2B, R
What is more interesting that the White Sox' top pick in the 2008 draft moving up to Triple-A is the position he played in his debut, as the shortstop has suddenly slid over to the hot corner. With Josh Fields doing next to nothing in the big leagues, could the big call for Beckham be coming sooner than originally expected?
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The veteran vs. prospect conundrum
Tom Glavine, LHP, Braves (Triple-A Gwinnett)
Thursday's stats: 5 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
Glavine is ready for a return to the big leagues, but at what cost to the Braves. He's a sure-fire Hall of Famer who absolutely deserves respect, but at this point, he's no more than a number four or five starter. Tommy Hanson is much, much more than that, and adding Glavine to the rotation delays Hanson's arrival that much longer. It's a tough position if you are Atlanta, where wins might go head-to-head with public relations.
The word of the day is sublimation
Nick Weglarz, OF, Indians (Double-A Akron)
Thursday's stats: 1-for-3, HR (7), R, RBI, K
Weglarz was the coldest hitter in the Eastern League during the month of April, going 5-for-56 (.089) with just one extra base hit. Now that ice has turned directly into steam (sublimation), as with three home runs in his last two games, the hulking Canadian is now mashing to the tune of .378/.472/.716 in 23 May contests. He'll be just 21 years old all season long, and he's back to looking like one of the better offensive prospects in the system, despite the fact that hitting and walking are the sum of his skills.
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Nobody [messes with] the Jesus!
Jesus Montero, C/DH, Yankees (High-A Tampa)
Thursday's stats: 3-for-4, 2 HR (7), 3 R, 4 RBI
The Florida State League is supposed to hinder production, yet Montero, hitting .338/.392/.569 in 43 games, is hitting for a higher-average, more power and more walks than he did last year in the Sally League. Have we mentioned that he's only 19 years old. This is one of the best teenage hitters in the world, period, and the best prospect in the Yankee system.
Welcome back . . .
Jemile Weeks, 2B, Athletics (High-A Stockton)
Thursday's stats: 3-for-6, HR (1), R, RBI, 2 K
Oakland's first round pick saw his pro debut last year limited to just 19 games due to a hip injury that was slow to heal and kept him out of action until this week. Rickie's younger brother is a better athlete than his sibling, but not nearly as much of a hitter - his home run last night off Rangers prospect Michael Main provides some early cause for optimism.
Sleeper alert!
Cyle Hankerd, OF, Diamondbacks (Double-A Mobile)
Thursday's stats: 3-for-4, HR (4), 2 R, 2 RBI
A third-round pick in 2006, Hankerd hit eight home runs in just 18 California League games during his pro debut, but he slowly fell off the radar while hitting just 13 bombs in 228 games over the next two seasons. He's a bit of a big lug whose bat has to carry him to the big leagues, but he's easily the hottest hitter in the Southern League this days, batting .402 in May and .370/.429/.548 overall.
Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
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11 comments have been left for this article. 
Surprise Me!
Any idea on a Montero ETA? Is it purely dependent on the catcher experiment?
There are rumors that the Yankees are looking to move a catcher up to AA, the question left unanswered is which one. Montero has been splitting time with Austin Romine down in High-A. Romine is a defensive whiz, while his bat isn't anything to sneeze at and could develop to position average.
I'd guess it would be Montero who moves up. His bat can handle AA and he'll be able to work at catcher full time. That will let Romine stay in High-A to continue working on his hitting and get some more work in behind the plate as well.
That all said, if the Yanks give up on the idea of Montero at catcher, and if he could play in left, then he could see an ETA of late 2010 or early 2011. Figure the rest of the year at AA, then next year at AAA. Seems like a plan. The only thing that could really hold him back is that defense.