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August 17, 2009

Future Shock

Monday Ten Pack

by Kevin Goldstein

Brandon Allen, 1B, Diamondbacks, (Triple-A Reno)
Here's a quick quiz: Who is the best position-playing prospect in the Arizona system? The answer is Allen, and when you take a further step back, it's not even close. On yet another run in Reno (11-for-21 in last five games), Allen is now batting .348/.427/.697 in 34 games for the Aces since being acquired from the White Sox, while adding six stolen bases to prove that he's not the lumbering slugger that his 240-pound frame might suggest. Combine what he's doing with the production the D'backs have gotten from first base this year, and everything is lined up for him entering next spring with the job to lose.

Tim Beckham, SS, Rays (Low-A Bowling Green)
As we finalize the outcomes of the 2009 draft today, it's a good time to note what last year's top pick is doing, and the answer is, "Not a whole helluva lot," according to one scout who recently saw him. Batting just .265/.320/.381 in 105 games, Beckham doesn't even offer many hidden gems in his stat line, as he's not walking much while striking out nearly once a game, and has stolen just nine bases in 17 attempts. Pro scouts are saying his tools grade out well, but they're seemingly not as glowing about them as the amateur scouts were about him. He's going to be tough to slot come off-season ranking time.

David Cooper, 1B, Jays (Double-A New Hampshire)
Starting a guy in Double-A for his first full-season assignment is aggressive. Some elite-level guys can handle it, but even players like Buster Posey and Pedro Alvarez began the year at High-A. Cooper has struggled in the Eastern League for much of the year, but he seems to be getting some traction, going 13-for-30 with four doubles and a pair of home runs in his last seven games to help give him a .283/.341/.478 line since the All-Star break. He remains a doubles machine with a healthy walk rate, but he needs to keep mashing to get to the big leagues, as the bat is the only tool.

Clint Everts, RHP, Nationals (Triple-A Syracuse)
This really is one of the feel-good stories of the year for me, and I'm surprised it's not getting more attention. The fifth overall pick all the way back in 2002, when the franchise was still the Expos, Everts' career was completely derailed by Tommy John surgery and other arm issues, but he never stopped working at it, and all of a sudden he's on the cusp of getting called up the big leagues. Beginning the year at High-A Potomac for the fourth straight year, the 25-year-old reached Triple-A last week, had a pair of scoreless outings over the weekend, and he now has a 1.23 ERA in 36 games across three levels, with more than a strikeout per inning thanks to a curveball that remains a plus pitch. Root for him.

Tim Fedroff, OF, Indians (High-A Kinston)
On June 20^th, in a 5-0 win over Lynchburg, Fedroff went 0-for-4. What's notable about this is that it's the last game that Fedroff failed to reach base, as he extended his streak to 35 games by going 6-for-12 over the weekend with four doubles and four walks. Now batting .500 (27-for-54) in August and .354/.447/.485 since the All-Star break, Fedroff's patient approach and line-drive bat has scouts projecting him as a possible old-school leadoff man if he can improve in center field.