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September 22, 2009

Future Shock

Playoff Stars Ten Pack

by Kevin Goldstein

The minor league playoffs are a fleeting thing. People don't tend to remember who wins, the statistics aren't easy to find, and they're just quickly forgotten as we move onto the Arizona Fall League and next year. Before we totally wipe the slate clean, here are the ten performances from the minor leagues' postseasons worth noting.

Bobby Borchering, 3B, Diamondbacks (Short-Season Missoula)
Seen by many as the top pure high school hitter in this year's draft, Borchering's .241 batting average in 22 regular-season games for the Ospreys could be written off as a small-sample size, rustiness due to the long time off due to his contract negotiations, or any number of factors. The impressive thing is that, of his 21 hits, 11 went for extra bases, and that power continued to show up in the Pioneer League playoffs, as the 18-year-old went 9-for-28, but with just two singles, as he belted four doubles, a triple, a pair of home runs to drive in 10 runs in just six games. His swing-at-everything approach needs to get tightened up, but the bat is pretty special.

Chris Carter, 1B, Athletics (Triple-A Sacramento)
Carter certainly finished the season with a bang. Your minor league leader in total bases for each of the past two years, Carter hit .424/.525/.800 during the month of August for Double-A Midland, and then slugged four home runs in 13 Triple-A games to finish the regular season. He was even better in the playoffs, adding four more bombs in seven games. His sudden ability to hit for average definitely seems to have some basis in reality, as scouts saw a better approach, fewer bad swings, and a sharp decline in him swinging on top of pitches. Is he the 2010 Opening Day first baseman in Oakland? It just might happen.

Travis D'Arnaud, C, Phillies (Low-A Lakewood)
Entering the year as the fourth-best prospect in the system, I certainly was higher on D'Arnaud than most observers, and that high ranking looked foolish as he barely kept his average above the Mendoza line for much of the first half of the year. I was buoyed somewhat this summer by a conversation with a scout who said, "I have no idea how a guy that good is hitting only .200." Happily for all concerned, everything turned around after the All-Star break, as D'Arnaud hit .302/.366/.473 during the second half of the year, and that continued through the playoffs, as the 20-year-old backstop went 9-for-23 (.391) with four doubles. My point is that, despite a final season line of .255/.319/.419, I don't think his stock is down much, if at all.

Jaime Garcia, LHP, Cardinals (Triple-A Memphis)
After years of elbow issues, Garcia finally had a Tommy John procedure at the end of the 2008 season, but he's seemingly back, and now better than ever. While it seems like he's been around forever, he's only 23, and after returning late in the year and making nine regular-season starts across three levels, Garcia was downright dominant in the Pacific Coast League playoffs, firing 12 innings without allowing an earned run while giving up only four hits. He struck out 13, had a ground-ball ratio of nearly 3-to-1, and his unique sinker/curve combination looks as sharp as ever. He'll get a legitimate look next spring, and he could be a big contributor at the big-league level by the time next summer arrives.