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Jack of all trades


Marcus Lemon
, IF/OF, Rangers (AFL: Surprise)
Yesterday’s stats:4-for-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI

Marcus Lemon isn’t going to make anyone’s prospect list, nor should he, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a future. After splitting time between second base and shortstop at Double-A Frisco during the regular season, Lemon is now adding center field to his resume in Arizona, while batting .313/.371/.469 in 10 games. As a left-handed batter with a good approach, gifted with the kind of fundamentals one expects from the son of big leaguer, and theoretically possessing the ability to play five positions, he’ll get there.


He reminds me of someone, and not necessarily in a good way


Wilkin Ramirez
, OF, Tigers (DOM: Licey)
Yesterday’s stats: 2-for-4, RBI

Ramirez is a difficult player to evaluate. Always one of the toolsier players in Detroit system, he’s made significant progress in translating those tools to skills. In the last two years, he’s slugged 36 home runs and stolen 60 bases, but there’s still the hack-tastic approach keeping him back. The Tigers don’t really have a spot for him and, if anything, he’s reminiscent of another toolsy Dominican who once roamed the Detroit outfield: Juan Encarnacion.


An opportunity to rant


Chris Marrero
, 1B, Nationals (AFL: Phoenix)
Yesterday’s stats: 2-for-6

Marrero could be my poster boy for why I hate first-base prospects. The 2006 first-round pick put up decent numbers once again this year at High-A Potomac, batting .287/.360/.464, but that’s it. The numbers are just decent, and they’re in line with what he always hits. Perfectly fine numbers for an up-the-middle player, but if you want to be a first baseman, you better mash, and Marrero just doesn’t do that, and he’s not alone. It’s a position that historically has led to many overrated prospects, but if that’s all you can play, and you don’t project as a middle-of-the-order run producer, your future isn’t bright.


A friendly reminder


Jackson Melian
, OF, Caracas
Yesterday’s stats: 3-for-5, HR (1), R, 5 RBI

It’s great to get excited about the international free agents, but they’re still exceedingly young and exceedingly risky. Before there was Miguel Sano, there was Jackson Melian, who signed a seven-figure bonus in 1996 with the Yankees. Internet coverage of baseball wasn’t exactly the same in 1996, so few probably remember, but Melian was most definitely the next big thing, a five-tool outfielder with unlimited potential who some saw as the best outfielder to come out of Venezuela in recent memory. In the end, he played 1141 minor league games, lastly with Round Rock in the Houston system in 2008, finishing with career averages of .257/.324/.402 and not a single game in the big leagues. Just a quick reminder that there are no guarantees in baseball.


Others Of Note


  • Dustin Ackley
    , OF, Mariners (AFL), 2-for-4, R, BB, K: Ackley has had back-to-back multi-hit games, upping his batting average to .333, but he’s yet to really show the kind of power he did as a Tar Heel.

  • Starlin Castro
    , SS, Cubs (AFL), 2-for-4, 3B, HR (1), R, RBI, K: Castro is clearly a reader of the daily updates, as the day I complain about a lack of secondary skills, he goes deep in the fourth and later adds a triple.

  • Max Ramirez
    , C, Rangers (VEN), 4-for-5, 2B, K: Ramirez is trying to recover some of his prospect status after a miserable regular season at Triple-A.

  • Michael Taylor
    , OF, Phillies (MEX), 2-for-4, R, RBI, K: He is 9-for-20 in his last five games and hitting .362/.404/.468 overall.

  • Josh Vitters
    , 3B, Cubs (AFL), 3-for-4: Vitters still hits everything, but unfortunately swings at everything as well. The hand injury that bothered him in second half of the regular season still seems to be sapping him of power.

Thank you for reading

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Swingingbunts
11/04
If I remember correctly everyone was very taken with Melian's father. Apparently he had this legendary baseball reputation in Venezuela, huge forearms and Jackson looked just like him...hence everyone expected him to be just like Dad.
dbthewise1313
11/04
Was there a reason we could point to for why Jackson Melian didn't pan out?
Meddler1
11/04
What, no token Josh Thole mention after reaching base four times again? 13 BBs against 5 Ks in ~80 PAs, yeah I'd say he's a bit advanced offensively for the VWL, but then again, offense isn't really why he needs to be in winter ball is it?
dcoonce
11/04
Not sure if we could point to this exclusively, but I recall that Melian's parents went to see him play when he was a young prospect, 16 or 17, and they died in a car crash on the way home from the game. That can't be good for a kid that young.

Other than that, I suppose it's the same story as any other raw 16-year old. Tools aren't everything.
metty5
11/04
That is really why I hate the pre-professional rankings from all Prospectors. Sano, Ynoa, etc. should be left off until they make some noise as a pro.
irablum
11/10
Marcus Lemon may be well-hidden in the Rangers system, but he's not old for his league, he's had some success, and though he's not a great prospect, there are certainly some suspects out there he's going to outplay. He seems like the kind of player who debuts in his mid to late 20's, has a few years in the majors, then fades away.