With the 13th overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, the St Louis Cardinals, feeling the need for an impact bat and heir to Troy Glaus at third base chose 3rd baseman, Brett Wallace out of Arizona State. Going into the draft, Wallace had the reputation of an extremely polished hitter who could move quickly through the system. So far he hasn't disappointed, Posting a line of .282/.376/.426 with 7 home runs and 23 RBI to date, split between AA and AAA.
Wallace has had some problems with strikeouts in the past, but he has strong enough contact skills and plate discipline that his whiffs won't be a problem and may decrease as he becomes more acclimated with pro ball. In his prime he should hit for both excellent power and average; he has an excellent chance to be a .300/.400/.500 hitter with 30-40 home runs and at least 100 RBI.
The 22 year old has struggled mightily with his defense at the hot corner. At some point in his career, he will need to move to first base, which could be tough as it is occupied by arguably the best player in the game in Albert Pujols. He is also a below average runner and may have trouble keeping the agility needed to play third base in the short-term.
None of Wallace's numbers are eye popping, but we have to take into account his success at AAA when most of his peers are still at A+. The Cardinals' current 3rd baseman, Troy Glaus, is still recovering from off season surgery and his replacements have been sub-par to say the least. Wallace may get called up this season if Brian Barden and David Freese, don't shape up. If Brett Wallace produces, Glaus, Freese, and Barden will all be looking for new jobs next winter, and the Arizona State product will have the job locked down for a long time.
Showing posts with label Rising Stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rising Stars. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Rising Stars - Reese Havens
With the 22nd pick in the 1st round of the 2008 draft, the New York Mets drafted Reese Havens, a shortstop out of South Carolina. Now you may be asking yourself, "why would the Mets draft a shortstop when they already have Jose Reyes, arguably the second best shortstop in the game?"
Well, the first reason is that Havens, who could probably stick as an average to below-average defensive shortstop, probably projects better as a second baseman. The second reason is that Havens is an extremely gifted, patient hitter.
In his final season with South Carolina, Havens posted a line of .359/.486/.645 and blasted 18 homeruns in just 248 at-bats. Havens also showed excellent patience, walking 58 times while only striking out 44 times. Of course, college numbers are much less dependable than professional numbers, but Havens did play in the SEC, which is one of the toughest conferences in college baseball.
Havens made his professional debut in short-season A ball last year, where he compiled a line of .247/.340/.471 and hit 3 homeruns in 85 at-bats. It's very hard to judge a player with such a small professional sample size, but it appears that Havens has started to make a successful transition form college to pro ball. While Havens' strikeout rate is up, which is expected; he is still walking 11.5% of the time, which is very solid.
If he can continue to improve his offensive game and successfully make the transition from shortstop to second base, Havens could blossom into an elite player at a typically scarce position. He will probably start 2009 in A-, but if he can continue to excel offensively, he should move quickly through the system. Look for Havens to be showing off his effective blend of power and plate discipline in the big leagues by mid-2011.
Well, the first reason is that Havens, who could probably stick as an average to below-average defensive shortstop, probably projects better as a second baseman. The second reason is that Havens is an extremely gifted, patient hitter.
In his final season with South Carolina, Havens posted a line of .359/.486/.645 and blasted 18 homeruns in just 248 at-bats. Havens also showed excellent patience, walking 58 times while only striking out 44 times. Of course, college numbers are much less dependable than professional numbers, but Havens did play in the SEC, which is one of the toughest conferences in college baseball.
Havens made his professional debut in short-season A ball last year, where he compiled a line of .247/.340/.471 and hit 3 homeruns in 85 at-bats. It's very hard to judge a player with such a small professional sample size, but it appears that Havens has started to make a successful transition form college to pro ball. While Havens' strikeout rate is up, which is expected; he is still walking 11.5% of the time, which is very solid.
If he can continue to improve his offensive game and successfully make the transition from shortstop to second base, Havens could blossom into an elite player at a typically scarce position. He will probably start 2009 in A-, but if he can continue to excel offensively, he should move quickly through the system. Look for Havens to be showing off his effective blend of power and plate discipline in the big leagues by mid-2011.
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