Questions for Daver, Randar and other scouts

[Frater Perdurabo]

I read in the Garcia trade thread that Anderson is showing similar OBP potential to Reed. That is good news and takes away some of the sting of losing Reed.

Does Anderson have plate discipline equal to Reed's? If not, do you expect it to progress to that level?

Put more simply, in your best estimation will Anderson make us forget about Reed?

Thanks in advance.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Frater Perdurabo

I read in the Garcia trade thread that Anderson is showing similar OBP potential to Reed. That is good news and takes away some of the sting of losing Reed.

Does Anderson have plate discipline equal to Reed's? If not, do you expect it to progress to that level?

Put more simply, in your best estimation will Anderson make us forget about Reed?

Thanks in advance.

No, No, No. Anderson is nothing like Reed. Anderson is a power hitter with some decent contact skills. He'll never have the kind of plate coverage and discipline that Reed does. Any high OBP that he shows will be due to a high BA or being pitched around.

Anderson is likely to move to AA in the very near term now that a space will be created with the loss of Reed in AAA. Anderson is a much more natural CF'er defensively though, no question.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Frater Perdurabo

I read in the Garcia trade thread that Anderson is showing similar OBP potential to Reed. That is good news and takes away some of the sting of losing Reed.

Does Anderson have plate discipline equal to Reed's? If not, do you expect it to progress to that level?

Put more simply, in your best estimation will Anderson make us forget about Reed?

Thanks in advance.

Think about this in another manner. Reed was not your typical White Sox prospect. He has a good eye, takes a lot of walks, doesn't strike out too much, and makes a lot of solid contact, with occassional power. Most Sox position prospects are like Joe Borchard or Josh Fields. Power hitters that succeed if they are able to learn the strike zone and make more consistent contact. Reed was something of a rarity, and that is why some are so disappointed at us giving him up. Was he going to be a super-star or perennial All-Star? Most likely not, but he would have been a valuable cog in the wheel of an offense that currently fails to manufacture runs or score consistently against above-average pitching.

[rdivaldi]

But if you look at Anderson's numbers in Winston-Salem, you will notice that he has a very respectible 28:43 K:BB ratio in 248 at bats.

After watching both Reed and Anderson play many times, there's no doubt in mind that Anderson has a much higher ceiling. Whether or not he lives up to the potential is another story.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

But if you look at Anderson's numbers in Winston-Salem, you will notice that he has a very respectible 28:43 K:BB ratio in 248 at bats.

After watching both Reed and Anderson play many times, there's no doubt in mind that Anderson has a much higher ceiling. Whether or not he lives up to the potential is another story.

44:29 K:BB ratio, you had it reversed.

That ios not terrible, but he's basically playing at a level just slightly above what he played at in College, and only Casey Rogowski has been hitting anything consistently in W-S, it's not like he's overly protected hitting in that line-up.

Do Anderson and Borchard have higher ceilings than Reed? I'd say yes on both counts, but I'd also say that Reed had a higher likelihood of success or of being a good regular MLB contributor. One was a sure thing with a low likelihood of that turning into a star, and the other 2 have star potential with a lower likelihood of reaching it.

[Daver]

Originally Posted by Randar68

44:29 K:BB ratio, you had it reversed.

That ios not terrible, but he's basically playing at a level just slightly above what he played at in College, and only Casey Rogowski has been hitting anything consistently in W-S, it's not like he's overly protected hitting in that line-up.

Do Anderson and Borchard have higher ceilings than Reed? I'd say yes on both counts, but I'd also say that Reed had a higher likelihood of success or of being a good regular MLB contributor. One was a sure thing with a low likelihood of that turning into a star, and the other 2 have star potential with a lower likelihood of reaching it.

Exactly.


I would say Sweeney has a higher potential cieling as well.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Daver

Exactly.


I would say Sweeney has a higher potential cieling as well.

I agree, but he's not as advanced as the other 2 at this point, so it's a little harder to project his power and potential accurately. He also isn't quite the all-around athlete the other 2 are, IMO.

[Daver]

Originally Posted by Randar68

I agree, but he's not as advanced as the other 2 at this point, so it's a little harder to project his power and potential accurately. He also isn't quite the all-around athlete the other 2 are, IMO.

He could prolly help the Sox bullpen now......

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Daver

He could prolly help the Sox bullpen now......

LOL!

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by Randar68

44:29 K:BB ratio, you had it reversed.

Oops, my bad.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by Randar68

I agree, but he's not as advanced as the other 2 at this point, so it's a little harder to project his power and potential accurately. He also isn't quite the all-around athlete the other 2 are, IMO.

It's hard to project Sweeney due to his age. Most people ask why some get excited over a guy hitting around .260 in A ball. But the kid is only 19 years old and is from a state where you only got to play ball for 5 months out of the year. He's got loads of potential at the plate, and I've seen/heard great things about his defense.

I might be crazy, but I'm also extremely high on Chris Young down in Kannapolis. He might have the highest ceiling of all these guys. But again, his age makes it hard to project his future potential.

[Soxheads]

Originally Posted by rdivaldi

It's hard to project Sweeney due to his age. Most people ask why some get excited over a guy hitting around .260 in A ball. But the kid is only 19 years old and is from a state where you only got to play ball for 5 months out of the year. He's got loads of potential at the plate, and I've seen/heard great things about his defense.

I might be crazy, but I'm also extremely high on Chris Young down in Kannapolis. He might have the highest ceiling of all these guys. But again, his age makes it hard to project his future potential.

Only really 3 months of real game action, too. A lot of guys on my high school team have played against Sweeney. They don't seem surprised he's this hyped.

[Daver]

A guy that flies under the radar that intrigues me is Thoams Brice, the Aussie, he is starting to develop some real power now that he has learned to hit pitches that aren't skipped to him, and he is a legit outfielder that can play all three positions.

[rdivaldi]

Originally Posted by Daver

A guy that flies under the radar that intrigues me is Thoams Brice, the Aussie, he is starting to develop some real power now that he has learned to hit pitches that aren't skipped to him, and he is a legit outfielder that can play all three positions.

True, but I'm a bit concerned by his play at WS so far. He's torn up Kannapolis for 2 years now, I hope he can continue to perform at a high level.

[Randar68]

Originally Posted by Daver

A guy that flies under the radar that intrigues me is Thoams Brice, the Aussie, he is starting to develop some real power now that he has learned to hit pitches that aren't skipped to him, and he is a legit outfielder that can play all three positions.

Brice in CF scares the crap out of me!