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7 Responses to “Daily Arizona Report: 11/16/11”
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7 Responses to “Daily Arizona Report: 11/16/11”
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Oscar is ready for Springfield IMHO.
Osacr has shown the ability to hit a higher level of pitching, but hasn’t shown two things (1) any ability to hit better LHP; (2) any sort of advanced approach at the plate – he hasn’t taken a single walk in 70+ PAs.
I’m not down on his performance necessarily, but you could easily make an argument that his AFL time has shown that he needs time at A+.
I don’t mind him going to A+, and pounding the gaps in that cavernous ballpark. He will be a doubles machine
Why? Look how Trout is hitting in the AFL? The AFL is an instructional league where instructors help the players and they in turn work on what they are being taught. If someone is working on there swing like Taveras may be why would he focus on or even care about walking?
He wouldn’t. But what else can you criticize about the kid?
I think we’ve just been trained by Moneyball to look at controlling the strike zone (walking) as the key to being a good hitter and being a 300 hitter has taken a back seat to having a good OBP.
The question is are the Cardinals as an organization approaching this in an opposite direction. We want you to be able to hit first and then we will work on controlling the strike zone later? Adams seems to be a good example of that. Also Cox, Wong and Taveras all seem like players known for being able to put the bat on the ball.
I didn’t need Moneyball to know that being an empty average .300 hitter does not make you a “good hitter.” (I am NOT saying that OT is this type of hitter; and am certainly not making that judgment based on 75 PAs in the AFL)
Oscar Taveras’ average in the AFL is .307 (24th out of 66 “qualified” hitters) but his OPS is .725 (50th out of 66 -well below average for this league). His AFL stint hasn’t been “bad” – but it’s not like he’s shown definitively that he needs to be sent to AA, rather than A+.
Andrew above speculates that maybe Oscar is “working on his swing” so maybe he doesn’t even care about walking. Has there been a single report that this is actually true? I haven’t seen it. To me, it looks like speculation to provide an excuse for a possible shortcoming in his development.
As for the prospects you mention, OT had a uBB of 8.8% in A ball this year (which is ok if it stays there), Wong had a uBB of 9.2% (which is fine), and Cox had a uBB of 7.2% in AA (which is a bit below average, but not terrible). Being able to put the bat on the ball and controlling the strike zone, IMO, are complementary goals, not goals or abilities that are at odds with one another.
In any event, I’m still very high on OT as a prospect. But being high on him doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to improve – as all 19 y/o prospects do.