Projected Portland OF

[Dojji]

I took a look at Soxprospects' projected 2012 rosters and was struck by the talent we look like we'll have in the outfield in AA. Left to right Alex Hassan, Jeremy Hazelbaker, Bryce Brentz.

 

Solid. All 3 are college bats that have produced pretty consistently and all 3 could have at least some big league roleplaying utility.

 

LF Alex Hassan hit .291/.404/.456 in AA last year. That's a pretty solid number. Unfortunately, his range in left is mediocre and offensively he is probably going to top out somewhere between Matt Murton and Troy O'Leary, which is a kind of player we don't have room for. Most likely gets traded but is good enough young enough at a high enough level to get some kind of return.

 

RF Bryce Brentz, easily the least experienced, is the most projectable. Legit high end power, 19 HR's last year in Salem, big righthanded hitter who ought to get some attention to make the roster sometime in the next couple years - *IF* he can clean up his hitting approach and control the at bat better, a .336 OBP in A ball at age 22 doesn't inspire confidence. IIRC that's a big improvement from where he was in midseason though, so there's that.

 

CF Jeremy Hazelbaker is interesting. Looks a lot like Brett Gardner only with a bit more power than Gardner displayed in the minors. Legit speed by any standard, and a good OBP to go with it -- that's a good start. Hazelbaker also has the power to do more with the ball than dribble it up the third base line and hope for the best. If he can hit consistently, cut down on strikeouts, hit quality line drives and keep his OBP high as he advanced up the levels, this guy could be your Ellsbury replacement. He's the oldest of the three at 24 though -- running out of time. With his speed, he definitely makes the blg leagues, but is he a definite starter or a bench guy? He's going to answer that question over the next couple years.

 

Anyway, I figure those 3 guys are worth keeping an eye on this year, especially Brentz and Hazelbaker. If they're cooking, and Ross and whatsisface aren't, we could see some callups in the outfield and after Kalish it's pretty much those three, I wouldn't trust anyone in AAA but Nava, and you all disagree on Nava. So there's a legit chance to see any or all of these 3 for at least a cup or two of coffee by September.

[Emmz]

Do we really want a Brett Gardner type of guy out there. Aside from being fast and having a really really good UZR, all that can be said is he tries to get walks.

 

Nava's a no, he really hasn't done anything but hit that grand slam and be good in the minors. Not sold he can be good in the majors at all.

[User Name]

Brentz will get his cup of coffee next year. The problem is that it may not be with the Red Sox.

[jacksonianmarch]

Do we really want a Brett Gardner type of guy out there. Aside from being fast and having a really really good UZR, all that can be said is he tries to get walks.

 

Nava's a no, he really hasn't done anything but hit that grand slam and be good in the minors. Not sold he can be good in the majors at all.

 

Brett Gardner is possibly the most underrated player in baseball. If Hazelbaker turned into a guy with elite defensive skills who could steal 50 bases and reach base 35% of the time, you'd be ecstatic

[Dojji]

Do we really want a Brett Gardner type of guy out there. Aside from being fast and having a really really good UZR' date=' all that can be said is he tries to get walks.[/quote']

 

Those are two pretty big attributes to set aside Emmz. And starting CF's have made careers out of speed, high UZR and being able to take walks.

 

Besides, Hazelbaker has shown some ability to drive the ball. This is not Joey Gathright.

 

Nava's a no, he really hasn't done anything but hit that grand slam and be good in the minors. Not sold he can be good in the majors at all.

 

Depends on what you mean by Good. He isn't going to have any 35 HR seasons. but if all you need is a guy who could hit .270 off the bench from the right side, he can probably do that for you.

[Dojji]

Brett Gardner is possibly the most underrated player in baseball. If Hazelbaker turned into a guy with elite defensive skills who could steal 50 bases and reach base 35% of the time' date=' you'd be ecstatic[/quote']

 

I agree with Jacko. Power is not everything, even in outfielders.

[User Name]

 

Depends on what you mean by Good. He isn't going to have any 35 HR seasons. but if all you need is a guy who could hit .270 off the bench from the right side, he can probably do that for you.

 

Why do you continue to tout Nava as a legitimate MLB option? He's not good enough.

[Emmz]

Brett Gardner is possibly the most underrated player in baseball. If Hazelbaker turned into a guy with elite defensive skills who could steal 50 bases and reach base 35% of the time' date=' you'd be ecstatic[/quote']

 

Of course I would, if Gardner had anything else offensively to add, yeah. Even though those guys never last, I'd be happy to get a handful of good years out of someone like that. Gardner is not that good, looks like Chone Figgins, but he gets on base and he's fast.

[The Boomer]

Hazelbaker (sic?) seems to lack the arm and range for a MLB CF job. He's 24 and there may not be much more filling out to happen, so he's a reach as a LFer in the AL East where the CFer is not named Granderson or Ellsbury. He could definitely be useful somewhere though.

 

I like Brentz a lot and I hope he's still at Portland in August, when I will likely check out a game.

[a700hitter]

Hazelbaker (sic?) seems to lack the arm and range for a MLB CF job. He's 24 and there may not be much more filling out to happen, so he's a reach as a LFer in the AL East where the CFer is not named Granderson or Ellsbury. He could definitely be useful somewhere though.

 

I like Brentz a lot and I hope he's still at Portland in August, when I will likely check out a game.

I saw this kid a couple of years ago in Ft. Myers. He looked terrible in the OF. He couldn't track fly balls at all.

[The Boomer]

I saw this kid a couple of years ago in Ft. Myers. He looked terrible in the OF. He couldn't track fly balls at all.

 

Which kid are you talking about?

[a700hitter]

Which kid are you talking about?

Hazelbaker.

[The Boomer]

Hazelbaker.

 

Yeah, that was what I meant by "range". Soxprospects says the same thing.

[jacksonianmarch]

Of course I would' date=' if Gardner had anything else offensively to add, yeah. Even though those guys never last, I'd be happy to get a handful of good years out of someone like that. Gardner is not that good, looks like Chone Figgins, but he gets on base and he's fast.[/quote']

 

His WAR says he's very good

[Emmz]

Even though his OPS+ went down almost 20 pts from 2010. He's good now, but he'll be done by his early 30s or sooner unless he learns how to hit. He's not going to keep getting by on walks.

[Dojji]

Why do you continue to tout Nava as a legitimate MLB option? He's not good enough.

 

Because I think there's some issues people aren't separating properly. No one's saying Nava's good enough to beat out Ellsbury or a healthy Crawford to be a starting outfielder, but he has some skills I find useful in backups. He's probably a better platoon hitter than McDonald for example.

[Dojji]

Even though his OPS+ went down almost 20 pts from 2010. He's good now' date=' but he'll be done by his early 30s or sooner unless he learns how to hit. He's not going to keep getting by on walks.[/quote']

 

In what sense can Hazelbaker not hit? Hazelbaker hasn't slugged less than .420 in the last 2 years despite advancing three levels in that time. His OBP is more than acceptable despite a drop in average, and the speed hasn't gone anywhere. He's not Torii Hunter, but he's not Willy Taveras either.

 

He does need to cut down on the strikeouts and hit for a higher average, but "needs to learn to hit" isn't really a fair way of putting it. If anything, the bat's a fair bit ahead of the defense with this guy.

 

Also if he's declining in his early 30's it's probably because you've gotten 4-5 good years out of him. That's really not a bad ROI.

[Emmz]

In what sense can Hazelbaker not hit? Hazelbaker hasn't slugged less than .420 in the last 2 years despite advancing three levels in that time. His OBP is more than acceptable despite a drop in average, and the speed hasn't gone anywhere. He's not Torii Hunter, but he's not Willy Taveras either.

 

He does need to cut down on the strikeouts and hit for a higher average, but "needs to learn to hit" isn't really a fair way of putting it. If anything, the bat's a fair bit ahead of the defense with this guy.

 

Also if he's declining in his early 30's it's probably because you've gotten 4-5 good years out of him. That's really not a bad ROI.

 

This was about the Brett Gardner comparison.

[Dojji]

Oh OK. Sorry.

[User Name]

Because I think there's some issues people aren't separating properly. No one's saying Nava's good enough to beat out Ellsbury or a healthy Crawford to be a starting outfielder' date=' but he has some skills I find useful in backups. He's probably a better platoon hitter than McDonald for example.[/quote']

 

What skills? He actually regressed last year in AAA, and McDonald is not a valid comparison, because he can actually run and play D.

[jacksonianmarch]

Nava is a cup of coffee player and AAAA fodder. Cue the Tug Hulett Dojji priapism