Another GBO pitcher to take note of is Enmanuel Chapman. He's a big RHP from Cuba who supposedly throws in the mid-90s. He attracted some attention when he became eligible to sign, but he was something of a mystery because his track record in int'l competition was abysmal due to non-existent control. He's thrown a whopping 3.1 IP so far but he hasn't walked anybody.
Wilbur: I respect your position, but I truly doubt whether any of the 3 hitting prospects have changed their approach to hitting after experiencing very little time with the Pirates last year after the draft, and very little time at Spring Training in 2024. The fact is that they have come to the Pirates in the draft and were paid handsomely for the Hitting skills they brought to the table - the lowest paid was Forrester who was signed for $772 K.
It is way too soon to even approach any of these kids or suggest changes to their method of hitting unless they choose to ask for some input. The Pirates should be patient - give it time.
You mentioned Spring Training and I saw enough of Termarr Johnson in ST to know he excelled and he knows the game well enough to know that he had excelled. How did that work for him? Yep, a trip back to A+, same as if he had hit .100 in ST!
I saw all three of these guys repeatedly right after they signed. Did you? And I've seen them many times since then. They absolutely have changed their approach. That's aside from the fact that prospect evaluators have made that exact observation maybe a thousand times with Termarr. He's a completely different hitter from when they drafted him.
I've wondered about this. When Tremarr was promoted to Bradenton during his draft year, he appeared to be the hitter he was said to be. He controlled the strike zone and he put the ball into play. Since then. He's become a whiff machine. Davis, Gonzales, Puegero, Johnson, Polanco, White have performed below expectations. White (time missed) and Gonzales (swing path issues) can be set aside as players with known problems. Yet what about the rest.
I have my doubts about the instruction given to these hitters. Tremarr Johnson is the test case: Wade Boggs pitch recognition and strike zone control coupled with Vlad Sr's bat-to-ball skills. If the scouts were not deluded, then....
The single biggest change with Termarr -- and it's VERY striking -- is that he's become a dead pull hitter. When I saw him in the FCL and FSL in 2022, he went the other way a lot, even showed some power to left. I'm certain I commented on it here. He doesn't do that any more, strictly tries to pull everything. It's absolutely a change, a very substantial one, in his approach, and it's absolutely playing a significant role in the greatly increased swing and miss. And it's not just me. Every single prospect writer has said this, too.
He's also takes a lot of max effort swings. Even Clemente never made contact with those swings. Johnson certainly can explode on pitches. Bonds' like. But Bond's swing was never erratic. Not so for Johnson.
He looked good in Spring Training this year. I had hoped this meant he was in a better place.
Dotel and Ercolani were major curiosities last year. Poor peripherals, esp BB and K rates, and erratic velocity, but major progress with the results. I was left wondering whether they really had upside or would just remain curiosities. Maybe the former?
Maybe someone like Mackey will have the courage to ask BC why the organization has difficulty getting desired results from hitting prospects. I’m not holding my breath.
I’m traveling for business and will be attending the Thursday evening game. If anyone else is and wants to meet up for a beer let me know. This will be my first taste of A ball.
These writeups get me excited and make me think that we might actually have some more impact prospect depth than I originally thought beyond the top few names
Maybe the club needs to contract out with some type of “hitting finishing school” 😳
For all the good things bubbling around the organization in the minors, I can agree it seems they have major issues getting batters to progress and prosper. 🤷♂️
Another GBO pitcher to take note of is Enmanuel Chapman. He's a big RHP from Cuba who supposedly throws in the mid-90s. He attracted some attention when he became eligible to sign, but he was something of a mystery because his track record in int'l competition was abysmal due to non-existent control. He's thrown a whopping 3.1 IP so far but he hasn't walked anybody.
Wilbur: I respect your position, but I truly doubt whether any of the 3 hitting prospects have changed their approach to hitting after experiencing very little time with the Pirates last year after the draft, and very little time at Spring Training in 2024. The fact is that they have come to the Pirates in the draft and were paid handsomely for the Hitting skills they brought to the table - the lowest paid was Forrester who was signed for $772 K.
It is way too soon to even approach any of these kids or suggest changes to their method of hitting unless they choose to ask for some input. The Pirates should be patient - give it time.
You mentioned Spring Training and I saw enough of Termarr Johnson in ST to know he excelled and he knows the game well enough to know that he had excelled. How did that work for him? Yep, a trip back to A+, same as if he had hit .100 in ST!
I saw all three of these guys repeatedly right after they signed. Did you? And I've seen them many times since then. They absolutely have changed their approach. That's aside from the fact that prospect evaluators have made that exact observation maybe a thousand times with Termarr. He's a completely different hitter from when they drafted him.
I've wondered about this. When Tremarr was promoted to Bradenton during his draft year, he appeared to be the hitter he was said to be. He controlled the strike zone and he put the ball into play. Since then. He's become a whiff machine. Davis, Gonzales, Puegero, Johnson, Polanco, White have performed below expectations. White (time missed) and Gonzales (swing path issues) can be set aside as players with known problems. Yet what about the rest.
I have my doubts about the instruction given to these hitters. Tremarr Johnson is the test case: Wade Boggs pitch recognition and strike zone control coupled with Vlad Sr's bat-to-ball skills. If the scouts were not deluded, then....
The single biggest change with Termarr -- and it's VERY striking -- is that he's become a dead pull hitter. When I saw him in the FCL and FSL in 2022, he went the other way a lot, even showed some power to left. I'm certain I commented on it here. He doesn't do that any more, strictly tries to pull everything. It's absolutely a change, a very substantial one, in his approach, and it's absolutely playing a significant role in the greatly increased swing and miss. And it's not just me. Every single prospect writer has said this, too.
He's also takes a lot of max effort swings. Even Clemente never made contact with those swings. Johnson certainly can explode on pitches. Bonds' like. But Bond's swing was never erratic. Not so for Johnson.
He looked good in Spring Training this year. I had hoped this meant he was in a better place.
And the first kid EVER to end up a different type of hitter than scouts expected of him in high school. Can you believe it!?!?
Dotel and Ercolani were major curiosities last year. Poor peripherals, esp BB and K rates, and erratic velocity, but major progress with the results. I was left wondering whether they really had upside or would just remain curiosities. Maybe the former?
Maybe someone like Mackey will have the courage to ask BC why the organization has difficulty getting desired results from hitting prospects. I’m not holding my breath.
Mackey: So, Ben, Termarr went 1-for-4 yesterday to jump his batting average by 25 points. Doesn’t this validate the coaching?
I’m traveling for business and will be attending the Thursday evening game. If anyone else is and wants to meet up for a beer let me know. This will be my first taste of A ball.
These writeups get me excited and make me think that we might actually have some more impact prospect depth than I originally thought beyond the top few names
Maybe the club needs to contract out with some type of “hitting finishing school” 😳
For all the good things bubbling around the organization in the minors, I can agree it seems they have major issues getting batters to progress and prosper. 🤷♂️