Going into last year, Stephen Drew had all of the hype; Yunel Escobar had very little. Then Drew hits less than .250 and Escobar hits .326.

Most commentators expect Drew to perform better and Escobar to perform worse. Drew is projected to hit .260 - .270, and Escobar .280 - .300.

Looking at batting average only, who would you rather have for the next 5 years - Drew or Escobar?
 

John posted a crystal ball for Grady Sizemore on this site in April 2006. Sizemore's actual performance in 2006 and 2007 was pretty close to what John had included in his crystal ball for those years.

For 2008 - 2010, John's crystal ball suggested a big step-up in performance - .304, 22 HR, 100 RBI in 2008; .334, 33HR, 119 RBI in 2009; .336, 35 HR, 117 RBI in 2010.

I understand that John posts the crystal balls to promote discussion and not as predictions of future performance, but Sizemore will not turn 26 until August and he is about to enter what should be his peak years. He also hit LH pitching better last year, although he did markedly worse against RH pitching.

How do you think Sizemore will do over the next few years?

Has anyone heard any updates concerning Tabata's wrist? If his wrist problems turn out to be chronic he obviously will lose a lot of value. If not, I believe he will be a Yankee prospect who lives up to the hype.

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I see Matt Wieters compared a lot to Jason Varitek, which is not surprising since they both are switch-hitting catchers from Georgia Tech.

Varitek has had a decent career but has never hit .300 and never hit more than 25 HR is a season.

Do you think Wieters' major league career will be comparable to Varitek's, or will Wieters be a better hitter?    

Despite playing in a very good home ballpark for hitters, all of the young D'Backs have struggled -particularly Jackson, Quentin, and Drew. I expected Jackson to build on last season and hit .300 or better this year.

Do you think Jackson is just experiencing normal growing pains and will eventually turn it around, or was he overrated after playing in favorable hitters' parks in the minor leagues?  

Weeks was toward the top of almost everyone's prospects list a few years ago and the #2 pick after Delmon Young in the draft. Last year he looked like he was developing pretty well (particularly given that he playing with a bad thumb) but this year he's really struggling and has had wrist problems.

John did a Crystal Ball for Weeks a couple of years ago that included a .294 career batting average and many years well above .300, with good power.

What's your projection for Weeks now based on his performance the last year and a half? Will he eventually develop into the player many expected a few years ago?    

Does anyone know what's going on with Andy LaRoche? Is he still bothered by the shoulder problem? He continues to show very good plate discipline, but his other numbers aren't what I was expecting from him given the year he had last year. Thanks.

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Does anyone have any predictions on how Quentin will do the rest of the year? I know he has been playing with a partially torn labrum, but I don't know if it's affecting his hitting.

Also, I know he's only had 145 AB, but his home/road split is very interesting: 22 for 75 (.293 BA) with 8 doubles and 4 HR at home; 10 for 70 (.143) with 3 doubles and 0 HR on the road.  

I'm trying to decide between Milledge and Carlos Gonzalez. I keep hearing about how great are Gonzalez's tools, but his numbers aren't that great. Milledge's numbers are better and he's not much older than Gonzalez, but he's been knocked for his attitude.

Who do you think will have the better major league career? Are either of these players going to hit for average in the majors?

Thanks.

One prospect who doesn't seem to get a lot of publicity is Jacoby Ellsbury. Whenever he is discussed, it seems like the comparison is always to Johny Damon.

Ellsbury has a good BB/K ratio, and has hit for average in the minors. And unless he's traded, he will play in a good hitter's park in the majors.

Do you think he will be a consistent .300 hitter in the majors?

Do you think Cedric Hunter has more upside (although Hunter is riskier, since he is much further from the majors)?

CBS Sportsline lists the following infield for TB:

1B   Wigginton
2B   Cantu
3B   Upton
SS   Zobrist

Conspicuously absent is Iwamura. It doesn't seem likely that TB would sign Iwamura and then not start him.

Who do you think will end up starting?

There are reports that TB has tried, unsuccessfully, to trade Upton.  Do you think TB opens up a spot at 3B for Iwamura by trading Upton?

Of these three 3B prospects, who would you rather have for the next 10 years?

Any predictions of what a standard line (batting average, HR, RBI) might look like for each of the three durng a typical season during his prime?

Do you see any of them moving from 3B to another position?

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After languishing in the Cleveland organization for years, Brandon Phillips finally got his chance with the Reds this year and has performed pretty well.  He plays good defense at 2B, steals bases and is hitting .296.  His batting average has fluctuated, but he has hit well over .300 in three of the 5 months of the season (every other month).

Is Phillips the real deal?  Do you see him as a consistent .300 hitter during his prime?  Who would you rather have, Phillips or Marcus Giles?

Robinson Cano has followed up a solid rookie season with a terrific sophomore season.  After missing over a month with the hamstring problem he came back and hasn't missed a beat.

When he was coming up through the minors, everything I read said that he was the best of a weak Yankees system but probably not a star.  Do you think he's for real (i.e., a .310 - .330 hitter) or is this year a fluke?

Who would you rather have for the next 10 years, Rickie Weeks or BJ Upton?  Will Weeks stick at 2B?  What position will Upton end up playing?

For me this is a hard choice: Weeks has had hand/wrist injuries two years in a row now. It appears that Upton can't play SS and his performance at AAA this year was underwhleming.

Any thoughts?

What type of player do you think Hank Blalock is going to be for the rest of his career?  After he hit .380 in a partial season in the Florida State League, I thought we were looking at the next George Brett.  However, over the course of the last three years, his batting average has drifted down as he appears to be swinging for the fences all of the time. There's certainly nothing wrong with a third baseman who hits .270 with 30 HR and 100 RBI, but I thought we'd see a higher batting average, particularly given the favorable Arlington ballpark.  Any thoughts?    

I am trying to decide between Gordon and Zimmerman in a keeper league that emphasizes batting average.  After becoming established in the major leagues, will Zimmerman hit .300?  Will Gordon?  Which player would you prefer to have based solely on batting average?

Also, Zimmerman will clearly stay at third base, given his Gold Glove caliber defense.  What about Gordon ?  Do you think he will have to change positions since Mark Teahen is already at third base for the Royals?