SB Nation User Blog: jmcclain19

Spring Thoughts: How would you fix the Pirates?

jmcclain19 — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 08:08:37 -0000

Mostly because I tire of the same repeated Reds stories coming out of all the Reds sites, media outlets and the national media of the last several weeks - and because a Bucs Dugout diary cross post from yesterday inspired this idea.

Lets step outside the box as Reds fans and put on your GM caps - Pretend your Neal Huntington for a day. How would you fix the Pirates?

It's tough as Reds fans to remember some times that there are fans who have had it worse off for longer than the Reds have. And the Pirates would definitely be one of those teams.

I'm looking for some honest answers - and I know there are some astute baseball fans around here.

Pirates 40 Man Roster
Top Prospects List
(Baseball America) (Baseball Prospectus)

2007 Draft - Day 1 Results

jmcclain19 — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:41:42 -0000

Day One of the Draft is over, and here is who the Reds ended up with and any videos that MiLB.com has on file

1st - Devin Mesoraco, C, HS - Scouting Video
SuppA - Todd Frazier, SS, Rutgers - Scouting Video
SuppB - Kyle Lotzkar, RHP, HS - Scouting Video
2nd - Zack Cozart, SS, Ole Miss - Scouting Video
3rdA - Scott Carroll, RHP, Missouri St
3rdB - Neftali Soto, SS, HS - Scouting Video
4th - Blake Stouffer, 1B, Texas A&M
5th - Andrew Bowman, LHP, Nebraska

And here's what Baseball America has to say about each

Mesoraco

As strong as this year's high school class was considered at the outset of the season, it got even better when high school righthanders Jarrod Parker and Nevin Griffith and Mesoraco came out of the gate showing better tools and ability than they had last summer and fall. Griffith and Mesoraco appeared in showcases, but they didn't show impact potential until this spring, and Mesoraco has been the biggest riser of them all. An arm injury led to Tommy John surgery when he was a sophomore, and he was relegated to DH duties as a junior. His arm strength has slowly returned, and this spring he has shown a 70 arm with quick, efficient releases. Defensively, Mesoraco compares favorably to 2001 Angels first-rounder Jeff Mathis, with athleticism serving as the foundation of an agile, quick-twitch player who receives and blocks exceptionally well. He shows above-average bat speed and 50-55 power at the plate. He's a solid-average runner, too, rounding out a legitimate five-tool package that probably won't make it out of the first round.

Frazier

Todd is the third Frazier brother who will be drafted, following Jeff (Mariners) and Charlie (Marlins) in the legacy of the famed Tom's River, N.J., Little League teams of the late 1990s. He has been a three-year starter at Rutgers and carved a reputation as a solid all-around player with a long track record of performance despite a modest tool set. He raised his profile by showing plus power with wood last summer with the college national team, but scouts are apprehensive about his long-term ability to hit for average because of unorthodox swing mechanics. He's a solid-average runner with adequate hands and an average arm, tools that might play at third base or second, but not at shortstop. His instincts and makeup are outstanding, and if he gets to his power as a pro, he'll play his way into a big league lineup. He should be drafted no later than the second round.

Lotzkar

It's an unprecedented year for talent in Canada, and Lotzkar has established himself as the consensus second-best Canadian prospect behind Phillippe Aumont. He played on a club team coached by Doug Mathieson, the father of Phillies righthander Scott. Lotzkar, 17, developed physically at the perfect time, adding 15 pounds of muscle and two inches between last summer and this spring. His fastball sits near 91 mph, touching 94. His arm action is loose and clean, though he doesn't repeat his delivery and remains unrefined as a pitcher. His command is erratic. His breaking ball has improved, while his changeup is below-average. Lotzkar turned in an impressive showing in Florida in front of a throng of scouts in April, and because he's projectable and has shown feel for two potentially plus pitches, he's a candidate to be taken in the supplemental round.

Cozart

In this year's draft class, Cozart is a commodity as a college position player with passable skills in the field and at the plate. One scout described him as a "manager's dream" for his hustle and steadiness. He swung the bat best down the stretch this year and may have played his way into the supplemental round. A player in the mold of Adam Everett, his glove is ahead of his bat and he's an above-average defender with solid-average range, supple hands and enough arm to make the play in the hole. He is a solid-average runner. Cozart is a dead-pull hitter with solid-average bat speed and gap power. He cheats on fastballs on the inner half and can be susceptible to balls on the outer half of the plate. How well he handles the wood bat will determine his ultimate value, but he's a backup big league shortstop at worst.

Carroll

Signability concerns have caused Carroll to slide in two previous drafts, but he should go in the first five rounds this June. He ranked as Missouri's top high school pitching prospect in 2003 (ahead of eventual 2006 first-rounders Max Scherzer and Kris Johnson), when a scholarship to play quarterback at Purdue scared teams off. Carroll didn't play much in football and wasn't allowed to play baseball in two years with the Boilermakers, so he transferred to Missouri State. He started for the Bears at quarterback in the fall of 2005 and showed a live arm as a pitcher last spring, but his demands for top-three-round money as a draft-eligible sophomore knocked him down to the Angels in the 16th round. Los Angeles wanted to follow his progress in the Cape Cod League, but he came down with biceps tendinitis and returned to Missouri State, giving up football. Carroll has shown progress in his second year back on the mound, and has added 15 pounds of muscle and now carries 220 on his 6-foot-5 frame. His fastball sits at 91-92 mph and touches 94, and he has done a better job of maintaining his velocity through games and the season as a whole. He has replaced a flat changeup with a low-80s splitter and added a low-80s slider to go with a slow curveball that he uses as a change of pace. Carroll trusts his secondary stuff and locates his pitches more now than he did a year ago. He projects more as a reliever in pro ball, a role in which he could air out his fastball and wouldn't have to rely on his breaking pitches as much.

Soto

Of Puerto Rico's three most established prospects, Soto has the best present hitting ability, showing more power than Reynoldo Navarro and making better contact than Angel Morales. Unlike those two, Soto isn't expected to stay in the middle of the diamond. He's an adequate defender with solid-average arm strength who has improved his lateral quickness and running since last fall, but ultimately Soto's bat is going to have to carry him. He has a rudimentary feel for the strike zone, with a willingness to work counts. He has a whippy swing with plus bat speed, though his swing gets long at times. Balls jump off his barrel, and if he can continue to make adjustments he might develop into a heart-of-the-order slugger with lots of doubles and 25 home runs a year.

Stouffer

First baseman/third baseman Blake Stouffer also has improved significantly for the Aggies. He barely played as a freshman and hit .259 as a sophomore, but he hinted at his breakout with a strong performance in the Alaska League last summer. Stouffer has jumped his average to .391 this spring and stole 20 bases in Texas A&M's run-happy attack. He's a switch-hitter who can hit for average and gap power, and he's a good athlete and runner, but his future defensive position has scouts perplexed. He doesn't have enough power to play on an infield corner as a pro, and he may not have the hands to handle second base, which would give him the best chance to make the majors. He could wind up as a center fielder or as a utilityman.

Bowman

Drew Bowman entered 2004 as one of the top high school lefties in the nation, but his velocity dropped and a commitment to Arizona State clouded his signability, so he fell to the Brewers in the 21st round. He redshirted in 2005 and pitched sparingly in 2006, prompting his transfer to Nebraska. Scouts have seen him touch 93 with his lively fastball this spring, but they'd like to see more of him to know if he's legitimate. In the last seven weeks before the NCAA regionals, he made two appearances and retired just one of the seven batters he faced. Bowman's secondary pitches are inconsistent, and there are questions about his mental toughness.

The 2007 Draft - Who to watch for Part II

jmcclain19 — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 04:42:32 -0000

In our first 2007 Draft installment, we took a look at who the Reds could potentially take with the 15th overall pick.

Next up we're going to put the spotlight on who the Reds could potentially (or should) target with their two picks in the lengthy Supplemental round, the 34th & 53rd overall picks. I've just thrown a bunch of names out there that could go in either slot, as once you get past the top 10-12 guys, the next 30-50 aren't that far apart talent wise. I don't pretend to have any insider information, and most baseball pundits don't venture a guess beyond the 1st round, so this is just a compilation of some interesting draft prospects.

Corey Brown, CF, Oklahoma State
All around athlete with big time pop and gold glove-esq CF defensive skills - but with potential holes in his swing. Sound familiar to anyone?

Tim Alderson, RHP, Horizon HS, Scottsdale
Real wild card. Dominating stuff with mid 90's fastball & a nasty offspeed offering to go with pinpoint control. But he's got a weird motion, violent mechanics, and only pitches out of the stretch. Some see him as an ace, others as a closer, others as a TJ surgery waiting to happen.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Brad Suttle, 3B, Univ of Texas
If the Reds don't decide to go the Dominguez/Aherns route with their first pick, perhaps this is another way to get a bat from a corner IF spot. Strong Arm & good D to go with solid gap power, but he's slow, many wonder if he'll ever hit for power and he's only a sophomore so he'll have some serious leverage to use on Draft Day.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Kyle Russell, OF, Univ of Texas
Lefty/Lefty Athletic OF type with big time power but the same Stubbs type questions of whether his power is a non-wood bat mirage. Strikes out by the bushel. Just like Suttle, a sophomore seeking big time money who will have some leverage to use.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Kyle Blair, RHP, Los Gatos HS, Calif
Polished HS pitcher with excellent control and three good pitches to go with his low 90s fastball. But none of the three are well above average and he's a relative new comer to the scene after skyrocketing the last few months.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Aaron Poreda, LHP, Univ of San Francisco
Big 6-6 lefty with plus mid 90s fastball with excellent command. Might be Aaron Harang's left handed twin. No real solid pitches beyond his fastball though & has low career strikeout rates.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Nick Noonan, SS/2B, Francis Parker HS, Calif
So I'll let a little personal info slip in, this is the guy that I wish beyond hope that the Reds can nab at 34. Loads of Chase Utley comparisons fit in here. Big time left handed bat, extremely athletic, above average base stealer - above average at every tool, though not spectacular. He'll be a middle infielder, but the knock on him is that despite being a SS up till now, he just won't cut it range or arm wise as a major league SS.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Yasmani Grandal, C, Miami Springs HS, Miami
Rated as one of the best, if not a close 2nd, defensive catchers available in the draft. Like most catchers, has questions on whether or not his bat will take him to the bigs.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Justin Jackson, SS, Roberson HS, Asheville, N.C.
Well above aveage defensive SS with a cannon for an arm. According to BA some scouts think he'll eventually hit for power, others don't. Prolific basestealer as well
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

Pete Kozma, SS, Owasso HS, OK
Another Johnny Come lately who earned himself quite a bit of cash with a big senior year. Was projected as a 5th to 6th rounder this spring, now is being mentioned as a potential 1st round guy. Not a flashy guy, just solid at every key skill, and could be an every day MLB level SS. Supposedly has off the charts baseball smarts and fundamentals.
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

J.P. Arenciba, C, Tennessee
Another catcher with a big time bat. However unlike the others previously listed, there are some, but not unanimous doubts that Arenciba is good enough to stay a catcher. Question is do you think his bat's special enough if he's a 1B?
MiLB.com Scouting Report & Video

That's about half the list, I'll see if we can finish the other half tomorrow

The 2007 Draft - Who to watch for

jmcclain19 — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 23:36:57 -0000

With the calendar turning to June, that means the MLB draft is just around the corner.

The Reds have themselves quite a few picks in the first 150, and to start us off, here is a quick rundown of players to look out for with the Reds 15th overall pick - guys who likely to be available and/or have been rumored to be linked with the Reds.

Matt Wieters, C/RP, Georgia Tech
Boras guy, may fall due to signing demands. Consensus best college hitter available (as a switch hitter no less), made even more elite by the fact he is a catcher. Also serves as the Yellow Jackets closer.
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Matt Dominguez, 3B, HS
Reds are familiar with him as he attends the same high school as last year's X round pick Josh Ravin. Big time power bat combined with gold glove defense at third base.
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Jason Heyward, OF/1B, HS
Huge monster power with good strike zone judgement from the left side. Plays CF now but will likely be a LF or 1B in the bigs. Scouting video shows he would be quite the athletic first baseman.
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Kevin Aherns, SS/3B, HS
All around package from Texas, a switch hitting SS who may stay there or slide over to 3B. Was on no one's radar until the last few months, when he rocketed up the charts with a huge senior year (a la Jay Bruce).
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Blake Beavan, RHP, HS
Baseball America reports that the Reds would love to see Beavan fall to them, but it's highly likely that someone will take him before 15. Big 6'7 righty with a nasty 96mph heater and pinpoint control.
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Julio Borbon, OF, Tennessee
Baseball Prospectus floated his name as a potential Reds target due to Chris Buckley's history of only drafting College Bats in the first round (and the lack of them available). Boras client just like Wieters. Been injured for most of the season, but a lefty/lefty speedster in CF with power potential.
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Matt LaPorta, 1B, Florida
Probably the best college power hitter available. Excellent eye & strikezone judgement. Former catcher turned 1B, has had a breakout senior season at Florida after underwhelming in 2006. Not really a defensive stalwort, although the scouting reports say he's much improved at 1B this season.
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Devin Mesoraco, C, HS
Not even making Top 50 lists just a few months ago, another HS bat making noise just weeks before the draft. Baseball America now lists him as the best HS catcher available. Excellent defender with a plus arm and big power bat. What's not to like?
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Nick Schmidt, LHP, Arkansas
The Schmidt rumor has popped up in a few places, with the Reds taking the big polished lefty ace from the SEC. Schmidt has a plus fastball and a plus changeup to go with excellent command. Some may say it's an overdraft because he's listed in most places in the 22-28 range, but it's not overdrafting if you get the guy you really wanted.
MiLB.com scouting information & video

Red Reporter meet up ..... in Phoenix

jmcclain19 — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 22:50:45 -0000

Well, here is our chance to be like the cool kids with all the Red Reporter meet ups back east.

Yes, I know this may just be me (and possibly Justin of JinAZ fame) on Wednesday night, but occasionally I've met up with posters from here and Redszone, so I'm throwing it out there as an open invite.

I've got tickets to Monday & Wednesday's games, so if anyone is looking to enjoy an adult beverage or two and talk about the Reds before the game, post here and we'll hammer out the details.

Beyond the Boxscore's '07 Reds Preview

jmcclain19 — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 21:56:05 -0000

Fellow SBNation Blog Beyond the Boxscore (a daily read for me) offered up their 2007 preview of the Reds today - and lets just say they didn't pull any punches

http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/story/2007/3/17/81715/2385

I gotta say, though, it's tough to be positive about the Reds. Sure, in Homer Bailey and maybe Chris Denorfia, the Reds have a couple of kids who could make a difference, but probably not enough this year to matter. In the big picture, though, the Reds are built around a couple of starters coming off of career years, an incredibly shaky bullpen, and an offense that...well, better be improved on defense.

. . .

If you're going to take on a lot of risk, you want to make sure you have the possibility for an appropriate reward. By building an old team with too many stopgaps at important positions, the Reds have left open the possibility of a disastrous season without the upside of a very successful one.
Sure, if Griffey stays healthy, Arroyo and Harang repeat, and Homer Bailey provides a Jered Weaver-like second half, the Reds could easily crack .500 and maybe even find themselves briefly in the wild card race. But it's tough to see even that degree of luck finding its way to Cincinnati.
The Reds may be a better team than their division rival Pirates, but that doesn't mean they're a better-run franchise, at least for the next year or so. It's tough to imagine a nastier thing to say, but I'm afraid it's a fair judgment. One can only hope disaster strikes early enough that Krivsky doesn't last much longer.

I would tend to agree with most everything Jeff posted - except that I think Krivsky will be given longer to sort things out. Doesn't exactly bring sunshine to your day, but the truth can be a little tough to swallow sometimes.

I'm happier with the direction of the franchise, but not happy, if that makes sense. My secret twisted hope for the season is that the Reds bomb big time out of the gate - forcing Krivsky to pull a Terry Ryan of 2006 - dump all the worthless/over the hill vets and go cheap & young - and salvage whatever you can out of it.

1st hand account of Today's (03/14) Game vs. Rockies

jmcclain19 — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:05:35 -0000

Hey everyone - So here's my rundown of today's game.

I'm new the site - and I won't pretend I'm a die hard Royals fan - I'm actually a lifelong Reds fanatic and a frequent poster over at Royals Review's SBNation Sister site Red Reporter.

But I am an AZ resident, and over the last several years have become more and more a fan of quite a few KC players (Particularly Teahen, Greinke & DeJesus)

I've been poking around here for a while, and after today's game I thought I'd break my cherry.

Anyway - I was able to skip out of work this afternoon and head over to Surprise to catch the Royals/Rockies. Here's what I saw.

Zack Grienke - Excellent excellent day from him. Was pretty filthy - albiet against the Rox B Squad. Was up at 92 with his fastball and was spotting it pretty well. He was running the full speed ladder - with his big looping curve coming in at 69 (he only threw it 3 times that I remember) with his changeup in the mid 70s and his slurvy/slider along with a two seamer in the mid 80s. Had two K's looking from his breaking stuff.

Dotel - was dialing it up today. Hit 96 at one point and 95 on a few others. Doubt he broke a sweat.

Kenny Ray - Was just awful. Baker hit an absolute bomb off him to LF - into the Parking Lot as a no doubter. Hit it like he knew it was coming. The next two hits were rockets as well.

Teahen - One of the Rockies lefites (Mabry?) got good wood on a shot to the gap, and he noticably went towards the line with his first step, but recovered nicely to make the grab. Other than that the few hit his way he looked more comfortable than when I saw him last week. Big fly to CF that left the yard. German right before him hit nearly an identical shot that was about five feet lower and bounced off the top of the wall. Teahen's was nearly a mirror just with more umph behind it. Also had a really nice swipe off Lopez - Ianetta didn't really have a chance to get him.

Gordon - made two solid plays in the field - but nothing really at the plate that was noteworthy.

Other than that - it was an enjoyable afternoon, gorgeous day at about 88 degrees out here in AZ.

Your 2007 Reds Pitching Staff: Return of the Hippies

jmcclain19 — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 08:59:06 -0000

Seriously - did I miss a fad when long hair suddenly became en vogue?

Homer Bailey

Gary Majewski

Paul Wilson

Eric Milton

Bronson Arroyo

Not that I really truly care how they players crop their dew - I just find it amusing and odd on some level. It's like the bizarro world Marge Schott era Reds.

I promise this will be the last time I talk all season about players grooming. Well - hopefully the last time. Unless others have a drastic need to be made fun of. Then the deal is off.

Does Hitting in Rookie Ball Matter?

jmcclain19 — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 21:11:05 -0000

In light of Reds 2006 No. 1 pick's performance at Billings this summer, I decided to do a little investigation.

This is a question I've always had, When does whether or not a player can hit matter to their future chances as a major leaguer? Is it rookie ball? Is it A or AA ball? Using Drew Stubbs as my main point of debate, I posed the question. Does hitting in Rookie Ball matter?

First, I wanted to look at some of Drew's peers. Coming out of college, Stubbs was considered one of the best college hitters available.

I'm using OPS for comparison - an imperfect stat, but an excellent quick and dirty way to show batting eye & power.

Lets look back a few years just to let some history develop. These are the top College draftable bats of the year, taken in the 1st round of that year's draft.

2002 Draft 1st Round College Bats
Drew Meyer - Skipped Rookie Ball - Started off in Low A where he OPS'd 593 - and he's been awful ever since. A career AAAA player.
Khalil Greene - Skipped Rookie Ball - Put up an OPS of 893 in High A in his first year.
Russ Adams - Skipped Rookie Ball - OPS'd 933 for Low A in his first year
Nick Swisher - Skipped Rookie Ball - Started in Low A with an OPS of 888.

2003 Draft 1st round College Bats
Rickie Weeks - Played 1 game at Rookie ball before moving to Low A to OPS 1050
Michael Aubrey - Skipped Rookie ball and went straight to Low A where he OPS'd 960.
Aaron Hill - Skipped Rookie Ball and went straight to Low A where he OPS'd 938.
Brian Anderson - Played 13 games at Rookie ball (and OPSing 1084 in 58PA) before moving on to High A and put up an OPS of 925.
Brad Snyder - Skipped Rookie Ball and went straight to Low A where he put up an OPS of 860
Conor Jackson - Skipped Rookie Ball where he moved onto High A and OPS'd 943

2004 Draft 1st round College Bats
Stephen Drew - Sat out a year, but when he came back, he skipped Rookie Ball and started at High A where he put up an OPS of 1224
Josh Fields - Skipped Rookie Ball - Started off at High A where he put up an OPS of 778
Landon Powell - Skipped Rookie Ball - Started off in Low A where he put up an OPS of 725
Richard Robnett - Skipped Rookie Ball - Started in Low A where he put up an OPS of 841

So we have a couple of players on there who started off with a 1st season OPS under 800 (like Stubbs 768). Drew Meyer, a player who has proven that he pretty much can't hit at any level going on four years now. Landon Powell, a catcher who didn't start out on fire a full level above Stubbs, and Josh Fields, who didn't play baseball full time until he was drafted, but still put up the same numbers as Stubbs two full levels above him. Fields went crazy the next summer, and is now regarded as one of the White Sox top prospects.

The rest, all put up better numbers, and they did it against better competition at a higher level.

But that could be just a small sample size. So, just for fun, here is a link to every Red playing right now, every Red from the last couple of seasons, several AAAA players, and a few top prospects in the Reds system right now. Take a peek at how everyone did in Rookie ball, and how old they were when they went thru that level. You'll notice that for College players - the overwhelming majority were deemed a good enough hitters to skip rookie ball altogether.

Drew Stubbs - College Player - 21 - .251AVG/.366OBP/.402SLG/.768OPS

Drafted as a College Player
David Ross - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Jason LaRue - College Player - 21 - .273AVG/.366OBP/.410SLG/.776OPS
Scott Hatteberg - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Rich Aurilia - College Player - 20 - .337AVG/.453OBP/.465SLG/.918OPS
Ryan Freel - JunCollege Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Chris Denorfia - College Player - 22 - .340AVG/.425OBP/.405SLG/.830OPS
Sean Casey - College player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Joe Randa - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Dane Sardinha - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Jacob Cruz - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Brandon Larson - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Tim Hummell - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Barry Larkin - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
John Vander Wal - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Jermaine Clark - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Corky Miller - College Player - 22 - .271AVG/.455OBP/.450SLG/.905OPS
Brendan Harris - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Jesse Guiterrez - College Player - 23 - .294/AVG.302OBP/.550SLG/.852OPS
Matt Kata - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Andy Abad - College Player - 21 - .248AVG/.326OBP/.317SLG/.643OPS
Aaron Boone - College Player - 21 - .273AVG/.362OBP/.453SLG/.815OPS
Kelly Stinnett - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Steve Smitherman - College Player - 21 - .316AVG/.373OBP/.551SLG/.924OPS
Eric Valent - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Todd Walker - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Brady Clark - College Player - Skipped Rookie Ball

Drafted as a High School Player
Javier Valentin - HS Player - 17 & 18 - .226AVG/.290OBP/.356SLG/.646OPS
Royce Clayton - HS Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Brandon Phillips - HS Player - 18 - .290AVG/.352OBP/.408SLG/.760OPS
Edwin Encarnacion - HS Player - 17 & 18 - .284AVG/.333OBP/.384SLG/.717OPS
Adam Dunn - HS Player - 18 - .288AVG/.404OBP/.424SLG/.828OPS
Ken Griffey - HS Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Joey Votto - HS Player - 18 & 19 - .296AVG/.407OBP/.506SLG/.913OPS
Jay Bruce - HS Player - 18 - .266AVG/.341OBP/.484SLG/.825OPS
Austin Kearns - HS Player - 18 - .315AVG/.433OBP/.426SLG/.859OPS
Felipe Lopez - HS Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Todd Hollandsworth - HS Player - Skipped Rookie Ball
Jason Romano - HS Player - 18 - .257AVG/.340OBP/.413SLG/.753OPS
Brandon Watson - HS Player - 17 - .303AVG/.365OBP/.319SLG/.684SLG
Norris Hopper - HS Player - 19 & 20 - .279AVG/.350OBP/.314SLG/.664OPS
Cody Ross - HS Player - 18 - .218AVG/.303OBP/.401SLG/.704OPS
Reggie Taylor - HS Player - 18 - .222AVG/.295OBP/.314SLG/.609OPS
Russell Branyon - HS Player - 18 - 211AVG/.316OBP/.357SLG/.673OPS
Dernell Stenson - HS Player - 18 - .216AVG/.332OBP/.330SLG/.662OPS
Gookie Dawkins - HS Player - 18 - .241AVG/.315OBP/.308SLG/.623OPS

Signed as a Free Agent
Anderson Machado - FA Player - 17 & 18 - .226AVG/.318OBP/.296SLG/.614OPS
Miguel Perez - FA Player - 17 & 18 - .345AVG/.406OBP/.406SLG/.812OPS
Juan Castro - FA Player - 19 - .276AVG/.375OBP/.327SLG/.702OPS
Wily Mo Pena - FA Player - 17 - .247AVG/.303OBP/.446SLG/.749OPS
Ray Olmedo - FA Player - 18 - .236AVG/.286OBP/.323SLG/.609OPS
D'Angelo Jiminez - FA Player - 17 - .280AVG/.354OBP/.449SLG/.803OPS
Ruben Mateo - FA Player - 17 - .301AVG/.376OBP/.455SLG/.831OPS
Jose Guillen - FA Player - 18 - .264AVG/.313OBP/.427SLG/.740OPS

And here are the players from the 2002, 2003 & 2004 Billings teams who did not post at least an .800 OPS
2002
Brad Correll
Daniel Mateo
Walter Olmstead
Alan Moye
Steve Booth
Troy Cairns
Manuel Paula
Rafael Motooka
Jarrod Schmidt
Ryan Fry
Jared Humphries
Yinner Colina
Jeremy Ison
2003
Chris Dickerson
Rusty Beale
Rusty Beale
Phil Gentry
Robert Mosby
Troy Cairns
Juan Acevedo
Will Hudson
Chad Ziemendorf
Kyle Smith
Clay Cleveland
Manuel Paula
Jeff Urgelles
Ivan Reyes
Tonys Gutierrez
Rafael Motooka
2004
Bradley Key
Trevor Lawhorn
Paul Janish
Drew Anderson
Travis Kaats
Craig Tatum
Drew Phillips
Elvin Beltre
B.J. Szymanski
Jason Ellis
Tiago Campos
J.D. Roberts
Jordan Belcher
Matt Levering
Reynaldo Gonzalez
The HS players and FA signings are a big mish mash of results, but because of their relative young age, all had years to develop before moving up to the higher levels. You'll notice the 2002-2004 Billings list littered with washouts and failures, not a single real prospect on that list.

So there you have it. My first breakdown of the season. Does Stubbs still have a chance to turn out to be something? Sure, the game of baseball has lots of quirky ways about it. Stubbs could go ballistic this summer and render this entire discussion mute. But it certainly doesn't look promising.

All points to skewer or help build upon my methods and conclusions are welcomed and encouraged.
Edited some formatting & spelling @5pm

Shocking Breaking News ... Kerry Wood is Injured

jmcclain19 — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:53:23 -0000

No punchline needed.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/mlb/story/9999764

MESA, Ariz. -- Oft-injured Kerry Wood is out again -- this time because of a flub in a hot tub.
The Chicago Cubs pitcher is not expected to throw off the mound for a few days after he slipped this week getting out of a hot tub at home. Wood landed on his stomach and chest.
"It was just a little spill," Wood said Thursday. "I didn't think anything of it. Nothing's wrong. It's just going to be a few extra days. My arm feels great. My body feels good."
Wood said he probably would not have thrown off the mound until Friday had he not gotten hurt. He participated in most drills on Thursday when pitchers and catchers worked out for the first time.
Bothered by an injured right shoulder the past three seasons, Wood is being converted to a reliever after being limited to four starts last year.