Quote:
Originally Posted by RedsManRick
BP did an informal survey a while back (think it was Kevin Goldstein) which basically tried to find a guy who had a ton of tools but who was just really raw and who then turned in to a very good player. To many people's surprise, they couldn't find anybody.
Anyways, I prefer somebody who's shown more tools, even at 20. He not only has strikezone issues but contact issues. There's a long history of guys who could run, throw and hit for power but never turned into very good baseball players.
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At some point, everyone is raw. One problem with guys like Yorman is that because of their ability to sign at such a young age, they aren't really put on the same plan as others. Most guys his age were drafted just last year. How would his "rawness" look if he was in the Arizona League last year and Billings this past season? It is a tough thing and I often wonder if the aggressive promotion of guys like him, who have tools but not always the best eye at the plate, isn't extremely detrimental to them.
As for the "raw" to something category, the first two guys who jumped to mind were Sammy Sosa and Randy Johnson. More recently: Jose Bautista (I know, clearly different problems than Yorman has, but he went from a guy who had some tools he couldn't use to one of the best hitters in the league).