SS/RHP, high school, committed to South Carolina.
Another 2 way player looks intriguing. Scouts are split as to where he'll play. Very athletic guy.
SS/RHP, high school, committed to South Carolina.
Another 2 way player looks intriguing. Scouts are split as to where he'll play. Very athletic guy.
http://www.thestate.com/2013/06/05/2...ould-hear.html
Thompson has been a dominant starting pitcher for Mauldin. Featuring a fastball that consistently clocks 89-92 mph, he had a 1.70 ERA this season. He struck out 67 batters in 53 innings.
But Thompson is also a standout hitter who led off and played shortstop. He hit .416 with 42 runs, six home runs and 23 RBIs. He stole 16 bases in 17 attempts and struck out six times.
While pro scouts have been split on the position Thompson would play, he believes whatever team drafts him will allow him to hit first.
“Some scouts say if hitting doesn’t work out, I could switch back to pitching, but I couldn’t switch back to hitting after not hitting for a few years,” Thompson said.
Thompson, who has committed to South Carolina, said he will sit down with his family after the draft and determine if he will sign with a pro team or head to Columbia. He said the decision will be based primarily on how highly he’s drafted.
Hopefully Reds got a feel that he would sign.
Really like this pick. Maybe my favorite of the draft so far, when adjusting for where they were drafted.
I also loved the Hamilton pick immediately after it was made. I love the athletic shortstops from the southeast.
Go BLUE!!!
Bumping this up because of this bit from the Billings Gazette. Thompson has moved over to second base with the signing of Alex Blandino. He indicates they'll play him at various positions.
http://billingsgazette.com/sports/ba...86c247b87.html
“In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field"
The Baseball Emporium - Books & Things.
The Baseball Bookstore
http://tsc-sales.com/
http://tscsales.blogspot.com/
http://silverscreenbooks.com/
I really hope the Reds truly believe Blandino can stick at SS. Otherwise this doesn't make any sense whatsoever- Thompson is a true shortstop and a decent prospect. Blandino may be a better prospect overall, but there seems to be a unanimous feeling that he isn't a shortstop.
If that's truly the case, why not play Blandino at his true future position (likely 2B) and let Thompson try to turn into the Reds second SS prospect in the entire system?
Go BLUE!!!
I'm for moving MI's (and some 3B's) around the infield in the lower minors and getting them accustomed to playing all around the IF (although i would play them predominantly at their projected position).
Drugs Delaney (06-30-2014)
Blandino may move quicker than Thompson, but if he's going to stay at SS he's limited by the movement of Daal ahead of him. Therefore it makes no sense to me. If you're going to eventually shift Blandino anyway, why not shift him now and let both play their more natural and projected future positions? If the Reds really believe in Blandino as a SS, then that's a different thing.
Go BLUE!!!
I believe the clinical term is that he's temporarily screwed. Or he could get some work at 3B, in which case Kevin Franklin could shift to 1B. And it all gets more crowded once you throw Sparks and O'Grady into the mix.
Fair point, if Blandino's going to stick at SS (which I highly doubt) and move quick, then Daal either has to move up ahead of him, or he has to move over, or Blandino's got to skip over Dayton.
Last edited by M2; 06-27-2014 at 06:08 PM.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
I see a Todd Frazier like upbringing for Thompson - shifting round, never having a position to call his own for very long. Now if he can just learn to hit like Frazier (well the production - I would not teach Todd's swing to anyone but it works for him)
99% of all numbers only tell 33% of the story so when looking at the numbers remember that numbers is plural...
NM
Last edited by redsmetz; 06-27-2014 at 02:29 PM.
“In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field"
The Baseball Emporium - Books & Things.
The Baseball Bookstore
http://tsc-sales.com/
http://tscsales.blogspot.com/
http://silverscreenbooks.com/
“In the same way that a baseball season never really begins, it never really ends either.” - Lonnie Wheeler, "Bleachers, A Summer in Wrigley Field"
The Baseball Emporium - Books & Things.
The Baseball Bookstore
http://tsc-sales.com/
http://tscsales.blogspot.com/
http://silverscreenbooks.com/
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please. |