Turn Off Ads?
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Bruce tops a special Prospect Hot Sheet with Daryl Thompson checking in at 14

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Bruce tops a special Prospect Hot Sheet with Daryl Thompson checking in at 14

    Looking at the stars of the first third of the season

    Staff Report
    June 3, 2008
    E-mail Print

    See also: Previous Prospect Hot Sheets
    Because the draft will occupy so much of our attention on Friday, we're presenting a special Tuesday Prospect Hot Sheet that will honor the top performers of April and May.

    This is a chance for prospects' entire bodies of work to be recognized—not just the ones who've reeled off a good week here or there.

    Remember as always, this is not a re-ranking of our Top 100 Prospects list. Instead, it's a snapshot of who are the hottest prospects in baseball right now, with stats through games of June 2.

    No. 1 JAY BRUCE, CF, REDS
    Team: Triple-A Louisville (International)
    Age: 21
    Why He's Here: .364/.393/.630 (67-for-184), 10 HR, 9 2B, 5 3B, 37 RBIs, 34 R, 12 BB, 45 SO, 8-for-9 SB
    The Scoop: Bruce began the season ranked as the game's top prospect, and he's lived up to those expectations—and more—through the season's first two months. More accurately, Bruce was very good in April (.316/.340/.561) before busting loose in May, batting .419/.453/.709 in 86 at-bats before his well-deserved big league callup.

    Big league pitchers have proven to be even worse at retiring Bruce. Through 26 at-bats, he's batting .577/.667/1.038 with three homers (one of them a walk-off winner), three doubles, seven RBIs, six walks and only one strikeout. If you're looking for further encouragement, consider that Bruce has already shown a more refined batting eye in Cincinnati than he did in the minors, or that he handled lefties better than righthanders in Triple-A this season (.389/.386/.685).

    Bruce closes the book on his minor league career with .308/.366/.555 averages in 1,341 at-bats in the Gulf Coast, Pioneer, Midwest, Florida State, Southern and International leagues. He hit a home run (61) once every 22 at-bats, made contact in 75 percent of his at-bats and compiled a remarkable .247 isolated power.

    Perhaps you'd rearrange them slightly, but it's been so far, so good for the first-round high school outfielders from the 2005 draft: Justin Upton (No. 1), Cameron Maybin (10), Andrew McCutchen (11), Bruce (12) or Colby Rasmus (28). Upton and Bruce are making an impact in the big leagues, McCutchen and Rasmus are in Triple-A and Maybin is in Double-A.


    No. 14 DARYL THOMPSON, RHP, REDS
    Team: Double-A Chattanooga (Southern)/Triple-A Louisville (International)
    Age: 22
    Why He's Here: 5-2, 1.55, 75 1/3 IP, 54 H, 21 R, 13 ER, 2 HR, 16 BB, 68 SO
    The Scoop: Thompson had a lot to prove entering the season, and he's proven it . . . and then some. After labrum surgery cut short his 2005 season in July, and limited him to 21 innings in 2006, Thompson spent last year domination A-ball batters. While that was impressive given his medical history, it did little to separate him from many other young, hard-throwing pitchers. Thompson has eased many of those concerns this season with his fine performance versus Double-A and Triple-A competition. (In two starts for Louisville, he's struck out 12 in 14 innings while walking two and giving up two runs on 10 hits.) He commands an explosive low-90s fastball and gets good separation on his changeup, but the development of his breaking pitches will determine his timetable. Thompson has been pro long enough to have been drafted by the Expos (eighth round, 2003), but he's just now coming into his own, meaning he's officially no longer just the throw-in to the Austin Kearns-for-relievers trade.

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...08/266253.html


  2. Turn Off Ads?
  3. #2
    Member OesterPoster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    West-central Ohio
    Posts
    2,398

    Re: Bruce tops a special Prospect Hot Sheet with Daryl Thompson checking in at 14

    Quote Originally Posted by OnBaseMachine View Post
    He hit a home run (61) once every 22 at-bats, made contact in 75 percent of his at-bats and compiled a remarkable .247 isolated power.
    http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...08/266253.html
    That's just completely insane.

  4. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Bruce tops a special Prospect Hot Sheet with Daryl Thompson checking in at 14

    First Reds related question:

    Q: Kyle from Middletown asks:
    Do you think that Jay Bruce will play right or center next year? Does he really need to play right long term, even though he doesn't look bad in center?

    A: J.J. Cooper: As far as next year, I think it all depends on what the Reds need, which means he'll probably be in right field as soon as Griffey leaves. For the next couple of years Bruce could handle either position, but long term, it's expected that as he matures, he'll get too big for center field. He has the speed now, but with his power potential, the Reds will be quite happy if he keeps filling out and adding muscle, which may mean he slows down too much to play center long term.

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/chat/...?id=2008060301

  5. #4
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    West Virginia
    Posts
    38,000

    Re: Bruce tops a special Prospect Hot Sheet with Daryl Thompson checking in at 14

    Q: Kyle from Middletown asks:
    Does Daryl Thompson belong in the same conversation as Bailey, Cueto, and Volquez? Do you think he will find a home in the Reds rotation?

    A: Ben Badler: Depends on the depth of the conversation. I'll take all three of those guys over Thompson, who doesn't have an offspeed pitch that can match what the other three have in their arsenals.

  6. #5
    Member New Fever's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Memphis
    Posts
    841

    Re: Bruce tops a special Prospect Hot Sheet with Daryl Thompson checking in at 14

    Q: Jackson from Springfield, OH asks:
    Juan Francisco: stud to be?

    A: Nathan Rode: Define stud. I don't know what his dating scene is like, but the guy can crush a baseball. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts and draw a few more walks, but if he keeps hitting like this, that could be ignored. The plus side is that he knows he's very aggressive and has already taken it upon himself to develop more patience. That kind of work ethic stands out. Even if he doesn't drastically improve that aspect, he can still have an impact.


Turn Off Ads?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

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.

Thank you, and most importantly, enjoy yourselves!


RedsZone.com is a privately owned website and is not affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds or Major League Baseball


Contact us: Boss | Gallen5862 | Plus Plus | Powel Crosley | RedlegJake | The Operator