Stubbs' ceiling is Steve Finley.
Stubbs' ceiling is Steve Finley.
Do you mean 2 time All-Star, 5 time Gold Glove, .774 career OPS Steve Finley?Originally Posted by BillDoran
The biggest differences between the two is the ability to draw the walk and defense (I know Finley has the GG's, but I really think Stubbs is better). Stubbs ceiling is higher than Finley, whether he reaches it or not is still unknown though.
Stubbs ceiling is that of a gold glove playing centerfielder who can also be among the best hitters in baseball at his position. Whether he reaches that ceiling or not doesn't change the fact that it is his ceiling.
Right now it's Alonso, Stubbs, Frazier, Soto, Francisco. I think this is the clear top five, and my suggested order.
And Soto at number four (rather than five), for me, is subject to some doubt.
Like Frazier, Soto is one of those infielders without a clear position. Soto is reputedly not a plus defender or runner. He's got power potential, but hasn't really shown great power as yet.
Soto's value as a prospect seems based on an excellent feel for hitting and good unrealized power potential. And to be sure this is the kind of all around hitter the Reds have lacked. But until he shows the power that Frazier, Francisco and (in college) Alonso has, I don't see how he is the team's best prospect.
You can see the power with Soto by watching him hit. The ball just jumps off the kids bat. His power is current power, with plenty of room to grow. This season he is sporting a .210 Isolated Power number. Thats power and a half from a 19 year old. Compare that to Francisco last year when he was a little older than Soto is now, and he had just a .195 Isolated power number. He is the best hitter in the system. Sure, he has power potential, but lets not say thats all he has because he is hitting for plenty of power right now.
Soto has 37 extra base hits in 276 atbats and a .554 SLG %. I'd call that pretty good power, especially for a 19 year old.
I have to ask... Where has this come from that Soto is slow
From his 2007 draft scouting report:
Soto has an intriguing package of tools that includes raw power and above-average speed. Currently a shortstop, he doesn't profile as a guy who'll be able to stay there, particularly range-wise. That's OK, because his offensive skill set fits better at third. He should hit enough for the position and could develop into a No. 5 or 6 hitter in a big-league lineup.
This is from a July 22 Baseball Prospectus Chat.
Jason (Cincy): Kevin, What are your thoughts for Neftali Soto long-term, does he stick at 3B? How impressive has been thus far?
Kevin Goldstein: He's been crazy impressive. I was able to recently speak to a scout who saw him at Dayton and he said he just really stood out on that team. The bat is outstanding, he has good power potential, but he does need to improve defensively. That said, on a tools level, he fits well at 3rd, because the arm is outstanding.
I agree. He has 7 triples and 4 steals without getting caught yet in (at the point I checked 75 total games in 2 years so far). That's not a slow runner. I have heard he is a bit ungainly right now as he's thin and as he fills he'll likely lose a bit of top end speed but I haven't heard before now that he was slow and likely to be very slow afoot.
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