Well, like I said originally, I might have slighted Carroll. But my reasoning is this: When I see a 25-year-old in AA, and he strikes out roughly one batter every two innings, and, while pitching pretty well, he has never had a dominant kind of season, it just doesn't seem to me that the big leagues are in his future. There are exceptions, of course. Carroll is a good athlete, and he keeps the ball down, for the most part. He could become a serviceable journeyman. But I haven't seen enough upside there to place him high on a prospect list. That said, I hope that steady wins the race and he proves me wrong.
Now, as for the teenagers . . . Naturally, they're a very long way away from the big leagues. And in fact, many of them will do well to attain what a guy like Carroll already has. They're shots in the dark. But all the guys I listed have had impressive seasons, and the DSL guys, in particular, have competed well enough to have their team in the second round of the playoffs of a 34-team league. At this stage, while putting up imposing numbers, they haven't done anything to disqualify themselves as prospects. To me, that's their advantage. It may be a fleeting one, but these types of evaluations are inevitably snapshots.
At any rate, I don't purport that my rankings are any more than a remote, hastily presented, amateur opinion.
From Kevin Goldstein today:
Ismael Guillon, LHP, Reds (Rookie-level AZL Reds): 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K. Big bonus 18-year-old Venezuelan has impressed scouts with plus velocity; 73 strikeouts in 57 innings.
1. Chapman
2. Boxberger ( he's not even in the top 20 - huh?)
3. Guilon
4. Joseph
5. Tuttle or Ravin (they have the two best arms after Chapman)
Neither would I -- never really got the Boxberger fever.But I wouldn't have him nearly as high as most people.
Has anyone seen Muhammad pitch? As a 49th round pick I did not pay much attention to him, but he has put up good numbers.
lol...wrong thread.
Box was good when he was starting.
Facing improved hitters might be a part of the reason, but no way I believe that improved hitters is the main reason he went from
3.19 ERA
2.9 BB/9
0.4 HR/9
8.3 H/9
1.242 WHIP
to
10.65 ERA
8.4 BB/9
1.5 HR/9
11.8 H/9
2.239 WHIP
Makes me think the dude isnt warm coming out of the pen.
Just like Sean Watson, Boxberger throws a breaking ball that dives out of the zone. The difference between AA hitters and A+ hitters is that AA hitters know to lay off of it. Boxberger will need to learn to throw it for strikes if he's going to have success. Otherwise, he's going to have to hope his changeup develops into a better pitch.
Almost everyone throws a breaking ball that dives out of the zone. Sliders and curves both break downward. I don't really think that is his issue. Sure, guys are going to chase less in AA, but we aren't talking about going from 3 to 5 walks per 9. We are seeing a rate nearly tripled. This isn't a guy who can't throw a fastball anywhere near the plate and has no clue where its going. He is striking out over 12 hitters per 9 innings in AA.
I wasn't very clear, so I'll rephrase. I'm not saying that the level difference is the sole reason for his struggles. I was merely acknowledging that it hasn't been mentioned as a factor. But how do you explain such a drastic change in his numbers? Granted, he has always had a reputation for taking a long time to warm up, but I'm just saying that you need to combine that with the change in level, too. Boxberger's wind up kind of reminds me of the Tasmanian Devil, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he struggles with control.
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