What little I have seen of Hopper in the bigs, he is quite impressive. I think that his speed will allow him to make the opening day roster next year as our fourth outfielder.
What little I have seen of Hopper in the bigs, he is quite impressive. I think that his speed will allow him to make the opening day roster next year as our fourth outfielder.
Hopper is the kind of guy you root for. He's had to work really hard to get to the bigs. Hopefully for he and the Reds he can do enough to keep his spot.
I don't know much about him but he won the AAA batting title. He's not a top prospect apparently. He just hits better than all of those who are.
I'm hoping he'll play some infield so we can hear, "there is a chopper to Hopper."
This is one of the reasons I have doubts about Deno. I see little difference between the two, yet Deno is revered and Hopper is not considered a prospect. I have a fear that the Deno hype is just because he had a good year or two during a time when the Reds fans had little else to be excited about. I openly admit I am no expert at projecting minor leaguers and what the numbers mean to the potential major league success. But my eyes say that Hopper looks like the better player. I welcome any enlightenment.
Well there are some big differences IMO.Originally Posted by mth123
Denorfia has very good plate discipline (and good contact skills), and Hopper can make contact, but his patience is quite poor. So I think Denorfia is going to get on base much more than Hopper will in the big leagues.
Denorfia also has some power potential. He hasn't shown much yet, but he could hit 10-15 homers in the future, where Hopper basically has no power to speak of at all, and likely never will.
I'm not sure about Hopper's fielding so I can't really comment on it, but I do know that Denorfia is a terrific fielder. He gets good jumps on balls and has good speed. He can play CF well and RF superbly with an adequate arm. It's hard to imagine Hopper being any better out there, otherwise he would be well known.
I'd love it if any reds OF prospect could project to a good OBP with plus speed, 15 HR power and good defense. So far I've just seen the speed and some promise on defense. Here's to hoping I'm wrong and deno starts to show something in Sept (and Hopper too!).
As I see it, Denorfia is a year younger and has significantly outplayed Hopper on his way up the ladder. Denorfia's lack of power probably limits his potential, but in general, his progression has been fine in terms of how he's advanced through the system and his performance at each stop. Perhaps there's been a bit of hype inflation because of the lack of other interesting high-level prospects, but he's earned some cred. Hopper, on the other hand, has never really hit and didn't crack Triple-A until this year at age 27. He's had a great year but it just screams "fluke." And even then, Denorfia was just as good at Louisville.
Reading comprehension is not just an ability, it's a choice
I see the point. Deno has more power than Hopper for sure. But Deno's power didn't really come until age 24 at A+ ball. Not sure it will be there in the Majors. He does have better plate discipline as was noted. I see an Eddie Milner type career when I see Deno. I hope I am wrong and the power carries through. I just don't want to count on it. I agree with the assessment that Hopper is not a prospect by the way.
I wouldn't pass on getting a good CF in the offseason to hold a spot for either of these guys.
As I said above, I hope I am wrong and deno is a stud.
Hopper has a knack for getting base hits. He hit for a high average the last two seasons in AA and then AAA. I don't see him as a great all around player, but he might have a role as a fifth outfielder/pinch hitter.
Deno probably would hit decently if he got a bunch of at bats. Without power, it's hard to get those at bats. Again, he seems like a fifth outfielder type, in his case perhaps more for defense than offense.
Interesting that against the lefty tonight Hopper is playing over Deno.
Deno had some back trouble while at Louisville. Maybe its flared up. Otherwise he should be playing ahead of Norris.
Playing the "hot hand" is one thing, but 2 for 4 is hardly a "hot streak".
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I like Hopper but I also like Chris Jones as a kid. They have A LOT of similarities.
Check out his stats and you will see what will become of Hopper if he sticks in the Bigs. http://www.baseball-reference.com/j/jonesch05.shtml
Cedric 3/24/08It's absolutely pathetic that people can't have an opinion from actually watching games and supplementing that with stats. If you voice an opinion that doesn't fit into a black/white box you will get completely misrepresented and basically called a tobacco chewing traditionalist...
I would defintely go with Deno in the outfield and let Hopper play occasionally to get him playing...I would also like to see what brendon harris get a chance and see what he can do
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