Thoughts on David Sappelt

[corkedbat]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRedleg

I'm intrigued by Sappelt. His numbers kind of remind me of Chris Dickerson. In fact, that wouldn't be a bad ceiling comp for his future.

Right now I would have to think that he's got to be one of the top OF prospects in the Reds system. Considering Alonso and Francisco are not true OF'er's and Dorn is getting up there in age, and Heisey and Stubbs are already with the big club, Sappelt might just be the #1 true OF prospect (before the draft and signing of Perez) in the entire system.

There is some truth in that. He is probably in the top five or so, but that also points to this team's reluctance to draft true corner OF (other that Bruce) dating back to Dunn & Kearns - which has been about 10 years now I believe. Not just premium picks either - throughout the draft.

This teams drafts boat loads of CFs and 4th/5th OF-types, but not much in the way of power potential. Pants' love for five toolers was legendary and ridiculous, but there's the other extreme too. We've seen that from the Reds recently and with Bruce's struggles, they may be set to start paying for it.

I believe the Reds need at least one corner OF bat with Plus power potential in each draft and a premium pick (at least the the top 5 or 6 rounds) every three years.

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by muddie

Easy enough to say the guy is ripping it with the bat. If you check the Southern league's batting averages this guy has been at, or on top a lot lately.

I wish the guy was a tad bigger but he can't do anything about that. That is my only question mark about the guy.

Question for you: His bio says he was born in Graham, NC. Yet I read that he is a native of Buffalo. How can both be true?

Moved at a very young age. Was born on vacation. Was born to parents in the military who were on a base in NC.

[mth123]

I think of Norris Hopper. I think he's a guy to sell if you get a good offer, but could help the bottom of the roster for cheap if needed.

[muddie]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Moved at a very young age. Was born on vacation. Was born to parents in the military who were on a base in NC.

Now that's a gem. Thanks dougdirt.

[camisadelgolf]

I've always been a big fan of his. In the off-season of the year he was drafted, I made comparisons of him to Kirby Puckett. I never said he would be anything close to Puckett's caliber, but I said not to write him off for simply being undersized. I could see him being a .280/.340/.440 center fielder with plus range. He's still somewhat raw, but he's constantly showing improvement.

[REDblooded]

Originally Posted by camisadelgolf

I've always been a big fan of his. In the off-season of the year he was drafted, I made comparisons of him to Kirby Puckett. I never said he would be anything close to Puckett's caliber, but I said not to write him off for simply being undersized. I could see him being a .280/.340/.440 center fielder with plus range. He's still somewhat raw, but he's constantly showing improvement.

Definitely remember you being very high on him from day one.

[Mario-Rijo]

Originally Posted by REDblooded

Definitely remember you being very high on him from day one.

I did initially but once I seen him at Dayton I lost some fervor. The kid has decent talent just needs a lot of polishing IMO. If he does that he can be an solid piece of a 25 man. A nice cheap backup CF option with the potential to be a good leadoff hitter.

[HokieRed]

This lowballing of Sappelt is hard to understand. I like Drew Stubbs but David Sappelt's having a better season this year than anything Drew Stubbs ever did in the minor leagues. Why's he Norris Hopper? (And additionally, he's so far ahead of Chris Dickerson at 23 that the comparison is laughable.)

[dougdirt]

Originally Posted by HokieRed

This lowballing of Sappelt is hard to understand. I like Drew Stubbs but David Sappelt's having a better season this year than anything Drew Stubbs ever did in the minor leagues. Why's he Norris Hopper? (And additionally, he's so far ahead of Chris Dickerson at 23 that the comparison is laughable.)

Well, despite what Stubbs did in the minors, his upside was clearly a lot higher. He has the power to hit 25 HR's one day. He is a better defender (not that Sappelt isn't very good). He has a better arm. He has better speed. He is going to walk more.

I think the upside with Sappelt is a slightly above average hitting center fielder with outstanding defense. Nothing wrong with that at all. I think his ceiling is certainly higher than that of Norris Hopper. Sappelt has more HR's this year than Hopper hit in 5000 pro plate appearances (that would be 4 total in just over 5000 career PA).

[HokieRed]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Well, despite what Stubbs did in the minors, his upside was clearly a lot higher. He has the power to hit 25 HR's one day. He is a better defender (not that Sappelt isn't very good). He has a better arm. He has better speed. He is going to walk more.

I think the upside with Sappelt is a slightly above average hitting center fielder with outstanding defense. Nothing wrong with that at all. I think his ceiling is certainly higher than that of Norris Hopper. Sappelt has more HR's this year than Hopper hit in 5000 pro plate appearances (that would be 4 total in just over 5000 career PA).

I understand that about Stubbs, and I have been and continue to be a fan. My irritation, too, wasn't aimed at you. It just seems like Sappelt has a hard time getting recognized for what he's doing this year.

[mth123]

Originally Posted by dougdirt

Well, despite what Stubbs did in the minors, his upside was clearly a lot higher. He has the power to hit 25 HR's one day. He is a better defender (not that Sappelt isn't very good). He has a better arm. He has better speed. He is going to walk more.

I think the upside with Sappelt is a slightly above average hitting center fielder with outstanding defense. Nothing wrong with that at all. I think his ceiling is certainly higher than that of Norris Hopper. Sappelt has more HR's this year than Hopper hit in 5000 pro plate appearances (that would be 4 total in just over 5000 career PA).

Yep, Hopper is probably a poor comp on my part, but I just don't get the sense that Sappelt will succeed in the big leagues much. I've underestimated his power though so maybe he will. He's not really better than anyone already in the majors though so a trade seems like a good idea and it seems like it would be selling high if done soon.

[cinreds21]

Sapp is a great scrappy player. He really has turned some heads this year and has put him self on the prospect map. I don't know if he's a starter but at worse a fourth outfielder.

[flash]

I usually just follow stats so most of what I say deals with those. You can't fake a .350 avg. From following Southern League stats all I can say is that they must have some big parks because it doesn't seem like anyone hits a lot of home runs there. He is averaging 1 HR for about every 40 SD's which id the same as Bruce this year. As far as batting lead-off, I don't think he has done it all year. He has batted 5th or sixth in the box scores.

I would say he has to be mix for next year. I can't see the Reds continue to put up with Stubbs batting .230 for a long time. Even with his speed. You probably need to throw a lasso around him on the basepaths. But even there most minor league teams have only a manager a hitting coach, and a pitching coach. (it never ceases to amaze me that the big club has 5-6 coachesand a manager. The minor league teams that really need the coaching have 3 at most.)I don't know if anyone has ever taught him the fine art of stealing.
He will probably go to Arizona this year and Louisville next year.

I say he will be in the mix though because I have not been overally impressed by the Reds outfield this year. Only Heisey is batting .300 and he is a back-up. At some point the syarters have got to made aware that someone can take their job. I'd bring Dorn up in September just to let Bruce know he is there

[sabometrics]

Originally Posted by flash

From following Southern League stats all I can say is that they must have some big parks because it doesn't seem like anyone hits a lot of home runs there.

Except for some kid named Stanton

Originally Posted by flash

At some point the syarters have got to made aware that someone can take their job. I'd bring Dorn up in September just to let Bruce know he is there

I agree, that would be nice, but assuming Dickerson doesn't get hurt again (and I admit that may be quite the assumption), who do you take off the 40-man in favor of Dorn?

[muddie]

Directly from The Southern League's homepage this week...top story!



Carolina outfielder Dave Sappelt is not only leading a league in hitting for the first time, he's also getting to do it close to home so that family and friends can watch.
"My dad can finally come out and watch the games," said Sappelt, who hails from Graham, N.C. "It's only about an hour away. He and my little brother make it down a lot. That makes it good for all of us."

Sappelt, a starter for the North Division in the Southern League All-Star Game, has been putting on a good show for everyone, whether it is at the Mudcats' ballpark in Zebulon, east of Raleigh, or other stadiums around the league.

A .287 hitter coming into the season, Sappelt was batting .282 when he was promoted from Class A Advanced Lynchburg at the end of April. But the former Coastal Carolina standout has taken it up a notch since reaching Double-A.

Sappelt got a hit in his first at-bat with the Mudcats and hasn't cooled off. He batted .333 in May, nearly matched that with a .323 average in June and is up to .403 for July with 11 hits in his last 22 at-bats.

That gives Sappelt a league-leading .352 mark. It isn't a soft average, either. The 5-foot-9 right-handed hitter is slugging a league-best .527 with 13 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. He has 49 RBIs in 74 games and has struck out just 38 times while posting a .399 on-base average -- third in the league.

"I did pretty good my first two years, but this is the best I've hit since college," said Sappelt, a ninth-round pick by the Reds in 2008. "Everything is going good right now."

Coastal Carolina advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2008, and Sappelt was a major reason why. He hit .349 with 18 homers and 70 RBIs that season as a junior before passing up his final year with the Chanticleers to sign with the Reds.

Sappelt hit .299 with Billings in rookie ball during his first season, then a combined .281 with Dayton and Sarasota a year ago.

Ask Sappelt what the key has been to his improvement this season, and he quickly says, "My mechanics."

"I was raw in college," Sappelt said. "With metal bats, you can make mistakes and still get hits. With wood, you've got to hit it on the barrel. I'm doing that more often now and recognizing pitches better."

Until his junior year in high school, it looked like Sappelt's future might be in football. He was timed at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and college recruiters covet that kind of speed. But the defensive back decided baseball was his sport.

"My body was getting too beat up in football," said the 195-pound Sappelt, "and I liked baseball better anyway."

Sappelt showed off his speed with 47 steals last year, but he remains a work in progress on the bases. He was caught 22 times a year ago, and this year is just 14-for-27 with the Mudcats.

Sappelt also hasn't taken full advantage of the comforts of home. He is actually hitting better on the road, with a .413 average away from Five County Stadium.

"My ballpark isn't a real easy place to hit in," he said, "but it's still nice to have people be able to come and watch me. It's been a lot of fun."