Daily Notes, Incl. Facts About Billy Hamilton’s Future

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of Daily Notes.

1. Crowdsourcing Results: Billy Hamilton’s Whole Career
2. SCOUT Leaderboards: Venezuelan Winter League
3. Video: Most or All of Alex Torres’s Repertoire

Crowdsourcing Results: Billy Hamilton’s Whole Career
Reds prospect Billy Hamilton has earned considerable attention from prospect analysts for possessing what is likely generational footspeed. At the same time, he’s showed little power and is a defensive uncertainty, having just converted to center field from shortstop.

A curious sort of person might ask, “What will Hamilton’s career look like, ultimately?”

In yesterday’s edition of the Notes, I asked readers to consider that very question, providing a form that would allow them (i.e. those same readers) to project Billy Hamilton’s future career WAR. Below are the results of that effort, as of last night.

56.3%: 11-25 WAR
23.1%: 1-10 WAR
16.9%: 26-50 WAR
02.9%: Above 50 WAR
00.8%: Zero WAR or Below

And here’s a bar graph with that same information:

SCOUT Leaderboards: Venezuelan Winter League
SCOUT Leaderboard: Venezuelan Winter League Hitters (Overall)
Below is the current SCOUT batting leaderboard for the Venezuelan Winter League. SCOUT+ is calculated using regressed home-run, walk, and strikeout rates, where 100 is average and above 100 is above average. (Players listed with most recent team in 2012. Click here for more on SCOUT.)

Player	Team	Age	Pos	PA	xHR%	xBB%	xK%	SCOUT+
C.J. Retherford	Dodgers	26	3B	89	3.2%	9.3%	13.4%	121
Scott Van Slyke	Dodgers	25	1B	70	4.0%	9.7%	19.7%	119
Darwin Perez	Angels	22	SS	62	2.7%	13.6%	18.7%	118
Henry Wrigley	Rays	25	OF	86	3.9%	7.9%	18.4%	115
Gustavo Molina	Yankees	30	C	55	3.5%	8.4%	16.9%	114
Darin Ruf	Phillies	25	1B	81	4.6%	10.2%	26.4%	114
Justin Henry	Tigers	27	OF	82	1.6%	12.6%	12.2%	114
Carlos Maldonado	Nationals	31	C	59	3.8%	10.2%	21.7%	114
Evan Gattis	Braves	25	C	85	3.2%	8.0%	15.2%	114
Carlos Rivero	Nationals	24	3B	94	2.8%	10.1%	16.1%	113

SCOUT Leaderboard: Venezuelan Winter League Hitters (Slightly Younger)
Here is the SCOUT batting leaderboard for the Venezuelan Winter League, but only populated with players who were 26 or under in 2012 — i.e. more slightly resembling “prospects” than other players in the VWL.

Player	Team	Age	Pos	PA	xHR%	xBB%	xK%	SCOUT+
C.J. Retherford	Dodgers	26	3B	89	3.2%	9.3%	13.4%	121
Scott Van Slyke	Dodgers	25	1B	70	4.0%	9.7%	19.7%	119
Darwin Perez	Angels	22	SS	62	2.7%	13.6%	18.7%	118
Henry Wrigley	Rays	25	OF	86	3.9%	7.9%	18.4%	115
Darin Ruf	Phillies	25	1B	81	4.6%	10.2%	26.4%	114
Evan Gattis	Braves	25	C	85	3.2%	8.0%	15.2%	114
Carlos Rivero	Nationals	24	3B	94	2.8%	10.1%	16.1%	113
Gorkys Hernandez	Marlins	24	CF	78	2.3%	12.3%	17.4%	111
Luis Valbuena	Cubs	26	2B	45	1.9%	12.9%	16.7%	109
Daniel Mayora	Giants	26	3B	48	2.2%	12.3%	17.7%	109

SCOUT Leaderboard: Venezuelan Winter League Pitchers (Overall)
Below is the current SCOUT pitching leaderboard for the Venezuelan Winter League. SCOUT- is calculated using regressed strikeout and walk rates where 100 is average and below 100 is above average.

Player	Team	Age	G	GS	IP	TBF	xK%	xBB%	SCOUT-
Alex Torres	Rays	24	5	5	21.1	87	33.4%	9.2%	58
Seth Etherton	N/A	35	4	4	18.1	77	24.5%	8.3%	79
Josh Schmidt	Marlins	29	5	5	24.2	103	23.6%	9.5%	85
Cesar Jimenez	Mariners	27	7	0	6.1	24	22.1%	8.8%	87
Jarrett Grube	Mariners	30	4	4	16.1	69	22.8%	9.7%	87
Edgmer Escalona	Rockies	25	8	0	8.0	35	21.5%	9.4%	90
Vidal Nuno	Yankees	24	6	0	9.2	32	20.6%	8.7%	91
Yoanner Negrin	MEX	28	5	5	22.2	95	20.5%	8.7%	91
Victor Garate	Brewers	27	4	4	18.2	76	20.7%	9.1%	91
Austin Bibens-Dirkx	Nationals	27	3	2	10.2	39	20.4%	8.8%	91

SCOUT Leaderboard: Venezuelan Winter League Pitchers (Starters)
Here is the SCOUT pitching leaderboard for the Venezuelan Winter League, but only populated with pitchers who’ve made at least half of their appearances as starts.

Player	Team	Age	G	GS	IP	TBF	xK%	xBB%	SCOUT-
Alex Torres	Rays	24	5	5	21.1	87	33.4%	9.2%	58
Seth Etherton	N/A	35	4	4	18.1	77	24.5%	8.3%	79
Josh Schmidt	Marlins	29	5	5	24.2	103	23.6%	9.5%	85
Jarrett Grube	Mariners	30	4	4	16.1	69	22.8%	9.7%	87
Yoanner Negrin	MEX	28	5	5	22.2	95	20.5%	8.7%	91
Victor Garate	Brewers	27	4	4	18.2	76	20.7%	9.1%	91
Austin Bibens-Dirkx	Nationals	27	3	2	10.2	39	20.4%	8.8%	91
Eric Berger	Indians	26	4	4	19.1	81	19.4%	8.2%	93
Chris Jakubauskas	Blue Jays	33	3	2	8.1	38	19.1%	9.1%	96
Donovan Hand	Brewers	26	5	5	24.1	105	18.6%	8.7%	96

Video: Most or All of Alex Torres’s Repertoire
Tampa Bay left-handed pitching prospect Alex Torres is currently first — by kinda a lot — among Venezuelan Winter League pitchers on the SCOUT leaderboard. Here’s video of Torres in a relief appearance for the Rays from late September of 2011.

Of note in what follows is Torres’s changeup, a pitch that appears at the following marks: 0:10, 0:31, 0:41, and 0:59. The fastballs at 0:17 and 0:25 are also great and will suffice.