Archive for kyle lotzkar

The Cincinnati Reds organization features some high-ceiling talent at the top of the Top 15 list but the depth in the organization is lacking. There are some impact arms at the top but the up-the-middle offensive players are somewhat lacking, other than Billy Hamilton.

#1 Billy Hamilton (SS)

Hamilton is probably one of the most hyped prospects in recent memory because of his plus-plus speed and 100+ stolen base totals that he’s racked up in each of the past two minor league seasons. Some patience is required with the prospect, though, as he’s not a finished product. One thing that excites the Reds, though, is that he could develop into an impact lead-off hitter. A contact stated, “It’s hard to find guys with the mentality and desire to be a good lead-off hitter… It’s not always a glamorous spot.”

Hamilton, 22, was shifted from shortstop, his natural position, to center field late in 2012 so the coming season will be key in his defensive development. He has all the skills necessary to develop into a plus fielder — above-average range, good arm and developing reads. The contact I spoke with said the defensive move had nothing to do with the organization’s feeling that Hamilton could not handle shortstop. “It’s more about what he can do, rather than what he can’t, with this move… He’s going to be one of the best [in center field].”

Hamilton split 2012 between high-A and double-A before finishing the year off in the Arizona Fall League. The contact I spoke with said Hamilton got off to a low start in double-A when he moved up and that might have been one of the best things for his development. It might be shocking to hear, but the talent evaluator said the struggles were “good to see,” adding that it often doesn’t help prospects when their first tastes of adversity come at the big league level. “It can really crush a guy,” he added. Hamilton should open 2013 in triple-A and his defensive development will dictate when he’s ready to contribute at the big league level. Read the rest of this entry »

Seeing prospects in person is my passion. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to visit parks in five different leagues — collecting information and video on 200 legitimate prospects or more. The lists released over the next few weeks will highlight the best prospects I’ve seen in person at each position during the 2012 season. The rankings will be adjusted based on projected position at the major league level, not present position (in italics if ranking includes position shift). After writing the first three lists, I realized there’s really no way to keep statistical information out of the equation completely and focus on scouting/projection alone. This has caused me to hedge my bets a bit on high ceiling talents and focus more on the complete player. Additionally, understand this is not meant to be a complete list of the best prospects at each position across all of Minor League Baseball, but the best of what I’ve seen.

Previous Rankings:
The Catchers
The First Basemen
The Second Basemen
The Third Basemen
The Shortstops
The Corner Outfielders
The Center Fielders

1. Domingo Tapia, New York Mets

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Prospect ranking season is just around the corner. In anticipation of that, we present an intro series looking at some of the players who deserve mentioning but probably will not be appearing on their teams’ Top 10 lists. The popular series is back for a second year.

The Graduate: Daniel Herrera, LHP
At 5’6” (or so), simply appearing in a Major League game would have been an accomplishment for Herrera. This southpaw appeared in 70 games for the Reds while posting a walk rate of 3.50 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 6.42 K/9. His ground-ball rate of 50% was encouraging, especially considering that his heater averages out at a lukewarm 84 mph. His changeup, by far his best pitch (7.3 wCH) floats in around 68 mph. Left-handed batters hate him (.183) but right-handers love him (.361).

The Riser: Matt Maloney, LHP
The Reds big-league club received solid production from Maloney during a seven-start stint in the Majors. He showed good poise with a walk rate of 1.77 BB/9. Maloney allowd 43 hits in 40.2 innings of work. He gave up too many homers (1.99 HR/9) as a fly-ball pitcher. The southpaw has always posted good minor-league numbers despite having average stuff. His best pitch is his changeup, which he sets up with below-average fastball. Maloney has a chance to settle into the backend of the Reds’ rotation.

The Tumbler: Devin Mesoraco, C
The good news is that Mesoraco is still young; he’s just 21 years old. The bad news, though, is that his bat has been pretty much ineffective for his three pro seasons since being taken in the first round of the amateur draft. At high-A in 2009, Mesoraco hit .228/.311/.381 with a strikeout rate of 24.4%. His walk rate did show some signs of life at 10.4%, as did his power. Mesoraco’s ISO has increased each season and it topped out at .154 in ’09. Defensively, he threw out 30% of base runners attempting to steal.

The ’10 Sleeper: Juan Carlos Sulbaran, RHP
Sulbaran gained a following after appearing in the most recent World Baseball Classic. He did not make his Reds system debut until 2009 and the 19-year-old hurler was challenged with a gig in low-A ball. Sulbaran did not embarass himself, but his walk rate (4.95 BB/9) was high and he gave up a lot of homers (1.85 HR/9). His strikeout rate of 9.71 K/9 was encouraging. Look for bigger and better things in 2010, although he may return to the Midwest League.

Bonus: Kyle Lotzkar, RHP
Lotzkar was drafted out of Canada as a raw, but intriguing, pitching prospect and he was highlighted as the Reds’ sleeper prospect prior to the 2009 season. His pro career – like a lot of hard-throwing Canucks – has been littered with injuries. He made just 10 starts in ’09 and allowed 29 hits in 37.2 innings. Lotzkar’s strikeout rate of 11.95 K/9 is eye-popping, but so is the 5.73 BB/9. He needs to get a healthy streak together so he can gain some much-needed experience on the mound.