The Pioneer League Top 20

Well here is is! The culmination of the season I spent covering the Pioneer League. During the season I attend and captured video during 23 Pioneer League games. I want to thank Brett Crane and the Orem Owlz for being fantastic hosts, and keeping things always entertaining.

With that said let's talk a little about this upcoming list. The following list is my take on the league's top 20 prospects. The caveat behind it is that I had to witness every player in person and capture video of his outing (as such all twenty of these guys I have footage of, which I will get posted later). There were only four players I considered that I didn't see, Damien Magnifico (Brewers), Chase Stevens (Diamondbacks), Diego Goris (Royals), and Kyle Robinson (White Sox). Magnifico, I missed because the game was the fourth of a series that I had already attended three games consecutively of. Stevens, I actually saw twice, but both times were after I had packed the camera away for the night and was preparing to leave. Robinson was promoted by the time Great Falls rolled through Orem, and Goris hadn't been promoted by the time Idaho Falls had finished in Orem.

I based my evaluations off a combination of things: personal observations, industry analysis (through the great work of Baseball America, John Sickels, the Baseball Prospectus and Jonathan Mayo, I encourage you all to check out all the stuff they do, it is awesome), coaches feedback, age, and statistics. Pioneer League statistics are not really a great evaluator but they do prove some things and as such I feel they are relavent.

There will be controversy, and that is the point! The following list is my opinion and I hope you enjoy my analysis. With that, here is the 6000 word, Top 20 Prospect List for the Pioneer League 2012.

The Pioneer League Top 20 Prospects

20: Eric Smith, Catcher, Dodgers

Smith spent the entire season with the Ogden Raptors after being drafted in the 18^th round out of Stanford. At Stanford he was an honorable all-Pac 12 mention this season, and had started only 13 games in his first two seasons. He blossomed in his first full season as a starter both professionally and collegiately. While I saw Smith play four times, I only caught him behind the plate twice. He was a shortstop in High School and started his career at Stanford as an infrequent backup infielder. He transitioned behind the plate this year and caught Mark Appel and friends as Cardinal’s everyday catcher. He is still raw at the position, and that is seen in his inconsistent pop-times, which I clocked between 1.88 and 2.23. Realistically I put his arm in the “40” range, meaning it is below average, but as he grows into the position I see him becoming more valuable. He is a solid hitter who posted a career average above .300 at Stanford (albeit in a small sample size outside of this past year), and followed it up with a very solid season in the Pioneer League. As a left-handed bat, Smith’s future is strong, especially given that he hits lefties pretty well. Most impressively in my mind is the fact that this was truly his first season of frequent action since high school.

19: Jose Pena, Outfielder, Brewers

In my mind Pena is probably my most controversial pick, he is incredibly raw and that shows especially in the outfield where he looks miserably lost. Watching him track routine fly balls was similar to watching a little leaguer track the same balls. However, Pena blossomed in his first season stateside. Still only 19 he has a chance to develop to continue to develop. In his first two seasons in the DSL, Pena looked miserable. But he displayed decent patience relative to the league and managed to keep his K’s in check. He didn’t hit at all in those first two years though, hitting .194 over two seasons. In his first season in America things seem to have matured a little. Facing better talent, Pena has hit .300 for the season and displays the potential to have some good power numbers as he grows. Physically, Pena looks close to developed which is a promising sign. He is ranked here more on the basis of growth potential and power potential and less that of current skills.

18: Ryan Warner, Right-Handed Starter, Rockies

This is the time of the show where I remind you that while I may reference statistics to justify certain things, they are not always a good indicator of future talent. Ryan Warner is the perfect example. The 18-year old Warner was the Rockies 3^rd rounder this season and posted a 7.00 ERA for the Pioneer League Rockies. He also allowed 63 hits in 45 innings. But the positives for Warner far outshine the negatives; he is 6-7 but only 195 pounds. His build reminds you of another former Colorado-native, Brandon McCarthy, though I’d wish that injury history on no one.  Warner, like McCarthy, is not a power-arm, sitting in the high 80s with his fastball. He also flashed a promising curveball that has the potential to grade out as an above-average major league offering. For an 18-year old, Warner displays a really consistent motion and is able to repeat his delivery for the most part, which is also promising. While the results weren’t there in his first full-season, I could see Warner being one of the most promising players in the system if he can develop a third offering. Currently he works almost entirely off the Fastball and Curveball, and that will not cut it at the higher-levels. I suspect he’ll open 2013 in extended ball before finishing his season with Tri-City in the Short-Season Northwest League.

17: Beau Amaral, Outfielder, Reds

Amaral and his teammate at UCLA, Jeff Gelalich were both drafted by the Reds this season (1^st Round and 7^th Round), they are separated by a mere month age-wise and both reported to Billings. Gelalich, the first rounder, struggled mightily. Amaral meanwhile blossomed and began to develop as an all-around player. Amaral has good speed and an above-average IQ on the base paths, which allows his speed to play up. One of his biggest weaknesses at UCLA was his strike-zone discipline as a lead-off hitter, but in his first year pro he struck out only 27 times total, in 230 at-bats. To counter that point though, he only walked 16 times. So the patience is not exactly there. The lefty made good use of his speed this season and has a great background, his father, Rich, was a 10-year major leaguer. Amaral did spend two seasons in the Cape Cod League and while he didn’t hit well, the experience served him well. The big knocks on Amaral are that he has no power, and despite above average range has a below-average arm. He hit well in his first professional season and during his three years at UCLA was arguably the best hitter for average. That said, he does drop his hands and winds up upper-cutting at the ball. It might work in the lower-levels, but being that he has no power, the uppercut approach will likely have to change to succeed at higher levels and produce more line drive results. He isn’t a big guy (5-11, 170) but he could gain a little muscle mass without sacrificing speed. I could see him staying in center-field, but time will tell if he stays in center, or becomes a left-fielder.

16: Jonathan Walsh, Outfielder, Angels

Jonathan Walsh was highly thought of as an offensive-minded catcher when he enrolled at Texas. During his three years he turned into a reliable left-fielder for the Longhorns.  Then came his pro-career, starting in right-field (something he didn’t do in college) Walsh made three errors in his first professional game. He added another the next night. By the end of his first week as a pro, he had made five errors in his first five games. He finished the year with ten errors, but nine of those came in right field. For the last month of the season the team moved him back to his natural left field and he showed talent there and his arm plays up in left field. Walsh has a mature approach at the plate and walked as frequently as he struck out. Furthermore, he displays a great ability of adapting the situation. He has average power potential, but I could see him being an average to above-average hitter as he progresses. Walsh is very athletic, and runs pretty well for a big guy. Overall the athleticism might be the biggest help for the switch-hitter. Angels fans may see this ranking as controversial, especially if they read other prospect lists that still consider Chevy Clarke a prospect. The fact about Clarke is that he is still missing hittable pitches and just spent his third season in rookie ball. Fans dream of Clarke’s potential to be a 20/20 player. Get that out of your mind, I spent the summer watching him and I didn’t come away impressed. If you are a Clarke fanatic, shoot for a more realistic target, High-A. That’s not to say he won’t turn it around, but so far the reviews are positive. Walsh meanwhile will never be a 20/20 guy. But I think he does have the ability to put together solid seasons and projects as a future 4^th outfielder. Which in this case, is good enough for top 20 consideration.

15: Pedro Ruiz, 2B/SS, Diamondbacks

I went back and forth with this slot a lot. Ruiz has the potential to be a solid middle infield option, and in the end I remember the adage, he can play in the dirt. He is a switch-hitter, and is undersized. He also made 30 errors in short-season ball. No one else on his entire team made more than 8. Oh and he strikes out a little above average. So what do I like about this guy? Simple, he gets on. He is a switch-hitter, but hits both lefties and righties effectively. He has a simple approach and displays well above average patience. He is the kind of player who could consistently put up a high on-base percentage. He has slightly above-average speed, but he looks like he has the ability to get more out of it. He just turned 21 at the end of the season, which is a slight hindrance in some views, but he’ll spend the entire 2013 season as a 21 year old, I could see him starting in South Bend. That said, the fielding is an issue still, and that may result in an extending spring stay.

14: Elier Hernandez, OF, Royals

If you are a big Dominican prospect fan, you’ll know this name. Elier Hernandez was widely considered the top J2 signing in the class last year. Most scouts loved his raw tools. He is pretty fast, has a good arm, displays great raw power and has a huge body. At least that is what the reports said. When you look at him, you don’t see a 17-year old. He looks fully developed. He is 6-3, 200, and looks like he is made of granite. One thing that stood out to me is that his hands are monstrous. That may mean he’ll grow even more. Now then, why is he rated so poorly? Simple, he didn’t display the tools you’d expect to see. Even in the rawest of forms. His arm, I found, was average by league standard, though it was accurate, which is a plus. He also doesn’t appear to have the greatest IQ for the game. One situation stood out to me in particular. He was in RF on a routine flyball, with runners on 1^st and 2^nd and no outs. He caught the ball just fine, but the runners were tagging and rather than even making a play at them merely tossed the ball into the cut-off men. He also was pulled from a game I attended after slamming his helmet against the dugout wall after striking out with the bases loaded. I did see the good and the bad of his hitting abilities though. The good, he has top-notch bat speed. The bad, he has no recognition. He has speed, but really never used it this season, which I found to be a surprise. He also struggled at the level, hitting .204 and striking out 66 times in 250 ABs. The most disappointing part of the season was his absolute lack of power. Hernandez is a big guy, with huge bat speed, yet he failed to even go yard once this season, playing in the hitter-friendly Pioneer League. He will be only 18 next year, so certainly don’t write him off, but this season was a disappointing one. He makes the list based more on the fact that he has four full seasons left to develop before he reaches the same age as most college juniors currently. While players like Jonathan Walsh, Jeremy Rathjen and Evan Marzilli show much more polish they all have much less “potential” than Hernandez.

13: Ross Stripling, Right-Handed Starter, Dodgers

The righty, Stripling, was babied a bit by the Dodgers this season. He appeared in 14 games, but was limited to 36.1 Innings. Then again he did spend the entire season as part of Texas A&M’s dominant 1-2 punch with Michael Wacha. Stripling has good size (6-3, 190) and used it in college to pitch a ton including 125 innings this season for A&M. Stripling led or was tied for the NCAA lead in wins his last two seasons, and is a proven winner. That carried over into the Pioneer League where he tended to toy with hitters. He isn’t overpowering, and currently is more of a two-pitch pitcher (Fastball, Curveball) but he mixes the two well and isn’t afraid to throw his curve in any count. The fastball comes in between 88-91, he uses it effectively though and sets up his big 12-6 curveball that has great tight break. He K’d more than 1 an inning and walked only 6 guys total. If you followed him at all in college you’d know that he is in general a control pitcher, walking only 19 this season. His body actually looks like he could add some size, which could bump the fastball, but who knows. He has had no injury problems as a pitcher, but he turned his focus to baseball in high school after injuries halted his promising football career. His third pitch is a change-up, which he currently has below-average feel for. He is aggressive and gets right after hitters, which is a great skill. Some like him more as a reliever because the fastball may bump into the low-mid 90s and the curve is a big-time pitch, but I see him continuing to develop as a starter, and moving pretty quickly. Given his advanced age (he’ll be 23 next season), I would like to see the Dodgers challenge him with an assignment to AA Chattanooga, and I think he can handle it. His ceiling isn’t that high, but his floor isn’t that low either.

12: Jon Moscot, Right-Handed Starter, Reds

Moscot led the Cape Cod League in strikeouts last season, and carried that through his Junior Year at Pepperdine University. Young for his class, Moscot turned 21 in August, which means he’ll spend most of next year as a 21 year old (a plus). I only saw him for two innings, in his second Pioneer League start, but I was intrigued nonetheless. His fastball isn’t that special, it sits 88-91 MPH, but it does have some good sink and he generates a lot of groundballs with it. He is a big guy, 6-4, 205, but comes off as lanky instead of built. His slider is hit or miss and the start I saw it was primarily miss. As in miss the zone. He spent his two innings bouncing the slider and went with the fastball most of the way. Scouts say he throws a change and splitter but I didn’t see either pitch during his start. His delivery is max effort, and actually looks violent. His future will depend on how he develops in the future. If he stays healthy, he has the ability to have the four-pitch mix and could be a big-time ground ball pitcher. Major League teams have a role for guys like that and I could see him in the backend of a rotation in a couple seasons.

11: Jake Lamb, 3B, Diamondbacks

Lamb is a well-built third basemen with a thick lower half. He has above-average skills for a third basemen and displays a strong arm to go along with average range. He has the potential to stick at 3B, though with his arm strength and build, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if the Diamondbacks tried him behind the plate at some point. He is a left-handed hitter and will need to get better versus lefties in order to be anything more than a platoon option. He struck out 51 times this year in 280 at-bats (well below league average (average was 26.7%), a positive) but 21 of those came in 66 at-bats vs lefties (a negative). He doesn’t run particularly well, but he does have above-average power and took advantage of his ability to find the gaps this season. He finished the year in the top-five in slugging and showed a very advanced approach to hitting. He is a good hitter and I believe showed enough progress this season to justify his placing in the ranking. He turns 22 in the off-season and should be tested next year at South Bend or potentially in the California League with Visalia.

10: Seth Mejias-Brean, 3B, Reds

The star of the Wildcats run to the top of Omaha, Mejias-Brean got attention late in the season and wound up as a eighth rounder to the Reds. Mejias-Brean doesn’t look like a typical baseball player, but he does produce. Everything he does looks a little off, yet when you go back and look at it, everything works out fine. He was the best 3B at the level, with good range and great defensive skills. His arm is only average, but it is accurate and that is all that matters. He has well above average Baseball IQ and comes from a winning program. As a hitter he sprays the entire field well, and uses a line-drive stroke to strike the ball well. He displayed surprising power for the season, blasting 8 out of the park in only 46 games. Some of that has to do with the environment and some of it has to do with the fact that he does the little things right. He takes advantage of situations and helps his team win. As he develops a little more with the wood bat I suspect the homeruns will stay between 10-15 a season but the average will be solid and he’ll produce a lot of line drive base hits. He is a gamer, and I enjoyed watching him play.

9: Eddie Butler, Right-Handed Starter, Rockies

Talk about Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I saw Butler start three games. In the first two he went 7 innings total, walking 5, striking out 6 and allowing 11 hits and 8 earned runs. Why is this relevant? Well for the rest of the entire season Butler went 60 innings allowing 48 hits 8 walks, striking out 49 and allowing 8 earned runs. Yep. He also only walked more than two batters twice in 13 appearances; I was there for both. Physically he is developing, he is listed at 6-3, 180, but he looks closer to 170. He is skinny and could stand to add a little weight. He throws a ton of variations on his pitches and sits anywhere between 88-96 with his fastball. He throws the four-seam in the upper velocities and the pitch is generally straight, the two-seam comes in the lower 90s and has good darting movement towards the end. He also throws a cutter in the upper 80s but it is very hit or miss. He cranks it up in bigger situations and tones it down in others to extend the life of his outing. He also throws a slider and curve. The slider tends to be in the low to mid 80s, but the velocities vary and the results do as well. When on the slider had great tilt and moved quickly from right to left. When the velocity picked up though it tended to sit and not move much at all. He also displayed a curveball in the bullpen and in one of the starts I witnessed. The curve sat in the mid-70s and has sharp break, but it tended to not reach the strike zone. Call it a work in progress. Scouts say he has a change-up but I didn’t see it at any point during his three outings. Though generally in the strike zone, I did notice that in his first start he was beginning his wind-up without picking up the catchers target. He was plastered in this start and was wildly erratic, allowing a ton of hard hit balls up the middle. Butler when he is cruising seems to be in control of every situation. But when things start going wrong they go downhill quickly. He is very much a work in progress. He displays essentially five pitches, and has the potential to be a very solid pitcher. He still needs to mature and develop physically though. As such, he is definitely a prospect to watch.

8: Michael Perez, Catcher, Diamondbacks

When you first see Perez, you don’t think catcher. He is built much more like a middle infielder. But behind the plate he holds his own. Perez has a slightly above-average arm behind the plate with the pop times coming in between 1.95-1.98. He is a left-handed hitter with a short swing and good bat speed. He does have some good pop for a smaller guy (5-11, 180), and he profiles as a guy who could be an average hitter with average power as he progresses. He still swings and misses too much to be ready for a big jump, and it seems that he wore down at the end of the season. There are concerns about his size, and his ability to control the game behind the plate, but he is a good hitter, and he just turned 20 in August. I liked what I saw, and while he is raw I am comfortable with this spot.

7: Socrates Brito, Outfielder, Diamondbacks

Besides having an awesome name, Brito is a big left-handed outfielder with good skills in the outfield and decent, though unrefined, approach to hitting. He comes in at number seven more on the fact that he is younger than the guys in spots 8-12 but I could easily have flipped any of them. He spent the entire season as a 19-year old, and turned 20 in September. He is built like a bull and looks like he could hold his own in a bar fight (though I don’t recommend testing that). Even better, I feel like he could easily add a lot more weight. He did fail a steroid test in 2010 (major red flag), but hasn’t had any issues since. He has good speed but tends to get a little lost on the basepaths, but that is a skill that can be fixed. The Diamondbacks have let him play all three outfield positions but with his arm (which is strong but inaccurate) and his build, I see him as a definite corner outfielder. Coaches praise his baseball IQ and that should help him develop. As a hitter he shows a ton of batting practice power, but the game power isn’t there yet. As he continues to grow and develop I think the power will come. You don’t see many guys with his build who aren’t capable of mashing a couple monster shots.

6: Sam Selman, Left-Handed Pitcher, Royals

Coming into the season, Sam Selman was touted as a top-pitching prospect. His stock fell a little after a rough season at Vanderbilt, but after his first pro season it certainly looks like Selman is back on track. His teammates call him Crazy Legs and it is easy to see why. I cannot even begin to describe his delivery other than to say it looks violent. He hooks his arm behind his body on his follow through and it looks like nothing I’ve seen before. That said, it works for him and as such it works for me. I had read reports that he can touch the upper 90s but he sat 91-93 the entire outing. He features a good overhand curve that drops in around 78-81. He is a tall lefty who looks incredibly undersized. Vanderbilt said he was 160 his freshman year but got up to 190 by his senior year… I don’t buy it, especially because Idaho Falls and the Royals list him as 165. Needless to say, he looks like he could fill out which may help that velocity reach its full potential.  He also throws a change-up that consistently came in at 82 throughout his outing. He dominated the Pioneer League this season on his way to winning pitcher of the year, striking out 13.28 per nine and allowing 45 hits in 60.1 innings. He did walk 3.28 per nine, which was to be expected given his bizarre wind-up and arm wrap. His manager loves to talk about how confident he is, and he pitches like it. I could see Selman developing more and more with a major league weight program and professional coaching and turning into a top-of-the line starter. I could also see him struggling to make the adjustments needed and falling off the map. That said, his first glance at the professional level was a massive success and Selman will likely open 2012 in the High-A rotation.

5: Jesse Winker, Outfielder, Reds

Winker was older for his class, turning 19 during his rookie season. And while that tends to not be a good sign for high schoolers in the first round, Winker went out and had a great first season professionally. Joining the outfield with the two UCLA teammates (Gelalich and Amaral), Winker made a very solid impression on the organization and on me. His competitiveness is off the charts, but that also tends to leading to him coming off as immature. For example, there was a questionable call at second base (Winker was in LF) and Winker was visibly upset with the umpires, shouting from left field. I don’t mind emotion but this wasn’t his only outburst. He frequently displayed vocal displeasure with his failings at the plate (which weren’t that common) and will need to get those under control to avoid pissing off the wrong people. Again, I don’t mind frustration, but swearing and slamming your helmet after a big out isn’t always needed. He was a member of the US U-18 team in 2011 going into his junior year and led the team in the field and on the mound. He is a lefty who will be a corner outfielder as he progresses. He isn’t the most athletic of guys and some people feel he might end up at first base. I personally don’t see that happening and he does have a good arm and I think it has value in the outfield. As a hitter Winker displays a well above-average approach for his age. He hit only three homers as a senior in high school, but put five out in his first year pro. While I don’t see him as a major power threat, he does get under the ball well and that could help him develop his power stroke. For a young lefty he also uses the entire field evenly and that approach should help him as he starts to face tougher pitching. He also hits lefties as well as he hits righties, which is a good sign for the future development of his game. He reminds me a lot of David Murphy in both his size and his approach to hitting. The biggest difference is that Murphy is a solid outfielder and for now Winker is still developing in left. The Reds have no need to rush him, and I think he’ll be challenged in Dayton next season.

4: Adalberto Mondesi, Shortstop, Royals

I think most years the son of Raul would have a good claim to the #1 spot. This year though, he is #4. He spent the first half of the season as a 16 year old (easily the youngest player in the league) and more than held his own. He is currently 6-1, 165 but being that he just turned 17, I suspect we could see him grow in the next few years. Furthermore, unlike many Dominican players there are absolutely no questions about his age (he was born in Los Angeles), which can be seen as a plus. Mondesi has great range, a strong arm (any surprise???), and soft hands. He did make 23 errors this season in 50 games, but again, he was 16 months younger than the second youngest player in the LEAGUE. I expect mistakes! Some analysts will criticize the fact that we had a small sample with him, but again I think his bloodlines and his age outweigh that fact. Put it to you this way, if he were in the American High School System he would be either in the young side of the class of 2013 or the older side of the Class of 2014. Within the first few innings of watching him you can tell he gets it. With runners on second and third and him playing deep at short, I witnessed the best play I saw all year. Mondesi fielding the ball cleaning while ranging slightly to his right, planted and fired home and got the out. He really is a joy to watch in the field. He does have a long way to refine his game as a hitter, but he held his own in the Pioneer League, hitting .290 this season. That said the majority of his hits are singles and despite great speed he doesn’t get many extra base hits. He is an above-average baserunner and I suspect that he’ll get better. He comes from a great background and will spend almost all of next season as a 17-year old in a full-season league where a couple other young developing teammates in Elier Hernandez and Bubba Starling should surround him.

3: Corey Seager, Shortstop, Dodgers

Seager is the little brother of Mariners infielder Kyle Seager. Little in age only though, Corey is 6-3 and close to 200, just one look at him and you see that he is built to play baseball. He is currently a shortstop for the Dodgers but scouts tend to think he’ll end up at third base. I would tend to agree. He has a strong arm and good hands, but the range isn’t there, and I struggle to see him sticking at short. He has a short and simple stroke and used it to take advantage of the Pioneer League this season. He is also a mature hitter and doesn’t tend to chase pitches that are outside of the zone. He knows what he has to do to make the plays and he makes the players around him better. He is patient and swings at his pitch which tends to lead him to working counts, which is a great trait that really cannot be taught to the average 18-year old. As he moves up the ladder, I think he’ll be challenged but I think he has the skills and ability to get through the challenges. He is still probably three years off but I do certainly think he will join his brother in the Majors around 2015-2016.

2: Robert Stephenson, Right-Handed Pitcher, Reds

The Reds first rounder last year made his debut this season in Billings. I was fortunate enough to catch his final start of his Pioneer League career and boy is he special. I also caught one of his Midwest League starts and again he confirmed that while still young, Stephenson does have the potential to be a top of the line starter in the future. Baseball America rated Stephenson the Reds #7 prospect before he even threw a pitch. He should be #2 this year and a likely top 50 MLB prospect as well. Standing only 6-2, 180, the 19-year old unleashes heat. During the starts I saw Stephenson touched 100, but for the most part sat 94-97. He maintains his velocity through his starts thanks to his repeatable over the top delivery. He features a huge curveball that comes in at 74-77 and misses bats though it also tends to miss the strikezone. He has a change-up that is 85-87 but it is a below-average pitch at the moment. In the Pioneer League start I witnessed he allowed a homerun and also knocked a guy out with a fastball to the head, but he bounced back nicely after each incident and was more than effective. Currently he is more of a thrower than a pitcher, but he was still easily the best pitcher in the league. He has a solid pick-off move, and shows flashes of three plus pitches. Currently he has a Major League fastball, and a curve that shows glimpses of glory, if the change develops I think those three are all he’ll need to succeed. He does tend to miss the zone a lot but gets away with it due to the sheer nastiness of his stuff and the level of his competition. As he develops and gets a better feel for pitching I see him as having some big-time stuff. That said, best-case scenario is that he develops into an ace. Worst-case scenario (barring injury) is that he turns into an effective reliever at the upper level. He does feature the inverted W in his delivery, which is a cause for concern to some people.

1: David Dahl, Outfielder, Rockies

Dahl was considered the fourth-best high-school bat in the draft by most analysts, I personally pegged him at number three, and after seeing him play I’m not sure I wouldn’t peg him as the best bat (though I’d still take Correa over him). I had the sheer pleasure of watching Dahl play in five games and all I can say is wow. He is a well-above average centerfield and gets great reads. He also has good speed and great instincts, which allow him to track down balls all over the place. In the five games I saw he went 5-19 as a hitter (which was one of his lesser showings considering he hit over .370 for the season), but I was left in awe by many of his at-bats. He has a great stroke that tends to lead him to being a doubles hitter. He’ll benefit from altitude as well as he does get some nice loft behind many of his balls. I witnessed his first career professional homerun (an opposite field laser just over the wall) and it confirmed the fact that he has great opposite field power. In fact of his five base hits I saw 3 were to Center or Left Field (including the homerun and a line drive down the left field line that he turned into a triple).  He doesn’t hit lefties nearly as well as righties, but for now that isn’t a worry. I had read reports that he is a low-energy guy but I never saw that. I took his demeanor as much more of a quiet confidence. His teammates hold him in high regard and he plays with a visible competitiveness that comes off as confident to me. He looks like he has what it takes to be a great player and I am firmly behind him as the top prospect on the circuit. He cruised to the batting title and the league MVP this year and quite frankly wasn’t really challenged much. I’d like to see him challenged next season because I think he would truly benefit from the challenge. Watching Dahl live, and talking to people around the league, he was easily the best hitter in the league and was always a threat to dominant. Long-term I suspect he will stick in Center, but I could see him as a part-time center fielder part-time corner guy. He may never win a gold-glove but he is a good defensive outfielder and I am sold on his skill-set.

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I am always available for comments and critiques and inspiration. 

Drop me a line at kevin.p.walsh@me.com or via twitter @AltitudeSports