Cory Spangenberg
6’ 195 lbs
20 years old
LH Batter
RH 2nd baseman
OFP= Overall Future Potential
AOFP= Adjusted Overall Future Potential
| Tools | Present | Future | Notes |
| Hitting | 50 | 65 | Very balanced swing with the ability to hit the ball very deep in the zone. Uses the entire field. |
| Plate Discipline | 50 | 60 | Aggressive in the strike zone but rarely gets himself out on pitches outside the zone. A major asset |
| Power | 30 | 40 | Not a huge part of Spoggy’s game. Can keep pitchers honest by turning on the inside pitch. |
| Speed | 55 | 50 | Runs hard out of the box with a quick first step. Not a blindingly fast runner but can cause rushed throws and such. |
| Base running | 45 | 55 | Very aggressive. Very big leads and wide turns around the base. Gets picked off too often but that will fade away with time |
| Glove | 50 | 55 | Good actions at second. Not “slick” but fundamentally sound. Solid |
| Range | 40 | 50 | Not expansive range given his speed but he gets the most out of it by taking excellent angles to the ball and positioning himself well. |
| Arm | 40 | 50 | Played 3rd in college so he has a tick above average arm for a second baseman. Quick out of the glove. |
| Accuracy | 55 | 60 | Puts himself in great position when fielding balls to set up accurate throws consistently. Flashes accuracy even on more difficult on the run style throws. |
| OFP | 46 | 54 | Should be a solid 2 hole hitter in the bigs who can work counts and hit the ball the opposite way. |
| AOFP | 56 | He won’t strike out a lot and he will walk a ton. Combine this with his excellent hand eye coordination and there is the chance this kid could put up big offensive numbers minus power. |
Body Type: Solid body for a second baseman. Athletic but mostly filled out. If he adds weight it would be in the 5-15 lbs range and nothing more. He has great balance in his body and is very proportional.
Intangibles: Hustle on top of hustle. Very loose and relaxed but is able to “put on his game face” at the right times. Plus makeup. There is also something to be said for how quickly he signed given his high (10th overall) draft status.
Abilities: Has all the tools of a classic two hole hitter. The hit tool is there even if the stance isn’t what one would think of for advanced hitters. He hits from a wide base, bent over, with some bat waggle ala Orlando Hudson. He has great balance throughout his swing thanks in part to a very miniscule stride. This allows him to hit everything from fastballs to big looping curveballs. When down in the count his balance is especially noticeable as it seems his swings actually get better. Pitchers hate this because Cory can get down 0-2 and still wind up with a hard hit line drive. His lower body works well enough but his upper half is the best part of his swing. He slots his hands very well and allows himself to hit balls very deep into the hitting zone. He doesn’t have insane bat speed but showed no problem getting to fastballs on the inner third of the plate. The combination of his excellent hand eye coordination and great hands are what propel Cory to be an excellent hitter. On pitches on the outer third his hands stay inside the ball and serve to shoot the ball into the left center gap. When the pitch is inside his wrists are used to get the bat head out in front allowing him to drive balls to his pull side. As he builds strength he will become even more a threat at the dish than he already is.
In the field he is a solid be not flashy (“slick”) second baseman. He doesn’t have great speed but his range hardly suffers from it. He positions himself very well and takes the proper angles to balls. Even on balls within his range he still makes the effort to get in the best possible position to field the ball leading to consistently accurate throws. He turns a nice double play especially when he has to go to his glove side, which is typically a tough play for young second baseman to make.
Weaknesses: His frame doesn’t offer ideal projection and he doesn’t have the athleticism that is so in vogue with the current generation of 2nd baseman. (Kinsler, Cano, Phillips, etc..) On the base path he is often over aggressive and his “peskiness” can turn to “recklessness” very easily. If he does add strength it will have to be done in a way to where he doesn’t lose his current speed. Any significant drop in speed could force him out of 2nd base and over to his collegiate position of 3rd base where his fringe average arm may hamper him.
Conclusion: A very advanced hitter with a tremendous feel for the zone. This is a kid who plays the game the right way and seems to have all the necessary physical tools and intangibles to make an impact at the major league level. His defensive will never grade out as stellar but his bat and knowledge of the game will make him more than a serviceable second base man. OFP of 54– Below a first division player but still a player who can make a difference for a ball club.
Oregon Baseball Report 