1. Cory Spangenberg– Easy choice. Has an amazingly mature approach at the plate. He is very patient and can drive the ball (not just slap singles) when behind in the count. He is perfectly suited for the two hole in the lineup but will continue to hit in the middle of the order in the low minors. Not only do the tools stand out, the intangibles do as well. Hustle, swagger, confidence, knowledge of the game, all the little things that don’t show up on the 20-80 scale. He scores well on all of those. Even on walks he hustles down to first. His speed is just above average but he is a pest on the bases.
2. Jace Peterson– Already showing signs of development after only a few weeks. Swing has calmed down and his hands are working much better. Really starting to drive the ball now. As his hit tool grows, his knowledge of the zone will follow. He is leading off games now but needs to learn to be a bit more patient and how to hit from behind in the count. JP is an athlete who is making the transition to an athletic ball player. He can look lost one at bat, then smoke a triple the next one and boy is it a pleasure to watch him run. He is a former wide receiver and you would know it after watching him leg out a triple. Even with this great speed he still has lots of growth as a baserunner. He could be stealing almost every time he is on base.Has tremendous range at short but is still figuring out the best way to get to some ground balls. If he ever hits a wall in his progression as a SS, putting him in the outfield would be a very logical next step.
3. Mike Murray – Could one day be a left handed Mike Napoli. In a perfect world he would be in an American League farm system where he can come up as a DH. The phrase of the day is bat speed. Murray has it and lots of it. As a big lefty I kept waiting for him to turn on a ball and put it in the lights in right field but he never got the chance as he never saw anything close to the inner third of the plate. On balls on the outer third of the plate he had excellent hands. He has a textbook path to that path with great extension. The most impressive part of Murray’s game is his knowledge of his swing and what he is looking for. He gears up for that 2-0 fastball and if he doesn’t see it simply takes it as opposed to getting around an offspeed pitch and getting himself out. When behind in the count his hands work amazingly. In his most impressive at bat he was fooled by a solid 0-2 change up. His body was out in front and his rhythm off but you wouldn’t know it from the box score. All you would see is the double he used his hands to achieve.
4. Paul Hoilman– Big hoss needs a bit of refining in the swing, a touch more athleticism, and to not grow himself out of baseball. If all of those things occur then he will progress through the system fine. Corn Fed has been that big threat in the line up his whole life I’m willing to bet. He has no problem dealing with offspeed pitches and feasts on “get me over” curve balls. The swing works but at times he just looks uncomfortable in the box. Some hitters function in a state of discomfort and maybe this is the case with Hoilman, but I wonder if his production would go from good to off the charts if he ever really settled in. He has a good eye with a growing knowledge of the zone. As a big dude hitting 4th I don’t like seeing him slap a 2-0 curveball into right field. I’m all for singles but Hoilman will help his team and his career more when he learns what he can drive and what he can simply get a base hit out of. I believe this will come with time as he is still maturing as a hitter.
5. Donavan Tate– Even with the suspension the tools are too good to ignore. It is disconcerting to see him rack up so much missed time so early in his career. He was never expected to quickly rise through the system but he is only hurting himself by not being on the field. When he is on the field it is fun to watch. The bat is a blur. The mechanics are still a touch raw but the potential is there. He swing is mostly driven from his upper half. His hands work very well. He gets to the zone very quickly and stays in it for a long time. He still is adapting to pitching at a higher level so there are alot of swing and misses. Once he learns to incorporate his lower half he will become a terror in the box. He has the chance to become a solid leadoff hitter wreaking havoc on the bases or a 3 hole hitter that bolsters his whole lineup. It is easy to see why the Padres took him third overall for that fact alone. Everybody should have the pleasure of watching this kid run at least once. Gazelle like is the phrase that is best fitting here. In center he has great range backed by a solid arm.
Honorable Mentions:
Travis Whitmore: Love this kid’s hands at the plate but I don’t know if the raw tools are there. This team is loaded with quality infielders defensively and Whitmore is a touch below all of them. He would be suited for second base easily but with Spoggy (Spangenberg… bad nickname I know) over there he simply won’t see the field.
Lee Orr: Major league body, easy swing, power potential, but has yet to show he can cover the outer third of the plate. He makes it look easy on pitches middle-in but is still figuring out that outside pitch.
Kyung-Min Na: Great hands, great eye, great approach but how much growth does he have left in his game?
Oregon Baseball Report 