#8 Tommy Joseph. Low A- .236/.290/.401 with 16 HR in 436 AB.
Tommy Joseph's calling card is "light-tower" power. Hitting 16 HR's in his first professional season played at age 18 did not diminish that impression. Some analysts are calling Joseph's season a disappointment. I would not characterize it as such. Yes, he had an OBP under .300, which put a big hit on his OPS, but his IsoOBP of .054 was not horrible and it is extremely rare for a HS draftee to show that kind of power this early in their career, and even rarer to combine it with good plate discipline(not saying Tommy's was good, just if it was we'd be talking about the next Mike Piazza). Tommy also got better as the season progressed:
Pre All-Star: .211/.281/.333 with 6 HR's in 213 AB.
Post All-Star: .260/.298/.466 with 10 HR's in 223 AB.
There are still legitimate questions about his athleticism and what positions he might or might not play, but I would rate his first professional season a success, or at least something to build on. I would think we'll see him in San Jose in 2011 where he will continue to catch, play some 1b and DH, much like Pablo Sandoval when he was there. He should come in very close to the same position in my 2011 Top 50 Giants Prospects list.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Any updates on his defense? Is he still somewhere between DH and Catcher, or is his defense improving behind the plate?
ReplyDelete18 is very young for the league and his second half numbers look like that's average for the league, which is impressive since most of the players there are 3-4 years older than he is, meaning pitchers should be that much more experienced and advanced, and the hitters likewise, and yet he was average.
ReplyDeleteBodes well for his future, I think. The main question, as kennv noted is what his defensive position ends up being. Most experts think he's a future 1B.
I had read a report earlier this year that described Joseph behind the plate as a bit mechanical, not really athletic in his footwork. If that is the case and he stays at catcher, he really could end up being Mike Piazza Jr! BOOM! Had to get that shot in on the former Dodger, who couldn't throw out anybody if the bases were 120ft apart!
ReplyDeleteI''ll go into more detail after I roll out my 2011 Top 50, but Joseph reportedly has a strong arm, but poor, clunky footword. There's video of him on youtube that appears to show him a thick, heavy lower half. In one sequence he looks extremely slow coming out of the batter's box when running to first base. Think Bengie Molina slow! Having said that, there are lots of heavy bottomed catchers in MLB and footwork can be taught. If the arm is there, I think he can stick at catcher. My comp would be MIke Napoli of the Angels, and in the best case scenario, Mike Piazza.
ReplyDelete