Monday, January 7, 2013

DrB's 2013 Giants Top 50 Prospects #20: Tyler Hollick

Tyler Hollick, OF.  DOB:  9/16/1992.  6'1", 185 lbs.  B-L, T-R.

Junior College:  .475/605/.636, 7 2B, 8 3B, 1 HR, 52 BB, 61 SB, 214 PA.

Rookie AZL:  .301/.441/.372, 0 HR, 21 SB, 2 CS, 19.6 BB%, 18.9 K%, 143 PA.

If you are looking for someone drafted in the teen rounds in the 2012 draft to dream on, look no further than Tyler Hollick who just might be an offensive version of Clayton Blackburn.  Hollick hails from Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  He showed up at Chandler-Gilbert CC as a pitcher and 2B.  The coaches there quickly moved him to center field where he put up the crazy numbers you see listed above.

BA's pre-draft scouting report:  "He is an above-average runner, but his calling card is his lefthanded bat.  He has a short, compact swing and always puts together quality at-bats.  He's a gap-to-gap leadoff type....."

Of course, he will have to prove he can still draw walks and steal bases at higher levels, but yeah, those are some crazy good numbers to dream on.  Given that he's a JC draftee, I'm thinking we'll see him in Augusta in 2013.

20 comments:

  1. Hollick is prospect no. 20 rather than 19.

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  2. Wow, how did he last so late into the draft? I know, Canada, community college, but the scouting report sounds pretty good too. I look forward to what he can do in Augusta.

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  3. I appreciate the last two profiles - Shilo and Tyler, as I, and many others as well I assume, did not know much about these two.

    Question: where is the Canadian HS position player we drafted in, I think either 2011 or 2010? I think he plays first.

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    1. Thank you. Jonathan Jones is listed in the Honorable Mention category and I'll write up what I know about him down the road.

      I contend that the Giants farm system is a lot deeper than most observers give it credit for. McCall and Hollick would be exhibit A and B in making that case.

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  4. Hollick gets my gushy dream hitter award along with MacWil. Often these hidden gems can get to High A on athletic ability, we will see if he can adjust to real pitching down the road. For now, dream on...

    By the way really been enjoying reading all the draft insight write ups and comments here. Makes a guy like me, who didn't get past softball in middle school, think that maybe he knows something.

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  5. I am really enjoying these profiles. However, they are also concerning. Few, if any, so far are about guys in the upper levels of the minor leagues and none of the position players will be ready to contribute in the next year or so. Gary Brown might be the exception. There are also seems to be very little power outside of maybe Oropesa and Duvall. I know we control Belt, Panda, Craw, and Posey for a few more years. But where does this leave the development of the offense going forward?

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    1. Oh man! I wonder if you've really been reading these. Once again, yes, the Giants do not have any elite prospects at the top of the list. They've graduated so many in recent years and they've been so successful, it's left them drafting later in the draft. What you are hoping for in this situation is several players who will develop into solid big leaguers, not necessarily stars.

      I do think the Giants have done a good job of acquiring prospects with some upside who, if everything breaks right, could develop into stars and they have interesting players like that all up and down the system.

      As for power potential, in addition to Duvall and Oropesa, there is Mac Williamson, Roger K, eventually Gustavo and possibly McCall.

      So, nobody here is saying the Giants should be a top ranked organization according to strict ranking criteria, but if you step back and look at the big picture, their farm system is set up to fit their needs well into the future with a long list of prospects who have the potential to move up quickly in the future.

      For instance, Marc Hulet of Fangraphs thinks the by this time next year, Kyle Crick will possibly be considered a top 10 overall RHP prospect. I think there are several others who could move up a lot too. Let's see how things develop. Considering the Giants have been drafting in the last third of the first round for the last 3 drafts, I think they are looking really good.

      You have noted that the Giants do not have an immediate need at the MLB level. I believe they have several prospects who will be ready by the time needs develop, as early as midseason 2013.

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    2. Brown is expected to start in AAA. Panik is expected to start in AA. That is our #1 and #2 guys, both starting in AA or higher.

      What more do you want?

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    3. I guess the Giants need to send Belt, Bumgarner, and Posey back down to the minors so their farm system can be considered good again. They need to get back in the top prospect game, dammit!

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    4. If possible, please remove my previous post. It isn't being interpreted the way it was intended.

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    5. Jjw, tough room here, tougher crowd. Especially the bouncer, goes by DocB.

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    6. Jjw: The snarkiness of the initial responses are not the norm. Hang in there. This is still a great site for Giants info.

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    7. Jjw, I am sorry if I misinterpreted your comment. I really don't want people to feel unwelcome commenting here. I hope the kneejerk reaction won't discourage comments in the future.

      As for the "bouncer" comment. Yes, if someone comes here looking to cause trouble, I will hit the button on you. I haven't had to do that much at all which I am really happy about.

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    8. BTW, if my initial response came out as snarky, I also apologize. I will try to watch that in the future. I don't want this site to become a mirror image of a certain other site more well known than this one.

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    9. It was meant to throw open the question of whether or not the future offense should make power a priority or not. Their recent style has been a balanced attack featuring spray hitting, some speed, and good execution. The ballpark probably lends itself more to that style of an attack anyway. But there is something wonderfully old fashioned about a good 3-run home run every now and then. I realize that adding power to the roster in the future may sound pretty spoiled given the Giants recent success, especially over the last three years. I'm just wondering if we should focus on guys like Brown and Hollick who bring good speed, good defense, and enough spray hitting to frustrate the opposition. That seemed to be what worked this past year.

      I'm definitely not putting down the Giants nor did I meant to come across as critical of their recent player development.

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    10. I think the Giants' thinking is similar to yours. The have drafted "light tower power" in each of the last few years. Kiescheck (sp?), Dominguez, Joseph, Williamson. The problem with drafting for power is that power comes only if you make contact, and it is difficult to judge first the contact rate of a prospect, and then the potential power. I think the Giants are doing so many thing right, taking a flyer on a power hitter around the 3rd round is another one of them. I think that several of the Giants hitters are poised for breakout season, and Kiescheck and Williamson are definitely in the mix.

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    11. jjw,

      Thanks for the clarification.

      Brian Sabean has made two separate statements that seem on the surface to be contradictory, but he has repeated both of them more than once. 1. The Age of Power in MLB is over. That, combined with the characteristics of the ballpark favor an offense that can hit for a high BA with gap power and speed. 2. The reputation of the ballpark makes it difficult, if not impossible, for the Giants to attract power hitters as free agents. Therefore, they are going to have to develop their own power hitters.

      I think, ideally, you have a mix of gap hitters with speed and guys who can crank it out of the park so I don't think the two statements are necessarily mutually exclusive or contradictory.

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    12. Yes, thanks for the clarification. I thought you were trying to be negative too, but I see now that you were only concerned.

      Just wanted to add that I've also seen both of the Sabean's statements. But I don't see it as a contradiction. Just because the age of power is over does not mean that you can survive without some power. Only that crazy speedy Cardinal team of the 80's were doing it like that, but they still had Jack the Ripper there as the heart of their lineup, blasting his power.

      The Giants have done pretty well in corralling in some power. Posey and Sandoval are two good power hitters, and as DrB noted a few times before, Pablo has a 40 HR season in his bat, one day, and should be in the 30's regularly. He probably would have been the past two seasons without the injuries. And Belt looks to be pretty good too, once he gets everything together.

      I like Kieschnick and Williamson for power. Duvall as well and don't forget Oropesa. Not sure about Dominguez ever controlling the strike zone enough to get here, but he could provide some nice power off the bench for us. And Parker and Gillaspie could someday reach mid-to-high teens in HR, not great, but at least it is some power. And I still have hopes that Crawford will deal some homers as well.

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  6. Hollick reminds me of a JC white whale that I wanted the Giants to sign after drafting him a while back named Tyler Ladendorf. Lots of speed and athleticism.

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