Let’s Watch Some Shortstop Prospects Play Protection

With Tutorial League underway in Arizona (casts look of disappointment towards Florida) and Fall League rosters seemingly about two weeks out, the time has come to line the coffers with information and re-worked scouting reviews in preparation for one more spherical of farm system audits. Particularly on the up-the-middle positions, protection is each essential and likewise a little bit of a black field for readers, as there aren’t many publicly accessible minor league defensive stats and a lot of evaluating protection is visible. I’ve not too long ago been engaged on a video deep dive on the place gamers presently graded as 50 FV prospects or higher, particularly to guage their protection intimately. Right here I’ve taken a go on the shortstops, offering video dietary supplements for the prospects who I’ve evaluated within the 55 FV tier and above. I’ve made adjustments to their protection and arm instrument grades over on The Board on account of this train, and spotlight the situations the place this has brought on a change to the participant’s general FV grade within the evaluation under.

I’ve minimize the movies in such a means that you would be able to see every shortstop making related performs one proper after one other. The movies function performs to their left the place I need to see them flip their hips and throw, performs that present the intense finish of their vary, backhand performs within the gap to their proper, performs coming in on the grass, and double play makes an attempt. The fewest balls in play I watched for a person participant was 36 (Colson Montgomery and Dyan Jorge) and essentially the most was nearer to 70 (Jackson Holliday, Carson Williams and Marcelo Mayer).

Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles
Holliday isn’t presently an enormous league-quality shortstop defender, however he’s proficient sufficient to undertaking as an acceptable one inside the subsequent couple of years. He’s most comfy throwing on the transfer from proper to left, and he usually goes out of his means to take action even when it isn’t referred to as for. His potential to make correct throws from odd platforms is spectacular, as are Holliday’s poise and inner clock. However his arms aren’t all the time sound, and Holliday lets a whole lot of choppers take an unnecessarily excessive hop, with the path of that hop typically stunning him. He must do a greater job of staying low and attacking one of these groundball nearer to the bottom, particularly when he’s shifting towards the outlet to his proper. He additionally tends to take an additional step or two to assemble himself earlier than throwing, which the velocity of main league play won’t permit for. Once more, I believe Holliday will finally be high-quality, however proper now his bat is fairly comfortably forward of his protection.

Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres
The important thing element right here is that Merrill has begun to play positions moreover shortstop over the previous couple of weeks. He’s performed a sport or two every at first and second base, and a pair in left area after having solely performed shortstop for his whole profession. Whereas his efficiency at quick can present an affordable facsimile for what Merrill ought to have the ability to do at second base, it’s not but potential to guage him as an outfielder (he has solely had one remotely catchable fly ball hit to him to this point) and it’s nonetheless too early to have a coherent opinion about his protection at first base (although his footwork there to this point has been predictably tough).

In a vacuum, Merrill will seemingly be a shortstop match regardless of below-average arms due to his really feel and instincts for the place, in addition to his max-effort arm power. His feeds to second base when beginning double performs and his alternate across the bag when he’s the pivot man have to be sooner. Xander Bogaerts and Ha-Seong Kim are each higher defenders than Merrill, which might be why you’re beginning to see him transfer across the diamond. If the Padres suppose he can outhit Jake Cronenworth, he may usurp him in an analogous function.

Marcelo Mayer, Boston Pink Sox
Mayer has been out since August 2 with soreness in his non-throwing shoulder. Portland supervisor Chad Epperson informed The Athletic two weeks in the past that Mayer was seven to 10 days from a return, however that has confirmed to be optimistic. The tape he put down previous to the damage is encouraging, although. I had Mayer evaluated as much less prone to stick at shortstop than most of the others analyzed right here, however whereas he nonetheless has some points, his actions ought to allow him to take action. His arms are fantastically fast and skillful, and that is most evident on double play makes an attempt when he’s both beginning issues or performing because the pivot man. Mayer can also be a way more pure low-to-the-ground athlete than both Holliday or Merrill, and he appears rather more comfy backhanding balls within the gap, although he doesn’t all the time have the arm to complete that play and his vary is a shade under common.

Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins
Lee makes a whole lot of spectacular performs due to his savant-like really feel and acrobatic aptitude, rather more than through uncooked bodily potential. He’s, nevertheless, the very best bender of the shortstops analyzed to this point, getting deep into his legs on that key, telling backhand play that the others wrestle with. Lee is so good at making this play partially due to his potential to bend (have a look at the angle of his hamstring relative to the bottom in comparison with the others) and partially as a result of his switch happens whereas he exits this place. Over the last month he has been uncharacteristically mistake-prone on some gimme grounders, however I don’t count on that will probably be a long-term challenge. Given his thicker construct and damage historical past, it wouldn’t shock me if Lee’s potential to play shortstop peters out throughout his preliminary years of crew management, sooner than the youthful guys additionally analyzed on this article. However among the many all-around influence gamers close to the highest of this record, Lee and Jordan Lawlar are clearly essentially the most main league-ready defenders presently.

Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks
Lawlar’s vary is just truthful, however now that his throwing stroke has been smoothed out, he’s in any other case an entire and glorious shortstop defender with plus-plus actions. He typically goes right into a pop-up slide quite than bend like most different shortstops would to area sure grounders to both facet of him, however his potential to exit that slide in place to make a robust, correct throw is unbelievable and extremely entertaining. Plenty of shortstops are likely to cost sluggish rollers in on the grass and scoop the ball on the run, however Lawlar has by no means seemed comfy making this play and he appears to have made an adjustment, because it’s laborious to search out him doing it on tape. As a substitute, he tends to attend on the baseball, and depend on the quickness of his actions and his arm power. It’s working to this point. He and incumbent Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo are each excellent defenders, however Perdomo has a lot of expertise at different positions, making him a extra pure match to maneuver round in a superutility capability when Arizona thinks Lawlar is prepared. I’ve elevated Lawlar’s defensive analysis. That, mixed with the way in which his strikeout charges have stabilized, brought on me to maneuver him into the 60 FV tier forward of some inferior center infield defenders.

Carson Williams, Tampa Bay Rays
Williams is essentially the most sensational and proficient defender right here, constantly making huge league-caliber performs whereas sprinkling in an absurd variety of internet gems for a man who’s barely 20 and has solely been specializing in being a place participant for a few years. Other than the occasional short-hop throw to first base (which is extra about Williams’ really feel for launch than it’s a lack of arm power), Carson is an entire defender who checks each scouting field emphatically. He strikes the baseball across the infield with tempo and precision whereas making most elements of protection look absurdly simple. He has premium athletic potential, a plus-plus alternate, and the arm to be an upper-echelon defender on the place. Once more, Williams turned 20 on the finish of June. I’m nonetheless nervous about his hit instrument, however the influence of his shortstop protection goes to allow him to play a key function. He may produce much like the way in which Willy Adames has, and I’ve juiced his FV into the 55 FV tier on account of this train.

Different Shortstops Analyzed
White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery is a reasonably agency and clear “no” at shortstop, although I suppose you may argue he appears the way in which he does as a result of he spent most of 2023 on the shelf with indirect and again points, which can nonetheless be impacting his mobility. Most of what Montgomery is doing on protection occurs too slowly, and runners find yourself protected on in any other case routine performs. His arms and vary are each comfortably under common, and 21-year-olds this dimension not often stick at quick. He’s clearly an incredible prospect due to his bat, however the notion that Montgomery is the second coming of Corey Seager in all respects is fake.

Guardians rookie Brayan Rocchio now appears high-quality at quick after experiencing the yips in Venezuela over the winter. His high-stress throws on do-or-die makes an attempt in on the grass usually require a bit little bit of assist from the primary baseman, which, with Kole Calhoun being requested to study the place on the fly on the huge league degree, made for some ugly baseball when Rocchio was up in August. His lightning-quick alternate and skill to make spinning throws on balls hit again up the center are the highlights of an in any other case common assortment of expertise on the place. He ought to stabilize the shortstop place subsequent 12 months as soon as Cleveland is soundly satisfied Gabriel Arias can’t hit.

You little doubt learn about Masyn Winn’s all-world arm power. That 80-grade instrument makes up for what can typically be a sluggish method to groundballs, which might in any other case trigger the baseball to reach late. Winn’s frequent have to rush his throws has usually brought on first basemen to have to return off the bag, however this shouldn’t be a long-term challenge. His vary and athleticism are each plus, whereas his arms and actions are nearer to common. He most likely isn’t a future Gold Glover, however Winn is fairly comfortably the very best shortstop defender within the Cardinals org and I contemplate it extra seemingly that Tommy Edman and Brendan Donovan rotate round principally non-shortstop positions subsequent 12 months now that Masyn is in place.

The Blue Jays Addison Barger returned from elbow irritation in June and started to see increasingly time in proper area in mid-July. Because the starting of August, he’s been taking part in principally proper area whereas getting a begin someplace on the infield about as soon as every week. He was evaluated as a 40-grade shortstop defender throughout the offseason and that also holds, as Barger’s toes and arms are missing however his arm is a match mainly anyplace on the infield. He’s able to taking part in shortstop however isn’t excellent, and with Bo Bichette entrenched because the crew’s on a regular basis choice, it’s more likely that Barger performs a left-handed function that enhances Santiago Espinal and an getting older George Springer for the subsequent a number of years. Barger may already be higher than Cavan Biggio is in that function proper now and will advantage down-the-stretch consideration, however the Jays selling Mason McCoy and Ernie Clement quite than Barger (or Orelvis Martinez) in mild of current accidents to Bichette and Matt Chapman form of indicators what Toronto thinks of these guys on protection. As a result of he’s basically slipping down the defensive spectrum, I’ve slid Barger into the 45 FV tier as extra of an integral function participant quite than a real on a regular basis man.

I’ve dialed down the grades on Orioles infield prospect Joey Ortiz’s protection and arm by a full normal deviation. His diminutive dimension makes him particularly agile, however he lacks every other distinctive defensive attributes. I haven’t altered Ortiz’s FV grade, nevertheless, as a result of he’s nonetheless making a ton of contact and hitting the ball laborious, with a 46% hard-hit fee at Norfolk. Right here is how a few of Ortiz’s extra granular offensive attributes stack up towards the typical of the highest 30 huge league second baseman from 2022 (i.e. about how he’d must carry out to be a 50-grade participant at second). It feels okay to 50 him although second base is now within the image greater than earlier than.

At greatest, high-ceiling Rockies prospect Dyan Jorge is presently a work-in-progress at shortstop, the place he stays vulnerable to misplays. His arms are comfortably under common and his throwing stroke is a bit non-traditional. I had him speculatively projected to middle area as an beginner and am again on that prepare after a quick departure based mostly on my prolonged spring coaching appears. Marlins prospect, and fellow Cuban, Yiddi Cappe is in an analogous spot. Cappe has seen extra time at shortstop since Kahlil Watson was traded away however remains to be principally taking part in second base, the place his arm is a cleaner match. He’s sluggish to corral balls at shortstop and finally ends up writing slow-developing checks that his arm can’t money. Each of those guys deserve a bit extra time to air out developmentally as a result of they each waited an additional 12 months to signal, however they’re each nonetheless rather more about long-term athletic projection than current defensive ability.