John Sickels Q&A

As noted last week, John Sickels of Minor League Ball agreed to do a short Q&A with us, which I have set out below:

A)    It’s a strong caution signal, but given his youth and production otherwise he’s got a good chance to be a useful hitter. There is some risk he could flame out in a Dallas McPherson way. Branyan or Palmer are also possible outcomes. Baseball Prospectus also points out David Ortiz as a possible comp. We just really don’t know yet.

A)  I still think Brandon Boggs is a sleeper. Like his power, speed, and walks, he does everything except hit for average. On the pitching side, consider Warner Madrigal, the guy they picked up as a free agent from the Angels system. Power arm, fresh, and his command has been better than expected after he converted from the outfield.

A)  Well I like to split the hitters from the pitchers. Both Font and Feliz have the arm strength to be excellent. At this point I like Feliz slightly better, but in both cases we need to see how their command holds up against better competition, development of secondary pitches, health status, etc. Beltre is a real wild card. Scouts love his tools and he’s young, but his performance last year was very erratic, and I want to see what happens at higher levels. I don’t rate him as highly as some analysts do because I still have questions about his ability to make sufficient contact.

A)  I’d just stick him at first base. I think Teagarden is the catcher of the future, and using Salty as a catcher could inhibit his offensive development.

A)  I think both Double-A and Triple-A are necessary steps in the development of most players. Maybe not all, but most. The style of play and the type of competition is different at the two levels. In Double-A you tend to see younger players, more athletic, guys who maybe throw harder but are less polished. In Triple-A you have more of a mixture, some younger guys yes, but also older more veteran types, marginal major leaguers, Quadruple-A players. Many of the pitchers don’t throw quite as hard, but they are better at changing speeds and working a hitter’s weaknesses.

I think players need to be exposed to both levels in order to be best prepared for the wide variety of competitors they will be exposed to in the majors. Some of the elite prospects can be pushed past Triple-A quickly without it being a big deal, but in general I think most players need a year of Double-A and at least a half-year of Triple-A before being fully ready for major league action. That’s my opinion.

A)   It’s too early to tell of course, we would need five years to properly assess the Teixeira deal. It could end up being quite comparable.

A)  Again, we have to see what Danks develops into. It’s just too early to say. Certainly McCarthy has been disappointing, but Danks is no sure thing yet either. It could end up being a wash if they both fail.

A)  Well K/IP is very important, it’s a key indicator. But it’s not the only indicator, other stats matter, too, and scouting reports and projection. None of it can be ignored. Harrison picked up some velocity in the Arizona Fall League, he gets some ground balls, and I’ve long liked his overall potential as a strike-thrower with a bit more stuff than you see from the average finesse lefty. I don’t see him as an ace, but I think he can be a very fine number three or four starter.

Many thanks to John for taking the time out to do this with us, and make sure you add Minor League Ball to your RSS feed or bookmarks...