Stat line of the day

by Adam J. Morris on May 5, 2008 12:01 PM CDT

Engel Beltre, in the Midwest League: .295/.331/.446

The MWL is a pitcher's league, and low-A is generally populated by guys who are a year or two out of high school, international signees, and lower-light college draftees in their first pro season.

Beltre is 18 years old...if he were American, he'd be in the 2008 draft.

Two high school hitters went in the top three picks in 2007, and they both project as CIFs. Mike Moustakos, who went #2 overall, is hitting .198/.260/.260 in the Midwest League right now. Josh Vitters, who went #3 overall, is hitting .214/.214/.429 in just 4 games in the MWL, after posting an aggregate 281 OPS in 14 games in the minors last yaer.

Among other first round high school hitters from 2007...Matt Dominguez hasn't debuted yet (after posting a 429 OPS in 15 games last year). Jason Heyward, probably the most comparable player to Beltre, overall, is hitting .310/.352/.440 in the CarolinaSally League. Kevin Ahrens is hitting .285/.385/.425 in the Midwest League. Devin Mesoraco is hitting .219/.310/.270 in the GCL.

You really have to feel good about what Beltre is doing, when you see he is hitting as well, or better, as the high first round high school hitters from last year, most of whom are around a year older than him.

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Beltre

i am feeling good about him. nice post

by murph22 on May 5, 2008 12:04 PM CDT 0 recs

Can we

Make it 3 years from now already?

by brettgardner on May 5, 2008 12:05 PM CDT 0 recs

Sickels

Still agree with him: Engel needs to improve his peripherals.

But yeah the AVG, after his recent week’s work, is right where it needs to be.

Go Strangers.

by hightowersmith on May 5, 2008 12:10 PM CDT 0 recs

6 game hitting streak

I think, and 1/3 of the 12 hits during that span for extra bases. Definitely seems to be heating up. Hopefully by the end of the year he’ll start walking a bit more.

...and curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid git.

by t ball on May 5, 2008 12:53 PM CDT 0 recs

I have been especially encouraged

by his relatively slow strikeout totals there. As much as I like Beltre, I expected him to struggle this year and strike out a lot because of he loves to swing, especially early in the count.

He may not be walking much, but the fact that he’s not striking out a ton is extremely encouraging to me.

http://rangers.scout.com

by JasonCole on May 5, 2008 12:56 PM CDT 0 recs

His batting eye

you could not fairly expect it to be overly developed at 18. With the low SO numbers, all should be very encouraged for his future.

...it's the weekend, so why the hell not?

by Rodney on May 5, 2008 1:36 PM CDT up 0 recs

Very encouraging...

thanks for giving us some comparisions to go off of as well AJM.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on May 5, 2008 1:34 PM CDT 0 recs

CIF?

by jwiscarson on May 5, 2008 1:40 PM CDT 0 recs

Corner Infielders ...

by BHill on May 5, 2008 1:43 PM CDT up 0 recs

Corner infielders

1B and/or 3B. Generally speaking those are two more offensive positions whereas CF is more of a defensive position. Beltre doing so well offensively while playing good defense is a plus

by bigsteve on May 5, 2008 1:43 PM CDT up 0 recs

Thanks guys.

This may be a dumb suggestion, but could we get a glossary for these abbreviations/acronyms? I know a lot of them, but you guys really lose me sometimes. And it might be a good spot to put up the nicknames used for Rangers players.

by jwiscarson on May 5, 2008 3:45 PM CDT up 0 recs

Triunfel

Seems like Beltre’s contact rate is around what Carlos Triunfel’s was last year as a 18-year old at this level, and he profiled as a top-20 prospect on some lists (Keith Law’s in particular). You obviously can’t argue with Beltre’s tools and physical projection, so this is extremely encouraging despite there still being many games left to play. Triunfel also looks to be a 2b/3b long term, so he’s potentially a CIF prospect as well. I expect the patience will come, but the fact that he can make consistent contact is more important. We just can’t rush him like the Braves did with Andrus.

by John Fountain on May 5, 2008 3:01 PM CDT 0 recs

Andrus

How exactly has he been rushed? He plays a position that is more geared toward defense than offense and his defense is said to be major league caliber already. The fact that he is not getting blown away at the plate is encouraging. As long as his defense continues being top notch, his bat will come around in time. He still is really young for his level.

by bigsteve on May 5, 2008 4:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

From Kevin Goldstein's Monday Ten Pack

Engel Beltre, OF, Low-A Clinton (Rangers)
Neftali Feliz wasn’t the only high-ceiling Rangers prospect on display this weekend at Kane County. Another 2007 acquisition who came over from the Red Sox in the Eric Gagne trade, Beltre is loaded with tools and plays a bit out of control, and is thus incredibly exciting. He’ll swing at anything, but in a 9-for-15 weekend that included a triple, home run, and stolen base, one saw remarkable speed and the present ability to drive the ball–-a rare combination in an 18-year-old. The weekend raised his OPS by 115 points with a season line of .295/.331/.446, making him yet another reason that the Clinton team is one of the most interesting in the Midwest League when it comes to watching prospects.

by philkid3 on May 5, 2008 4:44 PM CDT 0 recs