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Post by adamoraz on Aug 29, 2016 19:16:13 GMT -5
I think the Sox newest breakout prospect deserves a thread.
It seems like he's been putting on quite a show down in Lowell, and I'm guessing he'll be moving up in the rankings pretty quickly, but I'd love to hear the impressions of anyone who's seen him play so far.
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Post by mogreenwell on Aug 29, 2016 20:11:22 GMT -5
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Post by humanbeingbean on Aug 29, 2016 21:29:51 GMT -5
Just saw him tonight, and what I saw probably won't come as a shock: he hit a couple hard line drives, but also struck out three times, including whiffing on a few curveballs. The power was obvious, but so was a swing-and-miss tendency (but obviously only gathered from this one game). Defensively, he played a couple balls to his left and right instead of right in front, so I don't know if he was just being casual, but he also "misplayed" a barehand attempt and a ball ate him up into left for a single. But he has an absolute cannon.
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Post by scarr0214 on Aug 29, 2016 21:34:02 GMT -5
Just saw him tonight, and what I saw probably won't come as a shock: he hit a couple hard line drives, but also struck out three times, including whiffing on a few curveballs. The power was obvious, but so was a swing-and-miss tendency (but obviously only gathered from this one game). Defensively, he played a couple balls to his left and right instead of right in front, so I don't know if he was just being casual, but he also "misplayed" a barehand attempt and a ball ate him up into left for a single. But he has an absolute cannon. Essentially when he moves up he'll have to learn to hit a breaking ball and become a smarter fielder, but has the natural tools to succeed physically? I can definitely live with that out of him!
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Post by humanbeingbean on Aug 29, 2016 21:36:51 GMT -5
Just saw him tonight, and what I saw probably won't come as a shock: he hit a couple hard line drives, but also struck out three times, including whiffing on a few curveballs. The power was obvious, but so was a swing-and-miss tendency (but obviously only gathered from this one game). Defensively, he played a couple balls to his left and right instead of right in front, so I don't know if he was just being casual, but he also "misplayed" a barehand attempt and a ball ate him up into left for a single. But he has an absolute cannon. Essentially when he moves up he'll have to learn to hit a breaking ball and become a smarter fielder, but has the natural tools to succeed physically? I can definitely live with that out of him! Definitely is built like a third baseman and has a strong and accurate arm... hence why he pitched. But his swing looked crisp too. Just has to hit the curveballs.
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Post by adamoraz on Aug 29, 2016 22:10:55 GMT -5
Interesting reading. I think I saw an article after the draft that said he's more comfortable hitting when he doesn't have to pitch as well, so I wonder if that's helping him out so far.
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Post by Oregon Norm on Aug 30, 2016 1:00:59 GMT -5
My opinion: the swing needs reworking to eliminate the noise. Also the toe-tap thing can have you moving your head off the plane of the ball. Not good for the contact rate.
Of course, I thought Chavis had a very pretty swing path, so what do I know...
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Post by ryan24 on Aug 30, 2016 7:30:19 GMT -5
Essentially when he moves up he'll have to learn to hit a breaking ball and become a smarter fielder, but has the natural tools to succeed physically? I can definitely live with that out of him! Definitely is built like a third baseman and has a strong and accurate arm... hence why he pitched. But his swing looked crisp too. Just has to hit the curveballs. Small sample. There have been a ton of guys who just had to hit the curveball to make it. Lets see if he makes the adjustments.
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Post by rjp313jr on Aug 30, 2016 9:13:01 GMT -5
I don't think any things changed since he was drafted just because he has hit a bunch of home runs against lousy pitching. He's got big power and huge holes in his swing same as before. He's a nice guy to have in your system because once in a while they make it and are very valuable when they do.
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Post by ancientsoxfogey on Aug 30, 2016 9:22:17 GMT -5
I think the latest article on Dalbec, headlining his return to his former hitting style, is about as optimistic an article as I can imagine for his future chances, because it suggests a confluence of very plausible explanations for why his hitting dropped this year. From the change in his mechanics, the resulting tension in his swing, the competing attention that his conversion to starting pitching commanded, even the unusual comment that he prefers wooden bats because of the variety of feels he has to choose from. All of these could be considered to be "just excuses," but the first 3 especially I can understand as barriers to successful hitting.
It could be that the circumstances he finds himself in in pro ball compared to what he was dealing with this spring make him, much more than the average prospect, better off where he is now. It will be interesting to follow how he does going up the ladder, when the organization DOES suggest modifications to what he is doing right now (which it sounds as though they might.)
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Post by jmei on Aug 30, 2016 9:31:05 GMT -5
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Post by sox fan in nc on Aug 30, 2016 10:43:31 GMT -5
Nice read. He's faced some fairly good pitchers being in the Cape League for 2 summers and Pac 12. It's not like he was in an obscure division 3 school. He's put together like WMB. Prototypical 3B. We'll see a lot in G-ville next year.
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Post by brendan98 on Aug 30, 2016 13:19:52 GMT -5
Obviously way early to tell, but the Sox may have gotten the 2 biggest steals of this draft in Groome and Dalbec.
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Post by adamoraz on Aug 30, 2016 18:21:58 GMT -5
And Shawaryn might be a third good steal. All in all, a pretty promising draft class so far.
I think the most promising thing in the article is that Dalbec is hitting with power to all fields, not just pulling all of his home runs to left. That ability might make it easier for him to adjust later on.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Aug 30, 2016 19:43:22 GMT -5
FWIW, the scouting feedback on Dalbec has been very, very good. Scouting scratch is in editing and will be up later this week.
Another sneak preview: he's going to make a very large jump in the SP rankings on 9/1.
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Post by scarr0214 on Aug 31, 2016 0:14:29 GMT -5
Definitely is built like a third baseman and has a strong and accurate arm... hence why he pitched. But his swing looked crisp too. Just has to hit the curveballs. Small sample. There have been a ton of guys who just had to hit the curveball to make it. Lets see if he makes the adjustments. Completely true, but the point id from an A ball prospect in his first professional season he's way ahead of where guys typically are. He has multiple levels to work on hitting the breaking stuff. It's much better to make this happen now than when he's at AAA or even the majors.
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nomar
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Post by nomar on Sept 1, 2016 9:12:31 GMT -5
FWIW, the scouting feedback on Dalbec has been very, very good. Scouting scratch is in editing and will be up later this week. Another sneak preview: he's going to make a very large jump in the SP rankings on 9/1. Eager for this article (and the 9/1 rankings of course). Slow morning at work.
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Post by adamoraz on Sept 1, 2016 16:58:18 GMT -5
All the way up to # 11. Heartthrob Bob might be Bombing his way into the top 10 before we know it.
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Post by jimed14 on Sept 1, 2016 17:04:46 GMT -5
For a 4th round pick to rise to #11 the same year he was drafted might be unprecedented, no?
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Post by giatree12 on Sept 1, 2016 17:52:41 GMT -5
For a 4th round pick to rise to #11 the same year he was drafted might be unprecedented, no? When he has the potential to be a Joey Gallo type prospect, it doesn't seem so far fetched.
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ematz1423
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Post by ematz1423 on Sept 1, 2016 20:25:40 GMT -5
I hope dalbec turns into a legit prospect. Once benintendi and moncada graduate this system will look a heck of a lot worse.
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Post by scarr0214 on Sept 1, 2016 21:06:37 GMT -5
I hope dalbec turns into a legit prospect. Once benintendi and moncada graduate this system will look a heck of a lot worse. Obviously it will look worse but it will still easily be in the top half. Devers, Groome, and Kopech are legit top 50 MLB prospects. Then we have Dalbec, Dubon, Cosart, and Basabe among others as guys with the potential to be in that top 50 someday.
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Post by sox fan in nc on Sept 1, 2016 21:56:57 GMT -5
Seems as if Pawtucket and Portland have been barren the last few years
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Post by adamoraz on Sept 1, 2016 23:16:41 GMT -5
For a 4th round pick to rise to #11 the same year he was drafted might be unprecedented, no? Didn't Ryan Westmoreland do something similar?
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Post by telson13 on Sept 2, 2016 2:20:35 GMT -5
For a 4th round pick to rise to #11 the same year he was drafted might be unprecedented, no? Didn't Ryan Westmoreland do something similar? In fairness, though, he was considered a first-round talent who fell due to signability issues. Dalbec was thought of as a possible first-rounder after destroying Cape pitching, but he had an awful year offensively, so he was a "legit" 4th-rounder. I don't remember where Westmoreland ranked after signing, but I think it was very highly. Good recall, regardless.
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