radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
Posts: 6,248
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Post by radiohix on Sept 25, 2018 12:30:00 GMT -5
Ian Cundall promised that there will be a lot of content regarding Antoni Flores after his trip to the Fall Instructs so I thought we need to create this thread to discuss this intriguing prospect.
He's a big bonus signee (1,400,000 USD) from Venezuela in the July 2nd Draft in 2017. His MLB Pipeline scouting report when he signed says:
In his shortened DSL debut (general soreness) he showed that indeed he has a balanced approach with 14% BB rate and 12.3% K rate and he also spray the ball to all fields by pulling 33.3% of his batted balls while going oppo 38.1% of the time. (Caveat: SSS of 57 PAs) When a rehabbing Steven Wright threw a live BP to minor leaguers in the Tropicana field, Flores was invited and he took a live BP with big club after that and...
I'm really excited about this kid and Ian seems to be a fan too.
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Post by iakovos11 on Sept 25, 2018 12:50:05 GMT -5
Well done, Radiohix! He is going to be generating some BUZZZZZ over the next year (and beyond)!
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Post by ramireja on Sept 25, 2018 13:50:02 GMT -5
Great stuff, always pumped to see new threads dedicated to some of the more exciting prospects coming up the pipeline. For me, Antoni Flores has been a pleasant surprise, and I say surprise because although his bonus was legit, I had anticipated a defense-first SS with questionable offensive abilities. Reports on his offense across the scouting community were somewhat mixed upon his signing with Badler having this to say: So I get that we have a very limited sample size, but to see really good control of the strike zone with some anecdotal reports of 'legit power,' I've been pleasantly surprised. If he can stick at SS, he looks like the top guy in his international class given that Danny Diaz may (or may already have) outgrown 3B and has shown some K% concerns alongside his + power. The well-rounded profile of Flores is an exciting one.
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Post by Addam603 on Sept 25, 2018 15:43:38 GMT -5
I’m going to make a bold prediction and say that Antoni Flores is going to be the Red Sox’s top prospect within a couple of years. I’m going to make an even bolder prediction and say that if there’s anyone on this roster that I think will become a top 10, top 20 prospect in all of baseball, it’s not Casas, it’s not Mata, or Groome, or Houck. It’s Flores. The sample size is incredibly, incredibly small but the reports and the early results have me very excited. I see a guy that can become a five tool player at a premium position.
Yes, I know that’s one hell of a claim to make. Call me crazy. But Antoni Flores has me very excited.
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Post by Don Caballero on Sept 25, 2018 17:21:44 GMT -5
For as flawed as the Red Sox system is right now, the left side of the infield is looking crazy deep with Flores, Diaz, Casas, Dalbec, Howlett, Northcut and obviously Chavis.
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Post by ramireja on Sept 25, 2018 17:40:40 GMT -5
Yeah I don't think there's another system with as strong and deep a collection of 3B. So we've got that going for us....which is nice.
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Post by ramireja on Sept 26, 2018 12:25:35 GMT -5
Antoni Flores instructs at bat against Rays 1st rounder (#16 overall) Matthew Liberatore:
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Post by orion09 on Sept 26, 2018 13:19:09 GMT -5
Antoni Flores instructs at bat against Rays 1st rounder (#16 overall) Matthew Liberatore: He seems to have a quick bat, good sign for a guy his size. Side note, that Rays pitcher looks tough, late life on his stuff.
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cdj
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Post by cdj on Sept 27, 2018 9:03:35 GMT -5
Liberatore isn’t a joke, guy can pitch
Flores looked very comfortable. Very good to see
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Sept 28, 2018 12:01:19 GMT -5
Instructs podcast is in the can. Can say that Ian is very much a Flores fan.
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radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
Posts: 6,248
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Post by radiohix on Oct 1, 2018 12:05:58 GMT -5
Instructs podcast is in the can. Can say that Ian is very much a Flores fan. Yeah, I was listening to the podcast (it's great as usual) and thinks that he's a Top 10 prospect in the system and may start next year as an 18 years old in Greenville (like Devers and Bogaerts before him). Jump in the Flores bandwagon fellas!!!
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Post by iakovos11 on Oct 1, 2018 18:33:16 GMT -5
Don Caballero and I are still on the Keith Couch bandwagon. Might be time to jump off before it crashes and find a new bandwagon.
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Post by ancientsoxfogey on Oct 2, 2018 12:16:08 GMT -5
Instructs podcast is in the can. Can say that Ian is very much a Flores fan. Yeah, I was listening to the podcast (it's great as usual) and thinks that he's a Top 10 prospect in the system and may start next year as an 18 years old in Greenville (like Devers and Bogaerts before him). Jump in the Flores bandwagon fellas!!! For an old fogey like me, Flores is a very sobering prospect. Because if he in fact were to pan out and have a long and productive major league career, it is very likely that I will be dead before his career ends.
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gerry
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Post by gerry on Oct 2, 2018 15:11:49 GMT -5
Yeah, I was listening to the podcast (it's great as usual) and thinks that he's a Top 10 prospect in the system and may start next year as an 18 years old in Greenville (like Devers and Bogaerts before him). Jump in the Flores bandwagon fellas!!! For an old fogey like me, Flores is a very sobering prospect. Because if he in fact were to pan out and have a long and productive major league career, it is very likely that I will be dead before his career ends. C’mon man. Stop freaking me out. I am a good bit older than you, have some nasty health issues, but like we both got to witness a good chunk of Ted’s career, let’s plan on enjoying a good chunk of Antoni’s. He, or any of these young kids coming up and succeeding, would be a great finale to decades of fandom. That’s a happy thought. Happy thought keep us going, right?!?!
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nomar
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Post by nomar on Oct 2, 2018 16:22:52 GMT -5
I really doubt Keith Couch would let any of us die.
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Post by Addam603 on Oct 7, 2018 17:26:13 GMT -5
Jim Callis reported that Flores’s “general soreness” was actually a strained left shoulder cause during a swing.
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Post by Don Caballero on Oct 8, 2018 23:06:13 GMT -5
Don Caballero and I are still on the Keith Couch bandwagon. Might be time to jump off before it crashes and find a new bandwagon. I really doubt Keith Couch would let any of us die. You guys are bringing tears to my eyes :') but the Couch bandwagon is unstoppable, you never know man, dude might just find a splitter and become that legit MLer we all know he was.
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radiohix
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'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
Posts: 6,248
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Post by radiohix on Oct 30, 2018 17:22:23 GMT -5
I picked this from a link posted by my man ramireja in another thread: LinkThe scouting reports keep sending the same message: Mature approach (The kid knows what he's doing in the batter box) and a line drive stroke/feel for hitting. He's a good fielder at a premium position too. Here's the video that came with the scouting report, watch the first AB, he stung that ball for an opposite field line drive that the opposing RFer made a diving play on at the warning track. He's going to be special
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Post by jimed14 on Oct 30, 2018 18:10:26 GMT -5
When I watched Flores youtube videos when he was signed, I saw a little Xander in his swing.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 31, 2018 15:28:38 GMT -5
His swing looks a lot like Orlando Cabrera.
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radiohix
Veteran
'At the end of the day, we bang. We bang. We're going to swing.' Alex Verdugo
Posts: 6,248
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Post by radiohix on Nov 7, 2018 14:22:35 GMT -5
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Post by Ryanod1 on Nov 14, 2018 5:45:06 GMT -5
I picked this from a link posted by my man ramireja in another thread: LinkThe scouting reports keep sending the same message: Mature approach (The kid knows what he's doing in the batter box) and a line drive stroke/feel for hitting. He's a good fielder at a premium position too. Here's the video that came with the scouting report, watch the first AB, he stung that ball for an opposite field line drive that the opposing RFer made a diving play on at the warning track. He's going to be special This kid definitely looks like he will be a good player. At 17, he obviously has a long way to go, but certainly intriguing. In your Youtube video there was one part of his swing that I did not like. It was the last AB in the video when he made contact. You can see instead of a forward stride he steps out a bit. That is a bad habit to get in, but i'm sure the sox are all over it haha. When I played in college and was on the mound that day I would always take advantage of a player that strides in or out vs. straight. Its easy to fall into that habit, and very hard to get out of. When I wasn't pitching I would always hit between 3-5 in the order, and I would tend to do the same with my stride when facing 95 tailing in lol. Not fun to get hit with that so your mind tells you to stride out.
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Post by azblue on Nov 14, 2018 9:33:18 GMT -5
"he body is mature for his age, but considering he’s still 17, it is reasonable to wonder if growth will force him to third."
I do not see any indication of this in the video.
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Post by unitspin on Nov 14, 2018 10:02:19 GMT -5
I really like Antoni Flores but Danny Diaz power got me excited for a full year of ball. I feel like power is the one thing that develops slow at that age playing against older and quality pitching. But he has showed elite power in his short time in the system. If he can keep his average up he might be a fast mover in the organization. Unrelated side note everyone seems to think our system is extremely weak I however see a ton of upside. Still do not understand why ppl aren't high on Bryan Mata kid shows far better stuff then Anderson Espinoza at a younger age. As for groome kid has the tools just needs to work on the above the shoulder issues. Chavis I think we will see this season hope his power translates to the MLB. Durbin feltman could be the closer of the future and with other prospects as Brandon howlett, jarren Duran and Gilberto Jimenez I like what I see. One player I am not big on is triston casas think he might show a good year this season but will disappear down the line.
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Post by James Dunne on Nov 14, 2018 10:07:29 GMT -5
Still do not understand why ppl aren't high on Bryan Mata kid shows far better stuff then Anderson Espinoza at a younger age. I'm not sure if you mean "better stuff" in a traditional sense, but he absolutely does not. Espinoza's raw stuff was sublime, hopefully it comes back. Espinoza also had far better control and missed bats at a far higher rate. Mata generates more ground ball outs, but that's really it in terms of things he's better at than Espinoza. And none of that is at all a knock on Mata.
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