Yankee Prospect Comparisons

[stupidpunchline]

I occasionally skim through the Around The Minors threads trying to make sense of the Yankee farm system but other than a few simple impressions: 1. Phil Hughes will probably be really, really good, 2. Jose Tabata is aparently a beast, 3. According to nyyfans.com posters, no "expert" knows anything about the Yankee farm system ...I'm pretty much clueless about Yankee prospects in general.

So in an effort to simplify things for myself and many other unsavvy Yankee Minor League fans, I am requesting that the more knowledgable posters in this forum provide comparisons of current Yankee Prospects to major league players, along with their presumed "ceiling" and "basement".

For an example, I recently read a lot of you comparing Brett Gardner to Brett Butler. Who can make similar types of comparisons?

[mbn007]

I occasionally skim through the Around The Minors threads trying to make sense of the Yankee farm system but other than a few simple impressions: 1. Phil Hughes will probably be really, really good, 2. Jose Tabata is aparently a beast, 3. According to nyyfans.com posters, no "expert" knows anything about the Yankee farm system ...I'm pretty much clueless about Yankee prospects in general.

So in an effort to simplify things for myself and many other unsavvy Yankee Minor League fans, I am requesting that the more knowledgable posters in this forum provide comparisons of current Yankee Prospects to major league players, along with their presumed "ceiling" and "basement".

For an example, I recently read a lot of you comparing Brett Gardner to Brett Butler. Who can make similar types of comparisons?

It's all that posters opinion, and in addition, players styles may change, or become more defined over time, as the kids mature through the system. This is tough, except for generalities.

[stupidpunchline]

It's all that posters opinion, and in addition, players styles may change, or become more defined over time, as the kids mature through the system. This is tough, except for generalities.

Oh I'm aware they're all opinions and nothing is static... but I value the opinions of NYYfans.com posters and if you make a comparison that you don't feel is valid any longer, correct yourself.

[gdn]

Tough to do.... they're each their own. Best I could do is give you upsides and a few comps that I've seen here and there.

[Buzah!]

I can tell you that mechanically Hughes is more reminiscent of Seaver than Clemens.

[BennyTheJetRodriguez]

I'll take a shot, anyone can feel free to correct me.

JB Cox: I've heard Jeff Nelson and Turk Wendell, but I expect softer contact and fewer walks.

Brett Gardner: The Brett Butler one is probably the most accurate. He's probably going to be a better base stealer though, and he'll likely strike out more.

Tyler Clippard: I don't remember his exact velocity figures, but a hard curve and decent fastball could make him a Tom Gordon type.

Eric Duncan: Poor mans Adam Dunn

CJ Henry: Could be a Soriano type with more walks/less pop, or could be a Jose Cruz Jr type. Depending on his development. I've also heard Jonny Peralta compairisons.

Jose Tabata: I've heard Manny Ramirez and Soriano. The swing reminds me of Manny.

Phillip Hughes: I've heard Prior and Schmidt. Jason Giambi compaired him to Roger Clemens.

[Buzah!]

I think Clippard will be more like Moose or Radke and a bunch of us have been thinking that for a few years.

[BennyTheJetRodriguez]

I think Clippard will be more like Moose or Radke and a bunch of us have been thinking that for a few years.

What are his other pitches? Those guys each had 4 plus pitches if i'm not mistaken.

[38Special]

radke's only real plus pitch is his changeup. his FB is slower than Clip's is, and i'd be willing to bet that clip's curve is better. radke's changeup is a big pitch though

[BennyTheJetRodriguez]

radke's only real plus pitch is his changeup. his FB is slower than Clip's is, and i'd be willing to bet that clip's curve is better. radke's changeup is a big pitch though

What does Clippard throw besides the FB/CB? Moose and Radke both have good off-speed stuff, thats why I don't see him as that type other than the control.

[Yankees-26rings]

I'll make some.


Philip Hughes- Mark Prior, minus injuries
Tyler Clippard- Brad Radke
J.B. Cox- Jeff Nelson
Eric Duncan- Adam Dunn asuming he develops more power but a more reasonable comparison is Lyle Overbay
Austin Jackson- Willy Taveras, maybe a bit more power assuming he continues develop.
Brett Gardner- Brett Butler
Jose Tabata- Rocco Baldeli, I don't buy the Manny comparison
C.J. Henry- So raw but based purly on body build Vernon Wells, but the Cruz Jr. is a possibility.
Chris Garcia- Will either be a big boom or a big bust with his control so I'll say Daniel Cabrera.

Those are the major ones, it is realy hard to make any comparisons to the others.

[ICEBERG18]

Jose Tabata- Rocco Baldeli, I don't buy the Manny comparison.

How did you come up with Rocco Baldeli, Jose Tabata comparison?

[38Special]

yeah i dont get that one at all

[Skars]

Wrong thread

[Yankees-26rings]

How did you come up with Rocco Baldeli, Jose Tabata comparison?

You got a better one?

I was a little creative and I feel that is a reasonable comparison.

[ICEBERG18]

You got a better one?

I was a little creative and I feel that is a reasonable comparison.

Why do you feel that's a reasonable comparison?

[Yankees-26rings]

So you just threw a name out there? Is that when you mean by creative?

No, I see all these comparisons to Manny Ramierez on this site and I feel that is just unreasonable, and I thought I would pick someone you would not necessarily think of. He doesn't hit for a tremendous amount of power, good fielder, great athlete, good plate discipline. Sounds like Rocco Baldeli to me.

[38Special]

tabata wont hit for alot of power? also baldelli does not have good plate discipline and tabata isnt a great athlete like baldelli

[bmxstreetrider86]

um he is 17, do you think that you might be putting to much emphasis on his so called "lack of power"- i would consider a 17 year old slugging .450+ in full season ball a player with some power potential

[ICEBERG18]

No, I see all these comparisons to Manny Ramierez on this site and I feel that is just unreasonable, and I thought I would pick someone you would not necessarily think of. He doesn't hit for a tremendous amount of power, good fielder, great athlete, good plate discipline. Sounds like Rocco Baldeli to me.

I think you're way off with that assessment, but that's just my opinion.

[Yankees-26rings]

tabata wont hit for alot of power? also baldelli does not have good plate discipline and tabata isnt a great athlete like baldelli

Well who would you compare him too?

[bmxstreetrider86]

he is closer to delmon young than he is baldelli

[38Special]

Well who would you compare him too?

Manny really is a very good comparison. Tabata is a better athlete but hes already got a fair amount of weight on him at 17. By the time he's 24 he may not be a great defender

[Yankees-26rings]

Manny really is a very good comparison. Tabata is a better athlete but hes already got a fair amount of weight on him at 17. By the time he's 24 he may not be a great defender

So you are willing to say that a Low A ball player will be comparable to a guy who over the course of a 13 year career has averaged .314 BA, a 1.008 OPS, 42 HR, and 136 RBI's a season.

[38Special]

why did you not have a problem with the other comparisons? The point is to show a major league player who they would be comparable to if their development goes well. Tabata is murdering the ball in A-ball as a 17 year old. Manny was eating doritos in an apartment in the Bronx when he was 17

[spiritof27]

Manny was eating doritos in an apartment in the Bronx when he was 17

No, really, I'm laughing out loud. Hilarious.

[Buzah!]

Rocco Baldelli????????????????????????????????????? Wow. Tabata at 17 is outhitting Vlad at 19 as well as Miguel Cabrera at 17 in A ball and you come up with Rocco (I don't know the strike zone) Baldelli. Funny stuff.

[Pinstripe Lore]

Jose Tabata reminds me of a right-handed version of Tony Gwynn. Gwynn and Tabata both hit for a high batting average, have above average power, and have a similar stocky build. If Tabata even has half the career that Gwynn had I will be a very happy fan.

[38Special]

tabata should hit for more power than gwynn but i doubt hit for as high of an average as Gwynn

[homer2931]

What's Tabata's speed and arm like?
I read in one report he runs like Pierre and throws like Guerrero, but that was also on a blog that called Colter Bean a hard thrower, so I don't konw if I should believe it

[38Special]

neither. he was very fast last year as he was the SB leader in the GCL, and he has a very good arm. This year he only has 10 SB in 232 ABs, and its been shown that he put on somewhere between 15-30 pounds in the offseason that may have slowed him down

[kan_t]

Last season Tabata reminds me of Sheff with a better defence. This year he reminds me of Vlad with a better defence.

[NYDCYankee]

What's Tabata's speed and arm like?
I read in one report he runs like Pierre and throws like Guerrero, but that was also on a blog that called Colter Bean a hard thrower, so I don't konw if I should believe it

Hits like Manny, runs like Pierre, throws like Vlad. That sounds like a create a player on MVP Baseball.

[Buzah!]

neither. he was very fast last year as he was the SB leader in the GCL, and he has a very good arm. This year he only has 10 SB in 232 ABs, and its been shown that he put on somewhere between 15-30 pounds in the offseason that may have slowed him down

when kids grow like that it takes them awhile to be able to handle their new size. This is even true of elite athletes.

[BlueStrawberry]

Hits like Manny, runs like Pierre, throws like Vlad. That sounds like a create a player on MVP Baseball.

He doesn't "hit" like Manny.

The Manny comparison is from bat speed, swing plane, and body comparisons. One scout I talked to who has seen him said he has freakish hand-eye coordination and has a very simliar swing to Manny.

[Buzah!]

So he has a very similar swing to Manny but he doesn't hit like Manny? Isn't that semantics? Or is your point that a 17 year old who has a very similar swing to the vastly older and established Manny doesn't produce like Manny?

[BlueStrawberry]

So he has a very similar swing to Manny but he doesn't hit like Manny? Isn't that semantics? Or is your point that a 17 year old who has a very similar swing to the vastly older and established Manny doesn't produce like Manny?

You can have simliar hitting skills and swings and hit differently.

Tabata has a simliar swing to Manny and simliar bat speed. Thats the comparison. That said Tabata probably won't hit with the same power as Manny unless his Oppo power really develops. Which is possible considering he is so young. To be honest I've been told he is hard to evaluate because he is so young playing with people so much older then him. He doesn't have the same hitting eye that Manny does and he strikes out a lot but again he is so young its hard to gauge him.

[Buzah!]

You can have simliar hitting skills and swings and hit differently.

Tabata has a simliar swing to Manny and simliar bat speed. Thats the comparison. That said Tabata probably won't hit with the same power as Manny unless his Oppo power really develops. Which is possible considering he is so young. To be honest I've been told he is hard to evaluate because he is so young playing with people so much older then him. He doesn't have the same hitting eye that Manny does and he strikes out a lot but again he is so young its hard to gauge him.

He's 17 and doing more at a-ball than Vlad did at 19. His comps are all superstars.

[BlueStrawberry]

He's 17 and doing more at a-ball than Vlad did at 19. His comps are all superstars.

When did I say anything to disagree with that. I actually agreed with that is you would have read my post. He is so young he doesn't really have any close comps.

[Buzah!]

When you said that Tabata probably won't hit with the same power as Manny, I saw no reason to draw that conclusion other than the testing policy that was absent through the bulk of Manny's career.

[BlueStrawberry]

When you said that Tabata probably won't hit with the same power as Manny, I saw no reason to draw that conclusion other than the testing policy that was absent through the bulk of Manny's career.

I'll say it again. It is really hard to gauge a 17 year old player with 20 year olds.

My conclusion of Tabata not hitting with the same kind of power is pretty simple. Manny is one of the best power hitters ever to play. While Tabata seems to be more of a 25 HR guy with a lot of doubles. I've heard he is more of a gap line-drive hitter. As he aged those doubles may turn into HRs but thats hard to project as well. Just looking at numbers quickly his IsoP is .146 which isn't very impressive, but AGAIN he is only 17. SO should he get a break on numbers....sure. But you have to draw the line at some point.

As for the steriod comment. No one knows who did and didn't do steriods in that era. But the comment really has NOTHING to do with Jose Tabata having less power then Manny Ramirez. The comment caught me off gaurd.

[NJASDJDH]

Let's say the season ended today. I want someone to find a list of every 17-year-old who has hit above .300 with an Iso above .140 in full season baseball. Good luck. With Tabata you are dealing with a historically unique talent. To compare him to Rocco Baldelli is ludicrous on several levels. To say that his power hasn't been very impressive is just as silly.

[BlueStrawberry]

Let's say the season ended today. I want someone to find a list of every 17-year-old who has hit above .300 with an Iso above .140 in full season baseball. Good luck. With Tabata you are dealing with a historically unique talent. To compare him to Rocco Baldelli is ludicrous on several levels. To say that his power hasn't been very impressive is just as silly.

No it isn't. His power hasn't been very impressive. Its been very solid AND when you couple that with him being 17 you can project much more power.

And yes .140 IsoP is not impressive. But like I have said for the 100th time you are dealind with a freak 17 year old so trying to project him is difficult.

[Buzah!]

I'll say it again. It is really hard to gauge a 17 year old player with 20 year olds.

My conclusion of Tabata not hitting with the same kind of power is pretty simple. Manny is one of the best power hitters ever to play. While Tabata seems to be more of a 25 HR guy with a lot of doubles. I've heard he is more of a gap line-drive hitter. As he aged those doubles may turn into HRs but thats hard to project as well. Just looking at numbers quickly his IsoP is .146 which isn't very impressive, but AGAIN he is only 17. SO should he get a break on numbers....sure. But you have to draw the line at some point.

As for the steriod comment. No one knows who did and didn't do steriods in that era. But the comment really has NOTHING to do with Jose Tabata having less power then Manny Ramirez. The comment caught me off gaurd.

I see no way of putting a ceiling on Tabata who got one of only three hits for his team in his All-Star game tonight and compares favorably to just about any 17 year old foreign born hitter that has been through the minors. If you've seen him, you'll notice he has those big legs and hitters hips. His upper body hasn't caught up yet, but he's gonna mash.

[BlueStrawberry]

I see no way of putting a ceiling on Tabata

This is something we can agree on.

[Buzah!]

This is something we can agree on.

that's all I was trying to get you to agree on but you kept saying things like he won't have Manny's power. At 17, an all star in a league of 20 and 21 year olds, he's probably got a reasonable shot of being better than Manny. Who knows, it can't be ruled out.

[BlueStrawberry]

that's all I was trying to get you to agree on but you kept saying things like he won't have Manny's power. At 17, an all star in a league of 20 and 21 year olds, he's probably got a reasonable shot of being better than Manny. Who knows, it can't be ruled out.

His shot at having a better career then Manny Ramirez is less then 1%.

His chance of having some Manny type seasons is much greater. To many things could go wrong at such a young age to say the word reasonable. BUT he does have the talent to be as good as he wants to be. He is as talented as any prospect in baseball but he has a long road.

[Buzah!]

His shot at having a better career then Manny Ramirez is less then 1%.

His chance of having some Manny type seasons is much greater. To many things could go wrong at such a young age to say the word reasonable. BUT he does have the talent to be as good as he wants to be. He is as talented as any prospect in baseball but he has a long road.

I meant reasonable from the point of view of being an all star at 17 and being talented enough to do it. If you want to call the 1% it's better than the 0% everyone else has, but probably not represtative of the his true chance if the Yanks bring him along correctly.

[ICEBERG18]

One scout I talked to who has seen him said he has freakish hand-eye coordination and has a very simliar swing to Manny.

When i listen to the games the broadcaster always says Tabata hits everything hard even his outs, so i can definitely bealive that.

[Buzah!]

When i listen to the games the broadcaster always says Tabata hits everything hard even his outs, so i can definitely bealive that.

The announcers are in awe of him. It's so cool to have those webcastes.