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Forum nameOkay Sports
Topic subjectJason Parks scouts AA New Britain: MEJOR, Rosario, Pinto, May
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2155715&mesg_id=2204792
2204792, Jason Parks scouts AA New Britain: MEJOR, Rosario, Pinto, May
Posted by Walleye, Tue Jul-02-13 10:03 AM
The defensive report on Sano is really encouraging. He's not a big Rosario fan here but he's expressed admiration in the past so perhaps a follow-up visit when he's adjusted more to AA pitching is in order.

Pinto is turning into a real sleeper. I was kind of interested in May's quibbles just because Parks makes them sound sort of fixable.

"New Britain Rock Cats

3B Miguel Sano

Series Stats: 5-for-15; 3 HR; 4 K; 1 BB

Notes: I’ll be writing a full scouting report on Sano this week at BP, but I’ll drop a few notes here as a tease. First of all, Sano is one of the best players I’ve ever seen in person. I was able to watch numerous batting practices, pre-game fielding drills, and live game action, so the sample might be small but it offers ample sustenance. Sano is a legit five-tool talent, which goes against several reports that you might be reading online. He’s a gifted physical specimen, with mature size and strength, but the body isn’t as high maintenance as I expected and his overall athleticism was above average. On several occasions, Sano showed a burst of speed down the line and on the turn that resembled an NFL tight end, a graceful out route from a 6’4”, 250-lb. beast of a man. I clocked him at ~4.17 from home to first on a ball he rolled over to the left side, which is absolutely flying for a man of his measurements. The power is extreme and it made me question my religious beliefs, but the biggest discovery of the trip was Sano’s skill at the hot corner, a position that many (if not most) assumed would not be his home at the highest level. Sano is going to play third base in the majors, and he has a chance to be above average at some point in the future. He is still raw and error prone, as I saw him step back on a ball and let it chew him up. But the leather is better than people realize, and with more repetition, he will refine that tool to major-league quality. Sano is at his best coming in on the ball, as he has a feel for fielding and making a quick glove-to-hand transition. He can flash the leather to the backhand as well, showing off a few highlight reel plays that saw him react quickly to the arm side, backhand the ball from the ground, spring to his feet, and fire a 70-grade missile to the first baseman for the out. He has the chops. He just needs refinement. The hit tool is his biggest weakness and I doubt he hits for average at the highest level, but he has good bat control for his size and swing leverage, and he understands the difference between a ball and a strike. The end game for Sano is probably .265 with some on-base ability (fear/recognition), and power that could play to its potential, which means 35-plus bombs year after year. Given that fact that he will be a competent (if not better) third baseman, his profile could make him one of the most dangerous and valuable players in the game.

C Josmil Pinto

Series Stats: 6-for-14; 1 2B; 2 BB; 2 K

Notes: Pinto can really hit; short and quick to the ball and he makes hard contact. The 24-year-old has a good approach, and I liked his ability to recognize pitches out of the zone and lay off. A good fastball hitter, he was able to track and barrel balls to all fields, and he showed good raw power in batting practice. I don’t see a great hitter, but he isn’t an empty stick, and his approach puts him in situations to take advantage of mistakes. Behind the plate he is okay, but I didn’t see a great catcher. He can receive, but he was only popping in the ~2.02 range, which is acceptable but not above average. The arm itself is strong, although his release isn’t especially quick and his arm action can get long. Despite his age and lengthy minor-league experience, I think he’s a sleeper prospect in the Twins system, and a player with a major league valuation.

2B Eddie Rosario

Series Stats: 1-for-11; 1 2B; 1 K; 1 BB

Notes: I was disappointed in Rosario’s defense at second, as he looked uncomfortable on balls hit right at him and his reactions to either side appeared slow, both in live action and in warm-ups. It should be noted repeatedly that the field conditions were terrible because of consistent rain over the weekend, but his approach and his actions weren’t of major-league quality. Given his athleticism, it seems likely that the outfield is a better location for his skills, but with repetition perhaps his glove can take steps forward at the keystone. But in the small sample, it wasn’t just the fact that he made errors and didn’t play well, it’s how and why those errors were made in the first place.

At the plate, he was struggling to find holes on the diamond, which is partly due to his approach to hitting. Rosario has fast hands, and the bat speed is easy to recognize as a positive attribute. But his swing path is very elevated, as he appears to be trying to hit the ball over the fence with every swing. It’s a batting practice approach that he brings to live action, and it might pay off for the 21-year-old if only he had the strength of a power hitter in the first place. The majority of his line drives fell short of the fence, despite being very well struck. He clearly has a natural feel for hitting, but I didn’t get the impression that he knows who he is as a hitter yet. Instead of using the whole field and spraying line drives with a more linear swing, Rosario worked in the deepest part of the field (up the middle) and lacked the punch to find over-the-fence success. He doesn’t have the body to develop the type of power his swing is trying to execute. With his bat control and bat speed, he could really develop into a good hitter if he works the gaps and takes advantage of his strengths instead playing into his weaknesses. He’s a tweener for me right now, more a hit tool/speed type than a complete player."