Cleveland Sports Forum

I would expect any of us to make mistakes. I would not expect the same of a published writer when it comes to simple facts and figures. Not sure where the modern day blogger fits in there.

I personally don't follow the blog site but there are two writers there that I follow. This kid who writes about the Ducks, and a lady there that covers the Captains for them.

They see a hell of a lot more of the team and players than I do so I appreciate the opinions, even though I may not agree with all of them.

I care less that he messed up and wrote 10 SB's instead of 8. I have no idea why you make such a big deal of it. The point of the article still holds true. Here is a guy in only his second professional season after his first one was cut short due to injury, that is playing gold glove defense at the hot corner. Is hitting for average, drawing a lot of walks & getting on base, has a little speed, and has size that makes you think he may develop more power down the line.

I think he is definitely someone to keep an eye on.

Da Ducks got beat tonight but both Zimmer and Yandy homered. That's 3 homers last 6 games. The power may indeed develop with him.

Paquette changed his Twitter handle.

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Indians In Depth @tpaquette_IID:

Akron #RubberDucks (3B) Yandy Diaz over his last 6 games:

7-24 5R 1(2B) 3HR 6RBI 3BB 1SB .292 AVG .357 OBP #Indians

I know he is in his second year of rookie ball but this is still getting ridiculous...

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Indians In Depth @tpaquette_IID:

AZL #Indians OF Gabriel Mejia has reached base now in 32 straight games:

49-126 32R 6(2B) 1(3B) 14RBI 18BB 30SB .389 AVG .466 OBP

This guys name isn't ringing a bell.

Indians In Depth @tpaquette_IID:
DSL #Indians LHP Ramon Tineo over his first 16 appearances of the season:
- 2SV 26.1(IP) 17H 7R 1ER 11BB 32SO 0.34 ERA (10.95 K/9)

More interested in Diaz's power numbers than his steals and the power is improving from nearly none early on to some recently. The blogger said he had 14 doubles for the year, in fact he has hit 8 but here's how he has improved:

In April he hit 254, with 2 doubles for SLG of awful 282
In May he hit 318 with 1 double and 1 triple for SLG of 346 Again "isolated power" of an amazing .028
In June some difference: avg 330, with 1 double, 2 triples, 2 homers. SLG 451. That's more like it.
In July batted 295 with 2 doubles 1 triple 1 homer. SLG 376.
In early results August looks good: 429 with a double and a monthly tying high in HR with 2. SLG 929 over 4 games.

3 homers last 6 games and his slugging percentage is almost as high as his on base percentage now!

Wednesday's games:

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20150805

Arizona: besides his two hits, Mejia threw out a runner at the plate. Following in the footsteps of his namesake the day before Luis Jiminez had a terrible performance: 1 2/3--6--8--7--3--1

Mah Valley: has recently become the best hitting team in the NYPL. 2 hits each for kid SS Willi Castro and 2B Mark Mathias, including his 10th double. Castro stole base 14. Catcher Danny Salters singled, drove in 3 and is hitting 284 to lead the team.

Lake County: unusual and positive day at the plate for Bobby Bradley, his 2 hits were both singles, neither of 2 outs was a strikeout. Meanwhile Francisco Mejia continues with his bat control hot-streak, he hit 3 singles and walked once in 4 trips. Allen singled and stole his 37th base.
Poor outing for Sean Brady: 5 1/3--9--7--5--1--4

Lynchburg: 7 runs net a one-run victory. Levon Washington led the way with a double, homer, walk, 2 rbi. He's been uninjured for a whole month now and has his line up to 260/321/427.
Also: Frazier doubled and walked twice; I think the walks are attracting most of the positive attention for Clint.
Mike Papi resurrected a bit with 2 hits and a walk. Catcher Eric Haase two doubles. NRod singled in 2 more runs.
Yet another poor starter performnance: Kime 2 2/3--7--6--6--2--1

Akron: Zimmer also stole his 6th AA base; for the season he has 38 and leads Allen by 1 and Mejia by 8.
Here was a rare good start for the organization but a normal good start by Adam Plutko:
6-5-1-1-1--5. Followed by two shutout innings by Josh Martin; and a blown save by Jeff Johnson.

Columbus: Erik Gonzalez has not been overly impressive since his promotion but yesterday delivered a pair of doubles and a walk. In AAA: 213/238/287. Zach WAlters two hits and w walks. Tomlin allowed 6 runs on two homers in 6 innings. Joe's old friend Joe Colon finally made his AAA debut and fanned 3 in a scoreless 1 2/3.

Here's the lady that covers the Captains I mentioned yesterday.

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Bobby Bradley Sets High Expectations in Lake County: “I Just Have to Do What I Know How to Do”

Laurel Wilder | On 06, Aug 2015

He’s 19 years old and in his first professional season with the Cleveland Indians after being drafted in the third round of the 2014 MLB amateur draft. He’s knocked in a team-high 18 home runs for the Lake County Captains in 79 games this season. He’s hitting .253 and posts a. .830 OPS. He was recently named the Midwest League Player of the Week for July 27-August 2, as he hit .381 in six games, with four home runs, nine RBI, two doubles, nine runs, six walks, and a slugging percentage of 1.048.

Yet, Bobby Bradley thinks he could still do more.

“[My progress] is a little beneath [my goals for the season],” Bradley said. “I had a little higher expectations of myself just coming into the season, but it’s a work in progress and I’m still young. I just have to do what I know how to do.”

And what Bradley knows how to do is play baseball.

A self-described “good old Southern boy” who loves “huntin’, fishin’, and mud ridin’,” Bradley began his baseball career on the T-ball field at age four, and has loved the game ever since. He said he didn’t have a strong a passion for football or basketball, but played both sports for some time while a student at Harrison Central High School in Gulfport, Miss. It was his sophomore year of high school, though, when Bradley realized that baseball was really what he wanted to do as a career, rather than just a high school hobby.

While playing varsity baseball at Harrison Central High School, Bradley played 84 total games and had a career .442 average and OBP of .602. He had 91 total hits, 75 RBI, and scored 89 runs.

Bradley was first drafted by the Indians in the second round of the 2014 draft, but turned that offer down.

“I thought I was probably the craziest person alive,” Bradley joked. “But then, I ended up getting a call from the Indians the next day.”

The Indians call in the third round also came with a little more money than their previous offer, which helped Bradley make the decision to sign with the Tribe, a decision which he says he is “loving” thus far.

“During Spring Training, [it’s great] to be around all the big leaguers and see how they work,” Bradley said. “[It’s been neat] getting to play in intrasquad games with them and see how they are on the field.”

Bradley did suffer from an oblique injury earlier this season, which sidelined him for a handful of games. Upon his return to the field, Bradley and hitting coach Larry Day both acknowledged that Bradley held back a bit at the plate until he felt fully healthy again. It’s clear that that time has come, as Bradley, who cites David Ortiz as the player he looked up to during his youth, not only does he lead the Captains in home runs, but his OPS (.830) and SLG (.486) also are the top on the team. He is tied with Bobby Ison for the most triples on the team (3), and has nine roubles and 75 hits on the season. He has knocked in a team-high 58 runs and 113 strikeouts on the year. While the strikeout rate is alarming, there is solace in the fact that he is young and knows he still needs to develop more throughout his career. He has committed 13 errors at first base this season, which is also more evident of his age and time spent in the professional ranks than a true reflection of his talent on the field.

For all his successes on the field, and the bright future that he is creating for himself, Bradley is a grounded 19 year old, living out his dream but always knowing there is more he could do on the field. He has set his own bar high, and is ready to rise to those challenges.

He has committed 13 errors at first base this season, which is also more evident of his age and time spent in the professional ranks than a true reflection of his talent on the field.

I accept that but I would have liked some first-person comments by the author on how he looks in the field, what are his defensive strengths and weaknesses. Somethings like reaction time can't be learned. Unfortunately players who start out at 1st in the minors often don't succeed because that's an indication that they are lacking in necessary atheleticism. As has been pointed out repeatedly a very good share of big league 1Bs used to play somewhere else on the field.

Since our two big slugging bats in Class A are both already playing 1st after both, I believe, were high school catchers, we have to hope that they keep up the offense as they advance since they only at most two of the standard "five tools" and strike out too much already against low grade opposing pitchers.

Speaking, sort of, of catchers, I am excited by Mejia's vast inseason improvement. Another 19 year old playing the most challenging and physically taxing position it would have been no surprise if he were to have worn down during the course of the year. Instead he's playing his best baseball now. His results suggest that he has made some major adjustments which also suggests he must be very coachable. He'll stay well up in my Top 10 regardless of his final three weeks.

Minor Details

Shawn Armstrong – I’m optimistic that Armstrong will be given some meaningful innings in Cleveland before the year is over. It’s well deserved as he’s posted a 2.36 ERA (1.78 FIP) in 41 innings while racking up 65 strikeouts (good for an incredible 13.93 K/9) in Columbus. Even better, he’s coming off perhaps his best month of the season with 15 strikeouts against 3 walks in 9.2 innings and a 1.86 ERA. The big takeaway is the strikeout to walk ratio as control (4.71 BB/9) is the only thing holding him back. Still, those walk numbers have progressively gotten better each month this season. Armstrong has legitimate back end of the bullpen ability and is a pitcher that has the upside to be a dominant reliever in Cleveland as early as next year.

Ryan Merritt – Merritt is one of those guys that just continues to pitch well at every level. While he’s on the Indians’ 40 man roster, he’s not considered a highly regarded prospect. That’s evidenced by his omission from MLB Pipeline’s recent update of the Indians’ top thirty prospects. Still, he’s posted a 3.63 ERA (3.28 FIP) in 134 innings in Akron. The big knock on him is his strikeout rate, which at 5.78 K/9 leaves doubt about his ability to get major league hitters out. However, he’s an elite control pitcher (1.01 BB/9) and posts solid K/BB rates. While he may never profile as more than a fifth starter, he’s lumped in with the group of Will Roberts, Mike Clevinger, Adam Plutko, and Shawn Morimando who will provide rotation depth behind Cody Anderson and T.J. House next season.

Eric Haase – Haase had a rough first two months of the season, but he’s now posted matching .889 OPS months in June and July and is putting up another solid offensive season overall. He’s been an interesting prospect because of his solid raw power and improving defense behind the plate, but plate discipline has always plagued him. He’s striking out 30% of the time right now, which is the highest mark of his minor league career. On the flip side, he’s posting a 10% walk rate which is also the highest mark of his career. Long-term he’ll need to trim down those strikeouts, but his power is good enough to carry him.

Gabriel Mejia – Mejia has turned into one of the more intriguing prospects in the lower levels. He’s getting a lot of attention for his incredible stolen base numbers (102 in 100 career games), but he’s also shown great plate discipline with more walks than strikeouts in his minor league career. He has solid contact ability, hitting .385 right now in Arizona. He’s a long way from Cleveland and will obviously be challenged over the next couple years, but Mejia possesses tools that profile as a top of the lineup type of hitter who can impact the game on the bases and in the outfield.

.... Yandy Diaz should start next season in Columbus and may move onto the Cleveland radar quickly as a solid contact hitter with on-base and defensive skills. There are options behind Urshela.

Kaminsky excited for new opportunity

Rob McLamb IBI Hillcats Beat Reporter

Newly acquired pitching prospect Rob Kaminsky will make his first start in the Indians' system on Thursday with the Hillcats, and he's looking forward to his opportunity with a new organization.

Fielding first-round picks is nothing new to Lynchburg this season. On Thursday, the Hillcats will send its latest edition to the mound to make his debut in the Cleveland organization.

Left-hander Rob Kaminsky, acquired by Cleveland from St. Louis on July 30th in a deal that sent Brandon Moss to the Cardinals, will be the fifth former top-pick to take the field for Lynchburg this season. Kaminsky was the 28th player selected overall in the 2013 draft.

Entering Thursday’s contest, the native of Montvale, NJ has a 6-5 record in 2015. He had spent the entire 2015 campaign with Palm Beach of the Florida State League, where he was the No. 3 ranked prospect in the St. Louis system according to MLB.com. Overall as a professional, Kaminsky sports a 14-10 record with one save in 43 games (40 starts) over three seasons.

For Kaminsky, who will turn 21 in early September, the trade to the Cleveland organization has been smooth sailing. Not only is he embracing being a member of the Tribe, but he is thrilled to be assigned to the Hillcats. Lynchburg currently is in first place in the Carolina League Northern Division with a two-game lead over the Frederick Keys.

“The guys have been awesome,” Kaminsky said. “The coaching staff has been awesome. I feel pretty welcomed and it is a pretty easy adjustment for me. The team I am coming into has got a bunch of great guys. It is a great team and we are in first place so we are just trying to keep it there.”

“It is a fun environment already,” Kaminsky added. “Everybody is here to win. I have asked a lot of questions, getting to know everybody and I am excited to see what the future has in store.”

With social media providing a constant source of news and speculation, there is always a chance that members of the press or even fans can learn the juicy details of a transaction before those involved do. In this case, that did not happen. Kaminsky was alerted promptly and was already preparing his move to the Tribe while most were waking to the news.

“I think I was the only one who found out about it early in the morning--the morning before everyone else found out,” Kaminsky said. “I found out about 1 a.m. from a Cardinals representative that told me there was a trade, I was involved in it, and the Cleveland front office will be calling me shortly. I heard it, it sunk in and baseball is baseball. It is a business.

“As a player you just want to keep it between the foul lines and enjoy wherever you are at so I am happy to be here. Cleveland fans have been awesome all over social media. I am happy to be in Lynchburg and hopefully I’ll help this team out.”

For those fans of Cleveland who are wondering what to expect from Kaminsky, the left-hander was willing to break down his own game.

“This year I added a sinker and it has been playing pretty well.” Kaminsky said. “I just want to develop all of my pitches. My fastball command is big--I know the Indians organization stresses that--so I am just going to keep working on that.

“When I need a sinker away, I’ll be able to throw a sinker away. The sinker has really came a long way. My changeup as well so it is really just trusting your stuff and trusting the defense behind you.”

The quality stuff that Cleveland is getting from Kaminsky is not just limited to his work on the mound. The prized prospect also has a philanthropic side that belies his young age.

As a senior in high school, Kaminsky used his pitching ability to raise money in the fight against pediatric cancer. His efforts helped collect over 30 thousand dollars.

“That was the best part of my senior season, raising money and making an impact in the community,” Kaminsky recalled. “It is pretty funny, I was actually with Clint [Frazier] in San Diego for the Perfect Game All-American Game and one of the events we had was going to a children’s hospital in San Diego. After seeing that, I just figured if we are in a position to help and give back then why not? It was awesome to make that money and any amount helped so we appreciate everything.”

While he is delighted to be entering the next stage of his career with Cleveland, Kaminsky also is honored to have been a Cardinal. He rates his time with the St. Louis organization as a positive and learning experience.

He now wants to take the knowledge he gained to Lynchburg while also looking to add to it. The lefty has an inquisitive nature when it comes to honing his craft and he feels Cleveland can help him complete the process--with his journey beginning in Lynchburg on Thursday.

“I asked a lot of questions over there,” Kaminsky said. “They have a rich tradition in pitching and winning over there. Those are two important things to me. The pitching coach that I was with in Palm Beach helped me to just stay on top of the ball and really just bring it every day.”

“When you are on the field, act as if it could be your last day on the field, just hustle and play your heart out,” Kaminsky added. “I am happy to be a part of the Cleveland Indians organization and to get started here.”

Minor Happenings: Frazier has been elite

Tony Lastoria Editor-in-Chief

The IBI's Tony Lastoria looks at how the tools and performance have finally come together for Clint Frazier and what has been the missing link that finally put him over the hump. He also looks at the surge from Dorssys Paulino and several other players.

Here we are with the first edition of Minor Happenings this week with a deep look at a few hot prospects in the Indians organization. I will follow up with our Pitcher of the Month and Player of the Week honors later this week.

Onto the Happenings…

IBI Hitter of the Month

(for July)

Clint Frazier (Outfielder, Lynchburg)
.363 AVG, 21 R, 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 16 BB, 22 K, 6 SB, 1.000 OPS

The Indians had several good showings in the month of July with their bats from Triple-A Columbus on down through rookie Arizona. While there were certainly some disappointments from some higher level prospects, there were also a few surprise performances and several other nice showings from players who have continually gotten better as the year has progressed. Three of those players are at High-A Lynchburg and all were my top three choices for Hitter of the Month for June: outfielder Dorssys Paulino, first baseman Nellie Rodriguez and Frazier.

Frazier, 20, is having a very good season overall hitting .278 with 12 HR, 56 RBI and .817 OPS in 103 games. He’s also banged out 39 extras base hits (.168 ISO), racked up 52 walks and a .371 on-base percentage, and done some damage on the bases with 67 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. The numbers are especially impressive when you consider how hot he has been over the second half hitting .338 with 5 HR, 21 RBI and .986 OPS in 36 games since the All Star break compared to his first half numbers where he hit .248 with 7 HR, 35 RBI and .730 in 67 games before the break.

The difference is rather simple as Frazier has been more patient of late to wait early in the count for a pitch he can drive, consistently work himself into good hitter’s counts, and not expand the zone even with two strikes on him. The result has been a decent drop in his strikeout rate from the first half (24.3 K%) to the second half (19.7 K%) and a substantial increase in his walk rate from the first half (9.1 BB%) to the second half (15.9 BB%). His near 10% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate in the first half was solid and actually acceptable considering his ability to impact the baseball, but an improvement to a walk rate over 15% and a strikeout rate under 20% is near exceptional. With the ability to be a run producer and hit for a lot of power, that ability to control the strike zone, get on base and make more consistent contact make him an elite bat. And, thus, has him back on track as a top prospect in baseball.

The key to Frazier’s surge has been getting to just stop thinking about the home runs. Everyone knows that he has the ability to hit the ball out of any ballpark and the potential to hit for a lot of home runs, but it’s been something he has had to learn to come to him more naturally rather than try and hit them. That has been a tough process for him and something he struggled with getting used to and accepting last season and very early this season. He always had a lot of success as an amateur hitting for power and piling up homers that it was frustrating early in his pro career and he got himself out of his approach trying to hit homers. But now that he has settled in and gotten much better at staying more consistent with his approach to wait for pitches he can drive he’s really blossomed and shown himself to be the hitter that everyone thought he was coming out of the draft.

The question now is whether Frazier can maintain this approach. He obviously won’t hit over .350 every month from here on out or rack up a .440 on-base percentage every month as well, but if he stays within the zone and avoids the tendency to chase he can still put up high on-base rates even in months when the hits are not falling in. On top of that the power will flash more consistently and not just flash itself over one or two hot weeks.

With Frazier’s ability to play sound defense in the outfield, run the bases, hit for power and get on base, that’s a player that is well rounded in all areas of the game and who has the potential to really impact the Indians lineup in Cleveland very soon. This was a big stepping stone for him this year and one he needed to solidify his status and also regroup at the same time. He’s done that and has now given himself the foundation to let his tools at the plate begin to show more consistently (and naturally). While there is a chance he could join Double-A Akron at the tail end of the season, he should finish the season at Lynchburg and set himself up to start next season at Akron.

Honorable Mentions:

Jerry Sands (OF, COL): .333 AVG, 19 R, 6 2B, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 18 BB, 13 K, 1 SB, 1.068 OPS
Bryson Myles (OF, AKR): .316 AVG, 10 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 10 BB, 15 K, 5 SB, .885 OPS
Ivan Castillo (INF, LYN): .307 AVG, 11 R, 3 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB, 11 K, 5 SB, .846 OPS
Eric Haase (C, LYN): .232 AVG, 12 R, 6 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 12 BB, 26 K, 2 SB, .889 OPS
Dorssys Paulino (OF, LYN/LC): .337 AVG, 15 R, 7 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 9 BB, 20 K, 7 SB, .973 OPS
Nellie Rodriguez (1B, LYN): .284 AVG, 18 R, 10 2B, 1 3B, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 12 BB, 28 K, 1 SB, .945 OPS
Mark Mathias (2B, MV): .320 AVG, 11 R, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 10 K, 2 SB, .815 OPS
Daniel Salters (C, MV): .323 AVG, 9 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 8 BB, 8 K, 0 SB, .820 OPS
Gabriel Mejia (OF, AZL): .354 AVG, 18 R, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 10 RBI, 15 BB, 11 K, 22 SB, .881 OPS

Previous Winners:

June – Michael Clevinger (RHP, Akron)
May – Adam Plutko (RHP, Lynchburg/Akron)
April – Bruce Chen (LHP, Columbus)

Surging Paulino

As mentioned above, outfielder High-A Lynchburg Dorssys Paulino has played exceptionally well over the past month. The most impressive thing about it is that he left Low-A Lake County on a roll hitting .319 with a .852 OPS in his last 19 game before his promotion and has not skipped a beat once he got to Lynchburg as he is hitting .339 with a .990 OPS in the 19 games he has been there. That’s a pretty impressive last 38 games from him and something we have not seen since his pro debut back in 2012 at rookie Arizona. Overall this season, he is hitting .270 with 9 HR, 52 RBI, 14 stolen bases and .736 in 102 games, which is pretty good considering he got off to a very poor start in April (.164 AVG, .409 OPS).

Paulino, 20, is still young, something I think a lot of people forget. Sure, he spent two and a half seasons at the Low-A level and largely disappointed from a performance standpoint while he was there, but he was also very young for the league, was building his foundation and was finding his way as a player. He was a man with uncertainty about his position going into last season until the Indians moved him to the outfield. He is not going to be a Gold Glover in the outfield, but he has found a home there and it has helped him settle in and hone in on his offense. The kicker has been his more mature approach to the game this season where he is more willing to take instruction and make adjustments. It has allowed him to work even more on the mental side of things to have a better plan when he steps into the batter’s box for what pitches he is looking for early in the count and having a better understanding of how a pitcher is attacking him.

Paulino has had to shake the stigma of being labeled as a lazy player and for the most part he’s done that this season as he’s been a much harder worker on and off the field. The hope here is that he will continue his early success at Lynchburg to give him the springboard he needs into an important offseason and then a big year next year where he likely will open at Lynchburg and have a chance to re-solidify himself as one of the Indians best hitting prospects. He’s fallen hard over the last few years, but he’s still only 20 years old and has one of the most dangerous bats in the system. And even with all of the troubles at Lake County the last two-plus years he’s still well below the average age for advanced Single-A.

Parting Shots

- L-Rod Sidelined: High-A Lynchburg outfielder Luigi Rodriguez is temporarily sidelined with what has been described as a right hamstring strain. He hurt himself late last week when he awkwardly stepped on first base while watching a fly ball off his bat and has since been placed on the seven day disabled list, though is not expected to be on it long. The injury is unfortunate because he’s had such a great comeback season hitting .293 with 12 HR, 49 RBI, 24 stolen bases and .827 OPS in 92 games.

- Bradley Honored: Low-A Lake County first baseman Bobby Bradley was named the Midwest League Hitter of the Week after a huge showing this past week. In six games he hit .381 with 9 runs, 2 doubles, 4 homers, 9 RBI and racked up a .667 isolated power percentage in the process. The big week is yet another reminder of his potential and to be patient with him considering he is only 19 years old. Overall this season he is hitting .253 with 18 HR, 58 RBI and .830 OPS in 79 games.

- Newcomer: Double-A Akron shortstop Eric Stamets has since made his organizational debut with Akron after being acquired from the Angels last week in exchange for David Murphy. The Ohio native has played in three games and is 2-for-12 at the dish.

I'm officially aboard the Frazier bandwagon.

The difference is rather simple as Frazier has been more patient of late to wait early in the count for a pitch he can drive, consistently work himself into good hitter’s counts, and not expand the zone even with two strikes on him. The result has been a decent drop in his strikeout rate from the first half (24.3 K%) to the second half (19.7 K%) and a substantial increase in his walk rate from the first half (9.1 BB%) to the second half (15.9 BB%). His near 10% walk rate and 25% strikeout rate in the first half was solid and actually acceptable considering his ability to impact the baseball, but an improvement to a walk rate over 15% and a strikeout rate under 20% is near exceptional. With the ability to be a run producer and hit for a lot of power, that ability to control the strike zone, get on base and make more consistent contact make him an elite bat. And, thus, has him back on track as a top prospect in baseball.