posted on Tuesday, December 02, 2008 10:26 PM
by
Jim
The possible returns for Javier Vazquez
I'll take a more complete, what-does-it-all mean look at trading Javier Vazquez once the trade is finalized. In the meantime,
the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Dave O'Brien thinks he has the Braves' four prospects nailed down -- Tyler Flowers, Brent Lillibridge, Jon Gilmore and Santos Rodriguez.
Here's what I've learned about each.
Tyler FlowersO'Brien says Kenny Williams saw Tyler Flowers play in the Arizona Fall League and "practically drooled over him."
There's good reason for that --
Flowers led the entire league in hitting, going .387/.460/.973 with 12 homers in 75 at-bats. Still, it doesn't do anything to discourage the sentiment that Williams
is seeking to acquire a large chunk of the AFL.
Here's some video of Flowers (
mistakenly named Cole is his first name, evidently) from
minorleagueball.com. It's anticlimactic, but gives you an idea of what he looks like:
Flowers tested positive for PEDs in May 2006, and drew a 50-game suspension. When he returned, he spent a lot of time at first while recovering from a knee injury during the 2007 season. In 2008, he returned to behind the plate and hit .288/.427/.494, with 17 homers, 98 walks and 102 strikeouts at High-A ball in the Carolina League.
John Sickels says he threw out 28 percent of basestealers while committing 12 errors and allowing 11 passed balls, so his defense is in question. Considering
the Braves had far worse backup catchers than the Sox last year, I'm wondering if they don't think he can stick there.
Supposedly
he delivers a mighty batting practice homer. So he's like
Tyler Reves but better.
Update: Look at
this quote from Flowers in the Trib's story:
"I was just talking to my parents," Flowers told the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. "They're a little upset about it, but it's
probably good for me, considering there's a designated hitter [in the
AL].
"That's another position I can possibly play. That's definitely a plus. And I know some guys in their organization."
Anybody else a little nervous that he's excited about the DH spot this soon?
Brent LillibridgeLillibridge made his debut with the Atlanta Braves last year and batted .200/.238/.338. Good news: Eight of his 16 hits went for extra bases. Bad news: He walked
three times in 85 plate appearances and struck out
23 times.
Strikeouts were a problem throughout his minor-league career, too, as he started struggling when he reached Double-A. He has a great defensive reputation and runs well, but the Sox aren't the greatest when it comes to fixing holes in swings. He'll join Jayson Nix and Chris Getz in the bloodbath for the second base job.
Jon GilmoreNo, not
the former Bears tight end who my dad nicknamed "Floppy Dog." When he ran, every part of his upper body moved way too much for the amount of ground he covered.
This one is a raw corner infield type, and
here was his scouting showcase report before the 2007 draft.
It also comes with video, and you can see he has kind of a goofy-looking overhanded throwing motion.
He hasn't shown the power projected of him, hitting 23 doubles to four homers in rookie ball. Then again, he just turned 20 in August. It should be an interesting competition between he and Brent Morel in Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, considering they're opposites in profile. Morel supposedly doesn't have much of a ceiling for power, but makes all the plays.
Santos RodriguezRodriguez hasn't advanced past rookie ball yet, but as a 20-year-old, he struck out 45 in 29 innings, allowing 16 hits, 13 walks and zero homers.