October in the land of prospects is the provenience of developmental leagues in Arizona and Hawaii. This series of articles will keep you abreast of the all the baseball-arific happenings on the big island in the Hawaii Winter Baseball League. Let’s get started by going over ten of the most elite prospects who will be competing in Hawaii this fall.
Matt Wieters, C – Honolulu Sharks (Baltimore)
Batting line through 4 games: .222/.462/.333, 4 BB, 1 K
Wieters is the alpha male in the league. This past June’s No. 5 overall pick out of Georgia Tech is making his professional baseball debut for the Sharks as his protracted contract negotiations eliminated the chance for him to start in the minors this year. A two time All-American in college, Wieters at times doubled as the Yellow Jackets’ closer and fittingly possess a strong throwing arm behind the plate. While his defense is solid what really makes Wieters special is his bat – he hit .358/.480/.592 last year in NCAA action. Bat control, zone recognition, and power are all plus tools for the 6-foot-5 switch hitter, who currently sits at No. 22 overall in our prospect rankings.
Ryan Harvey, OF – Honolulu Sharks (Chicago Cubs)
Batting line through 5 games: .353/.353/.353, 0 BB, 6K
Harvey joins Wieters in the “former Top 10 overall picks club” for the Sharks. The Cubs hope the 6-foot-5 240-pound slugger can regain the promise that he once showed. Harvey has been mostly a boom or bust type hitter with the emphasis on bust after posting just a .716 OPS this year in the Florida State League. That in and of itself is not terrible, but when a .716 OPS is turned in by a 23-year-old who struck out 53 times in 224 at-bats while only walking seven times, the outlook for the future turns dim. The thing that really stands out about Harvey’s HWB batting line is that he has 0 walks and all of his hits are singles making his batting average, on-base and slugging percentages exactly the same.
Brian Jeroloman, C – West Oahu CaneFires (Toronto)
Batting line through 2 games: .429/.556/1.143
Conversations of odd batting lines should always lead to Jeroloman who hit an unusual .259/.421/.338 this year in High-A. Great bat control and a keen eye have always been a part of his repertoire, going back to his University of Florida playing days where he was among the national leaders in on-base percentage. The ball has been flying off of Jeroloman’s bat in the extremely early going of the HWB. If he can add even a modicum of power to his arsenal, he could become a standout catching prospect.
Justin Sellers, SS/2B – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland)
Batting line through 3 games: .182/.308/.273
While Jeroloman remained an extremely productive offensive player despite a lack of pop this year, Justin Sellers has the unfortunate combination of no power and merely a good batting eye. After he posted a solid .274/.350/.378 line in High-A, Oakland sent Sellers to Hawaii where his skills and limitations continue to be on display. A fine defensive player with good athleticism and bat control, Sellers appears to have made a conscience decision to forgo power in lue of contact. Sellers’ batting stance is unconventional. He holds the bat even with his back ear and far out in front of his head. While many players hold the bat in odd ways before the ball is pitched, Sellers keeps his position and simply pushes the bat out towards the ball. His unique set position makes his swing markedly shorter than most. For all our physics majors out there, shorter distance equals less acceleration which equals less force imparted on the batted ball, reason to question if power will ever be a part of Sellers’ game.
Joshua Bell, 3B – West Oahu CaneFires (LA Dodgers)
Batting line through 4 games: .294/.333/.412, 1 BB, 6 K
Bell is one of the most exciting prospects on the island this fall. A 4th round pick out of high school (2005), the 6-foot-3 switch hitter has a tantalizing combination of athleticism and power that let scouts dream about. Going .308/.367/.544 out of the shoot rookie ball, Bell opened a lot of eye. While his power could be a big-league threat, pitch recognition remains a problem for the uber-talented Bell – he struck out nearly four times as often as he walked this year. His .412 slugging percentage may not seem like much on the surface but for a league where the average hitter slugged just .357 last year, Bell’s power is apparent. The Dodgers hope that facing some talented hurlers in this extreme-pitchers league will aid Bell in his development.
Austin Jackson, CF – Honolulu Sharks (NY Yankees)
Batting line through 5 games: .067/.176/.067, 2 BB, 7 K, 2 SB
Jackson put up one of the best seasons in the minors this year and the Yankees rewarded him with a trip to Hawaii. But so far, it appears that Jackson is taking the early part of the season as a vacation – he went .345/.398/.566 for the Tampa Yankees. Jackson was the beneficiary of a .395 BABIP while playing in Tampa, but he has all the talent in the world and projects as a good big league player.
Jermaine Mitchell, CF – Waikiki Beach Boys (Oakland)
Batting line through 4 games: .500/.588/.643
Mitchell is my early pick to be the break out star of this HWB season. He is a strong, speedy centerfielder with an impressive combination of raw talent and polished baseball skills. The A’s nabbed Mitchell in the 5th round of last summer’s draft out of the University of North Carolina – Greensboro. He led the Spartans in every important offensive category and most not important ones as well. Always a multi-sport athlete, Mitchell is still new to being a full-time baseball player. He’s off to a fast start in winter ball after a productive .288/.390/.413 year in Kane Country. The lefthanded outfielder looks a bit like Barry Bonds at the plate – the Pittsburg Pirates version – and has plus-plus speed on defense.
Mat Gamel, 3B – North Shore Honu (Brewers)
Batting line through 5 games: .412/.474/1.059, 3 HR
Gamel is coming off a .300/.378/.472 triple-slash season in the Florida State League and has one of the best bats in a system known for producing top-notch hitters. Doug Melvin and the Brewers brass gave Gamel a round-trip ticket to Hawaii with the purpose of working on one area of his game: fielding. While playing for the Brevard Country Manatees, Gamel made 53 errors in 128 games. His future may ultimately be as a DH, but Milwaukee will give him every chance to prove himself in the field because his bat is for real.
Cale Iorg, SS – North Shore Honu (Tigers)
Batting line through 4 games: .176/.222/.176, 1BB, 7K
Iorg is perhaps the most intriguing player in the league. After a year in which he hit .280/.331/.415 playing everyday as a true freshman for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Iorg left baseball all together for two years to pursue mission work in Portugal. Detroit felt strongly enough about the athletic, slick fielding shortstop to offer up $1.5 million dollars to Iorg. He played fairly well in the eight professional games he got injured this year. So playing for the Honu, which means sea turtle, will be Iorg’s first real test at extended playing time in almost three years.
Shane Lindsay, P – Waikiki Beach Boys (Rockies)
Pitching line through 2 games: 3.0 IP, 5 K, 2 BB, 3 ER
Hitters have been the focus of this article as games have just been going on for a week and the league leader in innings pitched is up to a whapping 7.0. However, I got the chance to see Lindsay pitch on Wednesday night via the magic of Milb.tv and came away impressed with the Australian right hander. Lindsay did not fair well in his debut (September 30th), giving up 2 runs in just a third of an inning of work. On the night I caught Lindsay, however, he showed a mid-90’s fastball that reached 98 mph and dominate hitters to the tune of five whiffs in two and two-thirds work.
Lindsay looks a bit like a tennis player trying to hit a serve in when he pitches, as he moves his glove arm in a high sweeping arc and follows it with his throwing arm only slightly lower. This deceptive motion helps Lindsay, who is listed at just 6-foot-1, throw with a sharp, downward plane. Coupled with his velocity, the motion makes him especially hard to hit. His arm motion may also have something to do with the fact that, despite his elite stuff, Lindsay has been worthless as a prospect. He has missed most of the past two years – including all of last year – with shoulder problems. The fastball was great and he flashed a plus 11-to-5 breaking curve as well a few sliders that were not much more than rudimentary offerings at this point. The biggest plus for Lindsay is that he looked healthy.
Lincoln can be reached at lhamilton@dentonoutlaws.com.