Fall Ball Recap (10/5); Gose, Grossman Homer Again, Olt Homers Twice, Surprise Surprises Scottsdale
Anthony Gose, OF (Blue Jays): With a homer the second straight day, it looks as if he’s starting himself off on the right foot. Except he’s not exactly. He had one caught stealing on the day, and while it is obviously just one, he has the speed to be amazing/better (and Toronto doesn’t want him reverting back to 2010 levels). Still one of the top players in Arizona.
Grant Green, SS (Athletics): Starting at DH (some question if he will stick at SS), the talented infielder homered in 4 at bats, walking once and striking out once. Strikeouts were a problem for him this year, limiting his offensive value. It should be interesting to see how that effects him this year.
Robbie Grossman, OF (Pirates): Another day, another homer for the Pirates farmhand. One should adjust their expectations on what these power numbers mean considering the excellent hitting conditions, but he is a legitimate hitter. He singled in two other plate appearances on a 3 for 5 day.
Junior Lake, INF (Cubs): In four at bats the toolsy infielder fell just a triple short of the cycle. With his speed, that would actually be quite attainable. He also finished the day with a steal, something that does plenty for his overall value as a prospect. Lake needs to keep the strikeouts down and the walks up a bit from here on out.
Chris Carpenter, RHP (Cubs): In his 2 innings he collected 3 groundball outs, one flyball, and a strikeout, keeping the damage at bay that Gose and Choice could inflict. He has the velocity and offspeed stuff to be a valuable arm, but just needs to maintain command.
Gary Brown, OF (Giants): In his three at bats Wednesday, a triple. Not a big surprise for the speedster. It should be interesting to see how his power from the high A level is reflected here.
Mike Olt, 3rd (Rangers): The third baseman continues on with his power tear from the regular season, sending two over the fence. Watch out for those two strikeouts though. Olt’s power is definitely for real, so one should expect a big home run total from him (if his collarbone is fully healed/feeling good).
Tim Beckham, SS (Rays): The left-by-the-wayside prospect is not on most people’s radars nearly as much anymore, but he still can flash good tools. Beckham’s 2 for 5 day brought him a home run, single, and a strikeout. This fall could either put him on the path to being a decent bench guy or sticking in the minors.
Shane Dyer, RHP (Rays): The right-hander was a ground ball machine on Wednesday through his 3 innings of work, only allowing one hit and one hit-by-pitch. He struggled in the regular season, but he very well may earn a spot in the Tampa Bay bullpen in 2012 if needed.
Scooter Gennett, 2nd (Brewers): Not always the most expected power source at 5 foot 9, he knocked out a homer and singled twice, also striking out twice on the day. The power is nice, but most would like him to cut down the strikeouts in time. I’m sure Milwaukee player development is watching both.
Forrest Snow, RHP (Mariners): The 6 foot 6 righty got his fair share of outs in three hitless innings, with three strikeouts, three groundouts, and three flyouts. A democratic pitcher, spreading the wealth about the diamond. A nice display on a day with the ball flying all over the place.
Kevin Munson, RHP (Arizona): After Jaff Decker’s double, the 6 foot 2 righty shut down the lineup by not allowing a ball in play (collecting three strikeouts along the way). He could be featured in a Diamondbacks bullpen in need of help next year if he succeeds in AA.
You know, it still throws me off that the Cubs have a pitcher named Chris Carpenter…