Quote:
Originally Posted by The God Hypothesis
Mondesi is so young, I just don't know how you can project his ceiling yet. I keep hearing he may become the best player to ever grace our system, but being a die hard Royals fan, I've learned to dream big is a dangerous game. Cue Johnny Damon/George Brett fighting over remote.
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The projection is based on a few things:
1) His defensive skills. He has the skillset (quickness, range, arm) to stay at SS and play it at the MLB level. Quickness and range are hard to miss/obvious on a scout at that position. The arm probably includes a big of projection.
2) Feel for baseball. Every scout who sees Mondesi comes away GUSHING about Mondesi's instincts and intangibles. This is something that's hard to quantify, but most scouts are confident in their ability to spot it.
Best example is Derek Jeter. Think about the play against the A's/Jeremy Giambi in the ALCS a decade or so ago (where he made the amazing backwards shovel play to nail Giambi at the plate). That's an instinct play.
3) Hitting performance at a young age. Mondesi was one of the better hitters in Idaho Falls last year and in the league as well. He was the best-hitting shortstop in the league. And he was 2-3 years younger than EVERYONE he was playing against. The ability to hold his own at the plate - and it's about more than BA... batting eye, patience, power potential, etc. come into play also - at that age is HIGHLY impressive.
Mondesi might only hit .250 this year. But that wouldn't be a sign he's busting out. Just that he's likely a bit young to be playing that level and hasn't developed enough physically to hit consistently there.
Most 17-year-olds just aren't strong or mature enough to have tremendous hitting success in full season ball. Bryce Harper is an excellent example. At age 18, he had a mediocre run at AA. At age 19, he got off to a rough start at AAA. Yet his prospect status never dimmed (and he showed why once he got to the majors).