Originally Posted by
Badsmerf
Not at all. Opinions on guys makes a huge difference. For example, we always heard Eric Lis had too slow of a swing to hit well in the upper levels. I'm not sure if that was 100%, but he isn't to be found now. He had pretty good results, and if the scouts were high on him he'd still be moving through the organization. So yes, stats aren't the end all be all way to grade prospects. However, they just can't be ignored as often as they are. A guy like Arcia that puts up monster number at a high level deserves to be rated higher than someone like Buxton that is only rated on tools. The bust factor is too high of a probability for young prospects. You can argue that Buxton has the "tools" to be a superstar, but it is much much more likely he becomes an average MLB player at this point. While the probability that Arcia becomes a good MLB player is pretty good. Rating guys like Buxton so high just sets them up for failure. Delmon Young is a perfect example of being over-rated. He should have never ever been rated as high as he was. The first time I watched him play I was dumbfounded scouts once salivated over his "tools."