How Khadim Diaw is Changing His Catching Trajectory

[bean5302]

2 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

FanGraphs rates Diaw's speed at 50, which is slower than many top CF prospects, but other CF prospects in their top 100 are also rated at 50, including Walker Jenkins.

It's not a question of cherry-picking stats or saying whether he's good at stealing. He's a raw talent who is supposed to be improving, which he is. Further, the main point is that stolen base totals, particularly for raw players in the minors, is an unreliable metric for assessing a player's speed. Lou Brock would often say that he wasn't the fastest player on his team. If a player isn't trying to steal, that means at least as much that he doesn't feel confident in his skills other than speed, including the abilities to get a jump and not get picked off. It may also mean that the coaches don't want him to. 

It's all pretty moot for now, because he's primarily focused on being a catcher.

Diaw was drafted as a raw prospect and this is the first year he's been able to play most of the season. He may become great or he may not be any good, but the paint's still really wet. However, if you need to conclude now that he's too slow to play CF, have at it. 

He's not a "raw talent" at the plate or on the bases. He was a college pick now in his 3rd year in the minors. Most top college picks are already on MLB rosters from 2024. If Diaw doesn't make the big show next year, he's probably a bust.

I don't need to conclude he's he's too slow for center, but he's certainly much more likely to be inadequate there than adequate.

[MeleMouth]

11 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

He's not a "raw talent" at the plate or on the bases. He was a college pick now in his 3rd year in the minors. Most top college picks are already on MLB rosters from 2024. If Diaw doesn't make the big show next year, he's probably a bust.

This is a new one - a guy in his first full year of playing who's hitting .300 with a 133 wRC+ in AA will be a "bust" if he doesn't make the majors next year before he's even eligible for the Rule V draft.

Also, 11 first round picks from 2024 who played college ball haven't debuted in the majors yet, including two of the top ten choices, and only four second-round picks and only one third-round pick total have debuted.