Video of Niko Goodrum at bat against the Orioles A+ team from this Spring

[Thrylos]

I took this Tuesday (the day Phil Hughes was pitching there). In high def. Shows a lot of the reasons that some of us are a bit down on Goodrum.

 

Video Here.

 

Enjoy.

[Seth Stohs]

Such as?

 

yes, he struck out, but he's clearly a very good athlete. He's a switch hitter. He has a nice swing.

 

His defense at SS is terrific.

 

I think he's a guy who is (has?) going to take longer than many to develop his tools into skills, but definitely no reason to give up on him.

[Thrylos]

Such as?

 

yes, he struck out, but he's clearly a very good athlete. He's a switch hitter. He has a nice swing.

 

His defense at SS is terrific.

 

I think he's a guy who is (has?) going to take longer than many to develop his tools into skills, but definitely no reason to give up on him.

 

My point is with the single biggest issue that 95% of minor leaguers (as far as hitters go) have who do not make it to the bigs:

 

Pitch recognition. The ability to judge whether you got an off-speed or breaking ball and whether it is in the strike zone or out.

 

I think that 90% of the people off the street could have that plate appearance that Goodrum had. I just expect more from a second round draft pick heading into his 5th professional season.

 

Fielding aside.

[Jim H]

I find this an interesting topic for several reasons. The Twins, over the years, have drafted a lot of "toolsy" kids. Some have developed into good players(Hunter for example) some have not (Benson for counter-example). There are many things to consider here. Is it better to draft kids with more developed baseball skills but perhaps not all the tools? Do you want the kids with the tools and hope they develop the skills, instincts, and feel for the game?

 

This is part of the comparsion between Florimon and Escobar, for example. Florimon has better tools, which is why he is getting the chance to play short ahead of Escobar. It might turn out, however that Escobar is the better player. We will have to see.

 

I kind of agree with you about the pitch recognition thing concerning Goodrum, Thrylos. Still, pitch recoginition should be something you can eventually learn. I have always liked Goodrun as a prospect. If the hit tool, particularly contact skills, improve for him, I think he could be an impact player at the big league level. I don't know if that will happen. I do like the fact the Twins draft guys like this. Once in awhile you are going to get a great player from these type of "toolsy" kids.