I often wonder how publications go about this and conclusions or the projections they make.
Baseball America has had one player projected as a top prospect coming out of high school, is listed now within the their college list, and was on their list for this past summer's wood bat leagues. Problem is this player hardly plays for his college team and seems to have underperformed when he has. BA does not project him as a starter for this year and his stats for his summer league were almost non existent. Did not last in the Cape and underperformed with the team that picked him up after. BA has an interesting comment that scouts think he could be a #1 pick if he "gets things together." Is this a "moneyball" type issue of teams projecting physical dimensions as opposed to production? If a player has not performed in 2-3 years of college as well as during the summer wood bat season, how can they be a prospect. On the opposite side BA has a great article on Dustin Pedroia of ASU. As his coach says, his size keeps him from being a prospect "because he doesn't physically tool out." He just plays and produces. Wonder why that is not the norm as opposed to the exception?
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