Eric
Patterson - Cubs
Outfield - Bats Left - 5-11, 170 - 4/8/1983
This
profile would have looked a lot better if Eric Patterson could play
second
base. The younger brother of Corey Patterson started the season as a
second
baseman but his defensive shortcomings and the presence of Mark DeRosa
and his
3-year deal, forced the Cubs to convert him to centefield this year.
Patterson
was recalled when Alfonso Soriano went down and here we are with Eric
getting
one start since being promoted on Monday.
In
AAA this year Eric was a 14/14 guy (with 23 doubles in 448 ABs) which
would
of course be very nice out of an MI slot in a fantasy sense.
The basis of
his game is speed and as such, you would want Eric to maximize his OBP
to take
advantage of it. However Eric's zone command is just so-so as
he is
enticed by his pop, and fancies himself to be more of a power
hitter than
he is. Still, his contact skills are good even when he is over swinging
(his
sub-20% K rate in two AAA tours). To mature as an MLB hitter
though, he
needs to draw more walks.
Eric
is an outstanding baserunner whose skills are still improving and speed
will be part of his game at the MLB level.
As
it stands, it looks like Eric's future is in the outfield, and while
(if he
can augment his walk rate) he may be able to get regular ABs as a
centerfielder, a position he plays well, it doesn't look like he will
have
enough pop to play a corner position. The fact that he can play second
base in
a pinch may force his career in a Ryan Freel type of direction and Eric
may be
the guy vulturing ABs here and there for the Cubs for the short term.
Eric
can hit .280 in the majors and post a 15/15 with enough ABs. He may
even
be capable of a 15+/20 string with enough PT. With a second base
qualification
that is pretty good. Without it, he projects to be a decent 5th OF in
most
formats and a good reserve in all formats. His position qualifications
in your
league, and the amount of playing time he can scrounge from the Cubs
going
forward will largely determine his fantasy value. Both stand as open
questions
at this point.
Long
Term Fantasy Grade - B- Seas LvlAB XBHHRSBAVGBB%K%SLGOPS 2006 AA44139838.2639.4%20.2%.408.741 2006 AAA67428.3588.2%13.4%.493.903 2007 AAA448431414.2998.4%16.7%.471.829 2007 MLB4000.2500.0%50.0%.250.500 Brandon
Moss - Red Sox
Outfield - Bats Left - 6-0, 195 - 9/16/1983
Brandon
Moss was recalled to shore up the Red Sox outfield last week when Eric
Hinske left the team to attend to family issues. Moss has been the
ultimate
tease while in the Red Sox system after being drafted in the 8th round
in 2002.
Moss sprinkles streaks of enticing heat among long stretches of
frustrating mediocrity.
Repeating
AA in 2006 Brandon
was ... well ... ok ... while compiling a K rate of 21.3% and
a 9.9% BB
rate. He had 51 XBHs including 12 HRs but he hit just .285 with a .343
BHIP%. In Pawtucket
this year, he has upped his average to .290 but his BHIP% was an
extremely
favorable .380 before he was promoted. Part of the problem there is his
29% K
rate ... That is not good ... Still, Brandon upped his SLG% 38 points
while
jumping a level and once again showed signs he could handle an every
day job in
a big market team. Perhaps more importantly he has created a bit of
trade value
for himself
He
may not get a true chance with Boston.
He has not shown the consistency the Red Sox want to see to this point
or the
power they need to see to believe he can replace Manny after 2008. With
Drew
and Crisp under contract and draining their trade value daily (and with
Crisp
playing perhaps the statistically best CF in the majors right now ...
without
an arm), it does not look like Moss fits in Boston. If he
were right handed and WilyMo weren't in
Boston it might
be a
different story because Moss has the defensive chops to play RF at
Fenway. It
is more likely that Moss is in varied talks as the Sox continue to look
for a right-handed
outfield bat in the post-waiver world.
If
traded to the right situation Moss is ready to play a
fantasy-productive
role if he lands where he can see some ABs. Perhaps he can even find
some
consistency along the way and develop into a .280/20/80 MLB outfielder.
Long
Term Fantasy Grade - C+
Seas LvlAB XBHHRSBAVGBB%K%SLGOPS 2006 AA50851128.2859.9%21.3%.439.795 2007 AAA41149131.29011.0%29.0%.477.845 2007 MLB7000.14312.5%14.3%.143.393 Jordan
Tata - Tigers
Starter - Throws Right - 6-6, 220 - 3/12/1984
After
two decent outings to begin his 2007 contribution for the Tigers,
Jordan
Tata was roughed up by the A's on Friday to the tune of 7 runs in 2 IP
on 5
hits and two walks. The tall right-hander was a 16th round pick out of SamHoustonState in 2003
and debuted
in the Tigers bullpen last April without an inning of experience above
A ball.
Jordan
is a good athlete with good instincts but he does not carry any
particularly
compelling skills to the mound. His fastball has decent life but tops
out at
92-93 most nights. He is more than capable however, of rolling it up
there at
88-89 on any given pitch. He throws a cutter, and is working on his a
change to
help with left-handed batters but both pitches need to come a long way.
Nothing
about his lines looks particularly good except his OBAs which are
serviceable for a starter. He seems to be able to repeat a favorable
BHIP% but I
am not really comfortable leaning too heavily on that "skill".
When his BHIP% starts to normalize, look out.
Jordan
does not punch out guys, he doesn't limit his walks or his HRs and he
doesn't
throw ground balls. I
do not see anything here that would make me feel
comfortable when I see his name in the probables. He does not have a
ton of high-level
experience and he seems to be mentally strong so perhaps there is still
some
growth potential here (and Jim Leyland knows his stuff so if he thinks
this kid
has something I am willing to defer) but I have to see it before I give
up a
roster spot.
Long
Term Fantasy Grade - C-
Seas LvlWLERAIPK/9 BB/9 HR/9AVGWHIP 2006 AAA1063.84
122.06.33.60.8.2541.36 2006 MLB006.1414.23.74.30.6.2531.43 2007 AAA333.2963.04.32.71.0.2331.16 2007 MLB117.7114.05.15.10.6.2881.71
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