Nolan Reimold - Outfielder Baltimore Orioles
Adam Jones' hamstring injury and a hot and fast start to the season in AAA conspired to land Nolan Reimold in the majors for his MLB debut on May 14th.
A 2nd round pick in 2005, the 6-4, 207 pound right-handed hitter has displayed power and a willingness to take a walk throughout his pro career. For a slugger his K rate has been acceptable, but what we need to see now is how this package ports to the majors.
His good walk rates in the minors may be more respect than plate discipline, and the majors is yet a entirely different level of breaking stuff than the minors. How well he handles all of these things will determine how good of a pro he can be.
His power is legit and major-league caliber. He will hit home runs and strikeout a lot, how much of each is yet to be determined. It shouldn't take long to figure out if this is the call up in which Nolan sticks, but even if he flounders a bit in first taste of the majors, he's worth having in your pocket. Reimold could eventually develop into a .270/25/85 level hitter
Long Term Fantasy Grade - BSeas Lvl AB XBH HR SB AVG BB% K% OBP SLG 2006 A+ 415 45 19 14 .255 15.5% 25.8% .379 .455 2007 AA 186 26 11 2 .306 8.4% 25.3% .365 .565 2008 AA 507 57 25 7 .284 11.1% 16.2% .367 .501 2009 AAA 109 20 9 6 .394 14.2% 22.9% .485 .743
Gerardo Parra - Outfielder Arizona Diamonbacks
The D-Backs called up Gerardo Parra last week to shore up their outfield and hopefully provide a catalyst to their sluggish offense. He promptly because the 100th player in major league history to homer in his first AB.
Parra had a strong spring but the D-backs opted for a second tour at AA to start of the season and he thrived there with a .361/.469/.491 slash line and a ridiculous 16.9% BB rate.
Signed out of Venezuela in 2004 the newly-22-year-old Parra won the Midwest League batting title in 2007 and has already made a name for himself in the Venezuelan League in the last year.
Gerardo has strong contact skills from the left-hand side of the plate and he has strong plate discipline and pitch recognition.
Two things he doesn't have is enticing power or compelling enough defensive skills to stick in CF. He will steal some bases, perhaps 20+ in a full big league season, and hit for average, and make contributions in runs, OBP and XBH if your league scored such things. All of which would be OK from center field, but if he's forced to a corner outfielder slot he's going to put you behind the curve offensively.
He's 6-1 and still only about 186, so there's a shot at some physical development that could chin Parra into the 20s in home runs which gives him long-shot 20/20 potential.
Right now if his skill set (SBs, Runs, OBP, doubles) fits your needs or scoring system, take a shot. Keep in mind there's a probability he doesn't stick in the majors this time around.
Until he shows some pop, it's difficult to rate Parra too highly from a fantasy standpoint despite some strong baseball skills.
Long Term Fantasy Grade C+Seas Lvl AB XBH HR SB AVG BB% K% OBP SLG 2006 R 271 26 4 23 .328 8.4% 11.1% .386 .469 2007 A 444 35 6 24 .320 6.3% 11.5% .370 .435 2007 A+ 102 5 2 2 .284 3.8% 16.7% .303 .382 2008 A+ 196 14 2 12 .301 10.5% 15.8% .381 .413 2008 AA 265 24 4 16 .275 8.3% 12.8% .341 .419 2009 AA 108 7 3 7 .361 16.9% 12.0% .469 .491
