The most improved minor league hitters of 2007
Who were the most improved minor league hitters in 2007? To answer this question, I compared players’ league- and park-adjusted rates from 2005-2006 and compared them to their 2007 performances. I’ve listed the top three improved hitters (along with a handful of honorable mentions) as judged by strikeout rate, walk rate, and isolated power (slugging percentage – batting average).
Most Improved Contact
Wladimir Balentien
Seattle Mariners | OF | 23 years old
SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A+ 23.8% 6.1% .262 2006 AA 29.7% 13.4% .205 2007 AAA 19.2% 10.4% .218
Balentien has developed into a complete hitter over the past two seasons. While he has always had exceptional raw power, he added patience to his repertoire in 2006 and walked more times in that season than he had in his entire professional career. In 2007, Balentien drastically cut down on his strikeouts while maintaining above-average patience and power. He still won’t be a high average hitter in the major leagues, but he can now hit enough to be a good fourth outfielder and useful power bat off the bench for the Mariners.
Reid Brignac
Tampa Bay Devil Rays | SS | 21 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A 565 23.2% 7.1% .152 2006 A+ 455 18.0% 7.7% .231 2006 AA 121 24.6% 5.8% .173 2007 AA 599 15.7% 9.7% .173
Brignac experienced a breakout season at the hitter-friendly California League last year, and his plate approach continued to improve as he posted career-best walk rates and strikeout rates in the Southern League this year. His traditional statistics were underwhelming in 2007 as he only hit .260 in a full season with the Montgomery Biscuits. The components of that performance are highly encouraging, however.
Asdrubal Cabrera
Cleveland Indians | 2B/SS | 21 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A 229 14.0% 13.2% .156 2005 A+ 244 19.3% 6.1% .134 2006 AAA 233 21.9% 10.8% .124 2006 AAA 208 18.8% 3.8% .074 2007 AA 425 9.9% 10.6% .144 2007 MLB 186 15.6% 9.1% .138
Cabrera was widely regarded as a defense-only infielder until this year, and it was hard to view him as anything else given the way he was rushed to Triple-A and overmatched against much more experienced pitchers. Cabrera struck out so often that he only posted .263 and .236 batting averages for Tacoma and Buffalo last year. He started the 2007 season down a level in the Double-A Eastern League, where he made contact enough to post a .310 batting average and .381 OBP. By the end of the season, he was maintaining those skills in the middle of a major league pennant race.
Honorable Mentions: Chris Nelson, Paulo Orlando, Nelson Robledo, and Nate Schierholtz
Most Improved Walk Rates
Neil Walker
Pittsburgh Pirates | 3B | 22 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A 520 13.7% 3.9% .151 2006 A+ 294 13.9% 6.5% .125 2007 AA 431 14.8% 11.4% .174
The switch-hitting Walker improved his on-base skills and power production while learning a new position in 2007. The Pittsburgh-area native has always possessed a pretty swing, and now his well-rounded offensive performance deserves positive attention as well.
Matt Tuiasosopo
Seattle Mariners | 3B | 21 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A 466 20.7% 9.5% .110 2006 A 252 23.0% 5.6% .073 2006 AA 240 26.7% 8.3% .033 2007 AA 550 20.5% 14.2% .144
It looked like Tuiasosopo made a mistake. He was lured away from a promising football career when the Mariners offered him a $2.3 million signing bonus, and he struggled at every level until this year. In 2007, he cut down on his strikeouts and was among the league’s top ten line drive hitters and top ten most patient hitters. And he’s only 21 years old.
Drew Macias
Drew Macias | CF | 24 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A+ 546 14.2% 8.3% .107 2006 AA 485 19.4% 9.1% .109 2007 AA 394 13.5% 13.7% .148 2007 AAA 131 19.1% 16.0% .127
While the light-hitting Macias batted in the bottom half of his teams’ lineup all year, he demonstrated the speed and patience of a traditional leadoff hitter. Macias was called up to San Diego in the final week of the 2007 season, but he did not get an at-bat.
Honorable Mentions: Eric Campbell, Dexter Fowler, John Jaso, and Alan Rick
Most Improved Power
Geovany Soto
Chicago Cubs | C | 24 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 AAA 345 22.3% 13.9% .089 2006 AAA 391 21.0% 10.5% .114 2007 AAA 447 23.3% 11.6% .299
Soto has a strong arm and good skills behind the plate, and was viewed as a well-rounded backup catcher for most of his career. Then, he launched 26 home runs and drove in 109 runs in only 110 games for Triple-A Iowa this year. Soto will compete for the starting job in Chicago in 2008.
Chase Headley
San Diego Padres | 3B | 23 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A- 260 13.1% 13.1% .173 2006 A+ 570 16.8% 13.0% .143 2007 AA 529 21.6% 15.3% .250
Headley was in a hitter-friendly league, but 63 extra-base hits is noteworthy in any context. He may force a trade or position move for the Padres’ Kevin Kouzmanoff.
Jed Lowrie
Boston Red Sox | 2B/SS | 23 years old
PA SO% BB% ISOP 2005 A- 240 12.5% 14.2% .120 2006 A+ 436 14.9% 12.4% .112 2007 AA 337 14.2% 16.4% .204 2007 AAA 177 18.6% 6.8% .206
Did Lowrie improve or was he just finally healthy? Either way, he quietly emerged as a top prospect while Boston’s major league rookies were grabbing the spotlight during the 2007 season. Lowrie has always demonstrated exceptional on-base skills, and his improved power production suggests he’s a well-rounded hitter who could compete for a role in Boston as soon as next year.
Honorable Mentions: Jeff Clement, Fernando Perez, Pablo Sandoval, and Jordan Schafer