With Mets prospect Lastings Milledge representing a potential chip to in any major deal Omar Minaya is considering, the outfielder’s potential is naturally the source of conjecture. After a visit to the Arizona Fall League, Baseball Prospectus’ Joe Sheehan seems to have made up his mind.
The people who like him really like him. Me, I see a guy who looks smaller than advertised, and who doesn’t have the speed for center field, the plate discipline to be a great hitter or the power to make you not care about the other two things. True story: When we submitted our names for last year’s Top 50 Prospects, which each writer does based on the teams he covers for the book, I didn’t even submit Milledge. He was eventually added, but I remain unimpressed.
I can’t comment on his size or plate discipline, but saying that he doesn’t have the speed for centerfield is ridiculous. I’m not gonna get into it, but quickness and “feel” is far more important than speed
Why’s everyone so quick to say he has poor plate discipline? A .385 OBP in A ball and a .392 AA seems just fine to me. I don’t get that, I’ve heard a lot of people saying it.
The .392 OBP in AA is rather misleading, as it’s built almost entirely on batting average (.337), which as a skill tends to fluctuate wildly. His BB/K ratio, 14/47 is lousy, and he’s only averaging about one walk per 15 PAs. Still, a 20-year old who can hold his own in AA probably has some future in MLB.