Tonight we will be nearing to the end of my top 50 prospect list as I name the number 2 prospect in my eyes in the whole Twins organization. The top 2 could be argued all day long because they both deserve to be number one. In my eyes they are like 1a and 1b, but I had to pick one over the other so one of them had to be number 2. I hope you all enjoy and will leave a comment on this in the box below. Thanks.
2. Ben Revere CF 21 (5/3/1988)
2008 teams: Beloit Snappers
- Ben Revere was the Twins first round draft pick, 28th overall, in the 2007 draft out of high school in Lexington, Kentucky. After signing with the Twins Ben was assigned to the GCL Twins. In 50 games there Ben hit .325 with no homeruns and 29 rbi's along with 21 stolen bases. He also had 6 doubles and 10 triples for an ops of .849. For the 2008 season Ben Revere started in Extended Spring Training, but an injury to Joe Benson opened up a spot for Revere in Beloit and he did not waste the opportunity. In 83 games with the Snappers Revere his an unbelievable .379 and was above .400 most of the season. He also hit 1 homerun and had 43 rbi's and 44 stolen bases along with 17 doubles and 10 triples for an ops of .930. That is the kind of season that every player dreams of having and hardly anyone can. As a former player I can appreciate how hard it is to hit a baseball and for him to do it so consistantly and with such success just blows my mind. This year Ben moved up to Fort Myers where he has been very successful in his own right. In 68 games Revere is hitting .319 with 2 homeruns and 29 rbi's and 28 stolen bases along with 8 doubles and a triple for an ops of .768. Ben Revere is a hitting machine as he can hit fastballs, curveballs, sliders, and changeups. It does not matter to him because he can hit them all. Revere is very fast and uses his legs to get infield hits quite regularly. He reminds me of a young Kenny Lofton in that he is left handed and plays center field and they both use their legs to create their offense. The only difference is Ben Revere is alot better hitter than Kenny Lofton ever was. Ben does not strike out which is a plus as his highest total as a professional was 31 in 340 at bats last year. He could walk a little bit more too so he can get on base and use his speed as his highest walk total was 27 last year too. You ask with all those stats why is he not number 1 and the reason is he has no arm in the outfield. He is not a great outfielder either as he uses his speed to make up for taking bad routes to balls. He doesn't have much of an arm in centerfield so that is a bit of a problem. Teams are going to run all over him if he can't strengthen his arm. There has been some talk about moving him back to 2nd base where he was some in high school. However, with his speed he is best served in the outfield and his bat will far outweigh his arm. I expect Ben to be a .330 hitter who will steal 50-60 bases at the major league level. He is so good of a hitter that he reminds me of Joe Mauer in his approach at the plate and how he can spray the ball all over the park. I think he will be patrolling the outfield in Target Field as early as 2012.
- 2009: Spend season playing center for Fort Myers
- Projection: As close to a sure thing as the Twins have who will hit .330 with 50-60 stolen bases for the next 10+ years.
2 comments:
I think you're a little too pessimistic on his fielding. While it is true he's using speed to make up for bad routes, he IS learning, and his arm is stronger than guys like, say, Juan Pierre and Jacque Jones. In no way will he be a liability out there. I'd put him as average at worst, but with his speed and leaping ability (he's robbed a home run while playing left this season), he'll make some tremendous catches. And as he learns how to take better routes, he'll get even better. He still gets to more balls than anyone else the Miracle have had in the outfield this year, and there's something to be said for that.
It is nearly asinine to say that Ben Revere is a better hitter than Kenny Lofton ever was. Lofton hit .331 @ hi-A Osceola as a 23 year old (Yes, he was older at that stage than Revere is). The next year he hit .308 as a 24 year old at AAA Houston. So, lets reserve any outrageous drivel about Revere until he proves himself at higher levels (which I think he will). You also for get to mention his BABIP in 2008 was over .400 which shows that he was very lucky. Let's see if that luck stays with him through the higher levels.
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