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 (This is my second attempt at writing this post. Thank you Movable Type...)
The Extrapolater sent me this of a scouting report on Cubs first round draft pick Josh Vitters, so I figured I would pass it along to you. For those of you looking to make a complete book report on the kid, Pedro Gomez has a nice breakdown (with video).
I try not to write about draft picks too much at first because I think it's a waste of both my time (to write it) and yours (to read it). The MLB Draft is such a draft shoot, and the Cubs have had so many prospects fail, that I'm willing to wait until players reach Double-A before writing about them. To give so much attention to a kid just because he signed a huge contract doesn't make a lot of sense to me. For the most part when these kids are drafted and sent to their first minor league assignments it's the first time they are getting away from the PB&J sandwiches that their Mom made them.
On top of that, I don't think that most people realize what the minor leagues are like. I have two uncle's who worked their way through the minors and, while I don't know every detail, I can tell you that it was a lot of work and at times....not much fun. These guys are riding buses and eating junk food just to make it from one day to the next. A lot of them are homesick and/or tired of playing because of the amount of baseball they've had to play already. It's a lot different from how life is in the major leagues and it causes a lot of 'top prospects' to fizzle out.
Something else that causes these 'can't miss prospects' to miss is the fact that these days some kids travel around the country playing baseball twelve months a year. You can't imagine the effect this has on the adolescent body and the adolescent mind. A lot of kids are burnt out from playing so much ball and by the time they sign their first pro contract, if they are that lucky, they are sick of the game. Vitters is 6 for 51 so far in his professional career....how excited are you now?
Still, I am a baseball man and I do a lot of research. When I heard the Cubs might draft Vitters I found as much video on him along with scouting reports and I feel that I have a decent 'feel' for him as a player. I see him as a Troy Glaus-type player because of his powerful right-handed swing and his defensive play. He has a very powerful swing that is one of the most beautiful right-handed swings I've ever seen. The extension and hip rotation he has is near perfect. The problem Vitters has, as does Glaus, is making contact with the ball. While he's been mashing high school pitchers with a lot of consistency, that's might not continue to happen in the pro's (as detailed in his stats so far).
A nice thing about Vitters swing is that it is not a 'manufactured swing'. As kids grow up adults notice which kids have more athletic ability than others. Then, in an effort to help the kids, the adults try to change up their swing or the way they shoot the basketball. Luckily for Vitters, someone realized early on that his swing was near perfect and it was never touched. This has allowed him to have a very smooth, fluid swing that flows very naturally. Still, at 6-3, he's might have some issues as he fills out his frame. Fortunately, he'll be able to receive help from Cubs coaches and not your local Little League coach.
While Vitters hitting is his strength, his defense is his 'weakness', if you can call it that. Vitters has an 'plus arm' as an infielder, but struggles with his footwork and accuracy. Keep in mind that there are very few, if any, high school kids ready to field the baseball at a major league level when reading that sentence. From what I've read, Vitters has the work ethic necessary to turn himself into a credible major league defender.
I'm not going to make a prediction as to when you should expect to see Vitters in Wrigley Field. Things happen along the way when kids are in the minors. Some never make it out of Single-A, some quit halfway through, some excel and fly right through the system. Vitters realistically won't be needed at Wrigley Field until the contracts of Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee expire, so let's not put too much pressure on the kid just yet.
*It should also be noted that Cubs Scouting Director Tim Wilkens is the mastermind behind this selection. This selection is being compared to his selection of Alex Rios while Wilken was with the Toronto Organization.
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I think Mr. Vitters is happy that you're not predicting his future based on your predictions for the playoffs so far...
Way to make the pros take ownership when discussing his inconsistency at the rookie ball level!
Also, you think he'll be like Troy Glaus (don't you mean the 3B former of the Angels, Cub Beaters and currently of the Blue Jays)? Do you want him to allegedly shoot up steroids and not be able to bend down at the waist because he might herniate another disc?
This whole deal with me picking games is weird. I can predict how players will do, just not teams. It's as if I'm using a math equation and multiplying instead of dividing, or something....
I said that he's like Glaus in the sense that he has a very smooth, fluid right handed swing for a person his size.
I used the stats thus far to show just how ridiculous people get with this stuff...
The kid sounds like he has potential, but this joke keeps popping into my head:
The Vitters? Do I need a penicillin shot for that?
That's pretty funny stuff there.