March 11, 200620 yr It's been a few years now since Reggie Abercrombie was rated as the #4 prospect in a deep LA Dodgers system. He was drafted in the 23rd round(704th pick) of the 1999 draft as a draft-and-follow player and the Dodgers thought they hit it big with this "toolsy player". Scouts graded his tools towards the top of the charts in each of the 5 categories(speed, hit for power, hit for avg, arm, fielding). Right away he showed his speed, stealing 157 his first 3 years in the pros. He also played great defense but his problem was because of his long swing, he struck out... ALOT. In those first 3 years he averaged over 100 strikeouts per year and he was barely getting 23 walks a year. Because of his toolsyness, he was getting comparisons to Torii Hunter, Preston Wilson, Eric Davis, and Reggie Sanders. Following his 2002 campaign, he put up more mediocre numbers(.261/.298/.449/15hr/164k) in 2003. He dropped down to 10th on the Dodgers prospect list yet scouts still raved about Reggie's talents. He was called the "best physical specimen in baseball" by many scouts. He got a rating of 70(on the 20-80 scale) in speed, range and arm strength. He still showed great bat speed and was able to drive the ball to all fields.... when he connected. Again the problem was that he was striking out a ton. To make matters worse, he still wasn't walking and his lack of plate discipline was definitely a cause of concern. He worked hard trying to overcome these faults but because he was naturally over-aggressive, he wasn't improving. In the Arizona Fall League of that year, Reggie tore his ACL and was out for some time. After rehabbing from his injury quickly, he returned in May of 2004 but was over-matched against Double A pitching and was moved down to the Florida State League(High A) before being shipped off to Arizona in the Steve Finley deal. A change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered. Reggie hit .342 in in 120 at bats although he only walked twice. In order to get him off the 40 man roster, the DBacks tried to pass him through waivers in early April but the Marlins snagged him on April 6th of last year and assigned him to the Jupiter Hammerheads(High A). After a slow start for the Hammerheads, Reggie really came on strong for them. He finished the year with .274/.317/.485 numbers. Of his 82 hits, 30 went for extra bases(15 homers, 3 triples). He also stole 19 bases while being caught 6 times. He was named to the Florida State League All Star Team and also was in their home run derby. In July, Abercrombie was called up to Carolina(Double A), who was in the middle of a playoff push. While his average dipped to .253, his obp (.315) and slg (.483) remained virtually the same which was a very good sign. In 49 games with the Mudcats, he hit 10 home runs and stole 7 bases. He still struck out a ton in 2005, but he showed alot of the potential that many scouts had predicted some time ago. Reggie will be 26 in July and is no longer considered the prospect he once was (by scouts). The Marlins love how aggressive he is and the power he possesses. Coming into Spring Training, he was considered a long shot to break camp with the team, let alone start anywhere (with Chris Aguila and Eric Reed the favorites). After the 10-6 loss to the Mets today, Reggie's splits were flat out awesome: 13/23 13h 4doubles 2home runs 9RBI 23total 0BB 3k 1SB .565/.583/1.000 That isn't a 1.000 OPS(on base + slugging), that would be is slugging percentage(total bases divided by at bats). Of course the lack of walking, and the ability to strike out like it's nobodies business is something to be wary of, Reggie is having a phenomenal Spring and it now might be his CF job to lose. Ive been a fan of his for awhile now... I hope he can keep hitting while avoiding the strikeouts
March 11, 200620 yr Author Very informative. You write it? yea... thats why I didnt give a source :mischief
March 11, 200620 yr Very informative. You write it? yea... thats why I didnt give a source :mischief I could tell from the poor writing :mischief Just messin. I hope he's fixed the rather large hole in his swing, because there are plenty of places to win a job on this team.
March 11, 200620 yr Very informative. You write it? yea... thats why I didnt give a source :mischief I could tell from the poor writing :mischief me too :mischief
March 11, 200620 yr Just got back from the game in St. Lucie, and I tell you Reggie can rake. His speed on the basepaths is impressive as well. He's having a great spring....certainly better than Reed or Aguila. He started out as a long shot, but looks to be putting himself in the drivers seat for the CF spot. We'll see.
March 11, 200620 yr He's an intriguing prospect, but I really don't believe this guy is ready for the majors. Ml pitching eats up hitters who have no control at the plate. He may start out hot, but this guy would cool off by May and bat about .150 the rest of the year. I saw the same thing with the Cubs and Jason Dubois, who started off hitting well but could not manage to even make contact by july, resulting in a a trade to Cleveland.
March 11, 200620 yr He's an intriguing prospect, but I really don't believe this guy is ready for the majors. Ml pitching eats up hitters who have no control at the plate. He may start out hot, but this guy would cool off by May and bat about .150 the rest of the year. I saw the same thing with the Cubs and Jason Dubois, who started off hitting well but could not manage to even make contact by july, resulting in a a trade to Cleveland. we have nothing to lose. might as well give him a shot. he's earned it.
March 11, 200620 yr He's an intriguing prospect, but I really don't believe this guy is ready for the majors. Ml pitching eats up hitters who have no control at the plate. He may start out hot, but this guy would cool off by May and bat about .150 the rest of the year. I saw the same thing with the Cubs and Jason Dubois, who started off hitting well but could not manage to even make contact by july, resulting in a a trade to Cleveland. we have nothing to lose. might as well give him a shot. he's earned it. There you go. Maybe he'll be able to hit MLB pitching and we'll hit it big. If not, nothing lost, we'll demote him and start Reed/Aguila/Cepicky/whomever.
March 12, 200620 yr we have nothing to lose. might as well give him a shot. he's earned it. It's a good point. Reed and Aguila haven't shown anything so far this spring.
March 12, 200620 yr If he does win the CF job, does he become the leadoff man? if not, who does? I'd be weary of him at the top of the order because of the description of him being a free swinger.
March 12, 200620 yr If he does win the CF job, does he become the leadoff man? if not, who does? I'd be weary of him at the top of the order because of the description of him being a free swinger. shadez (or andino) is going to lead off.
March 12, 200620 yr For some reason Abercrombie reminds me of Alfonso Soriano. He has great power and speed but he can stirke out alot (example: 2003 playoffs). The best position in the lineup for him would be behind Shadez batting second.
March 12, 200620 yr For some reason Abercrombie reminds me of Alfonso Soriano. He has great power and speed but he can stirke out alot (example: 2003 playoffs). The best position in the lineup for him would be behind Shadez batting second. you don't want a high strike out guy batting second. i think he'll bat sixth or seventh. shadez willingham hermida miggy jakey abercrombie cepicky/uggla uggla/olivo or shadez hermida miggy jakey willingham abercrombie cepicky/uggla uggla/olivo
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