40 HR Threat Coming To A Ballpark Near You!
In my morning jog around the internet, I happened upon an article on the Florida Marlins’ homepage praising the early returns from top Marlins prospects Michael Stanton and Matt Dominguez. We all know about Stanton’s prolific power, but this article gave a closer glimpse of what he can do. As I dug a little deeper, I noticed another article praising Stanton’s immense talents procured by none other than ESPN’s own Peter Gammons.
Currently, Stanton has several 2008 autographed RC’s on the market right now with the Bowman Chrome Draft autos selling in the greatest volumes at about $40-45 each. A considerably cheaper purchase are his ’08 Razor Autos #/1199 that sell at just $15-17 each. Stanton may very well be the best power hitter in all of the minor leagues this next season, and it is not out of the question to think that he may be in the major leagues at some point in 2010. If he continues on his pace of 40+ HR per season, we may look back on these prices and wonder why we didn’t buy more.
How does Stanton stack up against the other top Marlins prospects in recent years? Many of those guys have not panned out specifically Maybin and Hermida. They never seem to reach their potential.
Mike,
I think that it is way too soon to judge Maybin, as he will be just 22 years old this season. He was improperly rushed through Detroit’s system and I think that has detracted a bit from his development.
As for Hermida, he is not that old either and much of his hype was generated based upon one exceptional season at AA. Hermida did have a big lapse this season, but there is still some upside there and, at age 25, he is young enough to bounce back. Hermida is a guy who is in need of a change of scenery and, with talents like John Raynor, Scott Cousins, and eventually Stanton knocking on the door, I expect that he will get it before opening day of 2010.
Stanton is not the same player as either of these guys. His power is off the charts and, unlike Maybin, it is not just a projectibility. He is a flyball hitter already with a classic power swing and Maybin hits an inordinately high amount of ground balls. Once Maybin changes his swing trajectory, he should be able drive the ball with more authority, but not nearly as much as Stanton.
The big question marke with Stanton right now revolves around his plate discipline. He, like many young power hitters strikes out far too often (153 in 125 games). However, he has a reputation for being a humble student of the game and an intelligent player who is always analyzing and working on his shortcomings. I think he will boost his walk totals over time and become more competent against off-speed pitches.
Great question Mike and it will be a lot of fun to see how this all plays out.