Nice Vitters Piece

From the OC Register, making the point that, when taken in the context of his age, relative to his competition, Vitters has done pretty well.

6 months ago bren 22 comments 0 recs |

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still hard to believe he is only 22.

had my doubts about him , but being reminded that he is only 22 does give me more hope . i just wished he walked more .

by walterj on Nov 26, 2011 10:45 AM CST reply actions

No reason to rush Vitters to the majors this year

I actually think he should start at AA again, but what do I know. Vitters still has about two full seasons in the minors before I would worry about him being a complete bust. If he had gone to college, next year (2012) would probably have been his first full season in the minors.

by Bradsbeard on Nov 26, 2011 10:53 AM CST reply actions

Good piece, though a little sunshiny.

All the points raised in favor of Vitters are fair… and are oft-overlooked as many BCBers are disappointed in Vitters and have virtually written him off.

On the other hand, the writer just kind of dismisses the flaws (no walks, questionable D).

"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."

by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST

by fsuapollo on Nov 26, 2011 10:55 AM CST reply actions

I'm hearing the D is better

Scouts now think he can stick at third base. He won’t be a gold glover, but he’ll be OK.

The walks are still a problem though.

by Josh Timmers on Nov 26, 2011 12:06 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah, Baseball Prospectus is positive on his improvements at 3B

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15574

He has made significant improvements defensively, and more scouts than ever believe in his ability to stay at the hot corner as an average defender with a slightly above-average arm.

by Bradsbeard on Nov 26, 2011 12:24 PM CST up reply actions

He couldn't be any worse than ARam

he got better over the years and turned out to be a poor man’s Robin Ventura. If Vitters can hit, and can field no worse than ARam, I say that’s good.

"IN THEO WE TRUST"

by BigJohnAZ on Nov 26, 2011 10:56 PM CST up reply actions

projections are guesses, let us see what he can do this Spring

Show, push yourself onto the team with play and numbers.

A friend once told me: "I don't buy the idea that a team learns anything from a loss, the only thing they learn is how to lose games."---Knight

by Ivy Walls on Nov 27, 2011 9:30 AM CST up reply actions

Perhaps his natural skill...

Word is he has incredible hand eye coordination and can reach virtually any ball, so perhaps his confidence in his swing makes him believe he can hit anything, thus reducing his walk total?

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Nov 26, 2011 7:07 PM CST up reply actions

Entirely possible.

But it just limits the offensive upside if you can’t walk at all. It basically means he has to hit .300 and slug .500 to have an .800 OPS (which is the kind of production you’d want from a 3B).

He needs to learn that being at least a little selective increases the effectiveness of his swing.

"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."

by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST

by fsuapollo on Nov 27, 2011 10:01 AM CST up reply actions

True

But not all 9 players are going to be absolutely perfect, so if he hits .265 instead of .310 but can add 20+ HRs and 80+ RBIs, that would certainly be a useful player

Okay, just so I understand it... in your wildest fantasy, you are in hell. And you are co-running a bed and breakfast with the devil.

by bren on Nov 27, 2011 10:39 AM CST up reply actions

For sure he can be useful.

But given how good his swing is, it is a little unfortunate he limits his own upside by being less selective.

I still have plenty of hope he can be a contributor to the Cubs.

"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."

by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST

by fsuapollo on Nov 27, 2011 5:31 PM CST up reply actions

I am curious to see

how a different approach from upper management affects the potential of players like Vitters. I have hope he can learn patience if he is coached to be patient.

I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it.

by cub in louies nest on Nov 27, 2011 7:55 PM CST up reply actions

Ted Williams had incredible hand-eye coordination, too.

Yet, he famously pointed out that he would have been a life-time .230 hitter had pitchers been able to consistently throw low outside strikes to him. The question is not whether Vitters can hit pitches outside the strike zone, the question is why would he want to. I am beginning to wonder whether Vitters is receptive to coaching.

by Bad Dogs on Nov 28, 2011 3:10 PM CST up reply actions

I have the feeling he will go to AAA

and play primarily outfield, with a little third base. If he plays 3rd base this year we could see him at Wrigley this fall, depending on who our actual 3rd baseman is.

by jpeters407 on Nov 26, 2011 11:01 AM CST reply actions

One thing I noticed...

… looking at Vitters’ numbers, although he doesn’t walk much, he doesn’t strike out much, either (unlike Tyler Colvin). This gives me some hope that he could learn a bit better strike zone judgment.

Just remember, Vitters is about six months older than Starlin Castro.

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by Al Yellon on Nov 26, 2011 11:20 AM CST reply actions

If Vitters can even make modest improvements in his plate discipline

I think the gains in slugging could make him a valuable hitter. Not only is he pretty far off from his power peak, if he starts working counts so he sees better pitches his power numbers should increase.

by Bradsbeard on Nov 26, 2011 11:37 AM CST up reply actions

Yes, but...

the whole problem with Vitters (from what I’ve read) is making contact on too many pitches out of the zone. He’s not Vlad Guerrero. Doubt he ever will be.

Could lead to a lot of double plays at the MLB level.

Come on Lisa, I'm trying to impress people here. You don't win friends with salad. ~ Homer J. Simpson

by TheBeerBaron on Nov 26, 2011 9:40 PM CST up reply actions

It could.

But then again, a lot of hitters who do that also hit for considerable power at the MLB level. Maybe he could turn into a Derrek Lee type of hitter.

We’d take that, I think.

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by Al Yellon on Nov 27, 2011 7:44 AM CST up reply actions

Yes, Vitters is still young

He was only 17 as a high school senior. As the article says, every year he takes a small step forward. That’s frustrating for us and the Cubs, who really needed him to be ready to take over third base this year.

He’s still got one of the greatest swings in the minor leagues. If he could learn to wait for his pitch, he’d be a star. But we don’t know if he will ever be able to do that.

by Josh Timmers on Nov 26, 2011 12:11 PM CST reply actions

better late than never i guess

it’s true that vitters is young and hasn’t been terrible in his minor league career but the cubs didn’t draft vitters with the 3rd overall pick so that he could take six years to develop into a fringy 3B prospect. given the talent that came out of that draft vitters has to be considered a bit of a disappointment even if he does eventually pan out.

by circuitclout on Nov 27, 2011 11:43 PM CST reply actions

Agreed... but lots of that is hindsight you/we can't change.

Vitters was widely regarded as the best HS bat. In the end, the Cubs probably should have chosen someone else, but they didn’t.

So, even if he is a “disappointment” based on draft positioning, that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute to the Cubs’ future.

"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."

by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST

by fsuapollo on Nov 28, 2011 10:07 AM CST up reply actions

maybe

but there really was no excuse for a major market team like the cubs to pass on wieters who was clearly the better hitter/prospect at the time. and while its true the cubs fell in love with vitters i remember there being some debate about vitters offensive potential because despite the pretty swing and the hype he didn’t put up monster numbers in high school.

by circuitclout on Nov 29, 2011 2:30 PM CST up reply actions