The West Virginia Power played a total of 12 games in Lakewood this year, so I got to see a little more of the team than usual. Early in the season, it was the power display by Stetson Allie and the pitching of Tyler Glasnow that impressed me the most. As the season went on, I noticed improvements each start from Clay Holmes and better hitting from Josh Bell, particularly in this last series for both of them. Below I’ll give my thoughts on the hitters that I saw, spending more time on the top prospects. Tomorrow I will take a look at the West Virginia pitching staff.
Josh Bell Looks Better As Season Progresses
Starting with the hitters, the obvious point to begin is Josh Bell, the top hitting prospect at the level this year and a top ten prospect in the system. Early on, with the help of a scout who pointed it out, I noticed just how much movement was in the swing for Bell from the left side. I didn’t get to see him bat righty until the last series and those results weren’t good as you will see below. From the left side, Bell had a swing that involved him holding his back elbow up high for too long into the pitcher’s delivery. He also had a leg kick and stride towards the pitcher, so not only was his swing long and loopy at times, he has had head movement and a dip. That led to some poor swings in the first two series.
This last series, he had more of a toe tap as the pitch came in, no head movement and he looked much more comfortable and selective at the plate. It was definitely a good sign to see and his power numbers recently have been better, though they have been almost all doubles. In batting practice, he showed a nice line drive stroke and he used the middle of the field. Bell also hit a homer in the last series, a line drive shot to right-center field.
So from the left side of the plate, things seem to be getting better for Bell. The right side was a different story and the opinion of his swing was pretty universal among those I talked to: it wasn’t pretty. I heard it described as brutal, awkward and someone said he looks like a pitcher hitting. The four at-bats from the right side all had awkward looking swings, which makes it hard to believe he is hitting .318 from that side, though it should be noted he has only one homer in 85 at-bats.
The one thing Bell has going for him, is that he is in great shape and everyone seems to think he will eventually hit for more power. To be honest, ten homers and 35 doubles isn’t bad for someone who missed most of last season, and this is really his first full season in pro ball. I think people just expected more from him in the homers category and they should eventually come. That will need to be his calling card, because his defense and running are average at best and I (and others) called them both slightly below average. If he can hit .280 with power from a corner spot, possibly first base in the future, he will still be a valuable player. Something has to be done with his swing from the right side and Bell needs to stay healthy to get to that level of player.
Herrera and Others Show Some Good Signs
While the opinions were mostly down on Bell, everyone really seems to like Dilson Herrera. He had some strong at-bats during the 12 games and showed some gap power for a smaller player. I don’t expect him ever to be a twenty home run player in the majors, but from the looks of things, he is definitely a future major leaguer. Herrera plays the game right, makes things happen at the plate, in the field and on the bases.
Watching him, it is easy to forget that he is just 19-years-old. His defense is above average, with strong range and he turns double plays quick. He was signed as a shortstop and played third base in the past, so his arm plays well at second. Herrera has slightly above average speed and he is aggressive, but also smart on the bases. People might not be so high on him due to the lower average and high K rate. It should be remembered that not only is he young, he was basically skipped over Jamestown, playing just seven games at the level late last year. What Alen Hanson did with that jump last year was special and may have put unfair expectations on Herrera making the similar move.
Josh Bell and Herrera are the top two prospects on offense at this level for the Power. There were others there all season that look like interesting players, possible future major leaguers to some extent, though they might not be regulars. Max Moroff had an aggressive push to low-A this season following a strong showing in the GCL after being drafted last year. He is hitting .239 and has had some trouble in the field at shortstop. I liked some things about him, specifically the plate patience he showed in the lead-off spot. He also drove the ball well in the gaps. He looks better than the numbers indicate and again, with an aggressive move this season, it is tough to put too many expectations on him. His defense looks like it could be solid with more seasoning. One scout, who has seen him each time they came to Lakewood, told me that Moroff looks like he has improved significantly enough that he changed his report on him to a possible future major league player. I agree with that assessment, but don’t expect him to move more than one level per season, so he will take time.
Moroff wasn’t the only one who got a better scouting report as the season went on and the second one was a bigger jump according to the scout. Early in the year, Walker Gourley wasn’t highly thought of by anyone and the one scout I talked to during the first series wasn’t impressed. I was split on him, he looked like a good player, but he is also 22-years-old and in his fifth season of pro ball. Gourley drives the ball well, makes solid contact and he is a smart base runner, with plus speed. There are obvious flaws besides the age/experience and that is his low walk rate and lack of real power. He is someone you want to see succeed at the next level before you get too high on him. He plays the corner spots, but doesn’t have the power bat so he will have to make it on his versatility.
Eric Wood had his moments, looking bad sometimes, good others, both in the field and at the plate. I think his overall numbers really tell you what you should expect from him, unlike some other players where they don’t tell the whole story. He is also 20-years-old, so there is always room for improvements, though other than a strong arm, I don’t see any tools that stand out. I liked the way Raul Fortunato played and he seems to have some potential at the plate, whether he reaches it or not is another story. He is a toolsy player that may eventually put it all together if they are patient with him.
Luis Urena showed up for this last series and the one thing you can say about him is that he looks like a baseball player. He’s got some pop in his bat and some potential tools. Until he recognizes an off-speed pitch though, he is going to have a hard time moving up the system. Chris Diaz played two games in the final series and looked good at the plate and in the field. He was injured during the first two times the Power played in Lakewood. While it’s hard to get a good opinion in two games, Diaz looked confident in the field, didn’t rush anything and he was patient at the plate.
Finally, two other players that I only saw once. Up top, you can see the thoughts on Stetson Allie in the recap from the first series. He has tremendous power, as good as anyone you can name. He makes solid contact that should get him some extra base hits based solely on how hard he hit the ball and I saw that happen a couple times on some ground balls he smoked through the infield. The downside is that I got a recent report on him from down in Bradenton, from a scout who just saw him and he said the advanced breaking balls in High-A were really fooling Allie. The fact he made it to High-A this year is a feat in itself, so skipping to an advanced level and struggling shouldn’t be seen as a sign that he won’t succeed.
Barrett Barnes only played the middle series, missing time with hamstring injuries in the other two meetings. I really liked the way he played on defense, his base running and he had strong at-bats. He is an aggressive player with plenty of tools. Right now the Pirates are holding him back, getting him ready so he is 100% during the Instructional League. Barnes was with the team and working out pre-games, but likely won’t play again during the regular season.
