Written by Greg Fertel
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22 January 2007
BA's 2007 edition of the Prospect Handbook showed up in my mailbox on Friday (along the latest Maxim which features an excellent spread of Victoria's Secret supermodels), and as they always do, they followed up with
a bunch of guys who just missed making their team's top 30 list. Anthony Claggett and Reegie "don't call me Reggie" Corona where 2 such players:
| Anthony Claggett, rhp, Yankees |
| Born: July 15, 1984 B-T: B-R Ht: 6-2 Wt: 185 Drafted: UC Riverside, 2005 (11th round) Signed by: Tim McWilliam (Tigers) |
Claggett spent most of his first two years at UC Riverside as a backup infielder before becoming a pitcher as a junior. He showed enough to get drafted by the Tigers in 11th round in 2005, and he dominated in his first full pro season. Claggett posted a 0.91 ERA to help West Michigan win the low Class A Midwest League championship, opening the year as a setup man before inheriting the closer's job when Orlando Perdomo got hurt. Claggett converted 16 of 20 save opportunity, including both of his chances in the postseason. Afterward, he went to the Yankees along with Humberto Sanchez and Kevin Whelan in a trade for Gary Sheffield. Claggett relies on two pitches, a 92-94 mph fastball and an effective slider. He's working on a changeup, too. His stuff isn't spectacular, but it's helped by his deceptive delivery. If he continues his success in high Class A this year, he could start to move quickly.
| Reegie Corona, inf, Yankees |
| Born: Nov. 7, 1986 B-T: B-R Ht: 5-11 Wt: 160 Signed: Venezuela, 2003 Signed by: Ricardo Finol |
| Corona blossomed as a legitimate prospect in 2006, showing the Yankees athleticism, a solid line-drive bat and versatility.
His emergence made it easier to part with 2005 first-round pick C.J. Henry--who was a disappointment anyway--in the Bobby Abreu trade. Corona has shown a good two-strike approach and barrel awareness at the plate. When he hits the ball, he hits it with the fat part of the bat. To drive the ball, he'll have to hit the weight room. Defensively, he took to shortstop, where his savvy and above-average hands helped his fringy range and average arm play up. Corona likely is better suited for second base, and he also played at first base, third base and the outfield. Because he's not averse to drawing walks, handles the bat and has above-average speed, Corona could be a No. 2 hitter. Otherwise, he'll have a nice utility-infielder package as a switch-hitter who can play all over, works hard and does it all with a smile. He'll begin the year in high Class A. |
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Corona hit like a madman for the first half of 2006, with his average peaking at .357 on June 24th. Once Jost Tabata started missing time with his hand injury, Corona assumed the #3 spot in Charleston's lineup, then hit a pedestrian .238-.300-.313-.613 the rest of the way to bring his season average down to .293. He wrapped the year up with 9 games at High-A Tampa, holding his own with a respectable .297-.316-.405-.721 line.
I like Corona, he seems like he'd be a nice utility guy, though he could turn out to be more since he is only 20. It'll be tough for him to earn a full-time gig in the Bronx with two guys named Jeter and Cano entrenched in the middle infield.
