Written by Greg Fertel
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22 March 2007
I'm about to begin the busiest weekend of my life, but I figure that I'll try and get something up today. By the way, if you want to know how ordinary of a fan that I am, today was the 1st game of my slow pitch softball league. I'm our starting catcher - mostly because I throw like a girl. I'm also our # 9 hitter (of 10). Today I managed pop out to the shortstop three times.
It seems like Marcos Vechionacci has been around forever. In reality, he turns just 21 next month. Vechionacci boosted himself on to prospect radars with a spectacular .336/.391/.511 line at the age of 18 in the Gulf Coast League. Vechionacci has a lot of times going for him. He has fantastic defensive tools - a very strong arm, quick reactions, and good range. He's been inconsistent in the field, but has definately (including spring training last year) impressed a lot of people when he's on.
Scouts have been expecting Vechionacci to evolve in to a Chipper Jones type hitter. He's very disciplined at the plate, hits from both sides, and has a swing that a lot of people expect to see 30 HR power come out of. Vechionacci jumped to Charleston in 2005, where he fumbled with a .252/.314/.348 line. His K/BB ratio was a disappointing 83/43, and he settled in at 3rd base instead of shortstop.
Still, the Yankees liked what they saw in Spring Training and sent him to Tampa. It turns out, this was a big mistake. Clearly over his head, Vechionacci hit .178/.242/.237 in 36 games before being sent down. Back at Charleston, we finally saw some development from 'Nacci. He spent 98 games in Charleston, hitting .255/.357/.386, with 55 walks and 52 strikeouts.
I love those numbers right there. They tell me a few things.
- Marcos Vechionacci is going to take a lot of walks in the majors. His 55 walks look more like 88 over a full major league season. Sally league hitters just don't walk like that... anywhere. If 'Nacci can hit .280 and maintain that walk rate, he'll be a good player no matter if his power develops or not.
- He controls the strike zone. Vechionacci did not get overanxious after his demotion. He did not start swinging at every pitch. He's way ahead of his peers in that department.
- He is capable of hitting for higher averages. His career rate is .256, but I think that Vechionacci is potential .290 hitter, if not higher. He makes contact at an above average rate. He hits ground balls and fly balls fairly evenly. He hits lefties and righties equally. He's not slow. Nacci hit a lot of popups last year - which hopefully will change as he grows stronger.
- The power isn't there yet, but there are some good signs. At Charleston he hit 7 HR, 6 3b, and 15 2b in 98 games. If Charleston is indeed a tough place to hit HRs at, we could probably give Nacci credit for a 15 HR type season over 155 games. I could definatly see that becoming 20-25 HRs in the future.
I think that we are seeing huge predictive numbers from Marcos. He is my breakout candidate. This time he will be ready for Tampa. He clearly illustrated, after his promotion last year, why you do not rush a young hitting prospect unless you absolutely have to. He has tremendous defensive potential, and I see a .290/.390/.460 career in his bat. J.D. Drew comes to mind, but with better defense and a little less power.
A guy with that kind of plate discipline is a pretty good bet to make the majors in some respect. He has the ability to play virtually any position on the field, which could at least make him a future utility man. He's Rule V eligible after 2008, so he better move quickly.
