by Marc Hefferan
*MLBDepthCharts.com considers any player not on a team's 40-man roster, in AAA, or ranked as a top 10 prospect by Baseball America or top 11 prospect by Baseball Prospectus before the 2010 season as an 'under the radar' player.
Under the Radar Minor League NL Hitting Performance of the Week
OF Adam Eaton, Hi-A Visalia (ARI)
season stats: .336 BA, 6 HR, 39 RBI, 15 2B, 3 3B, 39 BB, 39 K, 22 SB in 62 games
June 22-June 28: 8-for-23, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2B, 3 BB, 3 SB
In last week’s edition, I changed gears a little and highlighted a group of kids who’ve had exceptional seasons so far in 2011. Despite the fact that a few league All-Star games are still on the horizon, this week it’s back to normalcy. However, we’ve added the Rookie and Short-Season leagues now that they’re finally in full-swing. Even though these leagues add to the workload, they also add to the intrigue. Fresh into their season, the “have’s” of these particular leagues quickly find themselves separating from the “have-nots” while persistently finding themselves in the ‘Hitter of the Week’ mix. But most always, these hitters seem to fall just a tad short of the weekly honor. It’s frustrating at times and seems like a small failure, but this is primarily the brain trust behind this feature - a silver lining if you will. The promise comes from watching a player’s numbers grow into consistency and validating a player's possible future in the big leagues. Eaton's 2010 debut in Rookie League Missoula continually delivered the promise of consistency, a promise that he has carried well into his first full pro season in the Cal League.
A recent five-game stretch in which he hit .381 with 3 HR, 6 RBI and 3 SB might appear as quite extraordinary, but for Eaton it’s just another day at the office. The Cal League is known to inflate a hitter’s numbers, which adds to the irony that his stat lines from Missoula and Visalia are frighteningly similar. The 22 year-old is starting to enter into the conversation of Cardinals prospect Matt Adams as a personal favorite due to the fact that, like Adams, he’s rarely discussed as one of the minor’s better hitters. I firmly believe that Eaton, this season’s first repeat UTR honoree, will make a run at becoming a big league regular who could someday challenge for a batting title. While he doesn’t provide the huge power, rocket arm and Gold Glove defense that most find appealing, Eaton is one of those under-the-radar ‘have’s” whose consistency, and career .362 batting average, will eventually force people to take notice.
Honorable Mentions
3B Chris Dominguez, Double-A Richmond (SF): .297 BA, 13 HR, 55 RBI, 19 2B, 20 BB, 82 K, 8 SB in 74 games (AA/HiA); 12-for-24, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 7 2B, 3B in last week
OF Robbie Grossman, Hi-A Bradenton (PIT): .284 BA, 4 HR, 25 RBI, 17 2B, 61 BB, 59 K, 16 SB in 74 games (HiA); 10-for-23, HR, 4 RBI, 4 2B, 10 BB in last week
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UTR Minor League NL Pitching Performance of the Week
UTR Minor League AL Performances of the Week
Under the Radar 2011 Archive
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