Baseball America’s Top 20 Appalachian League Prospects Chat

Matt Eddy:

Joe LeCates (Easton, MD): Matt, I saw a report the other day identifying some similarities at the plate between Thompson and Mike Stanton. While that is intriguing to say the least, Thompson is obviously much more raw. That being said, how much of a project is he going to be in terms of learning to hit advanced pitching – what is a realistic expectation for his career path?

Matthew Eddy: Trayce Thompson is that rare player who won over league managers despite not really hitting a lick. You can see the potential in his frame and with his bat speed and his grace in the outfield. But in reality, he could be facing another assignment with Bristol next year to iron out his pitch recognition.

and

Trayce Thompson (Bristol): Remember, Mike Stanton hit .161/.226/.268 in his first pro season.

Matthew Eddy: This isn’t a question, but it is an appropriate place to wrap things up. It’s important at this level not to get to swept up in a player’s performance, great or poor. For the young first-year players, especially, they have so much development left in front of them that what they do over the course of their first 60-70 pro games is insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Here’s the Trayce Thompson–Mike Stanton comparison. BTW, there are a couple questions about Brady Shoemaker, and one on Santos Rodriguez on the chat too.