Randar68
09-04-2001, 03:01 PM
In BA's most recent Q&A, editor Jim Callis had this to say about Joe Borchard....essentially what I've been saying about his defensive ability all year...
"At the time, Matt Harrington was the consensus top prospect in the 2000 draft. The White Sox weren't the only team who had Borchard No. 1 overall on their board and he had the most upside of any of the position players available. Borchard was No. 12 on our Top 100 Draft Prospects list, but the top of that list was based on how we projected the first round to go, not on how the players stacked up against one another (we changed that practice in 2001). Borchard did go 12th, mainly because he and Harrington were the only players in the top dozen picks not to agree to prearranged deals, and got a record bonus of $5.3 million. Afterward, longtime Sox scouting director Duane Shaffer said Borchard had more power at the same stage than any player he ever had scouted, including McGwire.
I hesitate to label anyone as a potential 40-50 homer man, because that's a huge expectation. I will say that Borchard has arguably as much power as anyone in the minors. He headed to Double-A this year with just 27 games of pro experience, and he finished first in the Southern League in RBIs (98), second in homers (27) and runs (98), third in slugging (.505) and fifth in batting (.295). His 158 strikeouts are a bit much, but he did walk 67 times so he's not entirely clueless about plate discipline. I'd rate Dunn a slightly better prospect. Dunn already has hit in Triple-A and the majors, and he has better control of the strike zone.
It would be a boon for the White Sox if Borchard could play center field in the majors because they already have Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez manning the corners. After playing right field at Stanford, Borchard has switched to center as a pro and the reports out of the Southern League were positive. Bill Ballew, who's writing our Southern League Top 20 Prospects, says most managers thought Borchard looked good in center. They like his athleticism and thought he had at least an average arm. No one suggested that he shouldn't be playing center field. Chicago will give him a serious look in spring training.
As an aside, I read recently where an NFL scout told Pro Football Weekly's Joel Bucshbaum (their Allan Simpson) that the top three picks in the 2002 NFL draft, if they had been available, would have been Borchard, Drew Henson and Michael Vick in some order. Borchard and Henson will rank high on our 2002 Top 100 Prospects list, while Vick was the Rockies' 30th-round pick in 2000 despite never playing college baseball. "
"At the time, Matt Harrington was the consensus top prospect in the 2000 draft. The White Sox weren't the only team who had Borchard No. 1 overall on their board and he had the most upside of any of the position players available. Borchard was No. 12 on our Top 100 Draft Prospects list, but the top of that list was based on how we projected the first round to go, not on how the players stacked up against one another (we changed that practice in 2001). Borchard did go 12th, mainly because he and Harrington were the only players in the top dozen picks not to agree to prearranged deals, and got a record bonus of $5.3 million. Afterward, longtime Sox scouting director Duane Shaffer said Borchard had more power at the same stage than any player he ever had scouted, including McGwire.
I hesitate to label anyone as a potential 40-50 homer man, because that's a huge expectation. I will say that Borchard has arguably as much power as anyone in the minors. He headed to Double-A this year with just 27 games of pro experience, and he finished first in the Southern League in RBIs (98), second in homers (27) and runs (98), third in slugging (.505) and fifth in batting (.295). His 158 strikeouts are a bit much, but he did walk 67 times so he's not entirely clueless about plate discipline. I'd rate Dunn a slightly better prospect. Dunn already has hit in Triple-A and the majors, and he has better control of the strike zone.
It would be a boon for the White Sox if Borchard could play center field in the majors because they already have Carlos Lee and Magglio Ordonez manning the corners. After playing right field at Stanford, Borchard has switched to center as a pro and the reports out of the Southern League were positive. Bill Ballew, who's writing our Southern League Top 20 Prospects, says most managers thought Borchard looked good in center. They like his athleticism and thought he had at least an average arm. No one suggested that he shouldn't be playing center field. Chicago will give him a serious look in spring training.
As an aside, I read recently where an NFL scout told Pro Football Weekly's Joel Bucshbaum (their Allan Simpson) that the top three picks in the 2002 NFL draft, if they had been available, would have been Borchard, Drew Henson and Michael Vick in some order. Borchard and Henson will rank high on our 2002 Top 100 Prospects list, while Vick was the Rockies' 30th-round pick in 2000 despite never playing college baseball. "