tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post6705670530379031125..comments2024-03-28T04:45:03.729-07:00Comments on When the Giants Come to Town...: DrB's 2013 Giants Top 50 Prospects #12: Ricky OropesaDrBGiantsfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574563470247927739noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-87038313230159315792013-01-01T13:48:20.589-08:002013-01-01T13:48:20.589-08:00Ricky moves around quite well despite his size. H...Ricky moves around quite well despite his size. He's working hard on some of the technical aspects of first base D. I think he can be an above average defender there.DrBGiantsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699322384438591979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-87543075931102535052013-01-01T11:13:07.850-08:002013-01-01T11:13:07.850-08:00Drb, I agree with that. Did you see how many Giant...Drb, I agree with that. Did you see how many Giants highlights they had on MLB network on thier top 50 defensive plays of 2012 show. How is RIcky O's defense at 1st base? I hoping to see him have a good year in AA offensively then we will see what happens. Happy new year!<br /><br />LgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-44991441583571127852013-01-01T07:16:13.211-08:002013-01-01T07:16:13.211-08:00The Giants are either stupid or way ahead of the c...The Giants are either stupid or way ahead of the curve in that they have never conceded defense at the corner IF or OF positions. They will take a great hitter at those positions but they won't tolerate one who can't flash the leather or race down a ball in the gap or make the great throw when needed.DrBGiantsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10699322384438591979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-62304775093271160282013-01-01T01:56:03.492-08:002013-01-01T01:56:03.492-08:00OGC
I agree that you cannot look at home runs onl...OGC<br /><br />I agree that you cannot look at home runs only for corner infielders. The starting 1st baseman in the major leagues in 2012 averaged 21 hrs 80 rbis .268 BA .795 OPS. I see Ricky O has a power hitting 1st baseman if he's going to make the Show. Brandon Belt might be a different type of hitter who uses the whole field but had a nice year for.the Giants. I'm thinking about 1st baseman like James Loney & Casey Kotchman who are not big home run hitters or run producers so their hitting is below average for MLB 1st baseman<br /><br />LgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-85645230151888340282012-12-31T21:41:44.129-08:002012-12-31T21:41:44.129-08:00I think limiting your corner fielders choices by h...I think limiting your corner fielders choices by how many homers they hit is not the right approach. Better would be to compare with the average batting line for a position player playing there, and ideally you look at where you can slot the player so that he is above average at that lineup position, like with us, Posey is a legit cleanup hitter, so we don't need our 1B to be that big power homerun hitter.obsessivegiantscompulsivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11362706004246875823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-15679150850430432452012-12-31T19:31:39.139-08:002012-12-31T19:31:39.139-08:00I like the Giants approach under John Barr to draf...I like the Giants approach under John Barr to draft players with tools that have the potential to translate well in the major leagues. Thats why I like the Ricky Orepesa pick because of his power potential. If Ricky O can develop into a 30 hr hitter as Stanley suggested, the Giants will have themselves an everyday 1st baseman. An everyday MLB 1st baseman should be hitting 20-30 hrs a season. I'm thinking the Giants will need Brandon Belt to hit 15+ homers this season, if they don't sign another bat to play LF..<br /><br />LGAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-23445448782437703522012-12-30T22:51:39.974-08:002012-12-30T22:51:39.974-08:00Ricky had a good season overall, as DrB noted. I ...Ricky had a good season overall, as DrB noted. I liked his progression as the season went on: http://minorleaguecentral.com/player?pid=543609&split=3000<br /><br />As you can see at the link, his home batting line of .260/.322/.426/.748 is worse than his road of .266/.349/.427/.776, which is in line with the supposition of home being harder than road. A study by MLB's prospect expert, Mayo, found that strikeout rates in SJ was significantly higher. Ricky had 28.8% K% in SJ, 23.2% on the road.<br /><br />I liked his progression by month (OPS): .688; .780; .984; .484; .852. Except for his bad July, his latter months were much better. I would note that he had a more clearer progression with his K% by month: 30.6%; 31.0%; 25.2%; 20.8%; 22.6%. Yes, his worse month for OPS was his best month for K%, showing how much bad luck he had that month.<br /><br />I think people forget how hard the minors are for players who have more flaws than the top prospects. They will have their ups and downs during the season and what we should be looking for is a progression as the season goes on. Ricky did progress nicely with his strikeout rate. I would also point out that while he was caught looking early on, it dropped a lot by season's end, accounting for most of the large drop in K%.<br /><br />He had a good season, not all hitters will avoid strikeouts, it is what they do when they hit the ball that matters more, as long as they can also avoid strikeouts enough. And by season's end, he got them much lower (though not ideally lower). And that is fine, he's not a top prospect, he will have his bumps and bustouts.<br /><br />Looking forward to seeing how he handles AA, power is really damped down there, so he will have to adjust.obsessivegiantscompulsivehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11362706004246875823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-87939939160180595572012-12-30T21:29:39.149-08:002012-12-30T21:29:39.149-08:00Dig these awesomely long writeups about the lesser...Dig these awesomely long writeups about the lesser known prospects Doc. Things like interviews with Stanley and different obscure but important FO characters are really interesting things to add to a knowledge base for these different prospects. <br /><br />I must admit I had cast Ricky as quite the long shot until reading your writeup here. Now, must say, I'm back on the Oropresa train. I've definitely noticed the eastern league to be particularly harsh on power/slugging prospects. Hopefully Ricky is putting in the extra offseason work - he definitely has a chance to move off the back burner with a good season at AA.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7389427040394111033.post-77426785595209130622012-12-30T20:45:47.602-08:002012-12-30T20:45:47.602-08:00I like the Giants approach to their prospects. I ...I like the Giants approach to their prospects. I think the culture has changed some in the last few years. Part of this might be Bobby Evans realizing how much fans follow the minors. Bow Tie Bill paid a lot of attention to the farm. The Giants bought up San Jose, partly as a hedge to the A's, but I think they know they have something special, and that fans respond to home grown players in a unique way. I know for myself ever since 2006 drafting Timmy and changing the approach got my fire for the Giants rekindled big time.<br /><br />So Ricky O doesn't have the best BA. I don't think its stellar, but its also not the end of the world. He was among the league leaders in several categories, including RBIs, walks, games, ABs, doubles and yes, strikeouts. I like how Stanley phrased his response about everything. Even if interwebz fans or the guys who get paid to write about prospects get impatient, the Giants have shown a willingness to embrace each prospect as moving at their own pace, and to look for what a guy can do right instead of picking them apart. I like that.<br /><br />Rooting hard for Ricky to succeed in the Eastern. Your involvement with his family makes it a little personal. Fight the good fight on that front! I think his cockiness, walk rate and obvious plus power do him good. He'll get chances, because power is in short supply not only in this organization but across MLB. I do think the contact issues are a pretty big knock, and he'll have to do something good in the Eastern. Get those ABs and grind.Shankbonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04803824507120403397noreply@blogger.com