Prospect Rumblings for 8-12-10

A sleeper to watch in the Nationals organization, Ramirez was a 15th round pick in 2008 and struggled in his first pro season last year. His success isn’t that much of a surprise considering his pretty and fundamentally sound swing from the left hand side. However, while he’s having a nice season, he’s a guy whose bat has to carry him since he doesn’t have much value defensively. Does he have the bat for an everyday corner outfield spot? Probably not, but I can see him being a solid Major League back up.

Brentz has had a really tough start to his pro career. The 36th pick in the 2010 draft seems to be pressing at the plate, trying too hard to make something happen. He’s trying to hit a three-run home run on every swing and as a result, he’s swinging through way too many pitches. His problems extend to the outfield as well. He’ll make the spectacular play every once in a while, but I’ve twice seen him dive for a ball, miss it, and the ball ends up going back to the wall. If he had played a little more conservatively, he would of held the hitter to a single. Instead, by trying to make the big play, Brentz allowed those hitters to get a triple.