Farm Update: Allied Powers

Jay Bruce OF REDS- The #1 ranked prospect in baseball, from Beaumont, TX, is living up to the hype thus far. Bruce is a left handed hitter was stands at 6'3 and weighs 205. This season he is hitting .352 with 8 doubles, 4 triples, and 7 HR. He is sporting an impressive .991 OPS and has 7 SB to go with his power numbers. He has been straight nasty over the last 10 games hitting .576 (19/33) with only 7 Ks to 4 walks. Plate discipline is the only negative you can find on Bruce as he has a 34:9 K:BB ratio this season. He kills both RHP and LHP equally with a .370 average against lefties and a .344 average against righties.

Bruce had a stellar year in 2007 as well:

.319 AVG 26 HR .962 OPS but he had 135 Ks with only 47 walks.

Many people think Griffey Jr. will get traded back to SEA after he hits his 600th HR in Cincy. There are too many marketing $ to trade him before that and once that happens Bruce may get the call to the bigs. The Reds have some really good young talent with Bruce, Volquez, Cueto, Votto, and Bailey.

Travis Snider OF TOR- Travis, #11 prospect in baseball, is trying to eat himself into a DH role, 5'11 and 245 lbs, but as of right now he is still an outfielder. His defense is such a liability right now that his offense has to be stellar for him to even think about the big leagues. Travis has had some off field issues in that he lost his mother in an auto accident on September 9 ,2007. He has self proclaimed "angry issues" stemming from the loss of his mother. He currently is playing in AA for the New Hampshire FisherCats in the Eastern League. He is a left handed power hitter who strikes out entirely too much. Currently he is hitting .225 with 8 HR, 19 RBI, and a OPS .765. He has a 56:19 K:BB ratio and has struck out in 40.6% of his ABs. This is his first experience with AA pitching and it will take time for him to adjust.

2007 stats:

He hit .313 with 16 HR and a .902 OPS. He had 129 K in 457 ABs (28.2%) with 49 BB.

I don't think there is any chance that we see him this season in Toronto

Jake McGee LHP TB- Jake is ranked as the #15 ranked prospect in baseball. He stands at 6'3 and weighs 190 lbs. He was raised in San Jose, Ca and currently is playing in AA for the Montgomery Biscuits of the Southern League. Tampa is loaded in their farm system with Price, McGee, and Wade Davis. They also have the first pick in this year draft and this is why Pedro Alvarez (3B Vanderbilt) will not be the fist pick as they locked up Longoria to a long-term deal. McGee is 3-2 with a 4.58 ERA in 35.1 IP. He has a solid KK:BB ratio at 36:16 and opponents are only hitting .217 against him. He much better in the wind up then out of the stretch with an ERA of .39 with the bases empty, ERA of 12.41 with runners on , and an ERA of 19.13 with runners in scoring position.

2007 stats:

175 Ks in 140 IP with a 3.15 ERA and only 39 BB.

The problem with McGee is that he is in a situation where he may be the 3rd best pitcher in the farm system but the Rays are very young in the starting rotation. Price is out with arm problems but he is due to come back soon. McGee is a long way off from the MLB unless he is traded as the Rays are now a contender.

Overall:

The Allied Pwers have the best hitting prospect in baseball and he is MLB ready. Snider is a high risk player who could pay huge dividends and McGee could be stuck in the system right now.