Rangers Farm Report -- March 27 -- Mike Hindman

Each year I have the pleasure of going to Surprise for spring training and when I go, I scarcely set foot anywhere near a big leaguer. You can find me in over the kiddie pool, watching young Rangers prospects gear up for a new season, looking for the next big thing. As I gear up to spend another six months of my life getting up in the middle of the night to write recaps of every minor league game played in the Rangers system, this is where I get the fuel to power that endeavor.

In this installment of the Texas Rangers Farm Report, I’m going to get into the impressive things I observed in Surprise last week, but before I do so, I want to attempt to provide some context that might help those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of being there to understand what’s happening on those back fields at the Surprise Stadium complex where minor league camp is held.

Through my spring trips to Surprise, I’ve come to think of baseball being almost exactly like another sport that my family was involved in when I was growing up: horse racing. Those who play the Sport of Kings at the highest levels (we didn’t, but I saw it done) play a numbers game: each year, they accumulate a large number of yearlings purchased at sales that take place in the summer (the June amateur draft).

In the fall, the yearlings are sent off to a training center to be broken (instructional league) and the following spring, they are put into training (spring training) where a bunch of paunchy older men stand around with their arms crossed, peering out from beneath the bills of ballcaps pulled down over their furrowed brows, stop watches dangling around their thick necks, watching the colts being put through their paces, constantly evaluating every little detail of the way they move, behave, and learn.

Some of the colts will be ready to race in the summer at age two (an assignment to Clinton for the especially precocious). Some will need more time (stay behind in extended spring training) to race later in the summer (AZL or Spokane). Some won’t be ready until they are three and some won’t make it at all. By the time that equine equivalent to spring training is two or three months along, the yearlings have started to weed themselves out. You generally have a pretty good idea which ones can do what. Long before they hit the track to race in the afternooons, the best trainers can spot the real race horses.

Virtually the same pattern plays itself out in minor league camp. More than 130 kids are spread out over four fields for morning workouts, ususally working on specific skills (baserunning, pickoffs, etc.), batting practice, and bullpen sessions. No names on jerseys. They are here one minute and gone the next. It is semi-organized chaos, but a couple of dozen (usually) paunchy older men stand around, arms crossed, peering out from beneath the visors of ballcaps with stop watches dangling around their necks, evaluating every little thing they see. They observe, take mental notes, teach, cajole, give a pat on the back or a kick in the behind when needed. And they are, at all times, filing away information that will decide the futures of these kids.

For one week each year, I get to observe all of this going on. Any notion of getting a comprehensive look at things is ridiculous. You just catch what you can, but if you’re lucky, one of the young colts will stand out. What I can give you is observations. Incomplete observations. We can't give you final lines or stats. We can tell you that we saw something that stood out, but that doesn't necessarily rule out the possibility that while our attention was diverted to the other field, the same guy didn't do something to counterbalance that observed moment, one way or another. In short, there are many obvious shortcomings in this process that make it difficult to evaluate what a kid is or is not.

But there are unique benefits as well including, especially, the intense concentration of action. There is almost no down time in spring camp when there is a little down time, you can still watch and learn something about what makes a kid tick. You can get a feel for who really loves what they are doing and where they are. You get a feel for who has the sort of work ethic that is necessary to get the most out of his tools. You are close enough to the action that you can see and hear how kids react to things that might give you a little insight into what kind of competitors they are.

Over the course of a week, I think it’s safe to say that you do begin to recognize quality when you see it. Watching six guys throw bullpen sessions in a row at the same time makes it easier to spot the special arm. Seeing 15 kids take BP in one session helps you learn to recognize the difference between the ones with some lightning in their sticks and the ones who don’t. If one guy stands out, over and over again, that usually means something.

Two years ago, Ian Kinsler and Joaquin Arias stood out like sore thumbs and went on to emerge as top prospects that summer. Last year, I couldn’t help but take note of the way that everyone was talking about Edinson Volquez or the way that there were always five time as many people watching whatever he did then there were watching almost anyone else as they were put through their paces. Every time you saw him, Travis Metcalf did something impressive. Same with Drew Meyer and Kevin Mahar. All four went on to have tremendous seasons.

This year, as always, I spent as much time as possible observing the youngest players in camp, most of whom came into the Rangers system over the past two years and the difference between the players who will fill the rosters at those lower levels this year and the ones who have done so over the past few years is both obvious and significant.

The newest Rangers–especially the pitchers–are bigger, stronger, younger, probably less refined but more innately talented than their predecessors. I saw a lot more mid-90's fastballs than I’ve seen in the low-level games than ever before, but I also saw a lot more wild pitches, batters hit by pitches, and four-pitch walks. I saw bigger, better arms in the outfield and more speed on the bases, but I also saw much sloppier play: missed cutoff men and weak popups falling harmlessly to the ground because nobody made a call.

While the impression made by the youngest Rangers was generally good, there weren’t a lot of examples of guys who, right now, seem to have the total package of raw athletic ability, advanced baseball skills and what I call a high baseball I.Q., which is to say that they make good decisions on the field, execute intelligent at-bats, have solid instincts, and react with confidence to situations.

More than anyone, the player who stood out in this regard–the player whose athletic ability, baseball skills and baseball I.Q. all seemed to be outstanding–was the Rangers second round choice in the 2005 draft, third baseman Johnny Whittleman from Kingwood, Texas.

Whittleman, a high school shortstop and quarterback, is an outstanding athlete with excellent feet, a strong arm, and much better speed than I’d been led to believe. His left-handed swing is simply a thing of beauty. Whittleman’s physical gifts are obvious, but they don’t necessarily set him apart in this group of young players. Physical gifts are abundant on the lowest-level minor league fields this year.

Whittleman is also very clearly a leader in his group, plays technically sound baseball, reacts confidently in the field, works pitchers to get the pitch he wants at the plate, and plays his behind off all the time. And when he’s done dazzling you on the ballfield, you talk to John Lombardo, the Rangers’ director of minor league operations, and he tells you that what impresses the Rangers most about Whittleman is his work ethic (calling him “a man on a mission”), and you realize that this kid is the total package.

Junior Mayberry’s physical gifts, as considerable as they are, just barely overshadow his presence. The bright, charismatic 2005 first rounder is popular with his teammates and a very hard worker, committed to improvement. As he continues to retool his swing, there are some awkward moments, but when he gets it dialed in, his raw power is breathtaking. You just don’t see a lot of 400 foot line drives. I saw Mayberry hit two...in consecutive at-bats.

Other observations from camp:

The two teenaged pitchers who led the Low-A Clinton LumberKings to the playoffs last year, 6'4" Eric Hurley and 6'7" Michael Schlact, taken in the first and third rounds, respectively, of the 2004 draft, are very different pitchers but both very impressive.

Hurley–who has filled out significantly since last year--fired off a dozen or so fastballs in a two-inning stint against Royals minor leaguers, none of which came in below 93 mph and a few of which hit 96. He also dealt a couple of 84 mph sliders with sharp, late break.

Schlact, one of the most pronounced ground-ball pitchers in the system, throws everything at the knees. Often with extremely tall pitchers like Schlact, scouts will note that they have trouble repeating their delivery. In other words, big kids with lots of long moving parts struggle to get their bodies to do the same thing over and over again, leading to a lack of control. Schlact appears to have the ability to locate the ball extremely well and also appears to have added velocity to his fastball.

Among the pitchers selected in the 2005 draft, 6'4" lefty Mike Kirkman appears to be the most advanced. He demonstrated command of four pitches that are all above average. Other pitchers seemed to be uniformly impressed with Kirkman which, for me, is very significant.

The Rangers’ intensified efforts to cultivate a presence in Latin America over the past couple of years was obvious this spring. Pitcher Fabio Castillo and catcher Cristian Santana, both of whom just recently turned 17, demonstrated incredible physical ability. Santana, a vocal and active backstop, is amazingly gifted and appeared to be one of the fastest players in camp, extremely rare for a catcher. Castillo, who stands about 6'4", already throws in the mid-90's and appeared to be eager to learn anything and everything the minor league pitching coaches could offer. Second baseman Jose Vallejo , a flashy fielder with quick hands and feet, is learning to switch hit to take advantage of his incredible speed. He makes a very strong impression in everything he does.

I didn’t get a chance to see him myself, but every player I talked to about Armando Galarraga, the pitcher acquired along with Brad Wilkerson in the Alfonso Soriano trade, was very impressed with the 6'4" Venezuelan.

I’ve always been a big John Danks fan but after seeing him pitch in a big league game against the Giants in Scottsdale, I’m more impressed than ever before. In addition to his fabulous talent, the kid proved that he has guts, a lethal combination.

In about a week and a half, most of these colts will hit the track to race and we’ll be keeping you up to date with weekly reports on their progress right here. If you want daily recaps, please stop by newbergreport.com or e-mail me to be put on our list for complete, daily coverage of every minor league game played in the Rangers minor league system.

Mike Hindman is a contributor to texasrangers.com.