The Best We've Got?
10/25/2063
To Greece we go to take a look at this season's first overall draft pick, second base prospect Aniq Anbar. A native of Kuwait, Aniq stands at 6' 3” and weighs 185 lbs. He hits and throws right-handed. Anbar was nineteen at the time of his selection, and had an eye-popping future value of 80, with potential ratings of 11/6/4 as a hitter. The central mystery surrounding Aniq is his total lack of high school stats. We have no evidence that he ever played organized baseball prior to this year. On what, one wonders, were prior scouting reports based? Related to this, Anbar was 19 when drafted, long in the tooth for a high schooler. Was he held back? What the heck are they doing down there in Auckland?
This is what his official scouting report has to say:
High ceiling and low floor is the succinct summary here. Anbar turned 20 in 2063, his first season as a professional. The most recent scouting report indicates a current overall rating of 15. To paraphrase Jerry Reed, Aniq's got a long way to go and a (comparatively) short time to get there. Current batting ratings of 2/3/2 tell you the story. The guy is toolsy, but unpolished, at least according to the ratings.Aniq Anbar is a long, lean athletic second baseman who … possesses outstanding contact ability that should translate into a high batting average. He can impact the game with his wheels on the base [sic]. He has the strength to put a charge in the baseball and hit an above average number of dingers. With his talents the light of Anbar's star could be blinding.
Rookie ball stats, the only ones we currently have, are solid. He slashed .359/.426/.690 for a 176 wRC+, and had a ZR of 5.9 at second, but again, he is a twenty year-old in rookie ball. How much weight do we assign these stats? Are there still doubts about whether minor league stats are reflective of true talent? I don't know, but he didn't fall on his face, we know that. It will be interesting to see how the scouts evaluate Anbar in the next report, to see if there is any movement in current ratings.
The most recent in-game scout evaluation has Aniq's future value set at 80 with batting potential ratings of 11/7/5. An other worldly hit tool, above average power potential, paired with at least an average eye, makes it tempting to dream on this guy. Can he get there? Reply hazy, try again.
Should Athens throw this guy into the development lab to kick start his progress? I would say yes. If he's ever going to reach his potential, he needs every boost he can get.
Anbar's makeup is unremarkable. He has no injury history, and injury proneness is listed as 'Normal', though in reality he may be closer to durable, I suspect.
