2059.3 Flight School Charlotte Prospect Report-1B

[Krathan]

In this edition of Flight School, we take a look at the top prospects in the Charlotte Flyers organization at the position of first base.

The top first base prospect is Jorge Bodzan. He was drafted in the 13th round of the 2057 draft as a poor defensive left fielder. He has since been converted into a good defensive first baseman. He didn’t play particularly well last year after the draft. He never really settled in with Adirondack, switching from left field to designated hitter. In 2058, he started the year at level A Danville, and hit the cover off the ball for 31 games (183 wRC+). He then moved up to New Bern and continued to rake over a 54 game span (134 wRC+). He finished the season with 31 games in Richmond, where he was once again a solid hitter (120 wRC+). The team would like him to play an entire season at AAA to see what kind of a season he can put together. If he continues to hit well over .300 with power, he may find his way to the big leagues in time.

The second player we will discuss is Curt Williams. He was drafted in the 11th round of the 2051 draft by Phoenix. He was signed and released by several organizations before joining the rookie level Elkins Buzzards in 2055. He spent most of that season at the short A level and was mainly used off the bench, hitting .302. He was once again used as a bench player in 2056, hitting .342. He then hit .333 in limited action in 2057. He had hit 8 home runs in 107 games up to that point. Then, in 2058, things changed. He finally got playing time and made the most of it. Williams played as a starter in 53 games with A level Danville. He slashed .333/.383/.710, with 22 home runs. He was promoted to AA New Bern and slashed .306/.347/.563 with 10 more home runs in 38 games. Overall, that makes 32 home runs in 90 games. He had a 3 home run game against Medford and a 5 hit game against Tombstone.

The third prospect to look at is Mario Hernandiz. He was acquired via trade in 2056 and has played at the rookie level ever since. He has shown growth over the last couple of seasons, with his wRC+ improving from 72, to 107, to 113. He was originally a third baseman but really struggled defensively there. He has been an outstanding defender at first. He might end up about average from a contact standpoint, but his power is just above that and he has a tremendous eye, meaning he can get on base with a walk much more frequently than many of his peers.

The final prospect we will discuss is Henry Melanson. A 15th round draft pick from 2055, Melanson has played a few positions but his strongest defensively is first base. He has played at 4 levels since being drafted, with a combined slash line of .327/.399/.436 and a wRC+ of 122. He doesn’t do anything flashy, but he has consistently played well as a member of the Charlotte system.

[BaseClogger]

Top two guys are some good organizational depth who could get some playing time.

[Krathan]

I agree. I think they could provide some useful at bats down the line.

[RT60]

Melanson is pretty good for a 15th rounder! Organizational glue.

[Krathan]

I agree about Melanson too. I keep paying attention to him and he’s shown up on these lists multiple times.