Let's Take A Look At A Top 100 Prospect: Bill Kuhn of the Long Beach Surfers

[lordtoffee]

So after taking a look at the top 100 prospect list, I thought that it would be interesting to pick a prospect that isn't in the Robins system as a way to see how the prospect is going, offer up a prediction that won't age well, and maybe see what is going on. After using a random number generator, the choice is 1B Bill Kuhn, who is in Short Season A as of writing for the Long Beach Surfers.

Background:
Kuhn had grown to hit for almost .300 in his last year of high school, and had played well in the All-Stars competition in high school according to several scouts across multiple BBA teams and the high school baseball community online. He was picked 19th in the 2055 draft. After looking back at what Aaron said in his 2055 draft review of Kuhn, he noted that Kuhn could be one of those picks in the middle to later parts of the first round that would be regarded as a smart pick. I agreed with Aaron at the time, as he had shown improvement each year in high school, and the analytic numbers looked good. It's not like other GMs made a mistake in passing on Kuhn, it's more of a fact that teams had different needs or wants, and every GM values things differently in this league.

Kuhn spent a good chunk of his first two years in pro ball at rookie ball, where he improved as an 18 year old displaying better average, power, and analytic numbers that earned him a late promotion to Short A ball, where his 5 game sample size looked good.

What Does 2057 Hold For Him?
2057 looks like it would be a year for him to continue to work at Short A, and maybe A depending how Lane sees his development going. It's important to remember that guys drafted out of high school are still adjusting to pro ball, and Kuhn probably could get some PP reward love if Lane decides that is the way to go. I see his bat improving, some improvement on his strikeout numbers, as well as another year of getting used to professional pitching. Kuhn isn't probably going to get to the upper minors for a year or two, but I like his chances of getting to the BBA a couple of years down the line as a highly rated prospect.

What About The Wider Organization, Not Just Kuhn?
Long Beach is in a good spot as an organization. They have made the playoffs, and have a top 5 farm system with some of those guys getting their chance in the BBA or getting close to their chance. Kuhn has the luxury of developing without being rushed to the majors, and Lane has moves he can make to keep on adding talent without sacrificing the farm, as well as some room to operate in free agency and trades this offseason. All in all, Long Beach is in a good spot, and Kuhn can keep on keeping on without being viewed as a savior type prospect.

[Lane]

Nice, thanks for this.

I like Kuhn, was happy to grab him at the spot in the draft that i did. I'm not really sure why he's struggling with rookie ball but he did better this season. Thankfully I appear to be pretty well set at 1B/DH for now so i can afford to wait on him.