Off Topic
Travelblog of Thom S. Hunter
Editor’s Note: Dammit. Far as I can tell this idiot idea of a beat reporter is going to stick. Guess he’s got low friends in high places. Or at least high friends. And I like to eat, and I got a wife and three kids (that I know of) who need clothes and sneakers. So I got nothing to do but to let the guy write whatever he writes. Good luck reading it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
August 16, 2057: Ogden – Like I said, the Goon and I are here in Ogden so as I can write a report on a couple prospects. This, I think, is the only reason to come to Ogden, and to be fair it’s not a great reason, anyway. Still, the cash is good, and you can find proper hooch about anywhere you look, assuming you look hard enough, and I’ve take a real fondness to the Goon seeing as he’s always able to look pretty hard.
I already wrote up the bit on the Cook fella, so now I’m here to chat about Benji Amberman, the club’s first round pick last June.
Amberman’s from a place called Patterson Township. That’s in PA. Truth is, I’m wondering how long before they pack their bags and head home, because Amberman’s first season in the pros didn’t ring loud.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. First a look at the kid’s deets.
So, tall and lanky, which isn’t your usual profile for a third baseman, but can work. All the scouts like their basic profile, but at 17 how are you supposed to tell. Amberman came off as quiet and reserved to me, maybe feeling a little small in the big world of the BBA.
I suppose that makes some sense given how just a year ago they were a nobody on no one’s radar screen, and then in the summer the Krill waved millions of dollars under their nose, and now he finds himself in a place that is definitely NOT Pattersonville.
So maybe we give the kid a pass for homesickness?
Dunno.
- - -
OFFENSIVELY Amberman really did nothing to make a dent. They hit leadoff most of the year, but that was on reputation alone (he did hit .331 in high school, and got on base at a .423 clip), and really didn’t work out so well in Ogden where, apparently, the pitchers throw breaking balls.
The .264 wOBA and 64 RC+ were not good. Bottom line: at 17, Amberman was overpowered, so it’s probably not fair to say the kid washed out, but I’ve never been one to like that word “fair.”
- - -
DEFENSIVELY Amberman held their own in the field, at least. Played all 66 games, and committed only 4 errors in 143 chances. It added up to a 1.17 ZR and a 1.028 Eff, which will play. One wonders if the team might direct Amberman to the outfield next year, just to get some reps in. Either way, the glove projects to competent if not quite Zimmer quality.
- - -
DEVELOPMENT: Amberman’s progress this season can be summed up in one sentence. They gained a pound. Perhaps that’s a big deal. At 6’6” Amberman needs every little bit he can get. The plan for the off season is probably to ship the kid off to Aunt Bertha (or whoever she is) and have her shove pasta and steak down the kid’s throat until they’re strong enough to swing the bat.
- - -
2058 Projection: Head to Spring Training, then have a total redo of Rookie Ball. Cross fingers. Pray that the first round selection wasn’t a stupid fancy.
August 16, 2057: Ogden – Like I said, the Goon and I are here in Ogden so as I can write a report on a couple prospects. This, I think, is the only reason to come to Ogden, and to be fair it’s not a great reason, anyway. Still, the cash is good, and you can find proper hooch about anywhere you look, assuming you look hard enough, and I’ve take a real fondness to the Goon seeing as he’s always able to look pretty hard.
I already wrote up the bit on the Cook fella, so now I’m here to chat about Benji Amberman, the club’s first round pick last June.
Amberman’s from a place called Patterson Township. That’s in PA. Truth is, I’m wondering how long before they pack their bags and head home, because Amberman’s first season in the pros didn’t ring loud.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. First a look at the kid’s deets.
| LVL | Player Name | POS | B/T | OVR | POT | ConP | GapP | PowP | EyeP | AvKP | Con | Gap | Pow | Eye | AvK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-R | Benji Amberman | 3B | R/R | 20 | 60 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Source | Age | Ht/Wt | SPD | STE | RUN | CAB | CAR | IFR | IFE | IFA | TDP | OFR | OFE | OFA | |
| DR57.1 | 17 | 6'6"/194 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
So, tall and lanky, which isn’t your usual profile for a third baseman, but can work. All the scouts like their basic profile, but at 17 how are you supposed to tell. Amberman came off as quiet and reserved to me, maybe feeling a little small in the big world of the BBA.
I suppose that makes some sense given how just a year ago they were a nobody on no one’s radar screen, and then in the summer the Krill waved millions of dollars under their nose, and now he finds himself in a place that is definitely NOT Pattersonville.
So maybe we give the kid a pass for homesickness?
Dunno.
- - -
OFFENSIVELY Amberman really did nothing to make a dent. They hit leadoff most of the year, but that was on reputation alone (he did hit .331 in high school, and got on base at a .423 clip), and really didn’t work out so well in Ogden where, apparently, the pitchers throw breaking balls.
The .264 wOBA and 64 RC+ were not good. Bottom line: at 17, Amberman was overpowered, so it’s probably not fair to say the kid washed out, but I’ve never been one to like that word “fair.”
- - -
DEFENSIVELY Amberman held their own in the field, at least. Played all 66 games, and committed only 4 errors in 143 chances. It added up to a 1.17 ZR and a 1.028 Eff, which will play. One wonders if the team might direct Amberman to the outfield next year, just to get some reps in. Either way, the glove projects to competent if not quite Zimmer quality.
- - -
DEVELOPMENT: Amberman’s progress this season can be summed up in one sentence. They gained a pound. Perhaps that’s a big deal. At 6’6” Amberman needs every little bit he can get. The plan for the off season is probably to ship the kid off to Aunt Bertha (or whoever she is) and have her shove pasta and steak down the kid’s throat until they’re strong enough to swing the bat.
- - -
2058 Projection: Head to Spring Training, then have a total redo of Rookie Ball. Cross fingers. Pray that the first round selection wasn’t a stupid fancy.
