So Garcia is quickly reaching bust status but the guy who's older than him, put up inferior numbers than him in the minors and has had nothing more than a cup of coffee in the Majors isn't? How does that work? This love affair with Trayce Thompson is getting a little ridiculous. At the beginning of this year the consensus was pretty much he could be a 4th outfielder at best. Now all of the sudden some act like he's the next Mike Trout or something.

What you're failing to realize is that Sox fans (or all sports fans in general) have very short attention spans and don't care about what happened in the past. They care about what is going on right this second. At this very second, Thompson is better than Garcia, so people want Thompson to play more and he's getting a lot more hype.

 

Watch when Trayce falls into a slump and Avi starts to hit. It'll be the same thing, just the opposite. Sports fans are so fickle. It is what it is.

 

 

What you're failing to realize is that Sox fans (or all sports fans in general) have very short attention spans and don't care about what happened in the past. They care about what is going on right this second. At this very second, Thompson is better than Garcia, so people want Thompson to play more and he's getting a lot more hype.

 

Watch when Trayce falls into a slump and Avi starts to hit. It'll be the same thing, just the opposite. Sports fans are so fickle. It is what it is.

 

That's not true at all, there are many who cling to the past and refuse to let go of it.

That's not true at all, there are many who cling to the past and refuse to let go of it.

I'm talking about this specific instance. No one cares now that Avi was a highly touted prospect.

I'm talking about this specific instance. No one cares now that Avi was a highly touted prospect.

 

As far as it is in specific reference to his ceiling, it does matter.

From Kiley McDaniels prospect chat today:

 

Comment From Mike

Klay Thompson’s bro is having a fine cup of coffee. Is the amount of game power a surprise (14 XBH in his 27 hits)? Has his hit tool gotten better? His K rate in AAA this year (19%) dropped significantly compared to 2104 in AA (25.4%),and his MLB rate is 22% now past 60 AB, the point at which it stars to stabilize. Does this bode well for him being a .260 instead of a .230 hitter? What chance do you give him to be a perennial 2.5-3.5 WAR player?

1:08

Kiley McDaniel: The tools are goofy: 55 speed, 55 arm, 60 raw, NFL TE looking dude with a smooth swing that can play a decent CF. The concern was always approach at the plate and how much of that power he can get to. I don’t think we have a conclusive answer yet, but he appears to have made enough adjustments to get a real shot in the bigs.

You don't have to be overhyping Trayce Thompson to choose him in this context.

Right, it's not like a lot of us think TT is a future star, just that he's looking to be a better option than Avi so far, and I want to find out more.

It is a tough call honestly. I think Garcia has a higher ceiling, but that would take him relaxing his approach a bit at the plate, which I kind of doubt happens. I also think the overrating of Thompson is approaching Brian Anderson proportions lately on Soxtalk. I think ideally the guy is a 4th OF and platoon player, which is what we have seen him do very successfully here in a small sample size with the team.

 

I think my choice would be none of the above, but If I had to pick... given contract statuses, options, and the like, I think I would go with Garcia, but with Thompson on the major league roster as my #4 OF.

 

For me, I choose Thompson if it's between him and Avi. Reason being is that Avi would have to hit significantly better than he has in order to overcome his horrible defense. I just don't see that happening if he doesn't scratch his current batting stance/swing and start from the beginning. Trayce provides good defense, and even if he hits in the .230 range, he should hit for enough extra base hits to not kill you on defense. For a team that's supposed to be built on pitching, having a right fielder that can't judge a fly ball is a bad idea.

For me, I choose Thompson if it's between him and Avi. Reason being is that Avi would have to hit significantly better than he has in order to overcome his horrible defense. I just don't see that happening if he doesn't scratch his current batting stance/swing and start from the beginning. Trayce provides good defense, and even if he hits in the .230 range, he should hit for enough extra base hits to not kill you on defense. For a team that's supposed to be built on pitching, having a right fielder that can't judge a fly ball is a bad idea.

 

I'll be honest, I haven't been that impressed with Thompson's defense so far. It might just be when I have seen him, but he looks uneven out there, and he has gotten some bad reads.

Interesting stat is that Trayce so far is in the top 50 (out of 524 hitters) in average exit velocity. Avi is all the way down at 220. Over a 3 mph difference between them.

I think Thompson honestly has better tools than Avi and a much more compact and smooth swing. Another glaring difference between them, even in Trayce's short time with the club, is their discipline and pitch recognition. Trayce has been set up a few times with high heat and then a slider in the dirt, but there has been times that he has laid off nicely. He seems to work the count and doesn't mind walking. Avi all season has been going up hacking on the first pitch and usually missing it. I don't think I've ever seen some one with as many ugly K's in 1 season as him and Adam Dunn was on this team for quite awhile.

Edited September 23, 201510 yr by Knackattack