Minor League Prospect Watch - Elvis Andrus

The latest prospect to be featured in the Minor League Prospect Watch is Texas Rangers minor league shortstop Elvis Andrus.

Andrus is a player who is billed a future star because of his 5-tool potential. At age 19, he is one of the youngest players in Double-A and yet he still managed to make the Futures All-Star Game that was played on All-Star Weekend. He has been compared to Edgar Renteria and Derek Jeter. He might remind some of Hanley Ramirez but it does not seem like he will have the same amount of power that Hanley does.

So far this season, Elvis Andrus has put up the following stat line offensively:

.291/1 HR/39 RBI/35 SB/.348 OBP/.346 SLG/.694 OPS

Obviously this is not as an impressive stat line as some other minor leaguers, but the key to remember here is that Elvis Andrus will only be turning 20 in August and he is already in Double-A. Here are the career minor league stats for Andrus.

Since Andrus is a shortstop, he is going to be blocked my Michael Young for a couple years at least. I'm not sure what the timeline is for Andrus to be up in the big leagues, but it would not surprise me to see him get a chance to at least get some playing time at some point next season.

Here is everything you need to know about Elvis Andrus:

There are some guys you're just drawn to whenever they are on the field. Andrus is that kind of player -- and he's just starting to figure out how to use his many tools. His defense isn't in question and he could play shortstop at a Gold Glove-level in the big leagues right now. One of the players to go to Texas from Atlanta in the Mark Teixeira trade, Andrus remains a little behind with the bat. There are signs of him catching up -- his hitting improved after his trade in the California League and he played well as one of the youngest players in the Arizona Fall League. Andrus has learned how to get more out of his speed, but talk about his offense is more about potential than performance. There's still plenty of time for Andrus to figure all that out. He won't turn 20 until the end of the 2008 season and will likely move up to Frisco as one of the youngest players in the Texas League. Worst-case, the Rangers will get a speedy shortstop that can save plenty of runs with his glove. Best-case? He's a five-tool player who can do it all. (Minor League Baseball)

"It's normal for me," Andrus said. "Since I started playing, I've been the youngest player in any league. It's given me strength. It's given me power in my mind, with my mindset. I don't care if I play with guys who are 25 or 30 years old. I know I can [play] better than those guys." Despite his youth, Andrus has exhibited a slick glove and swift feet at every level of the Minor Leagues and he could be on the brink of taking his game -- which Baseball America rated the most exciting in the Carolina League a year ago -- to the next level. Now in the Texas League, Andrus entered the season as the Rangers' top prospect according to Baseball America, and he's living up to the billing. "He's a tremendous talent and a tremendous kid. He has all sorts of abilities," Frisco manager Scott Little said. "But every once in a while you see the 19-year-old come out in him." While the kid in Andrus sometimes leads to errors -- of which he has 81 in 278 career games -- and mental lapses, it also earned him a spot on the World roster in the Futures Game last season, as well as recognition as one of the most exciting players in the Minor Leagues. "I've always been a smiling guy, a happy guy. I like to enjoy the game," Andrus said. "I can do everything. I can hit a home run, I can steal a base and I can turn a double play. I can do something different every day." Between Atlanta's High-A Myrtle Beach and Texas' High-A Bakersfield clubs in 2007, Andrus mixed it up, hitting .257 with five home runs and 40 stolen bases in 126 games while turning 77 double plays. Just 18 years old for most of the season, he was the youngest player to spend the duration of 2007 no lower than High-A. While his hitting wasn't on par with his defense, he wound up hitting .315 in his last 31 games of the season. Little said the biggest obstacle left for Andrus to overcome is he needs to understand the importance of consistency, whether at the plate or in the field. "His defense right now is ahead of his bat, but his bat is coming along," Little said. "It's going to be more of a trust and a maturity thing than a physical thing for him to improve as a player." (MLB.com)

"He's a green-light guy, but we make sure he's not going crazy. But he can steal a base with the best of them."The blazing speed is just one of the talents in the 19-year-old Andrus' portfolio, along with premium defense and evolving offense that has earned the Texas League's youngest player a spot on the South Division team in the TL All-Star Game at 7:10 tonight at Hammons Field.He'll be one of the players to watch, a touted prospect on the diamond.But it's the attitude -- that confidence of stealing third base -- that helps Andrus shoulder his status as the Texas Rangers' top prospect, as ranked by Baseball America.It's the fact he wants to be Derek Jeter."It's the leadership. That's what I want to be. As a player, (Jeter is) who I like," said Andrus, a native of Venezuela. "Growing up, we always respected guys like Omar Vizquel, but Jeter is my guy. He's good and he's cool with his teammates. He hustles in the field and it doesn't matter if he's 0-for-4 as long as they win. But like any prospect under the microscope, Andrus' struggles have been magnified.Naysayers point out his 18 errors, which tie him for second-most in the Texas League.His supporters say he tried to throw with a hand that had two broken fingers, plus his range is better than most, increasing his fielding chances -- and the chance for more errors.He's had the fifth-most fielding chances for Texas League shortstops, despite playing in only 49 games. Even then, his 5.4 chances per game is easily highest in the league. There is criticism of his bat, as he's hitting a respectable .277 with one home run and 29 RBIs in 242 at-bats. He has 10 extra-base hits among his 67, matching his slugging percentage to his on-base percentage (.335). But he hit .353 in the Arizona Fall League as its youngest player, furthering the scouts' opinions of him. As Little points out, he's as young as an old high school senior or as old as a college freshman."People don't realize he's hitting (.277) at Double-A at 19," Little said. "At worst, he'll be a definite impact defensive player and a contributing ball player on a big-league club. But he's never going to be an automatic out. He'll fight you." "He has that natural charisma that draws people," said John Lombardo, Director of Minor League Operations for the Texas Rangers. "Mix his ability with his quiet leadership and ability to get the respect of his teammates and he's going to be a good player for a long time." (News-Leader)

The scoop: Minor league authority Baseball America will also make Andrus their No. 1 Rangers’ prospect when its rankings are revealed next month. Andrus makes a pretty clear case for this ranking. From some casual conversations, the people I’ve spoken with suggest he should _ not could _ be at least the major league equal of Edgar Renteria. In other words: He should be an above average shortstop. The high side of any shortstop comparison is always Derek Jeter, who just happens to be Andrus' favorite player. And there are some similarities there too. But Renteria is a good place to start comparing these guys. Renteria played most of the season at age 18 in High A in 1993. He hit .253 with no homers, 36 RBIs, a .307 OBP and a .599 OPS. Andrus, who was 18 for almost all of last season, compares favorably in every category. (Rangers Blog)

Rangers shortstop prospect Elvis Andrus has always had tools, especially speed and defense, but with a newly relaxed approach at the plate, he is poised to realize his potential as a hitter as well. Andrus told me he is working to loosen his swing, and his bat speed looked impressive in batting practice. Given his makeup and work ethic, I am confident that Andrus can eventually be a top-of-the-order hitter with 10-15 home run pop. (Sporting News)

It seems like we've been hearing about how toolsy this guy is for a decade. The King was sent to Texas in the Teixeira deal, and did pretty well in High A last year [.300/.369/.373]. Although Baseball America says he'll develop 10-20 HR power, I'm a skeptic - he's never slugged .400 once in 3 years in the minors. Then again, he is going to open in AA as a 19 year old, so the jury may still be out. Regardless, he'll be a basestealer when he finally reaches the bigs. (Nine Bo Jacksons)


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