Posts
Minnesota Twins minor league prospect Ben Revere stands only 5'9" but don't be fooled because the guy can flat out hit. After 280+ at-bats this season, he was still hitting over .400 and continues to hit well with a scorching .379 average.
Revere has not shown much power yet but since he is still just 20 years old it is possible he will still develop in that area. Revere has shown excellent strike zone judgement and is a speedster on the base paths. As long as he keeps hitting and getting on base, he could be a deadly leadoff hitter for the Twins and may not need to put up great power numbers to be a productive player in the future. He actually has hit a lot of doubles and triples, so his slugging percentage is more than respectable for a leadoff hitter. He also does a Joe Morgan like back arm flap when he hits in order to keep from dropping his shoulder, so you gotta love him for that.
Here are Ben Revere's stats so far this season:
.379 AVG/1 HR/43 RBI/.433 OBP/.497 SLG/.930 OPS/27 BB/43 SB
You can check out Ben Revere's up to date stats on his Baseball Reference player page and his First Inning player page.
Here is where Ben Revere ranks among minor league prospects:
Ranking in ScoutingBook (8/22/2008): #78
Ranking in Baseball America 2008: n/a
Ranking in Baseball Prospectus: #97
Ranking in MiLB.com Season Preview Unranked
Ranking from the Sporting News: Unranked
Ranking from ESPN: Unranked
Here is everything you need to know about Ben Revere:
The awards keep piling up for Beloit's Ben Revere this season as he continues to excel in the Midwest League. In the most recent issue of Baseball America, Ben was named by the MWL Managers as best in the league in four different categories. The four categories include: Best Batting Prospect, Best Strike Zone Judgment, Fastest Baserunner, & Most Exciting Player.
Revere currently leads the league in batting average (.380) and on-base percentage (.433), while also tied for second in stolen bases (41) and third in slugging percentage (.498). Ben also leads the Snappers in average, hits (122), doubles (17), triples (9), stolen bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Ben was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (28th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player draft. He spent the 2007 season as a member of the GCL Twins, where he hit .325 with 10 triples, 46 runs and 21 stolen bases. (Our Sports Central)
Ben Revere wasn't supposed to begin the season in Beloit. The Minnesota Twins organization had hoped to have their first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2007 Draft start the year with Elizabethton of the Appalachian League. Revere, now 20, was selected out of Lexington Catholic High School in Kentucky and before making his pro debut with the GCL Twins last year. Due to a number of untimely injuries -- including a hamstring ailment of his own which didn't allow him to begin playing until April 28 -- the Twins awarded Revere a shot with the Class A Snappers in 2008. Revere went 0-for-3 in his debut, batting second against South Bend on the 28th. Then it began. Two hits the next day. Two the evening after that. One the following night. And so on. Just like that, the speedy outfielder who many thought wouldn't immediately succeed in the Midwest League compiled an 11-game hitting streak. He was transferred to the leadoff slot on May 6 and raised his average as high as .439 before going 0-for-3 on May 12 to end the streak. Still, what Revere did in the first two weeks isn't uncommon. Players get off to hot starts all the time. Then the brunt of the season comes and they settle in, raising and lowering their average a bit, but usually maintaining a type of consistency that allows scouts to analyze their potential. What Revere's doing four months later, however, is uncommon. Now 73 games into the season, the 5-foot-9, 166-pound outfielder is hitting an eye-popping .388, most in the full-season Minor Leagues. (Terry Tiffee of the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s is second at .375 in 87 games.) Revere was at .404 as recently as July 24 before his first 0-for-5 game of the season Tuesday. Only nine times this season has Revere not recorded at least one base hit, and he's gone hitless in back-to-back games once. Budding from that 11-game hitting streak, which started to garner Revere some attention, the Lexington, Ky., native hasn't let up, forcing teammates, managers, reporters and fans to intently observe Revere's progress and see if he can become the next professional baseball player to hit .400. Major League Baseball hasn't seen a .400 hitter since Ted Williams accomplished the feat in 1941 as a member of the Boston Red Sox, but the Minor Leagues have. Jason Ellison of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies hit .406 in 2006 at the age of 28, recording 78 hits in 192 at-bats. Rene Aqueron, then 23, did so for the Rookie-league Bluefield Orioles (.405, 66 hits, 163 at-bats) in 2005, and Hernan Iribarren, then 20, reached well above the .400 plateau in 2004 when he hit a combined .422 between Beloit and the AZL Brewers, accumulating 108 hits in 256 at-bats. Naturally, their accomplishments are worthy of praise, but as of Aug. 7, with 24 games remaining on the schedule, Revere has more at-bats (299) and hits (116) than any of the aforementioned trio. "I try to go out there and just play my game. Everybody keeps talking about the .400 thing, but I just want to go out there and have fun every day because that's what I'm supposed to do," Revere said. "It's a big deal in baseball. Everybody knows that and everybody wants to see if I can keep my composure and go out there and try to do it. If I can do it, I'll be happy. If I can't, I tried my best." Since 1998, six players in the Minor Leagues have finished the season with an average above .400. Erubiel Durazo, who hit .404 in 1999 with 344 at-bats, did so with the most plate appearances, and Revere should easily exceed that over the final month of the season. While it may not be at the Major League level, there's still a significant amount of pressure being placed on Revere to become baseball's next prolific hitter. When George Brett and Tony Gwynn made runs at the hallowed mark, they expressed a slight disdain for the amount of attention they were getting. Not only does someone in Revere's situation have to deal with late-breaking sliders and tailing fastballs, but also the constant reminder that they're teetering on the edge of history. "There may be a little bit of pressure, but I won't put that pressure on me," he said. "I don't like to look at my stats. If I go 0-for-4, people will be like, 'C'mon man, you'll lose the .400.' But I don't really care as long as we hopefully we win the game. Then I'll be happy. If we don't, I'll be upset." It's that mentality -- one which permits him to focus on his progression as a player, on making the Majors and on winning the upcoming game -- that may actually allow him to do it. "Really, I'm just being smarter with my pitch selection, getting enough sleep and all that stuff and hopefully I can keep that up and it'll help me play a lot better the next day as well as the rest of the season," said Revere, who has compiled 14 three-hit games this season. Part of the reason he's been able to solve opposing pitching with such frequency is because of his approach at the plate. Revere said he almost always makes an effort to stay inside the ball and hit it hard on the ground, using his superior swiftness to reach base. That approach has swelled into a remarkable plate discipline that's made the job of Beloit hitting coach Rudy Hernandez quite easy. "He never talks to me at all, really," Revere said of his interaction with Hernandez. "He'll say one day that you're around [the ball] a lot and the next day, I'll stay inside of it and hit it up the middle, so he'll say, 'Good job.' But he usually kind of leaves my swing alone." While Hernandez's job has been a cakewalk regarding Revere, the experience hasn't been mutual for opposing pitching coaches. "I know teams are looking at how many at-bats I've got and say, 'Wow this guy can really get on base,' so I won't see that many fastballs. I'll see a bunch of changeups and curveballs," added Revere, who struggled hitting changeups in the GCL (where he batted .325). "After a while, you start seeing guys in the field play me in a lot of different positions when I come up. "Sometimes I have games where I'll hit four balls hard, but right at them and go 0-for-4, and other times I may have a couple cheap base hits." Thus is baseball. But it's not all dumb luck for Revere, whose longest hitting streak of the season spanned 22 games (May 30 to July 1). Dry spells (relatively speaking in his case) can occur as well, and Revere's in the midst of one now. After hitting no lower than .354 in any month this season, Revere's started August 2-for-12 (.167) and is batting .348 post-All Star break compared to .413 prior. Yet another aspect of the complex quest to hit .400 is the length of the season, especially given that this is Revere's first full one at the professional level. He's already played 23 more games than he did in 2007. "My body's kind of getting tired a little bit. It's not really wearing down, just tired," he said. "I think everybody is, but I won't complain." But some people will. "There's still a bunch of doubters out there who say, 'Yeah, he can hit, but he's still not one of the best,' so I just have to go out there and prove that I am the best," Revere said. "They thought I wasn't going to be this good. They thought I'd come up here and struggle a little bit because we've had a couple young first-rounders come up here and struggle in this league. I wouldn't say they doubted me. They knew I was a good hitter, but they were just surprised how well I handled myself up here." Ultimately, Revere's goal is more poignant than staking claim to a rare numerical achievement. It's to make the Majors. And that means working more on improving his arm strength than focusing on .400. It means continuing to prove to the Twins that he's mature beyond his age. After all, everyone already knows the guy can hit. (MLB.com)
Revere's been absent from the Hot Sheet for a few weeks, but that doesn't mean he's stopped hitting. He's picked up base hits in 16 of his last 17 games, and his average is still above the .400 level after 280 at-bats, as it currently stands at .404/.456/.539. His best game of the week came on Monday, when he went 4-for-4 with a double and two steals against Wisconsin. (Baseball America)
One of the big surprises on Draft Day 2007 was Ben Revere, selected in the first round 28th overall by the Twins. A high school outfielder from Lexington, Kentucky, Revere was rated as a second round or third round talent by most teams. He is a terrific athlete with blazing speed, excellent makeup, and was considered relatively polished for a high school hitter, but he's undersized at 5-9, 165. That concern and questions about how his power would look against pro pitching kept him out of first round consideration....except for the Twins. Some believed this was a signability and budget pick, and indeed Revere's $750,000 bonus was below slot for the first round. Comparisons to Denard Span, another young speed demon first rounder who never panned out, were inevitable. But the Twins insisted that Revere was the guy they wanted, and right now their decision looks inspired. Revere had a nice rookie ball debut, hitting .325/.388/.461 with an incredible 10 triples. He stole 21 bases in 50 games, though being caught nine times showed some need for polish. I gave him a Grade B in the book this year, which is high praise for a rookie ball guy. Revere began 2008 in extended spring training, but he joined full-season Class A Beloit in late April and has been on a tear ever since. In 44 games, he's hitting .413/.463/.565 with 22 steals. Althougn not a walk machine (14 BB), he's struck out just 15 times in 184 at-bats and scouts are drooling over his contact hitting ability. He's hit just one homer, but his 13 doubles and six triples are not all due to speed, he's showing some legitimate pop. His OPS is a robust 1.028...obviously strong, but keep in mind that the Midwest League league OPS is a mere .689. His OPS+ is 149. Revere does have some weaknesses. He has the tools to be a fine defender, but isn't there yet, already making seven errors on the season. He has been caught stealing 11 times and must improve his read on pitchers to get the most out of his running speed. He was not a young senior and is already 20 years old. However, given his exceptional makeup, intelligence, and work ethic, it seems likely that his deficiencies can be corrected. I don't think he'll ever be a big home run guy, but if he maintains this level of hitting skill he could be a batting champion someday in the mold of Ichiro Suzuki. Other possible comps would include Ralph Garr or Luis Polonia, or possibly Brett Butler if Revere can boost his walk rate at higher levels. Alhough we obviously need to see how things pan out in the coming years, Revere has to this point certainly justified his selection. My own Shadow Draft fake Twins first rounder last year, RHP Nevin Griffith, just came out of extended spring training for the White Sox...he pitched well in his first start for Great Falls. But at this point I would rather have picked Revere. (Minor League Ball)
And again, it's early, it's early, it's early, but Ben Revere has put on his four-fingered ring and is totally pimp-slapping the Midwest League. After 51 games for Revere (which is where Baseball Reference has updated so far, but it's not quite completely up-to-date), he's leading the league in OPS, while posting a .407/.459/.560 line. The .560 slugging is a bit misleading, because it's "just" a .153 ISO. So, it's not like he was showing the same kind of power that Delmon Young showed in the minors, but for instance, Joe Mauer's best ISO in the minors was .120 as a 21-year-old. Also, Denard Span's best ISO up until this year was .088, and when Span was 20, his ISO was an almost mind-bogglingly low .047. And it's not really just that Revere is leading the MWL in OPS, he's crushing everyone even close to his age. After Revere, the next four guys on the list are 22 or 23. The next guy on the list is Chris Parmelee, whose .239/.385/.496 is crazy in its own right. That's a couple tons of power (.257 ISO is probably the best in the entire system--certainly higher than Morneau and Kubel's current sub-.200 ISO), and another ton and a half of walks (52 walks is the most in the system, better even than Mauer's 47), but the batting average has to be a concern. Even Adam Dunn, career .247 hitter, hit .304 in the minors. I suspect that Parmelee's name is going to be mispelled about eleventy bajillion times if he ever makes the bigs, but it might just be easier to spell his name R-O-B D-E-E-R. Anyway, back to Revere. Parmelee is second to Revere in the MWL in OPS for players 21 and under. But the gap between the two players is relatively huge, with Revere at 1.019 and Parmelee at .881. Then we get to third place in the 21-and-under category, and we have Andrew Lambo at .810--more than 200 points below Revere. In batting average for the 21-and-unders, Revere is hitting .407 and the next best player (Adrian Ortiz). (SBG Nation)
There are some thing in baseball that make watching and following the game of baseball fun. One of the hallowed records that begs to be broken year after year is hitting 0.400 or better. Many players have come close since Ted Williams did it in 1941. I consider this mark more unattainable than hitting 73 home runs again. If there is one record I want to see fall in my lifetime, it’s this record. This year Chipper Jones was the man that has come the closest. Although he recently got injured I still hold out hope that he can get to 0.400 again, but it’s not looking good. One look in the minors tells a different story, a player by the name of Ben Revere is hitting in a zone lately and as of yesterday he was hitting 0.401 after 60 games even! Last year he was the first round pick of the Twins (pick 28 overall). He signed quickly and spent the year in rookie ball (GCL Twins). He hit 0.324/0/29/21 in 191 at bats. At only 20 years old he has the eye of a grizzled veteran. He has only struck out 40 times in his career. To put that in perspective, Cameron Maybin has struck out 40 times in the past 2 months.So here is the million dollar question, who would he compare to in the majors? The answer is that I don’t know. He has the speed of a Haney Ramirez but the eye of Tony Gwynn. So I guess maybe that’s your answer, Tony had some wheels on him when he came up, but his batter’s eye is what made him dangerous. I think of all the minor leaguers out there he may have the best eye in the game. He’s only 20 and the Twins would do a huge disservice in allowing him to advance to quickly. Let him finish the season in Beloit and see if he can hit the magical 0.400. Next stop would be the Ft. Myers Miracle or the New Britain Rock Cats. If I were the GM I would move him to high A Ft. Myers, if he can handle that then send him to AA with an ETA in the majors in late 2009 or early 2010. It is going to be interesting as to what he can do over the next year. (Bad Wax)
Revere got a late start to 2008, not joining Beloit until April 28 out of extended spring training, but he's been the MWL's hottest hitter ever since. For that matter, calling him red hot would be an understatement, as there is a long list of superlatives you could come up with to describe his season so far. Revere has torched Midwest League pitching, reaching base at least once in 31 of the 33 games he's played. On May 3, he celebrated his 20th birthday by going 3-for-5 with a double against Great Lakes, kicking off a streak of five straight multi-hit games. Revere's had an even hotter streak from May 13-19 when he recorded six straight multi-hit games, which was also part of a stretch where he went almost two entire weeks without striking out once. He doesn't have enough at-bats yet to qualify for the MWL batting title race, but if he did, he would lead it by almost 70 points. Not bad for a guy who wasn't a consensus first-rounder. (Baseball America)
Revere didn't arrive in Beloit until April 28, but he's been making up for lost time. He wasn't considered a consensus first rounder before Minnesota made him the 28th overall pick last June, but he hit .325/.388/.461 in the GCL and was rated that league's third-best prospect. He's picked up where he left off this year. Revere is riding a nine-game hitting streak and has served as a spark for the Beloit lineup since his insertion at the top of the order. Prior to Revere's arrival, the Snappers were 8-15 and averaged 3.7 runs per game. They've gone 7-3 and scored 4.1 runs per game since. On the week, he registered five-straight multi-hit games and scored at least one run in four straight. (Baseball America)
Revere was the Twins first round selection in the 2007 First Year Player Draft, and though his selection raised some eyebrows, his game is raising even more now. During the month of May, the speedster batted an incredible .433, swiping 14 bases in 28 games. It seemed like he was on base all the time, as he continues to make the Twins look like geniuses for drafting him so early. For the month, Revere picked up 52 hits, an astronomical number, and scored 21 times. The leadoff hitter wrapped five triples, 11 doubles, and struck out only eight times. He has shown a batting eye way beyond his years, and at only 19-years old, is legitimately a top prospect in the Twins organization. (Twin Cities Dugout)
Ben Revere was taken by the Twins in the first round of the 2007 draft. Many people were skeptical of the pick, as many thought there were definitely better players available and that the Twins shouldn't be adding more speedy outfielders with low power potential. However, Ben shut a lot of those critics up(at least for the time being) and now many think (at least, so far) that it may have been a great pick for the Twins. Of course, it's really too soon to tell. In 191 AB's, Ben hit .325/.388/.461 with zero home runs. That's right, a .461 slugging percentage without a home run. The reason for this is that Ben possesses amazing speed which allowed him to hit 16 extra-base hits, 10 of which were triples. He also stole 21 bases in 50 games and displayed solid plate discipline as well. He projects as a potentially great left-handed lead-off hitter with great defense. Right now, again it's probably too soon to compare him, but I'd say he's a potential Jacoby Ellsbury clone. Ben should be in Beloit this season, and will likely spend the entire season there, sink or swim. (Minnesota Twins Thoughts)
When the Twins let Torii Hunter go, maybe they knew something. Revere is a prototype leadoff hitter: his blazing speed and quick bat pushed him into the league leader boards for doubles, triples, and stolen bases. Only 5-9 and 175, he won't win any home run derbies, but his speed and approach to the game is exactly what Minnesota needs at the top of their roster. He'll start 2008 in the Midwest League, but expect Minnesota to take a look at him during the season. (Scouting Book)
Revere has not shown much power yet but since he is still just 20 years old it is possible he will still develop in that area. Revere has shown excellent strike zone judgement and is a speedster on the base paths. As long as he keeps hitting and getting on base, he could be a deadly leadoff hitter for the Twins and may not need to put up great power numbers to be a productive player in the future. He actually has hit a lot of doubles and triples, so his slugging percentage is more than respectable for a leadoff hitter. He also does a Joe Morgan like back arm flap when he hits in order to keep from dropping his shoulder, so you gotta love him for that.
Here are Ben Revere's stats so far this season:
.379 AVG/1 HR/43 RBI/.433 OBP/.497 SLG/.930 OPS/27 BB/43 SB
You can check out Ben Revere's up to date stats on his Baseball Reference player page and his First Inning player page.
Here is where Ben Revere ranks among minor league prospects:
Ranking in ScoutingBook (8/22/2008): #78
Ranking in Baseball America 2008: n/a
Ranking in Baseball Prospectus: #97
Ranking in MiLB.com Season Preview Unranked
Ranking from the Sporting News: Unranked
Ranking from ESPN: Unranked
Here is everything you need to know about Ben Revere:
The awards keep piling up for Beloit's Ben Revere this season as he continues to excel in the Midwest League. In the most recent issue of Baseball America, Ben was named by the MWL Managers as best in the league in four different categories. The four categories include: Best Batting Prospect, Best Strike Zone Judgment, Fastest Baserunner, & Most Exciting Player.
Revere currently leads the league in batting average (.380) and on-base percentage (.433), while also tied for second in stolen bases (41) and third in slugging percentage (.498). Ben also leads the Snappers in average, hits (122), doubles (17), triples (9), stolen bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Ben was drafted by the Twins in the 1st round (28th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player draft. He spent the 2007 season as a member of the GCL Twins, where he hit .325 with 10 triples, 46 runs and 21 stolen bases. (Our Sports Central)
Ben Revere wasn't supposed to begin the season in Beloit. The Minnesota Twins organization had hoped to have their first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2007 Draft start the year with Elizabethton of the Appalachian League. Revere, now 20, was selected out of Lexington Catholic High School in Kentucky and before making his pro debut with the GCL Twins last year. Due to a number of untimely injuries -- including a hamstring ailment of his own which didn't allow him to begin playing until April 28 -- the Twins awarded Revere a shot with the Class A Snappers in 2008. Revere went 0-for-3 in his debut, batting second against South Bend on the 28th. Then it began. Two hits the next day. Two the evening after that. One the following night. And so on. Just like that, the speedy outfielder who many thought wouldn't immediately succeed in the Midwest League compiled an 11-game hitting streak. He was transferred to the leadoff slot on May 6 and raised his average as high as .439 before going 0-for-3 on May 12 to end the streak. Still, what Revere did in the first two weeks isn't uncommon. Players get off to hot starts all the time. Then the brunt of the season comes and they settle in, raising and lowering their average a bit, but usually maintaining a type of consistency that allows scouts to analyze their potential. What Revere's doing four months later, however, is uncommon. Now 73 games into the season, the 5-foot-9, 166-pound outfielder is hitting an eye-popping .388, most in the full-season Minor Leagues. (Terry Tiffee of the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s is second at .375 in 87 games.) Revere was at .404 as recently as July 24 before his first 0-for-5 game of the season Tuesday. Only nine times this season has Revere not recorded at least one base hit, and he's gone hitless in back-to-back games once. Budding from that 11-game hitting streak, which started to garner Revere some attention, the Lexington, Ky., native hasn't let up, forcing teammates, managers, reporters and fans to intently observe Revere's progress and see if he can become the next professional baseball player to hit .400. Major League Baseball hasn't seen a .400 hitter since Ted Williams accomplished the feat in 1941 as a member of the Boston Red Sox, but the Minor Leagues have. Jason Ellison of the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies hit .406 in 2006 at the age of 28, recording 78 hits in 192 at-bats. Rene Aqueron, then 23, did so for the Rookie-league Bluefield Orioles (.405, 66 hits, 163 at-bats) in 2005, and Hernan Iribarren, then 20, reached well above the .400 plateau in 2004 when he hit a combined .422 between Beloit and the AZL Brewers, accumulating 108 hits in 256 at-bats. Naturally, their accomplishments are worthy of praise, but as of Aug. 7, with 24 games remaining on the schedule, Revere has more at-bats (299) and hits (116) than any of the aforementioned trio. "I try to go out there and just play my game. Everybody keeps talking about the .400 thing, but I just want to go out there and have fun every day because that's what I'm supposed to do," Revere said. "It's a big deal in baseball. Everybody knows that and everybody wants to see if I can keep my composure and go out there and try to do it. If I can do it, I'll be happy. If I can't, I tried my best." Since 1998, six players in the Minor Leagues have finished the season with an average above .400. Erubiel Durazo, who hit .404 in 1999 with 344 at-bats, did so with the most plate appearances, and Revere should easily exceed that over the final month of the season. While it may not be at the Major League level, there's still a significant amount of pressure being placed on Revere to become baseball's next prolific hitter. When George Brett and Tony Gwynn made runs at the hallowed mark, they expressed a slight disdain for the amount of attention they were getting. Not only does someone in Revere's situation have to deal with late-breaking sliders and tailing fastballs, but also the constant reminder that they're teetering on the edge of history. "There may be a little bit of pressure, but I won't put that pressure on me," he said. "I don't like to look at my stats. If I go 0-for-4, people will be like, 'C'mon man, you'll lose the .400.' But I don't really care as long as we hopefully we win the game. Then I'll be happy. If we don't, I'll be upset." It's that mentality -- one which permits him to focus on his progression as a player, on making the Majors and on winning the upcoming game -- that may actually allow him to do it. "Really, I'm just being smarter with my pitch selection, getting enough sleep and all that stuff and hopefully I can keep that up and it'll help me play a lot better the next day as well as the rest of the season," said Revere, who has compiled 14 three-hit games this season. Part of the reason he's been able to solve opposing pitching with such frequency is because of his approach at the plate. Revere said he almost always makes an effort to stay inside the ball and hit it hard on the ground, using his superior swiftness to reach base. That approach has swelled into a remarkable plate discipline that's made the job of Beloit hitting coach Rudy Hernandez quite easy. "He never talks to me at all, really," Revere said of his interaction with Hernandez. "He'll say one day that you're around [the ball] a lot and the next day, I'll stay inside of it and hit it up the middle, so he'll say, 'Good job.' But he usually kind of leaves my swing alone." While Hernandez's job has been a cakewalk regarding Revere, the experience hasn't been mutual for opposing pitching coaches. "I know teams are looking at how many at-bats I've got and say, 'Wow this guy can really get on base,' so I won't see that many fastballs. I'll see a bunch of changeups and curveballs," added Revere, who struggled hitting changeups in the GCL (where he batted .325). "After a while, you start seeing guys in the field play me in a lot of different positions when I come up. "Sometimes I have games where I'll hit four balls hard, but right at them and go 0-for-4, and other times I may have a couple cheap base hits." Thus is baseball. But it's not all dumb luck for Revere, whose longest hitting streak of the season spanned 22 games (May 30 to July 1). Dry spells (relatively speaking in his case) can occur as well, and Revere's in the midst of one now. After hitting no lower than .354 in any month this season, Revere's started August 2-for-12 (.167) and is batting .348 post-All Star break compared to .413 prior. Yet another aspect of the complex quest to hit .400 is the length of the season, especially given that this is Revere's first full one at the professional level. He's already played 23 more games than he did in 2007. "My body's kind of getting tired a little bit. It's not really wearing down, just tired," he said. "I think everybody is, but I won't complain." But some people will. "There's still a bunch of doubters out there who say, 'Yeah, he can hit, but he's still not one of the best,' so I just have to go out there and prove that I am the best," Revere said. "They thought I wasn't going to be this good. They thought I'd come up here and struggle a little bit because we've had a couple young first-rounders come up here and struggle in this league. I wouldn't say they doubted me. They knew I was a good hitter, but they were just surprised how well I handled myself up here." Ultimately, Revere's goal is more poignant than staking claim to a rare numerical achievement. It's to make the Majors. And that means working more on improving his arm strength than focusing on .400. It means continuing to prove to the Twins that he's mature beyond his age. After all, everyone already knows the guy can hit. (MLB.com)
Revere's been absent from the Hot Sheet for a few weeks, but that doesn't mean he's stopped hitting. He's picked up base hits in 16 of his last 17 games, and his average is still above the .400 level after 280 at-bats, as it currently stands at .404/.456/.539. His best game of the week came on Monday, when he went 4-for-4 with a double and two steals against Wisconsin. (Baseball America)
One of the big surprises on Draft Day 2007 was Ben Revere, selected in the first round 28th overall by the Twins. A high school outfielder from Lexington, Kentucky, Revere was rated as a second round or third round talent by most teams. He is a terrific athlete with blazing speed, excellent makeup, and was considered relatively polished for a high school hitter, but he's undersized at 5-9, 165. That concern and questions about how his power would look against pro pitching kept him out of first round consideration....except for the Twins. Some believed this was a signability and budget pick, and indeed Revere's $750,000 bonus was below slot for the first round. Comparisons to Denard Span, another young speed demon first rounder who never panned out, were inevitable. But the Twins insisted that Revere was the guy they wanted, and right now their decision looks inspired. Revere had a nice rookie ball debut, hitting .325/.388/.461 with an incredible 10 triples. He stole 21 bases in 50 games, though being caught nine times showed some need for polish. I gave him a Grade B in the book this year, which is high praise for a rookie ball guy. Revere began 2008 in extended spring training, but he joined full-season Class A Beloit in late April and has been on a tear ever since. In 44 games, he's hitting .413/.463/.565 with 22 steals. Althougn not a walk machine (14 BB), he's struck out just 15 times in 184 at-bats and scouts are drooling over his contact hitting ability. He's hit just one homer, but his 13 doubles and six triples are not all due to speed, he's showing some legitimate pop. His OPS is a robust 1.028...obviously strong, but keep in mind that the Midwest League league OPS is a mere .689. His OPS+ is 149. Revere does have some weaknesses. He has the tools to be a fine defender, but isn't there yet, already making seven errors on the season. He has been caught stealing 11 times and must improve his read on pitchers to get the most out of his running speed. He was not a young senior and is already 20 years old. However, given his exceptional makeup, intelligence, and work ethic, it seems likely that his deficiencies can be corrected. I don't think he'll ever be a big home run guy, but if he maintains this level of hitting skill he could be a batting champion someday in the mold of Ichiro Suzuki. Other possible comps would include Ralph Garr or Luis Polonia, or possibly Brett Butler if Revere can boost his walk rate at higher levels. Alhough we obviously need to see how things pan out in the coming years, Revere has to this point certainly justified his selection. My own Shadow Draft fake Twins first rounder last year, RHP Nevin Griffith, just came out of extended spring training for the White Sox...he pitched well in his first start for Great Falls. But at this point I would rather have picked Revere. (Minor League Ball)
And again, it's early, it's early, it's early, but Ben Revere has put on his four-fingered ring and is totally pimp-slapping the Midwest League. After 51 games for Revere (which is where Baseball Reference has updated so far, but it's not quite completely up-to-date), he's leading the league in OPS, while posting a .407/.459/.560 line. The .560 slugging is a bit misleading, because it's "just" a .153 ISO. So, it's not like he was showing the same kind of power that Delmon Young showed in the minors, but for instance, Joe Mauer's best ISO in the minors was .120 as a 21-year-old. Also, Denard Span's best ISO up until this year was .088, and when Span was 20, his ISO was an almost mind-bogglingly low .047. And it's not really just that Revere is leading the MWL in OPS, he's crushing everyone even close to his age. After Revere, the next four guys on the list are 22 or 23. The next guy on the list is Chris Parmelee, whose .239/.385/.496 is crazy in its own right. That's a couple tons of power (.257 ISO is probably the best in the entire system--certainly higher than Morneau and Kubel's current sub-.200 ISO), and another ton and a half of walks (52 walks is the most in the system, better even than Mauer's 47), but the batting average has to be a concern. Even Adam Dunn, career .247 hitter, hit .304 in the minors. I suspect that Parmelee's name is going to be mispelled about eleventy bajillion times if he ever makes the bigs, but it might just be easier to spell his name R-O-B D-E-E-R. Anyway, back to Revere. Parmelee is second to Revere in the MWL in OPS for players 21 and under. But the gap between the two players is relatively huge, with Revere at 1.019 and Parmelee at .881. Then we get to third place in the 21-and-under category, and we have Andrew Lambo at .810--more than 200 points below Revere. In batting average for the 21-and-unders, Revere is hitting .407 and the next best player (Adrian Ortiz). (SBG Nation)
There are some thing in baseball that make watching and following the game of baseball fun. One of the hallowed records that begs to be broken year after year is hitting 0.400 or better. Many players have come close since Ted Williams did it in 1941. I consider this mark more unattainable than hitting 73 home runs again. If there is one record I want to see fall in my lifetime, it’s this record. This year Chipper Jones was the man that has come the closest. Although he recently got injured I still hold out hope that he can get to 0.400 again, but it’s not looking good. One look in the minors tells a different story, a player by the name of Ben Revere is hitting in a zone lately and as of yesterday he was hitting 0.401 after 60 games even! Last year he was the first round pick of the Twins (pick 28 overall). He signed quickly and spent the year in rookie ball (GCL Twins). He hit 0.324/0/29/21 in 191 at bats. At only 20 years old he has the eye of a grizzled veteran. He has only struck out 40 times in his career. To put that in perspective, Cameron Maybin has struck out 40 times in the past 2 months.So here is the million dollar question, who would he compare to in the majors? The answer is that I don’t know. He has the speed of a Haney Ramirez but the eye of Tony Gwynn. So I guess maybe that’s your answer, Tony had some wheels on him when he came up, but his batter’s eye is what made him dangerous. I think of all the minor leaguers out there he may have the best eye in the game. He’s only 20 and the Twins would do a huge disservice in allowing him to advance to quickly. Let him finish the season in Beloit and see if he can hit the magical 0.400. Next stop would be the Ft. Myers Miracle or the New Britain Rock Cats. If I were the GM I would move him to high A Ft. Myers, if he can handle that then send him to AA with an ETA in the majors in late 2009 or early 2010. It is going to be interesting as to what he can do over the next year. (Bad Wax)
Revere got a late start to 2008, not joining Beloit until April 28 out of extended spring training, but he's been the MWL's hottest hitter ever since. For that matter, calling him red hot would be an understatement, as there is a long list of superlatives you could come up with to describe his season so far. Revere has torched Midwest League pitching, reaching base at least once in 31 of the 33 games he's played. On May 3, he celebrated his 20th birthday by going 3-for-5 with a double against Great Lakes, kicking off a streak of five straight multi-hit games. Revere's had an even hotter streak from May 13-19 when he recorded six straight multi-hit games, which was also part of a stretch where he went almost two entire weeks without striking out once. He doesn't have enough at-bats yet to qualify for the MWL batting title race, but if he did, he would lead it by almost 70 points. Not bad for a guy who wasn't a consensus first-rounder. (Baseball America)
Revere didn't arrive in Beloit until April 28, but he's been making up for lost time. He wasn't considered a consensus first rounder before Minnesota made him the 28th overall pick last June, but he hit .325/.388/.461 in the GCL and was rated that league's third-best prospect. He's picked up where he left off this year. Revere is riding a nine-game hitting streak and has served as a spark for the Beloit lineup since his insertion at the top of the order. Prior to Revere's arrival, the Snappers were 8-15 and averaged 3.7 runs per game. They've gone 7-3 and scored 4.1 runs per game since. On the week, he registered five-straight multi-hit games and scored at least one run in four straight. (Baseball America)
Revere was the Twins first round selection in the 2007 First Year Player Draft, and though his selection raised some eyebrows, his game is raising even more now. During the month of May, the speedster batted an incredible .433, swiping 14 bases in 28 games. It seemed like he was on base all the time, as he continues to make the Twins look like geniuses for drafting him so early. For the month, Revere picked up 52 hits, an astronomical number, and scored 21 times. The leadoff hitter wrapped five triples, 11 doubles, and struck out only eight times. He has shown a batting eye way beyond his years, and at only 19-years old, is legitimately a top prospect in the Twins organization. (Twin Cities Dugout)
Ben Revere was taken by the Twins in the first round of the 2007 draft. Many people were skeptical of the pick, as many thought there were definitely better players available and that the Twins shouldn't be adding more speedy outfielders with low power potential. However, Ben shut a lot of those critics up(at least for the time being) and now many think (at least, so far) that it may have been a great pick for the Twins. Of course, it's really too soon to tell. In 191 AB's, Ben hit .325/.388/.461 with zero home runs. That's right, a .461 slugging percentage without a home run. The reason for this is that Ben possesses amazing speed which allowed him to hit 16 extra-base hits, 10 of which were triples. He also stole 21 bases in 50 games and displayed solid plate discipline as well. He projects as a potentially great left-handed lead-off hitter with great defense. Right now, again it's probably too soon to compare him, but I'd say he's a potential Jacoby Ellsbury clone. Ben should be in Beloit this season, and will likely spend the entire season there, sink or swim. (Minnesota Twins Thoughts)
When the Twins let Torii Hunter go, maybe they knew something. Revere is a prototype leadoff hitter: his blazing speed and quick bat pushed him into the league leader boards for doubles, triples, and stolen bases. Only 5-9 and 175, he won't win any home run derbies, but his speed and approach to the game is exactly what Minnesota needs at the top of their roster. He'll start 2008 in the Midwest League, but expect Minnesota to take a look at him during the season. (Scouting Book)
More: Minor League Prospect Watch
No comments:
Post a Comment