Tale of Two Jabaris:

If not for the name, we wouldn't really pair up Jabari Henry (26intheMix) and Jabari Blash (Watch List), other than they're both off to good years.

But Blash is the classic case of a guy "outslugging" his high K% with a blizzard of homers.  Don't forget, though, crushing the "hitter's pitch" is a Plate Skill and counts toward the Plate Skills Index.  But can he keep it up?  Well, in the week since we ran the stats (and since I didn't get this package ready before the draft, I decided to wait until after, so now the stats are bit old), he hasn't kept it up.  He's gone six games without a "Blash Splash."  So is he back to his "hot and cold" ways?  We'll see.

Meanwhile, Henry is the opposite.  His K% is micro-low (though a bit higher since the spreadsheet), but he's built up a .200+ ISO regardless.  All while drawing walks!  Spectometer love!

Let's give the man a chance to see what he can do in High Desert.

Our Man Ji-Man:

And one guy who already got the promotion is Ji-Man Choi (Talk40 #19).  Choi hasn't had much luck at AA (BABIP = .000 in 28 PAs; yes, his only two hits are both home runs), but he's been showing plenty of power (.285 ISO), indicating that our early "Korean Olerud" tag may have underestimated him.  Yes, he's racking up the doubles and walks, but he's putting balls over the wall pretty well, too.

Of course, you have to like a guy when you think comparing him to Olerud might be underestimating him.

Dario Pizzano vs. Taylor Ard:

On the surface, Pizzano is way better, but it turns out most of the difference is singles, which don't count for much in our big-picture analysis.  And, in fact, since we did the spreadsheet Ard has been catching up.

I would give these guys a shot to move up too, but they both look like they may be on the "not-quite" track.

Speaking of Rich Poythress ...

When I speak of the "not-quite" track ...

And yet ... the multiple Montero meltdowns gave "The Mayor" another term in Tacoma, and ...  well look here!  ... he's checking all the boxes.  Hitting for power (.211 ISO), drawing walks, keeping the K% low, doing it all.

It's a shame he didn't do that when he was 23.  It's probably "too little, too late" at this point, but at least he's put himself in position to take advantage of any breaks that fall his way.

Why Can't the Spectometer Love Patrick Kivlehan?

Well, I don't stack it against him.  Really.  Last year, the system rejected his sky-high K%.  So he cut way back on that ... to a very respectible 16.4%.  But now the rest of the spreadsheet hates him.  Too-small ISO barely over .100.  Low walk rate.  XBH or BB in only 12% of PAs (we look for 19% or higher).

Who is Gianfranco Wawoe and How do you Pronounce It?

I don't know the answer to the second question, but he's an 18-year-old switch-hitting middle infielder (mostly 2b) who, all of the sudden, is going nuts in Venezuela (.997 OPS).  It doesn't mean much yet, but he's worth keeping an eye on.