Holy Yikes! .378-.459-.541 I'm giggling! Really! I'm giggling! A 19 year old guy, probably working on some language issues and playing two positions drops in and does that......and then moves up to A+ and in 50 PA's still hits .300 and OBP's .380...and has all that gap (double) power....and, despite all that, he's not seen by most folks as something special, or potentially so? Man, somebody's asleep at the wheel, Doc...and it ain't you.
BTW...he was 6/12 in throwing out base-stealers, too. Either he's quick or has some kind of a decent arm.
He mostly played 1B, this is true. But if this guy can catch a lick...he can be REALLY nice. V. Martinez is a great comparison.
And I get frustrated in how 50+ x-base hits can be discounted if 25+ of them aren't homers. A firstbaseman who hits 35-40 doubles, 15 homers and walks a ton = John Olerud, you're dead on.
Man, if Smoak is John Olerud I'm going to be giggling for the next 13 seasons. How can it be bad if Choi is?
Oh...BTW, look at the picture of Choi at the end of his follow thru. How many million times have you seen Ichiro in exactly that pose.
And, a point about catchers. I remember Tom Seaver writing 40 years ago about the first time Jerry Grote (a fine defender) walked out to the mound after Seaver shook him off several times. Grote asked what the heck he was doing and who was calling the came, anyway. Seaver said the he was! Since he was the last guy to touch the ball before the batter saw it, he was throwing the pitch he wanted.
Always remembered that.
Heck, if Choi is Kenji behind the plate he's a hell of a prospect.
Even as a pure 1B guy, he's something to watch very closely. Admire the total package.....not just the glitzy wrapping.
moe
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