Springer is interesting, but he whiffs a LOT. Rendon got his BB totals raised some because nobody would throw him anything to hit, so it's not ALL eye, but he's still got a great one. He's about the only scary guy in the Rice lineup. His swing is a little...interesting, especially what he does with his hands, but when your coach compares your wrists to Hank Aaron's and demands his hitting coaches do nothing to screw you up about using em, I can buy that. Longoria has a bit of a similar swing and he does all right, and I'd expect Rendon to walk more and K less than that.
I'm not turning down a shot at an Edgar Martinez / Jeff Bagwell level bat at 3B for Springer (who IMO is a Jason Bay type, though Sizemore is a good comp too esp. if you think Springer will stay in CF). Rendon's bat is FAST. He does too much with his hands right now in the load, but he squares up the ball every time. If Rendon is there, he's head and shoulders better than Springer IMO.
Springer may indeed be a worthy #2 bat to take in the draft, but he's gonna K 150 times in the bigs. There's nothing inherently wrong with that.
Jason Bay and Jim Edmonds are a couple of guys who can have a profile like that and still be impact bats. The extension he gets on his swings reminds me of Alfonso Soriano, but we'd hope he could walk more than Alfie (and he looks like taking a base on balls is not an issue for him).
Springer is a fine backup prize to Rendon, but he's not the guy I want. He seems able to get his hands around on inside pitches better than, say, Jeff Clement, and the ball makes a nice sound coming off his bat.
But Rendon is a step above that. If Springer were Jim Edmonds, there would be an argument to be had (as he's the upper-deck version of that hitting template). I don't think he is, but if we get him I'll be happy to be wrong.
I'm more concerned that we would go pitcher at that point with Rendon off the table and worry that Cole/Purke/whoever would throw his UCL against a Japanese-language sign behind home plate and render the pick ineffective. Sometimes the David Prices work out, but there are far more failures with pitching than hitting especially in a loaded class (unless you're the Mariners and you draft a late-1st-round catcher 3rd ahead of All-Stars and future HOFers...grrr...).
As for Rendon being Alex Gordon...well, that's possible. I still think the Royals have royally screwed up that whole situation though. The guy killed the minors from day 1 (still does) and was fine as a prospect learning how to play. 110 OPS+ at 3B is fine in his second year. Not glorious...but fine. But he got injured and lost confidence - his own and the organization's - and has been mired in the minors or suffering in the bigs ever since.
Rendon doesn't strike me as the same mental player that Gordon was/is. I don't see the same pitfalls. My only concern with him is the health of that leg. Same thing happened to Robin Ventura and he never fully recovered. From Wiki:
"Ventura's 1997 ankle injury - a compound fracture and dislocation - also affected his leg muscles, which began to atrophy following the accident. Full strength in his leg never returned, and the daily pain from his ankle and leg contributed to Ventura's decision to retire from baseball. After retirement, Ventura limped badly and was forced to walk with a cane regularly."
That's my concern with Rendon. A healthy Springer indeed is worth more than a gimpy Rendon. But if both guys are healthy, I take Rendon every time. Unless Springer takes another leap forward this year and Rendon comes back to the pack, I don't see that changing. Sadly Rendon might not be there to give us the option, but there's a lot of baseball to play next year and shuffle the deck at the top of the draft again.
I'm still hoping for a hitter and not a pitcher at #2. We have plenty more picks to add pitching afterward.
~G