Miguel Cabrera strikes out 125 times a year and does okay in the average dept.
He's kind of a special talent, though.
Andruw Jones struck out 130 times a year and posted the same OPS+ as Dye, though with that lower average you were talking about. Of course, he was in the bigs as a teen so he was pretty special too.
Geoff Jenkins stuck out 140+ times a year, came in at about the same OPS+ number as both Jones and Dye (113 vs 111), but with a .275 average instead of .290 I suppose. He did bat .290+ in 4 seasons. He was an all star just one lonely year but had comparable offensive output to both of those guys. Nobody called Jenkins special, he just performed at an above-average level.
Shin-soo Choo strikes out that same 140+ times a year (162 game average) but somehow manages that .295 batting average. He walks more than Chavez, and struck out somewhat less than Chavez, but we were just talking contact here.
It's nice to say that "He'll never hit for average because of his contact rates" but there are exceptions to every rule. I'm not saying Chavez doesn't still need work. He does. His K rate needs to get better, and it would be great if his K:BB could stay where it ended the year and not where it started.
But I'm not capping his growth at Preston Wilson. Though if he was Preston, why would that not be a good prospect for the system? Preston played 10 years in the bigs with a few years of very decent numbers in his 20s (and he was playing CF). Pshaw, no better than Preston Wilson? I think Preston's a very decent comp for a Johermyn that doesn't get all the way to where we'd like to see him - and still a decently valuable piece to have even on a corner.
But I agree with you, first let's see the power stay and his 2nd half ratios remain or even improve in AA. He's by no means a sure thing. It's just nice that he's not our best hitting prospect. Ackley, Smoak, Franklin, Poythress, Seager, Choi, Jones... Chavez is one of a number of interesting and valuable hitters. Maybe they all bust a la Clement/Balentien/Halman/etc from 2 years ago.
All the more reason to trade one of the surplus.
~G