Jenkins and Hawpe both had what, 700-800 at bats at big-time baseball schools (USC and LSU) playing for the college world series and getting some of the finest coaching in the land against essentially A-Ball competition. If that "doesn't count" as some way to grow as a hitter then I don't know what to say. Hawpe's games played between college and the end of A+ ball are basically identical to Chavez's. But of course Hawpe had better ratios.
Floyd was in the bigs at 20...and a full time starter at 25. But I'm sure promoting him to the bigs that early didn't hamper his development at all.
I guess we're gonna have to agree to disagree. Chavez maintaining what he did over his last 300 ABs into his next 500 would seem to me to indicate a decent shot at major league success. I would trade him before he has the chance to fail, in a package for a guy who has already cleared those hurdles.
But what his minor league profile shows thus far is a hitter whose ability to harness his talent was not in place when he first hit A-Ball. That makes him not a freak of nature, but doesn't disqualify him from the bigs. Not yet.
~G
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