Wednesday, October 18, 2006 |
Overdue: Angelswin Interview With Scouting Director Eddie Bane
Q: Angelswin - Is Brandon Wood going to be working on his plate discipline this winter and next year? I noticed that his walks were up, but still a lot of strikeouts...If your jaw isn't on the floor after reading the highlighted passage, I don't know what will get it there. This organization is adrift offensively. I used to think that firing Mickey Hatcher would suffice, provided it meant a stem-to-stern cleanout of the more cancerous elements of the Angels' hitting philosophy; now, I begin to dispair when I realize how entrenched is the idea that strikeouts somehow do not matter, and the pervasiveness of this attitude.A: Eddie Bane - Personally I do not feel Brandon Wood has much of anything to work on in the off season. This young man has as good of makeup as anyone in the game and he has big time power. I do not worry about all these plate discipline issues that a lot of people seem to be hung up on. One thing society does is they like to tear people down after they built him up. Brandon had a great year in my mind in 2A and is right on track as far as helping our major league team. I think too much is made of a "general" hitting philosophy. I trust any and all of our hitters in the hands and minds of Ty Van Burkleo and then Mickey Hatcher once they get to the Big Leagues. Nobody works harder or has a better feel for hitters than those 2. Each hitter has to develop his own style and Wood and the others are just realizing that at this point. Besides I was a pitcher at the big league level and could not get many guys out so I thought everybody had a great hitting philosophy.
You mean, like Brandon Wood, the guy whose strikeouts Bane claims we shouldn't be "hung up on"?
As a scout, Bane is right on - don't overdo the "hitting style" issue - if the guy can rake and he's projectable (however they determine), then draft him and sign him. That's Bane's job. I'll bet he's seen very little of Wood this year - that's why he gave such a vague answer.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I never like the idea that a player has "nothing to work on" - Wood can certainly improve on his strikeouts - it's just a question of how to do it without jeopardizing his progress as a power hitter. But that's an issue for the player development department, not the scouting department. Let's just hope that the player development department isn't so cavalier about Wood's development...
: 10/18/2006 09:11:00 PM : 10/19/2006 10:29:00 AM : 10/19/2006 10:05:00 PMNewer› ‹Older
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