Fans On Deck: Shining the Light on Manuel Margot

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By: AshevilleSoxFan Follow @AshevilleSoxFan

In 2014 I was fortunate enough to see several interesting prospects making their way through the “Sally” (South Atlantic League, Single-A Full Season).  Some getting more buzz than others.

In the “Shining The Light” series, I will see what the scouts are saying about some of the guys who caught my eye, while including my own impressions.

Scouts rank players on a 20-80 scale moving up in increments of five. Below is the breakdown.

20-30 well below average
30-40 below average
45 fringe average
50 solid average
55 above average
60 plus
65
70 plus plus
75
80 elite

You will often see two numbers for each category with one being the current grade, with the second representing the future or projected grade.  If there is only one number listed, that means the future or projected grade not the current grade.  That is a basic definition of the scouting grades.  If you are looking for a more detailed explanation you can do so by visiting Fangraphs.

Being that this is my first in this series, I decided to go with one of my favorite prospects.

Manuel Margot
Age: 20
Position: CF
2014 Team: Greenville Drive, Salem Red Sox

Margot hit .293/.356/.462 across two levels of Single-A ball.  As a 19-year old, he slugged 12 home runs and stole 42 bases, with an excellent 11.5% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate, and a .169 ISO.  He’s not just a burner.

I saw Margot once in June when the Greenville Drive came to Asheville to play the tourists.  He stood out to me because he has the ability to cover a ton of ground in center field and can really get down the line from home to first.  His bat speed was also very noticeable.

Here’s what some of the scouts are saying:

Kiley McDaniel at Fangraphs says “Margot has game-changing easy plus speed and defense to go with surprising raw power for his size, and an advanced bat” [Fangraphs]

Chris Hatfield at Soxprospets wrote “Long player oozing with five-tool potential and excess athleticism, Margot began taking potential and making it a reality this season, showing the skills that will allow those tools to play up to their potential” [SoxProspects]

Chris Blessing of Roto said “Flashing plus speed out of the right-handed batters box, Margot consistently clocked times between 4.10 and 4.20 seconds.  With 23 steals in 28 attempts (82%), Margot’s speed translates on the bases and in the field” [RotoScouting]

Personally I have Margot as my top Red Sox prospect on the same tier with Blake Swihart, Henry Owens, and Eduardo Rodriguez.

Thanks for reading.

 

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