Would you rather..... Profar vs Sano vs Taveras

Ok, here's one more thought exercise for the day. For the sake of keeping my mind active throughout the rest of the day, here's the scenario:

You have the option of drafting 1 player for your favorite team next year, and the options include Jurickson Profar, Oscar Taveras, and Miguel Sano. Depending on your draft philosophy (needs over talent, or talent over needs?), you can select one of these players and plug them into your farm system. Which one do you choose?

2 months ago I would have said Profar hands down. A month ago I would have said Sano. 2 weeks ago I would have said Taveras. Now, I'm leaning towards Profar again. He's been great at AA, almost a lock to stick at SS, and just seems to have a knack for playing the game. Scouts rave about him, and there seem to be zero holes in his skill set. However, Taveras has shown great hand eye coordination, and as long as you don't mind K-Law's assessment of his "ugly" swing the only real drawback to Taveras is that he will probably be a corner outfielder for his entire career. Then, you have Sano who has possibly the most raw power for a player his age since Harper and Stanton were in A ball. He also knows how to take a walk, and might be able to play at 3rd.

So, those are your options. My vote is for Profar, but I could be swayed.

Bogaerts.

MallCopKJ said:

Bogaerts.

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Why? Profar is younger, at a higher level and has put up better numbers.

MallCopKJ said:

Bogaerts.

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Didn't expect a Bogaerts vote, but thanks for the input. I actually think Odor is worth considering as well.

I would go with Jurickson Profar.

He plays a premium position very well, which would definitely be important if I were to build a team. I know card values don't reflect defensive abilities but I'm talking about true ball players.

The Rangers have a tough decision coming up with what they are going to do with Andrus when Profar is ready for the big leagues. I've read that they are leaning towards trading Andrus because they believe that much in Profar which is saying a lot because Andrus has been one of the better SS in the league for the past couple years.

Although he might not hit for a ton of power, he is certainly a talented hitter and I think his defense would make me pick him more than Sano and Taveras.

I look forward to what others think as this is a nice debate. I would even throw Manny Machado into this debate and see how many votes he would get.

Jared said:

I would go with Jurickson Profar.

He plays a premium position very well, which would definitely be important if I were to build a team. I know card values don't reflect defensive abilities but I'm talking about true ball players.

The Rangers have a tough decision coming up with what they are going to do with Andrus when Profar is ready for the big leagues. I've read that they are leaning towards trading Andrus because they believe that much in Profar which is saying a lot because Andrus has been one of the better SS in the league for the past couple years.

Although he might not hit for a ton of power, he is certainly a talented hitter and I think his defense would make me pick him more than Sano and Taveras.

I look forward to what others think as this is a nice debate. I would even throw Manny Machado into this debate and see how many votes he would get.

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I agree with Machado. It's only a matter of time before he turns it around at the plate. The fact the Profar plays much better defense would make it tough to choose Machado over him.

Id take Machado over Sano all day and it would be tough to choose between Taveras and Machado, but I think Manny is going to be better, even if he doesn't stick at short.

Go with team need imho; StL will need a Right Fielder in a few years and his "ugly" swing will be fixed by then.

George_Calfas said:

Go with team need imho; StL will need a Right Fielder in a few years and his "ugly" swing will be fixed by then.

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Speaking of that ugly swing, I still don't see why KLaw is so worried about it. I've seen several videos from multiple angles and it doesn't look that terrible to me.

Profar but since my favorite team is the Rangers I might be a little biased.
If Profar presses the issue where do you see him playing for the Rangers?
Andrus and Kinsler are signed for the next couple of years. I would bet money Kinsler or Profar will be in the outfield next year.

jbmm161 said:

Andrus and Kinsler are signed for the next couple of years. I would bet money Kinsler or Profar will be in the outfield next year.

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I would say Andrus is the one going. Boras is his agent and it will take a ton to keep him off the free agent market. Moving Kinsler or Profar to the OF makes very little sense. Both play excellent defense for their positions and their bats profile well for the middle infield. You can only have so many multi-millionaires on a team. Having six years of a cost controlled SS who should be above average would be the way to go.

Profar. I see his reasonable ceiling as a switch hitting Barry Larkin, but with a little better power numbers because of playing in Texas and the overall better hitting environment of today's game.

AdamG said:

Speaking of that ugly swing, I still don't see why KLaw is so worried about it. I've seen several videos from multiple angles and it doesn't look that terrible to me.

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Long swing. Doesn't appear to really cut down on 2 strike counts either, but that could just be the small sample size of video out there. I'd be concerned about his hit tool translating with that type of all or nothing swing.

Profar

2014 will look like this.

Beltre traded
Olt 3b
Andrus SS
Profar 2b (He's already played a bunch of games in Frisco at 2b so they're obviously conditioning him)
Hamilton 1b
Kinsler CF

Neither of them are ready for the majors next year, as far as I can tell, so it's kind of a misleading premise. That said, the Phillies need someone who can mash, they aren't going to win every game 2-1 or 1-0 this year. So if we're going to plan on jumping someone up a couple levels, I think that Taveras is the winner. Fewer homers than Sano as of today, but better overall stats. Profar would also be a useful choice to fill in possibly for Chase Utley, or maybe even be an upgrade for Jimmy Rollins if he's not used to 2B.

Miguel Sano's only hitting .246? Ouch.

This dude.

GAbballplayer148 said:

Why? Profar is younger, at a higher level and has put up better numbers.

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Bogaerts is like 4 months older. How has Profar put up better numbers?

In 178 games, Profar hit 16 homeruns between A and High-A with 88 RBI's hitting .268, OBP .356, SLG .433

In 116 games, Bogaerts hit 20 homeruns between A and High A with 66 RBI hitting .267 OBP .332, SLG .469

AdamG said:

Speaking of that ugly swing, I still don't see why KLaw is so worried about it. I've seen several videos from multiple angles and it doesn't look that terrible to me.

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I've heard comparisons between his swing and Harper's. After watching video I'd have to agree, they both heavily load and unleash lots of torque and bat speed, and it looks like controlled violence. However, I don't see any reason he won't be successful at higher levels, especially with outstanding hand-eye coordination.

There is nothing to "fix" in Taveras' swing. A better approach, especially with 2-strikes as mentioned, would benefit the kid but there is little doubt in my mind he'll be an impact bat at the MLB level.

MallCopKJ said:

Bogaerts is like 4 months older. How has Profar put up better numbers?

In 178 games, Profar hit 16 homeruns between A and High-A with 88 RBI's hitting .268, OBP .356, SLG .433

In 116 games, Bogaerts hit 20 homeruns between A and High A with 66 RBI hitting .267 OBP .332, SLG .469

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Bah, milb stats are overrated. Two very different players with very different skill-sets. Profar brings a well-rounded game with 5 above average tools for a SS, where he'll wind up. Bogaerts has impact bat potential and plus raw power but likely to move to 3rd down the line. Both have very high ceilings but I'd take Profar over Xander because of his ability to affect every aspect of the game - a true game-changer. No knock on Bogaerts, either. I'd take his future middle-of-the-order bat any day of the week.

MallCopKJ said:

Bogaerts is like 4 months older. How has Profar put up better numbers?

In 178 games, Profar hit 16 homeruns between A and High-A with 88 RBI's hitting .268, OBP .356, SLG .433

In 116 games, Bogaerts hit 20 homeruns between A and High A with 66 RBI hitting .267 OBP .332, SLG .469

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Profar is at a higher level and putting up better numbers right now. He also walks more, strikes out less, and hits way more line drives. Like someone else said, I'm not knocking Xander, but Profar is a more "pure" shortstop, with a better glove. I would take him over Xander any day of the week, as would most scouts and teams.