Featured Photo: Nick Allen (SS, Athletics)
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Each week Jared Wyllys digs into his notebook and shares some info on a prospect of his choice, then passes along some select entries from our 2018 Prospect Spotlight Library. This week, we get a closer look at the slick-fielding Athletics shortstop Nick Allen, who got a brief taste of big league spring training this year prior to his first full season assignment.
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Prospect Focus: Nick Allen (SS, Athletics)
Oakland Athletics infield prospect Nick Allen is in his first full season of professional baseball, and he sums up his goal for the year pretty simply.
“Just be a havoc,” Allen says.
The denotative meaning of havoc is widespread destruction, but as the southern California native describes it, havoc on the field means impacting every facet of the game — no matter how small. He’s looking to celebrate success in even in the minutiae of the game if that helps him grow and helps his team succeed.
A player saying he just wants to do whatever he can to help his team win is an old sports cliche, but Allen’s work ethic puts something extra behind those words when he says them. Allen puts time in every day to improve on both sides of the ball, and even in the particulars. On defense, one of the details he’s fine-tuning early this season is how he handles the grounders or line drives that he can’t get his body in front of by honing his backhand.
“This game’s played a lot faster, and a lot of runners are getting down the line,” Allen said of the competition he’s seen in the Midwest League so far. “I put in work on that every day, just as I do on hitting. If I’m not doing one, I do the other.”
A dozen games in, Allen is hitting .271 with three doubles, and he has dropped his strikeout rate from last season in extended spring training. But he feels like he can do a lot more.
“The timing and the rhythm, it’s not there right now. It’ll come back, but I think the most important part for myself is to keep competing because I know that’ll help me,” Allen said. “But I know the rhythm and the timing, it’ll eventually come. I’m going in every day, working to try and get better.”
The 19-year-old got his first taste of major league life during a short stint with the big league club during spring training this year. Allen said he sought out A’s shortstop Marcus Semien for advice on how he prepares and goes about his routine, and he drew a lot from the opportunity to face major league pitching. Against Dodgers starter Alex Wood, even solid contact was a confidence boost.
“My first at bat I saw a couple of pitches, but he ended up striking me out, but then in the next at bat, I hit one to the warning track against him,” Allen said. “All I was trying to do was find my pitch, and if he was going to throw it into that zone, I can’t miss it, so I think that was something that was really big to pick up on. I was just glad I was able to beast up a ball.”
A deep flyout against Wood in a spring training game might not seem like much, but success in baseball requires a lot of self-belief in the face of regular failure. Allen is sure to square up a lot more pitches on his road to the majors, and even more once he arrives to keep being a havoc.
–Jared Wyllys
Weekly Featured Spotlights: Infielders to Follow in 2018
Carter Kieboom | SS | Athletics (High A Potomac)
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/190 B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1, 2018): 20y, 7m
Despite playing in less than 50 total games last season, the Nationals showed confidence in Kieboom by challenging him with an initial assignment to High-A Potomac to start the year. Just 20-years-old for the entirety of the 2018 regular season, he’s already hitting third and manning shortstop for the P-Nats. He added muscle this off-season, now looking every bit of his athletic 6’2’’ and 200-pound listing. Kieboom’s batspeed has improved because of the strength gains, and he’s showing more consistent loft power in game situations. His swing-path is lengthier than when I saw him as an amateur, but he’s doing more damage at the plate as well. Kieboom understands how to work himself into fastball counts, which is a good sign for a hitter who shows more present swing-and-miss against off-speed stuff. Defensively, I came away impressed with his improvements at shortstop: last year, I saw a player likely to move off the position, though he now looks to have at least some chance to stick at short. Kieboom will never be truly plus defender, but both his range and overall actions have taken steps forward since 2017.
One of the better infield prospects in the low-minors, Kieboom’s offensive profile will be extremely valuable if he can remain up the middle on defense. The ceiling is an offensive-minded shortstop with a above-average hit and power tools on top of a passable glove. Likely more of an everyday guy if he moves to the hot corner, the bat still could be enough to get regular playing time at third base. Washington has had great success developing left-side infielders like Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner, and Kieboom has the tools and makeup to be the next name on that list.
–Adam McInturff, April 14, 2018
Pavin Smith | 1B | Diamondbacks (High A Visalia)
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/210 B/T: L/L Age (as of April 1, 2018): 22y, 2m
The 2017 first-rounder is a divisive prospect; there’s no dispute over his ability to hit, but there has been little in the way of power so far. At 22-years-old and with limited physical projection left, the profile seems like the always-shaky “hit over power” first baseman. In my 2017 looks, Smith showed patience to the point of passivity. This spring and last week, however, he was much more aggressive: he didn’t let himself take down to two strikes nearly as much, especially when he saw a fastball in the zone. Smith’s swings at early-count pitches were more power-oriented than his standard line drive stroke.
The results weren’t there for a large portion of my look last week, as it appears he is still getting used to this new damage-focused approach. If Smith is indeed trying to focus more on power and lift, he’ll likely sacrifice some hit tool in order to get there. Still, his feel for the barrel got him drafted in the top-10 for a reason, and I still see an above-average hitter at the big league level. After seeing him drive a ball way out deep to his pull side, I’m more confident this approach allows the ability to tap into the 55-grade raw power he shows in batting practice. While he’s low on the defensive spectrum, Smith is a sure-handed defender at first who moves well for his size. All the ingredients are here for an everyday player at first, though the bat and newfound power potential will have to carry him at every level.
–John Eshleman, April 20, 2018
Kevin Merrell | SS | Athletics (High A Stockton)
Ht/Wt: 6’1”/180 B/T: L/R Age (as of April 1, 2018): 22y, 4m
Along with outfielder Greg Deichmann and third baseman Will Toffey, Merrell was part of Oakland’s run on high-ceiling college positional prospects in last year’s draft. A shortstop from South Florida, Merrell’s calling card is his double-plus speed, which has been on full display for Stockton in the early goings this season. In my looks, he consistently got up the line just a shade under 4.0 seconds from the left side. His game is contact oriented, spraying line drives and getting on base where his speed can play. With below-average power, he doesn’t project to impact the ball much or contribute in the extra-base department.
Despite his 70-grade wheels, Merrell isn’t particularly quick in the field and only has average hands and arm strength at short, projecting as a fringy overall defender at the position. He’s probably a better fit at the hot corner, though the lack of power presents a significant hurdle to receiving everyday big league at-bats on a corner. Merrell’s tools add up to a future utility option, able to fill in adequately at second, third, and short. In that role, his speed and ability to make contact could make him a valuable pinch runner and bat off the bench.
–John Eshleman, April 13, 2018
