John
was the lone pick for the Horsemen in the 2002 draft, and was picked
solely for his arm. He had a weak swing, but could throw legit heat
from the mound and seemed very unintimidated by any and all opposing
players. The 2002 season backed that up, as he barely hit .200 (.214)
with only six homeruns in 131 ABs, but finished with an impressive
1.68 ERA, a new rookie record. His big-game pitching helped the
Horsemen win the 2002 Series at the Sac. On March 2nd, 2003, John
was traded to the Holy Whites for Ian Byrd as the Horsemen searched
for some offensive firepower.
There are many
many holes in John's swing, most glaring being the fact that he
seems to almost fall down after nearly every swing and miss. And
he does that often, as he finished with a very low 2.05 Kratio.
He seems to hit better in low pressure situations, and he chases
many balls out of the strike zone. Hitting however, is much easier
to improve than pitching.
There's not
much to say about his pitching. He's a straight power pitcher who
has no semblance of an off speed pitch. His occasional attempts
only draw laughter from the crowd. He can overpower you though,
and has solid accuracy. Good hitters who can stay with fastballs
may hit him, because his ball has very little movement on it, but
weaker hitters will be helpless. He's one of only a couple rookies
who has put up a 6.00 K/4 ratio or better in their debut season.
John's fielding
is nothing extraordinary. He can field with modest ability, and
rarely makes an error on plays he should make. He has lapses sometimes
on tougher plays, but then at the same time, he made some brilliant
plays in 2002. Basically, the talent is there. |
