John
was brought out at the bequest of friend Curtis Henning. Since we
was brought in after the 2003 draft, he was placed on the Playerz.
John's hitting,
like most rookies', will suffer initially. However, if he sticks
with it, he could be a force to reckon with, posting solid rookie
numbers eventually. Or he could quit right away and leave a dark
blemish on the league. He likes to extend his arms but can put the
bat on pretty much any ball, no matter where on the strike zone.
In his batting session with Curtis, Joey Creighton, and Seth Yoder,
he struggled early, but found his stride soon, especially after
Seth (the lone righty) started throwing.
His pitching
is accurate, but will get hit due to being slower than most. Still,
pitchers who get hit but throw strikes are far more successful than
pitchers who get hit and walk every other batter. And it's a good
possibility that in time he will learn that he really CAN throw
the ball harder than he thinks.
As with most
guys in the league, John's fielding looks simply adequate. He'll
learn the rules as he goes, and he'll learn how to play certain
hitters. But all in all, he won't cost you any games. |
