Kyle Jensen, LF

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

Full Name: Kyle G. Jensen
Born: 05/20/1988
Birthplace: Dublin, CA
College: St Marys Col
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 230
Bats: R
Throws: L

[LocoMarlinFan]

MAN AMONG BOYS

Marlins LF Kyle Jensen mashed three home runs this week for high Class A Jupiter, giving him 18 for the season to tie him with Brevard County's Brock Kjeldgaard for the Florida State League lead. Those 18 bombs also match Jensen's output for low Class A Greensboro last season, an impressive accomplishment given the 180-degree reversal in home-park context. The catch: Florida made Jensen a 12th-round pick out of St. Mary's in 2009, so he's already 23 years old. (That's a year and a half older than Marlins slugger Mike Stanton.) But Jensen can't control his minor league assignment—all he can do is continue mashing. He's batting .322/.397/.565 in 301 at-bats and leads the FSL in slugging and ranks fourth in the batting race. The three batters ahead of Jensen have totaled 10 home runs in 884 at-bats.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...1/2612107.html

[Valid]

I don't know much about him other than his statistics. Does anyone with knowledge of him think this kid could develop into a good major-leaguer?

[Ramp]

What he's doing in Jupiter right now, even as a 23 year old is impressive

[HUGG]

The fact he's still in Jupiter makes zero sense.

[emkayseven]

Brock Kjeldgaard can't possibly be a real name

[THE_REAL_MIBS]

@JCRMarlinsbeat: Jupiter OF Kyle Jensen named Florida State League Player of the Year. #marlins

/Twitter

[emkayseven]

He's been tearing up the AFL so far (14-35, 5 2B, 6 RBI, .400/.447/.543) so it got me thinking about him.

He's old - we know that. He turns 25 (!) in May and he's only been as far as AA. Strikeouts are a HUGE issue but it seems to me like maybe he could become a Three True Outcomes type player. Over the last 3 seasons he's hit 69 home runs and 246 RBI. He's also struck out 418 times in 1386 at bats. Like, nearly a third of his at bats. And they've been increasing - 119 K in 470 ABs, 137 in 471, and 162 in 445 (HOLY CRAP). But walks have also been increasing - 45, 53, and 69, despite the fewer at bats last year. His average was down to .234 last season from .299 and .272 the two prior years.

He's intriguing at the very least. I don't think he can ever approach Adam Dunn territory, but there's value in a Rob Deer/Russ Branyan-type player for sure, especially in a system that's short on upper level positional prospects and in particular outfielders.

For what it's worth he's a career .312/.402/.548 hitter vs. LHP and .257/.344/.477 vs. RHP. Might be an intriguing platoon option if nothing else.

[Bobbob1313]

But walks have also been increasing - 45, 53, and 69, despite the fewer at bats last year.

You realize the issue with this, right?

[emkayseven]

nope but I look forward to having you make me feel like an idiot
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FYI he hit a monster grand slam tonight
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http://miami.marlins.mlb.com/news/ar...s_mia&c_id=mia

video there

and also:

After a slow start in the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League, Kyle Jensen is proving he deserves his place among the top young stars of the game.

The Marlins outfielder picked up two hits, including a prodigious game-tying grand slam in the seventh inning, as the Phoenix Desert Dogs played to a 7-7 tie with the Mesa Solar Sox at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

"It means a lot to be here," Jensen said. " I didn't have a good start to this year, but I finished strong and I wanted to come out here and continue that.

"You see guys here who have big league arms. When you're putting good swings on balls against them, it makes you feel good. I'm definitely not intimidated."

With the Desert Dogs trailing entering the bottom of the seventh, 6-2, Jensen knew he would get at least one more at-bat to try and turn the game around.

Astros left-hander Alex Sogard walked Kevin Kiermaier (Rays), and Braves' second-rounder Nick Ahmed reached on third baseman Javier Baez's throwing error. Oakland prospect Grant Green then singled to left field to load the bases and Jensen smacked Sogard's 0-1 offering 450 feet to left-center field.

"First pitch was a fastball and I chopped it for a foul ball. Then [Sogard] threw the same pitch again and it was kind of over the plate and I put a nice easy swing on it," Jensen said. "It looked like he was trying to bust me in, but I was just trying to put it in play. It got pretty good flight, but I was still running pretty hard out of the box."

Ahmed gave the Desert Dogs a 7-6 lead with an RBI single in the eighth, but the Solar Sox rallied on a bizarre play in the top of the ninth.

With one out, Rafael Ynoa (Dodgers) slapped a ground ball between first and second base and down the right-field line. Jensen tried to track the ball down, but he slipped up against the fence.

"I was playing in the gap and [Ynoa] hit it down the line. When I got there it kicked off the fence, but my foot slipped and went in a hole and my whole ankle and foot got stuck under the fence," Jensen said. "I couldn't move it at all.

"After the play was over, four or five bullpen pitchers had to lift the fence up. I wasn't expecting it at all. Nothing like that has ever happened before."

Ynoa's hit was ruled an inside-the-park home run and it completed the scoring. Neither team could push across a run in the next two frames and the game was ruled a tie at the end of the 11th.

Selected by the Marlins in the 12th round of the 2009 Draft out of St. Mary's College, Jensen is coming to the end of his fourth year of professional ball.

He was named the Florida State League's Most Valuable Player with Jupiter in 2011, and he built upon this success with the Double-A Jacksonville Suns this season.

In 132 Southern League games, the 24-year-old batted .234 with 24 homers and 84 RBIs. He set career highs in runs scored (70) and walks (69) while posting a .452 slugging percentage.

"I'm just looking to stay calm, get good pitches to hit and put the barrel on the ball," he said. "I'm trying to stay within myself and hit the ball hard."

So far, that plan is paying dividends for the California native. After starting his AFL campaign 3-for-16 with one extra-base hit, Jensen has recorded five consecutive multi-hit games. During that span, he is batting .520 (13-for-25) with four doubles, a home run and eight RBIs.

[HUGG]

The more you walk, the less at bats you're gonna have.

[emkayseven]

oh. Well, yeah. He had fewer plate appearances too if that makes you all feel better.

[HUGG]

His walk rate jumped from 9.9% to 13.2% this season. K rate from 25.6% to 31.1%.

[Chewford]

JEN!

sen is truly outrageous! Truly, truly, truly outrageous!

[emkayseven]

He might not make it until he's 26 or so but it seems like he's the type that ought to get a shot at least as a platoon bat or just a power bat at the bottom of a lineup