Jupiter: J.T. Riddle, 2B

[tjfla]

Discuss

[emkayseven]

https://twitter.com/Riddle10

6'3 185

• 2012 No. 75 prospect in the Cape Cod League
(Perfect Game)
• SEC Freshman of the Week (3/21/11)
• 2011 Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League All-Star
• 2011 No. 3 prospect in Great Lakes Summer League
• 35th round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft (Red Sox)

Talented middle infielder is in his third year as an everyday starter, playing 63 games at second base in 2012 and seeing time at second base and rightfield as a freshman ... Is a jaw-dropping defender, with shortstop skills at second base ... Has the best position player arm strength on the club, helping him turn double plays ... Has staggering range at second base, led the Cape Cod League in defensive assists ... Has an ability to hit to all fields with a line-drive approach ... Has a projectable frame and has been working to add strength ... Has the ability to be a run-producing presence in the lineup ... Former Kentucky High School Mr. Baseball came to UK as a two-way player, before focusing on solely on his position-player duties in 2012.

http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-...le_741316.html
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Kentucky junior infielder J.T. Riddle has been picked in the 13th round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins, going No. 382 overall, it was announced on Saturday afternoon from the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, N.J.

Riddle now gives UK four players picked in the first 15 rounds of the 2013 MLB Draft, a year removed from a school-record nine players picked in the 2012 MLB Draft, the second-most in the NCAA.

Riddle joins Corey Littrell, Trevor Gott and Jerad Grundy was UK draft selections. Littrell was picked in the fifth round (No. 143) by the Boston Red Sox, Gott was picked in the sixth round (No. 178) by the San Diego Padres and Grundy was picked in the 10th round (No. 311) by the San Diego Padres.

Riddle, a native of Frankfort, Ky., has been a three-year starter for the Wildcats after earning Kentucky High School Mr. Baseball honors out of Western Hills in 2010. As a junior, Riddle started all 55 games for UK at second base, batting .283 with seven doubles, two triples, one homer and 20 RBI, stealing six bases and sporting a 22-14 walk-strikeout ratio.

Known as a dynamic defender with a great infield arm and an ability to make game-changing plays, Riddle fielded .983 in 2013 while leading all Southeastern Conference second baseman in defensive assists. During his 2012 summer in the Cape Cod League, Riddle led the circuit in assists while manning second base. Spanning his 2012 and 2013 seasons with the Wildcats, Riddle ran up a stretch of 358.1 consecutive innings without making an error, despite playing in the middle infield for 121 consecutive starts.

In his three-year career, Riddle has played in 168 games with 161 starts, batting .283 with 28 doubles, three triples, nine homers and 83 RBI, stealing 16 bases. As a sophomore, Riddle batting .279 with 12 doubles, one triple, five homers and 38 RBI. During his freshman season in 2011, Riddle hit .288 with nine doubles, three homers and 25 RBI, stealing seven bases.

Riddle was selected in the MLB Draft out of high school in the 35th round by the Boston Red Sox.

http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-...060813aaa.html

ngl I have no recollection of ever having seen him play

[tjfla]

SIGNED

100K

http://www.kyforward.com/our-sports/...areer-in-nypl/

[HUGG]

after all the talk about how great he is at 2B, he's playing 3B for Batavia tonight

[Ralph]

And he made an error.

[HUGG]

MLBPipeline #21 Prospect

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 35 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Riddle was named Mr. Baseball in the state of Kentucky in 2010 and went on to have a solid college career at the University of Kentucky. The Marlins drafted him in the 13th round in 2013, and he spent his first full professional season with Class A Greensboro.

Riddle is an aggressive hitter, but his compact swing helps him make consistent contact. He has average speed and there's room for added strength on his wiry frame, which could lead to more power in time.

Though Riddle was a second baseman in college, the Marlins have given him a chance to play shortstop in the Minor Leagues. He's also seen playing time at third base, and he has the arm strength for the left side of the infield but may end up in a utility role.

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2015?list=mia

[Bobbob1313]

BaseballProspectus had a writeup on him today:

J.T. Riddle, SS, Miami Marlins (High-A Jupiter Hammerheads)
Riddle won't wow you with tools, but extended looks show consistent production both at the plate and in the field. A tall, lanky, left-handed bat, Riddle uses a short, compact swing and line-drive approach to make consistent contact. He doesn't work terribly deep into counts, but he does embrace the lead-off mentality and puts together good at-bats. He won't hit for a ton of power, but does project to have good gap power for a middle infielder and doesn't strike out much. He's thin and could still stand to add a few pounds, but his wrists are stronger than they look.

In the field, Riddle has the range, hands, and arm to handle shortstop, though he won't be a game-changer there. He has the arm for any position on the infield, and the hands and range to handle all three, and has rotated between all of them in the past. He's playing shortstop every day in Jupiter this year, but his future is as a left-handed bench bat. With moderate pop and the versatility to play multiple positions, he could bring value to a team in the right role. –Jeff Moore

[dim]

That is pretty spot on. He's 23 in Jupiter and doesn't really have any power. Worth paying attention to since he's always hit well but nothing more than a bench bat moving forward.

[nny]

.723 OPS as a 22 year old in Greensboro

Pass

His future isn't "left-handed bench bat", it's minor league filler. I always love write ups on guys outside the top-10ish region because 95% are filler but you still see "future pen arm" and "future bench bat"