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I have a feeling we'll be seeing lots of these Stanton updates throughout the year - or, at least, throughout the first part of the year until the front office calls the kid up. Top prospect Mike Stanton put on a show in Spring Training this year, hitting .333 with 3 homers and 8 RBI. The 20-year-old outfielder, who was rated as the third-best prospect in baseball by Baseball America, had hit 67 home runs in his previous two years in the minor leagues, and had been hitting .478 in the Arizona Fall League before hurting his back and being shut down. But he struggled last year when promoted to AA, hitting just .231 with a .311 on base percentage. Stanton's bread and butter, the power, was still there, as he hit 16 home runs and 15 doubles in just 299 at bats.
After his successful Spring Training, many people on our forums felt it necessary to give Stanton a spot on the big league roster. But given his relative struggles in AA last year and the lack of space at the major league level, Stanton found himself starting the season in AA. At the time of his demotion, Fredi Gonzalez said, "It's just a matter of him getting some at-bats and putting up some numbers." And so far this season, Stanton is doing just that. In yesterday's game in which Jacksonville lost to West Tennessee 16-8, Stanton went 2-for-3 with a home run, a single, and 3 walks. This followed up Thursday's Opening Day performance, in which Stanton went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a single, and a walk. After demoting Stanton, Fredi Gonzalez said, "He'll let us know when he's ready." It looks like he's starting to talk quite loudly, only two games into the season.
After his successful Spring Training, many people on our forums felt it necessary to give Stanton a spot on the big league roster. But given his relative struggles in AA last year and the lack of space at the major league level, Stanton found himself starting the season in AA. At the time of his demotion, Fredi Gonzalez said, "It's just a matter of him getting some at-bats and putting up some numbers." And so far this season, Stanton is doing just that. In yesterday's game in which Jacksonville lost to West Tennessee 16-8, Stanton went 2-for-3 with a home run, a single, and 3 walks. This followed up Thursday's Opening Day performance, in which Stanton went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double, a single, and a walk. After demoting Stanton, Fredi Gonzalez said, "He'll let us know when he's ready." It looks like he's starting to talk quite loudly, only two games into the season.