Law Ranks Triunfel as No. 22 Prospect in Nation
From ESPN.com. (Matthew's Note: Please include links when you copy and paste from other sources)
Triunfel opened a lot of eyes in the Arizona Fall League as the circuit's youngest player, showing tremendous natural aptitude for hitting and more than adequate fielding at second base. Triunfel sets up with his hands high, and they're so quick that he closes to the ball in no time, hitting line drives to all fields but rarely trying to pull the ball out, even though he probably could at the cost of some contact. Triunfel's performance this year was more impressive than it looks at first glance. For one thing, he started the year 3-for-39, then hit .307/.355/.433 the rest of the way, a period that included a suspension for violating team rules and a 3-for-46 stretch in June. For another, he was 18 in high-A, a level generally populated by players in their early 20s, and not only did he perform well, but he rarely struck out, a good sign that he was rarely (if ever) overmatched. He's an above-average runner and a good base stealer. He's a natural shortstop but played second in the Fall League, showing good hands and a good transfer on the double play.
There are some concerns on Triunfel. The suspension is one, his age is another. His listed date of birth is Feb. 27, 1990, which would mean he'll play all of 2009 at age 19, but as a Dominican prospect who's already put together physically, some have questioned his age. If he's really about to turn 21, he's still a good prospect, but not a potential star. There's no firm evidence to back up the questions, though, so for now, we'll assume he's going to turn 19 and is still on track for stardom.
The age concern is interesting.... I hope he's still 18.
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This is the first I've heard about an age concern
up close though, he looks 18 though. I’d guess he’s like 6-2, 180 with lots of room to fill out. Great base stealer too.
I’ll try to upload the videos I took of him when I get home (I’ve only had them since August, I really should get around to it)
Other notables
Chris Tillman – 40
Greg Halman – 93
Yikes.
But he lists both Juan Ramirez and Phillipe Aumont as guys who "just missed the top 100"
giving us a respectable four prospects in the ~top 110
by seattlebruin on Jan 22, 2009 12:36 PM PST up reply actions
Man that's a sobering list.
I go to law school. Therefore, I have no life.
by andrewgolfsalot on Jan 22, 2009 12:35 PM PST reply actions
No...
That’s not entirely accurate. There have been several restructured bonuses because teams are finding out players are older than listed, and the whisperings from the D.R. about age changes remain as widespread as ever. Immigration pays a lot closer attention to age when they hand out the work visas, but that does not mean age inflation for international players isn’t still a possibility.
Some more personal analysis is usually good too so its not just a big quote.
I should probably go to his site if I want to just read the quote.
by Edgar for Pres on Jan 23, 2009 5:39 AM PST up reply actions
Well I don't really know that much about Triunfel.
I just thought some people would find it interesting.
Maybe he'll pull a Beltre, and he'll actually be 16!
There are no good individual basketball statistics.
54!
Can you imagine how ridiculously talented he would be if he turned out to be 17 next year?
by seattlebruin on Jan 22, 2009 4:08 PM PST up reply actions
same argument applies if he were actually turning 4 next year. He's not.
I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!! I DRINK IT UP!!
He would make Albert Pujols look like Super Joe McEwing
Determined, Jonesing Commentor | Proud proprietor of Wyomingroutes.org & Washingtonhighways.org
I don't see how if he was 2 years older he suddenly wouldn't still be "on the track to stardom."
Can someone help me with this? I mean I know his skills would be less impressive for his age group, but he’s still got the same skills.
And those skills are still largely projections
An 18yo with Triu’s physical tools can be forgiven for applying them only sporadically. That’s less true for a 20 year old at his level. In both cases, there’s definite room for improvement, but an 18 yo who’s inconsistent is not worrying at all.
I wouldn't necessarily say all of the skills are largely projections
It seems reasonable to say that he’s already a pretty good hitter for average, has some speed, and Law’s report makes him look pretty good defensively already. I think power is the main thing that is projected but he hasn’t really shown at all. Without the power, maybe he projects to be a taller David Eckstein (career .284/.351/.361) or something. With more power, you head towards the Jeter end of the spectrum (.316/.387/.458). And while Eckstein’s been a pretty decent major league regular, Jeter is a star, subpar defense and all.
And that may not be enough
Scouts are nearly unanimous that he’ll be moved off of SS. Thus, an Eckstein level of production isn’t going to cut it.
I’m glad Law’s report mentions his defense, but there have been sooo many, er, contradictory reports (plus, he played a lot of 2b down in the AFL).
His bat is why he’s on this list, and a guy who might put up an iso between .080 and .150 isn’t exactly what most people are projecting for him.
Essentially he is more advanced than just about any other 18-year old in terms of skills
whereas if he’s 20, he’s merely above average in terms of skills because 18-20 is a huge development time for most players
by seattlebruin on Jan 22, 2009 6:08 PM PST up reply actions
Right...but I mean...it's such an assumption that that's when a guy would improve.
There are such thing as late bloomers.
The statement likely shouldn't have been "there's no chance he becomes a star"
it’s merely a matter of probability. If he’s 20, there’s a much smaller chance he reaches his potential than if he has these skills at age 18
by seattlebruin on Jan 22, 2009 6:35 PM PST up reply actions
I understand.
I wish there was some way of calculating that. It’d be really interesting. Like if you’re at level X by age Y you have Z% chance of being a star as opposed to the % at a different age.
This is one of those areas where scouting is probably more important than the numbers.
The failure rate in the minors is so high that I wouldn’t rely too much on statistics from an 18-year-old.
This
at this point, it’s almost entirely a matter of whether or not he has the tools to be successful and where they are in relation to his age/experience peers, and Triunfel is ahead of pretty much every other 18 year old on the planet.
Of course there likely will be guys who catch him in the next couple years before he gets to Seattle, but being the best player in his age group at his age is a big, big plus
by seattlebruin on Jan 22, 2009 11:21 PM PST up reply actions
Even with all their recent callups, the Rays have three guys in the top 25.
Wow.
Also, minor quibble: Triunfel is ranked No. 22, not 23.
Well, I guess Longoria was the only real callup.
I forget that B.J. Upton’s been around for a while. But still, they’re set up to be good for a long time.
The patience that team showed in developing their own talent was/is so amazing.
It’s something I don’t recall seeing anywhere in baseball, not at that level. Maybe the Twins. Scouting and acquisition is great, but oh man if Zduriencik and Co. have that patience, and if HowChuck allow them the time.
In the voice of Patton Oswalt
The Rays got pretty lucky, in my opinion
that LaMar didn’t make any panic trades, and most of their top picks panned out. Credit to them of course, but it took a bunch of pretty lucky consecutive events to set them up with this good of a front office and this much young talent.
by seattlebruin on Jan 22, 2009 11:22 PM PST up reply actions
Amusingly.
LaMar actually tried re-signing Upton to a “Longoria deal” while he was in Triple-A, but it fell apart.
by R.J. Anderson on Jan 23, 2009 8:39 AM PST up reply actions
I've got a buddy who he ranks 6th in the Orioles organization
I played with him back in high school and I knew then that he’d make more money playing ball than I ever would
I've got a buddy
who put up this line at Low-A in the Nat’s organization. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that his late-season call-up was inflated by a ridiculously wonky BABIP/LD% combo.
Not really, I think he's a little bitch.
I smiled when I saw his BABIP/LD%. Next year is going to be rather depressing for him.
BrianL ----> locker
If I remember correctly.
by Mariner John on Jan 22, 2009 11:18 PM PST up reply actions
Yep.
And Travis Snider of the Blue Jays organization threw me into a dumpster in middle school.
Baseball players in high/middle school = douches basically?
Seems about right from my experience.
by Mariner John on Jan 22, 2009 11:54 PM PST up reply actions
Depending where the dumpster was, you might have found a porn stash in it.
I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.
Hey Teej, speaking of prospects
would you be up for doing LL gatherings at a few Lake Elsinore – High Desert games next season? I suspect that the big four arms (Aumont, Ramirez, Pineda and Adcock) will all be there, might be a good chance to catch those guys and maybe Raben and/or DeJesus before they hit the bigs
I always say I'm going to go, but I never do.
But that was back when I worked some weekend days, so it was tough to get up there. Now that I don’t, I think I’ll be able to make it to a game. I’d really like to see Aumont. Is Triunfel going to be there?

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