J.J. Cooper from Baseball America held a "Hot Sheet" chat yesterday and here are a few excerpts. Nationals top prospect Bryce Harper sat atop the Hot Sheet list this week after hitting .500-.600-1.250 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs last week.
On to the excerpts:
Jeff ((CA)): Who is the better pitching prospect for the Dodgers, Rubby De La Rosa or Zach Lee?J.J. Cooper: Lee, but I think it's pretty close.
Both have pitched very well this year, with Lee winning his first 3 starts.
Nate (Washington): At what point do we start worrying about Ackley? With the exception of the AFL, the results just haven't yet been there.J.J. Cooper: Personally, I'm worried more than maybe most. The following is my personal opinion, and I don't think represents a scouting or BA consensus. Ackley's swing leaves him in such good position to run to first that his home-to-first times maybe skew the perception of his speed. He's not really shown he's a speedster on the basepaths—which explains why he had 10 steals last year, not 30. Even if Ackely's hit tool ends up being above average, he'd be a 60 hitter with a tick below average power, above-average, but not game-changing speed and adequate defense. That's good, but maybe it's not as much of an impact player as some expect.
I am of the opinion he won't be an impact type hitter except for the batting average and some steals.
More excerpts after the jump:
marty kohl (omaha,ne): Hi J.J. As you well know it`s all about the prospects.2 Questions-Do you know why wil myers hasn`t been in the naturals line-up the last 3 or 4 games??? 2nd question-Eric Hosmer vs Anthony Rizzo who has the better MLB Career?? Keep up the good work and thanks!!J.J. Cooper: Myers has a bruised knee, according to former BA staffer Kary Booher. I'll take Hosmer, because he could have Rizzo's power combined with a 70 hit tool.
I would think most prospect guys would take Hosmer over Rizzo every day of the week and twice on Sunday. But, Rizzo should beat him to the majors.
DAvid Cooper (On a plane to New York): I'm joining the Jays after my callup from Vegas and I've struggled at AA for the past 2 years, but this year I am killin git in the PCL. Hitters league aside, do I have what it takes to play in the bigs long term at 1b ?J.J. Cooper: Cooper had a good spring, and a great start in Las Vegas, but man, I have some concerns. Cooper had more than 900 at-bats in Double-A over the past two years where he was below average for a first baseman. Now he's had 81 good at-bats in Triple-A. It could be a breakthrough, but I'm going to stay skeptical. In the past he's had trouble with off-speed stuff, he'll get the final exam on how well he's made adjustments now that he's in the big leagues.
Something to ponder if you are considering adding Cooper to your roster in AL-only or mixed leagues. I wrote about Cooper a bit here on Thursday.
Jeff (Idaho): I noticed Bryce Harper has stolen a few bases in his early minor league career. Is that just being aggressive on the base paths, or does he project to steal 15-20 at the major league level?
J.J. Cooper: As he gets older and even bigger, Harper will likely slow down and become an average runner, but with his aggressiveness and feel for the game, he could steal 10-15 a year early in his big league career. The Nationals are comfortable putting him in center field some this year because of his athleticism.
I am curious if 10-15 is a bit conservative. But any SBs with that power will be acceptable.