Hunter goes yard in the first. Up 1-0..batting .471 early in the season.

[Original48]

http://www.milb.com/index.jsp?sid=t461

[msstate7]

Wonder if he keeps this up if he'll get promoted soon

[Coach34]

The pitching he is currently facing is a step below SEC pitching

[Homedawg]

The pitching he is currently facing is a step below SEC pitching
At least. More like 2 steps.

[FlabLoser]

The pitching he is currently facing is a step below SEC pitching

Sounds like it.

At some point he is going to benefit from having a lot more practice time and coaching. I don't know when that kicks in.

[Will James]

At least. More like 2 steps.

No doubt. A summer of AA or AAA will let us know what kind of pro he will be.

[Todd4State]

Wonder if he keeps this up if he'll get promoted soon

There is an adjustment to pro baseball and they will keep him in Eugene for at least a little while longer. They are going to want to see how he adjusts when the pitchers adjust to him. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if they move him up to A ball before the end of August and honestly, he could go up as high as AA before the end of this year if he keeps raking like this. More than likely, they will just move him up to A ball though.

[Todd4State]

Sounds like it.

At some point he is going to benefit from having a lot more practice time and coaching. I don't know when that kicks in.

They may send him to an instructional league once the season is over and then after that, he will go to spring training.

[Coach34]

Once in AA, we'll getting a better idea of what he is going to do.

[Todd4State]

Barring major injury, I think he will do very well. He has a lot of God given talent and really with someone like him, it's just a matter of if he "gets it" or not. And he gets it. His play will dictate where he goes and when he goes. They compare him to Tim Salmon a lot- I think he might be even better than that because he has a lot more speed than Salmon. Hunter has All-Star talent and the sky is the limit. Plus, he is with a team that doesn't have a lot of stars on it. He could be the guy that becomes the player that they build their team around.

[bulldogcountry1]

Seems like I read sometime where SEC talent was approximately equivalent to AA. Does that sound right?

Of course that doesn't factor in playing everyday and the mental grind of being out on the road.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

Seems like I read sometime where SEC talent was approximately equivalent to AA. Does that sound right?

Of course that doesn't factor in playing everyday and the mental grind of being out on the road.

I have heard it is more like high A ball. I don't think you make it to AA unless they think you have a legit shot at making the majors.

[Bo Darville]

I don't think you make it to AA unless they think you have a legit shot at making the majors.

Michael Jordan being an obvious exception. Marketing at its best.

[ghostofjackie]

There is an adjustment to pro baseball and they will keep him in Eugene for at least a little while longer. They are going to want to see how he adjusts when the pitchers adjust to him. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if they move him up to A ball before the end of August and honestly, he could go up as high as AA before the end of this year if he keeps raking like this. More than likely, they will just move him up to A ball though.

I ask this because I am no expert on professional baseball. But isn't there a class called single A advanced that he has to go through as well?

I thought it went like this.

Rookie/Short Season A (plays short season for college draftees)
A
A Advanced
AA
AAA
Bigs

[Coach34]

I ask this because I am no expert on professional baseball. But isn't there a class called single A advanced that he has to go through as well?

I thought it went like this.

Rookie/Short Season A (plays short season for college draftees)
A
A Advanced
AA
AAA
Bigs

yes there is. SEC weekend pitching is like High A/AA pitching. The SEC has high round draft picks pitching every season- one of the SEC's pitchers from last season is already in MLB (South Carolina guy).

I think Renfroe has all the talent in the world- but I'm not convinced his bat can keep him in MLB for very long. He'll get his shot because his glove and arm are outstanding- but can his bat keep him there? Renfroe only hit.250 the last 2 months of the season. We'll see

[601Dawg]

The pitching he is currently facing is a step below SEC pitching

I guess he should be batting .650 with 5 HRs then.

I don't know what you have against Hunter, but I hope he proves you wrong all along the way to the majors

[msstate7]

yes there is. SEC weekend pitching is like High A/AA pitching. The SEC has high round draft picks pitching every season- one of the SEC's pitchers from last season is already in MLB (South Carolina guy).

I think Renfroe has all the talent in the world- but I'm not convinced his bat can keep him in MLB for very long. He'll get his shot because his glove and arm are outstanding- but can his bat keep him there? Renfroe only hit.250 the last 2 months of the season. We'll see

As much as it pains me, Kevin gausman (lsu) has been called up and down to orioles all year. Really thought Stratton would beat em up.

[Ghost of Hank Flick]

I ask this because I am no expert on professional baseball. But isn't there a class called single A advanced that he has to go through as well?

I thought it went like this.

Rookie/Short Season A (plays short season for college draftees)
A
A Advanced
AA
AAA
Bigs

I think you have it right there. I've always wondered if the "extended spring training" is Rookie league ball until the draftees get there or if there are two rookie leagues. I believe the Braves have or had two Rookie league teams.

My understanding has always been
Rookie - draftees and players about to get cut
low A - the equivalent to mid-level college baseball
high A - the equivalent to high end college baseball like the SEC
AA - where all the big time prospects play that are a year or two away from the show
AAA - basically players who have major league talent but haven't quite put it all together, i.e. pitchers who make too many mistakes or hitters that don't deposit most mistakes into the seats

Like many have said Hunter has all the tools to make it to the big leagues. But I also thought Ed Easley was a sure fire big league and never guessed Mitch Moreland would beat him out for a career in the big leagues. I think he'll be playing in the majors by 2015 at the latest, possible get a call up by the end of 2014. He just needs to see more and more pitching. I see him being a Jeff Franceour type player - .260 with 15-20 home runs and playing lights out defense.

[Coach34]

I guess he should be batting .650 with 5 HRs then.

I don't know what you have against Hunter, but I hope he proves you wrong all along the way to the majors

I have absolutely nothing against Renfroe. All I have done is state facts (he did indeed hit .250 the last 2 months of the season) and then give my opinion on his ability to hit major league pitching. I'm sorry that upsets you.

I never understand fans- If I were to say the same thing about Matthew Britton- nobody would give a shit. But because I said it about Renfroe- some people go nuts about it

[Bo Darville]

I agree with Coach34. Renfroe can defend. Renfroe certainly can hit for power at the MLB level. There is no doubt about it. Renfroe's problem at times has been pitch recognition, and adjusting to pitchers who have a great gameplan against him. At the MLB level, the scouting is such that if you have a weak point, pitchers will find it and exploit it. Hitters constantly have to adjust. Hunter has been known to chase pitches and therefore sometimes give away at-bats, or gets himself in a hole in the count. When that happens at the MLB level, you can find yourself hitting .200 in a hurry, even if you have power. He will have to learn to adjust to pitchers that are exploiting his weaknesses. He will have to learn to stay disciplined and lay off stuff you can't hit. He will have to learn to stay within what he can do. Sometimes Hunter tries to do too much (i.e. hit everything out of the park). He has the tools without a doubt, but is far from a shoe-in to hit for a decent average.

Last year pitchers whipped Wes Rea's tail starting middle of the year with the outside curve that looked like it would be on the outside corner, but it broke low and away. They wore him out with it because he kept swinging and missing. This year, he did a better job of laying off of it. Then he could get ahead in the count and get a more hittable pitch. Renfroe, and all hitters for that matter, will have to constantly adjust and stay disciplined as the competition gets better, and the scouting report gets more thorough on your strengths and weaknesses. If you can't adjust, you won't make it.

[State82]

I guess he should be batting .650 with 5 HRs then.

I don't know what you have against Hunter, but I hope he proves you wrong all along the way to the majors

Coach34 never said Hunter couldn't make it to the show. I hope he's an All-Star in a few years. We need as many of our former players as possible make it that far. But it's not a given that he makes it there. As Coach and Bo pointed out there are some areas he will have to improve on significantly to make it, and bat discipline is the main one. I'm sure that will improve with time, but there is certainly a question that it will improve enough to play with the big club. And that is the case with all professionals.

[WeWillScrewItUp]

I agree with state82 that renfroe's plate discipline will improve with time. You have to remember that stat the announcers kept throwing out there during the CWS about how many games he played his senior year of high school and how many times he was intentionally walked that season. He is still raw at the plate.

[Todd4State]

Most people would say that the SEC is somewhere between high A ball and AA. You have some Hunter Renfroe's, Stratton's, Gausman's etc. but you also have some Sam Frost's- guys that are just college only players for the most part. I think it's closer to AA myself. At least our team was, but we have several players that I think have a legit chance at MLB- Hunter, Holder, Woodruff, Frazier, Lindgren, Graveman, Girodo, and Rea. Some have a better chance than others of course.

The people talking about the levels of minor league baseball- y'all have it pretty much correct based on what I have read. But it's also not a deal where a player just has to move up one level at a time. Kendall Graveman is in full season A ball right now as we speak for the Blue Jays. Albert Pujols never played AA baseball. It's just based on how the player is performing and a lot of the input comes from the minor league coaches more than anything. They send reports in every night to the Minor League director on every player that played that night.

There are a lot of differences between college baseball and rookie baseball where Hunter is now. In college, they make them practice. These players are professionals now. They are expected to take the initiative to improve their game on their own. This is basically their first real job for them. They're just trying to get them acclimated to pro baseball before they move them up. Most players don't move up.

Someone asked about the intructional league- it's for young players that need to work on certain aspects of their game, but you also would see MLB guys there that are trying to recover from an injury in the off season and sometimes MLB players trying to learn a new position if a team knows that far in advance that they are going to move someone. It's a hodgepodge of players.

[Todd4State]

I agree with state82 that renfroe's plate discipline will improve with time. You have to remember that stat the announcers kept throwing out there during the CWS about how many games he played his senior year of high school and how many times he was intentionally walked that season. He is still raw at the plate.

I think a lot of that was him trying to do too much- probably trying to increase his draft stock. He hit much better in Omaha.

[Todd4State]

I think you have it right there. I've always wondered if the "extended spring training" is Rookie league ball until the draftees get there or if there are two rookie leagues. I believe the Braves have or had two Rookie league teams.

My understanding has always been
Rookie - draftees and players about to get cut
low A - the equivalent to mid-level college baseball
high A - the equivalent to high end college baseball like the SEC
AA - where all the big time prospects play that are a year or two away from the show
AAA - basically players who have major league talent but haven't quite put it all together, i.e. pitchers who make too many mistakes or hitters that don't deposit most mistakes into the seats

Like many have said Hunter has all the tools to make it to the big leagues. But I also thought Ed Easley was a sure fire big league and never guessed Mitch Moreland would beat him out for a career in the big leagues. I think he'll be playing in the majors by 2015 at the latest, possible get a call up by the end of 2014. He just needs to see more and more pitching. I see him being a Jeff Franceour type player - .260 with 15-20 home runs and playing lights out defense.

Ed kind of had a baseball version of the yips a couple of years ago. He's back on track now- he's hitting .310 with 4 home runs in AAA for the Diamondbacks. I think he will be called up in September more than likely. I hope he does well because the Diamondbacks aren't exactly deep at catcher and he's with an organization where he has the potential to get some playing time.

[Coach34]

I think a lot of that was him trying to do too much- probably trying to increase his draft stock. He hit much better in Omaha.

meh- Renfroe was 3-18 or something close in Omaha.

[msstate7]

meh- Renfroe was 3-18 or something close in Omaha.

In his defense, he hits some of those outs pretty well