Will Middlebrooks
In a word, third baseman Will Middlebrooks’ career got off to a flying stop.
Because he was asking for seven figures and had committed to playing baseball for Texas A&M, he slid to the fifth round of the 2007 draft and eventually accepted a $925,000 signing bonus from Boston.
Then, because he signed late and developed shoulder tendinitis, he didn’t make his pro debut — with Lowell — until late June of 2008.
Middlebrooks showed flashes of five-tool ability last season at Greenville where, in 103 games, he hit .265 with seven home runs, 57 RBI and a .404 slugging percentage. But he also drew only 46 walks while fanning 123 times.
One of the problems he encountered last season was when South Atlantic League pitchers fed him a steady diet of outside fastballs plus changeups which kept him off balance. But when he did show patience and worked the count, the results – understandably – were more positive.
At the risk of stating the obvious, Middlebrooks must improve his pitch recognition. And he must cut back on his tendency to be “pull happy” and work more on hitting the ball to all fields, albeit he did show improvement in this area last season at Greenville.
As an example, when the Red Sox handed out their Minor League Performance Awards, Middlebrooks was named their Player of the Month for July – the reason being he hit .337 with five home runs, 26 RBI and a .949 OPS.
At 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, Middlebrooks does have a superb frame for baseball and has very quick wrists. And since he turned 21 last September 9, his power production may be in the future.
Even though he played shortstop and third base in high school, he projects more as a third baseman — which is where he’s playing this year for Salem.
That being said, Middlebrooks has shown a plus arm and good lateral movement which is noteworthy for a player his size.
In addition, Middlebrooks is rated as having above-average speed for a third baseman.
Middlebrooks also is one of the more athletic players in Boston’s farm system – the reason being he played quarterback and was a talented punter at Liberty-Eylau High School in Texarkana, Texas.
In fact, some college football coaches who scouted him felt he had NFL potential as a punter.
Still, despite his overall athletic ability, Middlebrooks, admittedly, felt the toughest adjustment he’s had to make is adapting to the grind of a professional baseball season while trying to perform at the highest level.
EXTRA BASES: Boston, understandably, should be pleased with Middlebrooks’ improvement … Through his first 77 games with Salem, he was hitting .293 with a .808 OPS … Each stat ranks 12th in the Carolina League … Middlebrooks also had hit seven home runs with 49 RBI.