On November 9th, James Chipman launched the 2012 Seedlings to Stars Florida State League All-Star Team with an intro post. He went on to reveal 8 members of the team before leaving our site to focus his writing efforts on out Detroit Tigers site, Motor City Bengals. Nathaniel and I decided that we needed to reveal the rest of the team to take the series to its planned endpoint. To tie up the loose end I will be unveiling the rest of roster and will follow a similar format to what James was doing for consistency.
Today I am pleased to announce our selection for the team’s Designated Hitter.
Name: Ramon Cabrera
Height: 5′ 7″
Weight: 202 lbs
Bats: Both
Throws: Right
Age: 22
2011 FSL Team: Bradenton Marauders (Pittsburgh Pirates)
2011 FSL Stats: 379 PA, 0.343/.410/.471, 25 2B, 3 HR, 38 BB and 29 SO
Background:
The Pirates signed Cabrera out of Venezuela in April of 2008 and he spent his first year in the VSL hitting 0.264/.367/.404 in 56 games as an 18-year old. The following year he returned to the VSL and after 20 games made his way to the GCL. Between the two stops he hit 0.299/.383/.436 in 57 games in what was his finest professional season until this past year. In 2010 he ascended from rookie ball and hit 0.269/.312/.342 with the West Virginia Power (A).
Ramon is the son of Alex Cabrera who played in 31 games as a 1B and OF for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2000. His father has gone on to have a successful career in Japan which includes an MVP season in 2002 during which he hit 55 HR.
Behind the Numbers:
His 0.343 BA led the FSL in 2011 and leading the league, any league, in hitting is both impressive and noteworthy. Of course it’s hardly indicative of future success – for an example of this fact see Harvey, Ken. While it certainly played a part in the decision, his batting average alone did not land him the DH spot on our All-Star team. The primary factor was that he led the Florida State League in hitting while playing Catcher. The 0.410 OBP (which ranked 4th) and his 0.881 OPS (3rd) certainly didn’t hurt his candidacy either.
Scouting Report:
If you look at the combination of his height and weight you can immediately classify Cabrera as both short and stocky. If you are a fan of more colorful, inspired descriptions you could say he was “built like a fire hydrant.” His stature aside, he obviously has a number of things working in his favor. As I alluded to in the above section, finding a catcher who led his league in hitting is a rarity, even in the minor leagues so right off the bat Cabrera deserves some notice. While he doesn’t have a lot of HR power present in his swing he did set a career high in doubles with 25 and, for the 2nd straight year, also had 4 triples.
Most impressive for me however is the fact that he drew 38 walks while only striking out 29 times in 379 PA with the Marauders. It was visible improvement over his 42-22 SO-to-BB that he posted in 2010 and a return to his numbers from rookie ball. All told in 295 games, he’s struck out just 125 times while drawing 116 walks. Think about that. In his 4 minor league seasons he’s gets K’d just once every 2.36 games while walking almost as often. Those are happy numbers for any minor leaguer but again we’re talking about a catcher doing this.
It’s obvious that he’s got good plate discipline, makes consistent contact, and rarely throws away an at bat. I love his patient approach and from what I can tell from video, being down in the count doesn’t bother him. We also know from the fact that he recovered from a down season – one that saw him improve in the later months – that he’s capable of making adjustments and is able to adapt.
Defensively its always hard to find reliable information on catchers but from the accounts I’ve read, he has steadily improved his work behind the plate and his ability to call a game. We have data available when it comes to his ability to throw runners out. In 2008 and 2009 his CS% was 40% and 31% but that number dropped to 21% in 2010 and slipped even further – to just 13% – last year. There are a lot of factors that go into these numbers, especially for a minor league catcher so it’s not necessarily a red flag, and Cabrera does reportedly have a strong throwing arm.
He gets positive marks for his work ethic and having grown up around the game he has a better idea of what it takes than most of his peers.
Future:
For a catcher, his frame and build can work to his advantage in some ways, but his short stature is going to necessitate that he proves himself every step of the way as he works to reach the majors. The fact is that not many players his size ever reach the major leagues, and even fewer find much success once they get there. Fair or not it’s an additional obstacle he’s going to have to overcome. However his ability to hit from both sides of the plate, his ability to make contact and his on-base skills will continue to be assets.
Based on his performance with Bradenton and his steady climb, Cabrera should find himself in the Eastern League with Altoona to open the 2012 season. It will be a huge year for him on a number of levels. First and foremost he has to handle the treacherous jump to Double-A, but he will also have to prove that his offensive output wasn’t overly aided by the hitter’s park (by FSL standards) that the Marauders call home. Beyond that his size and lack of power means that he’s going to have to convince people that he’s legit instead of getting the benefit of the doubt like a lot of the elite toolsy prospects do (I’m looking at you Aaron Hicks).
There aren’t a lot of catchers out there that can turn in a season like Cabrera did in 2011 so he’s definitely someone to keep tabs on in the coming year.
To review the rest of our 2011 Florida State League All-Star Team, click here.
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