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THE NON-PROSPECT REPORT by Jason Martinez posted 6/01/08 In this new feature, titled "The Non-Prospect Report", I will give updates on a few Padre minor leaguers who are not considered prospects because of a lack of potential or tools, or because they are too old to be considered a prospect. Here are a few of the more impressive 'non-prospects' in the farm system. Peter Ciofrone, OF, AAA Portland: While Ciofrone, 24, is not too old to be considered a prospect, he's reached the point in his career where he's been tagged a future utilityman. He's played almost exclusively in left field since the Padres moved him off of second base a few years back, but the fact that he won't hit for enough power to become a regular at a corner outfield spot, combined with his ability to play 2B and 3B, has earned him that utility label. After batting .258 with 10 HR's in 2007 between San Antonio and Portland, Ciofrone was batting just .254 in 19 games with San Antonio before a promotion to Portland finally got him going. In 23 games, the left-handed batter has hit .337 with 6 HR, 15 RBI's and a .418 OBP. If he keeps it up, there is a chance that he could see the major leagues later in the season. And if he doesn't, he could very well be playing for another organization next season. Drew Macias, CF, AA San Antonio. At age 25, Macias is considered old for the Texas League. And while he is considered an above-average center fielder, he doesn't do anything else good enough to be considered anything more than a possible 4th outfielder in the majors. A career .264 batter, Macias has been on fire, batting .406 over his last eight games with one homer, 10 RBI's, and 5 SB's. Overall, he's batting just .261, although he's on pace (8 in 53 games) to steal more than 20 bases for the first time in his career and possibly reach double-digits in triples. This could very well be Macias' last chance with the Padres, as he will be a six-year minor league free agent in the offseason. But if he ever develops some more power (at 6'3" 205 lbs, it's not out of the question) to go along with his defense, he should end up on a major league roster at some point. Brian Myrow, 1B, AAA Portland. Aside from two cups of coffee, 20 AB's with the Dodgers in '05 and 10 AB's with the Padres last season, the 31 year-old Myrow has spent his entire professional career in the minors. He has had a few really good seasons, particularly in 2003, when he hit .303 with 18 HR's for AA Trenton in the Yankees' organization. In '05, he hit .282 with 22 HR's for AAA Las Vegas, earning a September callup to the Dodgers. And in 2007, he had arguably his finest professional season, batting .354 with 13 HR's at Portland, which earned him a September callup with the Padres. Limited to first base at this point of his career, Myrow is blocked by Adrian Gonzalez at first base and Tony Clark and Paul McAnulty as left-handed hitters off of the bench. For now, all he can do is continue to crush AAA pitching (2008 stats: .335 BA/.451 OBP/.537 SLG) and hope for an opportunity. |