March 12, 2009

Top 50 MiLB Prospects 2009: #41 Ben Revere

Top 50 MiLB Prospects 2009 | #41 | Ben Revere | Twins

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Left/Right

Born
| May 3, 1988 (Lexington, Kentucky)

School
| Lexington Catholic High School

Height
| 5'9''

Weight
| 166 lbs.

2008 Ranking | Not Ranked




Breakdown
The Twins drafted Ben Revere in the first round of the 2007 draft. The Twins were immediately criticized for drafting Revere due to the fact that many didn't believe he'd go until sometime around the 4th-5th rounds. Revere and the Twins have quieted all doubters since the draft and Revere is currently hitting .360 with an OPS of .900 to go along with 20 triples and 65 stolen bases. Revere began the 2008 season in Extended Spring Training, but an injury to third baseman D.J. Romero opened a roster spot in Beloit and Revere spent the rest of the season with the Snappers. He flirted with a .400 batting average for much of the year, but a knee injury took its tole on Revere and he missed the last few weeks of the season due to it. Revere is a highly-regarded prospect throughout the minor leagues and The Baseball Cube gave him some pretty high rankings as well:

As you can see by rankings, Revere doesn't hit for much power, although many in the Twins system feels he will someday, but he can drive the ball pretty well. I don't particularly agree with the patience ranking that Revere was given and I expect that number to go up quite a bit. Revere's greatest asset is his speed. He can stretch many singles into doubles and doubles into triples. In fact, he has 23 doubles and 20 triples thus far in his career. Once he is on base, he is a menace and although he still has some to learn about reading pitchers, he can really steal a base on a whim. He also has tremendous control of the strike zone. Revere's biggest flaws are not really at the plate, although some would say that his lack of power is a flaw. Instead, his biggest flaws come on the defensive side of the ball. Revere does not read fly balls great and often takes bad routes to balls. But still, his biggest knack is his throwing arm. Many believe that he would have made it to Ft. Myers by the end of the 2008 season if his arm was up to par. Instead, many feel his lack of arm strength is a liability and it could make him play left field in the majors despite having outstanding speed. I've always wondered if the Twins would consider moving Revere to another position such as second base, but I know a lot of people disagree with that thought including members of the Twins system. I don't think it would hurt, afterall Revere played much of his high school days as a second baseman. I doubt it would happen, but with the lack of middle infield prospects, surplus of outfield prospets and Revere's lack of arm strength could make the thought of a position switch enticing to some. Revere was worn out by the end of the 2008 season, but much of that could very well be attributed by a nagging knee injury that he endured for much of the summer. Still, I expect to see Revere in Ft. Myers at the beginning of the 2009 season and who knows? Maybe we'll see him in New Britain by the end of summer.

2008 Statistics
Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     3B     SB
A-        83    374    .379    .433    .497      28     10     44

2009 Outlook

Revere should be in Ft. Myers with the Miracle in 2009. He could force a promotion if he continues to hit at a high-rate and shows improvement on defense.

Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2011

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ben revere started in center field as a freshman in high school and stayed in that position all 4 years at lexington catholic, so I don't know why you think he should play 2nd base because he definetly hasn't played it before as you've said.

Josh Johnson said...

He has publicly said that he played both positions but mostly center field.