Sunday September 16^th, 2012

Photo Courtesy of Giants fan: Crystal Ramos

Sam Evans:  The consensus around baseball is that Billy Hamilton and Wil Myers are two of the top twenty-five prospects in the game. With Myers hit tool and proximity to the majors and Hamilton’s crazy speed, both are pretty solid bets to reach their potential. These two are likely going to be All-Stars for their respective teams in the coming years. Instead of comparing them to other prospects, let’s look at what makes Myers and Hamilton so special.

First of all, Wil Myers. Myers was drafted as a catcher in the third round of the 2009 Amateur draft. He had the talent of a first-round pick but he seemed like he might be going to the University of South Carolina. The Royals offered Myers $2 million, which was an offer that he smartly took and started his journey into professional baseball.

The Wil Myers catching experiment lasted all of two years. When he played in Wilmington with Salvador Perez in 2010, Perez made it clear who had the brighter future behind the plate. It’s a bummer Myers never got comfortable behind the plate because there aren’t many catchers in the majors that offer the kind of offensive production that Myers likely will.

Myers is probably not much more than an average corner outfielder. He doesn’t have above-average speed and he needs to get better jumps on the ball. He probably has a 60-grade arm, which makes up for his inexperience in right field. Overall though, Myers is better off in right field than he was at catcher.

Myers does his damage at the plate. This past season, at Triple-A Omaha, Myers was more comfortable at the plate than any twenty-one year old in the PCL that I’ve seen in a long time. Hitting from the right-hand side of the plate, Myers hits sans batting gloves. For a hitter two years removed from high school, Myers has fantastic pitch recognition and plus bat control. Perhaps this is why Myers has been putting up crazy numbers this year and is considered one of the best, if not the best, offensive prospects in the minors. His pitch recognition, bat speed, bat control, and raw power are all plus tools.

Next up, Billy Hamilton. The speedy Hamilton has the best base-stealing ability in the game of baseball right now. If his gaudy stolen base numbers between High-A and Double-A this year didn’t make that clear, I’m not sure what will. Hamilton is going to be able to steal bases at the major league level due to his elite speed. He did break Vince Coleman’s single-season minor league stolen base record. That should tell you about the kind of speed we are talking about.

Hamilton is a fast-twitch athlete. From being a three sport athlete in high school, Hamilton showcased his athletic ability in many different ways. That’s why he is so fast. A lot of it has to do with genetics, but Hamilton has probably gotten faster every year since he was drafted. Experience always helps. Hamilton is an elite prospect not only because of his speed, but his hitting ability as well. In 2012, Hamilton took some major steps forward in his pitch recognition and making solid contact.For more on Billy Hamilton, check out my three previous MLB Reports articles  on him.

These two are going to have Midwest baseball fans very excited next year. I’d be surprised if either one of them didn’t reach the majors in 2013. Hamilton is an elite prospect because of his speed, plate approach and impact on every game he plays in. Myers is the cream of the crop due to his plate approach, bat speed, and pitch recognition. Billy Hamilton and Wil Myers have gotten a lot of attention during this past season and deservedly so. For these reasons, they are very deserving of the opportunity to show what they could do on baseball’s highest stage next season. If all goes well, both will go home at the end of next season with the AL and NL ROY awards respectively. With many more awards still to come in their bright futures.

(* The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of mlbreports.com *)

***Today’s feature was prepared by Sam Evans, Baseball Writer.  We highly encourage you to leave your comments and feedback at the bottom of the page and share in the discussion with our readers.  You can also follow Sam on Twitter. (@RJA206)***

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