Miles Head Scouting Report (2011)
Boston Red Sox first base prospect Miles Head has come from out of nowhere to post a .330/.397/.591 line across two levels landing the young slugger in high-A Salem as a 20-year old. From scouting him in person, and talking to contacts about Head, it's safe to say none of us know exactly what to make of his scorching first half and whether his performance should silence the questions about his overall tools and skill set we all seem to have.
Going forward, Head is going to have to excel offensively at every level to shake questions about his height, build and poor defense. For me, his overall skill set plays like a poor man's Matt LaPorta. And while the Indians first baseman mashed his way through both the Milwaukee and Cleveland systems, LaPorta has struggled mightily as a big leaguer and continues to look more like a fringe starter than player a team can count on to consistently produce at first base.
- Listed height/weight of 6-foot-0, 215 lbs. might be a little on the light side
- Stocky; Scouts would consider him a "bad body prospect"
- Lacked athleticism; Struggled to scoop throws at his shoe tops; Feet tied up on foul balls
- Strong young hitter; Showed considerable opposite field power in game action
- Made excellent adjustments at the plate; K'd 1st AB on FB up; Pitcher tried same in 2nd AB; Head hit long HR to LCF
- Hit 1st pitch 2B off of RF fence; Scouts split on whether he has opposite field skill or is just late on fastballs
- Small hitch in the back of his swing causes slight uppercut swing
- Love the front elbow tucks pre-swing; Used same mechanism to elbow tucked and hands inside the ball in college
- Generates natural lift; Uses plenty of pull hand to generate power
- Not afraid to work deep counts; Does look for fastballs to attack
- Well below average defense; Projects as DH or liability at 1B
- Speed is non-existent
Going forward, Head is going to have to excel offensively at every level to shake questions about his height, build and poor defense. For me, his overall skill set plays like a poor man's Matt LaPorta. And while the Indians first baseman mashed his way through both the Milwaukee and Cleveland systems, LaPorta has struggled mightily as a big leaguer and continues to look more like a fringe starter than player a team can count on to consistently produce at first base.
