Kolbrin Vitek Scouting Report (2010)
Boston Red Sox 2010 first round draft pick Kolbrin Vitek finished the season with Greenville providing me with a rare September look at a top draft pick from the current year's draft crop. After watching a few at bats, I was left wondering exactly why Vitek was such a high pick in the first place?
I've seen corner prospects with legitimate power and Vitek did not strike me as that. Add his apparent difficulty playing defense and what's left is a poor defender with the offensive skill set of a second baseman relegated to a corner.
How does that play at the big league level? When I struggle to find an answer or visualize a scenario, I have no choice but to question whether Vitek will make it at all.
In all honesty, my initial reaction to Vitek left me wondering what I missed so I ran his name by a scouting contact who had watched him play as well. His response, "I didn't see it. I don't understand how he was a first rounder."
- Listed height/weight of 6-foot-2, 195 pounds seemed on the light side
- Muscular build; Shoulders reminiscent of a football player
- Shoulders appeared muscular to the point of being stiff; Caused swing to appear rigid
- Load and swing were separate parts of his swing mechanics; Lacked fluidity
- Significant length in the back of his swing; above average bat whip through the strike zone
- Hitch led to difficulty hitting pitches above his waist; Best swings were on balls at the knees
- Quite a bit of swing-and-miss for a high average, high contact hitter
- Appeared at designated hitter
- Greenville was weak defensively at the corners; Does this speak to his defensive ability, or lack thereof?
- Gut feeling leaves Vitek a classic tweener
I've seen corner prospects with legitimate power and Vitek did not strike me as that. Add his apparent difficulty playing defense and what's left is a poor defender with the offensive skill set of a second baseman relegated to a corner.
How does that play at the big league level? When I struggle to find an answer or visualize a scenario, I have no choice but to question whether Vitek will make it at all.
In all honesty, my initial reaction to Vitek left me wondering what I missed so I ran his name by a scouting contact who had watched him play as well. His response, "I didn't see it. I don't understand how he was a first rounder."
