Let’s Go Prospecting: Jean Segura

I have no problem shilling for a good friend, or even a complete stranger, as long as I’m promised a sandwich. In this case, I’m happy to do it though. Bleacher Report recently hired Mike Rosenbaum to be their lead prospect writer and he released his Top 50 List on Monday. While it’s a little late in the game, you should go read it because Mike is going to be a star and you should get to know him.

Mike, like the rest of the planet, had Matt Moore, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout in his top three. Personally, I’d have Trout and Harper over Moore but it’s not worth the debate. All three are going to be amazing. Jean Segura didn’t make his top 50 so I asked him to send me his scouting report on the Halos’ second best positional prospect…

"“Had Jean Segura not been plagued by injuries off-and-on since 2008, he might already be in the Major Leagues.The No. 2 prospect in the Angels’ system behind Mike Trout, and the No. 67 prospect in all of baseball, Segura is an undersized (5’11”, 185 lbs.) middle infielder with exciting tools. Thanks to his raw bat speed and compact swing, he will surprise people with the amount of pop in his bat. His quick wrists allow him to sit on offspeed offerings, and he’s become increasingly comfortable hitting to all fields. By the time he settles in at the Major League level, the right-handed hitter could flirt with a .300 batting average, as well as 10-15 home runs. With healthy legs, Segura has the potential to be a stolen base threat, and should leg out many more extra-base hits. Although he’s always had a high contact rate, Segura could better utilize his speed by drawing more walks—something that he’s done at an eight percent clip in his best seasons.With enough range to play both middle infield positions for the time being, it’s Segura’s plus arm that makes him more attractive as a shortstop. He plays both positions aggressively and has good instincts on the field He had a brief but impressive stint at Triple-A in 2009, but has spent the last two seasons bouncing between the Angels’ Rookie and Class-A affiliates. He would have reached Double-A in 2011 if not for the hamstring injury, so it’s a logical destination for him to begin the 2012 season.”"

Kevin Goldstein also has Segura at 67 and Keith Law has him at 44. The “health skill” is most likely the reason for the disparity in the rankings. Not that there is a wide gap from being a top 70 or top 50 prospect.

As I mentioned earlier, Segura will start the season at Double-A. If it goes well, GM Jerry Dipoto won’t have to get into a bidding war for incumbent short stop Erick Aybar when he hits the free agent market after the 2012 season.

Expect plenty of Segura updates throughout the season. I’m a big fan.

Hey Mike, when is that sandwich coming my way?