Have the Red Sox found a possible gem in fourth-round pick Bobby Dalbec? So far the results are excellent.
The Boston Red Sox draft class of 2016 has completed their first season – a very short season for the majority of recruits. The impact story was first-round pick, Jason Groome, who completed his inaugural voyage into the professional ranks with a grand total of 6.2 innings pitched.
Within each draft, the occasional baseball nugget appears that just may be slightly ahead of the learning curve. A prospect whose first exposure translates into a player who will be watched a bit more judiciously as the next season jumps into play. This season my sudden surprise is Bobby Dalbec.
Dalbec gets attention based on size as he is listed at 6’4” and 225 pounds – you can translate into metric measurements – I’ll pass. Dalbec is a fourth-round pick from the University of Arizona, where he played first base, third base, pitched a tad of relief and demonstrated his specialty – home runs.
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As a sophomore, Dalbec hammered 15 homers in 213 at-bats and faded to just seven in 2016 in 207 at-bats. The alarming news was twofold, as his batting average sunk to .266 and Dalbec’s whiff total hit 76. The Red Sox saw enough to put Mr. Dalbec into a rarefied tax bracket with a $650,000 bonus for the Baseball America Second-Team All-American.
Lowell is generally the starting point for young prospects – especially the college players. Lowell is classified short season as part of the New York – Penn League or A- for the letter designation. This is where Andrew Benintendi started his crash course in professional development in 2015. Dalbec certainly enjoyed a robust introduction to the professional ranks.
Twice Player of the Week and one who simply showed he may be one of those very nuggets that occasionally surface. Dalbec slashed .386/.427/.674 and if you do the quick addition that is a David Ortiz like 1.101 OPS. The free-swinging right-hander still had a 23.1 K% and only nine walks. Dalbec obviously likes to tee off in his at-bats.
At 21-year’s-old Dalbec will most certainly move up the instructional ladder for 2017 with the next likely step being Greenville in the A classification South Atlantic League. Greenville – home of The Drive – also has a faux Green Monster that may give an enticing glance into what the future may hold.
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Continued progress for Dalbec has potential road blocks assuming that he takes a positive trajectory. The two most significant ones are fellow third base competitors Yoan Moncada and Rafael Devers. A third possibility is Michael Chavis, who whenever he appears to advance suddenly stalls. Chavis is also projected – like Dalbec – as a right-hand power possibility.
A key ingredient for Dalbec is the potential to play first base. Dalbec – according to scouting reports – is quite capable at both first and third with – as would be expected with his pitching background – a strong arm. So there are options and with the noted trading prowess of Dave Dombrowski, the spaces within the organization are constantly shifting.
Dalbec is raw – no doubt about that, but he has the one talent that if developed can be deadly – especially at Fenway Park – right-hand power. From my view, his career may reflect that of Butch Hobson without the disastrous fielding. Or possibly Will Middlebrooks, but without Jenny Dell.
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I’ll keep Dalbec on my prospect radar for 2017, but so far he has surprised.
Sources: Sox Prospects