I like Tena for Yepez, but have no interest in Sanchez, who isn't better than what we have.
Until this morning Yepez was only a name on a list I had made up months ago of RH corner bats who might be MLB ready in 2022.
What caught my eye as I was going thru older scouting reports was the dramatic improvement in power without sacrificing much contact. Yepez is much like the three SP prospects we've picked up in the last several months...Battenfield, Pilkington, and Myers...fringe types with a lot of IFs that hit all the IFs this year.
In Yepez case, the IFs were whether he could reshape his body to become at least a viable outfielder, and whether he could get more distance out of all the fly balls he hit. He hit A+ on both counts.
In some ways Yepez also reminds me of Franmil, who didn't hit for great power until late in his MiLB journey.
Except for the (Huge) fact that we don't know if he can actually play at the MLB level, he fits everything we...or at least I...am/are looking for on this roster.
RH 1B/OF who has both contact abilities and power. This kid has not been a K machine, like Bradley, Zimmer, Frazier, et all. He Ks a lot less than Chang ever did.
Imagine if Harold Ramirez hit 55% of his batted balls in the air than on the ground. Thats what we may be talking about offensively with Yepez.
Another factor that makes me think his production can translate to MLB is that his best numbers aren't driven by unsustainable freak peripherals, like high BABIP.
So I started studying Cards media about Yepez. They make much todo about him as a DH candidate. The Cards thought so much of him that they activated him for a playoff game.
The more I read, the more I'm not sure that they would swap him for Tena.
Until this morning Yepez was only a name on a list I had made up months ago of RH corner bats who might be MLB ready in 2022.
What caught my eye as I was going thru older scouting reports was the dramatic improvement in power without sacrificing much contact. Yepez is much like the three SP prospects we've picked up in the last several months...Battenfield, Pilkington, and Myers...fringe types with a lot of IFs that hit all the IFs this year.
In Yepez case, the IFs were whether he could reshape his body to become at least a viable outfielder, and whether he could get more distance out of all the fly balls he hit. He hit A+ on both counts.
In some ways Yepez also reminds me of Franmil, who didn't hit for great power until late in his MiLB journey.
Except for the (Huge) fact that we don't know if he can actually play at the MLB level, he fits everything we...or at least I...am/are looking for on this roster.
RH 1B/OF who has both contact abilities and power. This kid has not been a K machine, like Bradley, Zimmer, Frazier, et all. He Ks a lot less than Chang ever did.
Imagine if Harold Ramirez hit 55% of his batted balls in the air than on the ground. Thats what we may be talking about offensively with Yepez.
Another factor that makes me think his production can translate to MLB is that his best numbers aren't driven by unsustainable freak peripherals, like high BABIP.
So I started studying Cards media about Yepez. They make much todo about him as a DH candidate. The Cards thought so much of him that they activated him for a playoff game.
The more I read, the more I'm not sure that they would swap him for Tena.