Bleacher Bums Forum

Those stats are exclusively wrapped up in August where Almora's hitting .352 and averaging a double every 9 at-bats. Since those numbers are clearly unsustainable, let's see where he levels off at when he gets to Iowa. Hopefully, it's a sign something has clicked. But huge outlier months make me suspicious.

Not exclusively. Almora slugged .457 in July (but low BA).

That's just more evidence of his strange season. He hit 3 homers in 12 games in July. In August he has 1 homer in 31 games despite hitting .350.

.....The second half season performance is almost always way more important than the first half--for any young player. So, really good thing the second half is strong and bodes well for future.

I get that, but with a caution.  There's a first-half and an April every year. 

No doubt, the first half was real. But you're looking for development, and it's very clear that we're seeing progression from Almora in the second half.

He *should* be a high BABIP guy, given his reputed hitting acumen and relative speed. Whether it's homers in July or doubles in August, he *should* be hitting for more power as he matures.

None of this means that he's going to be a successful big leaguer, or that he'll even be able to handle AAA. But it sure as heck looks really good out of a 21 year old who hadn't really yet lived up to the hype. It seems as though one of Theo's favorite quotes regarding prospects is that development isn't always linear. Fingers crossed, this is real and sustainable from Almora, and he's finally tapping into the promise that so, so many have seen for so long.

All prospects are "iffy".........Almora, like all of the above, is not a "sure thing"  But he looks more promising right now than he did two months ago.

I would not lump "all prospects" into one "iffy" category.

Occasionally, there are "sure things"---but we don't know precisely the eventual range for them between solid player and star player. So, one could say that Bryant and Russell seem to have made it but open question where they get to. That will depend on their ability to make adjustments going forward. Bryant was a "sure thing" to at least be a solid regular at some position, absent career-changing injury.

Two months ago, was looking doubtful that Almora would be decent bet to be even solid regular.  Now, looks like a decent chance to be solid regular. Wholly different category of "iffy" than Bryant.

It is appropriate to lump all prospects into the iffy category because all prospects ARE iffy.  There is no such thing as a sure thing, and even prospects that were rated the best in baseball have failed.

I did not say that all prospects are equal.  Obviously, some have a better chance of reaching their ceiling than others.  But all are "iffy".

Black as a reliever has been a bust. Move him back to the rotation.

Prospects as good as Harper have failed.  No prospect is a sure thing.

I am not going to quibble about the true meaning of the word "iffy".  Talk to Jes or bring Scottie back to the board.