Notes From BA’s AZL Chat

John Manuel, with whom I’ve exchanged many e-mails over the years, answered questions about the Arizona League (Rookie-ball) today on Baseball America.

I want to highlight a couple gems.

When asked about Cedric Hunter’s power and future lineup slot, Manuel said,

Best-case scenario may be a Mike Greenwell-Rusty Greer type, maybe below-average HR power for an OF corner offset by high OBPs and heady play. Getting a manager to nitpick and say something negative about Cedric Hunter was difficult. He earned a lot of respect.

I haven’t posted my Padres’ Top 25 yet, but I’ll give you my a quote from what I’ve written about Hunter.

While [Cedric’ power] could be an issue, if he continues to display the patience and strike zone control that he did in Arizona, he could hit 5 HR and be an asset.

Finishing off the chat, Manuel said, “The Royals and Padres had the most talented teams in the league, with the Mariners and Angels also right up there.”

Nice.