Todd Frazier might not see much more time in the minor leagues, if any, as a soon to be 26-year old with nearly 1000 plate appearances in AAA, which is one reason he is the top guy at third base in the system. There are questions as to whether or not he is a starter or more of a utility player and I can see both sides of that argument. He has hit .262/.338/.457 while playing for Louisville in his career, which would be good enough as a starter at the next level, but he hit .232/.289/.438 in his first stint in the Majors. He has above average power, but his hit tool may not play enough to start every day and scouts wonder if his arm-bar in his swing has finally caught up to him. Even with that thought on the mind, he was still rated as the International League’s 20th best prospect by Baseball America after the season was over.
Gabriel Rosa is the furthest down the totem pole at the position, but the 2011 second round draft pick has some good raw tools to his name. Rosa hit .245/.314/.406 as a 17 year old in the Arizona League after the draft. While there is a lot of dreaming on his tools to list him here, he has a pretty looking swing and some good power potential in his bat. As a defender there are some things to like, but some do wonder if he will outgrow the position down the line. For now though, he seems to have a future at the hot corner.
David Vidal may have had the best season of any third baseman in the system for the Dayton Dragons in 2011. He would hit .280/.350/.498 while finishing in the top three in the league in both doubles and home runs. His size may limit his ultimate upside, but his power is legit. There are some questions about his plate discipline, as overall he had 44 walks to go with 111 strikeouts, but he made big strides in the second half of the season compared to the first. Defensively he is strong, showing both the ability to make highlight plays as well as the routine. Plate discipline could be the biggest question on his resume moving forward.
Sean Buckley is another player from the 2011 draft (6th round) who provides good depth in the third base chain. Buckley’s scouting reports out of college were that he had above average to plus raw power in his bat and he flashed that for the Billings Mustangs as he finished tied for third in the league with 14 HR’s while posting a .289/.372/.551 line. Like Vidal, he showed some questionable plate discipline with a 23 walk to 73 strikeout campaign. He had an .885 fielding percentage on the season, so there is plenty of work to do defensively and there are some questions about the offense as well because of the plate discipline. After the season, he was named the Pioneer Leagues #12 prospect by Baseball America.
Junior Arias spent his time in Billings splitting the 3B and DH roles with Sean Buckley. His numbers weren’t as good, but he also played the season two years younger while posting a .251/.320/.452 line with 19 walks and 74 strikeouts. Plate discipline is also a question with Arias, though he did improve over his 2010 season in this area. His power potential is pretty strong and is the best tool in his offensive game. Defensively, his .864 fielding percentage suggests there is plenty of work to improve upon as he moves forward. It should be noted that this was his first season at the hot corner, so there could be some transition time before becoming more comfortable at the position.
Overall Thoughts
There is some solid depth at the position throughout the system, but there isn’t really a can’t miss guy and with Scott Rolen’s age and health as well as Juan Francisco’s questionable offensive approach, the Reds could use someone like that in the system. Between Francisco and Frazier there could be something there or even enough to bridge the gap until one of the other guys mentioned here could take the next step. I would give this position a Grade B overall. There is depth and plenty of upside within it, but no one at the top end of the spectrum while leaving a bit of a gap in the AA team for now.