Allan Dykstra 1B
Allan is a big guy. I mean a really big guy. 6’5″ 215, though he looks like he carries a bit more weight than that. Nonetheless the point to understand is that he is an imposing figure on the baseball field. He dwarfs the rest of the infield, who barely crack 5’11″ , and I doubt that those numbers are honest. The guy looks like a ball player. His name even has that major league pedigree, though he bears no relation to the former Philly Lenny. He has the sort of physique that is deceptive because his physicality seems to imply a natural talent for the game. Unfortunately, his stature seems to be the only thing keeping him on the Storm.
As a batter, Dykstra should shine. His raw numbers tell a different story. His career line sits at .231/.392/.389, which would be pretty decent in the MLB but if you look at his Major League Equivalent as adjusted by Minorleaguesplits.com it comes out to a paltry .148/.247/.228. Thats an OPS of .475 , which is just bad. Steve Carlton had a better OPS and he was a pitcher. Major League batter usually average an OPS of close to .750. The bigger issue is that Dykstra projects to be a power hitter because of his frame and his position. It’s not so much that he can’t hit the crap out of the ball, because when he connects the ball goes sailing.
The problem is he strikes out. A lot. He strikes out close to twenty-five percent of at bats. In a batter favored league like the Cal League, he should not come near these numbers. For a comparison, previously covered SS Drew Cumberland strikes out at only a 12 percent clip. One could contend that Dykstra strikes out so much because he attempts to crush the ball at every chance he gets. This is partially true. He has a big looping swing that generates a lot of power, often causing him to get underneath the ball, creating a high fly ball percentage.
However, it should be noted that Dykstra has relatively decent patience at the plate. He works the count and dares pitchers to challenge him. He is decent at recognizing balls and strikes and can hold off on swinging at bad pitches. Unfortunately his swing takes a long time to get going so he has to cheat (start his swing early) to get good connection. (This is a similar problem to the issues David Ortiz is having at the current stage of his career) Because of this he often misses on sliders and good curves. As a reaction to this he also can freeze at the plate and often watches a called third strike zip by while he stares dumbfounded at the ball in the catcher’s mitt. He is your worst nightmare if you are having a bad night, but pitchers with good location or moderately good stuff are often very successful against him.
You would hope that maybe his fielding would make him a more valuable asset, though this is not really the case either. Playing at first base saps his value in the field, as it has long been a safe haven for big hitters with nominal fielding talent ala Jason Giambi. Not only does is he devalued by position, he is also a not the greatest fielder. He lacks range and has minimal quickness. His only plus is that his size allows him to reach poor or wild throws with ease. The fact that he is not producing at the plate only serves to further damn him as a 1b prospect. Especially when the Storm have a hotter hitting 1b prospect in Cody Decker,though he sits about 7 inches shorter than Dykstra.
Also I feel it must make mention of Dykstra’s especially poor performance on the base paths. Not only will he succumb to any infield hit thereby marginalizing his ability to be a productive hitter, he is not a threat to steal if somehow he does get on base. Through April, he has no steal attempts what so ever. Also his base running is atrocious, as he lumbers from base to base. He has a hard time stopping, often overrunning bags if he doesn’t get a signal in time.
And if you hadnt already guessed from the title, the Padres sunk 1 million dollars in to him already. Some fruitful spending, eh?
