Prospect Watch: #12 Taylor Lindsey. 2B

Taylor Lindsey, the second baseman, is the 12th ranked prospect according to our official rankings here on Friars on Base. Now there is a method to our madness as to why he is ranked where he is on this list. Where does he fit in for the Padres in future years, and what is he up to now in the minor leagues? Find out below.

Lindsey was the centerpiece in the trade that sent former Padres’ closer Huston Street to the Angels in exchange for Lindsey and three other players who came to San Diego to infuse the farm system with some much needed young, high ceiling potential talent to grow and hopefully shape into building blocks down the road. He was a first round pick of the Angels back in the 2010 amateur draft, going #37 in that first round. According to Baseball Prospectus, he was the 94th ranked prospect in all of baseball, not a bad chip for the Angels to have at the time should a trade opportunity to upgrade the big club come up at some point.

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He is rated as a below-average defender in the infield, which could potentially move him to another position either in the infield or the outfield when he comes up to the big club in the future.  Also another negative on his record, is his lack of speed on the base paths. Not everyone is blessed with speed on the base paths we know, but it could be a concern for a manager who prefers to have speed on the base paths rather than play station to station baseball. These skills can be improved with the time and effort put in with the right instructor. Lindsey might not be the best at these parts of the game, but he can be solid enough to be able to stay up in the big leagues eventually.

Unfortunately, Lindsey has not had the best of season at Triple-A El Paso where he struggled mightily with the bat. He hit only .219 with two home runs and 17 RBI in 41 games played. That adjustment to Triple-A can vary depending on each player. Some are able to get locked in right away and be very comfortable hitting the pitching that they get at that level of baseball.

For others like Lindsey, he has had to reevaluate himself in terms of batting stance, timing and mechanics. That is a very difficult thing for a young hitter like himself to have to go through. There is no reason though, why he cannot emerge form this off-season and be the hitter he and the Padres’ organization expect.

The future plans for Lindsey seem a little cloudy as of right now, in terms of just where he will end up playing in the infield. The Padres infield is pretty crowded as it is constituted right now, and looks pretty set in tone for the foreseeable future. With such players as Cory Spangenberg, Jedd Gyorko,  and Yangervis Solarte in the mix already, it could be hard to see where Lindsey would be able to beat out one of those three for a position in the infield. If Lindsey has a strong spring training, then this could change things and he could possibly find himself in a position to make the team out of spring training, but that is a big if for right now.