Reilly
01-30-2005, 04:16 PM
Scouting Mets' Prospect # 5: Ambiorix Concepcion
By Patrick Teale (http://javascript<b></b>:location.href='http://search.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=4&c=1&search=1&sskey=%22' + escape('Patrick Teale') + '%22&sssiteid=228';)
Date: Jan 30, 2005
The New York Mets signed Ambiorix Concepcion as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Concepcion broke on to the prospect scene in 2004 with the Cyclones while drawing numerous comparisons to Vladmir Guerrero. Ranking #5 among our Top 50 Mets' Prospects, here's a scouting report on Ambiorix Concepcion.
Vital Statistics:
Name: Ambiorix Concepcion (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1411985)
Position: Right Field
DOB: October 15, 1983
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
OK, so the Mets passed on Vladimir Guerrero (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1148623) after the 2003 season, spooked by concerns about the All-Star's bad back.
That came back to bite the organization in a big way when Guerrero had an MVP season for the Anaheim Angels (http://angels.scout.com/). The Vladimir ship has sailed, of course, but Mets fans can take solace in the fact that the organization currently has not one, but two, power-hitting right fielders who are already drawing comparisons to Guerrero – No. 5 prospect Ambiorix Concepcion and No. 8 prospect Carlos Gomez (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1412038).
The higher-ranking of the pair, Ambiorix Concepcion, is still two to three years away from stepping into Darryl Strawberry's old digs at Shea Stadium. However, he's well on his way up the ladder, having established himself as probably the greatest player to wear a Brooklyn Cyclones uniform in the club's short existence. Last year, Concepcion very nearly brought the Cyclones' Triple Crown home, batting .305 with eight home runs, 46 RBI (a club record) and 28 stolen bases in just 259 at-bats – numbers that become all the more impressive when you consider that Brooklyn plays in a short-season league.
"He's just like Vladimir Guerrero in one respect," one National League scout said. "He has a good eye at the plate but will swing at just about anything, but still manages to hit a ball he has no business hitting. There's little room for error when pitching to that guy." A non-drafted free agent who signed with the Mets in 2001 out of Victor Garillo Puello High School in Santo Domingo, D.R., Concepcion played his first two professional seasons under the name Roberto Solano.
His debut season with Kingsport in 2002 was a success, as he hit .276 with four homers and 31 RBI in 57 games, but he slumped badly in 2003 due to personal issues and hit just .214. No matter, however, as Concepcion – by now, known by his real name – rebounded last season to imprint his name on the Mets organizational radar in a big way. For those who had been watching the five-tool talent over the last few years, Concepcion's emergence into a top-notch stud at Brooklyn wasn't anything of a surprise.
"When we played together at Kingsport, he's the one guy I thought would play in the big leagues for sure," No. 6 prospect Jamar Hill (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1251623) said. "[He's] somebody with a really high ceiling." "Concepcion can turn it on at any time," adds No. 33 prospect Mike Carp (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1683772). "I mean, really, he's 21 years old and on the 40-man roster already. You know he's special."
http://media.scout.com/media/image/17/173190.jpg
Batting and Power. The name of Concepcion's offensive game is his raw power. A very aggressive hitter that will strike out a tad too much at times, Concepcion does not get cheated at the plate and is looking to drive every pitch. He's not looking to take a walk and the opposing pitchers realize that. Once Concepcion learns to work deeper counts and improve his pitch recognition, he'll be a huge offensive force, even more than he was in 2004. He is a big time run producer and will be so for many years.
Base Running and Speed. Not only does Concepcion have raw power, but he has raw speed. He has a long way to go to refine his speed game on the base paths, getting thrown out 11 times in 39 attempts in the NY-Penn League last season. He is one the fastest players in the farm system.
Defense. Concepcion has drawn the Vladmir Guerrero comparison not only for his power and speed, but because he has a fantastic arm in the outfield. It would be a toss up who has the better arm between Carlos Gomez and Ambiorix Concepcion, but the bottom line is he can gun out just about anybody at the plate. He grew up playing centerfield a with his tremendous speed he can cover a lot of ground out in right field. Defensively, Concepcion projects to be an above average right fielder.
Projection. Concepcion possesses some of the best raw skills in the Mets' system and is one of the more intriguing power-speed combos. The sky is the limit for this young man blessed with 30-30 potential. The one question mark is how will he respond to the pitching at the higher levels. If Concepcion can improve his plate patience and show pitchers he is willing to let them walk him, he'll be giant among men. Even if he struggles with the batting average at the higher levels, Concepcion's plus skills in all the other areas could still make him a very good Major Leaguer down the road.
ETA. 2008. Concepcion does have Vlad-type ability across the board. The skills sets are in place and now Concepcion just needs to prove it to himself and the pundits that he can produce at any level. The problem the Mets are running into is that they have three legitimate right field prospects that all played at low-A ball or lower and have thus created a logjam. Concepcion, who just turned 21 years old in October, is going to have to be challenged and could skip a level up to St. Lucie in 2005.
By Patrick Teale (http://javascript<b></b>:location.href='http://search.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=4&c=1&search=1&sskey=%22' + escape('Patrick Teale') + '%22&sssiteid=228';)
Date: Jan 30, 2005
The New York Mets signed Ambiorix Concepcion as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Concepcion broke on to the prospect scene in 2004 with the Cyclones while drawing numerous comparisons to Vladmir Guerrero. Ranking #5 among our Top 50 Mets' Prospects, here's a scouting report on Ambiorix Concepcion.
Vital Statistics:
Name: Ambiorix Concepcion (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1411985)
Position: Right Field
DOB: October 15, 1983
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
OK, so the Mets passed on Vladimir Guerrero (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1148623) after the 2003 season, spooked by concerns about the All-Star's bad back.
That came back to bite the organization in a big way when Guerrero had an MVP season for the Anaheim Angels (http://angels.scout.com/). The Vladimir ship has sailed, of course, but Mets fans can take solace in the fact that the organization currently has not one, but two, power-hitting right fielders who are already drawing comparisons to Guerrero – No. 5 prospect Ambiorix Concepcion and No. 8 prospect Carlos Gomez (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1412038).
The higher-ranking of the pair, Ambiorix Concepcion, is still two to three years away from stepping into Darryl Strawberry's old digs at Shea Stadium. However, he's well on his way up the ladder, having established himself as probably the greatest player to wear a Brooklyn Cyclones uniform in the club's short existence. Last year, Concepcion very nearly brought the Cyclones' Triple Crown home, batting .305 with eight home runs, 46 RBI (a club record) and 28 stolen bases in just 259 at-bats – numbers that become all the more impressive when you consider that Brooklyn plays in a short-season league.
"He's just like Vladimir Guerrero in one respect," one National League scout said. "He has a good eye at the plate but will swing at just about anything, but still manages to hit a ball he has no business hitting. There's little room for error when pitching to that guy." A non-drafted free agent who signed with the Mets in 2001 out of Victor Garillo Puello High School in Santo Domingo, D.R., Concepcion played his first two professional seasons under the name Roberto Solano.
His debut season with Kingsport in 2002 was a success, as he hit .276 with four homers and 31 RBI in 57 games, but he slumped badly in 2003 due to personal issues and hit just .214. No matter, however, as Concepcion – by now, known by his real name – rebounded last season to imprint his name on the Mets organizational radar in a big way. For those who had been watching the five-tool talent over the last few years, Concepcion's emergence into a top-notch stud at Brooklyn wasn't anything of a surprise.
"When we played together at Kingsport, he's the one guy I thought would play in the big leagues for sure," No. 6 prospect Jamar Hill (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1251623) said. "[He's] somebody with a really high ceiling." "Concepcion can turn it on at any time," adds No. 33 prospect Mike Carp (http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=228&p=8&c=1&nid=1683772). "I mean, really, he's 21 years old and on the 40-man roster already. You know he's special."
http://media.scout.com/media/image/17/173190.jpg
Batting and Power. The name of Concepcion's offensive game is his raw power. A very aggressive hitter that will strike out a tad too much at times, Concepcion does not get cheated at the plate and is looking to drive every pitch. He's not looking to take a walk and the opposing pitchers realize that. Once Concepcion learns to work deeper counts and improve his pitch recognition, he'll be a huge offensive force, even more than he was in 2004. He is a big time run producer and will be so for many years.
Base Running and Speed. Not only does Concepcion have raw power, but he has raw speed. He has a long way to go to refine his speed game on the base paths, getting thrown out 11 times in 39 attempts in the NY-Penn League last season. He is one the fastest players in the farm system.
Defense. Concepcion has drawn the Vladmir Guerrero comparison not only for his power and speed, but because he has a fantastic arm in the outfield. It would be a toss up who has the better arm between Carlos Gomez and Ambiorix Concepcion, but the bottom line is he can gun out just about anybody at the plate. He grew up playing centerfield a with his tremendous speed he can cover a lot of ground out in right field. Defensively, Concepcion projects to be an above average right fielder.
Projection. Concepcion possesses some of the best raw skills in the Mets' system and is one of the more intriguing power-speed combos. The sky is the limit for this young man blessed with 30-30 potential. The one question mark is how will he respond to the pitching at the higher levels. If Concepcion can improve his plate patience and show pitchers he is willing to let them walk him, he'll be giant among men. Even if he struggles with the batting average at the higher levels, Concepcion's plus skills in all the other areas could still make him a very good Major Leaguer down the road.
ETA. 2008. Concepcion does have Vlad-type ability across the board. The skills sets are in place and now Concepcion just needs to prove it to himself and the pundits that he can produce at any level. The problem the Mets are running into is that they have three legitimate right field prospects that all played at low-A ball or lower and have thus created a logjam. Concepcion, who just turned 21 years old in October, is going to have to be challenged and could skip a level up to St. Lucie in 2005.