Ab(r)andon Inge Top 15 Tiger's Prospect Countdown: #15

As a self-confessed prospect junkie, aspiring scout, and Tigers obsessive; I decided that I would use this blog as a sort of "jumping off point" in terms of my scouting career.  I will be doing my personal opinion on the Tiger's top 15 prospects for the 2012 season, as well as providing MY OWN scouting opinions.  I want to stress that I am not a scout, nor have I ever been one.  I could be egregiously off in terms of how I see these particular prospects, but everyone has to start somewhere right?

Without further ado, I give you my number 15 prospect in the Detroit Tiger's organization:

Brandon Loy, SS/2B, Class A West Michigan


My Grades:
Hit: 45
Power: 40
Speed: 50
Defense: 60
Arm: 55/60 (SS/2B)

As you can see from my grades, Loy is definitely a defense-first prospect.  From the film I was able to watch, it's easy to notice how incredibly quick his feet are and how much range he has from the shortstop position.  He easily has plus range, and an above average arm from shortstop.  He has been playing some 2nd Base with West Michigan, and from 2nd Base is arm is definitely plus.  I noticed that Loy displays a very quick and smooth exchange when throwing to 1st, but the exchange and release can get a bit sloppy when he throws to 2nd for a double play.  This may or may not be me hallucinating, but it seems that he gets a bit lazy on the shorter throws; which of course is easily correctable.  As far as offense goes, I was most impressed with Loy's recognition of and discipline within the strike zone.  This is a guy who is not afraid to take a walk, which is definitely a positive.  He still has a tendency to get long in his swing, which will present problems as he faces increased velocity.  When he keeps his swing short, he makes solid contact, generating decent-average backspin on the ball, which could project to average extra base power.  He runs pretty well, but he'll never be a big base stealing threat like his fellow SS Dixon Machado (we'll get to him) is.

Overall, I think Loy's ceiling in the major league is heavily dependent on his bat.  If he can hit major league average, then he will become a starter in the middle infield of a big league team because he really is that good defensively.  Should he never be able to figure it out fully with the bat, then he could definitely make an impact in the majors as a Danny Worth-type defensive first utility player.  Either way, I think Loy will make an impact in the major leagues somewhere, and I can only hope it is with the Tigers.