2011 SAL All-Stars: 2B Sean Coyle

We continue our S2S South Atlantic Team All-Star team with the team’s second baseball, Sean Coyle.

Name: Sean Coyle
Height: 5′ 8″
Weight: 175 
Bats and Throws: R
Age: Turns 20 on January 17th
2011 Team: Greenville Drive (BOS)
Basic Batting Stats: .247/.362/.464, 27 doubles, 7 triples, 14 homers, 64 RBI, 20 stolen bases in 106 games
Fielding Stats: 101 games at second base, .959 Fld%

Background:

Coyle was a 3rd round pick by the Red Sox in 2010 out of Germantown Academy in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, Coyle signed for a well-above slot 1.3 million dollar bonus. Perfect Game ranked Coyle as the top high school prospect in the state of Pennsylvania for the 2010 Draft, but he dropped because of his strong commitment to the University of North Carolina.

General Thoughts:

The Red Sox certainly didn’t sign Coyle for such a high bonus for no reason. Coyle has excellent raw power, especially for a middle infielder, and although his 14 homers weren’t so impressive, his .217 ISO certainly was. His power came from a high ratio of flyballs to the outfield, 37.1% of his batted balls compared to the league average of 29.2% according to Minor League Central. Coyle’s power from his diminutive frame forces comparisons to the player who currently occupies his position in the Red Sox lineup, Dustin Pedroia. His nice walk rate (12.9% of his PA’s) and nice speed are also Pedroia-esque. But his pure hitting tool leaves a lot to be desired.

Coyle’s low .247 BA was no fluke as he posted just a 12.7% LD%, nowhere near the league average of 16.4%. He hit so many extra-base hits on his flyballs to the outfield, but between his dearth of line drives and a surplus of pop-ups, his batting average ended up being .013 below the league average. He also struck out too much, 23.6% of his plate appearances compared to the league average of 20.1%, and his general contact percentage of 51.4% of his swings was well below the league average of 59.2%. Pedroia was also knocked as a prospect because of his long swing, but Coyle is drawing a lot more heat than Pedroia even did.

Defensively, Coyle has an excellent arm and nice motions at second base, but he isn’t anywhere near a perennial Gold Glove contender. His range is questionable and his while his arm is relatively strong, it’s erratic, leading to some embarrassing errors. Coyle needs work defensively.

Going Forward:

Best-case scenario for Coyle, we’re looking at Dustin Pedroia Lite, a second baseman that hits for nice power and steals some bases but strikes out way too much for his own good and doesn’t hit for anything more than a decent average. But Coyle is a questionable prospect across the board. Coyle will have to continue proving himself wherever he goes and confront all the questions that surround him as a prospect. He will take his talents to High-A in 2012 and look to do just that.

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