The Intriguing Story of Erik Lis

Posted by andrew on January 27, 2010 under Andrew | 4 Comments to Read

Erik Lis seems to have flown off the radar these days. After putting up a .283/.353/.462 batting line in his second consecutive year at New Britain, I gave Lis the 47th position on my Top 50 Prospects list.

Should he be higher? After all, the guy has hit everywhere he has been.

As a 25-year old in Double-A, though, Lis is quickly losing momentum. After a successful collegiate career, spending two years in the same location isn’t usually in the cards for a high-caliber hitter. Lis has never been the best athlete, and his defense is well below average, but he has swatted plenty of home runs at every level he has been. Here are his career stats in the Twins’ organization.

Shouldn’t his bat be enough to carry him through the system, or does having a clear defensive position carry more value than most think?

Lis’ powerful bat limits his defensive options to the corner outfield or first base. Spending the majority of the 2009 season either at first base or as a designated hitter, the New Britain coaching staff showed that they don’t have much confidence in Lis’ fielding abilities in the outfield.

As an American League organization, the Twins utilize a designated hitter every day. Lis is one of the few prospects in the Twins’ system that is almost purely a designated hitter. As evidenced by the promotion Lis didn’t receive after the 2008 season, the Twins place a very high emphasis on defense in their prospects. Should they, though?

What do you think? Should a prospect like Lis be valued more by the Twins and moved more aggressively? Or do the Twins place the right amount of emphasis on defense among their prospects?

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