WTHB's Under-the-Radar Roster: Position Players

On Tuesday, I introduced WTHB's Under-the-Radar roster, first looking at the under-the-radar pitching staff. Today, let's see what position players made the cut.

As a reminder, my self-imposed rules were that the player could not be on any of the top prospect lists noted here nor could they be on the 40-man roster nor could they be a draft pick from the top 5 rounds. And the final rule was that each player had to have been assigned to one of the full season team rosters. (I hope to establish another roster when the short season teams break camp.) The plan is to check in on them periodically to see how they are doing as a group for the season.

Ronnie Mitchell - June 2014

Photo by Jayne Hansen

Catchers:

Tyler Heineman (23) S/R

Drafted in the 8th round in 2012 out of the University of California in Los Angeles

Switch-hitter who hits better from the left with a good offensive upside; excellent defensive skills and caught stealing rate

Alfredo Gonzalez (22) R/R

Signed as an international free agent in 2008

Excellent defensive skills with a very good arm; solid offensively with good plate discipline, a little pop and good speed for a catcher

Catching Reserves:

Jacob Nottingham (20) R/R

Drafted in the 6th round in 2013 out of Redlands High School, Redlands, California

Roberto Pena wasn't eligible for the roster as he was included as a top prospect in Baseball America's Prospect Handbook. I also strongly considered Jamie Ritchie, but he is also being used at first base and DH. Brett Booth is another under-the-radar guy that intrigues me.

Infielders:

1B/3B Matt Duffy (26) R/R

Drafted in the 20th round in 2011 out of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee

Solid defensively at both first and third and can hit for average and for power

1B/DH Chase McDonald (22) R/R

Drafted in the 12th round in 2013 out of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina

Has some serious power potential; can hit to all fields; handles first base adeptly

3B Nick Tanielu (22) R/R

Drafted in the 14th round in 2014 out of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington

Solid hitter with developing power; has transitioned to third base well

SS/2B Mott Hyde (23) R/R

Drafted in the 26th round in 2014 out of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia

Low strikeouts, high walks and decent power; very good defensively

2B/SS Kristian Trompiz (19) R/R

Signed as an international free agent in 2012

Good doubles power and plate discipline; can play third base in addition to the middle infield

IF Joe Sclafani (25 yesterday) S/R

Drafted in the 14th round in 2012 out of Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire

Better defensively in the middle infield, but can handle third base and the outfield in a pinch; hits for average with good on-base skills, a little pop and good instincts on base; low strikeouts and high walks

Infield Reserves:

3B/1B Tyler White (24) R/R

Drafted in the 33rd round in 2013 out of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina

SS/2B Chan Moon (24) S/R

International free agent signed in 2009

White would likely have been on my starting roster, but he was only activated a couple of days ago. Alex Hernandez and Jack Mayfield also received consideration.

Outfield:

LF/RF Brandon Meredith (25) R/R

Drafted in the 6th round in 2011 out of San Diego State University in San Diego, California

Can hit for power with manageable strikeouts and a good walk rate; can play a solid first base in addition to the outfield

RF/LF Ronnie Mitchell (23) L/L
Drafted in the 30th round in 2013 out of Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas
Good developing power and great on-base skills; good defense with a plus arm

CF/LF Bobby Boyd (22) L/R
Drafted in the 8th round in 2014 out of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia
Good bat speed, good speed on the bases and good range in centerfield

CF/RF James Ramsay (23) L/L
Drafted in the 7th round in 2013 out of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida
Excellent defensively with great routes and a good arm; great speed that results in lots of doubles, triples and stolen bases

OF/IF Marc Wik (22) L/R

Drafted in the 21st round in 2012 out of Chabot College in Hayward, California
Super utility with good on-base skills, a little pop and a little speed; solid defensively at several positions with a strong, accurate arm

Outfield Reserves:

RF/LF Jon Kemmer (24) L/L

Drafted in the 21st round in 2013 out of Brewton-Parker College in Mount Vernon, Georgia

I also considered Sean McMullen and would have put Jason Martin on the roster in a heartbeat if he had broken camp with the full season teams.

The best part of this exercise is seeing how much depth there is in the system. There are a ton of good players in this system who do not technically qualify as top prospects!