Keep your eye on Brandon Waring (Cincy rookie league)

[Triplec223]

I saw this kid play a LOT in college, and he is kind of under the radar. He was drafted in the 7th round of the 2007 draft by the Cincinnati Reds as a third baseman after his junior year. He is a big dude (6-4, 200 pounds) has excellent power and the ability to hit for average. He's flashed a glove at third base, but is error-prone at the corner. Has an above average arm.

A small rundown:
Was recently called up to Low-A Dayton (Dragons) from his first season in rookie ball.
Played for the Billings Mustangs (Pioneer League, Montana)
Set the club record for home runs (had 20, led the league)
Knocked in 61 RBI
led the league in runs
Played for Wofford College (Southern Conference) and finished second in the nation in home runs (27) in 2007, trailing Kyle Russell of Texas (28)
Hit .402 as a junior
Led the Wofford Terriers to their first-ever SoCon championship in 2006
Started out as a shortstop, but moved over to 3B after sophomore season
Broke his wrist as a sophomore and sat out the majority of the season

Those are just some quick facts about the guy. He's got a lot of pop and is a great hitter. He struggled against lefties in rookie ball but killed right handed pitching.

I think he is under the radar because he really only had one great season at a small college and played in an above-average conference at best (same as College of Charleston, The Citadel and Western Carolina). I have seen him play first hand though and he can flat out MASH. I didn't really know what to expect out of him in rookie ball, but he had a tremendous season and was called up to Low-A Dayton, where he started out 1-for-1 with two RBI.

Anyone else know anything about him? Just curious to see if his name has gotten out there yet...

[Omaha Red Sox]

I see in his only AB with Dayton he pinch hit and drove in 2 runs.

Thanks for the head's up. Keeping an eye on him.

[Fantasy Man 27]

I posted this on another forum

Well, after reading BA's scouting report, I think he will do a lot of damage in the lower minors. They said that he has a lot of holes in his swing, and is a dead-red fastball hitter. That, to me, doesn't translate too well as you advance to the higher levels.

[Triplec223]

I thought I'd bring this back up after Waring has now had 2 years in the minors. He was traded to the Orioles prior to 2009, and put up this line in A ball with Frederick:

128 games - .273/.354/.520 - .874 OPS
70-for-473
26 HR, 35 Doubles, 2 Triples
90 RBI, 70 Runs
121-51 K-BB Ratio

He was then called up to AA Bowie and did this in a short stint:

8 games - .292/.414/.542 - .955 OPS
7-for-24
1 HR, 3 Doubles
6 RBI, 4 Runs
9-3 K-BB

So he has shown legit pop, but I wonder how that batting average will hold up next year in AA. The good thing is, he cut down on his strikeouts this year.

I think his future is also at 1B, instead of 3B. Nobody really blocking him over there in Baltimore, so I hope he gets a shot in the next 1-2 years.

[mblax10]

He took a big step forward this year. Should make most top 10 lists for BAL.

I'd disagree with nobody blocking him. Josh Bell & Brandon Snyder are better corner prospects and more advanced. It's too early to worry about who's blocking him though.