CF - Mat-Su Miners
Bats: Right - Throws: Right
Height: 5'11" - Weight: 190lb
School: Florida International
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: Miami Shores, Florida
All posts regarding Bermudez
I've been writing plenty about the Miners, that's for sure. But did you know that they're the only team I haven't written a player profile for (until now)? And if I'm going to rectify that situation right here and now, and I have to pick one guy to be my first Miner profile of 2010, who better to choose for a subject than the one guy who gets every Miners fan hooting and hollering every time he comes to the plate? The big fan favorite this year is Pablo Bermudez, and here's his profile.
Bermudez was Florida International's starting center fielder this past season and appeared in all of their games. For his effort he was awarded second-team all conference honors. Last summer he played in the Valley League, and I exchanged e-mails with John Leonard of the fine blog All Things Valley League for his take on Pablo. John pointed out that one of the more unfortunate parts of Pablo's legacy out there is his free-swinging plate approach which led to 58 strikeouts in 170 at-bats. However, people who saw him play in the Valley last year should note that he has tightened up his pitch selection and is reaping the benefits, striking out only 15 times in 86 at-bats, which is actually really good. As a result, he's getting some good pitches to hit, putting up a .372 average and a .973 OPS (.426 + .547). His walk-to-strikeout ratio is 7/15 which is pretty decent as well.
One thing I've noticed about Bermudez is his power. So far he's only hit one out of the park, but I was there to witness it when he did, and he drove that ball with power to the opposite field right over the right field fence. He's not a real big guy, but he's got a good build on him and I think he's got the potential to develop some decent power. His speed hasn't blown me away; but I'm not counting anything against him as he's wearing a pretty sizable pad around his left shin which is kind of a red flag to me when I'm reading the stopwatch. Baseball America said he was an above-average runner last year but that he could improve his instincts; he's stolen 6 in 10 attempts so far, and has looked fairly aggressive, but maybe this year will teach him to run smarter (not just faster).
Whatever the case, Pablo Bermudez has talent. Last year in the Valley League he had raw promise; this season in the Mat-Su Valley he's becoming more polished and fulfilling the promise that scouts saw in him back east. The Miners faithful are certainly appreciative. Keep checking in with 49thStateHardball.com all season long for more info on Bermudez, the Mat-Su Miners and all the other players & teams of the Alaska Baseball League. You can find all of our articles on Bermudez by clicking here.
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