Prospect Update: Jantzen Witte

Witte in Greenville. (Drive Photo)

Instead of going over every single former Mountaineer and giving you their stats in one overwhelming piece, I've decided to single out one every couple of days and provide some notes and analysis. The first edition of this covers a Mountaineer in 2009 and 2010, Jantzen Witte.

Jantzen Witte, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Level: Advanced A    Age: 24    Drafted: 24th Rd
Line: 65 PA, .300/.358/.467, 8 XBH, 8.33 BB%, 11.67 K%

Summary: After hitting just .161 in 2013 across short season Lowell and rookie league GCL, Witte has begun to hit the ball exceptionally well, and hasn't seen his average dip below .300 this season. He dominated in Class-A Greenville, hitting .330 and was named a Midseason All-Star, which earned a promotion to Advanced-A Salem.

Notes: His current batting average, .300, is higher then it was a senior at Texas Christian University (TCU). His BB/K ratio is the highest it's been in affiliated baseball, but he has struggled in strikeouts. His strikeout percentage is almost nine percentage points higher then it was in college at an alarming 18%, but it's come as he's developed his power. His isolated slugging percentages have increased from .098 in the Rookie league to .223 for Greenville in Class A, a sign that his power output has increased significantly. He's been able to hit both ways with ease.

Against top prospects: He has faced several top prospects throughout the year, and hasn't fared well. He went 0-2 against the Washington Nationals top prospect, Lucas Giolito, who's the 36th overall prospect on MLB's Top 100 list. Witte also went 0-3 against Kansas City Royals No. 5, Miguel Almonte.

Moving forward: The Boston Red Sox Double-A affiliate, the Portland Sea Dogs, have a more then capable third basemen- third round draft pick Sean Coyle. Coyle is hitting .355 this year for the Sea Dogs with 11 home runs and 47 RBIs. Triple-A Pawtucket has the Red Sox's 4th overall prospect, Garin Cecchini, so it doesn't look like Witte will advance. Expect him to finish the year in Salem.

2014 Stats: