He just started out but so far so good : ^) Small sample size but if
he continues to improve ... BB intelect is so impressed with his swing
they have a video of it with the write up.
http://www.baseball-intellect.com/Articles/helium-watch-andrew-lambo.html
Background
Andrew Lambo was the Los Angeles Dodgers' fourth round pick in 2007
out of Newbury High School in California. Projected to go in the
second round, character issues caused his stock to drop.
Body Type
At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Lambo has a projectable body. Not the
swiftest of runners, but a good athlete overall. HIs position will
likely be at either first base or one of the corner outfield spots.
The Swing
Lambo has a simple, quiet swing until he starts rotating those hips
and moving those hands forward. You see a forward ****ft in weight to
build up momentum, a small loading of the hands, and then at foot
plant he turns his hips and hands together aggressively.
Rather than achieving "extension", Lambo lets the ball travel to him
instead of letting his hands meet the ball (which saps a player of
much of their power). Letting the ball travel deep is an excellent
indicator of bat speed.
What the Numbers Tells Us
Before exploring his numbers, it should be pointed out the sample size
is small and the levels of competition are not all that tough.
Now, judging by his numbers, we see he has shown very solid plate
discipline thus far in his career (13.5 BB% last year in Rookie Ball
and 9.6% in Low-A Great Lakes). The contact he makes is usually hard (.
399 BABIP last year and a .348 BABIP plus a 24% line drive percentage
this year).
Already displaying solid power in his rookie year, we have seen an
uptick in his ISO-power this year (from .174 to .223).
On the downside, his strikeouts are way up from a year ago (K% of 16
to 28.7) and he is currently struggling some after an extremely hot
start.
For a full reading of Lambo's stats, click here.
One other thing to note is Lambo's age:
Lambo, now 19, will turn 20 years old in August and is the eighth
youngest player in the Midwest League. This is the biggest reason why
some extended slumps and a high K% don't necessarily concern me
because of the big leap in competition from Rookie to A-ball. He is
essentially a sophomore playing with a bunch of seniors at the varsity
level right now.
Final Thoughts
My feeling is at some point in the next couple years, Lambo will break
out in a big way. I can't say he will do so this year because of the
adjustments he will have to make as he faces higher levels of
competition, but at some point age will become irrelevant.
We see a player with a projectable body, good athleticism, and a
pretty swing that generates plenty of bat speed and is putting up very
credible numbers at a very young age. This is why Andrew Lambo is
under Baseball-Intellect's Helium Watch. As we move forward, Baseball-
Intellect will feature more players that could have a Helium-type
breakout, so check back soon.
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