Nick Weglarz

Nick Weglarz - Outfielder
Age: 20 Height: 6'3" Weight: 215 Bats: Left Throws: Left

	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	OBP	SLG	OPS
2007 Lake/Kinston	.274	127	446	76	122	28	0	24	83	83	131	1	.393	.498	.891
Career	.262	169	595	98	156	39	0	26	96	100	175	3	.373	.459	.832

History: The Indians selected Weglarz in the 3rd round of the 2005 Draft out of high school (Ontario, Canada). In his pro debut in 2005 at rookie level Burlington, at 17 years of age Weglarz held up well and hit .231 with 2 HR and 13 RBI in 141 at bats. In 2006, he played only one game for the rookie level Gulf Coast League (GCL) Indians as he was sidelined for the entire season with a broken hand. Weglarz is one of only a handful of players under 20 to have an OPS in the South Atlantic League of .892 or higher in the last 15 years. The others were: Adrian Beltre, Vladamir Guererro, Kelly Johnson, Chipper Jones, Lastings Milledge, Ian Stewart, and Delmon Young.

Strengths & Opportunities: Weglarz was one of the biggest stories of the year in the Indians minor league system last year, as his raw power combined with his advanced approach at the plate at just 19 years of age in a full-season Single-A league impressed many in the Indians organization. With his size and raw power, Weglarz is one of the best power prospects to come out of Canada in some time. Weglarz is a big kid who the Indians think will get bigger as he matures. Last year, comparisons to Jim Thome at similar stages of their development began to be thrown around by various people around baseball. Weglarz is a developed hitter with above-average hand-eye coordination, and he loves low pitches so he can extend through it either away or down and in. Weglarz has some flaws in his swing that will need to be tinkered along the way, but his long arms and good bat speed generate tremendous power.

Last year at age 19, Weglarz showed that he understood the value of on-base percentage and that he had a very good understanding of the strike zone. He is still a young, unpolished hitter who strikes out a lot, but he also shows excellent patience in waiting for his pitch and rarely swinging at pitches outside of the zone, which is uncommon for a player his age. Weglarz keeps a simple approach at the plate: let the ball come to him and hit it hard. While this may seem easy to do, for a lot of hitters one of the hardest things to do is have that innate ability to be patient to wait for their pitch, and hit it hard.

Weglarz played first base all the way up until the Indians drafted him, but they decided to move him to the outfield. First base may be the position Weglarz is more suited to play in the long run because he is a below average runner and lacks much athleticism. He also continues to get bigger (reportedly up to around 240 pounds), so his size could eventually play him out of the outfield depending on how big he gets. He'll never win a Gold Glove out in left field, but he has become at least an average fielder and shows an adequate arm.

In July, Weglarz stepped in nicely as the go-to guy offensively when hot hitting infielders Jared Goedert and Matt Whitney moved up to Kinston. Weglarz seemed to get stronger and more confident as the year wore on, and finished 6th in the South Atlantic League (SAL) in home runs (23), 2nd in walks (82), 8th in on-base percentage (.395), and 10th in OPS (.892). The high strikeout rate is concerning and he does not hit for a very high average, but he is a slugger and while he may never be a .300 hitter he has enough plate discipline to where he could still get on base at a .360-.380 clip and become a 30-40 home run a year player.

In the Fall Development Program, the Indians worked on Weglarz's leg position and made some mechanical adjustments to his swing, and on defense worked on his footwork and his route-running to the ball. In the last year, Weglarz has made significant progress in the outfield and it is believed he can stay there depending on how big he ends up being. Going forward, one of the primary areas of focus of the organization is getting Weglarz up to par defensively as he is still making the transition from first base to the outfield. In order to prepare Nick for a potential career in the big leagues, he will continue to get work on perfecting his throwing mechanics, as well as the routes and angles he takes to the ball in the outfield. As a hitter, Weglarz needs to continue working on using the other side of the field and hitting balls the other way. He needs to stay on balls and not fall into his tendencies to pull off and roll balls over and groundout.

Outlook: As one of the youngest position players in the SAL last year, Weglarz held his own and his impressive display of raw power combined with a beyond-his-years approach at the plate. Last year was his first full season, and his encore this year should tell a lot more about what the Indians have in Weglarz. He should open the season in the outfield at Kinston.

Video: Weglarz hits a home run.

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