Indians Top 100 Prospects: #42 Jeremie Tice

42. Jeremie Tice - Third Baseman
Born: 09/25/1986 - Height: 6'1" - Weight: 225 - Bats: Right - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008	21	Col of Charleston	C	59	229	80	90	21	3	25	83	40	44	2	.393	.495	.838	1.333
2008	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	63	237	36	65	11	4	5	36	28	64	2	.274	.349	.418	.767

History:  Tice was a 6th round pick in the 2008 Draft out of the College of Charleston (SC).  Tice played two years at Tallahassee Community College before transferring to the College of Charleston last year. During Tice's short career at the College of Charleston he put up an impressive display of power, most notably destroying right-handed pitching hitting .429 with a 1.406 OPS as compared to his .264 batting average and 1.063 OPS against left-handers.  He was named the 2008 Southern Conference Player of the Year, set the conference single-season record with 192 total bases, and was second in the nation in home runs. 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Tice has big time raw power and has a good plan at the plate.  The Indians were impressed with how he drove the ball out of all parts of the ballpark at a great clip in college, and were excited he was still available in the sixth round.  They like the power potential in his bat and feel as he adjusts to the professional game and wood bats that he will start driving the ball out of the ballpark more consistently and could be a 30+ home run a year player in the big leagues. 

Tice has only been playing third base for three years, so he is still learning the position and projects as at least an average defender there.  He shows good range and a good arm.  Late last season, the Indians began working on some things with him like his footwork, how to setup, and his pre-pitch movement to smooth out his defense a little bit. In addition to third base, Tice has experience playing many other positions.  In college he also played some outfield and first base, and in high school played some shortstop.  Given his size and muscular build, there is always the possibility that as he grows more in the coming years that he may need to be shifted to left field or first base.  He is very athletic and the Indians know he can handle third base, but down the road they believe he may be able to play catcher as well. 

Outlook:  Tice is part of an impressive group of hitting prospects the Indians were able to land in the 2008 Draft.  He likely will stay at third base this season, and with no one above him at the position except for Wes Hodges at Triple-A Columbus, he could move quickly.  He should open the 2009 season by skipping Single-A Lake County and instead making his full season debut at advanced Single-A Kinston. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr 

Jeremie Tice MinorLeagueBaseball.com stats page 

Jeremie Tice Baseball-Reference page 

Jeremie Tice MinorLeagueSplits.com page 

Jeremie Tice video:

Posted in: Jeremie Tice