Prospect in the Spotlight: Dallas McPherson

In the in the second round of the 2001 draft, the Anaheim Angels picked up Dallas McPherson from The Citadel. It was a complete shame that he didn’t go in the first round, but for the Angels it was a stroke of luck. Throughout the minors, McPherson has proven himself to be a top prospect as his lowest OPS in the minors was .808 in A ball. Another amazing thing the third baseman did was to hit a home run off the Big Unit in one of his rehab starts. The Unit plunked the left-handed hitting McPherson later in the game and McPherson started down the 6-10 Unit and stole second off him. This kid has good makeup.

There are many more positives for Dallas McPherson than negatives. The pros for him are that he has a very muscular body. His power production has increased at every stop in the minors and the best came last year. Over Double A, Triple A, and the Majors, McPherson hit forty three taters. His power has come from a change in his approach at the plate from working only on contact to working on power. Amazingly his batting average has gone up, not down, with this change in his approach. He has good plate discipline and swings at strikes quite well. He can steal a few bases a year, but that is not a major thing.

The major thing going against McPherson is his strikeout rates, which are quite high. This has led scouts to wonder if McPherson will produce the same high batting averages or reach base a lot. He needs to make adjustments to his swing that will allow him to make more contact. Something less important, but not in McPherson’s favor, is his glove. His range and defensive abilities have improved a little, but he needs to get more of a feel for playing third. This can only happen through hundreds upon hundreds of practice ground balls.

With the move of Troy Glaus to Arizona, it looks like the McPherson era has begun in Anaheim. No offense to Troy Glaus, he’s an absolutely fine hitter, but I would much rather have Dallas McPherson on my team manning the hot corner for a cheaper price than Glaus’ eleven million AAV.

Welcome to the Major Leagues, Mr. McPherson, you’ve earned it.