Right Off Russell

I ran across this recent article on MLB.com about the progress of Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder in the Arizona Fall League.  The article has a lot of good quotes from Orioles player development director Dave Stockstill.

On Bell:

“He has light tower-type power — he has a bat that really explodes on contact,” Stockstill said. “Right-handed, he hits the ball all over the field, a little bit less power than he has left-handed. Left-handed, he uses the whole field, but he also hits more gap-to-gap — left-center to right-center.”

And Snyder:

“He’s made progress at first base and played well at first base in Double-A and Triple-A this year,” Stockstill said. “But his main tool is the bat. He hits gap-to-gap, hits the ball consistently hard. I don’t know that he’s going to be a big home run hitter, but I believe he’ll be a big RBI producer.”

There is a growing sentiment that both Snyder and Bell could make their big league debuts this season.  If the Orioles do not make any moves to acquire a 3rd baseman, Bell’s shot could come out of the gate.  One thing remains to be seen about Bell is whether or not he sticks with switch hitting.  Bell shows much greater numbers as a left handed hitter.  If he cannot get going from the right side, he may be asked to give that up all together.

Snyder did struggle some after being called up to AAA Norfolk.  The good numbers in the AFL are encouraging though it seems to be a hitters league.  Can Snyder prove that his bat can play at a power position like first base?