2009 Projection: Lou Marson

Lou Marson, C (RHB)
Age: 22 (23, June 26)

2008 (Minors): 322 AB / 55 R / 5 HR / 46 RBI / 68 BB / 70 SO / 3 SB / .314 AVG / .433 OBP / .416 SLG

Summary: Spending his season with the Reading Phillies, Lou Marson blossomed into a top prospect worthy of a September callup. His dreams became reality when in his first major league start, he went 2-for-4 with his first big-league home run. In Reading, Marson was a strong contact hitter, showing fantastic discipline with a K/BB ratio very close to even. His average of balls in play was a high .389, so he had a bit of luck when he struck the ball into the fields. He didn’t show much power, however, with five homers in the minors. Of course, he hit one in four big-league appearances. Reviews are mixed of Marson’s defensive and pitch-handling abilities, but all indications are whatever is bad can improve with experience.

Career Level: Learning (Year 4)

Green Flags: The discipline is a nice sign, especially as it improved from Clearwater to Reading. … Marson can hit to all fields with substantial pop. … He threw out 30 of 83 runners in Reading in 2008.

Red Flags: There isn’t much power yet. … Some scouts and experts believe the hitting prowess Marson achieved in Reading is the best he’ll do at any level.

Prognostication: He will see more than the four at bats he received in 2008. Probably a September callup again, but maybe even seeing some time before that, Marson will get a few more chances, but not too many. He’ll stay true to his game as a steady hitter, as most of his success in Triple-A should give him an upper hand to grab a 25-man roster spot in 2010.

2009 Projection: 32 AB / 3 R / 1 HR / 4 RBI / 3 BB / 13 SO / 0 SB / .300 AVG / .384 OBP / .500 SLG

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.