ROBERT GROSSMAN

9/16/89; '08 6th; Cypress, TX (HS)
B/L; 6-0, 200

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2008 HS
.352
 
.775
71
6
3
6
 
 
23
 
2008 R
.188
.381
.250
16
1
0
0
4
7
1
0
2009 A
.266
.373
.355
451
21
2
5
75
164
35
12

At the time he was drafted, I found conflicting opinions about Grossman. Baseball America rated him the 49th best prospect in the draft and thought he had a chance of sneaking into the supplemental or late first round, but he apparently fell due to his commitment to Texas and the fact that he fell off in 2008 after hitting .450 in 2007. Scouts clocking him also found that he'd lost some speed, going from above average to average and leading to characterizations as a "tweener" rather than a centerfielder. MLB.com characterized him as lacking any above-average tools and playing above his abilities. That, combined with the tweener tag, gave him some things in common with Nate McLouth, who's a good example of why it's a mistake to dismiss players based on tags like that. BA did characterize him as having raw power potential and he showed good power in a workout at PNC Park. Although the writeups at BA and MLB.com sounded rather negative, the fact is that BA rated him as roughly a supplemental first round talent. The negative scouts' comments probably represent disappointment at his senior season rather than a negative overall assessment. I saw one post online saying that Grossman suffered from being pitched around his entire senior year.

Grossman was one of a number of players whom the Pirates drafted after they fell for various reasons. Immediately after the draft, Grossman said in interviews that he would go to college, but the Pirates eventually signed him the day before the deadline for $1M, which obviously was far above slot money. He saw brief action in the Gulf Coast League after signing, at least showing a willingness to take a walk, although he struck out a lot. He opened the 2009 season as the centerfielder at West Virginia. His season was a mixed bag. On the plus side, he hit for a respectable average and drew a lot of walks despite essentially skipping short season ball. He also showed good base stealing ability despite not having great speed. The obvious negative was the frightening strikeout total. Another negative was the fact that he finished the season poorly. After putting up an .872 OPS in June, he registered only .675 after the SAL All-Star break. Overall, he hit much better RH (.897 OPS, with a far lower K rate) than LH (.679). Despite occasional lapses, he generally showed good instincts in the OF and on the bases, and has an accurate if not especially strong arm. He played left most of the time after Starling Marte joined the team.

Grossman appears to have good strike zone judgment and may simply need to adjust his approach.  The power hasn't shown up yet, either, but that shouldn't be a big concern at his age.  If he doesn't make some adjustments, though, he may be overwhelmed in the Florida State League next year.  In any event, he, Marte and Quincy Latimore should make a very interesting outfield for Bradenton.

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