BRAD CORLEY

12/28/83; '05 2nd; Mississippi State Univ.
R/R; 6-2, 198

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2003 NCAA
.321
 
.397
224
15
0
1
16
44
4
4
2004 NCAA
.380
 
.678
245
12
2
19
17
44
4
6
2005 NCAA
.316
.370
.464
263
20
2
5
11
43
1
1
2005 A-
.279
.331
.408
265
10
6
4
16
56
3
7
2006 A
.281
.323
.438
534
32
2
16
18
109
9
3
2007 AA
.256
.256
.308
39
2
0
0
0
6
1
0
2007 A+
.285
.319
.462
485
36
4
14
14
99
3
2
2008 AA
.262
.309
.390
500
25
3
11
25
106
5
9

Corley was considered a top prospect after his big power year in 2004, but he was recovering from a broken thumb in 2005 and the power disappeared.  He was not expected to go high in the draft, and it appears that the Pirates overdrafted him by several rounds.  In fact, Corley himself was surprised to be taken so high.  Aside from the weak junior season, he never showed good plate discipline, so he was a risky pick on two counts.  At Williamsport he had an OK season with the bat, but continued to show poor plate discipline, something the Pirates almost seemed to go out of their way to look for under Dave Littlefield.  Corley is considered good defensively and ended up playing a lot of CF for Williamsport due to James Boone's shoulder injury.  He served as a closer some of the time in college, has a strong arm and runs reasonably well.

At Hickory in 2006, Corley had pretty much the same season.  After a brief power spree in early April, he went into a dismal slump and finished the month hitting .202. He rebounded to hit .358 in May and .333 in June, but hit only .251 after the SAL All-Star break.  He had a reverse platoon split, posting an OPS of .626 against LHPs and .814 against RHPs.  His counting stats looked good overall—he also drove in 100 runs—but his OBP and slugging avg. were weak for a corner OF prospect, and his walk total went from low to microscopic.  His K totals haven't been bad, but he gets himself out too much by hitting the pitcher's pitch.  At Lynchburg in 2007 it was more of the same.  His power output did improve a little, but his tendency to swing at everything continued.  He did improve significantly after the first couple months:  he posted an OPS in the mid-.500s in both April and May, and roughly .900 overall for the rest of his time at Lynchburg.  This time he had an OPS nearly 200 points higher against LHPs.  He may have been helped by the hitters' park in Lynchburg, as his OPS was about 150 points higher at home than on the road.  Corley finished the season at Altoona, where he fittingly drew no walks in ten games.

Corley spent 2008 in AA and the higher level pitching had exactly the effect you'd expect on a hitter who's unwilling to take pitches.  He ultimately went two months before he drew his first AA walk and hit his first AA HR.  Corley has always explained his refusal to take pitches by saying that he regards himself as an RBI guy, but he drove in only 49 runs in 500 ABs while hitting in the middle of the Altoona order, so that excuse has worn out.  He finally started trying to be more selective at some point in May and had an OPS of .898 for the month.  He even drew 12 walks in just 99 ABs in July.  He didn't hit as well in June or July, though, and his season went completely south in August, with an OPS of .495 and two walks to go with 29 Ks.  He was not added to the 40-man roster and is eligible for the Rule 5 draft, which is not exactly something to fret over.  He'll return to Altoona in 2009.  He'll be 25 and is clearly not a prospect.

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