Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Marcus Nidiffer released

Huge captip to Farmstros, who learned that 1B/C Marcus Nidiffer has been released.

Nidiffer was signed as an undrafted free agent following the 2010 June Draft, and hit .303/.393/.588 for Greeneville, then got bumped up to Tri-City for 21 games, where he hit .250/.326/.425.

Tauser notes Nidiffer has already been signed by the Angels.



Anonymous said...

I can't believe what I just read...Is this some kind of joke???I am a huge KY fan and big Marcus Nidiffer supporter. I was really looking forward to seeing him in Lexington. I don't understand why Astros never gave him a chance at his natural position??? 3 year starter at UK, on Johnny Bench watch list and one of the top catcher at Cape Cod and SEC...Let me share what he accomplished in short season with Astros:

* Appy league All Star 1B
* 2nd in Appy League in OPS .981
* 3rd in Appy slugging % .588
* Averaged HR every 15 AB's
* Blugrass Baseball 2010 Rookie of the Year
* Selected by MiLB.com as Astros organizational All Star
* Led entire Astros organization in slugging % .535
* Led Astros short season in HR -14
two in playoffs for total of 16
* 2nd in entire Astros in OPS -.907

Doesn't this read like top prospect numbers??? He's a hitter...find a spot...What in the heck are the Astros thinking??? Who's making these decisions??? Do you think the Angels didn't know this when they grabbed him immediately since most teams are creating spots not filling them...Sounds like Angels know his potential of being a power hitting catcher??? Sorry for rambling but think Marcus deserves better and wish him the best with his new opportunity.

Anonymous said...

agreed...terrible move for a team with little minor league depth...let him devolop here...maybe we catch a star, maybe he's a dud...give him a shot after a year like that...if you make moves like that, then why do we still have guys like manzella still on our Major League team?

Anonymous said...

Are you guys seriously complaining about a 24 year old that's never played past rookie ball? He probably wasn't cutting it in minor league spring training and got the axe. If he was such a great talent don't you think he would have at least been drafted?

Anonymous said...

Are you saying that you base a major decision in spring training on the 20 or so AB's you get when most players are just getting their timing? I think not. Not much difference in an old 22 and a young 24 and he was a young 24. Good players slip thru the draft every year and would base my decision more on his proven performance regardless of the level. What would it have hurt to see if he could have repeated similar stats at a higher level? Are the Astros so loaded that an older 22 would have put up better numbers? He is a catcher and more tolerance on age should have been given.

Anonymous said...

I was unaware that the team could only evaluate the players during actual games. Pardon my ignorance.

Anonymous said...

Look, you are entitled to your own opinion of why he was let go. I just think we should have given him one more year of a long season based on what he did last year, that's all. I hate to see us losing what could have potentially been a good player for us. Angels aren't stupid.

Anonymous said...

This guy must be an Ohio State or North Carolina fan as he obviously doesn't like Kentucky.

Anonymous said...

Last ST game I saw nidiffer had 3 hits and nash had a mash. wates and hernandez look promising.

Anonymous said...

Maybe they think he is a low probability guy and he would only take playing time from someone who has a more promising future.

Anonymous said...

16 HR's in short season and leading Astros in slugging sounds very promising to me. 3% chance of minor leaguers making it to bigs is low probability to begin with. Numbers warrant another year. Sure is lot of fuss over a minor leaguer but agree it was a dumb move.

Anonymous said...

I think the biggest issue with Nidiffer is age. He slugged .588 in 48 games hitting against rookie ball pitchers. Rookie ball average age is 19.

When he got moved to low-A (A-), his slash line got crushed:


Saying that 24 is not much different than 22 is fool-hardy, at best. Nidiffer is a 24-yr-old struggling at the plate in A ball. Given that AA ball is usually reserved for 23-yr-olds, Nidiffer is two or three seasons behind normal progression in terms of age.

Even Ryan Howard (who was considered "old" for his progression pace) was in AAA by the end of his age 24 season.

It's possible that the Angels picked up Nidiffer to fill a hole. It's also possible that they see him as a reserve catcher to fill in for Conger's days off. Whichever it is, it's not that they see him as a superstar prospect in the making.

Let me correct some of your "accomplishments" for Nidiffer:

4th in OPS, not 2nd.
4th in SLG, not 3rd.
11 HR, not 14.
5th in HR, not mentioned.

BTW, he was 23, while the Appalachian HR leader (who hit at a better HR/AB clip, as well) was 20.

Nidiffer's stats, when taken out of context, make him look like a top-prospect, but when you consider his age and the level of talent he was up against, it becomes evident that the Astros saw what everyone does, as well:

A marginally talented player picking on kids.