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TopProspectAlert.com Minor League News & Autograph Blog HomeTop Prospect Alert - Tyrell Godwin By Schuyler DombroskeDOB: 7/10/79, Age: 22, Bats/Throws: L/R,
Height: 6’1’’, Weight: 200. Acquired: Blue Jays - Drafted in the 3rd Round
of the 2001 Draft (UNC). 2001 Stats: (S-Season-A - Auburn) .368 AVG, 117
AB, 8 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 9 SB, 19 BB, 27 K, .456 OBP, .521 SLG. 2002 Stats:
(Low-A - Charleston) .281 AVG, 185 AB, 8 2B, 5 3B, 0 HR, 10 SB, 20 BB, 23
K, .364 OBP, .378 SLG.
Finally, Tyrell Godwin has
been playing professional baseball for roughly the past twelve months.
After spurning the Yankees for UNC in 1997 (for both academic reasons and
the desire to play football), and choosing to stick it out and rehab his
knee at UNC after being drafted by the Rangers in 2000, Godwin dropped
into the third round of the 2001 draft because of lingering injury
concerns. The Blue Jays snapped him up at that point, and may very well
end up with a steal on their hands. A potential leadoff man with a bit of
power lurking beneath the surface, Godwin’s athletic ability is readily
apparent. His speed is his best tool, with which he has been clocked at
less than 3.9 seconds from home to first, which would put him very close
to the top of the list in the majors right now. He is 10 for 12 in steals
so far this season, so he seems to be a bit more polished than your
average young leadoff prospect on the basepaths as well. With this kind of
physical ability, you might expect Godwin to be a Luis Castillo-type slap
hitter, but he hits the ball with much more authority than that. Godwin
tore up the NYP league last year with a .368 BA, and has played fairly
well in the SAL this year in limited action (281/364/378). Like most
players fresh out of the draft, the home run power has been slow to
develop, but his stats this year project to roughly 25 doubles and 15
triples, which leads me to believe that some home run pop will develop
over the next few seasons. His strike zone judgment has been his biggest
area of improvement so far this season, as he has struck out fewer times
so far this year than he did in a little more than half this many at-bats
at Auburn last year. His walk rate is down a bit as well, but nowhere near
as much as the strikeouts, so the tradeoff is definitely a positive at
this point. Defensively, Godwin is not yet as good as he should be. He
still relies on his speed far too much to make up for sub-par reads, and
his arm is well below average. I expect that he’ll become a good left or
center fielder in time, but right now he isn’t too far above average. One
last item of concern for Godwin is his apparent brittle nature. Some
players just seem to be prone to “freak” injuries, and Godwin, who has
already missed a great deal of the last three baseball seasons due to
injury, appears to be one of those. He is currently on the DL with a
broken hand suffered last Friday while sliding into home, and he is not
expected to return until close to August. As a full-term college player,
he cannot afford to have very many setbacks in order to maintain his
status as a prospect.
The Blue Jays are in a
state of flux right now, with basically every veteran player either on the
block or recently traded out of town. Shannon Stewart or Jose Cruz will
probably be gone before long, which will leave the other one to play with
Vernon Wells and someone else in the outfield. The Blue Jays best outfield
prospect, Gabe Gross, is struggling through his 2002 campaign with
Tennessee in AA, so Godwin has a chance to insert himself in the long-term
plans for Toronto. I would expect to see Godwin play out the year at
Charleston upon his return from the DL, and if he acquits himself well, to
make the jump to AA sometime next season. From there, the Jays will see
whether or not they have a big leaguer on their hands. Godwin is rather
similar to George Lombard, the former Brave prospect that has been making
waves for the Tigers while Higgy is on the DL. Sometimes these two-sport
guys take a while to put it all together, so I wouldn’t write off Godwin
for at least a few more years. I think he has a decent chance at a
moderate length big league career, perhaps spending a portion of it as the
Blue Jays’ primary leadoff hitter. Certainly, he has the physical ability
to be much more than that, which is what makes his type of player so
attractive to everyone, but I think his brittle nature will keep him from
completely fulfilling his potential.
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