BRAD ELDRED
7/12/80; '02 6th; Florida International U.
R/R; 6-5, 265
| Level |
BA |
OBP |
SA |
AB |
2B |
3B |
HR |
BB |
K |
SB |
CS |
| 2002 A- |
.283 |
.338 |
.493 |
276 |
22 |
3 |
10 |
18 |
74 |
10 |
1 |
| 2003 A |
.250 |
.326 |
.502 |
420 |
22 |
0 |
28 |
38 |
142 |
7 |
1 |
| 2004 AA |
.279 |
.329 |
.687 |
147 |
9 |
0 |
17 |
6 |
51 |
0 |
0 |
| 2004 A+ |
.310 |
.397 |
.570 |
335 |
22 |
1 |
21 |
35 |
97 |
5 |
2 |
Eldred became something of a sensation when he was promoted to Altoona for the last
month of the 2004 season and responded with an amazing 50 RBIs in just 27 games.
For the season he had 38 HRs and 137 RBIs in 130 games. The primary issue with him
obviously is making contact. He has shown the ability to make adjustments. At
Lynchburg he changed his batting stance partway into the season and his K rate
dropped sharply (from one every 2.95 AB in his first 180 ABs to one every 4.31 in
his last 175 ABs), while his BA climbed (from .289 to .335). The same thing
happened at Altoona, as he cut his K rate by nearly two-thirds by making a change
in his approach after roughly his first 70 ABs. Overall, his K rate was down from
the previous year. He also got his walk rate up to a good level at Lynchburg. It
dropped sharply at Altoona, but he wasn't there as long and he may get better at
recognizing pitches from higher-level pitchers over time. The concerns about his
ability to make contact resulted in him only being named the 14th best prospect in
the Carolina League, despite also being named the league's MVP after spending only
two-thirds of the season there. A big concern is his long swing, which many
observers think makes him vulnerable to being tied up with pitches inside. One
thing that may have helped Eldred in 2004 was the absence of back problems that he
had in 2003. Eldred runs reasonably well for a very big man. Defensively he's
below average, although not horrible. His age (24) and weak plate discipline make
it reasonably likely that he'll end up as a "AAAA slugger," but the Pirates added
him to the roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He doesn't have much in
front of him, so the opportunity is there for him to earn a spot on the major league
team in a year or two. The Pirates have shown no patience with young power hitters,
however, so it won't be easy. They played it cautiously and sent him back to Altoona
to start the year, but he could earn a promotion to Indianapolis fairly soon.
Return to First Basemen