Skip to main content

Prospect Nation 2014: #9 OF Carlos Tocci

Carlos Tocci, Image- Tug Haines
Outfielder Carlos Tocci was signed by the Phillies for a reported signing bonus of $759,000 in the summer of 2011 on his 16th birthday. Since that time, many have raved about the teen's talent and he's done his best to live up to the hype.

A native of Maracay, VZ, Tocci participated in the Florida Instructional League after he signed his first professional contract, but made his official minor league debut in 2012 as a member of the Gulf Coast League Phillies.

His ability to compete with older players is definitely something that has Tocci standing out in the eyes of coaches, scouts and fans alike. In 2012, the righty batting "Toch" posted a .278 average with two doubles and nine RBI in 38 contests in the GCL, with all but one of his games played before his 17th birthday. He described the competition there as easy and the pitchers as predictable.

The following year, Tocci found his opposition to be improved and tougher to handle. He continued to impress as he made the opening day roster for the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws and stayed on their roster for the entire season, but his statistics weren't great.

Playing north of Florida for the first time in his life, Tocci struggled in the early going, posting a .192 average in 22 games in the northeast's cool April weather. As the spring season took shape, Tocci's batting average would see a nice boost along with the temperatures, as he hit .269 in 27 May games. The summer heat didn't keep his production going, however, as overall in 118 games for the 'Claws, Tocci put together an unimpressive .209/.261/.249 offensive line.

Despite those troubling numbers, the organization was still pleased with his efforts, as he never appeared overwhelmed as the youngest player in the league. Tocci has drawn attention for possessing great instincts at the plate. He has quick hands, shows a solid ability to get the barrel of his bat to the ball and can hit to all fields.

The six-foot-two 170-pounder has developed a reputation for being too skinny and needing to add muscle. Coaches and team execs regularly cite the promise that Tocci has and speak of looking forward to when he develops increased upper body strength. He already has gap power, but hasn't forced any balls to leave the yard in two seasons in the minors.

Tocci is often praised for his maturity and focus on making necessary adjustments. In an interview with me last summer, Tocci, who grew up admiring big league slugger Miguel Cabrera, asserted that another highly regarded Phillies prospect, shortstop Roman Quinn, helped him progress last year. The two would regularly discuss opposing pitchers and set up an offensive game plan prior to contests while they were teammates with Lakewood.

On defense, Tocci, who turned 18 in late August, has excellent range and glides to the ball, easily covering a lot of ground to track down fly balls. With 10 outfield assists in 2013, he's got a very good arm that can keep brazen runners from taking extra bags. Tocci has been strictly a center fielder during his time in the minors, playing just one GCL game in left field.

On the bases, Tocci is very quick and will be a stolen base threat as he moves upward in the developmental ranks, despite not being very successful (six steals in 13 chances) in stolen base attempts last year. He's capable of taking advantage of weak-armed outfielders and grabbing extra bases when opportunities arise.

It seems suitable that Tocci would repeat a season in the South Atlantic League with Lakewood this year. The additional exposure to that level would be the best thing for him at this stage.

Click here to view the running list of this year's countdown. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Mike McGuire Living a Dream With Favorite Team

LAKEWOOD, NJ- Every young ballplayer grows up wishing he could play for his favorite team. Mike McGuire has an opportunity to do just that after signing with the Phillies organization in July. McGuire was a 43rd round draft pick taken by the Cleveland Indians in the 2008 amateur draft out of the University of Delaware. Early scouting reports liked McGuire's abilities, despite some arm trouble. He advanced as far as High A Level Kinston last season. While there, he posted an 0-3 record with a 5.46 ERA in 9 games, 8 of which were starts. The Indians weren't happy with McGuire's efforts this spring and released him. McGuire caught on with the Sussex Skyhawks of the independent Can-Am League, where he stayed in shape and pitched against other formerly affiliated minor leaguers. As a starter with the Skyhawks, McGuire went 3-4 with a 5.29 ERA in 8 outings. From there, just as all players in those independent leagues hope for, the 24-year-old McGuire got noticed. The Phillies wer...

Harry's Plaque Has Misprint

At the ballpark today for the first time since Harry Kalas was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame on Friday, I noticed an error in the text on his plaque. Verbage on the plaque reads like this... Voice of Phillies baseball on radio and TV for 39 seasons. Teamed with Richie Ashburn from 1971 until 1997. Harry was on the air for all of Mike Schmidt's 548 home runs, five Phillies no-hitters, seven National League Championship Series, three World Series, the first and final games at Veterans Stadium and the Citizens Bank Park 2004 opener. Received the prestigious Ford C. Frick Award in 2002 for "Major Contributions to Baseball" and was inducted into the broadcasters' wing at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. His calls were legendary, especially his signature home run call, "Outta heeere." On October 29, 2008, he brought utmost joy to Phillies fans: "The 0-2 pitch, swing and miss , struck him out. The Philadelphia Phillies are 2008 Worl...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...