Adopted: Matt den Dekker

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

It's been long enough, hasn't it? Come in from the cold, Mr. Defense, and welcome to the family.

-- Last year's 5th Round pick.

-- Lefty, decently speedy, gap-powered, ultraathletic Florida native. (Try not to hold that against him; he seems well-adjusted for growing up so... humid.)

-- Played on Team USA's collegiate edition in 2008. Drafted in the 16th round by the Pirates after a disappointing 2009 junior season (.259 in SEC play), but returned to lead the Gators to their first CWS appearance in five years.

-- Two-time all-SEC first-teamer. Consensus top defensive outfielder in U. of Florida history.

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Those who achieved said consensus may have a point.

-- A solid abbreviated year last year between the Gulf Coast League and the Sally (.336/.396/.459, 15 doubles in 133 PAs). Punishing the ball a bit more this year, while giving up a little OBP (.328/.359/.492, 8 XBH in 61 PAs), including five hits in the last two days, and a 13-27 stretch during his current seven-game hit streak.

-- Avid, charming, and meal-focused (and not-poop-joke-averse) Tweetererer.

-- Mookie loves him.

�He really is a polished player. He covers a lot of ground. Good range. Has a good throwing arm. He runs very well. The only thing I didn�t see was his full offensive potential. I didn�t see all of that yet. I�ve heard it was there. I�ve seen some of it. I love the kid.�

-- Are you going to go against Mookie? Toby Hyde won't, going so far as to tab him as #28 in the organizational prospect rankings this year:

He approaches each at-bat with a plan and is an aware situational hitter. He has gap-power right now and can scorch balls into right-center. I don�t recall much loft in his swing which suggests he�ll never hit many home runs. He was patient, walking in nearly 8% of his plate appearances in his first professional exposure in the SAL.

Act of God aside, he'll be in Binghamton before season's end... and may push Niewenhuis for major-league CF playing time by, say, 2013?

Edited April 22, 2011 by Guest

[Edgy MD]

We could sure use that defense. Excellent parenting here. A model.

[Ceetar]

his words with friends ID is: mdendekker

[Ceetar]

[Ceetar]

Also, the den is lower case. Matt den Dekker.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Duly noted, Cee... thanks for the pics, and the ka-nowledge.

3-for-7 with a 3B and a SB in a doubleheader sweep of Jupiter yesterday. He's hitting .333/.368/.500 on the year (78 PA). Tan 'em, Floridian!

[Edgy MD]

I predict he'll get called up before his bat is ready, in order to take advantage of his ballhawking abilitites.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He went 2-for-4 last night against Bradenton, those two hits being a double and a three-run bomb. He's hit in 11 straight, going an unconscionably-hot .489/.490/.830 with 9 doubles, 2 triples, a HR and 15 RBI over that time. (Put another way-- you know how hot Ike has been this past week, with the HRs in three straight and all? That's Den Dekker for the last week-and-a-half, only he plays center.)

Die Glovvemacher is at .370/.395/.593, with 48 total bases in less than 100 PAs, for the fledgling year.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

2-for-3 mit un trippel. Hitting streak's at 12, his trippel-slashie's at .381/.404/.619.

Also, he's hitting lefties (SSS alert!) to the tune of .515/.515/.758 in 33 PA.

[Edgy MD]

How can he still be this hot?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Krem und/er klaar?

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Lost the streak after 13 games with Saturday's 0-fer, then bounced back with a single, walk, and a run in five PAs on Sunday.

Here's yet another way to illustrate how hot he's been-- he went 6-16 over the last four games with four XBH and two BB, and his triple-slash went down: .371/.398/.598 on the year, over 103 PAs. (1 HR, 17 XBH, 3 SB, just 4 BB.)

[Edgy MD]

He can dekk my den anytime.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

2-for-5 with a triple and a walk (as well as a run and a run driven in) in a loss against Jupiter.

I'm thinking of making some version of this line into a keyboard macro, so as to save my wrists.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

0-for-2 with a sac fly from the DH slot (sitting for some flashy, fundyless dude on a rehab assignment).

Featured on Ted Berg's Mets Minor League Report, which probes-- among other things-- whether he's a legit major-league prospect, since he's played at levels for which he's a little old.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He's cooled down a little, going .211/.279/316 in the last ten games. Last night-- 3-for-4 with an RBI triple and a run scored-- helps.

Den Dekker continues to lead the organization in hitting on the season: 133 PAs, .339/.372/.543, 26 R, 19 XBH, 20 RBI.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

5-for-13 with 3 XBH in the last three.

Plus, more high praise, courtesy of BP's weekly prospect wrangle:

Gap power, outstanding defense and a .339/.372/.543 line after 31 games; scout: �This is exactly the kind of guy who exceeds all expectations."

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

3-for-9-- with 4 R, 2B, 3B, HR, and 2 RBI-- during yesterday's double header.

On the year: .331/.365/.566, with as many triples as walks.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Like matzoh consumption, sales of Easter candy, and Derby hat orders, Dutchie's cooled off a bit in May. He's hitless in four of the last five, and is down to .233/.283/.326 over the last ten days. On the season, he's still at .304/.343/.495, though, and is still drawing raves from scouts, as per Toby Hyde:

... I expect he will spend the entire second half at AA, which will be a much stiffer challenge. A scout recently told me he graded den Dekker out as a 50 � an average big league center fielder � which is awfully encouraging.

While hot, he was hitting righties and lefties with almost-equal skill and authority; his platoon split-- .900+ vs. righties, .789 vs. lefties-- has crept back in as he's cooled.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Aaaaaand just like that, we've got a five-game hit streak ovah hee-ah, with a couple of multi-hit games sprinkled amongst those (of particular interest: Saturday's game against Dunedin, in which he went 2-for-3 with an RBI, two runs, and two walks).

Back up to .315/.359/.502 on the year, with 16 2Bs, 8 3Bs, 2 HR, 9 steals, and 102 TB in 234 PA. (Also, last week's Neuwenhuis circus-catch notwithstanding, still the best outfield defense in the system.)

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Picking things up a bit at the May-June Junction, he is, going 10-for-37 with five walks (!) in the last ten games. That works out to .270/.372/.486 over the span (with 2 HR, 2 BB... and .306/.358/.504 on the season.

[Ceetar]

To Binghamton!

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Near as I can tell, between his childhood, HS, college, and his pro career, this is the first time homey's left the state, ever.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Well... I haven't seen his birth certificate, so I have to assume he was born in Kenya.

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Well... I haven't seen his birth certificate, so I have to assume he was born in Kenya.

... where he was scouted by Kenyasaw Mountain Landis.

Later

[Ceetar]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Near as I can tell, between his childhood, HS, college, and his pro career, this is the first time homey's left the state, ever.

And the first place he sees outside of Florida is going to be...Binghamton? yikes.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

.179/.258/.232 in his first 14 games at AA (with 4 BB/16 K).

MDD has seen better fortnights.

[Edgy MD]

Somebody needs to take him out and show him the wonders of extraFloridian living. And I think you're that man.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe he saw a hill or something equally un-Floridian and became disoriented.

[Ceetar]

No 2 for 1's at Chillis in Connecticut?!?!

Addressing all our concerns.