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Dates Scouted: 6+ Times in 2015, Most Recently 7/16 & 7/187-Word Scouting Report: Plus Speed, Intriguing Power, Questionable Profile, SleeperAcquired along with Abel De Los Santos from Texas last offseason for LHP Ross Detwiler, the 22-year-old Bostick quietly had a productive season splitting time for both the Potomac Nationals and Harrisburg Senators in 2015. Bostick played in 137 games this season (62 for Potomac, 75 for Harrisburg), hitting a combined .258/.312/.398 with 12 home runs, 42 extra base hits and 31 stolen bases. He spent most of the season playing second base, though he did see some time at left field, center field and shortstop.In the field Bostick was drafted as a shortstop by Oakland in the 44th round of the 2011 draft, but was quickly shifted to the keystone upon signing a professional contract. Bostick is a wiry 5-11 185lbs with excellent athleticism and the projection remaining in his lean frame to add 5-8lbs of positive mass. He owns outstanding plus or “60” speed, which he has used to steal 96 bases in 480 career minor league games. Bostick has an average (“50”) arm with a reasonably quick release. Unfortunately these skills do not add up to a dynamic defensive second baseman, as Bostick does not look comfortable and will make errors on the routine play. I project him as a potential “40” defender at second and think his future could be in the outfield to capitalize on his speed.Offensively Bostick is a right-handed hitter possessing obvious bat speed and loose wrists, whipping the barrel through the strike zone. His swing has some undesired length but the authority which he swings the bat allows him to make violent contact, as his 92 extra base hits the past two seasons indicate. The length in Bostick’s swing causes a moderate whiff rate, although he tries to counteract that by taking the occasional walk. If he can tighten up his swing and make a few adjustments, Bostick profiles as a potential “40/45” hitter in the future.Although Bostick failed to match his breakout 2014 hitting 52 extra base hits, this year was another successful season in his progression toward the major leagues. Bostick has excellent speed, along with a solid throwing arm and interesting power potential for a middle infielder. I fear his lack of a second above-average or better tool and his awkwardness at second base will shift his major league profile toward a bench player. That said his exciting combination of power and speed from someone capable of playing an up-the-middle position makes him a promising prospect.If Bostick can make the refinements to his swing and improve his skills on defense, he could still develop into a starting second baseman down the road. Most likely, he settles into a role as a multipurpose bench player who offers speed and right-handed power. This is a valuable asset to any National League team, especially through his arbitration years. Chris Bostick reminds me of the 2001 Dr. Dre classic, “Forgot About Dre”, because people are sleeping on his potential – He is a future major leaguer.
Chris Bostick is a 5'11", 185 lb. righthanded hitting second baseman acquired by the Rangers from the Oakland A's this past offseason as part of the Michael Choice/Craig Gentry trade. Bostick was a 44th round draft pick out of the Aquinas Institute, a high school in Rochester, New York. The A's signed Bostick to a $125,000 bonus, significantly more than a 44th round pick would normally get, to lure Bostick away from a commitment to St. John's University.Bostick only had a limited amount of action after signing with the A's in 2011, picking up 57 plate appearances in the Arizona League, but impressed in that limited action, recording a .442/.482/.654 line while playing shortstop and second base.The A's assigned Bostick to the short-season New York Penn League for the 2012 season, a challenging assignment for a 19 year old, particularly one from a northern state where weather issues mean that baseball season for prep players is shorter than for players from warm-weather climes. Bostick didn't stand out, but he at least didn't drown, putting up a .251/.325/.369 line in 316 plate appearances, along with 12 steals in 17 attempts. The A's had Bostick play primarily second base, and he got just a handful of games at shortstop. Bostick was still pretty below-the-radar at this point, although John Sickels ranked Bostick his #13 prospect in the A's system after the 2012 season, grading him a C prospect who was a borderline C+.Bostick moved to full season ball in 2013, being assigned to Beloit in the low-A Midwest League, and he took a step forward with the bat, hitting .282/.354/.452 with 25 steals in 33 attempts. Bostick had some contact issues, striking out 122 times in 555 plate appearances, but he also put up a respectable walk rate, drawing 51 bases on balls.On December 3, 2013, Bostick was sent to Texas, along with Michael Choice, in exchange for Craig Gentry and Josh Lindblom. While the deal was primarily Choice for Gentry, the inclusion of Lindblom and Bostick suggests that there was value balancing still to be done, and I'm curious as to whether Bostick or Lindblom was the more valued of the two secondary pieces. Bostick didn't appear on my Rangers top 10 lists, although Keith Law, who liked Bostick out of high school and had him rated as a sleeper prospect after the A's drafted him, ranked him 6th in the Texas system, ahead of, among others, Michael Choice, Nick Williams and Luis Sardina
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40The A's lured Bostick away from his commitment to St. John's with a $125,000 signing bonus after drafting him in the 44th round in 2011. After three seasons in Oakland's system, he was traded to the Rangers, who then dealt him to the Nationals a year later, along with right-hander Abel De Los Santos, in a December 2014 trade for Ross Detwiler. Bostick had a solid first season as a member of the Nats, much of which was spent in Double-A, and the club added him to the 40-man roster during the offseason.Bostick stands out most for his bat. He sprays line drives to all fields, and has more power than his size would suggest. He knows how to work a walk and has the plus speed to make things happen when he gets on base. But he's also something of a free swinger, and struck out at least 100 times in each of his first three years of full-season ball.Bostick's defense is more of a question mark. He has primarily played second base in the Minor Leagues, but lacks the hands and overall consistency to play there in the Major Leagues. Given his speed and versatility, he may fit best in a super utility role.
INF-OF, Grade C+: Age 22, hit .258/.312/.398 with 12 homers, 31 steals, 31 walks, 100 strikeouts in 530 at-bats between High-A and Double-A, positives include power/speed production, ability to play infield and outfield, negatives include swing/miss tendency, low walk rate, lack of polish at all positions. Probably a role player but one who can do several things.
had a terrible year at AAA but too young to write off, probably nothing more than a backup MI at this point though.
he has value to an NL team because he can play 7 positions.
He only played two months in triple A didn't he?
I think he had enough PAs to get Face ready twice.
Another Danny Espinosa?
The Pirates announced that they have acquired infielder Chris Bostick from the Nationals in exchange for minor league catcher Taylor Gushue and cash. Bostick, who was designated for assignment by the Nats earlier this month, has been added to Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster but won’t join the team for the final few games of the season. He’ll take Josh Harrison’s spot on the 40-man, with Harrison being transferred to the 60-day disabled list.Bostick, 23, split his season between Double-A and Triple-A with the Nats, hitting a combined .250/.313/.386 with eight homers and 11 steals while playing second base, third base and left field. He was ranked as the organization’s No. 25 prospect by Baseball America last offseason, with BA noting that he’s an above-average runner who stands out for a line-drive approach to all fields but may lack a true defensive home. He’s consistently displayed the pop necessary to reach double-digit home run totals and also averaged 27 steals per season from 2013-15.The 22-year-old Gushue was Pittsburgh’s fourth-rounder back in 2014 and spent the 2016 campaign with their Class-A Advanced affiliate in Bradenton, where he batted .226/.282/.357. At the time Gushue was drafted, BA wrote that he was a good receiver with an average or even above-average arm behind the dish despite difficulties he’d had throwing out runners in college. Their report called him a below-average overall hitter but did note that he has average raw power. Gushue did hit a career-high eight homers in 90 games this season, though his 25 percent caught-stealing rate still leaves something to be desired.
