For those of you who have not been following our Twitter feed with daily
box score updates, you may not have been aware that Winston-Salem Dash outfielder Brandon Short was working up a very impressive hit streak.
Entering yesterday’s game, Short, 21, had picked up a hit in 26 straight games, dating back to April 11. The Carolina League hit streak record is 31 games, leaving Short just 5 shy of the mark, but unfortunately his run came to an end yesterday as Brandon went 0-4, with 2 SO’s against Alex Wilson and the Salem Red Sox. His 26 game hit streak is the longest in professional baseball this season and is tied for the fifth longest in Carolina League history
Drafted out of St John’s River CC in the 28th round of the 2008 MLB draft, this is Short’s second full year in the organization, and he is putting together a nice breakout season. In 30 games (141 AB), Short has compiled an impressive .376/.395/.553 batting line with 4 home runs and 11 doubles. On the negative side, Short’s plate patience is extremely poor, as he has racked up just 3 BB’s (2 BB%) against 25 SO (17 K%). Another negative is Short’s stolen base percentage (28.6%), so despite possessing good speed, Short has not been an efficient base stealer. His BABIP (.438) also suggests that there is significant regression to come.
I’m still not sure what I feel about Brandon Short as a prospect. He has some nice tools with decent pop and speed, but he doesn’t draw walks, he’s not a slugger and he’s not an elite contact hitter. If I knew he could play center field to a high level it would help me to think of him as a legitimate prospect, but he has been playing right field for the Dash next to Justin Greene, and for me, he certainly doesn’t have the offensive ability to profile at a corner.