Big game for Big Nick
by Chuck Murr of IndiansInk.net, October 20, 2009 at 8:31am ET
Nick Weglarz Profile
Nick Weglarz had three hits for the Peoria Saguaros in a 6-2 loss to Phoenix in the Arizona Fall League.
Weglarz went 3-for-4 with a double and strikeout, putting his average at .375 for the Saguaros, who dropped to 0-6.
Carlos Rivero was the only other member of the eight players from the Indians organization with the Saguaros to play in the game. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts.
Both are among Cleveland's brightest prospects in the farm system and were keys to Akron winning the Double-A Eastern League title in 2009.
Weglarz will turn 22 in December and is coming off a wildly inconsistent season in which he ended up with 16 homers, 65 RBI and only a .227 batting average. The good news is that the 6-3, 245-pound left-fielder maintained his patience at the plate, drawing 65 walks compared to 75 strikeouts.
Weglarz played for his native Canada in the World Baseball Classic, then began the season in one of the most woeful slumps ever seen. He batted just .065 for the entire month of April -- but followed that with a torrid May in which he batted well over .400. He got his average up to .265, then slumped again in the final weeks.
Weglarz had not shown such inconsistencies the previous two years, when he batted .276 at Class A Lake County and .272 at Class A Kinston.
Weglarz has a fluid swing and plenty of power. He's a big, quiet but very friendly sort whose game is reminiscent of old slugger Boog Powell, who had some huge years for Baltimore before winding down his career with the Indians and Dodgers. The 2010 season likely will determine his career path. He'll probably be moved up to Triple-A Columbus and a big year there could get him a look-see in Cleveland at some point.
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