The Padres have a shortstop prospect named Beamer Weems. You are forgiven if you do not know who Beamer Weems is… A lot of people think Weems is a non-prospect. And that’s a completely fair and understandable position to take. After all, he wasn’t on any prospect lists (including the Friarhood Top 30). For his career he has hit: .235/.362/.354. A .700 OPS shortstop isn’t a terrible thing, but when a guy “hits” .235 for his minor league career over 4 seasons, it leads to doubts as to whether a player can hit in the big leagues.

So why write an article about Weems? Steve Adler and I were having discussions (pre-Rizzo trade) about what the Padres were going to do about their shortstop position. Is Everth Cabrera the long-term answer? Is 2011 draftee Jace Peterson going to solve shortstop after a few years in the minors? The Padres have 6 of the top 65 picks in the 2012 draft. Will they draft a top shortstop this year? Would that hypothetical middle infielder be ready quick enough to help with current wave of prospects who are ready to crash onto the shores of the big leagues?

Back to Weems… Weems is overlooked as a prospect because he doesn’t have top-round pedigree (8^th round pick in 2008), because he doesn’t have an elite physique (5’10” 170), and because his stat-line isn’t impressive. What is impressive however, is the Hoover vacuum that he is as a defender. Friarhood staff talked to one pitcher who worked his way through the Padres organization who said Weems “has the best hands out of any shortstop I have had the chance to pitch [in front of].” He also noted Weems’ “…surprisingly strong arm.”

Another Padre, a system infielder, said, “I can say without hesitation, Beamer Weems is the best defensive shortshop I have ever seen. What he can do with his glove is just special. He has an ability to make the most difficult play look easy and routine. It is very fun to watch. If the Harlem Globe Trotters had a baseball team, he would be the star attraction.”

Throughout the mid-late 90’s the Mets employed one of the worst hitters in all of baseball; Rey Ordonez. Rey, while not contributing much at the plate, excelled with his glove. He was the consummate example of a “defense-first shortstop.” As a hitter, Ordonez hit .246/.289/.310 in the big leagues (to show how he compares to Weems, Ordonez hit .255/.288/.343 in his minor league career). Weems, so far, hasn’t hit for as high of a batting average as Ordonez has but he has shown more power and better plate discipline.

Through the 2010 season, Weems switch-hit. Ultimately, he did so without much success. In the California League he hit only 3 home runs. Then, after giving up switch-hitting and concentrating on hitting only right-handed he hit a career best 9 HR (in just over half of a season) while posting a .246/.331/.415 slash line in the Texas League. So are the power gains for real? Before we attempt to predict what Weems does going forward, Weems’ 2011 season was ended in early July with a hit-by-pitch to his face. Will that psychologically affect his ability to stand-in against professional pitchers again? If he is able to get past the physical and psychological effects of being hit in the face he’ll get to hit in a hitters’ haven in Tucson.

If Weems isn’t psychologically damaged from the HBP he actually has a decent shot of being the Padres “shortstop of the future.” His elite defensive abilities would make his marginal hitting ability a worthwhile tradeoff. The Padres and other teams have demonstrated that defensive success can significantly help a team’s playoff chances.

In the steroid era of the 90’s and early 2000’s (when Ordonez played in the bigs) having a non-hitter at any position wasn’t acceptable. Ordonez would be viewed quite differently in MLB’s current climate.

If the Padres can finally build a roster full of capable MLB hitters at your typical bat-first positions (maybe they already have – especially when you look at the upcoming minor leaguers) then a guy like Weems to solidify the defense is understandable and maybe even desirable. And all that makes Beamer Weems a rather curious Padres prospect to watch in 2012.

Photos courtesy of Stan Holt