Dallas McPherson Stats & Scouting Report

AB	386
AVG	.241
OBP	.292
SLG	.446
HR	18

Full name Dallas Lyle McPherson
Born 07/23/1980 in Greensboro, NC
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Citadel
Debut 09/10/2004
Drafted in the 2nd round (57th overall) by the Los Angeles Angels in 2001 (signed for $660,000).

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Based on his pitching in the Cape Cod League last summer, McPherson had the potential to develop into a first-round pick. He had size (6-foot-3, 220 pounds), a fastball that touched the mid-90s and a nice slider. After a disastrous junior season on the mound he still has appeal, but more as a third baseman. McPherson is a strong hitter with plenty of power, and he's athletic for a big man. In a draft short on catchers, he intrigues teams as a backstop possibility because he has arm strength and hits lefthanded.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

After he led the minors in slugging (.670) and total bases (349) in 2004, injuries thrust McPherson into a starting role in Anaheim in the final two weeks of the regular season and he held his own. McPherson owns the organization's best raw power and translates it into game power. His swing is balanced and controlled, and he uses his lower half well. Because of his leverage and extension, he draws comparisons to Adam Dunn. McPherson's intense makeup is off the charts. He has an above-average arm. He must sharpen his ability to make contact and handle quality breaking balls. McPherson whiffed 169 times in the minors and 17 times in 40 big league at-bats. Defensively, he struggles to read balls off the bat and looks stiff at third base. With the Angels choosing not to keep Troy Glaus, McPherson faces the task of replacing him at third base and in the heart of the order. In time, he should match Glaus' production in the majors.
It would be foolish to doubt the mettle or intensity of McPherson, a former cadet at The Citadel. Last season, he shot himself in a finger with a BB gun and didn't skip a day. After returning from a bulging disc that sidelined him for most of April, he ripped nine home runs in 14 games, highlighted by a double and home run against a rehabbing Randy Johnson. When Johnson beaned him in his third trip to the plate, McPherson stared him down and then stole second. McPherson generates explosive power with good bat speed and natural loft. His ability to make adjustments has helped him become a more complete hitter. While improving his plate discipline, he has worked his way into hitter's counts and he learned to anticipate offspeed stuff better. He has a plus arm. His glove lags behind his bat, though he works on his defense as much as anyone in the system. He cut down on his errors last year thanks to improved footwork and better accuracy on his throws because he didn't rush them. Given the strides McPherson has made to become adequate at third base--not to mention Vladimir Guerrero's arrival--talk of moving him to right field has died down. He could make Troy Glaus expendable with another monster year.
In the Angels' evaluation system, only three points separated McPherson from 2001 first-rounders Casey Kotchman and Jeff Mathis. Anaheim considered all of them with the No. 13 pick and managed to land all three. Several teams also coveted McPherson as a pitcher because he showed mid-90s velocity in the Cape Cod League. There's tremendous violence in McPherson's swing, which generates the best raw power in the system. He'll develop more game power as he harnesses his stroke, and he has shown improvement in that regard. Content to go to the opposite field in college, he's now pulling pitches with more authority. At third base, he sports an above-average arm and soft hands. McPherson didn't play third base much in college, and it showed in 2002. He has to improve his footwork and square up to take advantage of his arm strength, but they are subtle adjustments. Some scouts think McPherson is headed for first base or right field, and with Troy Glaus locked up at the hot corner, that would make sense. He could find himself in Double-A by the end of 2003 and knocking on the door in Anaheim in 2004.
Many teams favored McPherson as a pitcher entering 2001 because of his strong, durable build and power arm. He had looked good in the Cape Cod League the previous summer, touching the mid-90s and flashing a good slider. But he struggled on the mound as a junior at The Citadel, going 4-5, 6.65. Not only were the Angels scouting McPherson's bat, they also paid close attention to who else was watching him. He enhanced his draft profile by showcasing his lefthanded power for the Cubs in a predraft workout at Wrigley Field. After Anaheim took him in the second round, McPherson was flirting with .400 in his pro debut at Rookie-level Ogden. In order to let eighth-round pick Justin Turner play some third base, McPherson periodically moved to first base, where his inexperience showed when he broke his hand on a tag play. He returned in time to put his potent bat on display during the final week of instructional league. He has the look of a polished hitter, staying inside the ball and creating violent impact upon contact. He has launch power to left-center. Defensively, he moves well at the hot corner and has a strong arm. McPherson has a chance to move fast after he makes his full-season debut in Cedar Rapids this year.

Minor League Top Prospects

McPherson spent most of the year batting cleanup behind Kotchman, an arrangement that could continue in the majors in the near future. More electrifying and less consistent at the plate than Kotchman, McPherson had 40 homers and 126 RBIs between Double-A and Triple-A, drilling several tape-measure shots. "His numbers are ludicrous," Tucson manager Chip Hale said. "Our pitchers are scared to death of him. They know if they make a mistake, he'll hit it out of the park." Earlier in his career, McPherson had a more fluid swing and let his power come naturally. Now he looks like Jason Giambi, collapsing his back leg and trying to lift pitches out of the park. He sits on fastballs, and PCL observers had differing opinions of his ability to hit quality breaking balls. While he knows the strike zone, McPherson's approach resulted in a 95-23 strikeout-walk ratio in 67 games. His whiffs didn't draw as many red flags as his defense. He has enough arm strength but looks stiff at third base, and the consensus is that he'll eventually move to an outfield corner.
McPherson began the season in the shadow of the more heralded Kotchman and Mathis, and in a season when he turned 24 he should have torn up the league. Mission accomplished: He hit 20 of his 40 homers for the season before his promotion to Triple-A. McPherson had the league's best raw power and translates it into game power. He draws strength from his 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame, incorporates his lower half into his swing and gets excellent extension. He drew comparisons to Adam Dunn for his size and power. Defensively, McPherson lacks first-step quickness and soft hands, but scouts and managers agreed he should be adequate at third base in the near term. He has a strong arm and could settle in as a corner outfielder.
A cadet at The Citadel, McPherson's mettle has never been in question. After recovering from a back injury that sidelined him in April, McPherson went on a home run rampage, smacking nine during a 14-game span in July. He highlighted his streak with a double and homer against a rehabbing Randy Johnson. In his third trip to the plate, Johnson plunked him and McPherson stared Johnson down the whole way to first; then stole second on the next pitch. "His approach in BP is probably better than anybody we've had the last few years," Meacham said. "In BP each swing is with a purpose. He's not trying to hit the ball a mile. He's got a plan and he works on it." Scouts aren't convinced McPherson's mobility will allow him to stay at third base. That shouldn't matter, as he has the arm strength and power to play right field.
Teams originally liked McPherson as a pitcher because he threw in the mid-90s in the Cape Cod League two summers ago, but the Angels drafted him as a third baseman last year. Two managers though he was the best prospect on a Kernels club that also included Kotchman, Mathis and Santana. McPherson fits the prototype at third base. He has a big, strong body and has very projectable lefthanded power. He still shows a strong arm, and managers rated him the MWL's best defender at the hot corner. As a bonus, he has average speed and some basestealing aptitude. He still has room for improvement. McPherson strikes out too much and needs to adjust to inside breaking pitches. Defensively, he must better his footwork and shorten his arm action, which detracts from the accuracy of his throws.
Some players have prototype bodies that scream: "major leaguer." That's how most of the Pioneer League managers felt about the 6-foot-4, 210-pound McPherson, whose pro debut was curtailed by a broken arm. McPherson impressed observers with his physical approach to the game. A two-way player at The Citadel who was considered a better pitching prospect at the start of the 2001 college season, he showed an above-average arm and good instincts at third base. While it was obvious he was making the adjustment from aluminum to wood bats, McPherson displayed a compact swing from the left side, along with quick hands and strong wrists. Given his tools, no one questioned that he would hit for power in the near future. Managers also liked McPherson's makeup and his nonstop work ethic both on and off the field. "He's a big lefthanded hitter who could develop into the classic power-hitting third baseman," Great Falls manager Dave Silvestri said. "He's a little bit limited right now defensively, but you can tell he's going to improve. He's got a great body. He's going to be a big-time power hitter somewhere down the line."