Lyle Overbay

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #3 prospect in 2003
  Though he set several Nevada and Big West Conference records, Overbay wasn't drafted until his senior year--and even then he lasted until the 18th round because scouts didn't think he profiled well at any position. He has made other teams pay for the oversight, becoming the first short-season player to drive in 100 runs and batting .345 in four pro seasons. Overbay is a line-drive machine, similar to Sean Casey and Mark Grace. He has a sweet, short stroke and adeptly uses the entire field. He has consistently produced tons of doubles in the minors, and he has the build to develop more over-the-fence power. The Grace comparisons don't entirely work because Overbay doesn't draw as many walks and isn't particularly smooth around first base. Scouts who saw him in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League didn't think his approach was conducive to hitting home runs. Now 26, he never has been young for his league. Overbay's promise was a major reason the Diamondbacks decided to trade Erubiel Durazo in a four-team deal that allowed them to upgrade their rotation with Elmer Dessens. Overbay will start at first base for Arizona and benefit from Grace's veteran counsel.
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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #4 prospect in 2002
  Overbay won the Big West Conference batting title as a senior at Nevada in 1999, then became the first player ever to drive in 100 runs in a short-season league. He was named the best batting prospect in the Double-A Texas League last year, leading the loop in hitting, doubles and on-base percentage (.423). Overbay is predominantly a line-drive, gap-togap hitter. Though he hasn't topped 14 homers in a pro season, some scouts say with his pure swing, he has a chance to develop 20-25 longball power. Overbay thinks contact first and gets good extension through the ball, spraying hits to all fields. The ball jumps off his bat, and he has shown the strength to drive the ball into the alleys with authority. Drafted as an outfielder, Overbay can be stiff and awkward around first base. He went to Mexico over the winter to work on his defense, and while he's no Mark Grace, he did show more fluid actions. With Grace locked up for another season and Erubiel Durazo waiting in the wings, Overbay will spend the year feasting on pitching in another hitter's league at Triple-A Tucson.
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  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #11 prospect in 2001
  Overbay was an 18th-round find by former area scout Brian Guinn, who is no longer with the organization. He is a run-producing machine despite not having overwhelming power. He gained instant recognition by becoming the first player ever to drive in at least 100 runs for a short-season team, then drove in 96 more last year while reaching Double-A. Overbay possesses solid mechanics at the plate with the ability to drive the ball to all fields and make necessary adjustments. He hit just 14 home runs last season, but team officials believe his swing and maturity might translate into more power as he advances. Though Overbay didn't tear up the Arizona Fall League, he held his own. He still needs work around the first-base bag, but he has made strides defensively. He has shown enough with the bat to start 2001 at Triple-A.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Pacific Coast League #15 prospect in 2002
  Overbay has hit .345 since signing as an 18th-round pick in 1999. He's a smart hitter who hits all kinds of pitching, effortlessly stroking line drives and using the opposite field well. Managers put him in a similar class with Blalock and Burroughs and thought his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame eventually would generate more than doubles power. Scouts weren't as convinced, however. They don't think he makes enough effort to go for home runs, and he doesn't draw walks like Choi and Hafner do. The scouts aren't as sold on the constant Overbay-Mark Grace comparisons, either, because he doesn't have that kind of glove. "I'd like to see him hit 30-40 home runs," the NL scout said. "He gives up too much power at times. I'm not convinced. He can be a complementary player, but I'm not sure he's a legitimate run producer."
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  Ranked Texas League #8 prospect in 2001
  The sweet-swinging Overbay began the year with .342 minor league career average and improved it by leading the TL with a .352 mark. He doesn't have big-time home run power, but he stroked 49 doubles and had a .528 slugging percentage. "He's always on base and you know he's going to get a hit before the game is through," Midland manager Tony DeFrancesco said, "so you just try to limit the damage." Overbay doesn't offer much other than offense, so his bat will have to carry him. His defense, merely adequate but improving, shouldn't prevent him from reaching the majors, though Mark Grace, Erubiel Durazo and Jack Cust loom ahead on Arizona's organizational depth chart.
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  Ranked Texas League #12 prospect in 2000
  Overbay first attracted attention last year, when he became the first short-season player to drive in 100 runs when he had 101 in 75 games in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. He continued to show gap power and drive in runs while reaching Double-A in 2000, hitting .352 in El Paso to raise his career average to .342. When Alex Cabrera was promoted to Arizona after hitting 35 homers in two months in the TL, Overbay took over and the Diablos offense didn’t miss a beat. He didn't launch as many moonshot bombs as Cabrera, but Overbay quickly convinced league observers that he was the better hitter. "Overbay has as close to a perfect lefthanded swing as you can get," one scout said. With his size and stroke, Overbay should develop more home run power.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #65 prospect in 2003

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  Overbay first attracted attention last year, when he became the first short-season player to drive in 100 runs when he had 101 in 75 games in the Rookie-level Pioneer League. He continued to show gap power and drive in runs while reaching Double-A in 2000, hitting .352 in El Paso to raise his career average to .342. When Alex Cabrera was promoted to Arizona after hitting 35 homers in two months in the TL, Overbay took over and the Diablos offense didn’t miss a beat. He didn't launch as many moonshot bombs as Cabrera, but Overbay quickly convinced league observers that he was the better hitter. "Overbay has as close to a perfect lefthanded swing as you can get," one scout said. With his size and stroke, Overbay should develop more home run power.