Bobby Malek Stats & Scouting Report

AB	1899
AVG	.255
OBP	.319
SLG	.37
HR	27

Full name Robert John Malek
Born 07/06/1981 in Livonia, MI
Profile Ht.: 6'3" / Wt.: 210 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Michigan State
Drafted in the 4th round (117th overall) by the New York Mets in 2002.

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Malek has been the toughest out in the state practically since he enrolled at Michigan State. He hit a Big 10 Conference-best .427 in 2001 and followed up by batting .380 this year while tripling his home run output. Malek also runs well and plays solid defense, but his best tool of all may be a powerful right field arm that gunned down runners with regularity this season.

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Organization Prospect Rankings

Malek has an abundance of tools, but the Mets are still waiting for him to put it all together. He runs well for a big man, owns a decent batting eye and has a plus arm. He has bounced back from 2002 Tommy John surgery with few ill effects, but his adjustment to wood bats hasn't gone as well. He won Big 10 Conference batting (.427 as a sophomore) and home run (16 as a junior) titles, but hasn't been able to combine hitting for average and power as a pro. When he repeated high Class A last year, he did show more pop. Malek's swing is a little long, and he's not strong enough to produce power without trying to pull the ball. When he does that, it takes away from his ability to use the entire field. There's still room for projection in his upper body. He has good instincts and a strong arm in right field. New York hopes he'll take a huge step forward this year in Double-A.
A 2002 first-team All-American after hitting .402-16-66 with 16 steals for Michigan State, Malek lasted until the fourth round because he faced Tommy John surgery. The Mets regarded him as a second- or third-round talent in a year when they gave up those two picks to sign free agents David Weathers and Roger Cedeno. Malek has fully recovered from the elbow surgery to show the system's best outfield arm. He also has good instincts and takes good routes in the outfield, but his range is borderline in right field. At the plate, Malek has a nice, easy swing. He projects as a John Vander Wal type who hits for average with a good on-base percentage, but he'll have to show a lot more power. He has shown more speed (it's just average) than pop since adjusting to wood bats. He'll move to Double-A in 2004.