Cale Iorg Stats & Scouting Report

AB	2140
AVG	.217
OBP	.27
SLG	.339
HR	45

Full name Garth Cale Iorg
Born 09/06/1985 in Toronto, ON, Canada
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Alabama
Drafted in the 6th round (211th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2007 (signed for $1,497,500).

View Draft Report

While Iorg was wrapping up his two-year Mormon mission in Lisbon, Portugal, his parents' home phone was ringing as scouts tried to gauge his interest in signing a pro baseball contract. Iorg posted a respectable .280 average with five homers and 15 stolen bases in 2005 as Alabama's everyday shortstop, but he has been abroad since then. The son of former big league infielder Garth and nephew of big league outfielder Dane, Cale had achieved assistant to the president status during his mission, a high-ranking position, but was scheduled to return to the U.S. July 14, which would give the team that drafts him a month to work him out and negotiate before the new signing deadline. Iorg hasn't played in two years, but as a freshman he showed outstanding feel for all phases of the game, a smooth swing and good actions up the middle. He wasn't going to sign for a pittance, but a team will take a chance on him later in the draft just to see what might happen this summer.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

After a solid freshman season at Alabama, Iorg spent two years in Portugal on a Mormon mission. The Tigers believed enough in his talent to pay him $1.5 million as a sixth-round pick after he finished his assignment in 2007, diverting him from transferring to Arizona State. Detroit made the investment in part because of Iorg's bloodlines, as his father Garth and uncle Dane both played in the big leagues. However, hitting is tough enough without a two-year layoff, and Iorg has struggled mightily as a pro. He's career .228/.283/.358 hitter whose production has declined in each of his three full pro season. Iorg is a gifted athlete with a sound stroke, bat speed and some raw power, but his pitch recognition is poor and he regularly swings through offspeed pitches. He's overly aggressive and scouts question how well he can see the ball. He doesn't make adjustments at the plate and often loads too late to get his hands going in time against good velocity. Despite his offensive shortcomings, Iorg may still get a shot as a major league regular because of his prowess with the glove. He's a special defender with extraordinary range and hands. His arm is also an asset, though it wasn't on full display last year, when he experienced some shoulder stiffness late in the season. Though Detroit added Iorg to the 40-man roster in November, it also re-signed Johnny Peralta to a two-year contract. That likely limits Iorg to a reserve role with the Tigers, though he'll have to improve offensively before he gets that opportunity.
Iorg has good bloodlines, as his father Garth and uncle Dane both played in the big leagues. After a solid 2005 freshman season at Alabama, he spent two years in Portugal on a Mormon mission, but the Tigers believed enough in his talent to pay him $1.5 million as a sixth-round pick in 2007. Iorg has an athletic, physical frame and unquestionable tools. An above-average shortstop with plenty of range and arm strength, he's more advanced as a defender at this point. He has good bat speed, a nice swing and can put on a show in batting practice, but his hitting ability hasn't shown up consistently against live pitching. His career batting line as a pro is an underwhelming .235/.299/.364. He hit worse than that in 2009, and his anemic results last year were actually inflated by Erie's cozy home park, as he hit .205/.266/.307 on the road. His pitch recognition isn't good and he often gets himself out by swinging through pitches outside the strike zone. Iorg is a skilled defender, but the development of his bat will determine whether he becomes an everyday player or a utilityman. He batted .217 in the Arizona Fall League, so he'll return to Double-A to open 2010.
One of Detroit's above-slot signings in the 2007 draft, Iorg missed two college seasons while serving on a Mormon mission to Portugal. Iorg's tools and pedigree--his father Garth and uncle Dane played in the big leagues--made the Tigers comfortable signing him out of the sixth round for $1,497,500. Scouts like Iorg's physicality and explosiveness. His batting stance has been compared to that of a young Nomar Garciaparra, and he has the raw power to hit 15-20 homers annually. His range and arm strength are average or a tick above, and they play up because of his good instincts. His speed is solid-average. at times, the two-year layoff is evident in Iorg's play. Despite a relatively compact swing, Iorg had 111 strikeouts at high Class A Lakeland, a sign that his pitch recognition must improve. His intense makeup sometimes works against him. Iorg lost developmental time with a strained throwing shoulder in 2008 but made up at-bats in instructional league. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski already has predicted that Iorg will become an all-star, and he looks like the club's best homegrown infielder since Travis Fryman. Iorg will move up to Double-A and needs more minor league seasoning, though his raw ability could push him to Detroit by season's end.
Iorg's father Garth and uncle Dane played in the major leagues, and his brother Eli is an outfielder in the Astros system. Cale hadn't played since hitting .280 as a freshman at Alabama in 2005, taking two years off to go on a Mormon mission to Portugal. Believing he'd blossom into a first-round pick in 2008 if he returned to school, the Tigers drafted him in the sixth round and signed him for $1,497,500. Iorg has the body frame and actions of a natural shortstop. He's an instinctive player with enough power to hit between 15-20 homers per year in the majors. He has a smooth swing and should hit for average as well. He's a plus runner who showed an average to slightly above-average arm during workouts last summer. He has the tools to be an everyday shortstop, but it's unclear how long it will take Iorg to compensate for the long layoff. The Tigers hoped he would gain experience in Hawaii Winter Baseball, but he injured his hamstring in early October. Detroit believes Iorg's bloodlines and good makeup will offset his inexperience. He should begin his first full pro season in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Iorg's father Garth and uncle Dane were longtime big leaguers, so it's no surprise he was considered one of the FSL's smartest players. He also was one of the league's best defensive shortstops, with good range and arm strength, quick feet and the ability to make plays in the hole or up the middle. Managers also were impressed with his positioning and knowledge of the game. Despite some natural loft in his swing and some present power, Iorg's bat created some concerns. He looked rusty after going on a two-year Mormon mission to Portugal in 2006-07, struggling at times to read pitches and striking out too often. Some managers were worried about Iorg's tendency to take a bad at-bat back to the bench with him, and they wanted to see him make more adjustments at the plate.