Dave Sappelt Stats & Scouting Report

AB	251
AVG	.251
OBP	.301
SLG	.343
HR	2

Full name David J. Sappelt
Born 01/02/1987 in Buffalo, NY
Profile Ht.: 5'9" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Coastal Carolina
Debut 08/07/2011
Drafted in the 9th round (269th overall) by the Cincinnati Reds in 2008 (signed for $75,000).

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David Sappelt was the Big South Conference player of the year in 2007 and was batting .344 this season while playing an above-average center field. He has a package of speed and power at the plate, making him a threat in multiple ways on the field.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Wherever Sappelt has played, he's hit. Whether at Coastal Carolina (where he was nicknamed "Gary Coleman" because of his small stature) or in the minors, he continually has squared up the ball. He won the Southern League batting title with a .361 average in 2010, and he hit better than .300 for all but three days in 2011 before the Reds called him up in August. He struggled for the first time after reaching the big leagues, where pitchers used his aggressiveness against him. There aren't many long-term concerns about Sappelt's bat, however. He can turn on almost any fastball and just needs to prove he also can handle offspeed stuff when pitchers work him away. He doesn't have more than gap power and though he's a slightly above-average runner, he's not much of a basestealer. His speed doesn't fully translate on defense either, because he doesn't read balls well off the bat. He's a below-average defender with a substandard arm in center field, the only position at which he could make it as a regular. Unless he can improve his routes, he faces a future as a fourth outfielder. Cincinnati will give him a chance to make the club as a reserve in spring training, but he also could head back to Triple-A to work on his defense.
Sappelt has proven detractors wrong every step up the way, and he has continued to be a productive hitter despite his short stature. After an excellent career at Coastal Carolina, where his college teammates nicknamed him Gary Coleman, Sappelt slipped to the ninth round because scouts had a hard time profiling him, and he signed for $75,000. He has continued to hit, culminating in a Double-A Southern League batting title in 2010 and a late-season promotion to Triple-A. Sappelt has excellent hand-eye coordination and an ability to turn pitches off the plate into line drives. He's especially tough on lefties (batting .411 against them in 2010) and is an above-average hitter with below-average power. Some scouts see him as a fourth outfielder. Sappelt is a tick above average in center field and has enough arm to play right field. He's an above-average runner. Sappelt may not profile as an everyday player, and being a righthanded hitter limits his platoon potential, but like Chris Heisey, another late-round Reds find, he has a knack for surprising people. Sappelt will get his first extended taste of Triple-A in 2011.

Minor League Top Prospects

Sappelt raked in his 89 games at Carolina, winning the league batting title (.361) and MVP award, and continued to produce after getting to Triple-A. "Everybody was waiting for him to cool off," Bell said, "but that's his consistent approach at work." A quick-twitch athlete, Sappelt makes good adjustments at the plate and should hit for average with surprising pop for his size. He can get pull-conscious at times and could use more patience, but his approach works for him. He's a plus runner who's still learning how to use it to steal bases after getting caught 13 times in 28 attempts in the SL. Sappelt's deceptive speed plays better in center field, where he covers a lot of real estate. His arm rates a tick above average, making it stronger than most at his position, and he charges balls hard and makes accurate throws.