Marlon Byrd

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #3 prospect in 2003
  Don't let his Kirby Puckett build fool you. Byrd has 30-30 potential. He's a gym rat who has worked hard to reshape his body after ballooning to 315 pounds following an accident as a Georgia Tech freshman. Byrd severely injured his right leg after karate-kicking a door in jest, and required three surgeries. Byrd has above-average speed, can hit for average and will show power. He has a working knowledge of the strike zone and uses the entire field. He makes good reads and shows solid range in center field. He works as hard as any player to improve his game every day. Byrd focused too much on homers while hitting in the middle of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre order. He needs to cut down on his strikeouts and be more aggressive on the bases. He was charged with assault after an August confrontation with his girlfriend. The matter was resolved, and the club hopes he'll learn from it. Byrd will be an upgrade over Doug Glanville and Ricky Ledee in center fieldr. His experience, maturity and minor league accomplishments should allow him to make the jump to the majors.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #1 prospect in 2002
  Though most Phillies officials expected Byrd to spend the 2001 season at high Class A Clearwater, he fell two home runs shy of becoming the second player in Double-A Eastern League history to record a 30-30 season. A careless accident as a Georgia Tech freshman nearly cost him his athletic future. He karate-kicked a door in jest and sustained muscular damage to his right leg. He came down with an infection that cut off the circulation to the nerves in his leg and required three operations. Byrd ballooned to 315 pounds, a far cry from the days when he was a sought-after high school running back. After transferring to Georgia Perimeter Junior College, he rededicated himself and has been on a mission since. In case there were any doubts about Byrd's breakthrough, he was among the top hitters in the Arizona Fall League. Byrd removed all of his limitations in 2001 and now offers average to above-average tools across the board. He resembles a young Kirby Puckett, but don't be fooled by his stocky frame. Byrd is a fitness freak with a rock-solid physique. He has a quiet, compact stroke, and the ball jumps off his bat to all fields. He stays back on offspeed stuff and is an intelligent hitter with a decent idea of the strike zone. Like Puckett, Byrd uses his instincts well in center field and gets good jumps in all directions. The Phillies call him a manager's dream because he never stops striving for improvement. A year ago, his below-average speed and below-average arm relegated him to left field. He got himself on a long-toss program and improved his throwing. He also worked on his running, resulting in 30 steals. His power was in question, so he built up his upper-body strength and slugged a career-best .555. He doesn't have as much baseball experience as the typical 24-year-old prospect because he lost two years to his leg injury, but he's quickly making up for lost time. Byrd has rapidly emerged as the Phillies' center fielder of the future. He has already caught manager Larry Bowa's attention with his work ethic. Adding him to an outfield with Pat Burrell and Bob Abreu would give Philadelphia two potential 30-30 men in the lineup.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #10 prospect in 2001
  Byrd attended Georgia Tech intending to play football out of high school, but quickly changed his path by focusing solely on baseball and transferring to Georgia Perimeter JC. Physically, he resembles Dee Brown, a high school gridiron standout-turned-Royals prospect. Byrd's assault on the South Atlantic League earned him the organization's minor league player of the year award. Byrd generates tremendous power with his muscular build and compact stroke. He can mash fastballs into the gaps and his over-the-fence power should increase with experience. He's a gifted baserunner and a potential 30-30 threat in the future. Though he pulverized the Sally League, Byrd wasn't young for the level and needs to prove he can hit pitching at the higher levels by sharpening his command of the strike zone. His arm is his biggest weakness and almost certainly will relegate him to left field. Given his lack of baseball experience, the Phillies were thrilled with the aptitude Byrd showed in a full-season league in 2000. His work ethic is off the charts, which should give him an edge as he takes on the challenges of the upper levels.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked International League #4 prospect in 2002
  The Phillies got little production out of center field this year, but that should change in 2003, when Byrd should win the job. He has above-average speed, can hit for a high average and will show some power. He hit 15 homers this year after cracking 22 and 29 the previous two seasons. Byrd shows a working knowledge of the strike zone--though he needs to walk more often--and uses the entire field. He's more suited for the middle of the order rather than the top. And he isn't complacent, as he works to improve his game every day. "He plays the game 110 percent all the time," Scranton manager Marc Bombard said. "You should play the game like that, but not everyone does. Put that with those tools and you have something special."
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  Ranked Eastern League #2 prospect in 2001
  The most complete position player in the EL started the season as one of its most inexperienced players. The first Phillies position player to skip the high Class A Florida State League in a decade, Byrd has a combination of speed, power and defense that makes him extremely dangerous. "Man, he just killed us," Binghamton manager Howie Freiling said. "He's a five-tool player. He can be a 30-30 guy in the major leagues, and there aren't many of those around." Only a late-season slump kept Byrd from joining Jeromy Burnitz as the only 30-30 players in the league's 79 seasons. " What he's done makes Doug Glanville tradable in Philadelphia," one scout said. "And if I'm Reggie Taylor, I'm looking over my shoulder. Byrd goes hard all the time. There's nothing fancy about him and there's nothing phony about him."
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  Ranked South Atlantic League #18 prospect in 2000
  Perhaps the hardest worker in the SAL, Byrd ranked among the league’s top 10 in batting, slugging percentage and extra-base hits, thanks to a mix of talent and work ethic. He was something of a raw, stocky prospect coming out of Georgia Perimeter Junior College in 1999. "He’s the kind of guy who hits triples to left-center," Legg said. "That tells you how hard he plays the game." Byrd runs well and hits for power. He strikes out far too often but is working on a more compact swing. He’s a decent outfielder but has a below-average arm.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #63 prospect in 2003
• Ranked Baseball America's #26 prospect in 2002

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  Perhaps the hardest worker in the SAL, Byrd ranked among the league’s top 10 in batting, slugging percentage and extra-base hits, thanks to a mix of talent and work ethic. He was something of a raw, stocky prospect coming out of Georgia Perimeter Junior College in 1999. "He’s the kind of guy who hits triples to left-center," Legg said. "That tells you how hard he plays the game." Byrd runs well and hits for power. He strikes out far too often but is working on a more compact swing. He’s a decent outfielder but has a below-average arm.