Brent Lillibridge Stats & Scouting Report

AB	708
AVG	.205
OBP	.267
SLG	.332
HR	19

Full name Brent Stuart Lillibridge
Born 09/18/1983 in Everett, WA
Profile Ht.: 5'11" / Wt.: 185 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Washington
Debut 04/26/2008
Drafted in the 4th round (121st overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005 (signed for $262,500).

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Like teammate Tim Lincecum, Lillibridge is undersized at 5-foot-11. But he is a complete package, capable of playing anywhere in the middle of the diamond. He saw significant time in center field his first two seasons, but has spent this season almost exclusively at shortstop. For some scouts, he profiles as a utilityman along the lines of Mark McLemore. He covers a lot of ground at shortstop and has a knack for making difficult plays. He has an above-average arm and above-average speed.Lillibridge has an extremely aggressive approach at the plate. He looks for fastballs early in the count, takes a big cut and has hit more than 30 homers in his career. But he also is plagued by poor pitch recognition. His inability to adjust to offspeed pitches makes him prone to strikeouts. He fanned 65 times in 2004 and led his team in that category again this year. Scouts say he must learn to cut down on his swing, especially with two strikes. Lillibridge has the gritty attitude needed to makeit in pro ball, and it's a tossup whether he or Lincecum will be the first college player drafted from Washington.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Lillibridge has been traded twice in the last three offseasons. Though he quickly established himself as one of the few position prospects in the Pirates system, Pittsburgh dealt him to the Braves in a deal for Adam LaRoche after the 2006 season. He spent two years as Atlanta property, making his major league debut last April, before coming to the White Sox in December in a four-player package for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan. Lillibridge is coming off easily his worst year as a pro, as he didn't get his average above the Mendoza Line for good until mid-June. One of the major knocks against him is his inability to handle failure, a problem that reared its head again when he let his offensive woes carry over to his defense. Despite last season's difficulties, Lillibridge has good hands at the plate with above-average pop for his size and the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He also has plus speed and the instincts to read pitchers well, making him a solid stolen-base threat. He needs to become a better bunter and play more of a small-ball game while continuing to reduce his strikeouts. Defensively, his range and arm strength both rate above average, and he has the overall skill set to play shortstop in the big leagues. The White Sox plan on moving Alexei Ramirez to shortstop in 2009, so Lillibridge will compete with Chris Getz and Jayson Nix for the second-base job. Chicago GM Kenny Williams said he envisions Lillibridge eventually filling the super-utility role that Pablo Ozuna held for much of the last four seasons.
Acquired from Pittsburgh in the deal that sent Adam LaRoche to the Pirates last offseason, Lillibridge served as a catalyst on Richmond's International League championship club. He led the system with 42 steals and posted a hit in each of his nine playoff games. R-Braves manager Dave Brundage said Lillibridge improved more over the course of the season than any player on his club. Lillibridge has the tools to hit leadoff, plus the range and arm strength to play shortstop in the major leagues. His hands work well at the plate and he's adept at using the entire field. He also drives the ball well for a player his size. With above-average speed and savvy, he has succeeded in 79 percent of his pro steal attempts. Lillibridge thinks of himself as a middle-of-the-lineup hitter too often. He needs to reduce his strikeouts by shortening his swing and controlling the zone better. He also needs to upgrade his bunting ability and become more of a small-ball player. He doesn't always deal with failure well, though he's doing better as he matures. Once Lillibridge plays to his strengths he'll be ready to contribute at the major league level. He'll open 2008 in Triple-A.
Lillibridge was a three-time all-Pac-10 Conference selection at Washington, as a center fielder in his freshman season then as a shortstop the next two years. After a so-so pro debut, he had an outstanding first full season, leading the system in hitting (.319), runs (106), walks (87) and on-base percentage (.419) while adding 53 steals in 64 tries. Lillibridge hits for average, has solid gap power and showed improved plate discipline in 2006. He has above-average speed and very good instincs on the bases Defensively, he has outstanding range, especially to his right, and a solid arm. He projects as a possible leadoff hitter, but to fill that role Lillibridge will need to shorten his swing and cut down on his strikeouts. Though he can make acrobatic plays at shortstop, he sometimes tries to pull off impossible ones, leading to 47 errors in 169 pro games. He'll return to Double-A after participating in the Eastern League playoffs at the end of 2006. Though Pirates incumbent Jack Wilson has three years and $19.6 million remaining on his contract, Lillibridge could enter the picture by September.
One of the few anthropology majors in pro ball, Lillibridge was a first-team all-Pacific-10 Conference selection in each of his three seasons at Washington. He played every game at shortstop for the Huskies last season after spending time in center field earlier in his career. A fourth-round pick in June, he signed for $262,500. He's an athletic player with a live body and lots of energy. He hits for average and also has gap power. He's an above-average defensive shortstop with excellent range and a good arm, enabling him to make acrobatic plays. He also has above average speed and can steal a base. Lillibridge struggled in making the adjustment to wood bats and was prone to strikeouts even while starring at Washington. He has a big swing, looks for fastballs and doesn't recognize breaking balls well, so he'll have several adjustments to make. He made 13 errors in 42 games in his pro debut, but much of that was attributed to trying too hard to make tough plays. Lillibridge has a lot of upside and could move quickly after beginning 2006 in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

Injuries in Atlanta triggered a series of moves that sent Yunel Escobar to the big leagues, Lillibridge to Triple-A and Diory Hernandez to Mississippi, and all three of them performed well upon their promotions. In his first year with the Braves following an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, Lillibridge established himself as a legitimate middle-infield prospect thanks to a well-rounded game and solid tools across the board. "When you see him everyday, he really makes an impression on you," the third scout said. "He's one of those guys who's a steady player, not flashy, definitely not Escobar or Rafael Furcal. But he makes all the plays and he shows you a plus tool when he needs to." Lillibridge has solid-average bat speed, barrel awareness and control of the strike zone. He drives balls from gap to gap and has a generally refined approach to hitting. He's an average runner, but he has a great first step, good hands, enough arm strength for the back side of double plays and the agility to make the play on the run.
Though he had to wait until June--and Yunel Escobar's big league callup--for his chance with Richmond, Lillibridge opened eyes around the league with his well-rounded game. He reminded one opposing manager of Khalil Greene, as a 5-foot-11 shortstop with excellent leverage in his swing. Unlike Greene, Lillibridge offers above-average speed and baserunning ability (he was 28-of-33 stealing bases) and a chance to be an above-average hitter. Lillibridge takes his hands to the ball quickly and cleanly and is adept at using all fields. His game power is fringe-average, but he has enough snap in his bat to hit 10-15 homers annually in the big leagues. Defensively, Lillibridge offers slightly above-average range at short with a great feel for the ball off the bat, good hands and above-average arm strength. An energetic player with instincts for the game, Lillibridge profiles as a No. 2 hitter in the major leagues. Working against Lillibridge are questions about endurance because of his size.
For a player in just his second season at shortstop after playing center field for much of his college career, Lillibridge is very advanced with the glove. He has outstanding range and first-step quickness, with soft hands and an above-average arm that allows him to make plays from deep in the hole. With well above-average speed, Lillibridge profiles more as a tablesetter than a run producer. He incorporates very little of his lower half in his longish swing, with a pronounced drift in his hands and his feet spread wide apart. He made some adjustments to shorten his stroke, and his plate discipline was exceptional during his first full season. Energetic and driven, Lillibridge was one of the most consistent players in the league. He drew rave reviews from managers for his grind-it-out style.