August 15, 2008

 

Position: Infield
Hits/Throws: Right/Right
Height/Weight: 6'0''/175
Birthday: 1/14/1985 (Age 23)
Roster Status: Rule V Eligible after 2010 Season

Background: Stoneburner came to the Rangers in the 9th round of 2007's amateur draft out of James Madison University.  He had gone to James Madison from Mills E. Godwin High in Virginia, where he was a moderately-decorated player.  From there, Stoneburner went on to start for all four of his years at JMU, improving slightly from start to finish.  His freshman year had a .295 line with fairly good plate discipline and a shade of gap power.  His sophomore year was disappointing considering the expectations.  His average dropped to a .259 mark, and his discipline and power stayed at the same level as his freshman campaign.  Stoneburner hoped for a strong return in his junior year in 2006, but a torn ACL 31 games into the season derailed that hope.  He had been having a career season at the time, hitting .325 with a career high 6 home runs.  However, his plate discipline stayed roughly the same.  Every team passed over Stoneburner in the 2006 draft, so he came back to JMU for his senior year.  He stayed healthy the whole year, and had a line similar to his 2006 season before the injury, hitting .324 with 7 homers.  He was regarded as an easy sign as a senior, so the Rangers called his name in the 9th round and gave him a small $10,000 bonus.

Tools: Stoneburner is one of those minor league infielders that has no plus tool.  His ability to hit for average and power are highly in doubt, and he's done nothing to show improvement since signing over a year ago.  His speed is also nothing special, as he's just 8 for 13 in stolen base attempts in 99 games as a pro to this point.  His fielding is seen as especially bad, as he's made 27 errors in 97 games at various postitions, mostly at shortstop.  He only began to play shortstop full-time in college, so it's possible he's still learning the position.  However, he's about to complete his fifth season in the infield, so you'd hope he's adjusted by now.  His arm is nothing special, so his glove will have to improve.  On the whole, his tools don't play out at all, so he'll have to rely on heady play to advance.

Professional Experience: Stoneburner's pro debut did not go very well at Spokane in 2007.  He played rather sparingly as a reserve infielder, gathering only 85 at-bats over the entire season, and finished with a .235/.313/.306 line.  His plate discipline was average, and his glove was just plain bad.  He made 8 errors in 21 games at shortstop and 4 in 6 games at third.  He got caught in his only steal attempt during the season, and he entered 2008 with only a job as a reserve infielder.

2008 Season: Stoneburner's 2008 campaign has been similar to Jacob Kaase's.  He's shuttled between Bakersfield and Clinton, depending on who's healthy at the time.  Since Erik Morrison has graduated to Bakersfield, Stoneburner's been back at Clinton splitting time at shortstop.  Between Clinton and Bakersfield, he's played all four infield positions, committing errors at all but first base (where he played in a single game).  As with most part-time infielders, he's struggled with his plate discipline, as his numbers have been in decline even relative to his college numbers.  At the moment, he's looking at a .259/.307/.389 line in 162 at-bats for Clinton.  That's not what you would want from a 23 year-old college draftee.  It's still not fair to say Stoneburner is incapable of playing well, as his playing time has been erratic at best.  However, he did prove he can't handle pitching in the Cal League, and the Midwest League is a little over his head too.  Stoneburner's 2008 season has been a disappointment.

Future Outlook: I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rangers cut Stoneburner loose this offseason.  He's done nothing to distinguish himself over players like Kaase, who has hit better than Stoneburner all year.  If he does stick around for another year, look for it to be as a fill-in at Clinton or Bakersfield again.  He doesn't really have a future as an infielder at any of the upper levels.

Written by Andy Seiler

Photo from flickr.com; Username emjsmith