Welcome Brandon Guyer

Editors Note: We had already arranged an email Q/A with Guyer earlier this week and were halfway done. This promotion understandably delays its completion, and we could not be happier with that. Look for that in the near future. 

As Steve stated earlier, Brandon Guyer got the call-up last night after the game and leave it to Charlie Montoya to have some fun with Guyer while giving him the good news. R.J. had a good write-up of Guyer from his own analysis as well as an interview with Chaim Bloom, but I thought it would also be helpful to see what some of the other pundits had to say about him. 

Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus had this to say before the season started:

The Good: Guyer has always brought good tools to the table; he has bat speed and gap power, with a smooth, easy stroke, good hand/eye coordination, and excellent contact rates. He's a slightly above-average runner who has stolen 60 bases over the last two years in just 70 attempts. Both his outfield play and arm strength are big-league quality.

The Bad: Despite his numbers, scouting reports on Guyer are far from glowing. His athleticism leaves him a bit short in center, and his power doesn't profile well for a corner. He's a very aggressive hitter who looks for fastballs early in the count, an approach that is often exploited by more advanced pitchers.
Ephemera: Beginning with a 4-for-5 night on June 30, Guyer hit a remarkable .426 (87-for-204) in his last 54 games of the season.
Perfect World Projection: He's either a second-division starter or a good fourth outfielder.

 

Keith Law of ESPN had this to say shortly after Guyer was traded to the Rays:

Guyer is a plus runner and defender in centerfield with good bat-to-ball skills but poor plate discipline. He mashed as a 24-year-old repeating Double-A, so he may be overrated on performance, but the tools are there for him to at least be a second-division regular because of the glove and speed.

John Sickels of MinorLeagueBall.com ranked Guyer 17th in his Rays' pre-season rankings and had this to say:

17) Brandon Guyer, OF, Grade B-: A good athlete, has made good strides turning his tools into skills the last two years. Has speed, some power, could use better plate discipline.

Baseball America had this to say:

Scouting Report: An all-Virginia high school running back and linebacker who drew interest from college football programs, Guyer has solid power, plus speed and the best present outfield skills in the system. He's aggressive in all phases of the game, which hurts him at the plate because he makes contact so easily that he doesn't draw many walks. He knows how to use his quickness on the bases, swiping 30 bags in 33 tries last year. Guyer can play all three outfield positions, thanks to his speed and instincts. His arm has improved to where it's now average, and it's accurate as well.

The Future: Scouts see Guyer as a lesser version of Brett Jackson or a stronger version of Reed Johnson. Guyer's encore this year in Triple-A will help determine whether he'll become a regular or a fourth outfielder.

 

Guyer could even hit the lineup as soon as tonight against the left-handed Zach Britton which would be a nice story for him as his wife works for a local news station and he has a lot of family and friends in Virginia having gone to both high school and college there.