There are some thing in baseball that make watching and following the game of baseball fun.  One of the hallowed records that begs to be broken year after year is hitting 0.400 or better.  Many players have come close since Ted Williams did it in 1941.  I consider this mark more unattainable than hitting 73 home runs again.  If there is one record I want to see fall in my lifetime, it’s this record.  This year Chipper Jones was the man that has come the closest.  Although he recently got injured I still hold out hope that he can get to 0.400 again, but it’s not looking good.

One look in the minors tells a different story, a player by the name of Ben Revere is hitting in a zone lately and as of yesterday he was hitting 0.401 after 60 games even!  Last year he was the first round pick of the Twins (pick 28 overall).  He signed quickly and spent the year in rookie ball (GCL Twins).  He hit 0.324/0/29/21 in 191 at bats. At only 20 years old he has the eye of a grizzled veteran. He has only struck out 40 times in his career.  To put that in perspective, Cameron Maybin has struck out 40 times in the past 2 months.

So here is the million dollar question, who would he compare to in the majors?  The answer is that I don’t know.  He has the speed of a Haney Ramirez but the eye of Tony Gwynn.  So I guess maybe that’s your answer, Tony had some wheels on him when he came up, but his batter’s eye is what made him dangerous.  I think of all the minor leaguers out there he may have the best eye in the game.  He’s only 20 and the Twins would do a huge disservice in allowing him to advance to quickly.  Let him finish the season in Beloit and see if he can hit the magical 0.400.

Next stop would be the Ft. Myers Miracle or the New Britain Rock Cats.  If I were the GM I would move him to high A Ft. Myers, if he can handle that then send him to AA with an ETA in the majors in late 2009 or early 2010.  It is going to be interesting as to what he can do over the next year.  His autographed cards are running from $3 – $8, with deals that could be had on Donruss or Tristar items.  Here are a few of his cards: