For me, prospecting assessment is fun. As part of looking at the next wave of big league talent to arrive, I really enjoy comps, and that’s maybe because I understand the idea that a comparable is simply a tool to create an understandable mental image of what a player might become.

Comps don’t say players will be that particular player (to whom they are being compared) in the future, but good comps still give us an idea of the skillset and overall performance potential by saying this player in the future has a chance of playing like this current (or past) big leaguer. And comps aren’t always about tools and talent either. Sometimes, comps have to do with makeup, development path, or professional circumstances. With that in mind, there are a few comps I want folks to be aware of so let’s start with one such player and two of his comps.

Let’s take a look at a player in the Cleveland system, specifically in Columbus, the AAA affiliate for the Guardians. Let’s look at Brayan Rocchio, the player I think will be the starting shortstop if or, more likely when, Amed Rosario is traded. First off, of course, I love his nickname: The Professor, which he was tagged with because he’s a high IQ baller. I’ve heard Rocchio comped to Brandon Crawford, whose tools were largely surpassed by his intelligence on the diamond. A field general who seemed to see things in slow motion even as they unfolded at a breakneck pace around him, Crawford is a three-time World Series Champ and one of the key cogs in those runs.

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