- Full name Mike Zywica
- Born
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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Background: Prior to last season, Zywica's main claim to fame might have been the fact that he was the last entry on the alphabetical list of professional players. He made a name for himself, though, by hitting .381 in the Florida State League and winning the Arizona Fall League batting title, at .330. Strengths: Zywica is not your prototypical high average hitter. He has long limbs and a unique "step, wait and swing" approach at the plate. The rest of Zywica's package is solid. He pitched in college and has above average arm strength, along with average speed and defensive ability. Weaknesses: After a promotion to Double-A, Zywica's average dropped considerably and his walk-to-strikeout ratio unraveled, so he is by no means a polished hitter yet. He will have to continue to show his unusual hitting approach is effective against better pitching. The Future: Zywica didn't do anything different last year to account for his huge surge as a hitter. He just got more repetitions at the plate and became more comfortable with his hitting style. He'll try to pass the Double-A test this season.