The New Guy: Chase Fontaine

As you are probably aware of the trade that sent reliever Jeff Ridgway to Atlanta for infielders Willy Aybar and Chase Fontaine. You can view discussion of the deal at DRaysBay here, where most of the discussion is correctly about Ridgway and Aybar. But here, we're going to take a look at the throw-in from Atlanta, Chase Fontaine.

A Braves 2nd rounder(72nd overall) in 2006 out of Daytona Beach CC, Fontaine split 2007 between Rome(SAL League) and Myrtle Beach(Carolina League). Older than most of the SAL competition, he hit a respectable .288/.402/.399 in 318 at-bats with Rome, but hit a wall in Myrtle Beach. The Pelicans' home stadium is notoriously rough on hitters, but .205/.284/.256 in 78 at-bats is bad in any stadium.

Fontaine has a solid all-around game but lacks any plus tools. Clearly he has relied on plate discipline as a pro, not hitting for much power in his 1.5 seasons. He played shortstop at Daytona Beach, but has played all over the place as a pro: SS, 2B, 3B, and OF. His versatility and compact swing make him a candidate to move up steadily through the minors, but I don't ever see him becoming a big-league regular. With work(namely, cutting down on a high strikeout number for something with his swing), he could become a decent backup thanks to his ability to play almost anywhere. He doesn't have the range to be an everyday SS or the power to be an everyday 3B, so 2B is probably his long-term main position.

Fontaine could be a fringe top-30 prospect in some organizations, but he's probably in the 38-40 range with the Rays. He'll start 2007 at Vero Beach, a welcome change of scenery from Myrtle Beach.

From John Sickels:

Drafted in the second round out of Daytona Beach CC in 2006, Chase Fontaine (sounds like a name from a 1950s musical) is a line drive hitter with very good strike zone judgment. He doesn't have much power at this point, although some scouts believe he will develop more as he progresses. He hit well in the Sally League (OPS +9 percent), but was much less effective after a late promotion to the Carolina League. Note the deterioration in his BB/K/AB ratio at the higher level. I was pretty optimistic about Fontaine last year and gave him a B-, but that looks too high right now. He needs to show more pop, but still has a chance to be an Adam Kennedy type. Grade C+.