MLB Prospect Watch

BA Prospect Hot Sheet - 6/1/12

Baseball America released their weekly hot sheet yesterday, with a familiar name sitting atop of it for the first time.  Here are this week's winners:

• Jesus Aguilar (CLE)
• Tyler Austin (NYY)
• Clayton Blackburn (SF)
• Cody Buckel (TEX)
• Orlando Calixte (KC)
• Andrew Chafin (ARI)
• Kaleb Cowart (LAA)
• Keury de la Cruz (BOS)
• Travis d'Arnaud (TOR)
• Adam Duvall (SF)
• Jose Fernandez (MIA)
• Wilmer Flores (NYM)
• Alen Hanson (PIT)
• Miles Head (OAK)
• Juan Jaime (ATL)
• Tyler Matzek (COL)
• Mike Olt (TEX)
• Chris Parmelee (MIN)
• Kyle Skipworth (MIA)
• Trevor Story (COL)
• Allen Webster (LAD)
• Zack Wheeler (NYM)

This week's not-hot list includes A's OF Grant Green, Brewers P Taylor Jungmann, Diamondbacks P Archie Bradley, and Cardinals P Tyrell Jenkins.

As we near the mid-point of the season, our standings are beginning to take shape.  We update our standings on the sidebar on the right-hand side of the page each week to form a Player of the Year-type ranking for the entire minor leagues.  We assign 15 points for coming in first on the list each week, 14 points for second, and so on.  The "In the Team Photo" players get two points, while the Helium Watch and Man Among Boys get a point apiece each week.  The Not So Hot list loses one point.

It's not the most scientific way to rank players, but it does provide a good snapshot for which prospects are having the best seasons.  Plus, it's fun.

 

Prospect Action 6/1/12

Triple-A

• Nick Addition dropped to 1-6 on the season despite giving up just one hit in seven innings, thanks to five walks by the Cardinals prospect, notes Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.
• White Sox outfielder Jordan Danks extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a 3-for-5 game, says The Charlotte Observer.
• Blue Jays outfielder Moises Sierra hit three home runs off as many pitchers as part of a huge offensive day, writes Jonathan Raymond of MiLB.com.

Double-A

• Ethan Martin continued his bounce-back year, as the Dodgers former first-rounder improved to 6-1 with seven shutout innings, writes San Dykstra of MiLB.com.
• Diamondbacks lefty Tyler Skaggs threw eight strong innings on Friday, allowing just two runs on six hits, notes Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.
• Mike Olt blasted two more home runs Friday night, giving the Rangers third base prospect 13 bombs on the season, notes Emrich.

High-A

• In his first start off the DL since hurting his groin, Zach Lee threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, writes David Heck of MiLB.com.
• It was a rough day ot be a pitching prospect in High-A ball, as Phillies prospect Adam Morgan (box), Marlins prospect Rob Rasmussen (box), Giants prospect Jack Snodgrass (box), and Diamondbacks prospect Andrew Chafin (box)  all took losses.

Low-A

• Angels prospect Kaleb Cowart continued his red-hot hitting, collecting two more hits on Friday and five more RBI's, says Pentis.
• Nick Tropeano struck out nine batters over 5 1/3 innings, reports the Lexington Herald-Ledger, as the Astros pitching prospect continues to make his case for a mid-season promotion.

 

Prospects Breaking Out in 2012

Jimmy Graham breaks down some prospects breaking out in 2012.

 All these prospects where not well known commodities before 2012, but due to their excellent play they are now being recognized at top prospects.

Cody Buckel P Texas

The rich get richer, as the already loaded Texas Rangers system has another power arm.  Drafted in the 2^nd round of 2010, many teams where scared off by Buckel’s lack of height (6’ even) so he fell to the Rangers.  With a fastball that sits in the mid-90’s and excellent secondary offerings, Buckel has become one of the Rangers bigger prospects with his eye-popping start to 2012.  Playing in the Carolina League, Buckel is 4-2 with a 1.19 ERA in 10 starts.  In those 10 starts, he has been dominant, allowing only three runs once and two runs one other time, while holding teams to one run or less in his other eight starts.  The other-worldly numbers that Buckel possesses include whiffing 73 batters in just 60 1/3 innings.  He definitely has the stuff to miss bats, holding opponents to a .167 average against.  Buckel should soon earn a promotion to the Double-A Texas League where he will face much better competition, allowing us to get a better grasp on his ceiling.  Some scouts think he could fare as well as a number two starter, while others see him as a back of the rotation guy.  Either way, the 19-year-old has the talent, and what looks like the makeup, to be a great pitcher.

Brent Keys OF Miami

Talk about coming from nowhere.  Keys, a former 17^th round selection in the 2009 draft, has burst onto the scene showing five tools.  After a limited 2009 and 2010 where he only saw short season ball, Keys struggled to stay healthy in 2011 appearing in just 43 games.  Before 2012 Keys was not thought of to be much of a prospect, but after hitting the cover off the ball for the months of April and May, he is getting some much deserved attention.  Already playing in more games than he did in 2011, Keys is hitting .376 with 4 homers and 24 RBIs.  He is showing plus speed on the base paths, swiping 12 bases out of 15 attempts.  Keys’ amazing statistic is his BB/K ratio at almost 2-to-1, with 27 walks and just 14 strikeouts leading to an OBP of .458.  The 21-year-old has shown enough with the glove for many scouts to think he can stay in center field, while others still feel he projects as a corner outfielder.  Look for Keys to get a promotion to High-A soon to help make up for the time he’s missed in his past.

Yordano Ventura P Kansas City

Another Carolina League pitcher, Ventura, like Buckel, has been missing bats at a tremendous rate.  In 49.1 innings, Ventura has struck out 61 batters.  A small guy with a big arm, the 5’11” Ventura features a plus-fastball paired with developing secondary pitches.  Throughout his professional career Ventura has produced at every level, making scouts look past his slight stature.  Since in 2010, he has averaged more than a strikeout per inning.  Of his 17 earned runs allowed this year, five of them have come on the long ball and while he has held opponents down to a .225 average, his record of 2-4 doesn’t reflect how well he’s pitched. 

Adam Morgan P Philadelphia

A 3^rd round selection in the 2011 draft out of college, Morgan had shown flashes of dominance but also struggled at Alabama.  Morgan features a fastball that ranges from 88-92 with a plus-slider that sits around 84, and a changeup that is also an average major league pitch.  What Morgan needs to do to be successful is pound the strike zone and in 2012 he has done just that, striking out 70 batters in just 59 innings without a power fastball.  For the year he is 2-4 with a 3.36 ERA.  Another surprising new prospect, Morgan could end the season in Double-A with an ETA of 2013-14 if he continues to develop.

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Graham is an avid prospect-follower who has been writing about prospects on the web for two years, and is proud to be from America's hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Prospect Action - 5/30/12

Triple-A

• After a slow start to the season, Blue Jays top prospect Travis d'Arnaud has been red-hot of late, and continued his offensive outburst on Wednesday with a 3-for-5 game with a double, notes David Heck of MiLB.com.  d'Arnaud is now slugging .603 this season.
• In a pitching matchup of struggling prospects, Dellin Betances outpitched Jacob Turner, as the Yankees prospect advanced to 3-4 on the season while the Tigers righty dropped to 0-1.  Both pitchers battled their control, with Betances walking four in six innings but limiting the damage to just two earned runs, while Turner walked five in as many innings but allowed a home run.

Double-A

• Michael Choice broke out of a slump with a 4-for-5 night that included a home run, says Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.  After hitting 30 home runs last year, the A's 2010 first-round pick has hit just four home runs this season and is slugging just .353.
• Kyle Skipworth hit for the fifth straight game, as the Marlins catcher collected two more hits on Wednesday, notes Jeff Elliott of The Florida Times-Union.  Despite his recent short-term success, however, Skipworth continues to lead the Southern League in strikeout rate, whiffing at a rate of over 32 percent.

High-A

• Drake Britton struck out seven over six innings to complete a May in which the Red Sox lefty posted an ERA of 2.10, says David Heck of MiLB.com.  Britton gave up just six earned runs over four starts in the month of May, but his season ERA still sits at 5.80.
• Trayce Thompson blasted a three-run homer on Wednesday night to help lead his fellow White Sox prospects to vistory, according to The Winston-Salem Journal.  For Thompson, it was his sixth home run of the season, but he's still striking out in around 30 percent of his plate appeareances, a rate which is way too high for any amount of power production, and especially for someone slugging just .429.
• Chad Jenkins got outpitched by B.J. Hermsen on Wednesday, as the Twins righty earned his third win of the season by tossing 8 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs.  Jenkins made it through just four innings and allowed a home run to Aaron Hicks, the sixth bomb of the season for the Twins former first-rounder.

Low-A

• In a ridiculous offensive day for the Yankees affiliate in Charleston, catching prospect Gary Sanchez knocked two doubles and a grand slam as part of a seven-RBI day, while outfield prospect Tyler Austin 5-for-5 with a double and a triple, says Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.  Sanchez has hit well this season but his power has not been there, with just five blasts on the season.  Austin, on the other hand, has hit for more power than expected, slugging .661 this year despite his strikeout numbers and a 53-to-22 strikeout to walk ratio.
• Rangers second base prospect Rougned Odor chimed in with three hits, including a double, notes The Hickory Daily Record.  Odor, in his first full season, is establishing himself as a legitimate prospect within an already deep Rangers system, hitting .300/.363/.494 on the year.  He's not controlling the strike zone the way Jurickson Profar did last year, but that may be an unfair bar to set for Odor.

 

Prospect Action - 5/29/12

Triple-A

• Matt Harvey earned his fifth win of the year, allowing just one run in six innings, according to The Columbus Dispatch, but the outing was yet another example of the Mets top prospect not being ready for the majors, as he walked four batters during the outing.  
• Pirates lefty Rudy Owens earned his third win of the season on Tuesday, striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings, and outdueling Rays prospect Chris Archer, who fanned eight batters of his own in the loss, writes Nancy Zinni of PiratesProspects.com.
• Andrew Carraway got hit hard, as the Mariners prospect gave up seven runs in five innings in his fourth Triple-A start, notes Mike Curto of The [Tacoma] News Tribune.

Double-A

• Kyle Skipworth continued his hot hitting with a single and a double on Tuesday, giving him hits in four straight games and raising his batting average to .215, notes The Florida Times-Union.  It's not enough to get too excited about, considering Skipworth is repeating Double-A this season, but the Marlins will take any positive signs surrounding their former first-round pick who has struggled to this point in his professional career.
• Jared Mitchell homered, says Dennis Lin of The Birmingham News, the fourth of the season for the resurgent White Sox former first-rounder.

High-A

• Jimmy Nelson evened his record at 4-4 on the season, as the Brewers prospect struck out five over six innings while allowing just one run.
• Billy Hamilton stole two more bases in support of Reds teammate Tony Cingrani, who earned his fifth win of the season, giving up just one run in 5 1/3 inning, which brought his season ERA up to 1.11.

Low-A

• Mike Foltynewicz gave up just one run over seven innings, and got run support from fellow Astros prospect Delino DeShields, Jr., who homered in the game, reports The Lexingotn Herald-Ledger.  But Foltynewicz was outpitched by Giants prospect Clayton Blackburn, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out nine.
• The Marlins continue to use Austin Brice and Jose Urina in a tandom this season, but the set-up appears to be working for now, as the duo struck out 14 batters on Tuesday, says Danny WIld of MiLB.com.
• Zach Cone blasted a triple and a homer to help his Rangers teammates to a 9-0 victory, according to The Hickory Daily Record.  He even drew a walk, something which has been an issue for the 2011 first-rounder since becoming a professional.