2014 Regular Season Divisional Prospect News

[TheCrew07]

Barret Astin in the team photo!

 

Prospect Hot Sheet (May 23): A Pair Of Dodgers Lead The Way

 

7. Tyler Skulina, rhp, Cubs

Team: low Class A Kane County (Midwest)

Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 SO, 5 BB

 

The Scoop: The Cubs’ fourth-round pick from Kent State last year, Skulina pitched the first 7 1/3 innings of a Kane County no-hitter on Saturday before handing the ball to Nathan Dorris for the final five outs. Overall, Skulina has gone 2-1, 3.19 this season and has allowed 29 hits in 42 innings, but he’s also walked 17 batters against 32 strikeouts, meaning he still has control issues to work out.

10. Javier Baez, ss, Cubs

Team: Triple-A Iowa (Pacific Coast)

Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .429/.433/.929 (12-for-28), 6 R, 5 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBIs, 1 BB, 5 SO, 0-for-1 SB

 

The Scoop: It felt weird not seeing the elite prospect on the Hot Sheet yet this year, but Baez has gone from last week’s Not-So Hot status to red hot with his first Baez-esque week of the season. That includes massive home runs—including one that left Round Rock’s stadium—several extra-base hits and not a whole lot of plate discipline. When Baez connects, he hits the ball very hard—he had eight extra-base hits and four singles this week—but this power surge isn’t enough—yet—to declare his month-long slump over.

 

In The Team Photo

 

Barrett Astin, rhp, Brewers. The 2013 third-round pick from Arkansas has adapted to low Class A Wisconsin after a middling start at Rookie-level Helena a year ago. This past week the 22-year-old hurled seven, two-hit innings with no walks and seven strikeouts in a no-decision against Kane County and did it with just 72 pitches. Overall, Astin has gone 4-2, 3.65, but has an outstanding 7.0 SO/BB ratio. He keeps the ball in the park and doesn’t walk anyone and could move quickly through the system, thanks to command and a heavy fastball that flashes 94-95 mph.

Nick Travieso, rhp, Reds: The Reds haven’t whiffed on a first-round pick since they took Ryan Wagner in 2003. A year ago, Travieso looked like he might endanger that streak as his stuff backed up in his first full season. It’s picked back up at low Class A Dayton this year, and so have his results. Travieso has a 20/2 SO/BB ratio this month and has allowed one home run in nine starts.

 

Not-So Hot

 

Yorman Rodriguez, cf, Reds. Only Double-A Pensacola teammate Juan Duran has a higher strikeout rate than Rodriguez (29 percent) in the Southern League. A 1-for-20 (.050) week with nine strikeouts and no walks typifies the struggles experienced by the 21-year-old Rodriguez, who has raw tools aplenty but is a career .259/.310/.394 hitter in six minor league seasons. The Reds probably won’t know what they have in the young center fielder for several more years.

[TheCrew07]

Prospect Hot Sheet Chat (May 23) With J.J. Cooper

 

J.P. Starkey IV (Manchester, CT): Now that Baez has shown a little life, and Castro cooling off, any chance we see a call up at the end of the summer?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: Hey everyone thanks for coming out and for all the questions. J.P. simple answer, if you're asking if he comes up to replace Castro, no. You can say Castro's cooling off, but he's still having a vastly better year in the majors than Baez is having in Triple-A--a good week by Baez doesn't change that. But more importantly, Baez has not demonstrated that he can be a reliable major league shortstop. Forget for a minute the questions about range. Baez has a PCL worst 8 errors at shortstop this year and the league's worst fielding percentage among regular shortstops. That comes a year after he made 44 errors. Castro is the most error-prone shortstop in the NL, but he's still significantly more reliable than Baez. Baez is still a great prospect. He should be a great big leaguer, but he's slowed down his timetable this April/May.

Rich (Solvay): Hi JJ, Please compare and contrast Corey Seager with Kris Bryant.who do you prefer? Thanks.

 

 

J.J. Cooper: I think both of them are third baseman long term, but I'll take Bryant. Yes, Seager is younger, but Bryant has some of the best power in the minors. I think he's a safer bet and one with just as much if not more upside.

Cali C. Levine (Tripod, NY): NOT on the HOT Sheet, BUT -- who gets "The Call" first -- Oscar Taveras or Gregory Polanco?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: Polanco. Clear spot for him that's been ready and waiting for the Super 2 eligibilty to burn off. For the Cardinals to promote Taveras, they have to shake up the whole lineup. It may happen, but not nearly the easy call that a Polanco promotion is.

Cali C. Levine (Tripod, NY): Hey JJ -- big fan. Wondering if you think Baez will be a top 10 prospect by year's end, or did the poor start hurt him too much?

 

J.J. Cooper: He was coming into the year and as bad as the start has been, I'd still have him top 10 right now. I assume his numbers will get better from here.

 

edit. I accidentally clicked submit instead of preview.

 

Greg (Ohio): So whats Ben Lively's floor - Sam LeCure type reliever?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: I like that. Floor is below that--floor is he's a useful AAA pitcher. But if you said who is a good comparison for Lively, I'd say a slightly better Lecure is a pretty good comp.

Ben (Atlanta): The Cardinals AL-roadtrip (June 4-11) not enough of a reason to call up Oscar then? Do you think Grichuk gets the call then, with Taveras a bit later in the month?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: One of them should be up for that. Both are already on the 40-man, so it really comes down to a matter of matchups. I'd guess Grichuk is slightly more likely to get the call-up, but that's more a guess than a conviction

Anne LaMonica (H's): I read speculation that the Cardinals might try Piscotty before Tavares. Do you think that's still the case?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: Grichuk is outhitting both of them in the same lineup right now, although Taveras is trying hard to catch him.

Roger (Greenville, SC): Who would you rather have: Gallo or Baez?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: Either.

Tyler (Nj): Ben lively really this good?

 

 

J.J. Cooper: Mother Teresa isn't as good as Ben Lively's first 6 weeks have been. No one's this good. But yes, he's a solid prospect who knows how to throw strikes and keep hitters off balance.

Jake Harris Levine (Grand Finale): Thanks again for taking the time before a long weekend. Can you tell me which 3 MILB'ers you would love to see in a homerun derby, not named Gallo.

 

 

J.J. Cooper: Good question to wrap up on. You did well to rule out Gallo, because my first five answers would be Gallo. Other than him? Peter O'Brien, because he's the hot power bat of the moment, Joc Pederson because I've already seen him put on an outstanding BP show, Javier Baez and Kris Bryant. Sorry, I'm giving you four, not three.

[TheCrew07]

Cardinals' Gonzales gets first Double-A win

Lefty turns Midland's patience against it over seven shutout innings

[TheCrew07]

Baez leads Iowa with bat, glove, legs

Cubs' top prospect doubles twice, flashes leather and steals base

[TheCrew07]

Offensive Players of the Week

For the week ending May 25

 

Pacific Coast League

Javier Baez, Iowa

(.400/.419/.900, 7 G, 12-for-30, 6 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R, 1 BB, 8 K)

The Cubs' top prospect's tribulations -- he was batting .162 entering last week -- were becoming a slight worry across the prospect landscape. No longer. Baez's 12 hits in seven games last week matched his total from his previous 19 contests. What's more, the power also seems to be back as nine of his 17 extra-base hits came last week. And if you think it was a one-week thing, think again. Baez went 3-for-4 with two doubles Monday in a Memorial Day matinee. Breathe easy, Cubs fans.

[TheCrew07]

Glasnow collects strikeouts by the dozen

Pirates prospect fans 12, allows one hit, two walks in 5 2/3 innings

[TheCrew07]

Smokies' Bryant collects four more hits

Cubs' No. 2 prospect extends Southern League lead with 15th homer

[TheCrew07]

Cooney comes within one out of no-hitter

No. 9 Cardinals prospect allows two-out single in ninth for Redbirds

[TheCrew07]

Gardner makes strong second impression

Cubs farmhand hurls five hitless innings over 6 1/3 scoreless frames

[TheCrew07]

Baseball America Prospect Report (May 30)

 

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Tim Cooney, lhp — Triple-A Memphis (Cardinals).

 

It was a good night for stud lefthanded starters. Justin Nicolino (Marlins) pitched six no-hit innings before a two-run homer in the seventh; Henry Owens (Red Sox) dealt seven scoreless innings for the second straight start. But Cooney came within an out of a no-hitter, giving up a single to Cubs prospect Arismendy Alcantara in the ninth before fanning Javier Baez to close out a 4-0 win over Iowa. Cooney threw 63 strikes of 101 pitches. It’s an extreme rebound for Cooney, who in his past two starts had allowed 17 hits and 12 runs over eight innings.

[TheCrew07]

Cards promote Taveras from Memphis

Scratched from lineup, top prospect to join St. Louis on Saturday

[TheCrew07]

What To Expect: Cardinals RF Oscar Taveras

May 31, 2014 by Vince Lara-Cinisomo

[TheCrew07]

Prospect Hot Sheet (May 30): Bryant Terrorizes Double-A Pitchers

 

1. Kris Bryant, 3b, Cubs

Team: Double-A Tennessee (Southern)

Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .435/.581/1.043 (10-for-23), 5 R, 2 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBIs, 8 BB, 8 SO, 0-for-2 SB

 

The Scoop: We’re nearing the one-year anniversary of the 2013 draft and the Cubs have every reason to be thrilled with their first-round pick. Bryant ranks third in the minors in home runs thanks to an 11-bomb power binge this month. He’s hitting for average, drawing walks and generally proving to be the most frightening hitter any Southern League pitcher faces.

 

Yes, Bryant strikes out more than one would like, a price for his power, and he’s not yet a reliable third baseman (10 errors and a .930 fielding percentage), but he’s effectively lived up to every bit of his pre-draft scouting report.

2. Jesse Winker, lf, Reds

Team: high Class A Bakersfield (California)

Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .565/.655/.957 (13-for-23), 4 R, 3 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 6 BB, 3 SO

 

The Scoop: The offensive baseline for a slow-footed, defensive liability in left field is a high bar for a prospect to clear, but Winker has the talent to make it happen. With a mature hitting approach and an easy, low-maintenance stroke, he gets on base at a high clip with a knack for the barrel and the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He rarely mishits a ball and backs it up with plus power, with the ability to launch home runs to the middle of the field. Nobody’s ever going to confuse Winker for Billy Hamilton, but when he’s in the batter’s box, there are few players in the minors who can match his upside.

8. Tyler Glasnow, rhp, Pirates

Team: high Class A Bradenton (Florida State)

Age: 20

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 SO

 

The Scoop: Much like Red Sox lefty Henry Owens, another tall, wiry pitcher, Glasnow mixes moments of absolute dominance with moments where he can’t find the strike zone. When he’s off, you get moments like last month, when he walked seven in two innings. When he’s on, you get outings like this one, where he could have gone all Satchel Paige and called his fielders off the field. Just five of the 19 Tampa batters he faced put the ball in play.

 

Helium

 

Sebastian Elizalde, 1b/lf, Reds: Since the beginning of the bonus-pool era, the Reds haven’t been heavily invested in the high-profile, expensive July 2 prospects. They have used their dollars later in the year to sign Dominican lefthander Jacob Constante, then last year they went after Cuban outfielder Reydel Medina and Elizalde, an outfielder they purchased from Monterrey of the Mexican League. Elizalde didn’t play with the Reds last year after having Tommy John surgery, but he showed above-average speed, average arm strength and a gap-to-gap approach. In his debut with low Class A Dayton, the 22-year-old has looked even better at the plate than expected, hitting .319/.451/.543 with more walks (34) than strikeouts (33) and seven home runs in 41 games.

[TheCrew07]

Prospect Hot Sheet Chat (May 30) With Ben Badler

 

@Jaypers413 (IL): Between Owens and Glasnow, who are you more confident in, in terms of finding the zone with more consistency?

 

Ben Badler: Great question. They both have such long levers that it’s hard for them to keep everything in sync. Owens’ control is a little ahead of Glasnow’s right now, so I’d lean toward him figuring it out. But with pitchers who are 6-6 and up, sometimes it takes into their mid-20s for that to click.

slim (shadytown): Which probable 2B do you like to have the best career? Dilson Herrera, Delino Deshields, Arismendy Alcantara, or Trevor Story?

 

Ben Badler: Herrera. Most natural hitter of the group and he’s taken promising steps forward this year with less tinkering to his swing (which could be the result of being in a new organization) that has helped his contact frequency.

Matt (Jacksonville): Does Kris Bryant get promoted before rosters expand on Sept. 1st? Does he got to AAA first, or jump directly to Chicago?

 

Ben Badler: I know there’s Cubs fans expecting Bryant to be up this year, but I’d be surprised if they brought him up. He’s not on the 40-man roster, he hasn’t played above Double-A (although he’s certainly mastered the level) and the Cubs aren’t going anywhere this year. At some point in the next month or so, maybe around the Futures Game, Bryant’s going to get to Triple-A, but a 2015 debut seems more likely.

Chuck (Bethel park pa): Gregory Polanco. Where does Ben see him in the Pirates batting order

 

Ben Badler: I tend to think batting order doesn’t matter all that much, but he has the OBP, power and speed to put him anywhere in the 1-4 slots of that lineup and you’ll be comfortable with him. I’d probably go 1 or 2 with him to maximize his PAs.

J.P. Starkey IV (Manchester, CT): Who are the top 3 Third Base Prospects right now?

 

Ben Badler: Miguel Sano, Kris Bryant and Maikel Franco.

Matt (Norfolk, VA): If anyone, who has stepped up and escillated their status from Mid-Rotation stater to front-of-the Roation starter up to this point in the season?

 

Ben Badler: Great question, since it seems like most of the potential frontline guys like Taijuan Walker, Archie Bradley, Kyle Zimmer, Jameson Taillon, Noah Syndergaard and CJ Edwards have only added question marks due to injuries. Just by virtue of staying healthy, maintaining their stuff and improving their performance at a higher level, two players who’s stock is up with frontline potential are Alex Meyer and Andrew Heaney. I don’t know that their ceiling has necessarily changed, but their ability to make progress and get closer to achieving their upside stands out in a year when so many pitchers are going in the wrong direction.

Ty (Fargo): How do you think Jesse Winker's power will play in the majors?

 

Ben Badler: It’s plus raw power, and with his swing, pitch selection, the loft he generates and the contact frequency, he’s a threat for 25-30 homers a year in his prime. He could be a monster.

Michael Labella-Starkey (Grand Finale): Is Kris Bryant more of a 20 or 30 homerun guy?

 

Ben Badler: He has 80 raw power. A 40 home run season isn’t out of the question, but he should be a 30-plus guy by the time he’s in his mid-20s, if not sooner.

[TheCrew07]

Pipeline preview: Red-hot Bryant leads Smokies

Cubs' No. 2 prospect on pace for Southern League's first-half Triple Crown

[TheCrew07]

Offensive Players of the Week

For the week ending June 1

 

Southern League

Kris Bryant, Tennessee

(.478/.625/1.217, 7 G, 11-for-23, 2 2B, 5 HR, 7 RBI, 7 R, 9 BB, 6 K, 1 SB, 2 CS)

Friday marks the one-year anniversary of the Cubs taking Bryant with the second overall pick in the Draft, and the North Siders couldn't be happier with how everything has shaken out so far. The 22-year-old third baseman's five homers last week -- each of which came in a different game -- pushed his season total to 18. That number is seven clear of his closest competition in the Southern Leage (Jon Griffin, Mobile) and third-most in the Minors behind Joey Gallo (21) and Peter O'Brien (20). "That's the best thing in baseball, I think. When you're a little kid growing up, you want to hit home runs. I still get that kid feeling in me every time I run the bases," he told MiLB.com on Wednesday. If that wasn't enough, Bryant also stands as the league leader in the traditional Triple Crown (.348, 18 homers, 49 RBIs) and the slash line Triple Crown (.348/.452/.692). A move to the Pacific Coast League or even the Majors might not be far behind. In fact, Southern League pitchers might be drafting a petition for just that purpose.

 

Texas League

Jacob Wilson, Springfield

(.480/.536/.920, 7 G, 12-for-25, 5 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 SB)

After being promoted to Double-A ball in early May, Wilson hasn't had much difficulty acclimating to the Texas League, but he took it to another level last week. Four of his six multi-hit performances came last week, including Friday when he went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and a season-high four RBIs. The 23-year-old second baseman has a .338/.405/.581 line in 21 games and would lead the Texas League with his .986 OPS had he accrued enough at-bats to qualify.

[TheCrew07]

Pitchers of the Week

For the week ending June 1

 

Pacific Coast League

Tim Cooney, Memphis

(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 2 BB, 7 K)

Cooney had lasted just four innings in both of his previous two starts, allowing a combined 12 runs on 17 hits -- five of them homers. So it was only natural that the 23-year-old lefty would take a no-hitter into the ninth inning Thursday night before yielding a two-out single to Iowa's Arismendy Alcantara. Following the hit Cooney rebounded to fan top Cubs prospect Javier Baez on three pitches to complete the one-hit gem with seven strikeouts and a pair of walks. He needed just 101 pitches to notch his fifth win of the season.

 

Southern League

Andy Moye, Huntsville

(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 3 BB, 3 K)

Despite losing 15 games, Moye was solid for the Stars last season, posting a 4.25 ERA in 26 outings (25 of them starts). He was sidelined for six weeks with a hamstring strain, but seems to be fully recovered after tossing six scoreless, one-hit innings Friday in the second start after his return from the disabled list. A 15th-round pick out of Georgia Southern in 2011, Moye is old for the Southern League at 26 but could earn a promotion with more performances like this.

[TheCrew07]

Reds' Winker, Silva, Amaral fuel Blaze win

Organization's No. 3 prospect plates five runs with pair of long balls

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber content

 

Hits Keep Coming For Concepcion

June 3, 2014 by Gordon Wittenmyer

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber content

 

Taveras Shines In Long-Awaited Debut

June 3, 2014 by Derrick Goold

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber content

 

Silverio Learning To Take A Walk

June 3, 2014 by C. Trent Rosecrans

[TheCrew07]

Fluff as usual, subscriber content. It would be really nice if he would actually do some research and pen a prospect article with some inside information from the Brewers instead of his typical MLB related fluff every single time.

 

Nelson Was An An Easy Call(up)

June 3, 2014 by Tom Haudricourt

[TooLiveBrew]

Fluff as usual, subscriber content. It would be really nice if he would actually do some research and pen a prospect article with some inside information from the Brewers instead of his typical MLB related fluff every single time.

 

Nelson Was An An Easy Call(up)

June 3, 2014 by Tom Haudricourt

 

Not holding my breath on that one...

[TheCrew07]

I wonder if BA pays the beat writers for their content? If so then maybe they should look elsewhere, some one has to be willing to look for good minor league stories like Suter or Lopez that haven't had much written about them this year... talk to some scouts, talk to the organization, talk to the player, talk to the coaches... the simple truth is that anyone on this site could write the "subscriber" stories that TH does for BA.

[TheCrew07]

Subscriber, by now I'm sure everyone is aware of this because of the Disney movie.

 

Singh Works To Be A Prospect, Not A Novelty

June 3, 2014 by John Perrotto