2014 Regular Season Divisional Prospect News

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Pitchers of the Week

For the week ending June 15

 

International League

A.J. Morris, Indianapolis

(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 9 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 1 BB, 7 K)

Morris, 27, made his Triple-A debut June 7. Five days later he needed just 96 pitches to notch his first professional complete game in a six-hit shutout of visiting Durham. He struck out seven and walked one. The right-handed Morris was a fourth-round pick out of Kansas State by the Nationals and missed the entire 2011 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. After two years in the Cubs organization, he's a combined 6-2 with a 1.54 ERA this season, his first in the Pirates system.

 

Texas League

Marco Gonzales, Springfield

(1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 HBP, 0 BB, 10 K)

As if the Cardinals didn't have enough great young pitching, Gonzales now owns a 1.77 ERA in 12 starts split evenly between the Florida State League and Double-A Springfield. Friday night he struck out a career-best 10 batters while allowing an unearned run on two hits over six innings. The left-hander, 22, has racked up 42 strikeouts and walked just eight in his first 33 1/3 Double-A frames and is holding Texas League hitters to a .211 average.

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Pipeline Prospects of the Week

Top performers include slugger with 11-RBI week, promising pitcher with 10 K's

 

Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Week: Marco Gonzales, LHP, Springfield Cardinals

(Cardinals' No. 4 prospect), 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO

 

Considered the most polished pitcher in the 2013 Draft, Gonzales has lived up to the reputation in pro ball. Signed for $1.85 million as the 19th overall pick, he reached Double-A in mid-May and has thrived there.

 

Gonzales has gone 2-2 with a 2.16 ERA in six starts at Springfield, with a sparkling 42/8 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings. Including six season-opening starts at high Class A Palm Beach, he owns a 4-4 record with a 1.77 ERA in 2014 and has struck out 74 versus just 16 walks in 71 innings.

 

Gonzales succeeds with savvy rather than overpowering stuff. His 88-91 mph fastball has fringy velocity, but it plays up because he commands it so well and keeps hitters off balance with a quality changeup. He also throws a curveball and a slider, and he could develop into a No. 3 starter.

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Smokies' Bryant soaks in SL Derby win

No. 2 Cubs prospect edges D-backs' Griffin at sprawling Engel Stadium

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Schwarber homers twice, continues tear

Cubs' first-rounder has four homers in five Northwest League games

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Jenkins gives Jupiter the cold shoulder

In first start since surgery, Cards prospect hurls six hitless innings

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Bats' Silverio gets five hits in Triple-A debut

Reds prospect doubles twice, records first two knocks off Hellickson

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Subscriber, mostly Reds talk.

 

Cal/Car All-Star Notes: A Winker And A Nod

June 18, 2014 by Josh Norris

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Pipeline Prospects of the Week

 

Pipeline Pitching Prospect of the Week: Marco Gonzales, LHP, Springfield Cardinals

(Cardinals' No. 4 prospect), 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 GS, 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO

 

Considered the most polished pitcher in the 2013 Draft, Gonzales has lived up to the reputation in pro ball. Signed for $1.85 million as the 19th overall pick, he reached Double-A in mid-May and has thrived there.

 

Gonzales has gone 2-2 with a 2.16 ERA in six starts at Springfield, with a sparkling 42/8 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings. Including six season-opening starts at high Class A Palm Beach, he owns a 4-4 record with a 1.77 ERA in 2014 and has struck out 74 versus just 16 walks in 71 innings.

 

Gonzales succeeds with savvy rather than overpowering stuff. His 88-91 mph fastball has fringy velocity, but it plays up because he commands it so well and keeps hitters off balance with a quality changeup. He also throws a curveball and a slider, and he could develop into a No. 3 starter.

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In case you missed it elsewhere...

 

Cubs promote top picks Bryant, Schwarber

Bryant headed to Pacific Coast League, Schwarber to Midwest League

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Pirates' Josh Bell the 2nd player discussed.

 

Stock Watch: Twins' May gets mind right

Righty's mental adjustments leading to fewer walks, better results

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Nothing really new here. Jorge Soler is the only divisional prospect, he's still nursing that same hamstring issue.

 

The Baseballist: Nine Top Position Prospects Stymied By First-Half Injuries

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Baseball America Prospect Report (June 20)

 

PITCHER OF THE DAY: Tyler Glasnow, rhp — High Class A Bradenton (Pirates)

 

The spindly righthander seems to have the Florida State League mastered. He whiffed seven over six shutout innings, and over his last four starts has tossed 21 2/3 shutout innings while allowing just eight hits but 10 walks. He’s struck out an eye-popping 30 during that span.

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Glasnow fires six more shutout frames

No. 3 Pirates prospect extends scoreless streak to 24 1/3 innings

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Bryant leaves yard in his Triple-A debut

Cubs' No. 2 prospect mashes 23rd home run between two levels

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Prospect Hot Sheet (June 20): A Great First Week At Work

 

1. Kyle Schwarber, c/lf, Cubs

Team: short-season Boise (Northwest) / low Class A Kane County (Midwest)

Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .565/.593/1.217 (13-for-23), 8 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 11 RBIs, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0-for-1 SB

 

The Scoop: What, he got thrown out stealing? He stinks. That’s about the only thing Schwarber didn’t do well in his first week as a pro. The problem now: How do you top this? For starters, the No. 4 overall pick out of Indiana two weeks ago already has been promoted to the Midwest League.

 

The lefthanded swinger belted four homers in five Northwest League games and the Cubs decided he needed more of a challenge, sending him to Kane County, where he went 1-for-3 with an RBI in his first game. Schwarber’s a smart hitter who studies pitchers and has tremendous strength to punish pitches to all fields.

 

3. Rowan Wick, rf, Cardinals

Team: short-season State College (New York-Penn)

Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .417/.533/1.083 (10-for-24), 6 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 9 RBIs, 6 BB, 6 SO, 0-for-1 SB

 

The Scoop: The former Canadian National Team star and an intriguing ninth-round pick out of Cypress (Calif.) JC in 2012, posted decent numbers in 2013 in the Rookie-level Appalachian League, but has come out in 2014 on fire. The lefty swinger mashed five homers in the past week and walked six times. Wick moved to right field from catcher.

 

6. Nick Kingham, rhp, Pirates

Team: Triple-A Indianapolis (International)

Age: 22.

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.64, 2 GS, 14 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 10 SO

 

The Scoop: This year has been a year of attrition for Pirates prospects. Player after player has missed significant time with injuries, but there have been bright spots. Double-A righthander Adrian Sampson is having a breakout year, and Kingham has not only earned a promotion to Triple-A, he’s dominated in his first two starts in the International League. Before too long, he could be a back-of-the-rotation option for the Pirates.

 

9. Taylor Gushue, c, Pirates

Team: short-season Jamestown (New York-Penn)

Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .300/.344/.833 (9-for-30), 7 R, 2 3B, 4 HR, 11 RBIs, 1 BB, 9 SO

 

The Scoop: Four home runs in your first week? Not a bad way to start your career for the Pirates’ fourth-round pick out of Florida. Gushue has the receiving skills to stick at catcher, even if he isn’t the best at controlling the running game, and he has the strength in his 6-foot-2, 215-pound frame to hit for good power for a catcher if he can show more patience to get himself into hitters’ counts as he works his way up the ladder.

 

11. Marco Gonzales, lhp, Cardinals

Team: Double-A Springfield (Texas)

Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 2-0, 1.63, 11 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 14 SO, 2 BB

 

The Scoop: Gonzales hasn’t skipped a beat since his promotion to Double-A. He’s given up a few more runs, but has allowed hitters a lower average (.220 to .239) and has recorded more strikeouts (46 to 32) in a nearly identical sample of innings. Save for one bad start—five runs in four innings against Midland at the end of last month—he’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in all of his Texas League turns. He turned in a gem on June 13, when he punched out 10 hitters and walked nobody against Northwest Arkansas. That marked the first double-digit strikeout game of his career. He followed it with a solid outing (two runs on six hits in 5 1/3 frames) at Tulsa on Wednesday.

 

In The Team Photo

 

Tyler Glasnow, rhp, Pirates: The tall 20-year-old hasn’t allowed a run in his last 23 innings at high Class A Bradenton, flashing a 3.0 SO/BB ratio. The next home run he gives up will be the first this year. Glasnow still walks way too many batters (5.5 per nine innings), and struggles to hold baserunners, but it’s hard to ignore how hard it is for hitters to square up a 6-foot-7 righty with a plus fastball and feel for spin.

Rob Kaminsky, lhp, Cardinals. The second of two Cardinals’ first-round picks in 2013, the New Jersey prep lefty has put the low Class A Midwest League on lockdown in his past four starts, striking out 23, walking four and allowing 13 hits in 24 innings. This week Kaminsky logged six shutout innings for Peoria, striking out six, walking none and allowing two hits.

Stephen Piscotty, rf, Cardinals. One can safely say that the 23-year-old Piscotty, who has profile tools for right field, has made a smooth transition to Triple-A. He went 9-for-21 (.429) with three doubles, five walks, no strikeouts, a stolen base and and seven RBIs this week for Memphis, and he now ranks second in the Pacific Coast League with 22 doubles. Perhaps most encouraging, Piscotty has logged an .851 OPS in 38 home games, and the Redbirds play in one of the most pitcher-friendly venues in the PCL.

 

Not-So Hot

 

Robert Stephenson, rhp, Reds: Stephenson’s control problems are getting worse. The 21-year-old has plenty of time to turn things around, but he’s walked seven batters in a game for the second time this year. The ray of good news? He didn’t get a loss as Double-A Pensacola hung 10 runs in 1 1/3 innings on Mobile’s Bradin Hagens.

 

Helium Watch

 

Carlos Talavera, cf, Cardinals: When the international signing period opens in 12 days, teams get their first crack at signing the top 16-year-old players on the market. Last year Talavera earned praise from scouts who followed him closely in Venezuela, ranking as the No. 28 international prospect for July 2 before he signed with the Cardinals for $500,000, St. Louis’ top bonus for an international amateur in 2013. The 17-year-old Talavera has come as advertised: an athletic switch-hitter who understands the strike zone, uses the whole field and puts together quality at-bats with a line-drive stroke. Through 16 games in the Dominican Summer League, Talavera has hit .286/.420/.464 while showing savvy on the bases with seven steals in eight tries. At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, he is a tick above-average runner and has a good chance to stay in center field thanks to his instincts and jumps off the bat. It’s an overall package that draws comparisons with Angel Pagan.

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Prospect Hot Sheet Chat (June 20)

 

John (Chicago): Vince, which bat did you personally prefer heading into the draft, Schwarber or Conforto?

 

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: Hey John. I didn’t see Schwarber in person as Aaron Fitt did, but it was hard to ignore Schwarber’s loud contact tool. Conforto has plus raw-power, but Schwarber has present man-strength, as evidenced by his slugging four homers in five games in Boise.

Tatum (Clearwater, FL): What MLB team (IE farm system + need for front-line starter) matches up with Cubs desire to move Samardzija? Thanks!

 

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: Boston has the prospects to get any player it wants, within reason. I mean, the Dodgers aren’t trading Kershaw, for example. But not sure the Red Sox need or want Samardzija. The Yankees have the need but not the prospects. The Mets have the prospects, but not the urgency. The Diamondbacks have interesting pieces (Bradley, Owings, Shipley); the Jays certainly do, but it’ll cost Sanchez and Stroman.

Warren (New London): Is Schwarber done with catching? He had throwing errors in his first two games and hasn't caught since. I'm also wondering about his Boise teammate Justin Marra, who's off to a fine start and hit well two years ago. What kind of a prospect is he?

 

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: The Cubs had expressed when they drafted Schwarber that they saw him as an outfielder and would let the catching process ‘play itself out.’ Marra’s a good receiver and a decent lefty bat, but this is the third straight year at Boise. He admitted recently he has mixed feelings about still being in short-season ball, but hopes to get more chances this year.

Tyler (Nj): Wondering ur thoughts on kingham having a quietly very steady year ? Number 1-2 in the show?

 

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: Kingham’s very good, but it’s difficult to throw numbers like that around. Organizations will tell you that, internally they have similar metrics and they hear the prospects noise, but they are not comfortable articulating those, especially with the media.

John (PA): I have a free spot and want to pick up a prospect that will be called up soon. Which one do you think will be the next one up of these players: Jonathan Gray, Noah Syndergaard, Archie Bradley, Alex Myer, Dylan Bundy, and Jimmy Nelson.

 

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: Just my educated guess I would think Jimmy Nelson. He’s been the most stable of the prospects you mention, the healthiest and the Brewers have a need.

Matt (KY): Vinnie, who are some guys we should see creep into the top 100? Pompey seems to be making a case... anyone else?

 

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: haha, have to answer a question when someone calls me ‘Vinnie.’ Shades of Brooklyn … Anyway, Jose Berrios for sure will be on there and Jesse Winker seems a slam dunk.

Jon (Georgia): Though none of these players are apart of the Hot Sheet anymore (though had frequent appearances) which of the following would you trade in a dynasty league or, in other words, who has the lowest potential: Oscar Taveras, Gregory Polanco, Joc Pederson?

 

Vincent Lara-Cinisomo: Wow, good question. I think I’d part with Taveras. He has the lowest ceiling of the three, even if that ceiling is first-division regular.

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Cubs' Baez leads charge in crowd pleaser

Stocked with top prospects, Iowa poised for special second half

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Schwarber climbs, continues to shine

Cubs' first-rounder goes yard in second game after Class A promotion

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With emotions high, Romano pitches down

Reds' No. 14 prospect allows two hits, no walks in six shutout innings

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Baseball America Prospect Report (June 21)

 

HITTER OF THE DAY: Kyle Schwarber, c — low Class A Kane County (Cubs)

 

If he keeps this up, we at BA are going to have to construct the Schwarber-Meter. Sure, it’s not as mellifluous as the Mookie-Meter, but Schwarber is treating pro ball like Betts treated Double-A. The former Indiana catcher slugged his fifth homer in seven games and first since his promotion to Kane County. He’s slashing .577/.613/.1.308. Cubs president Theo Epstein told reporters Friday that the team won’t impede Schwarber’s progress, even if Schwarber’s defense doesn’t warrant it. If the bat plays, Schwarber will keep moving up, essentially.

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Cards' McKinney gets first Appy League win

2013 fifth-round pick allows two hits, pitches seven scoreless innings

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Subscriber content

 

Glasnow Gives Hitters Plenty To Worry About

June 22, 2014 by Tim Williams

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Another subscriber piece, but very interesting.

 

The Quest For Height

June 22, 2014 by J.J. Cooper

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This is Kris Bryant stuff is very similar to Oscar Taveras in 2012... at least one article a week, every week.

 

Bryant slams two more homers for Iowa

Cubs' No. 2 prospect drives in three runs, including go-ahead tally

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Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs focused on during this week's PCL summary.

 

 

PCL notes: Hendricks toils under Iowa radar

Focus on hitters gives Cubs' No. 14 prospect time, space to improve