Notice: Trying to get property 'display_name' of non-object in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-seo/src/generators/schema/article.php on line 52
keyboard_arrow_uptop

Ivan Hernandez

Born: 07/28/1991 (Age: 22)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 249
Mechanics
Big frame; likely maxed; sturdy body with thick legs; low 3/4 arm slot; good arm speed; will drag arm across body; opens up; ability to drive off back foot and provide explosion; opening up will disrupt timing off delivery and hinder command; has trouble repeating the entire delivery; sometimes will drop arm slot and lose all command; plane is not great from his arm slot.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 06/29/2014
Affiliate Aberdeen IronBirds (Short Season, Orioles)
Dates Seen 6/28/2014
OFP/Risk 30/High
Realistic 30; Organizational Player
MLB ETA 2018
Video No
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
FB 50 60 92-96 97 Explosive pitch with excellent velocity; mild arm-side run at 92-94; straightens out at higher velocity; cannot command anything over 95 mph; struggles to command pitch in general; erratic and often aims the pitch; opening up and dragging arm are biggest factors for lack of command; pitch can be refined with improvement to mechanics and understanding he does not need to overpower everyone; poor plane makes pitch lose value.
SL 35 45 79 79 Needs work; casted four SL in this appearance; slight sweep but hangs in the middle of the plate too long; hard contact on two of them; other two were balls; mild tilt but telegraphs pitch; is easy to pick up out of his hand. Refinement possible if he can replicate arm speed and tighten grip.
CH 83 83 Limited look; threw one CH at 83 with no feel or fade; looked like his fastball with mild arm-side run.
Overall

Hernandez has a big arm but a long ways to go before he becomes a consistent reliever. The secondary pitches do not project to be average, which likely holds back Hernandez in the long run. He can live off the FB for now, but the SL will need major improvement before he reaches full season leagues. Overall, this is likely an org arm with slight potential to become more if the skill-set clicks.


Gerardo Reyes

Born: 05/13/1993 (Age: 21)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5' 11" Weight: 160
Mechanics
Small frame; thicker legs and butt; likely maxed out; arm speed is excellent; slightly lower 3/4 arm slot; able to keep body compact; good drive and push toward home; slight twist in body on delivery; mechanics are smooth; heavy exertion on small frame; plane is average but makes up for it with deception.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 06/29/2014
Affiliate Hudson Valley Renegades (Short Season, Rays)
Dates Seen 6/28/2014
OFP/Risk 55/Medium
Realistic 55; Late-innings Reliever
MLB ETA 2016
Video No
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
FB 60 65 92-96 96 Hard arm-side run; explosive pitch with plus-plus velocity; highly deceptive offering that sneaks up on the hitter; plane is not terrific; deception plays it up; command is currently average; sat 94-96 in first inning of work; velocity dipped to 92-95 in second inning of work; mild refinement in command could allow to play up a tick in grade; one inning efforts also could benefit.
SL 60 65 78-83 85 Hard biting slider with excellent tilt; best SL of the night was actually the 85 mph offering; starts in the middle of the plate and bites hard outside; struck out the side on three SL; casted once; release point was too early; works best at the higher velo band; terrific pitch with strikeout potential at any level if he can play it off the FB.
CH 84 84 Threw one CH; no fade; would need to see more for any other insight.
Overall

Reyes has a big-time arm and is capable of pitching in the majors in high-leverage situations. The FB/SL combo is excellent, and he was overpowering for the NYPL. He struck out the side in his first inning of work on 11 pitches; all strikes. While he is physically maxed, he could still use a slight refinement in his command. This will likely come with more repetition on the mound, as he certainly shows pitchability. His second inning was not as crisp, and he dipped in velocity and command. He flashed a CH, but I don't think he will need that in his max-effort relief role. Overall, this is a quick-moving reliever who could see the majors in a year or two.


Rafael Bautista

Born: 03/08/1993 (Age: 21)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 165
Primary Position: CF
Secondary Position:
Physical/Health
Wiry frame; skinny legs and not much muscle; room for growth but would not be ideal for his style of game.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 07/20/2014
Dates Seen 6/14/14, 7/18/14 – 7/20/14
Affiliate Hagerstown Suns (Low A, Nationals)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2016 Medium 45 40; Fourth Outfielder No
Makeup

Looks thrilled to be out there; generally looks to enjoy the game and hustles everything out.

Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 40 Quick hands and wrists; generates plus bat speed; swing and hips take longer than I like to get moving; makes it seem as if bat speed is not plus; gets good extension with hands; occasionally drops his back shoulder and gets under pitches; small load; helps him with the longer swing; not much drive or torque; swing is more hands than bottom half; average at reading spin; will get caught looking at the plus offerings.
Power 30 Not a huge asset; has some pop generated from the bat speed; swing is not ideal for power; will run into 5-10 home runs just from barreling pitches; swing has mild lift; more of a gap-to-gap swing.
Baserunning/Speed 60 Clocked 4.10 and 4.12 home to first; does not get out of box all that well; has a great second gear that starts when his long legs get going; capable runner who can steal double-digit bases; speed on basepaths heightened to due natural instincts; speed is a weapon and a main part of all parts in his game.
Glove 60 Natural in CF; displays terrific instincts and makes great routes; understands when to go full-force toward a ball or branch off and take a route to cut the ball off; plus range; second gear in speed allows him to catch up with harder hit balls; will stick in CF.
Arm 45 Slightly below average; slight arc that fades at the end; fast arm but not muscular and does not get enough force to be an impact; can hold his own in CF; not a weapon.
Overall

Bautista is a speedy Dominican who displays a few impressive tools. While he is not a flashy player, the defense alone will likely move him through the minors enough to at least get a crack as a fourth OF. His games revolves around the plus speed.

He could end up piecing enough together at the plate for a few second-division type seasons, but is likely a fourth outfielder due to lack of a hit tool and impact bat. The speed is great, but is not good enough to impact his game at the plate.


Josh Bell

Born: 08/14/1992 (Age: 21)
Bats: Switch Throws: Right
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 213
Primary Position: RF
Secondary Position:
Physical/Health
Thicker build; mild room left for growth; should settle into a power body that looks like a major-league power hitter; thick thighs and broad shoulders; looks like a RF.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 07/27/2014
Dates Seen 7/24/14 – 7/26/14
Affiliate Altoona Curve (AA, Pirates)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2016 Moderate 60 50; Major League Regular No
Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 50 Wide stance with slight front foot open; helps to keep him balanced and minimize noise from load; replicates stance from both sides of the plate; plus bat speed; ability to recognize spin is average; will get tied up on the really good stuff but can recognize the fringe to solid-average stuff; needs to cut back on the pre-swing noise from both sides; it leaks into the actual swing sometimes and is complete unnecessary.

LHH: swing is more natural; keeps balance better; feet are mostly fine; will occasionally fly open with his shoulder which causes him to put a slight loop in swing and slow down bat; gets under and is late on pitches when this occurs; hands can become noisy and shoulder is too noisy; swing has slight more lift and shows better ability to barrel pitches than as RHH.

RHH: swing has more noise; balance is an issue; jumps out of his shoes at times; hands move around too much; drops his shoulder more than as LHH; hands will drift and he sometimes will overextend; same tools as from other side but swing is generally less refined and has further to go before he sees true in-game success.

Power 60 Tick above plus raw power; hands explode through zone; has brute strength; plus bat speed and slight lift in swing make for a swing conducive to power; ball screams off his bat when barreled; he's going to hit the ball hard when he makes contact; ball carries off his bat well; power as LHH is more evident; shows power from both sides but as LHH has a cleaner natural swing and likely translates to more in-game success.
Baserunning/Speed 45 4.43 from home to first; decent second gear; takes a while to get his body into full motion; first gear is poor; not a high amount of initial agility; looks faster in OF than on the bases; might actually be an average runner right now; will settle in at fringe-average with slight growth and maturity as he gets older.
Glove 40 Adventurous; instincts are not terrific; reads are average; first step is delayed at times; feet can become sloppy or staggered; has trouble twisting body and moving laterally after balls behind him; shows some inconsistencies with footwork moving backward; route running is a large aspect of this issue; routes are not clean and he takes incorrect angles; footwork is clearly what is being worked on; practiced footwork in pre-game and was able to replicate and refine the issues there; need to see in-game now.
Arm 60 Cannon arm; shows ability to throw on a line from long distance in OF; made a line throw from the pole to 2B in excellent time; ball hovered off ground; good arm strength and accurate throws; easily enough arm for RF.
Overall

Bell has two plus tools that will suited to his position. The swing is currently inconsistent but he shows ability to hit the ball to all fields and the barrel-to-ball ability is solid. The skills are still lagging in-game, but the raw tools are all there and he is showing some of them. The ball jumps off his bat when he makes contact, but he still needs to learn and grow as a hitter when it comes to situational hitting and his general approach at the plate. He has a decent eye, but there were a few AB where he did not have the most logical approach for the situation at hand.

Overall, I like Bell and think there is enough talent to be a very talented right fielder. However, the swing still needs some refinement and he looks like a player who will need at least another year at the Double-A level.


Stetson Allie

Born: 03/13/1991 (Age: 23)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 238
Primary Position: 1B
Secondary Position: DH
Physical/Health
Big frame; accurate listing; thick neck; broad shoulders; thick legs; looks like a first basemen; frame is surprisingly not maxed but probably not a good idea to put anything else on the frame.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 07/27/2014
Dates Seen 7/3/14, 7/24/14 – 7/26/14
Affiliate Altoona Curve (AA, Pirates)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2016 Moderate 35 30; Organizational Player No
Makeup

Looked to whine a little after making an error; otherwise acted fine and did not see anything else to shift my views in either direction.

Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 30 Smaller load; relies on brute strength; average bat speed; keeps hands tucked and lower than typical batter; impressive batting practice with short stroke and slight arc in swing; swing becomes elongated during the game; has trouble catching up with high-end velocity; struggles to recognize spin; overwhelmed on off-speed; swing becomes unbalanced and the arc becomes a giant uppercut; overextends on outside pitches and becomes unbalanced on front foot; did not barrel many pitches during the series; struggled mightily against the two pitchers who displayed above-average stuff.
Power 60 Raw power is plus-plus; brute strength; muscled swings with lift; bat speed is average so all the power is from pure strength; power is massively downgraded to below-average hit tool; might hit for power but will not make enough contact for the power to display in-game.
Baserunning/Speed 20 4.55 and 4.66 from home to first; poor speed; no second gear; not highly athletic; speed is a detriment in all phases of the game.
Glove 20 Not talented defensively; slow moving; poor range; stone hands; dropped an easy throw to first base; does not seem coordinated in the field; footwork is very poor; choppy around the base; does not stretch enough on throws to first; first-base-only defensive ability; cannot play anywhere else and is likely a liability at first base as well.
Arm 70 Excellent arm strength; nearly irrelevant as a first basemen, but he can make the throws if needed.
Overall

Stetson Allie has plus-plus raw power and a terrific arm. However, both tools are largely unused during the game. His hit tool will hinder the power for his career, and I do not see the hit tool allowing much impact with the bat. The arm is essentially irrelevant as he is limited to first base only.

Allie is likely an org player who might get a cup of coffee or end up as a platoon bat with some pop off the bench. The risk is moderate because he is a converted pitcher and just reached Double-A for the first time.


Alen Hanson

Born: 10/22/1992 (Age: 21)
Bats: Switch Throws: Right
Height: 5' 11" Weight: 170
Primary Position: SS
Secondary Position: 2B
Physical/Health
Accurate size listing; slight room for growth; smaller framed player with skinny legs.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 07/25/2014
Dates Seen 7/3/14, 7/24/14 – 7/26/14
Affiliate Altoona Curve (AA, Pirates)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2015 Moderate 50 45; Second Division Starter No
Makeup

Did not enjoy a few called strikes; let the umpire know but handled it in the proper manner; looks professional out there for the most part.

Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 50 Tick above-average bat speed; not quite plus; able to extend well with hands; good barrel-to-ball skills; has some issues picking up good spin out of hand; CB from both sides can catch him looking.

LHH: Wide stance in set; pulls leg in some on load; slight hitch; hands are quick and bat is quick through zone; better barrel skills from this side; more arms/hands than torque from this side; saps some of his power; swing is more linear from this side; has ever-so-slight lift; ocassionally will drop his hands below the letters and gets under some pitches.

RHH: Stance looks a little shorter from this side; still wide and pulls leg in on load; less hitch; more torque; swing is much more violent from this side; looks to have a tick more length and can get elongated when he chases pitches outside; swing has more lift from this side.

Power 45 Average raw power; plays to fringe-average overall due to slightly less power as a LHH; ball has good pop when barreled; smaller framed player and gets the most out of his power; tick above-average bat speed and slight arc provide him with plenty of power as a middle infielder; not impact but enough to be effective.
Baserunning/Speed 60 4.19 and 4.21 home to first; good second gear and shows some agility; decent on the basepaths; don't think he will be a 30-steal guy in the majors; could steal 20-plus if he can improve his jumps and reads.
Glove 45 Range is average; shows ability to reach balls in up the middle and in the hole; feet are very clunky; can get sloppy at times and looks a tick late on his jumps; does not position himself well on plays; has trouble turning his body in the correct position for fielding the ball and making throws; too delayed; works well around the base; pivots are average but he is efficient in turning double plays; defense better suited for 2B.
Arm 40 Not good enough for SS; arm strength is below average; has trouble making through from the hole; ball dies at the end and loses velocity; really struggles to set up feet for throws; will be best served at 2B where he has more time and does not need as much arm strength.
Overall

Hanson does not have an exciting profile, largely because he will not be able stick as a SS. He does not have the arm or instincts to play there, and he is much better off playing a position with less athleticism required, such as 2B. He should be fine there, and could play average to solid-average defense there, simply because he has more time to set his feet and the throws are not as long.

At the plate, Hanson shows ability to barrel the ball and spray across the diamond. He is fairly consistent from both sides of the plate, and will make enough contact to hit for a decent batting average. He does not have a great eye at the plate and the discipline is not terrific. This likely hinders his ability to get on base, but the barrel skills make up for it some.

Overall, Hanson is a solid second division prospect who should provide some offensive value at 2B. He can play SS in a pinch if necessary, but will not be able to stick there long term.


Michael Yastrzemski

Born: 08/23/1990 (Age: 23)
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 5' 11" Weight: 180
Primary Position: CF
Secondary Position: RF
Physical/Health
Athletic build; small frame; likely physically maxed; muscular but not large.
Evaluator Tucker Blair
Report Date 07/27/2014
Dates Seen 7/24/14 – 7/26/14
Affiliate Bowie Baysox (AA, Orioles)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2015 Moderate 50 45; Fourth Outfielder No
Makeup

Elite; max hustle; grinds out everything; full effort at all times; always in position; everyone likes him, players, coaches, fans.

Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 45 Average bat speed; swing is short and compact; mild lift but more linear than arc; minimal noise in swing; good hand control; sometimes will step in the bucket and become unbalanced on a good changeup; feet can become sloppy at times and shift too much; struggles to pick up left-side spin; shows cognizance and ability to refine his swing against secondary offerings; smart hitter; good approach; noticeably changes his approach after two strikes and goes for a more contact-oriented swing; swing is not enriched with tools but is clean.
Power 45 Average raw power; slight lift in swing allows him to drive ball at times; not a huge amount of torque in his swing and more of a gap-to-gap hitter who sprays the ball rather than hit for impact.
Baserunning/Speed 50 4.20 home to first; average speed all around; does not have a great first gear; second gear is better but still not impact; average agility and burst; the definition of quick but not fast; speed is more based on his instincts rather than tool.
Glove 55 Excellent instincts in the field; terrific and correct first step; shows adept knowledge of routes and awareness of the current situation in-game; does not have the speed usually wanted for CF; lack of true explosion and speed is a detriment; makes up for this deficiency with elite instincts and hustle; outfield mechanics are nearly perfect; perfect crow hops; perfect routes; shows ability to turn his body correctly on balls hit right to him; maximizes his talents in the field; made the best play I have seen all year; full-effort dive on a ball in the right-center gap; caught the ball in full extension at the warning track.
Arm 55 Above average; not quite plus; capable of playing any OF spot; accurate throws; gets a little under his throws at times; ball has good carry but loses some velocity at the end.
Overall

The grandson of the great Carl does not have impact tools. However, his elite makeup and baseball smarts substitute for many of his weaknesses. This is a player who will grind out every play, even the ones he is not directly involved with. He sprinted from right-center to a routine fly ball at the left fielder. If the fielder was not there, Yastrzemski could have made the catch.

The tools are fringe-average to solid-average across the board, leaving an average ballplayer. However, his elite makeup and hustle could allow him to maximize these tools and put together a solid career as a second-division talent. He just reached Double-A, so there is still much to learn. He still needs to work on his approach against LHP.


Thank you for reading

This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.

Subscribe now
You need to be logged in to comment. Login or Subscribe
migueljsteele
8/07
The depth of info here is outstanding, and I feel like I am well-informed regarding names I always hear about with the Pirates. Thanks Tucker!
jsdspud
8/07
Tucker, should Josh Bell consider just hitting LH?
TuckerBlair
8/07
Not anytime soon. He has some issues still, but we do not know how he would translate solely hitting from that side. He's young, and has some time to work on it and lessen the overwhelming noise. This is always a tough question, because it completely changes the outlook of a player
JPinPhilly
8/07
Josh Bell sounds like a thicker version of Dom Brown in RF. Adventure in the field, cannon for an arm, swing needs work but lots of power.
TGT969
8/07
Both Bell & Hanson are young (21) and the Bucs are not going to rush them. There is more time for growth on both of their parts.