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Hitter of the Day: Bobby Bradley, 1B, Indians (Lake County, A-): 3-4, 3 R, 2 HR, K. The Midwest League was an aggressive assignment for a high-school, third-round pick from last summer, and the results haven’t been shining—though even before Monday’s breakout game there were a few things to feel good about. Bradley has controlled the strike zone well thus far and hasn’t swung and missed excessively. As it warms up in the Midwest, it will be important for Bradley to continue to show off this kind of power, as the bar is high for first base prospects.

Pitcher of the Day: Robert Gsellman, RHP, Mets (St. Lucie, A+): 8 IP, 5 H, R, 0 BB, 5 K. Gsellman continues to dominate the Florida State League without so much as a challenge. On this night, he kept his plus curveball in his back pocket for most of the evening, breaking it out essentially only to dispense of hitters when ahead in the count. This is by design, as the right-hander is working on the develppment of his changeup, his third-best pitch, but one that is getting more and more effective with each start. The movement on his fastball, which broke multiple bats on the evening, and command of the pitch (he hit his location with 32 of 54 fastballs on Monday, for context, read this), have been more than FSL hitters can handle. It took just 88 pitches for him to work through eight innings, and he would have completed the game had it not been for a previously scheduled Bobby Parnell rehab appearance/dumpster fire. None of Gsellman’s dominance changes his ceiling, of course, which remains that of a mid-rotation starter, but it does continue to make his case for a bump to Double-A sooner than the Mets may have expected.

Best of the Rest

Dalton Pompey, OF, Blue Jays (Buffalo, AAA): 4-5, 3 R, 2B, K, SB. Given how quickly he soared through the Blue Jays farm system last year, covering four levels in six months, it’s not surrising that Pompey has struggled in his two brief stints in the big leagues thus far. None of this changes his profile, however, as a do-everything, up-the-middle player.

Cole Tucker, SS, Pirates (West Virginia, A-): 3-5, R, SB. The Pirates gave Tucker an aggressive assignment this season and the results have been mixed. He’s shown flashes of what made him a first-rounder last summer, but it’s been inconsistent. That’s to be expected of an 18-year-old jumped straight to full-season ball, but there are enough promising signs poking through thus far to be optimistic.

Jorge Alfaro, C, Rangers (Frisco, AA): 3-5, 2 2B, K. This year has been more of the same for Alfaro, who shows loud tools, but an unrefined approach at the plate that holds those tools back from time to time. His ability still manages to shine through the rough edges, however, thanks to plus power potential at the plate. He swings and misses enough for some concern, but the real issue offensively is his propensity to swing in the first place. That’s probably not changing much at this point, so the only question remains whether or not he’ll be able to do enough damage in the meantime to be effective. With the offensive bar being as low as it is for catchers, it shouldn’t be too hard for Alfaro to clear, even with some plate discipline issues and a lot of additional outs being made. His elite, top-of-the-charts arm behind the plate gives him even more margain for error.

Roman Quinn, OF, Phillies (Reading, AA): 2-4, R, BB, 2 SB. After hitting .347 in April, Quinn has come back down to earth as expected. This isn’t to say that he can’t hit, but it’s safe to say that Quinn was playing over his head early this season. Still, he’s improving at the plate and has taken nicely to center field, where he should be a plus defender. The speed is elite, though he’s not always the most efficient base stealer and is not an instinctive baserunner, often being out of control and running into outs.

Ozhaino Albies, SS, Braves (Rome, A-): 2-5, R, K, 2 SB, CS. Just 18 years old, Albies is handling an aggressive assignment to the full-season Sally League as well as could be expected, making consistent contact and allowing his plus-plus speed to take effect. Understanding his game and limitations is important for Albies, who will never hit for significant power, but by embracing his speed-oriented offensive game at such a young age, it gives him an opportunity to perfect his approach and make the most out of his bat-to-ball skills.

Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals (Palm Beach, A+): 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, BB, 11 K. I’ve talked a lot about Reyes’ command lately, and that’s not something that’s going to improve over one start. It’s a process that will take time for him to master, but one that is well within reach. He has been improving his control, however, and that’s a step in the right direction. This is Reyes’ third straight start with two walks or fewer. That’s huge for a guy who gets hit as infrequently as Reyes does.

Yadiel Rivera, 2B, Brewers (Biloxi, AA): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, SB. Nothing is expected out of Rivera’s bat at this point, but you never walk away from a table when you’re on a heater, so both he and the Brewers will ride this hot streak as long as they can. Primarily a shortstop before this year, Rivera is splitting time all over the infield to increase his versatility.

Dan Vogelbach, 1B, Cubs (Tennessee, AA): 1-2, R, HR, 2 BB. Known for his power and even more so for his lack of athleticism and position, Vogelbach’s ability as a pure hitter gets overlooked. Thanks to tremendously slow foot speed, he’s not going to get any base hits that he doesn’t completely earn, but we’re talking about a guy with plus power who doesn’t strike out a lot, which is rare in today’s game. He continues to show a better understanding of how to get his power to translate from raw to in-game, and is looking more and more like the legitimate middle-of-the-order bat his ceiling could allow him to become. He’s not playing first base in Chicago anytime soon (or any other position, anytime, anywhere, for that matter), but if I were an American League scout covering the Cubs, he’d be near the top of my aquire list.

Maikel Franco, 3B, Phillies (Lehigh Valley, AAA): 2-4, R, HR. Franco’s time in the minors is limited, as evidenced by the Phillies bass-ackwards plan to send Cody Asche back to the minors to learn left field in order to make room for him. Franco is as ready as he’s going to be, and while there will be growing pains and long bouts of streakiness (both good and bad), he remains a better option than anyone the Phillies are putting at the hot corner these days. His pitch recognition and plate discipline are questionable, and he may be limited to being a good mistake hitter, but he has a good feel for the barrel and should do enough damage on those mistakes to be an acceptable offensive player.

Fight Another Day

Corey Seager, SS/3B, Dodgers (Oklahoma City, AAA): 0-7, 3 K. The definition of “fight another day” because we all know that Seager can hit and hit well. He’s off to a slow start in his first 10 games at Triple-A, but there is absolutely no reason for concern. Just growing pains and adjustments.

Bryan Mitchell, RHP, Yankees (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, AAA): 1/3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, BB, K. Mitchell has a potent fastball/curveball combination that would play very well in a middle-relief role, but doesn’t have the stuff to be a starter. Not that the Yankees need bullpen help at the present, but they will (everyone does eventually) and Mitchell is a much better fit in that role than as a starter.

Notable Prospect Starters

  • Daniel Norris, LHP, Blue Jays (Buffalo, AAA): 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, 4 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 7 K.
  • Sean Newcomb, LHP, Angels (Burlington, A-): 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K.
  • Danny Hultzen, LHP, Mariners (Jackson, AA): 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 K.
  • Jesse Biddle, LHP, Phillies (Reading, AA): 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K.
  • Brent Honeywell, RHP, Rays (Bowling Green, A-): 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 5 K.

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BPKevin
5/12
Carlos Correa promoted to AAA. Expect adjustments like Corey Seager?
BPKevin
5/12
Joey Gallo 0-4, 3-K, 2-BB....Adam Dunn reincarnate!