August 30, 2011

Future Shock Blog

Minor League Update: Games of August 29

by Kevin Goldstein

Printer-friendly

Contact Author

• Manny Banuelos, LHP, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/WB): 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K. Best start of the year could be one of his last unless we see a September debut to give others some rest.
• Dellin Betances, RHP, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/WB): 7 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 4 BB, 8 K. Nice double-header for the Triple-A Yankees, huh?
• Gary Brown, OF, Giants (High-A San Jose): 4-for-5, 2 2B, 3B, 2 R, K. Hard to imagine a better five-game streak than 17-for-26 with 29 total bases; .338/.407/.518 on the season.
• Travis D'Arnaud, C, Blue Jays (Double-A New Hampshire): 3-for-6, HR (20), R, 5 RBI, K. Recently announced Eastern League MVP is putting a bow on incredible season; .315/.376/.545 in 110 games.
• Kyle Drabek, RHP, Blue Jays (Triple-A Las Vegas): 3 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 4 BB, 4 K. Has allowed five or more runs in nine of 14 starts at Triple-A; 7.41 ERA as the wheels seem to have completely come off.
• Corey Dickerson, OF, Rockies (Low-A Asheville): 1-for-1, HR (31), R, 2 RBI. Now 25 of his 31 home runs have come at home, as the difference in OPS between his home and road numbers now stands at 573 points.
• Robbie Grossman, OF, Pirates (High-A Bradenton): 3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, 2 K. .410 on-base percentage actually qualifies as a bit of a slump during .300/.425/.462 season that has generated some of the most widely varying scouting reports I've seen.
• Jake Marisnick, OF, Blue Jays (Low-A Lansing): 2-for-5, HR (14), R, RBI, K. Fourth straight multi-hit game and up to .324/.396/.506 overall; I loved him in yesterday's Ten Pack, so no need to gush.
• Starling Marte, OF, Pirates (Double-A Altoona): 3-for-5, 2B, 3B, R. 19-for-45 (.422) during 11-game hitting streak and .335/.373/.510 overall in 122 games; all sorts of tools all over the place.
• Jose Martinez, OF, White Sox (Double-A Birmingham): Hitting .404 in 25 August games and .313/.359/.412 since promotion to Double-A, but power remains lost.
• Anthony Meo, RHP, Diamondbacks (Rookie-level AZL): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. Pro debut for second-round pick.
• Tom Milone, LHP, Nationals (Triple-A Syracuse): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K. 1.72 ERA in five August starts with 35 strikeouts in 31.1 innings; some scouts think he just might be good enough at what he does to survive in the big leagues with well below-average velocity.
• Brad Peacock, RHP, Nationals (Triple-A Syracuse): 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K. Ok, nice double-dip for the Nationals' Triple-A squad, as well.
• Francisco Peguero, OF, Giants (Double-A Richmond): 3-for-5, HR (5), R, 3 RBI. Hitting .381 in 27 August games and .323/.332/.470 overall; just looking at the first two of three numbers there and you see the issue.
• Jacob Realmuto, C, Marlins (Low-A Greensboro): 3-for-4, HR (11), R, 2 RBI. Athletic catcher is hitting .311/.357/.534 since All-Star break; going from sleeper to very real prospect.
• Enny Romero, LHP, Rays (Low-A Bowling Green): 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K. Has gone five or more scoreless in three of last four starts; 135 strikeouts in 109 innings on the season.
• Eddie Rosario, OF, Twins (Rookie-level Elizabethton): 2-for-4, HR (21), 2 R, 2 RBI, K. Five home runs in last six games and .332/.394/.672 overall.
• Wilin Rosario, C, Rockies (Double-A Tulsa): 3-for-5, 2B, 2 HR (21), 3 R, 3 RBI, K. Season line of .254/.285/.468 has to be a disappointment, but he's still extremely rare as a catcher with plus power, arm strength and receiving skills.
• Miguel Sano, 3B/SS, Twins (Rookie-level Elizabethton): 2-for-4, 2 HR (20), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 K. 43 of his 76 hits have gone for extra bases as part of .290/.351/.634 line.
• Neftali Soto, 1B, Reds (Double-A Carolina): 3-for-5, HR (30), 3 R, 2 RBI. Insane second half gets that much crazier; 25 home runs in 243 at-bats and a .650 slugging since the All-Star break.
• Corey Spangenberg, 2B, Padres (Low-A Fort Wayne): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, 2 K, 2 SB. After miserable start to Midwest League experience, he's batting .347/.398/.484 in 23 August games.
• George Springer, OF, Astros (Short-season Tri-City): 2-for-4, 2B, HR (1), 3 R, RBI, BB; 1-for-3, R, 3 SB. Power hitter one game and speedster the next; he has those kind of tools.
• Oscar Taveras, OF, Cardinals (Low-A Quad Cities): 4-for-6, 2B, R. I'm glad the season is almost over, as I'm running out of ways to say this guy can just flat out hit; .387/.444/.589 in 74 games.
• Charlie Tilson, OF, Cardinals (Short-season Johnson City): 3-for-4, 2B, RBI. Second-round pick is 7-for-15 in four Appy League games.
• D'Andre Toney, OF, Royals (Rookie-level AZL): 3-for-4, 3B, HR (5), 3 R, 3 RBI. 14^Th-round pick is high-end athlete; .340/.432/.587 in 43 games.
• Josh Vitters, 3B, Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 2-for-4, HR (13), 2 R, 2 RBI, K. Does he have enough of these games? Taking away reputation and expectations, does a 22-year-old at Double-A with a .283/.323/.442 line excite you?
• Tim Wheeler, OF, Rockies (Double-A Tulsa): 2-for-5, HR (33), 2 R, RBI, BB, K, SB. Going on another run; four home runs in last six games and up to .282/.370/.551 overall.
• Kolten Wong, 2B, Cardinals (Low-A Quad Cities): 2-for-5, 2B, R, RBI, BB. Hitting .415 in last 12 games and .328/.390/.497 in his pro debut that has done nothing but increase his stock in every way as even defense has been better than advertised.

Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
Click here to see Kevin's other articles. You can contact Kevin by clicking here