April 26, 2012

Future Shock Blog

Minor League Update: Games of April 25

by Kevin Goldstein

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Once a week, the Minor League Update is free, but every time, I'm going to remind you that subscribers get these every day from Tuesday-Friday with ten detailed profiles every morning in the popular Monday Morning Ten Pack.

Bryan Mitchell, RHP, Yankees (Low-A Charleston): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K.

A Jekyll and Hyde prospect, Mitchell was signed for $800,000 three years ago as a 16th-round pick, and is just now getting to his full-season debut, as while he has two plus pitches in a low-90s fastball and big breaking curveball, his ability to control those pitches has consistently held him back. When he's throwing strikes, like he did last night, he looks like a future big league starter, when he doesn't, like in his previous two outings in which he allowed seven runs over 3.2 innings while walking eight, he looks like he doesn't belong at all. Oh, and those were after season debut in which he fired six shutout innings while allowing just one hit and walking only one. He's interesting for sure, but for now only in the same way a lottery ticket is.

Others Of Note:

• Matt Andreiese, RHP, Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K. 2011 third-round pick has plus sinker, good curveball and some command and control; 2.41 ERA in four starts.
• Christian Bethancourt, C, Braves (Double-A Mississippi): 3-for-5, 2 RBI, K, 2 SB. Plus-plus defender is struggling at upper levels as a 20-year-old; .246/.270/.262 in 16 games.
• Drake Britton, LHP, Red Sox (High-A Salem): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. First good start in four attempts for power arm; ERA drops nearly four runs to 9.87.
• Gerardo Concepcion, LHP, Cubs (Low-A Peoria): 5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 K. Pro debut for big-ticket Cuban sign.
• Matt Den Dekker, OF, Mets (Double-A Binghamton): 2-for-4, 2B, HR (2), 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, CS. Could get to big leagues on defense alone but can hit a bit as well; .288/.346/.493 in 18 games.
• Derek Dietrich, SS, Rays (High-A Charlotte): 3-for-3, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI. Power from last year has been sucked into the Florida State League vortex; .273/.355/.379 in 18 games.
• Terry Doyle, RHP, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K. Control specialist could work his way into White Sox bullpen at some point during season.
• Brad Eldred, 1B/DH, Tigers (Triple-A Toledo): 1-for-3, HR (13), R, RBI, BB, K. Getting kind of silly with five home runs in last three games and 13 in 20 overall; .388/.444/1.013 overall with 23 of his 31 hits going for extra bases.
• Alen Hanson, SS, Pirates (Low-A West Virginia): 2-for-4, RBI, K, 2 SB, CS. 29-for-65 (.446) during 15-game hitting streak; 19-year-old Dominican can really hit.
• Matt Harvey, RHP, Mets (Triple-A Buffalo): 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K. Back-to-back good starts after ugly start to season; 4.85 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 26 innings.
• Marc Krauss, OF, Diamondbacks (Double-A Mobile): 3-for-4, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, K. CS. Repeating the level after rough 2011 and hitting .254/.420/.507 in 21 games; non-athletic bat-only type with power and patience.
• Seth Maness, RHP, Cardinals (High-A Palm Beach): 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 7 K. 11th-round pick from last June is a short righty with upper-80s heat but impeccable control. 0.67 ERA in 27 innings with 21 strikeouts and zero walks.
• Trevor May, RHP, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K. Making his case to get a look toward the end of the year; 23 IP, 12 H, 8 BB, 26 K in four starts.
• Deck McGuire, RHP, Blue Jays (Double-A New Hampshire): 3 IP, 9 H, 7 R, 1 BB, 2 K. 2010 first-rounder has had one good start and three bad ones; 8.24 ERA with league hitting .346 against him.
• Will Middlebrooks, 3B, Red Sox (Triple-A Pawtucket): 2-for-5, HR (9), R, 2 RBI, 3 K. For those of you keeping track, that's now six home runs in his last eight games; .377/.429/.792 overall in 20 games.
• Wil Myers, OF, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 2-for-4, 2B, HR (5), 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, K, SB. It took him 73 games to hit his fifth home run last year; .319/.382/.623 in 17 games.
• Henry Owens, LHP, Red Sox (Low-A Greenville): 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K. The run of weirdness continues; 10.05 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.
• Luigi Rodriguez, OF, Indians (Low-A Lake County): 3-for-4, 2 R, SB. Back-to-back three-hit games raise averages to .338/.398/.514 in 18 games; more in today's piece.
• Daniel Rosenbaum, LHP, Nationals (Double-A Harrisburg): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K. With a 0.94 ERA in four starts, at some point we'll have to take him more seriously; low on stuff but gets plenty of ground balls and doesn't walk anyone.
• Andrelton Simmons, SS, Braves (Double-A Mississippi): 2-for-3, 2 2B, 2 R, RBI, BB. 9-for-17 in last four games to raise batting average 77 points; .313/.366/.422 in 15 games.
• Oscar Taveras, OF, Cardinals (Double-A Springfield): 2-for-5, HR (4), R, 2 RBI, 2 K. Snaps out of mini-slump and up to .312/.321/.610 in 18 games; only concern is one walk in 77 at-bats.
• Julio Teheran, RHP, Braves (Triple-A Gwinnett): 4.1 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 1 K. Seemed to be getting on a run and then this.
• Mason Williams, OF, Yankees (Low-A Charleston): 4-for-4, 2B, HR (1), 2 R, RBI, BB. Not missing a beat in full-season debut; .347/.375/.507 in 17 games.

Kevin Goldstein is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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