October 19, 2012

Minor League Update

Games of October 18

by Bradley Ankrom

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Taking a trip around the Arizona Fall League and winter leagues in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela:

• David Adams, 2B/3B, Yankees (25) (Scottsdale): 2-for-5, 2 2B (3), R, 2 RBI. Has struggled to stay on the field, playing just 154 games over the last three seasons. The bat is still interesting and he’s passable at second base. He’s currently riding a six-game hit streak while batting .364/.462/.500 as one of the oldest position players in the Arizona Fall League.
• Cody Asche, 3B, Phillies (22) (Peoria): 1-for-3, HR (1), 2 RBI, K. Like Adams, Asche has a six-game hit streak going, and he’s 6-for-13 over his last three games.
• Jermaine Curtis, 3B/2B, Cardinals (25) (Los Mochis): 3-for-5, 2B (1), R, RBI, K. Curtis has below-average power, but he hits for average, draws walks, and is playable at multiple positions.
• Robbie Erlin, LHP, Padres (22) (Peoria): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 4 K, WP. Eight strikeouts in 4.2 innings as he makes up for time lost to elbow tendinitis during the regular season.
• Mauro Gomez, 1B, Red Sox (28) (Leones): 1-for-4, HR (1), 2 R, 4 RBI, K. Certainly old for a prospect list, Gomez is included because multiple scouts have told me that his bat could play at the major-league level. He doesn’t walk, but he has cut his strikeout rate down to a manageable level (20.7 percent) in Triple-A and his power is above average. Hit .275/.324/.422 with a pair of home runs and a 26-8 K-BB in 111 major-league plate appearances last summer. The Red Sox tried him at third base and he responded with four errors in 18 chances, so his future is definitely across the diamond at first base. The standard for offense at the position is high, but there's a chance that he could provide at least average production while making the league minimum.
• Jeremy Hazelbaker, RF, Red Sox (25) (Obregon): 1-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI, SB (3), K. Home runs in back-to-back games; hitting .250/.400/.833 with two home runs and three steals in three tries.
• Jake Marisnick, CF, Blue Jays (21) (Salt River): 2-for-4, 2B (3), SB (1), K. Recovering from a slow start; three doubles in his last four games, but he hasn’t drawn a walk in that time, either; batting .217/.269/.348 with a 7-1 K-BB.
• Marcell Ozuna, RF/CF, Marlins (21) (Cibao): 2-for-4, HR (3), 2 RBI. Three games played, three home runs hit. Hit five home runs in two games for High-A Jupiter on June 10-11 during the regular season.
• Chris Reed, LHP, Dodgers (22) (Mesa): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 BB. Seven runs allowed on six hits and a pair of walks over his last two outings; 1-0, 15.00 ERA, 0-2 K-BB.
• Andre Rienzo, RHP, White Sox (24) (Salt River): 4.0 IP, 2 H, R, BB, 5 K. Missed a large chunk of the regular season with a 50-game PED suspension. Has swing-and-miss stuff, evidenced by a 10-3 K-BB in seven innings in the AFL.
• Bruce Rondon, RHP, Tigers (21) (Magallanes): 1.0 IP, BB. I’ll take any opportunity to mention that I saw Bruce Rondon hit 103 with his fastball this spring; 1-0, 3.00 ERA, 1-2 K-BB in three innings.
• Darin Ruf, LF/1B, Phillies (26) (La Guaira): 1-for-4, HR (2), 2 K. Finally got a hit off of a right-handed pitcher, and he made it count; he’s batting .063/.118/.250 against northpaws (is that a thing we can call righties?) in 16 plate appearances and .158/.200/.526 overall.
• Jonathan Schoop, 3B, Orioles (21) (Mesa): 2-for-4, HR (1), K. Hits in four of his last five games; batting .350/.480/.600 overall.
• Christian Vazquez, C, Red Sox (22) (Surprise): 3-for-4, 2B (1), BB. Good defender with some potential at the plate; draws walks (10.5 percent over the last two years), has some pop; batting .231/.412/.308 with a 2-4 K-BB.
• Christian Yelich, CF, Marlins (20) (Phoenix): 2-for-5, 2B (1), 3B (1), R, RBI, K. One of the best pure hitters in the minor leagues is hitting .273/.360/.409 with a 7-3 K-BB in the AFL.