April 18, 2013

Minor League Update

Games of Wednesday, April 17

by Zach Mortimer

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Pitching Prospect of the Day: Timothy Berry, LHP, Orioles (High-A Frederick): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 11 K; Berry uses a three-pitch mix (fastball/curveball/changeup), and all three of the offerings could be solid-average; 21 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.

Position Prospect of the Day: Joc Pederson, CF, Dodgers (Double-A Chattanooga): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, K; Pederson has always a knack for making loud contact, and he has started 2013 with a power surge that will become critical if he must slide to a corner; .308/.327/.712 in 52 at-bats this season.

Other notable prospect performances from April 17:

“The Good”

• Javier Baez, SS, Cubs (High-A Daytona): 3-6, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, K; With one of the fastest bats in the minors, Baez should be right up there with Oscar Taveras in terms of prospects with the highest fantasy upside. Once he starts to slow the game down, watch out: Of his 12 hits, eight have gone for extra-bases.
• Corey Dickerson, LF, Rockies (Triple-A Colorado Springs): 4-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, K; Though he’s stuck in left field, Dickerson has a potential solid-average hit tool and gap power; .422/.449/.711 in 45 at-bats.
• Edwin Escobar, LHP, Giants (High-A San Jose): 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K; Escobar’s fastball sits in the low 90s, and he complements it with an effective changeup and a below-average curveball, keeping hitters off-balance and missing a lot of bats; 20 strikeouts in 14.2 Innings pitched this year.
• Joey Gallo, 3B, Rangers (Low-A Hickory): 2-3, 2 HR, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB; Sure, Gallo has swing and miss in his game, but the power could be special; 10-for-49, 4 HR, 7 RBI, and 20 K.
• Joan Gregorio, RHP, Giants (Low-A Augusta): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K; The 6-foot-7 Gregorio has extreme length and pitches from a three-quarters slot. With a plus-velocity fastball and developing secondary offerings, he’s one to keep an eye on; 17.0 IP, 12 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 23 K thus far.
• Jesse Hahn, RHP, Rays (High-A Charlotte): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K; after he was drafted in 2010, a spate of poor health (Tommy John surgery, broken foot) kept Hahn off the mound until 2012. Hahn’s fastball could be plus-plus, his curveball has plus potential, and his changeup is still developing. Once he shows scouts more of what he has, he could shoot up the rankings.
• Kyle Jensen, RF, Marlins (Double-A Jacksonville): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, K; Jensen has solid-average power to all fields, but his swing can get long and he’s a below-average runner. Defensively limited to a corner, Jensen will have to maximize his power to stay in the prospect conversation.
• Eric Jokisch, LHP, Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K; A fringy fastball, average curveball, and solid-average changeup give Jokisch a back-end starter ceiling; 18.0 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 17 K.
• Taylor Jordan, RHP, Nationals (High-A Potomac): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K; Jordan’s fastball can work in the low 90s with life, his slider has a chance to be solid-average, and his changeup already usable. He had Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2011 season; 19.0 IP, 13 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 15 K.
• Nick Kingham, RHP, Pirates (High-A Bradenton): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K; Like many Pirates pitchers, Kingham has a big, strong frame with a steep plane to the plate. His fastball works in the low 90s with plenty of sink, and his changeup—on which he has good arm speed—projects to be solid-average. Kingham’s curveball, though, is still a work in progress.
• Gregory Polanco, CF, Pirates (High-A Bradenton): 3-3, 2 BB, SB; Polanco has loud tools (easy 5 hit and power, 6 run), but is working to smooth out his hitting mechanics as he finds his way into the upper-tier of prospects; .327/.379/.442 in 52 at-bats.
• Robert Refsnyder, 2B, Yankees (Low-A Charleston): 3-4, 3B, 2 RBI; Refsynder, the 2012 College World Series hero, is making the move from the outfield back to second base. Sticking at the keystone could be important to his prospect stock, because the hit tool may only end up being average and Refsnyder has limited over-the-fence power; 20-for-54 with 4 2B, 3B, and 9 R thus far.
• Jameson Taillon, RHP, Pirates (Double-A Altoona): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K; Taillon’s curveball is an absolute hammer, his fastball is up to 97 with life, and his changeup is improving. Taillon and Gerrit Cole will be an impressive combination at the front of the Pirates rotation, and both could reach the big leagues in 2013; 18.0 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 7 BB, 20 K this season.
• Alex Wood, LHP, Braves (Double-A Mississippi): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K; after skipping High-A, Wood has excelled in his first three starts in Double-A. He throws from a low-three-quarters slot, using a fastball that can touch plus velocity with heavy sink and a potential-plus changeup that has good fade. Wood’s delivery and lack of a solid breaking ball gives most the impression that his meaningful innings will be out of the bullpen; 16 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 17 K.
• Brandon Workman, RHP, Red Sox (Double-A Portland: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K; With a four-pitch mix (fastball/slider/curveball/changeup), Workman relies on his fastball and slider to miss bats. Workman is an extremely hard worker and profiles best as a back-end starter who will eat up innings; 18.0 IP, 10 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 25 K thus far.

“The Bad”

• Ismael Guillon, LHP, Reds (Low-A Dayton): 3.1 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 9 BB, 5 K; Needless to say, command is a major question mark for Guillon.
• Roman Quinn, SS, Phillies (Low-A Lakewood): 0-3, BB, 3 K; Quinn has struggled to make contact thus far; 13-for-52 with 17 strikeouts.
• A.J. Schugel, RHP, Angels (Triple-A Salt Lake): 3.0 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 1 BB, 3 K; did not miss the zone much, but found a lot of barrels.
• Jacob Turner, RHP, Marlins (Triple-A New Orleans): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K; after being bypassed by Jose Fernandez, Turner, the main piece in the Anibal Sanchez/Omar Infante trade, was sent to Triple-A to work on his mechanics.

 “The Ugly”

Carlos Sanchez, 2B, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 0-4, 3 K; following a breakout 2012 season, Sanchez has been very mediocre in Triple-A. He’s not a guy I was super high on, and if the hit tool is not special, his other tools are too limited to mesh into an everyday profile.

Zach Mortimer is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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