May 22, 2013

Minor League Update

Games of Tuesday, May 21

by Zach Mortimer

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Pitching Prospect of the Day: Ty Blach, LHP, Giants (High-A San Jose): 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K; fringy fastball; slurvy breaking ball; solid-average changeup; back-end profile  39.2 IP, 46 H, 10 ER, 3 BB, 33 K in seven starts.

Position Prospect of the Day: Dilson Herrera, 2B, Pirates (Low-A West Virginia): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 K; plus potential power; ability to make loud contact; will be tested by higher-level pitching; right-side-of-the-infield defender; .415/.455/.683 with 2 2B and 3 HR in 41 at-bats.

Other notable prospect performances on May 21:

“The Good”

• Andrew Aplin, OF, Astros (High-A Lancaster): 3-6, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, K; fringy runner; solid-average defensive profile; below-average power; fringy prospect.
• Jesse Biddle, LHP, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 7.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 9 K; solid-average fastball; potential plus curveball; potential plus changeup. A scout told me “he could have pitched on a league higher than the big leagues, if that is even possible” when talking about his start 16-strikeout start earlier this year; 50.1 IP, 24 H, 14 ER, 24 BB, 60 K in nine starts.
• Christian Binford, RHP, Royals (Low-A Lexington): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K; solid-average fastball with life; fringy curveball; developing changeup; looked a bit stiff in the start I saw him; 45.2 IP, 41 H, 14 ER, 11 BB, 46 K in eight starts.
• Matthew Hobgood, RHP, Orioles (Low-A Delmarva): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Well, everyone, I’ll start this off by saying that Matt Hobgood is a prospect. He started off his last outing spotting the fastball down in the zone at 88-91 mph. Fast-forward about two innings, and Hobgood was sitting 95-97 with some angle and spinning an 80-82 mph curveball with some bite. Once looked at as a surefire bust, Hobgood has a chance to be an impact reliever.
• Steven Matz, LHP, Mets (Low-A Savannah): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K; fastball can touch plus-plus velocity; developing both curveball and changeup; good prospect sneaking under the radar for most; 34.2 IP, 36 H, 11 ER, 11 BB, 39 K
• Francellis Montas, RHP, Red Sox (Low-A Greenville): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K; potential plus-plus fastball; solid-average slider; developing changeup; 39.0 IP, 36 H, 22 ER, 10 BB, 49 K in nine starts.
• Martin Perez, LHP, Rangers (Triple-A Round Rock): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K; the stuff is progressing back to the level where it was before his injury; will continue to develop in Triple-A before he gets his shot in the show.
• Edward Salcedo, 3B, Braves (Double-A Mississippi): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, RBI; good bat speed; plus pull-side power; plus arm; fringy everyday type who will profile better as a bench player; .289/.355/.447 with 9 2B and 5 HR in 152 at-bats.
• Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins (High-A Fort Myers): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB, K; elite power; big-league bat speed; received a very positive report about his defensive ability recently; shouldn't be long before I am able to see him in the Eastern League; .359/.453/.712 with 11 2B, 2 3B, and 13 HR in 153 at-bats.
• Christian Walker, 1B, Orioles (High-A Frederick Keys): 4-4, 2 RBI, BB; potential plus hit tool; will have to show that he has enough punch in the bat to profile at first base; polished player.

 “The Bad”

• Parker Bridwell, RHP, Orioles (Low-A Delmarva): 3.0 IP, 10 H, 8 ER, 4 BB, 2 K; the former bonus baby has had a tough go recently after starting off with a couple of solid performances.
• Aaron Westlake, 1B, Tigers (High-A Lakeland): 0-4, 3 K; tough day at the office for this Tigers prospect.

“The ‘Mr. Gausman’”

Dear Kevin,

It seems like just yesterday I was watching you throw on a blustery night in Bowie. You took my breath away with your elegant crowhop-behind-the-mound throw to start each inning, the way you threw your fastball with reckless abandon, the way you made hitters look foolish by dropping your changeup when they were cheating on your fastball, and the way your girlfriend smiled at me as I wrote kind things on Twitter. The attributes you showed me on that night left an impression on my mind that will last a lifetime. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors in the big leagues.

Sincerely, your biggest fan,

Zach Mortimer

Zach Mortimer is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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