May 30, 2013

Minor League Update

Games of Wednesday, May 29

by Zach Mortimer

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Pitching Prospect of the Day: Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, Red Sox (Double-A Portland): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K; plus fastball with good life; curveball with easy plus potential; potential solid-average changeup. Ranaudo struggled mightily in 2012, but has come in and just flat-out shoved in 2013. I recently spoke with a scout who assumed Ranaudo will pitch in the Futures Game this year; 54.2 IP, 31 H, 9 ER, 15 BB, 58 K in 10 starts.

Position Prospect of the Day: Xander Bogaerts, SS, Red Sox (Double-A Portland): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI, BB; easy plus hit tool; easy plus power potential; plus arm; bat will play anywhere on the diamond. Bogaerts has made adjustments at the plate and has returned to the 2012 form that had us all drooling; .287/.372/.459 with 9 2B, 5 3B, 4 HR, and 5 stolen-bases in 181 at-bats.

Other notable prospect performances on May 29:

“The Good”

• Archie Bradley, RHP, Diamondbacks (Double-A Mobile): 8.0 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K; monster stuff; easy plus-plus fastball; plus-plus curveball; solid-average changeup; developing pitchability; future front-of—the-rotation guy; 34.0 IP, 22 H, 3 ER, 16 BB, 37 K in six starts at Double-A.
• Jed Bradley, RHP, Brewers (High-A Brevard County): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K; fastball works in the low 90s; fringy slider; average changeup. The reports I have gotten on the 2011 first-round selection have not left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
• Socrates Brito, OF, Diamondbacks (Low-A South Bend): 2-5, 2B, 3B, R, 2 RBI, K; easy plus runner; developing ability in the outfield; flashes ability at the plate. Brito is about as raw as they come; he could develop into something very useful, but he has a long way to go until that is a realistic thought.
• Nick Castellanos, OF, Tigers (Triple-A Toledo): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, RBI, K; easy plus hit tool; plus power potential; plus arm; fringy defender in the outfield; developing ability to consistently square up offspeed pitches; first-division potential; .342/.444/.579 with 3 2B and 2 HR in last 38 at-bats.
• Brandon Drury, 3B, Diamondbacks (Low-A South Bend): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI; plus power potential; developing hit tool; plus arm; playing very well thus far in 2013; .371/.405/.657 with 4 2B and 2 HR in 35 at-bats.
• Kent Matthes, OF, Rockies (Double-A Tulsa): 2-3, 2B, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB; plus power potential; plus arm; classic right-field profile; grinder mentality; .342/.405/.658 with 6 2B and 2 HR in last 38 at-bats.
• Jake Lamb, 3B, Diamondbacks (High-A Visalia): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K; plus raw power; plus arm; swing can show length; hard worker; stock on the rise; .299/.432/.564 with 10 2B and 7 HR in 117 at-bats.
• Pierce Johnson, RHP, Cubs (Low-A Kane County): 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K; plus fastball; potential plus curveball; solid-average potential changeup; college arm tearing up Low-A; 53.0 IP, 52 H, 17 ER, 15 BB, 60 K in ten starts.  
• Tony Renda, 2B, Nationals (Low-A Hagerstown): 3-4, 3 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB; college bat; solid-average hit tool; gap power; average runner; average defensive ability; will need to prove himself in the upper minors; .295/.370/.440 with 19 2B, 3 3B, and 1 HR in 193 at-bats.
• Eddie Rosario, 2B, Twins (High-A Fort Myers): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K; plus hit tool; power potential; plus runner; developing defensively; stock on the rise; .315/.358/.476 with 10 2B, 4 3B, and 4 HR in 168 at-bats.
• Cameron Rupp, C, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB; will need to prove that hit tool will work against quality pitching; plus raw power; solid-average catching ability; backup profile; .344/.447/.719 with 3 2B and 3 HR in last 32 at-bats.
• Blake Swihart, C, Red Sox (High-A Salem): 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB; potential solid-average hit tool; average power potential; hard worker; tracks the ball well; still adding mass to his frame; one of those prospects that you just feel good about; .324/.410/.412 with 3 2B and 2 stolen-bases in last 34 at-bats.
• Tacoma Rainiers, entire team, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma): just do yourself a favor and go take a peek at the box score. A lot of the guys playing struggled at the big-league level, but this has to be a positive sign for the Mariners.
• Andrew Toles, OF, Rays (Low-A Bowling Green): 3-4, R, K, 3 SB; solid-average hit tool; gap power; solid-average runner who has a good second gear; stock on the rise; .325/.354/.490 with 12 2B, 9 3B, 1 HR, and 32 SB in 200 at-bats.

 “The Bad”

• Brett Eibner, CF, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 0-4, 3 K; I feel like I’ve seen this line before from him…
• Blake Snell, LHP, Rays (Low-A Bowling Green): 4.1 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 1 K. He’s young and the command will need to develop, but I’m not going to worry.

“The Ugly”

Marcus Stroman, RHP, Blue Jays (Double-A New Hampshire): 1.0 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Stroman showed me major-league stuff this spring. He may still be getting back into the swing of things after serving his suspension.

Zach Mortimer is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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