August 6, 2013

Minor League Update

Games of Monday, August 5

by Zach Mortimer

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“The Good”

• Luis Cessa, RHP, Mets (Low-A Savannah): 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. The Mets converted Cessa into a pitcher after the 2010 season. His positive 2013 performance, which peaked in this gem, may have scouts reevaluating Cessa’s ultimate role; 45.2 IP, 50 H, 15 ER, 7 BB, 45 K in last seven starts.
• Onelki Garcia, LHP, Dodgers (Double-A Chattanooga): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. One of the few relievers to earn a mention in the MLU, Garcia offers major-league stuff. His fastball can touch the upper 90s, and he pairs that with a plus curveball. Garcia will be a bullpen arm going forward, but he has the potential to pitch effectively in the late innings.
• Amir Garrett, LHP, Reds (Low-A Dayton): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. I love to dream on what Garrett could be versus what he currently is. The fastball can touch the upper 90s and he flashes quality secondary offerings. Command is a major question mark, simply because Garrett is an extremely raw pitcher. If he gives it a go on the mound going forward, I believe the Reds will be able to get a return on their million-dollar investment.
• Brandon Nimmo, CF, Mets (Low-A Savannah): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI. Well, just after I did not have many positive things to say about Nimmo, he responded with a very good performance. Nimmo never played high school baseball, and his rawness may be difficult to assess. Going forward, Nimmo will have to make adjustments, but he is a solid athlete with a major-league ceiling.
• Adam Walker, RF, Twins (Low-A Cedar Rapids): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI. Walker has easy plus raw power, but scouts wonder if the swing will work against advanced pitching. Walker has taken to right field and looks to be able to handle it defensively. Next year will be a major test for Walker; his performance in High-A will shed more light on his future.

“The Bad”

• James Baldwin, CF, Dodgers (Low-A Great Lakes): 0-4, 3 K. Baldwin has big-league tools, but he has not been able to put them together successfully to this point in his career.
• Rudy Flores, 1B, Diamondbacks (Low-A South Bend): 0-4, 4 K. The typical Low-A corner infielder, Flores offers some power, but few believe he will be able to effectively tap into it against quality pitching.
• Tyler Naquin, CF, Indians (High-A Carolina): 0-3, 3 K. Naquin has made tweaks in his swing to make it more contact-oriented, but I’m not seeing more than a solid fourth outfielder here.
• Daniel Robertson, SS, Athletics (Low-A Beloit): 0-4, 3 K. Robertson most likely will not be able to stay at short, but I’ve spoken with multiple scouts who believe he has a chance to hit and may have enough punch to handle third. Keep an eye on him going forward.
• Joseph Wendle, 2B, Indians (High-A Carolina): 0-4, 4 K. Wendle’s future rests solely on his bat, and, though he didn’t show it on this night, he has a chance to make enough contact to stay on the prospect radar. In a perfect world, Wendle profiles as a good utility man.

“The Anticipation x2”

I was going to come out with a new-look article for today, and had I known how slow of a day it was going to be on the prospect radar, I would have gone forward with it. Tomorrow, I will get to what I feel should be one of the more anticipated MLUs of the year.

Zach Mortimer is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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