November 26, 2013

Minor League Update

International Winter League Games of November 26

by Jeff Moore

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Prospect of the Day: Christian Colon, 2B, Royals (Leones de Ponce, PRWL): 2-5, 2 R, 2 2B, K. Colon was back at his most likely major league position (second base) on Monday after stints all over the infield this winter. With six doubles in 19 games this winter, he’s showing just enough power that his bat could play as a fringe-everyday option at second base, where the Royals have a hole.

• Maikel Franco, 3B, Phillies (Gigantes del Cibao, DWL): 0-5, K. What started out as a red-hot, but powerless, winter has turned into one that is ice-cold, yet still without power. Franco has hit just .121 over his past 10 games, and has gone hitless in his last 14 at-bats, to drop his winter line to .255/.276/.319 with a troubling 25-to-33 K:BB ratio. With a long swing that worries some scouts, and which our own Jason Parks described as “very fastball friendly,” it’s not shocking to see Franco struggle in an international league that traditionally sees pitchers featuring a wider variety of breaking stuff.
• Billy Hamilton, CF, Reds (Cangrejeros de Santurce, PRWL): 2-4, 2B, K. Hamilton is hitting better of late and is now riding a four-game hitting streak, but Monday’s double was still just his fourth extra-base hit in 17 games. He’ll always have below-average power, but he needs to show more than that if he wants to give pitchers a reason to fear him for anything other than his legs.
• Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Astros (Cangrejeros de Santurce, PRWL): 0-4, K. Singleton has been streaky this winter, racking up 16 strikeouts in 17 games, but also 14 walks and a .917 OPS. That dichotomy shows both why he is the Astros’ first baseman of the future and why he needs to start the season in Triple-A.