March 14, 2014

Minor League Update

Spring Training Games of March 13

by Jeff Moore

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The Good

• Zoilo Almonte, OF, Yankees: 2-3, R, 2B. The Yankees may only carry four outfielders to begin the season, but if they carry a fifth, it could be Almonte. He can play all three outfield positions and has carried over his strong winter into spring training, where he’s now hitting .429.
• Carlos Correa, SS, Astros: 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR, K. Sure, we’re not supposed to get over-excited about spring training performances, but Correa is 19 and he homered off of a pair of veteran (albeit not very good) pitchers. The future is bright for Correa, and he’s a special player.
• Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Astros: 1-3, R, HR, 2 BB, 2 K. Astros fans got a glimpse into their not-so-distant-future on Thrusday with Correa batting second ahead of Singleton in the lineup. Singleton is much closer to contributing than Correa and should be in the majors at some point this season, assuming he has bounced back from tumultuous 2013 season and can keep his recently publicized addiction issues under control.
• Jake Marisnick, OF, Marlins: 2-5, R, 2B. This was actually a check-swing double for Marisnick, but sometimes you need a few of those to get things going. Marisnick struggled badly in the majors last year when he should have been in Triple-A, and he’s battling for a roster spot this spring but probably still belongs in the minors to further the developmental process.
• Chris Owings, SS, Diamondbacks: 1-1, R, 3B. Both Owings and incumbent Didi Gregorius belong in the majors and need to play every day, but obviously that can’t happen. Owings has the higher offensive upside but it would be a harder decision to send Gregorius, who spent the entire 2013 season in the majors, down to Triple-A. The Diamondbacks have about a week to figure this out.
• Andrew Heaney, LHP, Marlins: 3 IP, H, BB, K. Heaney will be a quick mover in an organization known for allowing that to happen. Having made just six Double-A starts, he should begin the 2014 season there again, but he won’t be there for long.
• Andrew Susac, C, Giants: 2-2, R, HR, 2 BB. Susac will be a major leaguer because of his glove, and his bat will determine his ceiling. He does have above-average pop, which, combined with a good glove, should make for a nice catcher.

The Bad

• Tommy La Stella, 2B, Braves: 0-4, 2 K, E. La Stella has to hit to have value, as he is an average defender at best at second base. Of course, Dan Uggla isn’t winning any Gold Gloves, either. He’s getting paid like it, though, which will keep La Stella out of the lineup for now.
• Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Mets: 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K. It was an up-and-down outing for Syndergaard, who still managed to miss some bats but got roughed up a little in the process. There’s no reason for concern here. He’s going to be very good come June, when he gets the call.
• Jonathan Gray, RHP, Rockies: 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, K. Gray cruised through his first inning of work on only nine pitches on Thursday night, flashing some plus changeups and generating weak contact. His velocity never crept above 95, slightly below his normal velocity, and his slider lacked its normal bite, which is why he got hit around in the final two innings of his outing and failed to complete the third. It’s early for Gray and the potential is through the roof. Just a rough outing in a big-league game, nothing more.