June 3, 2014

Minor League Update

Games of Monday, June 2

by Jeff Moore

Printer-friendly

Prospect of the Night: Jesse Winker, OF, Reds (Bakersfield, A+): 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 BB, K.
The physical tools may not be loud, but the baseball ones are. Winker’s ability to control the strike zone helps his bat play up, and his power has spiked in the California League. It will be a good test to see how much of this improvement is maintained once he leaves Bakersfield, but for now, the returns on the 49th-overall pick in 2012 are very good.

Best of the Rest

Dalton Pompey, OF, Blue Jays (Dunedin, A+): 2-5, R, HR, SB. Pompey has emerged as the best hitting prospect in the Blue Jays system, showing strong on-base skills and center field defense, and now a budding power tool. He now has as many home runs (6) as he did all of last season.

Joc Pederson, OF, Dodgers (Albuquerque, AAA): 2-3, R, 3B, 2 BB. Being blocked by four veteran outfielders has kept the super-two complaining quiet about Pederson and the Dodgers, but he deserves to be in the big leagues as much as Oscar Taveras and Gregory Polanco. Whether he becomes a star, regular, or role player, there’s nothing left for him to prove in the PCL.

Erik Gonzalez, SS, Indians (Carolina, A+): 3-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 3B, BB, K. Gonzalez is known for his glove, and rightly so, as his bat has rarely been worth mentioning. He’s far too aggressive at the plate, leading to a lot of weak outs. He can, however, pop one to the gap on occasion, giving his bat a chance to play in a utility role thanks to his versatility in the field and ability to stick at shortstop.

Tony Renda, 2B, Nationals (Potomac, A+): 4-4, R, 2B, 3B, BB. Your prototypical “gets the most out of his limited abilities” scrappy college player, Renda is everything you’d expect from the description. He has few tools and a limited ceiling due to having virtually no power and being limited to second base defensively. But he gets on base, barrels up the ball, and has an affinity for doubles. Don’t count on him for much, but don’t count on him to go away either.

Dylan Cozens, OF, Phillies (Lakewood, A-): 2-5, 2 R, 2 2B, K. Cozens has too many holes in his swing to make it likely he ever becomes an impact bat in the majors, but the power potential will keep him employed for a while.

Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pirates (Bradenton, A+): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 4 K. Glasnow is having more success than fellow wild-but-talented pitching prospects Aaron Sanchez and Kyle Crick, but his ceiling also isn’t quite as high as theirs. It is, however, high enough to get excited about—but so are his walk totals, about which we should worry.

Tim Anderson, SS, White Sox (Winston-Salem, A+): 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, BB. The funny thing about baseball, especially when it comes to raw, toolsy prospects, is that they can look so bad one day and so good the next. Anderson is a great case study for this, as his athleticism and pure ability are incredible to watch, but his lack of refinement makes it difficult. Anderson is extremely raw but talented, and the power is a good development, as is the walk, of which he now has five on the season.

Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees (Charleston, A-): 2-3, R, HR, BB, K. Being big, strong, and patient is a combination that will lead to lots of box scores like this for Judge.

Fight Another Day

Victor Roache, OF, Brewers (Brevard County, A-): 0-4, 3 K. When I wrote up Roache in this Monday’s Ten Pack, I tried to focus on the positives as much as I could. Realistically, unless significant changes are made, I don’t see him becoming a productive big leaguer with the current holes in his swing.

Colin Moran, 3B, Marlins (Jupiter, A+): 0-4, 2 K. The luster is wearing off of last year’s sixth-overall pick as we approach the one-year mark of his selection. Drafted based on his advanced hitting ability, Moran instead routinely misses hittable fastballs and puts together bad at-bats. He doesn’t profile to hit for traditional third-base power and his defense is below average, so if he’s not a .300 hitter, he’s not an everyday player, and .300 seems well out of reach right now.

Notable Pitching Performances

• Nick Tropeano, RHP, Astros (Oklahoma City, AAA): 8 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K.
• Taylor Jungmann, RHP, Brewers (Nashville, AAA): 6 1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), BB, 8 K.
• Ben Lively, RHP, Reds (Bakersfield, A+): 7 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 7 K.
• Alex Meyer, RHP, Twins (Rochester, AAA): 5 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, 5 K.