July 1, 2014

Minor League Update

Games of Monday, June 30

by Jeff Moore

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Hitter of the Night: Zach Green, 3B, Phillies (Lakewood, A-): 4-8, R, HR, K.
Green hasn’t shown much of the power he’s going to need in order to make it at third base, but his size should allow him to grow in to more of what we saw in the NYPL last season. The bat speed is there for more power, but the hit tool may limit it’ transition to in-game production.

Pitcher of the Night: Anthony Ranaudo, RHP, Red Sox (Pawtucket, AAA): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K.
There are still some questions about Ranaudo’s future, but there’s little left for him to prove in the minors, and he has answered some questions about his inconsistency with yet another strong season thus far. If the Red Sox trade Jake Peavy and Felix Doubront proves ineffective again, Ranaudo could be the one to get the call.

Best of the Rest

Edward Salcedo, OF, Braves (Gwinnett County, AAA): 2-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, K. Salcedo has shown decent game power, but the tools have never fully developed into a good enough overall hitter to be an everyday third baseman. A recent move to the outfield only raises the offensive bar and isn’t a step in the right direction.

Jacob Gatewood, SS, Brewers (AZL, R): 3-4, R, 2B, BB. Much has been made the past few days about the number of strikeouts Gatewood has had (extremely many) early on in his professional career. Considering they totaled almost half of his plate appearances, the criticism was fair. But he’s extremely talented and will have games like this one (and better), and it’s a testament to just how tough the jump is from high school baseball to even the lowest levels of the professional game.

Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs (Iowa, AAA): 2-4, 2 R, HR, BB. As though Bryant needed any help hitting minor-league pitching, he now has the best right-handed hitter of the previous generation protecting him in the lineup and giving him advice in the dugout. This should only end well for Bryant.

Viosergy Rosa, 1B, Marlins (Jupiter, A+): 2-4, R, HR, K. Rosa generates average power due mostly to his imposing size, but he doesn’t have the bat speed to catch up to better pitching and is far too pull happy to use the whole field on off-speed pitches, leaving him exposed. When he gets something on the inner half, however, he can do some damage.

Dominic Smith, 1B, Mets (Savannah, A-): 3-5, 2 R, 2B. Smith has come around after a slow start to the season and his now hitting .281, is controlling the strike zone at an acceptable rate, and is racking up a decent amount of doubles, with 17 now on the season. He is still, however, without a home run in 2014.

Austin Meadows, OF, Pirates (GCL Pirates, R): 2-2, 2 2B. This was the 2014 debut for Meadows, who only played five innings and has battled hamstring issues all season. It’s good to see last year’s first-rounder back in action, and having already spent a summer in the GCL and dominated in a short NYPL stint, he could hit full-season ball to wrap up the season if he proves he’s healthy.

Nick Williams, OF, Rangers (Myrtle Beach, A+): 2-4, 2 R, 2 2B, BB. Williams continues to hit everything in sight and is beginning to do so with more consistent authority. Given how infrequently it happens, though, the real story here is that Williams drew a walk!

Fight Another Night

Zach Lee, RHP, Dodgers (Albuquerque, AAA): 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 BB, 2 K. The Dodgers have been linked to every big-name pitcher potentially available on the trade market this summer, partially because they would like to add a veteran presence to their rotation, but also partially because Lee, their best internal option, has not had the season the team was expecting from him in Triple-A.

Notable Pitching Performances

• Aaron Sanchez, RHP, Blue Jays (Buffalo, AAA): 7 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K.
• Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pirates (Bradenton, A+): 2 2/3 IP, 2 H, R, 4 BB, 5 K.
• Kohl Stewart, RHP, Twins (Cedar Rapids, A-): 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K.