April 16, 2015

Minor League Update

Games of Wednesday, April 15, 2015

by Jeff Moore

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Hitter of the Day: Trevor Story, 2B/SS, Rockies (Tulsa, AA): 3-3, 3 R, 2 2B, 3B, 2 BB. If 2014 was a step back in the right direction for Story, then 2015 is heading towards being a giant leap. Story got back on track last season in the California League, but wasn’t able to carry it over after a promotion, leaving questions about how much of his success was hitting environment-inflated. He’s answering them thus far this season, carrying over an impressive AFL stint into Double-A success. Story is a quick-twitch athlete with bat speed to spare, but issues putting it to good use from time to time. He can be streaky, with holes in his swing and approach that are going to limit his hit tool at the major-league level, but in between he should do a lot of damage for a middle infielder.

Pitcher of the Day: Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals (Palm Beach, A+): 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K. It’s more of the same for Reyes, whose lightning arm is missing even more bats in the Florida State League than it did in it’s Midwest counterpart. He’s still very much learning how to use his abilities, and more specifically throw more strikes, but he’s missing bats at an elite rate in the early part of this season.

Best of the Rest

Barrett Barnes, OF, Pirates (Bradenton, A+): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, K. Barnes was on a lot of prospect radars a few years ago, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field enough in the past two seasons to gain any momentum. Now 23 and still in the Florida State League, he’s trying to make up for lost time. The Pirates are playing him in left field now (he used to man center field), which could help keep his legs healthy. It was his power/speed combination that was so intriguing a few years ago, and while the leg injuries may have knocked the speed down a peg, he’s still a good athlete with power in his bat.

James Dykstra, RHP, White Sox (Winston-Salem, A+): 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K. An extreme strike thrower, Dykstra doesn’t bring anything above-average with his offerings, but by limiting the extra base runners, he gives himself a chance. He’s likely a fringe major leaguer, but guys who throw strikes at elite levels have a chance.

Manny Banuelos, LHP, Braves (Gwinnett, AAA): 5 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 7 K. Formerly the future of the Yankees rotation, Banuelos had thrown just 100 1/3 innings since 2012 before the start of this season. Now with the Braves, Banuelos is trying to prove that, when healthy, his arm is still potent. This is a good start, both literally and metaphorically.

Rowan Wick, OF, Cardinals (Palm Beach, A+): 2-3, 2 R, 3B, HR, K. A big, strong 22-year-old with a potent arm in right field, Wick has yet to gain any traction in full-season ball, struggling in the Midwest league in a late-season call-up in 2014. The Cardinals jumped him to Palm Beach anyway, and he is showing off some power early in some tough hitting environments. His aggressive approach could get him in trouble, but the power potential is intriguing.

Jarlin Garcia, LHP, Marlins (Jupiter, A+): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K. Garcia is an interesting prospect who could go one of two directions—either to the middle/back part of a rotation or the middle/back part of a bullpen—depending on the development of his off-speed pitches. I saw him on Wednesday night and he sat 92-93 mph through all six innings, touching 95 a number of times as well. He offers a pair of secondary options—a slider and a changeup—which will determine his future.

Michael Conforto, OF, Mets (St. Lucie, A+): 1-3, 2 R, HR, 2 BB. Conforto is having no trouble handling the jump to High-A ball thus far, nor is he being stymied by the large parks that make up the Florida State League. His home run on Wednesday was his second of the young season, and he’s controlling the strike zone well.

Kohl Stewart, RHP, Twins (Fort Myers, A+): 8 IP, 8 H, R, 2 BB, 3 K. The Twins handled Stewart carefully last season, but the restrictions are off of the former first-rounder and he’s running with it. He’s not missing bats early on the way you’d expect from a pitcher with his stuff, but his second start of the season was an improvement on his strike-throwing abilities.

Fight Another Day

Andrew Heaney, LHP, Angels (Salt Lake, AAA): 2/3 IP, 6 H, 7 R (4 ER), BB, K. After his last start, I said there was nothing left for Heaney to prove in Triple-A. That wasn’t a call for him to pitch like it. Sometimes these things happen, and in the Pacific Coast League, they happen even more often. For now, we can chalk it up to a PCL hiccup until we see otherwise.

Jake Stinnett, RHP, Cubs (South Bend, A-): 2 1/3 IP, 3 H, 8 R (5 ER), 7 BB, 2 K. Stinnett’s full-season debut last week went well, but his second attempt was a different story. Despite effort in his delivery, throwing strikes generally hasn’t been a problem for Stinnett, even as a professional.

Alex Meyer, RHP, Twins (Rochester, AAA): 3 2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 6 K. As a tall pitcher, scouts expected strike-throwing to be more of an issue for Meyer than it has been during his trip through the minor leagues over the past three years. His control isn’t impeccable, but it’s good enough to get by given the magnitude of his stuff. In two starts this season, however, he’s been all over the map, and nowhere near the strike zone. It’s hard to explain what makes a guy suddenly stop throwing strikes, but that’s what’s happened thus far this season.

Courtney Hawkins, OF, White Sox (Birmingham, AA): 0-4, 3 K. Hawkins took a step in the right direction last season when he repeated the Carolina League after being inexplicably assigned there in 2013. But even in his second stint in Winston-Salem, he showed major holes in his game, particular in his ability to control the strike zone and make contact. The jump to Double-A is the hardest for a developing hitter because of the advancement in the level of pitching, and thus far it’s exposing the flaws in Hawkins’ game.

Notable Prospect Starters

• Tyler Beede, RHP, Giants (San Jose, A+): 4 1/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R (4 ER), 2 BB, 3 K.
• Justin Nicolino, LHP, Marlins (New Orleans, AAA): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K.
• Brent Honeywell, RHP, Rays (Bowling Green, A-): 6 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 9 K.
• Jonathan Gray, RHP, Rockies (Albuquerque, AAA): 5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 4 K.