May 1, 2015

Minor League Update

Games of Thursday, April 30, 2015

by Jeff Moore

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Hitter of the Night: Brett Phillips, OF, Astros (Lancaster, A+): 3-3, R, 2B, HR. Phillips has done nothing but produce since reaching full-season ball last year, and that’s not slowing down any time soon, especially as long as he’s in the California League. He’s got tools across the board and production to spare, which makes it odd that he’s generally overlooked in most prospect circles. That won’t be the case for long if he continues to back up his first strong season with a second act.

Pitcher of the Night: Steven Matz, LHP, Mets (Las Vegas, AAA): 6 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 9 K. Has Matz had enough success now to say that the difficulties of pitching in Vegas have a tendency to be overblown? I’ve shared my thoughts on Matz and why he’ll be a successful addition to the Mets rotation. He’s having no issues with the Pacific Coast League and is ready when called upon by the Mets. They’ll need another starter soon, especially if they go to a six-man rotation, and the decision as to whether it’s him or Noah Syndergaard will likely come down to who is on their regular rest rather than skill.

Best of the Rest

Gleyber Torres, SS, Cubs (South Bend, A-): 4-5, R, 2B, SB. I talked about Torres yesterday, but apparently that wasn’t enough, as the 18-year-old continues to hit and more impressively, control the strike zone and stay within himself. If you want more Torres-gushing, hit Mauricio Rubio up on Twitter and ask him. He won’t stop talking about the guy.

Jorge Mateo, SS, Yankees (Charleston, A-): 2-5, R, 2B, K, 3 SB, CS. Mateo isn’t taking quite as naturally to hitting in a full-season league as is Torres, but that’s not a slight on Mateo’s part. There’s a long way to go in his development, but he’s a legit burner with the ability to stick at shortstop and hit for enough average to play every day, and three more steals on Thursday night give him 18 swipes in 19 games.

Byron Buxton, OF, Twins (Chattanoota, AA): 2-4, R, 3B, BB, 2 SB. Buxton is still working his way back into game-shape, and more importantly game-speed, but given his recent history of injuries, it’s good to see him doing things that require him going full speed—like hitting triples and stealing bases. Any time Buxton is having success on the field right now, it’s a good sign that we’re getting the full version of him back, the version that is the best prospect in the entire game. And that’s good for everybody.

Alex Yarbrough, 2B, Angels (Salt Lake City, AAA): 4-5, 2 R, 2 2B, BB. Yarbrough can do a few things well, the most important of which is barrel up a baseball, but he has some significant holes in his game—most notably fringy defense, an impatient approach at the plate, and no power outside of the California League—that his pure hitting ability might not be enough to carry him. Still, because of the ineptitude of the Angels farm system as a whole, he gets seen and will get his chances.

Rowdy Tellez, 1B, Blue Jays (Lansing, A-): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, K. Earlier this spring, our Chris King noted that Tellez had slimmed down from last year. That can go two ways for hitters, especially those who hit for power. In general it’s a good thing, because a 20-year-old with a bad body is reason for future concern. On the other hand, less weight sometimes means less strength in young hitters, and that’s an issue for a young first baseman. Tellez appears to be fine in the early going, moving better on the field and still hitting for moderate power on par with what’s expected of him. He’s still quite raw, but there’s a lot to like.

Trea Turner, SS, Nationals via Padres (San Antonio, AA): 3-4, 3 R, 2B, BB. Turner is still with the Padres, but the entire baseball world knows he’s heading to the Nationals as a player to be named later as soon as it’s been one year since he signed his first professional contract. I’ve never been crazy about his swing, as it’s too long for a speed-based player who projects to hit for little power, but he still makes enough contact to put his top-of-the-charts legs to work and should be able to stick at shortstop.

Daniel Robertson, SS, Rays (Montgomery, AA): 4-5, R, 3 2B, BB. Robertson has the potential to be a solid infielder, but not the star power-hitting shortstop that his numbers might suggest. He’s a good hitter, and his bat would play best at shortstop, where it could be above average, but he’d be a below-average defender there because of limited range. He’ll be a better defender at third, but won’t have the prototypical power associated with the position. He’s good enough to play somewhere in the infield every day, but he may not fit the mold that teams are looking for at either left-side position.

Fight Another Day

Victor Payano, LHP, Rangers (Frisco, AA): 5 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 BB, 3 K. Payano has an intriguing arm that can reach the mid-90s with his fastball (plus velocity), but you can’t have a plus fastball when you walk eight batters per nine innings. Fastball command will determine Payano’s future, and it’s hard to believe he ever gets it where it needs to be. Extremely high-risk prospect.

Nick Howard, RHP, Reds (Daytona, A+): 3 2/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 ER), 6 BB, 3 K. Howard has even more velocity than Payano, but at this point in the season, he’s had even less control of it. Walking over a batter an inning renders his velocity irrelevant. There haven’t been major concerns about his control before the season, so it should be something he can straighten out quickly, but for now, he’s simply throwing and not pitching.

Notable Starting Pitchers

• Nick Kingham, RHP, Pirates (Indianapolis, AAA): 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 7 K.
• Josh Hader, LHP, Astros (Corpus Christi, AA): 5 IP, 5 H, R, 0 BB, 5 K.
• Marcos Molina, RHP, Mets (St. Lucie, A+): 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, BB, 6 K.