June 17, 2015

Minor League Update

Games of June 16, 2015

by Jeff Moore

the archives are now free. All Baseball Prospectus Premium and Fantasy articles more than a year old are now free as a thank you to the entire Internet for making our work possible. Not a subscriber? Get exclusive content like this delivered hot to your inbox every weekday. Click here for more information on Baseball Prospectus subscriptions or use the buttons to the right to subscribe and get instant access to the best baseball content on the web.

Subscribe for $4.95 per month Recurring subscription - cancel anytime. Subscribe for $39.95 for one year a 33% savings over the monthly price! Purchase a $39.95 gift subscription a 33% savings over the monthly price! Already a subscriber? Click here and use the blue login bar to log in.

Hitter of the Day: A.J. Reed, 1B, Astros (Lancaster, A+): 4-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, HR, BB. That’s a cycle, for those of you scoring at home. Much like his Jethawk teammate discussed below, Reed isn’t facing much of a challenge in the California League. He’s not without holes in his swing, but his patient approach is allowing him to get into mostly hitter’s counts against High-A pitching that often falls behind without breaking-ball command and is forced to throw fastballs. Reed feasts on that scenario, and has proven his ability to hit when in advantageous situations. He’ll be tested in Double-A soon.

Pitcher of the Day: Jose De Leon, RHP, Dodgers (Tulsa, AA): 5 IP, H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K. The transition to Double-A hasn’t been perfectly smooth for De Leon, but he’s still missing a ton of bats and throwing strikes (although not at the impressive rate he was in the California League). The stuff doesn’t change when a pitcher gets promoted, only the results do. For De Leon, there’s been an adjustment period to Double-A as the hitters have a better plan of how to handle his stuff, but this is a good re-adjustment back in the other direction.

Best of the Rest

Brett Phillips, OF, Astros (Lancaster, A+): 2-3, 2 R, 2 2B. The tools are evident for Phillips, as is the fact that he’s not being challenged in the California league. His pure talent plus the hitter-friendly confines of the league have turned his at-bats into a computer game set on easy. The biggest holes currently for Phillips are a tendency to be over aggressive and some same-side platoon issues, both of which won’t be effectively challenged until Double-A, where the breaking balls are better and more consistent (which causes hitters to expand the zone more frequently and is also the main culprit against same-side pitchers). Until then, we’re going to get to see Phillips continue to rake until he gets to a challenge more suited for his skill set.

Duane Underwood, Jr., RHP, Cubs (Myrtle Beach, A+): 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K. Underwood doesn’t get the same love that a lot of big pitching prospects receive, likely due in large part to his lack of gaudy strikeout numbers, but he’s got three potential average or better pitches and is a fantastic athlete, which are really strong building blocks for a pitching prospect. He’s improved his control, though his fastball command is still a work in progress, but that’s a common occurrence among 20-year-old starting pitching prospects. In a system without a ton of pitching depth, Underwood features perhaps the best combination of polish and upside in the system.

Jonathan Gray, RHP, Rockies (Albuquerque, AAA): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, BB, 8 K. It’s been one step back after another for Gray, who has not progressed as quickly as was expected from a big-time college pitcher. His strikeout rates have plummeted, resulting in far more balls in play than any pitcher would like to see in Colorado. He’s pitching with diminished stuff compared to what he offered in college, though he could be learning how to pitch with it more effectively, allowing no more than two earned runs in four straight starts now.

Anthony Alford, OF, Blue Jays (Lansing, A-): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B. Alford is a fantastically athletic player who is taking to his full-time baseball role even more aptly than even the Blue Jays probably expected. The power hasn’t kicked in yet for a player of his build, but everything else has developed wonderfully, especially his patient approach at the plate. There are still many issues to be worked out, as he’s behind in terms of game experience for a player of this age (thanks to splitting time with football), but he’s off to a strong start, developmentally.

Rob Kaminsky, LHP, Cardinals (Palm Beach, A+): 7 IP, 6 H, R, BB, 5 K. I talked about Kaminsky earlier this week, discussing his limited assortment of pitches. That obviously hasn’t changed, but what I didn’t do a good enough job discussing is his pitchability. Kaminsky’s raw stuff isn’t eye-opening, but he really knows how to pitch. He changes speeds well and replicates his arm speed on his changeup, which is enough to fool hitters at this level. He still needs his breaking ball to make some significant strides, and his ceiling will be back end, but there’s a good chance Kaminsky figures out how to reach it.

Manuel Margot, OF, Red Sox (Salem, A+): 2-2, R, HR, BB, SB. It hasn’t been a flawless season for Margot, who has more power potential than he’s shown to this point in the season, but his contact skills have been off the charts in 2015, striking out at an incredibly low rate for a player who swings with so much aggression as does Margot. He’s not a small-ball hitter. He looks to do damage every time he’s at the plate, yet he manages not to get bogged down with excessive swings and misses. That, if nothing else, is an incredibly impressive sign for his development.

Notable Prospect Starters

• Sean Newcomb, LHP, Angels (Inland Empire, A+): 5 IP, 6 H, 6 R (5 ER), BB, 11 K.
• Jeff Hoffman, RHP, Blue Jays (Dunedin, A+): 5 2/3 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 BB, K.
• Manny Banuelos, LHP, Braves (Gwinnett, AAA): 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R (2 ER), 5 BB, 5 K.
• Jesse Biddle, LHP, Phillies (Reading, AA): 7 2/3 IP, 8 H, 2 R (1 ER), BB, 4 K.