August 5, 2015

Notes from the Field

August 5, 2015

by Jeff Moore, Brendan Gawlowski and Mark Anderson

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• My first look at Josh Naylor wasn’t encouraging. The pure hitting tools are evident, with exceptionally quick wrists and strength, but his swing is wild and he had trouble identifying below-average breaking balls. Additionally, he just turned 18 and he’s already badly out of shape. He has little range at first base and doesn’t move well enough to play anywhere else. That’s a lot of pressure on his bat. He’s really going to have to hit. -Jeff Moore

• San Francisco’s fourth rounder Mac Marshall is one of the most promising pitchers I’ve seen in the Northwest League this summer. The lefty touches 93 with his fastball, a deceptive pitch with natural cut. He also throws a sweeping slider that projects as an average offering and a plus changeup with significant drop and arm-side fade. Both succeed in part because he replicates his arm speed on all of his offerings, and he hides the ball well. Marshall pitches with plenty of fire and sometimes he lets his intensity get the best of him. In my viewing, he got frustrated with himself whenever he missed his spots, which often led to over-throwing and another poorly located pitch. There’s a lot of effort in his delivery anyway, and he’ll need to maintain his composure if he’s going to command the ball effectively. Some see a short lefty with control problems and point to a future in the bullpen, but I’m not so sure: he has the arsenal to start, and if he learns to hone his aggressive motion, I think the command will play up down the line. -Brendan Gawlowski

• The Cardinals farm system is so deep with arms, even at the GCL level. While most GCL teams are lucky to have one or two potential big-league pitchers on their roster, I saw three possible candidates in two days in Junior Fernandez, Derian Gonzalez and Jacob Schlesener. Fernandez has the liveliest arm of the group, touching 98 in a start while sitting in the 91-95 range, but also the worst mechanics, which could lead him to a bullpen role. Schlesener has the lowest present ceiling as a lefty throwing 88-91 mph, but he also has the best breaking ball, with his curveball having true plus potential. Gonzalez was the best overall pitcher of the group, sitting 93-94 mph with an inconsistent but at times above-average curveball, and the makings of an average changeup. He’s built like a starter and has the smooth, easy mechanics to back it up. -Jeff Moore

• After several looks at Red Sox 3rd rounder Austin Rei, it’s obvious why he was rising quickly on draft boards in April and May. He’s a solid catch-and-throw guy that just needs to refine how he receives breaking balls to become a true asset behind the dish, and I have liked what I’ve seen of his blocking ability. He likes to swing early in the count each time I have seen him, but he manages to barrel a lot of balls, and when he does, the ball jumps. His power is mostly to the gaps now, but he has flashed some ability to turn on inside stuff and lift it over the fence. Rei isn’t going to be a star, but there’s a chance the Red Sox found a solid big league catcher here. - Mark Anderson

• Samuel Castro is only 17 years old and has played more second base than anywhere else this far in his brief professional career, but he’s a legitimate defensive shortstop with a plus arm and good hands. He’s small, listed at only 5-foot-10, but the switch-hitter has a short, compact swing from both sides and a good feel for the barrel. He already understands his role as a hitter and doesn’t try to do too much. –Jeff Moore

Quick Hits: Carson Kelly’s bat looks extremely slow, and the only balls he squares up are to the opposite field (JM)...Willy Adames continues to improve his pitch selection at the plate with each viewing, and has made noticeable progress from the beginning of the season (JM)...Granden Goetzman was a high pick (second round in 2011) but he’s so muscle-bound that his swing is extremely rotational and all he can hope to do is pull the ball (JM).

Brendan Gawlowski is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @GawlowskiB
Click here to see Brendan's other articles. You can contact Brendan by clicking here
Mark Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @ProspectMark
Click here to see Mark's other articles. You can contact Mark by clicking here