November 20, 2015

Minor League Update

Games of Thursday, November 19th

by Jeffrey Paternostro

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Hitter of the Day: Jake Bauers, RF, Tampa Bay Rays (Mesa Solar Sox) 3-4, K

The Wil Myers trade had become the James Shields trade and now has become the Wade Davis trade. The second Wil Myers trade might never become the Jake Bauers trade, but Bauers started to tap into some power in 2015 as a 19-year-old, a potentially good sign for the future. He's also playing some outfield in the AFL, which might be overly optimistic, but if the bat continues to develop, it could play at 1B/DH.

Pitcher of the Day: Sean Manaea, LHP, Oakland A's (Mesa Solar Sox) 4.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

Manaea came into 2015 as an intriguing prospect with three potential plus pitches, but a long litany of injury issues and some inconsistent velo reports. He added to the intrigue and the injuries in 2015, struggling with an abdominal issue for most of the first half before putting a dominant stretch run together in Double-A after a trade to the A's. Manaea offers a major league quality three-pitch mix that comes from a tough angle for hitters. He could move into the top tier of pitching prospects with a full, healthy season in 2016, but we would have said the same last November.

Other Names of Note

Derek Fisher, RF, Houston Astros (Glendale Desert Dogs) 1-3, 2B, R, BB, 2 K

Now more than a year removed from the hamate-bone break that cost him some draft bonus money, Fisher has started to show the game power that would had him high on 2014 draft boards. He was a bit old for both the A-ball levels he played at in 2015, but the tools are clearly there to move him up prospect lists in 2016 if he can continue his success in Double-A

Brian Anderson, 3B, Miami Marlins (Mesa Solar Sox) 1-3, K

I saw Anderson this Summer with Jupiter, and his glove stood out on an otherwise nondescript Marlins affiliate. There is a bit of pop there on the pull side too, but I just don't think he will ever hit enough to have a major-league career.

Dustin Fowler, CF, New York Yankees (Surprise Saguaros) 1-4, R, BB, K

Fowler has some helium around him after a strong Arizona Fall League performance as a 20-year-old. In a perfect world he is a bit of a throwback leadoff hitter, with enough speed to buoy an otherwise unspectacular offensive profile, and enough athleticism to stick up the middle. In a Yankees system that graduated a few top prospects and saw injuries to some others, Fowler will be in or around their top 10.

Carlos Asuaje, 2B, San Diego Padres (Scottsdale Scorpions) 1-4

The Padres are apparently talking about jumping Asuaje, acquired in the recent Craig Kimbrel deal, to the majors in 2016. Chris was impressed with him in the Arizona Fall League, although he saw him as a utility infielder. I would guess the Padres feel the same way even with their potentially aggressive plan for his 2016.

Armando Rodriguez, RHP (Leones de Escogido) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

The Winter Leagues are full of players auditioning for a 2016 job somewhere. Rodriguez was a bad-bodied pitcher that took up some space on the Mets 40-man roster for a while in the later Omar Minaya years. He was always more deception than stuff and got jettisoned to the Mexican League after 2013. He's been very good there over the last two seasons, posting strong peripherals in a tough pitching environment. Is he a major league reliever, probably not, but a team looking for some Triple-A relief depth could do worse than this chubby strike thrower.

Jeffrey Paternostro is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @jeffpaternostro
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