April 22, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Thursday, April 21st

by Mark Anderson

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Prospect of the Day:

Jose Berrios, RHP, Twins (Triple-A Rochester): 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, BB, 7 K.
Yep, he’ll be in Minnesota soon, and they will instantly be a better team because of it. Berrios has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues and the Twins are going to be forced to give him big-league innings in the near future.

Others of Note:

Jen-Ho Tseng, RHP, Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 5 IP, 7 H, 7 R/ER, 3 BB, 3 K. A tough night for a talented pitcher. For all the hype, Tseng doesn’t have a huge margin for error and is susceptible to rough outings like this when his stuff isn’t on.

A.J. Cole, RHP, Nationals (Triple-A Syracuse): 4.2 IP, 12 H, 8 R/ER, BB, 7 K. Another rough night for a talented starter. Cole elicits mixed reviews among scouts regarding his ultimate ceiling, and this is a perfect example why. He’s still both missing bats and giving up a ton of hits.

Ronald Acuna, OF, Braves (Low-A Rome): 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 R. A fast-rising prospect this season, Acuna is tooled up and on the verge of a massive breakout akin to that of Victor Robles last season.

Ricardo Sanchez, LHP, Braves (Low-A Rome): 6 IP, 3 H, R/ER, 2 BB, 5 K. I still remember fondly the first time I watched a 16-year-old Ricardo Sanchez on the back fields in Arizona. He’s still a ways away from contributing in Atlanta, but I still dream on the upside.

Francisco Mejia, C, Indians (Low-A Lake County): 2-4, 2B, 2 R. Prospect fatigue set in quite a while ago, as Mejia has demonstrated how developmental paths are far from linear. He’s still extremely talented on both sides of the ball and should still be on the radar.

Mike Yastrzemski, OF, Orioles (Double-A Bowie): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, K. Saddled—correctly, I should add—with a likely fourth-outfielder tag, Yastrzemski enjoyed a big Thursday night that can let people dream beyond the realistic projection.

Jose Pujols, OF, Phillies (Low-A Lakewood): 3-5, R, RBI. The power that he’s known for certainly wasn’t there last night, but more consistent contact like this is a positive sign for Pujols’ development.

Josh Ockimey, 1B, Red Sox (Low-A Greenville): 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. A player that’s getting some early publicity as a potential offensive contributor, Ockimey must continue to show in-game power to have a chance at making a first-base-only profile work.

Josh Staumont, RHP, Royals (High-A Wilmington): 5.1 IP, 3 H, R/ER, BB, 9 K. Staumont just continues to pile up the strikeouts as part of an outstanding start to his first full season of pro ball.

Jorge Mateo, SS, Yankees (High-A Tampa): 3-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K. Driving the ball out of the park is nothing more than gravy for Mateo. His game-to-game impact is going to come from his contact ability and top-end speed, and if he parks it in the seats with any regularity, well, then he’s a star.

Dansby Swanson, SS, Braves (High-A Carolina): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB, K. Just move him up to the Southern League already.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Cardinals (Low-A Peoria): 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R/ER, 5 BB, 8 K. Everybody has heard about the triple-digit heat and the ceiling, but this shutout line also illustrates the development required. Alcantara has to figure out where the ball is going before he explodes as a prospect.

Eddy Julio Martinez, OF, Cubs (Low-A South Bend): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI. As if the Cubs needed more ultra-talented prospects, Martinez might be one of the best they have by the end of the season.

Jacob Turner, RHP, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R/ER, BB, 5 K. Nowhere near a prospect at this point, but there was good reason for the hype around Turner as he was coming up with the Tigers and Marlins. The White Sox have done some good things with pitching prospects, and turning Turner into a useble piece would be a wonderful turn of events.

David Paulino, RHP, Astros (Double-A Corpus Christi): 4 IP, H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 6 K. An unknown piece of the Jose Veras deal a couple of years back, Paulino has continued his breakout with improved control and a more consistent breaking ball this year.

Matt Chapman, 3B, Athletics (Double-A Midland): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 R, RBI, BB. Chapman must prove that his California League outburst in 2015 wasn’t a fluke and that he can make the necessary adjustments to translate his offensive game against upper-level arms. With any luck, this game represents him getting on track.

Mark Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @ProspectMark
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