May 12, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Wednesday, May 11th

by Christopher Crawford

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.

Prospect of the Day:

Tyler Jay, LHP, Minnesota Twins (High-A Fort Myers): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K.
The only question mark regarding Jay coming out of the 2015 draft was if he was going to be able to handle starting, as he was exclusively used in relief while at the University of Illinois. So far, so good. He’s still flashing a double-plus slider and a fastball that’s in that vicinity, and if you sit on those two pitches, he’s got a pull-the-string change with a 50-grade curveball just to keep things interesting. Minnesota knows that he can be a lights-out reliever if this whole starting thing doesn’t work out, but he’s shown no reason to think it won’t so far in 2016.

Others of Note:

Max Kepler, OF, Twins (Triple-A Rochester): 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, BB. He’s probably a little bummed that he’s here instead of in Minnesota, but I don’t think he’s going to be in Rochester for very long.

Alen Hanson, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates (Triple-A Indianapolis): 3-for-5. Hanson, so hot right now. That’s a Zoolander reference.

Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B. He’s been on fire since I mentioned that you should be concerned about his start, so you’re welcome, White Sox fans.

Mike Clevinger, RHP, Cleveland (Triple-A Columbus): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. I continue to get solid reviews on Clevinger, and it’s only a matter of time until you see him pitching in the Cleveland rotation at this point.

Jaime Schultz, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays (Triple-A Durham): 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 7 K. If it seems like he’s in every one of my updates, it’s because he probably is. He’s been sensational in 2016.

Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa): 2-for-5, R, 2B. Bellinger came into the day hitting .142, so to say he was due for a big day at the plate is quite the understatement.

Anthony Banda, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (Double-A Mobile): 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K. Banda is one of the more underrated hurlers in the Arizona system as a southpaw with two above-average pitches and a real feel for hitting his spots with all of his arsenal.

Clint Frazier, OF, Cleveland (Double-A Akron): 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, BB. It seems like people undersell Frazier’s speed a little bit. He’s pretty close to a plus runner, and his ability to drive the ball means there are lots of doubles and triples in his future if he can play every day.

Tyler Wade, IF, New York Yankees (Double-A Trenton): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, K, SB. There’s almost no power here, but Wade can run and make enough hard contact to project an average hit tool, and he can give you competent defense all around the infield.

Josh Hader, LHP, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi): 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. He’s now given up a run or less in every single start this year, and he’s struck out at least a batter per inning in all but one of them. That’s good.

Kevin Newman, SS, Pirates (High-A Bradenton): 3-for-5. Hello, Newman. That’s a Seinfeld reference.

Javier Guerra, SS, San Diego Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore): 3-for-3, 2 R, HR. He’s still struggling to make consistent contact, but when he does, he has as much power as any minor-league shortstop not named Brendan Rodgers in.

Justus Sheffield, LHP, Cleveland (HIgh-A Lynchburg): 6 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. His brother (Vanderbilt right-hander Jordan) is getting a lot of the talk right now, but Justus is the more complete pitcher, and has a much better chance of staying in a rotation.

Keury Mella, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (High-A Daytona): 8 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. He’s throwing all three of his above-average pitches for strikes now, and if he does that, he’s going to pitch in the middle of the Reds rotation in the coming seasons, maybe even next year.

Christin Stewart, OF, Detroit Tigers (HIgh-A Lakeland): 1-for-3, HR, K. In a system that is utterly lacking in offensive firepower, Stewart just might be that guy. Just don’t ask him to provide much value with the glove or arm.

Jake Gatewood, IF, Brewers (Low-A Wisconsin): 3-for-5, 2 HR, K. The dingers are nice, but what’s even better is that he drew his first walk of the season a couple of games ago. Just kidding, nothing is more important than dingers.

Jake Woodford, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (Low-A Peoria): 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. The Cardinals’ competitive-balance pick in 2015, Woodford has an above-average fastball/curve combination, and he’ll also show two so-so pitches in his slider and change.

Justin Steele, LHP, Chicago Cubs (Low-A South Bend): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. Steele is still a way’s away from having even fringe-average command, but with two plus pitches, he can be a really valuable pitcher if it does get there.

Luis Liberato, OF, Seattle Mariners (Low-A Clinton): 3-for-5, 2 R, K. I’m a big fan of Liberato. He’s a switch-hitter with two above-average tools in his speed and arm, and he shows a quality approach from both sides of the plate.

Casey Shane, RHP, Cleveland (Low-A Lake County): 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Shane has worked hard to get into the necessary shape to be a starting pitcher, and he’ll show a plus fastball, solid-average slider, and useful change on the right day.

Christopher Crawford is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @CVCrawfordBP
Click here to see Christopher's other articles. You can contact Christopher by clicking here