May 18, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Tuesday, May 17th

by Wilson Karaman

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Prospect of the Day:

Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 3-5, R, K, SB.
After a slow start to the season Anderson has been en fuego of late, yesterday logging his seventh multi-hit game in his last 10. The strikeout-to-walk ratio remains egregious, but he’s making pitchers four years older than him pay for coming into the zone right now. With Jimmy Rollins continuing to scuffle on the South Side we’re kind of starting to get into that range where maybe, just maybe, the kid earns himself a shot in spite of the still-rough edges to his game.

Others of Note:

Josh Naylor, 1B, Miami Marlins (Low-A Greensboro): 2-5, R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI. Naylor is another one who has heated up considerably after struggling some out of the gate. After whiffing 21 times in his first 22 games, he’s cut it down to just six in his last 14, and that kind of halt-and-start progression may end up a familiar sight for the raw Canadian.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (Low-A Peoria): 7 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 10 K. Any time you see a dude sitting mid-90s making his way up the ladder of the Cardinals’ organization, it’s a good idea to make a mental note. James Fisher wrote up a recent start, noting that the gas does come in relatively straight, but there’s some command projection there, along with at least some evidence of a nascent curveball in the works. He’s got an eternity to go in his development, but nights like this offer a glimpse of the potential in his right arm.

Matt Chapman, 3B, Oakland Athletics (Double-A Midland): 4-8, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 4 K. Chapman has held his own at Double-A this year, continuing to chug along with an uncomfortably high strikeout rate that’s partially offset by decent on-base skills and enough translation of his borderline-double-plus raw power into games. I wrote him up last summer, and it sounds like he’s progressing just about on par.

Dillon Overton, LHP, Oakland Athletics (Triple-A Nashville): 6.2 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 8 K. Overton sits teetering on the verge of a big-league call-up after piecing together an impressive run through the high minors over the past year. In my report last year I noted his strong command profile, excellent changeup, and intelligence on the mound, and he’s continued to utilize those assets to overcome an arsenal that remains fairly hittable without his pre-surgery fastball. It’s a sum-of-its-parts profile though, and potentially a good one.

Manuel Margot, CF, San Diego Padres (Triple-A El Paso): 3-4, BB, 3 R, 2B, RBI, SB. Margot is the youngest player in the PCL, but he sure ain’t playing like it. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but they’re awfully solid for a guy who can play the hell out of center field at such a young age.

Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (Triple-A Indianapolis): 6 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 5 K. After reverting to some unpleasantness with two five-walk games in his previous three starts, this effort counts as a win. The fine command still comes and goes, but the raw stuff gives him a larger margin of error than most.

Tyler Jay, LHP, Minnesota Twins (High-A Fort Myers): 6 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 6 K. Three straight starts with a mention in this update for Jay, who has paired first-round stuff with solid results in his first seven professional starts this spring.

Jose Azocar, CF, Detroit Tigers (Low-A West Michigan): 4-4, R, RBI, CS. Azocar is an exciting player in a system wanting for excitement. Emily Waldon wrote him up in a recent Ten Pack, noting the evident mental strength to support Azocar’s strong speed-and-defense tool box. There isn’t a ton of power here, and the approach is still raw as a winter’s eve in Kent County. But he’s made his contact count and held his own in his first taste of full-season pitching this spring.

Jordan Patterson, RF, Colorado Rockies (Triple-A Albuquerque): 2-3, BB, R, 2 2B, SB. Patterson’s minor-league progression has looked like this: he hit, then he hit some more, then he hit some more, and now he’s hitting. More. I was a fan last year at Modesto and talked about him in Monday’s chat. He was extremely aggressive in the zone then, though he seems to have taken a nice step forward to this end. Some stiffness in a rotational swing limited his game power despite ample natural strength in my looks, and that does appear to still be the case. Nonetheless, the bat-to-ball works, and it’s awfully tough to argue with his production across nearly 1,600 minor-league plate appearances now. He should breathe the air at 5,200 feet sooner than later at this rate.

Nick Travieso, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (Double-A Pensacola): 7 IP, H, 3 BB,6 K. Travieso pitched very well in the AFL, but true to his professional form has been more up-and-down this spring at Double-A. Despite the stuff taking a half-step back since he was drafted in the first round, there’s still a solid-average arsenal with decent command riding on the shoulders of a workhorse. A sawed-off single was all the Mississippi Dansby Swansons could muster off him in seven innings yesterday.

Jacob Nottingham, C, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi): 1-4, BB, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, K. After an abysmal start to the season Nottingham has finally started to get his Double-A sea legs at the plate recently. Behind it he’s been one of the best framers on the farm per our now-available defensive stats for minor league catchers. The defensive package on the whole isn’t the most viscerally appealing, but his strong hands highlight enough raw material that, coupled with noted work ethic, could allow him to play up into average range eventually.

Wilson Karaman is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @vocaljavelins
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