June 21, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Monday, June 20th

by Christopher Crawford

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Prospect of the Day: Scott Schebler, OF, Cincinnati Reds (Triple-A Louisville): 4-for-4, 2 R, 3 2B. Schebler struggled in his month with the Reds, but he’s probably earned a chance at another promotion. He’s been much better since his Triple-A return, and while that should be the case, it’s still a promising development. There’s a chance for solid-average power from the left side, and the feel for hitting is good enough that the hit tool may be average, too. It’s probably a bench profile, but it’s something every club needs. Schebler absolutely has a chance to be a contributor to a good team in the coming years.

Others of Note:

Jharel Cotton, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Triple-A Oklahoma City): 6 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 8 K. There are rumors that Cotton could be headed to Los Angeles soon. If he is, he’s gonna have to throw more strikes than he did tonight. The strikeouts are fun, though.

Clayton Blackburn, RHP, San Francisco Giants (Triple-A Sacramento): 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. If I had to bet on one prospect being traded next month, I wouldn’t, because that would be stupid. It wouldn’t shock me if Blackburn were in high demand this summer, however.

J.P. Crawford, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley): 2-for-5, 2 R, K. Coming into tonight, Crawford was hitting .308/.368/.364 over his last eight games. Boy is that sample size small, but we keep it positive on Baseball Prospectus dot com.

Pedro Severino, C, Washington Nationals (Triple-A Syracuse): 3-for-3. The glove and arm are light-years ahead of the bat, but there’s just enough offensive potential here to suggest that he might be an everyday backstop in a year or so.

Rowdy Tellez, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays (Double-A New Hampshire): 3-for-4, R. All of Rowdy’s friends were here on Monday night.

Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa) 4-for-6, 2B, HR, K. Is Bellinger the best first-base prospect in baseball right now? Probably not, but I think he’s in that discussion.

Joe Jimenez, RHP, Detroit Tigers (Double-A Erie): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Is this the best relief prospect in baseball? Yep.

Dinelson Lamet, RHP, San Diego Padres (Double-A San Antonio): 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K. Lamet really struggled in his first two outings in Double-A, but despite his age (23), he’s one of the few hurlers in the Padres system who has even a semblance of upside.

Stephen Tarpley, LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (High-A Bradenton): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Tarpley’s talent is unquestionable; there are four pitches here that flash above average at times. It hasn’t happened on a consistent basis, though, and as a 23-year-old in High-A, he should have better numbers than he does.

Christin Stewart, OF, Detroit Tigers (High-A Lakeland): 2-for-3, 2B, HR, K. The numbers have slowed a bit, but that’s to be expected considering it’s his first full professional year. There’s a ton of offensive upside here.

Chris Flexen, RHP, New York Mets (High-A St. Lucie): 8 IP, 8 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Flexen’s numbers in the Florida State League aren’t other-worldly or even close, but scouts really like this kid’s feel for pitching, and he’s made significant progress in 2016.

Carlos Tocci, OF, Phillies (High-A Clearwater): 3-for-4, R. There’s no power here to speak of, but Tocci can run, he can field, and he might be able to get on base enough to justify a fourth outfielder role. Maybe he’s even a starting center fielder if you dream real hard.

Jahmai Jones, OF, Los Angeles Angels (Short-Season Orem): 2-for-5, 2 R. The Angels system is atrocious, but Jones is one of the best hitting prospects in it, with a chance for three plus tools in the glove, speed, and arm, with average hit and power tools possible, too. You could do a lot worse.

Ryan McKenna, OF, Baltimore Orioles (Short-Season Aberdeen): 3-for-4, HR, SB. A product of baseball mecca Dover, New Hampshire, McKenna is an excellent athlete, and the baseball skills are coming along. Slowly, but they’re coming along.

Kevin Steen, RHP, Boston Red Sox (Short-Season Lowell): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. A ninth-round selection in 2014; Steen has a boatload of projection and arm strength, and the curveball and change will both flash average.

Blake Perkins, OF, Nationals (Short-Season Auburn): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, K. Like McKenna, Perkins is a long way away from turning his athleticism into baseball skills offensively, but he’s advanced with the glove, already showing the makings of a 60-grade center fielder.

Christopher Crawford is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @CVCrawfordBP
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