CSS Button No Image Css3Menu.com

Baseball Prospectus home
  
  
Click here to log in Click here to subscribe
<< Previous Article
What You Need to Know:... (06/23)
<< Previous Column
Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: F... (06/20)
Next Column >>
Eyewitness Accounts: J... (07/14)
Next Article >>
Players Prefer Present... (06/23)

June 23, 2016

Eyewitness Accounts

June 23, 2016

by BP Prospect Staff

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.


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.

Ryan Castellani

Born: 04/01/1996 (Age: 20)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 3" Weight: 193
Mechanics
Prototypical frame, natural strength throughout with remaining physical projection; full wind-up, fluid through rock and kick, drops center of gravity, maintains posture well; short arm action, moderate drag, jerky action, above-average arm speed to three-quarters slot, struggled to maintain consistent slot; inconsistent drive, sweeps front leg to inverted strike, hips open early, closed finish, can get unbalanced; arm-strength delivery, stress on shoulder
Evaluator Wilson Karaman
Report Date 06/06/2016
Affiliate Modesto Nuts (High A, Rockies)
Dates Seen 6/5/16
OFP/Risk 50/Very High
Realistic 45/back-end starter
MLB ETA 2018
Video Yes
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
FB 45 55 91-93 94 Two-seam action, natural tail with heavy sink, can cut it in same velo band, plus movement; looks to pound it down, elevates occasionally, will back-door it with cut down in the count; poor present command, fringe-average projection, struggles to finish it glove-side, trackable in upper quadrants; velo dipped to 89-91 (t92) around 75 pitches, remaining physical projection, potential for an additional tick or two; moderate swing-and-miss potential
CH 40 50 83-86 87 Primary go-to against lefty-heavy lineup; firm pitch with hard tumble, minimal fade, split-like action at top of velo band; shows some feel, arm angle will migrate north, will leave it hanging; potential to tunnel off the fastball, similar plane, movement, hitters able to adjust after multiple looks
SL 40 50 82-85 86 Moderate bite, some two-plane action, sequences it in the zone, moderate swing-and-miss potential below the zone; drops his slot, some wrap, will get on the side and roll it; hung a couple early and gave up some loud contact, largely shelved it for duration of outing, limited useage
Overall

The club's 2014 second-rounder, Castellani just simply didn't have it in this start. He fought to find his timing and arm slot from the jump and never did, instead aiming the ball and losing too many pitches over the white, especially when he tried to go glove side. The mechanics are such that weaker glove-side command is likely to be a persistent issue. The fastball showed glimpses of plus potential, and the change flashed average as well. His lack of confidence in the slider led to predictable sequencing, though the pitch showed some potential despite poor feel in this start. He noticeably tired in his third time through the order.

Castellani boasts an ideal frame, and there's enough raw stuff, arsenal depth, and athleticism to project a rotation future, though he looked pretty far away from it in this start.



Domingo Acevedo

Born: 03/06/1994 (Age: 22)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 7" Weight: 190
Mechanics
XL frame with a thin, wiry build, looks larger than listed weight of 190, perhaps closer to 200. Fair amount physical projection remaining. Pitches from a full windup with hands over head; legs and arms flail; lacks posture and balance; still able to repeat delivery; long arm action with above-average arm speed; three-quarters slot.
Evaluator Steve Givarz
Report Date 06/16/2016
Affiliate Tampa Yankees (High A, Yankees)
Dates Seen 6/15/2015
OFP/Risk 55/High
Realistic Role 5, Setup Reliever
MLB ETA 2019
Video No
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
Fastball 70 80 95-96 99 Fastball 95-96; lacks life; shows early; lacks fine control of pitch, is able to locate over plate but lacks command.

Movement- 40/40
Slider 40 50 84-87 88 Slider 84-87; short pitch; has some depth but stays on one-plane; fair bite; often left up; flashed average but needs more consistency.
Changeup 30 40 87-89 89 Changeup 87-89; third pitch right now; lacks feel for pitch; arm speed is better than in previous viewings; still in early stages of development; lacks overall movement; gets hitters in front because of FB velocity.
Overall

Acevedo has the size, projectability, a big arm, all of which are things I like to see out of young players. The Fastball is explosive and reports have had it touching higher in the past. The secondaries are coming along but needs more consistency from game-to-game in order to be a SP. In the bullpen his FB will really play up and you hope the breaking ball comes along with it.

Command- 35/40
Control- 40/50





Stephen Gonsalves

Born: 07/08/1994 (Age: 21)
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 6' 5" Weight: 213
Mechanics
XL Frame with wiry body; has fair physical projection remaining; long levers. Pitches from a full windup; lots of arms and legs in delivery; low-effort delivery; hands set at belt; step back; long arm stroke with a full arm circle; fair arm speed; three-quarters slot.
Evaluator Steve Givarz
Report Date 06/17/2016
Affiliate Fort Myers Miracle (High A, Twins)
Dates Seen 6/12/2016
OFP/Risk 50/Medium
Realistic Role 4, Swingman/Longman
MLB ETA 2018
Video No
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
Fastball 50 55 90-92 93 Fastball 90-92 T93, sinking action; deceptive with arm action; fair control.

Movement- 45/45
Curveball 30 40 76-77 77 Curveball 76-77; lacks tight shape; fair depth but loopy; needs better arm speed and to reach out more; effective at this level; not in zone.
Changeup 60 60 76-78 78 Changeup 76-78; plus pitch; split like action; large separation from FB; late tumble; thrown at arm speed which helps pitch play up.
Slider 30 40 82-83 85 Slider 82-83 T85; lacks sharpness; frisbee break; needs better shape; in early stages of development; primarily v. LHH; should get better with arm speed and repetitions.
Overall

Projectable SP with a plus changeup and a potential above-average fastball combination. Needs a breaking ball to step up to be a back-end rotation guy. Features reverse splits and will need to be more effective v. LHH to be a rotation piece.

Command- 40/50
Control- 50/55





Tyler Jay

Born: 04/19/1994 (Age: 22)
Bats: Left Throws: Left
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 185
Mechanics
Media guide listed weight at 172 lower than official weight of 185; quality athlete. Pitches from a full windup; 3rd base side of the rubber; works quickly with an athletic delivery; slight crossfire; slinger arm action with above-average arm speed; three-quarters slot; lacks extension on pitches.
Evaluator Steve Givarz
Report Date 06/17/2016
Affiliate Fort Myers Miracle (High A, Twins)
Dates Seen 6/14/2016
OFP/Risk 55/Low
Realistic 55, Mid-Rotation Starter/Back-end reliever
MLB ETA 2017
Video No
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
Fastball 55 60 90-93 93 FB 90-93; features natural cut; tended to miss on inner half; poor command; fair control.

Movement- 50/50
Curveball 45 50 75-78 78 CB 75-78; 1/7 shape; fair shape and depth; okay bite; used to both sides; able to locate in strike as well as for chase.
Slider 60 60 83-85 85 SL 83-85; two-plane depth; tended to miss on outer half which is better than on inner half; potential plus offering; plus tilt; good bite.
Changeup No CH thrown this outing, have had fair reports this year.
Overall

Poor outing but still showcased two potential plus pitches, his lack of command hurt him as he got hurt hard over middle of the plate. Would like to see CH for a better report but still has mid-rotation potential. Needs to build up IP workload to reach that potential. Still has a relatively high floor as a late-inning reliever.


Miguel Diaz

Born: 11/28/1994 (Age: 21)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 175
Mechanics
Shows effort at times; getting reps at three-quarters slot for consistency; can move back to lower slot at times; has fought with delivery at times but working towards consistency; wavered occasionally
Evaluator Grant Jones
Report Date 06/18/2016
Affiliate Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Low A, Brewers)
Dates Seen June 12th 2016
OFP/Risk 60/High
Realistic 50; back-end starter/setup reliever
MLB ETA Late 2018
Video Yes
Pitch Type Present Grade Future Grade Sitting Velocity Peak Velocity Report
FB 60 70 95-96 98 Features tailing action when in a groove on the pitch in the mid 90s, will elevate the pitch and straighten out when in the high 90s. Ability to mix the movement and velocity leads to it becoming a potentially plus-plus pitch with consistent reps. Will miss down at times.
SL 45 60 77-78 Ability to manipulate pitch from hard horizontal break that's almost frisbee like, can back it up for late movement into the zone or push out for it to dive at lefties feet. Great feel with the pitch and is confident enough to manipulate as he sees fit.
CH 40 55 87 Great separation from fastball, firm with fade and tumble on the pitch as it mirrors his fastball with a 10 mph difference, will miss down, confident with pitch to righties and lefties.
Overall

Upside of good number three pitcher; risk factor makes power reliever very possible. Ability to throw all three for strikes, confident with all pitches, needs more reps with repeating delivery and will be a starter if he can find more consistency. High-upside arm, risk factor is very high but stuff is there. Has the makings for everything to come together soon.


Johan Mieses

Born: 07/13/1995 (Age: 20)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 2" Weight: 185
Primary Position: CF
Secondary Position: RF
Physical/Health
Above-average athlete, projectable frame, added 10-plus pounds of good weight in the off-season, additional physical projection remaining; strength throughout frame, fluid, quick-twitch
Evaluator Wilson Karaman
Report Date 05/12/2016
Dates Seen 3x 2015, 5x 2016
Affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A, Dodgers)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2018 Extreme 50 40/4th outfielder Yes
Makeup

He's the handshake guy, has one with a solid dozen-plus players; loose, engaged, upbeat, unbridled enthusiasm

Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 40 Wide stance, open with a crouch; deep load, tight coil, significant wrap; hands inconsistent at trigger, drift forward, extreme length into zone; leveraged swing, plus bat speed, loop in path, gets under the ball, weak fly ball contact; waffles between mild inverted leg lift and aggressive leg kick, aggressive weight transfer, early to front side with stiffness; poor spin recognition, present guess hitter, wants to extend, inner-third hole, expands against anything soft or spin, loads of swing-and-miss; minimal progress honing approach since last summer, bat speed and fluidity suggest ample room for projection
Power 50 Plus pull-side raw, above-average to all fields; leveraged swing with bat path to lift the ball, plus bat speed; triple-digit exit velocities, hard line-drive contact, towering pull-side fly balls in BP; approach limits game utility, mistake hitter at present
Baserunning/Speed 50 Above-average present runner, 4.24 home-to-first, moderate pick-up, second gear, pushes plus underway; fluid motion, high-intensity runner; present utility plays down on the bases, raw cross-over, uneven reads, poor decision-making, will play out of control; should settle in as average tool once physically maxed
Glove 55 Ball hawk, all-out style, shows track-and-close, propensity for highlight-reel catches; better reads and routes in right, struggles with right-at-him reads in center, raw defender with instincts, questionable decision-making at times, will throw behind runners, try to do too much; plus potential in right with potential average utility in center
Arm 60 Raw arm strength pushes plus-plus, excellent velocity, throws hold their lines with carry; generally accurate, will uncork some wild ones; will get over-aggressive in decision-making
Overall

Mieses is a high-volatility prospect with an above-average regular ceiling if everything comes together. His all-out style of play, straight-line speed, and canon of an arm give him projection for utility in all three outfield spots, with a present trajectory towards a lefty-mashing fourth-outfielder profile.


Ke'Bryan Hayes

Born: 01/28/1997 (Age: 19)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 210
Primary Position: 3B
Secondary Position:
Physical/Health
Weight is proportionate and non-issue; still-developing upper half; thick, strong lower half; smooth actions on field; able to slow game down; athletic for a corner guy.
Evaluator David Lee
Report Date 06/14/2016
Dates Seen 6/2-6/4/2016
Affiliate West Virginia Power (Low A, Pirates)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2019 High 55 50; average regular Yes
Makeup

Confident on field; carries himself like a pro; focuses pregame and throughout time on field; major-league bloodlines.

Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 55 Line-drive approach geared for contact; will settle for contact; covers the plate well; can work line drives to gaps and up the middle; advanced approach for age/level; above-average bat speed; hands can drift deep and lengthen swing at times; swing plane can get inconsistent between long or choppy.
Power 45 Above-average raw power; in-game power plays down by contact approach/swing plane; approach settles for line drives; consistent gap production; doesn't consistently utilize lower half to drive ball; occasional arcing home run.
Baserunning/Speed 45 4.35 to first; not impact runner but not station-to-station; will steal occasional base; shows baserunning instincts.
Glove 55 Soft hands; smooth actions at third; average lateral range; decent quickness and footwork; soft glove plays up grade.
Arm 60 Quick arm speed; optimal arm action with straight throws; easy carry with plus arm strength.
Overall

There's untapped potential in Hayes that will take tweaks to see it fulfilled. The biggest is above-average to plus raw power that plays down in games because of a contact-geared swing with an occasional choppy plane and lack of lower-half utilization. He has an advanced approach and makes consistent contact, and his value will be carried between an above-average hit tool and strong defense at third base. It's not an impact profile, but it's enough to play every day with the chance for more if adjustments are made.


Kevin Newman

Born: 08/04/1993 (Age: 22)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6' 1" Weight: 180
Primary Position: SS
Secondary Position:
Physical/Health
Medium frame; lacks remaining physical projection.
Evaluator Steve Givarz
Report Date 06/17/2016
Dates Seen 4/11/2016-4/14/2016
Affiliate Bradenton Marauders (High A, Pirates)
MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Realistic Role Video
2017 Low 55 Role 5, League-Average Starter No
Tool Future Grade Report
Hit 70 Plus bat speed; line-drive swing with an all-fields approach; innate feel for the barrel; good pitch recognition; works counts well and recognizes spin; lacks a weight transfer so the contact is more singles and doubles at this point; quick hands and wrists; one of the best pure hitters I have seen.
Power 30 Well below-average raw power; swing isn't built for over the fence power; lack of weight transfer in swing; lacks natural strength to take balls out consistently; power will play more so in doubles and some triples.
Baserunning/Speed 55 4.28 clock; second gear and better runner underway; good base-stealing instincts; only average speed but gets good jumps off pitchers which allows it to play up slightly.
Glove 50 Fringe-average at present; choppy footwork; good instincts and good first step; gets rid of ball quickly; not flashy but fair; should get to average at full utility.
Arm 50 Average arm strength; quick hands that allow him to get rid of balls quickly; throws don't have great carry but makes it work and is accurate.
Overall

One of the best pure hitters I have ever scouted, Newman was recently promoted to Double-A. The biggest concern is if he can play SS on a daily basis. While he won't wow anyone there, he should be able to handle it.










3 comments have been left for this article.

<< Previous Article
What You Need to Know:... (06/23)
<< Previous Column
Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: F... (06/20)
Next Column >>
Eyewitness Accounts: J... (07/14)
Next Article >>
Players Prefer Present... (06/23)

RECENTLY AT BASEBALL PROSPECTUS
Playoff Prospectus: Come Undone
BP En Espanol: Previa de la NLCS: Cubs vs. D...
Playoff Prospectus: How Did This Team Get Ma...
Playoff Prospectus: Too Slow, Too Late
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and ALCS Gam...
Premium Article Playoff Prospectus: PECOTA Odds and NLCS Gam...
Playoff Prospectus: NLCS Preview: Cubs vs. D...

MORE FROM JUNE 23, 2016
Prospectus Feature: The Increasingly Lopside...
Players Prefer Presentation: I Care About Al...
What You Need to Know: Yankees/Rockies 2: Th...
Fantasy Article The Stash List: 12th Edition, 2016
BP Mets
Premium Article Minor League Update: Games of Wednesday, Jun...
Fantasy Article Dynasty Dynamics: Six Dynasty Prospects to S...

MORE BY BP PROSPECT STAFF
2016-06-29 - 2016 Futures Game Preview
2016-06-28 - Premium Article Notes from the Field: June 28, 2016
2016-06-27 - Premium Article Monday Morning Ten Pack: June 27, 2016
2016-06-23 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: June 23, 2016
2016-06-21 - Premium Article Notes from the Field: June 21, 2016
2016-06-20 - Premium Article Monday Morning Ten Pack: June 20, 2016
2016-06-16 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: June 16, 2016
More...

MORE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS
2016-07-28 - Eyewitness Accounts: July 28, 2016
2016-07-21 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: July 21, 2016
2016-07-14 - Eyewitness Accounts: July 14, 2016
2016-06-23 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: June 23, 2016
2016-06-20 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: FSL All-Stars
2016-06-16 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: June 16, 2016
2016-05-26 - Premium Article Eyewitness Accounts: May 26, 2016
More...