July 14, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Wednesday, July 13th

by Christopher Crawford

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Prospect of the Day: Chris Paddack, RHP, San Diego Padres (Low-A Fort Wayne): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K.
Paddack’s walk was his third of the season, and the nine strikeouts give him a K:BB ratio of 21-to-1. That is Kershaw-esque, my friends. Acquired in the Fernando Rodney deal, Paddack has a filthy change that flashes plus-plus, and it plays up because of his above-average fastball and his ability to throw those pitches for strikes (obviously). He’ll need to improve the curveball, but if it can become an average pitch, he’s a no. 3 starter.

Others of Note:

Brandon Woodruff, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K. Woodruff has back-end-starter stuff that isn’t sexy, but every system can use a guy like this as either a fifth starter or nifty option out of the bullpen.

Ian Happ, 2B/OF, Chicago Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 2-for-4. He’s been in a bit of a slump, and his numbers have crashed down to .364/.397/.530 with seven extra-base hits in 66 at-bats. I think he’s going to be okay, folks. I think he’s going to be okay.

Jorge Alfaro, C, Philadelphia Phillies (Double-A Reading): 3-for-3, R. The raw talent has always been there for Alfaro, but he’s never applied it quite like this. He’s good.

Dinelson Lamet, RHP, San Diego Padres (Double-A El Paso): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Could we see Lamet at some point in 2016? Probably not, but it’s a much more realistic possibility than it appeared to be just a few months ago. There are two legit out pitches here.

Eddy Alvarez, SS, Chicago White Sox (Double-A Birmingham): 3-for-5, R, 2B. Alvavez is a bat-first middle-infield prospect; one who could have an above-average hit tool that is complemented with plus speed and good-enough defense to play shortstop in a pinch.

Elias Diaz, C, Pittsburgh Pirates (High-A Bradenton): 4-for-5, R. Welcome back, Mr. Diaz. Seems your recovery is going well. We’ll probably see him in Triple-A pretty soon.

Elniery Garcia, LHP, Phillies (High-A Clearwater): 8 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. There are three average pitches in Garcia’s arsenal, and his feel for pitching gets better each year. Don’t be surprised if he’s pitching in the back of the Phillies rotation in a couple of years.

Michael Kopech, RHP, Boston Red Sox (High-A Salem): 5 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. Kopech reportedly touched 99 mph last night on guns, and he’s showing an above-average slider in the process. When he’s throwing strikes like he did on Wednesday, he’s filthy.

Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals (High-A Potomac): 2-for-5, K. If you expected him to dominate the Carolina League like he dominated Low-A, you expected too dang much. He’s a teenager. He’s still one of the best OF prospects in baseball.

Thairo Estrada, SS, New York Yankees (High-A Tampa): 3-for-5, R, SB. The Thairo has struggled since his promotion from the Sally League, but the Thairo has still been one of the most pleasant surprises for the Yankees in 2016. I like to imagine Thairo talks about himself in the third person.

Luis Alexander Basabe, OF, Boston Red Sox (Low-A Greenville): 4-for-4, 3 R, HR, CS. Yes, the other Basabe is pretty good. Yes, this is still the most talented Basabe.

Josh Naylor, 1B, Miami Marlins (Low-A Greensboro): 3-for-4, 2B, CS. I was impressed with Naylor’s BP session in Sunday’s Futures Game, and all things considered, he’s had a pretty solid first season, even if you consider the...well...you know.

Jaime Barria, RHP, Los Angeles Angels (Low-A Burlington): 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Barria won’t miss many bats, but he has three pitches that flash above average, and he pounds the strike-zone with all of them. He could be a quick mover through the Angels system.

Tanner Rainey, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (Low-A Dayton): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. The Reds are going to give Ranney a chance to start, but with his fastball/slider combination, I’d fast track the arm to the bullpen. The command is very unlikely to ever be good enough for him to pitch multiple innings.

Garrett Whitley, OF, Tampa Bay Rays (Short-Season Hudson Valley): 1-for-3, 2 R, 3B, 2 BB, 1 K. It’s all very far away, but Whitley has star potential in his right-handed bat, and actually the defense is ready now, so, it’s not ALL that far away.

Jahmai Jones, OF, Angels (Short-Season Orem): 2-for-3, R, 2B, BB, 3 SB. I believe they call this “stat-sheet stuffing” in other sports. This is the best prospect in the Angels system.

Nick Kingham, RHP, Pirates (Short-Season GCL): 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. Admit it, with all of these darn arms in the Pirates system, you forgot about this guy, didn’t you? Crazy thing is, there was a time when he wasn’t too far behind Taillon and Glasnow. That’s likely passed, but he’s definitely a name to keep an eye on.

Bryan Hudson, LHP, Chicago Cubs (Short-Season Eugene): 3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K. There are two plus pitches in Hudson’s left arm, and the change is coming along as well. The command isn’t, but there’s plenty of time for that.

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