July 28, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Wednesday, July 27th

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: Jorge Alfaro, C, Philadelphia Phillies (Double-A Reading): 4-for-5, 3 RBI
I included the RBI because it’s just weird to have the prospect of the day without any other stats, but the fact that Alfaro didn’t have any doubles or homers is kinda the point. This was once a player who was all-power, no-hit-tool, and he has hit .287 in Double-A while still showing the plus power. Is he going to hit for that high of average at the big-league level? Probably not, but he no longer has to hit for power to become a regular; the defense and hit tool have reached a level where above-average power will suffice. I’d bet on it at this point.

Others of Note

Daniel Robertson, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (Triple-A Durham): 4-for-4, 2B. His stock has dropped substantially in 2016, but Robertson is still interesting as a potential bat-first player on the left side of the infield.

Raul Alcantara, RHP, Oakland Athletics (Triple-A Nashville): 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K. Alcantara has yet to give up a run since being called up to the PCL, and with a plus fastball and change, along with solid control, it’s not completely smoke and mirrors.

Aaron Blair, RHP, Atlanta Braves (Triple-A Gwinnett): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Blair may not even technically count as a prospect anymore, but who cares. This was an excellent start, and there’s still plenty of reason to be optimistic about his future.

Raimel Tapia, OF, Colorado Rockies (Double-A Hartford): 4-for-5, 2 R, 2B, SB. I’m ready to see what Tapia can do in a higher league now, please and thank you.

Scott Kingery, 2B, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 3-for-4, 3 R, HR, K. It’s pretty amazing to think that Arizona made the College World Series championship after losing this guy and Kevin Newman, because this guy and Kevin Newman are both really good middle infielders.

Francis Martes, RHP, Houston Astros (Double-A Corpus Christi): 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Remember how concerned we all were about Martes in April? Yes you do. Stop lying, yes you do. Those concerns seem kinda silly now.

Christin Stewart, OF, Detroit Tigers (High-A Lakeland): 1-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 BB, K. PItchers are scared of this dude in the Florida State League, and they should be. He’s here to hit dingers and walk.

Freddy Peralta, RHP, MIlwaukee Brewers (High-A Brevard County): 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. The most advanced piece of the Adam Lind trade this winter, Peralta had some command issues after being promoted to the FSL, but he’s still showing a plus fastball and above-average slider.

Corey Ray, OF, Brewers (High-A Brevard County): 3-for-4. Yeah, he’s struggled a little bit since being signed. MIlwaukee thought enough of him to send him to High-A. Of course there are going to be struggles. He’s not perfect. He’s not Dominic Smith.

Anthony Alford, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (HIgh-A Dunedin): 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B, 2 3B. Okay, I gotta be honest, I didn’t see Alford’s line until after I saw Alfaro’s and that’s why Alfaro was the prospect of the day. I’ll make it up to you Anthony, I promise.

Jake Woodford, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (Low-A Peoria): 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. Woodford hasn’t missed many bats, but he’s shown four usable pitches and advanced command. The strikeouts should start coming—as they did last night—soon enough.

Kyle Tucker, OF, Astros (Low-A Quad-Cities): 1-for-4, HR. Speaking of things that are coming, Tucker is still filling out his frame, so even though he hasn’t had many bombs in the Midwest League, his swing and projection suggest more thump is certainly on the way.

Max Pentecost, C, Toronto Blue Jays (Low-A Lansing): 3-for-4, K. Considering how much time Pentecost has missed, his .307/.370/.462 line is all the more impressive.

Blake Rutherford, OF, New York Yankees (Short-Season Pulaski): 4-for-5, R, 2B, 3B. Outside of signing-bonus stuff, there was no reason for this guy to fall that far in the draft. I thought he was the second-best prep bat in the class behind Delvin Perez. Yes, that includes Mickey Moniak.

Bryson Brigman, SS, Seattle Mariners (Short-Season Everett): 4-for-5, 2 R, BB, 2 SB. The Mariners second-round pick this June, Brigman has a chance for an above-average hit tool, and while there are questions about whether he can stick at shortstop, the bat might allow him to play at second base.

Yennsy Diaz, RHP, Blue Jays (Short-Season Bluefield): 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. Diaz’s command scares scouts, but his plus fastball and two average secondary offerings give scouts hope that he just might be able to start someday.

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