Melvin Adon, RHP, San Francisco Giants (Short Season Salem-Keizer)
When I looked at the pitching matchup for the Everett-SK game on Friday, I wasn’t exactly intrigued. Everett’s Ljay Newsome, a righty thumber who throws strikes but lacks impact stuff, was set to oppose Adon, and while I didn’t know anything about the Dominican right-hander, his profile wasn’t all that exciting. He’s 22-years-old, didn’t sign until he was 19, had walked six in his last outing, and was running an ERA north of six through nine starts. I almost skipped the game. Instead, I got my first look at triple digits in the Northwest League.
Adon’s velocity fluctuated throughout the game, but he was routinely sitting 96-97, pumping 99 a few times late in his outing. One scout got a 102 mph reading on his best fastball, and while the gun was probably running a bit hot, it was easy gas from Adon, with late sink and a ton of natural tail. He also had more feel for his offspeed pitches than I was anticipating. His upper-80s slider features tight spin and hard dropping action. His change is less consistent, but it flashed above-average with good fade and arm speed replication. He threw both pitches for strikes, and a scout familiar with Adon said it was the best he’d seen his change up.
Despite the three pitches, Adon’s mechanics point to a future in the bullpen: he throws from a low three-quarters arm slot, has a very short stride, and lands on a stiff leg. Listed at 6-foot-3—I’d guess at least two inches taller—he’s lanky and has some trouble aligning his upper and lower halves. Not surprisingly, his command comes and goes, and he really struggles to find the zone on his glove side of the plate. Moreover, given how late he signed, how old he is, and the fact that he’s eligible for the Rule 5 draft a year earlier than players who sign before they turn 18, the Giants are going to have to push him through the system quickly. Given his arm strength and usable offspeed offerings, Adon could be a late-innings reliever if his command comes around. Anyone flirting with triple digits as routinely as he does is certainly going to get plenty of chances. —Brendan Gawlowski
Jones is a huge kid considering he only turned 18 in May; 6-foot-4 with a physically mature body, but he’s still a good athlete. He played shortstop in high school, and has started a few games at the position for the AZL Indians, but for all intents and purposes, he’s a third baseman long-term. Reports are he has a plus arm, but it wasn’t tested while I was in attendance. He made all the plays at third, but seemed to have an easier time making the difficult, instinctual play, while looking a bit shaky on a routine ground ball. He has a smooth, lefty swing and a good feel for the barrel. He doesn't hesitate to go the other way, dumping a good outside fastball to left field to drive in a two-out run, and barreling up a first-pitch fastball for a line-drive double in the left-center gap in a later at-bat. Has some swing-and-miss to his game, particularly on breaking stuff down, but has enough of a hit tool that I wouldn’t expect the strikeouts to be too much of an issue for him. I didn't see him square up anything too solidly, but he has above-average bat speed and a huge frame, leading me to think there could be plus power potential down the road. He’s an impressive player with a lot of projectability, and was a nice get for Cleveland with the 55th overall pick in this year’s draft. —Matt Pullman
The Rays blew past their international bonus allotment to sign Rondon in 2014, and he's the one of the best position prospects in the league as a 17-year-old shortstop with the offensive tools to potentially carry an impact bat, too. His frame has the wide, athletic, tapered features of a player who can carry strength and power in the swing without sacrificing lateral agility and defensive skills. Scouts are split on whether he is a surefire shortstop at the big-league level, though there's not much doubt about whether he would need to go anywhere besides third base if he does move off the 6-spot. His hands and arm work very well in the dirt, and over my series-long look at him, Rondon was consistently a focused, vocal leader on the infield. At the plate, his right-handed swing has plenty of looseness and natural leverage, and he's shown the ability to bring that power into games so far this summer in the Appy League. There's still plenty of rawness to his approach in terms of chasing fastballs above the zone, and getting out on his front foot versus off-speed pitches. That said, his age, frame, positional profile, and offensive upside are a standout package. He's a long way away—and there's plenty of risk associated with the profile—but the recipient of the top international bonus in 2014 comes with the ceiling of an offensive-minded shortstop. —Adam McInturff
Trey Supak, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (Low-A Wisconsin)
Originally selected in the second round of the 2014 draft by the Pirates, Supak was then included in the Jason Rogers trade late in 2015. The large-framed right-hander has strength throughout, with broad shoulders and big hands. Still only 20 years old, there is still projection left and the combination of the size, arm strength, and delivery allow you to dream.
Supak pitches off of his fastball that sits 91-94 and touches 95 with heavy life and downward plane. He can spot the pitch to either side of the plate and has finish when down in the zone. The pitch plays up because of the life and his ability to command it. The curveball is a plus pitch with above-average spin and shape. It has both bite and depth and he likes to throw it. He flashes the ability to manipulate it by burying it down in the zone for a chase pitch as well as throwing it for quality strikes. The changeup will be the determining factor with Supak with the pitch sitting 80-83 with average fade down in the zone. The arm speed comes and goes with the pitch but he does show feel for it at times and will get to average in the future.
When all is said and done, Supak will be a number four starter with two plus pitches and a durable, starter’s frame. His ability to command his fastball with plus life and a hammer curveball will allow Supak to reach this ceiling. —James Fisher
Greg Allen, CF, Cleveland Indians (Double-A Akron)
Allen is on the smaller side, with a slender frame that boasts its share of compact present strength, particularly in his quads and backside. The speed and agility really stands out, and once again in my second look of the year he showed something north of plus straight-line speed. The startup is quick, with a second gear that helps the wheels play both in the field and on the bases. He showed instinct and comfort in center, recovering without panic from a difficult read on a hard line drive straight over his head, and again impressed with his ability to read trajectory and anticipate angles. With above-average arm strength in the mix as well, he boasts an overall defensive profile that pushes plus in center.
A switch-hitter, the stroke is similar from both sides and extremely quick into the zone, with a quiet hand load that sacrifices torque and leverage for barrel command and efficiency. His back elbow is high, and the angle into the zone is on the steeper side. He attacks the baseball with hands and wrists that whip the bat into the zone with a short, flat stroke. That quickness gives him leeway to let the ball travel and fight off pitches that beat him, and it helps drive a disciplined approach. There’s very limited ability to drive the ball with authority, but the bat-to-ball looks proficient enough against velocity to where I’m optimistic his hit tool can stand up to better pitchers challenging him on the regular as he moves forward.
This is a quality prospect, with the speed and defensive chops to play a big-league center field, and enough of an on-base profile between his approach and contact skills to push for a starting role at the highest level. —Wilson Karaman
Brendon Davis, SS/3B, Los Angeles Dodgers (Low-A Great Lakes)
Some scouts that saw Davis in high school (Lakewood, CA) liked him as a pitcher, but he wanted to be drafted as a position player. He began 2016 as an 18-year-old in full-season ball at Great Lakes, and just recently turned 19. The Dodgers have been pushing him back and forth between SS and 3B, which may contribute to his lack of feel for both positions at times. This is undoubtedly an aggressive assignment for Davis, and when he repeats Great Lakes next year, it should not be viewed with the same stigma that follows repeating a level.
He looks every bit of a recently-turned 19-year-old, as he draws body comps to Carl Edwards Jr. The thing about Davis’ frame, though, is that it is a bit narrow through the shoulders to project significant physical projection. The bat speed is there for him, however, and grades out above-average. Batting practice saw him with a power-oriented swing plane and a big leg kick that resulted in soft fly balls that petered out before the warning track. At present, he’s a line-drive hitter, mainly to opposite-field because of the lack of strength and swing plane. In the field he is quite raw and made errors in BP and in-game. His unfamiliarity at this point with SS/3B is fine, of course, and he receives good reviews on his work ethic. He likes to have fun with his hand-to-glove transfers in BP, and excels coming in on the ball. The arm strength is plus, though with some accuracy concerns. There is extreme risk here, but there is plenty of time before the swing plane, defensive ability, and frame concerns become legitimate impediments for his future profile. —Will Siskel
Ronald Guzman, 1B, Texas Rangers (Triple-A Round Rock)
Coming off a pretty pedestrian 2015 which saw the 20-year-old slash .283/.324/.434 across the lower minors , Guzman found himself on the outside looking in on the BP Rangers top prospects list. He looks every bit his 6-foot-5 listing when at the plate, as he sports an upright stance and what you could classify as one of those smooth lefty strokes. Starting with his hands up and over the plate, I love the way he works his hands back late, loading as he is reading the pitch. This can help with adjusting to pitches, and being able to hit for power to all fields. I would like to see him get his lower half open a little earlier in his sequence as he could be susceptible to some off speed pitches if the upper half gets too far ahead. Guzman made big strides this year as he has put up some of the best numbers in Double-A and has since been moved up to Round Rock. In the field, Guzman should be a plus first baseman: he has a good arm and decent hands but offers very little in terms of running ability which will stop him from venturing into the outfield. Look for Guzman to be the next in what’s been a long line of Rangers prospects. —Derek Florko
Logan Allen, LHP, San Diego Padres (Complex Level AZL - Rehab)
Allen has been rehabbing a sore elbow out in Arizona, and I was lucky enough to catch one of his starts. Earlier this year he was with San Diego’s A-ball affiliate, Fort Wayne, but with only a few weeks remaining in their season, there’s a chance he could just wrap up his 2016 season in Arizona. His elbow must be feeling pretty healthy, as he was sitting 91-93 with good life on the fastball, and touched 95 on more than one occasion. His curveball was pretty sharp, working 70-73 with good 1-7 break. He only threw a few changeups, but they were 81-83 with some decent arm-side run. James Fisher broke him down further just a few months ago, and it looks like his rehab is going well, considering I saw the same exact velocity he was at back in May. —Matt Pullman
Angel Perdomo, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays (Low-A Lansing)
Perdomo intrigues from the start as a left-hander with a 6-foot-6 frame. He gets a great extension helping the fastball play up, and his ability to get downhill pairs well with the hard arm-side run he features. His fastball didn't come without blemishes though, from the start of the game he had issues with consistency and command, and towards the end of his outing he was incapable of holding his velocity, dropping from the low 90s to as low as 86. His slider was also inconsistent in shape and command, showing nice sweeping action at its best. His changeup is a complete work in progress, and he has a significant need for reps with it, as he doesn't differentiate it well enough from the rest his current repertoire. Though, as many will note I likely saw him on a bad day, Perdomo still looked the part as a lanky lefty with a lot to like. His long delivery isn't a huge issue, and not nearly of as much concern as his propensity to fall off line when he finishes. —Grant Jones
Enyel De Los Santos, RHP, San Diego Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore)
When the Mariners dealt away Enyel De Los Santos for Joaquin Benoit this winter, most "pundits" felt that it was an even swap, a high-leverage reliever for a lottery ticket. Fast forward eight months and Benoit is pitching in a different country, and De Los Santos is one of the most interesting arms in a loaded Padres system.
De Los Santos is still filling in his frame, but he already has a plus fastball that will touch 98 with life, and he generally sits 92-94. He'll also throw a two-seamer that has quality sink, and he gets plenty of ground balls. It does appear at times that he's pitching to contact, however, and he should miss more bats just with the fastball. He has world-class arm speed, and that helps him flash plus with his change, with just enough fade to keep hitters from squaring it up if they do pick it out. The curveball gets slurvy, but when he stays on top of it, it's a fine third offering. He throws all three pitches for strikes (for the most part) and while the control is ahead of the command, the latter should be good enough to start.
There's plenty of work to be done, but if De Los Santos is in fact a lottery ticket, the first two scratches have come up cherry. —Christopher Crawford
Monday Morning Ten Pac... (08/08)
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The Buyer's Guide: Justin Turner
Not sure why the Pirates gave up Supak for Jason Rodgers who is still in AAA.