August 26, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Thursday, August 25th

by Mark Anderson

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:

Alberto Tirado, RHP, Phillies (Low-A Lakewood): 5 IP, 3 H, R/ER, 4 BB, 11 K
Tirado has found a bit of a groove now that he’s back in the rotation and he’s still showing the upper-90s velocity that he became known for. Tirado’s control and changeup are still works in progress, but the slider has been impressive in spurts, giving him a second reliable offering that works well off the fastball. Tirado is likely going to take several years to harness his electric arm, and whether he develops as a high-octane reliever or a quality starter, the Phillies will happily wait out his developmental process.

Others of Note:

Rio Ruiz, 3B, Braves (Triple-A Gwinnett): 2-2, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 BB. The 2016 season has been a nice bounce back for Ruiz as he has showed off his quality game at the highest level of the minor leagues. With two more walks and his 10th bomb of the year, Ruiz continues to look like a potential piece of Atlanta’s future.

Touki Toussaint, RHP, Braves (Low-A Rome): 6 IP, 5 H, R/ER, 3 BB, 9 K. Toussaint’s numbers don’t jump off the page this season, but given where he was entering the year, I would consider his 2016 campaign a rousing success. There’s a lot of work remaining, but Toussaint has shown the aptitude to start making adjustments and could still reach his ceiling as a no. 2 or no. 3 starter.

Lewis Brinson, OF, Brewers (Triple-A Colorado Springs): 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, BB, K. After what had been a challenging season for Brinson in Double-A, he has done nothing but rake since joining the Brewers in a deadline deal.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Cardinals (High-A Palm Beach): 6.2 IP, 4 H, R/ER, BB, 6 K. Another solid start from Alcantara as he continues to improve his game and take steps forward developmentally. Any start where he walks just one hitter and still misses bats is a great sign for his future.

Victor Robles, OF, Nationals (High-A Potomac): 2-4, 2 R, HR, SB. My adoration of Robles is well known, and seeing him back in High-A, driving the ball and showing off his wheels, makes me very, very happy.

Roman Quinn, OF, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, K. A rare display of power from Quinn, but a welcome sight as he rounds out his development at the upper levels.

Mickey Moniak, OF, Phillies (Rookie GCL Phillies): 3-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 3B, K. At 18 years old and just tasting professional ball, I’m not sure the Phillies could have asked for a much better start from Moniak; 11 doubles, four triples, a home run, and reasonable walk and strikeout rates. He’s going to be really, really good, folks.

Jose Mujica, RHP, Rays (Low-A Bowling Green): 6 IP, 5 H, R/ER, 0 BB, 8 K. The Rays made Mujica a seven-figure signing in 2012 and he’s taken a methodical journey through the lower levels of the system. So far this season, Mujica has continued to show 92-94 mph velocity, touching a little higher, with a strong changeup and improving breaking stuff.

Fernando Romero, RHP, Twins (High-A Fort Myers): 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 9 K. After missing the 2015 season due to injury, Romero has dominated the opposition in his return to the mound this year. Now showing consistent 92-95 mph velocity along with two potentially average or better secondary pitches, Romero could be a quality mid-rotation starter, or even a touch better, if he continues refining his game.

Mark Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @ProspectMark
Click here to see Mark's other articles. You can contact Mark by clicking here