September 7, 2016

Notes from the Field

September 7, 2016

by BP Prospect Staff

Printer-friendly

Mitchell White, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga)

A draft-eligible sophomore after losing a year to Tommy John surgery, White was gobbled up by the Dodgers in the second round this June. They have carefully managed his innings this summer, limiting him to two-inning stints after a significant innings jump at Santa Clara. His physicality is extremely impressive, with fluid actions, easily-apparent athleticism on the hill, and projection to add strength. He's aggressive through the early checkpoints of his delivery into a drop-and-drive that gets him downhill in a hurry. There's some drift with his front foot, and combined with mild spine tilt he struggled a bit to repeat in this outing. Though the fine command wasn't always there, he was around the zone plenty. He showed two variants of fastball, both of which showed easy plus potential. A 92-94 four-seamer was his base pitch, with enough life to elevate and miss bats, and he paired it with a nasty cutter that worked from 89-93. It's a natural cutting action that really bears in hard on left-handed hitters. He only went off-speed a couple times in his two innings, to a curveball that showed out of his hand but featured above-average depth and quality bite. In an absurdly deep system, he'll be one of the more intriguing guys to watch next year in his first full season as a professional. —Wilson Karaman

A.J. Minter, LHP, Atlanta Braves (Double-A Mississippi)
You know how a big deal has been made of the Atlanta Braves’ 2015 draft? Oh, hey, there’s another from that class to mention, and he’s already knocking on the door to the major leagues. Minter has the potential to be an impact, late-innings reliever, and it could happen soon. He sat 94-96 in a recent one-inning stint with explosive life from plus arm speed and only slight effort. He makes the most of his average height by working down with effective plane from a high three-quarters slot, and he’s capable of hitting all four quadrants. His fastball plays up even past the velocity by changing eye levels well. Minter adds a slider at 87-89 with hard bite across the zone and three-quarters tilt. The shape differs at times according to how well he gets on top of it, and it can turn into more of a cutter on occasion, but it’s a true swing-and-miss pitch. Minter attacks hitters with confidence and the mentality of a late-innings reliever, but it’s a controlled delivery that produces strikes. There’s enough to project a closer ceiling, and he has a realistic shot at a high-leverage role. —David Lee

Victor Gonzalez, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Low-A Great Lakes)
Gonzalez has a funky, low-three-quarters delivery. He will pull off hard to third, is variable with most every part of his delivery, and will finish with recoil when he isn’t falling off of the mound. Sitting 89-93 he was effective to a point and had some arm-side movement and occasional dive. His breaking ball was 79-84 with occasional hard spin but he left it up and flat more than once. His changeup was much better, showing considerable tumble. Inability to control and maintain his delivery means he is likely destined for the bullpen as he moves up the organizational ladder. —Grant Jones

Mauricio Dubon, SS, Boston Red Sox (Double-A Portland)
The body is string-to-the-bean, with some wiry strength but slope to the shoulders and a narrow frame that isn't ever going to build a ton of bulk as he matures. Still, there's some core and arm strength, and he's shown surprising carry in my look. He generates quality rhythm into his trigger, and the bat gets on plane quickly, staying in the zone for a long time and helping him square pitches north and south. He'll get unbalanced and bail out with his hips from time to time, but he controls the bat head and stays back well. His natural hand-eye and quick wrists allow him to spoil pitches and limit the swing-and-miss. In the field there are shortstop tools there, highlighted by fluidity around the bag and lateral quickness, and his above-average foot speed helps him to average range in each direction. He's shown a tendency to surround balls in both my looks, however, and the internal clock isn't quite there yet. The raw arm strength is above-average for the left side, and the utility pushes plus thanks to a quick transfer and release. —Wilson Karaman

Akeel Morris, RHP, Atlanta Braves (Double-A Mississippi)
The last time the Atlanta Braves traded Kelly Johnson to the New York Mets, the Braves acquired two pitchers who have since appeared in the majors and project as major-league arms. The second time they traded him to the Mets, they received Morris, and he also has the chance to stick in the majors soon. Morris has a plus arm and sits 92-94 with some life, but the fastball is mostly straight and comes with considerable effort. He adds an above-average changeup at 76-78. It’s a deception pitch based on good arm action from his tricky delivery. He also tosses a slider in the mid-80s that flashes average with late, deceptive bite, but it rarely gets there and isn’t a consistent major-league offering. Morris comes at hitters with a severe head whack, long arm action and high effort, which serves him well with deception but hinders his control and ability to adjust. He masks it pretty well in one-inning stints, and that’s his future as a potential middle reliever. —David Lee

Luis Urias, 2B, San Diego Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore)

I had reservations about Urias' lateral range and fielding technique earlier in the year, noting in my report back in June that he was consistently stabby to the ball and lacked great first-step quickness side to side. He's clearly put in some time to address the latter issue this summer, as his initial reads and breaks on the ball were much more decisive than in the past. He lacks the foot speed and quickness to develop more than average range at second, but the glove may have an extra half-tick of projection than I had it pegged. In the box, meanwhile, he continues to impress with elite barrel control and hand-eye that allows him to put good swings on balls he shouldn't really be swinging at. He'll still fall victim to his natural aggressiveness, as he did in swinging at first pitches in each of his first two plate appearances in a recent game. But he showed notable growth in catching himself, settling back down, and adjusting later in the game to see more pitches and work counts. The body is still relatively immature, and there's below-average strength here, but he's shown more willingness to flash leverage and try to drive the ball. I can't see him producing a ton of carry even if he fills out a bit more, he shows the pure hitting ability to carry the profile into a big-league lineup. —Wilson Karaman