April 11, 2017

Notes from the Field

April 11, 2017

by Wilson Karaman and Greg Goldstein

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Wilson Karaman
Peter Lambert, RHP, Colorado Rockies (High-A Lancaster)

Prototypical starter's frame, has filled out, looks heavier than listed 185, mild physical projection remaining; "telephone booth" delivery, semi-wind, starts oriented towards third, stays rigid/vertical, tight pigeoned leg kick, uphill motion; clean arm action, above-average arm speed, closed off to a high-three-quarters slot; firm foot strike, recoil with extreme torque/pressure on landing foot; FB 90-92 (t93), 2- and 4-seam action, advanced command, worked it north-south particularly effectively; deception, ball gets on hitters quickly, in- & above-zone whiffs, 55 potential pitch; CH 82-85, quality bottom, feel/trust, commands it down, will throw it harder in zone, GB pitch, chokes it off to tumble below zone, plays well off FB, flashes plus; SL 83-85, short break, a couple flashed some depth, broadly a horizontal one-plane pitch; command was there, kept it out of trouble, lacks bite, average potential; CB 77-79, sporadic pitch, only threw a couple; get-me-over type, ball-to-strike, lacked much bite/finish, fringy fourth pitch; repeats well, commands north-south, advanced sequencing with quality execution; similar to Andrew Moore with a couple extra ticks; advanced pitchability right-hander, durable frame, No. 4 starter projection.

Colin Bray, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (High-A Visalia)

Has overhauled swing; last year started from wide base, weight evenly distributed; short, jabbing stride, shifted weight very early to front side, chopped down on ball from high trigger point at back shoulder; now starting hands very low off back hip, loading up to just south of back shoulder, weight reserved better on back foot, generates some separation w/mild loft; swing remains rigid, mostly in the arms, slow into zone; struggled with timing, beaten by velo in-zone, eaten up by changeups below it; 20 power, hit tool still looks like a 30, though "incomplete" grade pending comfort with new swing; plus runner, plays down with high finish out of the box, 4.17, 4.20 times; shows improved reads in center, good jumps, more decisiveness in route-running, plus closing speed; there are some interesting run and glove tools here, but despite the overhauled swing mechanics I remain skeptical about his hit tool. He's still working his way into the new mechanics, but the arms are rigid and the timing remains highly problematic.

Forrest Wall, CF, Colorado Rockies (High-A Lancaster)

Looks to have added a bit of muscle to his upper body; setup has gotten wider and quieter from last year, steady to trigger now; strong hands, more controlled and consistent at launch; still struggling some to recognize and stay back on off-speed and spin, inner-third coverage a work in progress; timing is better against hard stuff, several impressive barrels in opening series, generating a bit more loft; 4.32, 4.44 on a check, bit of lumber to the gait, average under way, not an efficient stride; raw in center field, inexperience showed in Lancaster winds, drifts on deep balls, poor awareness in space around warning track and wall, boxed a routine groundball single trying to do too much; reads aren't there yet, borderline underway speed to stick in center.

Yonathan Daza, OF, Colorado Rockies (High-A Lancaster)
Very athletic, unbridled body control, can look the part of a golden retriever puppy; leg kick at the dish, good rhythm into his load; aggressive hitter, consistently attacks first pitch; length in swing, back elbow gets high, steep into zone, front foot can get down early, will lose hips, when synched uses legs well to create quality bat speed, quick wrists, strong arms; opposite-field approach, can generate some carry; 4.25, above-average runner can push plus underway, doesn't appear to time pitchers well; outstanding breaks, consistent reads in right, above-average track-and-close, multiple lollygagging efforts on wall balls; plus arm strength, low trackers with some carry, inconsistent accuracy; tweener profile, bat speed and strength to suggest nascent power, swing plane and aggressive approach limit it, does not show natural base-stealing acumen despite above-average or better speed.

Sergio Alcantara, SS, Arizona Diamondbacks (High-A Visalia)
Kid can flat-out pick it; natural instincts of a shortstop, efficient lateral motion, plus range in both directions despite fringe-average foot speed (4.23 left-handed, 4.36 right-handed), much quicker than he is fast; fluid fielding actions, excellent body control, strong fundamentals, positions himself well to field and transfer; outsized arm strength, plus arm speed, loads it up quick to release, accurate with carry from off arm angles, on the move; above-average present glove, plus projection at short, plus arm, no-doubt six; switch-hitter, deep crouch from both sides, open; quick leg lift into aggressive stride, mild bat wrap, quick and steep into zone, handsy, slashing swing, loses hips, all upper half, back shoulder dips and compromises barrel control; aggressive approach, swings early and often, stays in zone, high-contact profile

Greg Goldstein
Riley Pint, RHP, Colorado Rockies (Low-A Asheville)
Has three-quarters arm slot with athletic, repeatable delivery; uses moderate effort; Keeps mechanics consistent when throwing all pitches, doesn't give away pitch selection; falls away from home plate on his follow through, isn't in a good fielding position upon release; moderate effort used in his delivery; FB sits at 94-97, T-100; Some arm-side movement; Hitters have a hard time catching the pitch up in the zone; Could be a plus-plus pitch if he improves control; CB has 11/6 movement with sharp and late break; definite out-pitch, made a few hitters look silly with it; frequently uses it with two strikes; commands it better than his fastball, will rarely be in the zone, instead uses it to get hitters to chase; SL and CH were used much less in his start, slider still had some sharp bite to it; late movement, could be a strikeout pitch; CH tumbles out of the zone; still developing; Command/Control: Fastball was all over the place during the start, jacked up the pitch count; throws rather than pitches at this point; Didn’t miss in one particular spot, fastball was just all around the zone; Did throw a few big pitches in key situations. He's a high upside pitcher that's still many years away from big league action because of his fastball control issues. Projection: No. 3-4 Starter with No. 2 upside, at worst he's a well-above-average back-of-the-bullpen option.

Wilson Karaman is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @vocaljavelins
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