May 2, 2017

Minor League Update

Games of May 1

by Steve Givarz

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Hitter of the Day:

Magneuris Sierra, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (High-A, Palm Beach): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 3B, 2 RBI
A toolsy outfielder, Sierra checks a lot of boxes, including plus speed, a plus arm, and the potential to be a plus defender in the OF. While he might not provide a lot of power, or walks, he has consistently made hard, loud contact wherever he has played. He is still 21 and could add some weight to his frame, but Sierra has leadoff hitter type potential.

Pitcher of the Day:

Josh Staumont, RHP, Kansas City Royals (Triple-A, Omaha): 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 12 K
Being the owner of an 80 fastball and a plus curveball, it shouldn’t surprise you when I tell you that Staumont strikes out a lot of guys. But unfortunately his control is quite poor, which is also why he led all of the minor leagues in walks last season. The problem hasn’t really improved, as he can get out of sync in his somewhat high effort delivery. IF…IF he can start, he is a monster, but he still has monster value as a reliever, albeit not as much.

Other Notable Performances:

Walker Buehler, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A, Rancho Cucamonga): 3 2/3, 3 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 8 K
A first-rounder in 2015, Buehler missed all of the 2016 season with Tommy John surgery after pitching through an elbow injury at Vanderbilt his junior season. When he returned, he started to throw in the mid-to-upper-90s during his starts. He pairs this velo with an assortment of average to above-average secondaries.

Chance Adams, RHP, New York Yankees (Double-A, Trenton): 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K
I saw Adams last season, I believe I underrated his potential. The stuff as a starter still looks really good, the changeup has improved, he is durable, and he is getting a lot of groundballs.

Taylor Hearn, LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (High-A, Bradenton): 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K
I was in attendance at this game with Josh Turner, and I will have a full report soon. But here is a preview, 70 Fastball, 50 Slider, 40 control.

Thomas Pannone, LHP, Cleveland Indians (High-A, Lynchburg): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Another scoreless outing for Pannone gives him 27 2/3 scoreless innings to start his season. While the fastball velocity is just average, he can spot it to all quadrants of the zone and mix in an effective curveball when necessary.

Trey Ball, LHP, Boston Red Sox (Double-A, Portland): 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Jeffrey Paternostro and declared, in his words, “Ladies and gentleman, Trey Ball is a guy again”. We will also have a full report on him soon. But to spare a glimpse, 60 Fastball with plus sink, slider flashed plus and sat average.

Joey Lucchesi, LHP, San Diego Padres (High-A, Lake Elsinore): 7 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 9 K
A funky lefty, Lucchesi has a very unorthodox delivery, but has a lot of velocity and controls it well enough to stay around the strike zone.

Tyler Alexander, LHP, Detroit Tigers (Double-A, Erie): 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
I opined last year that Alexander had a “fairly low-risk profile and could reach his back-end rotation ceiling sooner rather than later.” While he has struggled to miss bats thus far in Double-A, he still has that same ceiling.

Kevin Padlo, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays (High-A, Port Charlotte) 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, K
Acquired from the Rockies for Jake McGee, Padlo profiles well at third given his plus arm and the necessary range and hands. While he has struggled to make contact in his career, he has plus raw power that has been translating more and more to games.

Travis Demeritte, 2B, Atlanta Braves (Double-A, Mississippi): 4-8, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2K
Acquired from the Rangers for Lucas Harrell and Dario Alvarez, Demeritte, when healthy, has shown plus power, a plus arm, and fielding skills to stick at second. But he has also struck out a lot which leaves questions about how his hit tool plays out.

Jose Azocar, OF, Detroit Tigers (High-A, Lakeland): 3-4, R, 3B, 3 RBI
One of the breakout prospects for the Tigers last season, Azocar shows off five tools, with the best of them being his plus speed and defensive skills in CF. While the power might play below average, his ability to make consistent contact could lead to an everyday future.

Brian Anderson, 3B, Miami Marlins (Double-A, Jacksonville): 3-5, 3 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI
While vanilla, Anderson has the tools and skills to be an everyday regular at third. In my initial report I suggested that he might have to improve his versatility as I was not sure if he could stick at third. But he has made strides there and projects to be a future average defender at the hot corner.

Cole Tucker, SS, Pittsburgh Pirates (High-A, Bradenton): 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K, 4 SB
Tucker, a plus runner, was able to take advantage of the slow pop times (2.06-2.10) of St. Lucie Mets backstop Dan Rizzie in this outing.

Fight Another Day:

Dinelson Lamet, RHP, San Diego Padres (Triple-A, El Paso): 5 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
Lamet offers a plus fastball/slider combination that has been deadly to right handed hitters, but his below average changeup and overall lack of strike-throwing ability could lead to a bullpen future.

Tyler O’Neill, OF, Seattle Mariners (Triple-A, Tacoma): 0-3, 3 K
Baseball is going to baseball you, eh?

Steve Givarz is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @SteveGivarz
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