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.
J.H. Schroeder Walker Buehler, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga)
Lean, but strong frame. Listed at 6-foot-2, looks shorter. Good athleticism and body control. Three-quarters to high-three-quarters arm slot. Explosive arm action, with good deception, smooth arm circle, particularly out back. Can work too fast at times, get out of sync. 1.65 to plate w/speed. FB 96-100, worked mostly 97-98. 4S & 2S. Late run away to LHBs. CB 79-84, 11-6, preferred secondary. Backdoored to LHB. SL 87-89, 11-5, could get cutterish. Command was spotty, especially in leverage situations. Seemed to set up middle/middle. More comfortable commanding away to LHBs, had hard time getting FB glove-side. FB heavy repertoire. Attacks hitters, trusts stuff.
Yadier Alvarez, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga)
Athletic but only moderate body control. Still very skinny, narrow hips, showed bad body language at times, didn't look competitive. Three-quarters release. Maybe best arm action in minors, really easy, loose arm. Ball pops, but hitters see it pretty well. Delivery: Loads with hands fairly high, has tendency to get wrapped in back, falls off 1b-side. Slight wrist-wrap on breaking ball. 1.6 to plate. Struggled a bit to get glove-side. FB, 93-99, lost velocity through start, good ride. Began cutting FB (accidentally) in second inning. CB 84-87, kept down, when thrown well closer to 12-6, rolled. SL 86-88, sharper than CB, more commitment, 11-4. CH, 90, little movement. Spotty command at this point, sprays around zone.
Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga)
Plus athlete for position. Good body control. Filling into to catchers body a bit. Added some good weight last offseason. High, loose hands, with slightly open stance. Improved leg kick and load of back hip. More loft to swing plane this year, with higher finish. Might have increased to solid average raw. Good idea of zone at the plate. Defensively, has improved receiving, though it still needs work. Plus arm that plays up because of transfer. Elite thrower, sub 1.9 pop times.
Thick, powerful lower half, mature frame with only slight projection left for growth; swing features a mild load and minimal leg kick, possesses plus bat speed with mild leverage, plus bat control, stays balanced, advanced approach at the plate, not often fooled, recognizes secondary pitches well; strong, raw power to all fields; Average speed, 4.32 average on four home to first clocks; 50-grade arm, accurate; lacks range at third base, hands can be slightly stiff, will probably necessitate a move to first base or left field.
Jeffrey Paternostro Ryan McMahon, IF, Colorado Rockies (Triple-A Albuquerque)
Lean, athletic frame, easy plus raw, power plays to all fields, bat speed handles premium velo without issue. Struggles to stay in against lefties, you can jam him, issues with spin, swing can be a little one gear. Can’t always barrel balls down. Still a good third baseman, soft hands, reacts well, above-average arm strength. Awkward at first, especially with footwork on throws. Didn’t see him at second base, but reports were solid enough, gives him a little more defensive flexibility. Think it would be a better defensive option for him than first, but issues with spin/platoon might make him fit best playing a little bit of everywhere as a strongside platoon fifth infielder. Maybe enough power to override the other offensive issues, and he’s a second division starter somewhere on the dirt.
Parker French, RHP, Colorado Rockies (Double-A Hartford)
Big frame, broad shoulders, wide waist, thick legs, carries it well though. SWU, a bit of violence in the mechanics, jerk and circle to H3/4, doesn’t really engage lower half, torquey. Slide step out of the stretch. FB 91-93 early, 87-89 late. Heavy pitch with run down in the zone. Worm burner at its best. Fringry command, and flat up. Bled velo by the fourth. SL 83-86, didn’t use it a ton, but flashed plus with a deceptive arm action and late two-plane tilt, could get lazy/slurvy at times. CH 78-81, crude, but some fade to it. Decent chance to be a role 4 reliever, sinker/slider variety.
Reyes Moronta, RHP, San Francisco (Double-A Richmond)
XL frame, stretch only, very high effort, drop and drive with 3/4 slot. Tough angle for righties. FB 93-94, down from 2016 reports, but still lively enough to cover for command wobbles. SL 82-83, hard late breaker, stays on top of it well and gets good depth. Way too much for this level, potential plus major league offering. CH 87, one firm pitch, non-factor in the arsenal. Standard 6/6 two-pitch middle reliever with a chance for late-inning work if command tightens or velocity ticks back up.
Notes from the Field: ... (05/31)
the archives are now free.
4 comments have been left for this article. 
Closer Report: Week 10
I appreciate this stuff a lot, but we need some draft content, too.
There is some in the works, but it is limited in scope, as our focus is on pro coverage.