June 13, 2017

Minor League Update

Games of June 12

by Steve Givarz

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.

Hitter of the Day:

Michael Chavis, 3B, Boston Red Sox (High-A, Salem): 3-3, 3 R, 3 H, HR, RBI
Drafted in the 1^st round, in the 2014 MLB Draft from Sprayberry HS in Marietta GA, Chavis big raw power has showcased itself into more game power than ever before. He has already surpassed his prior career high (16) and while the K’s are high, if he is slugging .694, I think we can overlook it.

Pitcher of the Day:

Corbin Burnes, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A, Biloxi): 6 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 8 K
Drafted in the 4^th round, in the 2016 MLB draft from St. Mary’s University (Texas), Burnes has proved himself at every stop so far. After dominating High-A, a promotion to Double-A has not slowed him down one bit. He is throwing 3 pitches for strikes, his fastball is plus, his command is exceptional, and he is getting swings and misses on his slider as well.

Other Notable Performances:

Antonio Santos, RHP, Colorado Rockies (Low-A, Asheville): 6 2/3 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Signed from the Dominican Republic on July 2, 2015 for 50K, Santos has been the worth the small investment. He has a plus fastball with potential plus control, as well as a potential average curve and change.

Felix Jorge, RHP, Minnesota Twins (Double-A, Chattanooga): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
Signed out of the Dominican Republic in February 2011, Jorge has pitched successfully at every level, including Double-A this season.

Jesus Reyes, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (High-A, Daytona): 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 6 K
Signed out of the Dominican Republic late in 2014, Reyes features a plus fastball that has plus sink. Because of that, he has posted GB% of 57%, 62%, and 64%.

Aaron Civale, RHP, Cleveland Indians (High-A, Lynchburg): 8 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Drafted in the 3^rd round in the 2016 MLB Draft out of Northeastern University (MA), Civale was a player I liked going into the draft. His fastball is an above-average offering that he can spot wherever he wants. Likewise with his slider, which is a plus offering and has been effective against both LHH and RHH.

McKenzie Mills, LHP, Washington Nationals (Low-A, Hagerstown): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HRA
Drafted in the 18^th round in the 2014 MLB Draft out of Sprayberry HS in Marietta, GA, Mills definitely has the size you like to see. Coming in at 6’4” 205, Mills fastball can touch 94, but sits low-90’s. His control is much better now that his delivery is under control, but his feel for spin still comes and goes.

Zack Erwin, LHP, Oakland Athletics (Low-A, Beloit): 5 IP, H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 7 K
Drafted in the 4^th round in the 2015 MLB Draft from Clemson University, Erwin was acquired as part of the Brett Lawrie deal. After struggling mightily in California last season, Erwin has a solid three pitch mix, but nothing stands out as more than an average offering.

Jeff Brigham, RHP, Miami Marlins (High-A, Jupiter): 6 IP, H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K
Drafted in the 4^th round in the 2014 MLB Draft from the University of Washington, Per Javier Barragan, “Fastball was 95-96, quality sink, slider showed average, change-up flashed fringe-average, poor command, reliever at the highest level.”

Colton Welker, 3B, Colorado Rockies (Low-A, Asheville): 4-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB
Drafted in the 4^th round in the 2016 MLB Draft from Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, FL. Welker is a hitting machine, as he has been hitting .361 in his past 10 games. This was also his second 4 hit game in the past three days.

Hudson Potts, 3B, San Diego Padres (Low-A, Fort Wayne): 3-4, 2 R, HR, RBI
Drafted in the 1^st round in the 2016 MLB Draft from Carroll HS in Southlake, TX. Potts hasn’t gotten off to the best start, as he has had some trouble making contact thus far. But when he has the contact has been loud, showing off his large raw power.

Nick Solak, 2B, New York Yankees (High-A, Tampa): 3-4, R, 2B, K
Drafted in the 2^nd round in the 2016 MLB Draft from the University of Louisville, Solak is more solid than flashy. His only above-average tool is his hit tool, but everything else is fringe-average and he is confined to 2B.

Joe Rizzo, 3B, Seattle Mariners (Low-A, Clinton): 2-2, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Drafted in the 2^nd round in the 2016 MLB Draft from Oakton HS in Vienna, VA; Rizzo defies the standards but makes it all work. While small in stature, Rizzo has as much bat speed as anyone and has good strike zone discipline.

Fight Another Day:

Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta Braves (Double-A, Mississippi): 0-4, 2 K
Sometimes, when everyone is talking about you and when you are going to be in the big leagues, hitting a baseball is hard.

Cal Quantrill, RHP, San Diego Padres (High-A, Lake Elsinore): 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Sometimes, when potentially reflecting about last year’s draft, throwing baseballs for a living is hard.

Steve Givarz is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @SteveGivarz
Click here to see Steve's other articles. You can contact Steve by clicking here