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June 15, 2017

Eyewitness Accounts

June 15, 2017

by BP Prospect Staff

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Yeudy Garcia
Beau Burrows
Cal Quantrill
Kevin Kramer
Wladimir Galindo

Yeudy Garcia


	Born: 10/06/1992 (Age: 24)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 203

Three-quarters delivery; has a whippy arm motion with plus arm speed; athletic delivery with clean arm action; moderate effort; delivery isn’t as consistent as it needs to be if he wants to start; inconsistent release point.

Evaluator	Greg Goldstein
Report Date	06/07/2017
Affiliate	Altoona Curve (AA, Pirates)
Dates Seen	6/2/2017
OFP/Risk	50/High
Realistic	45; Middle Reliever
MLB ETA	2018
Video	No

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
Fastball	55	60	94-95	96	Fastball missed often because of the considerable arm-side movement the pitch had at times, frequently rode in on hitters; shaky command early, refined later in start; above-average life, could be a swing-and-miss offering with advanced command.
Changeup	40	45	85-86		Tumbles in the zone, could produce a few swing and misses if he can harness control of the pitch; Didn’t give the pitch a chance on multiple occasions, which made for easy takes.
Slider	45	50	87-88		Has the potential to become a hard slider that gets hitters to chase, but for now, he needs to make the offering tighter and command it better to reach that point.

Garcia has an athletic delivery and a live arm that should play better as a reliever. There is undeniable talent in his profile, but he will never produce at the major-league level unless he can throw strikes at least somewhat consistently. He’ll start in the minors because he’s still young and projectable. But, his stuff should play better once he makes the switch to the pen. He has the potential to make a significant difference there given that his control issues won’t be as much of a problem in shorter appearances, combined with the fact that his already above average fastball will play up in that role.

Control:30/40
Command:30/40

Beau Burrows


	Born: 09/18/1996 (Age: 20)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 200

Simple, repeatable delivery; no red flags throughout; shows ability to adjust on the fly and keep mechanics in rhythm; will occasionally pull across body too much and lose balance at release; short arm circle compliments very good arm speed well to keep his upper and lower bodies in sync.

Evaluator	Mark Anderson
Report Date	06/08/2017
Affiliate	Erie SeaWolves (AA, Tigers)
Dates Seen	06/07/2017
OFP/Risk	55/Moderate
Realistic	50; No. 4 Starter
MLB ETA	Mid-2018
Video	No

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
FB	60	65	92-95	98	Came out firing 95-96, t98 over the first two innings; velo backed up to 92-94 over final three innings; lacked higher-end velocity when he wanted it during last two innings; needs to improve strength to maintain upper-velocity register throughout start; showed good arm-side run when down in zone, making it difficult to barrel; elevated when he wanted to for strikeouts and still showed movement in that part of the strike zone; pitch has some deception and appears to get on hitters quickly; minor velocity projection remaining.
CB	45	55	72-74	75	Lacked feel in early innings, began to find it as the outing progressed; consistently missed up throughout the start and couldn't generate the tight spin I have seen in previous outings; snapped 2-3 off in the last two innings that were legitimate bat-missers; showed hard 12-6 movement w/ late action; potential above-average pitch; more potential to induce weak contact than generate consistent strikeouts.
SL	40	45	82-85	87	Similar to CB, lacked feel in early innings; showed tendency to over-throw offering consistently; typically 11-5 break but often blended to 12-6 and looked like a harder version of his CB; lacked preferred bite of hard SL; show-me pitch w/limited projection based on this viewing.
CH	45	50	84-85	86	Second-best present pitch in this outing; good velocity separation; holds FB disguise well with excellent arm speed and same arm slot/release point; trusts grip; occasional fade but no consistent movement he could rely on; kept hitters off balance and off FB throughout start; showed promising feel and has a chance to exceed this grade projection with work.

Slightly undersized but has good strength/build to handle workload; got off mound well and fielded position adequately; 1.21-1.34 to home plate; broad arsenal but no dominating pitch; may struggle to miss bats at times; elevated FB for strikeouts consistently and relied on weak contact thanks to movement down in the zone; FB-heavy outing but showed aptitude to mix CB and SL at times; threw strikes throughout start but lacked ability to locate outside of consistently elevating FB when he wanted to; needs to refine at least one secondary pitch to help augment lively fastball; command must develop to above-average to reach projection.

Cal Quantrill


	Born: 02/10/1995 (Age: 22)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 165

Drop-and-drive, loses tempo with inconsistent momentum at drop, deep arm swing, length to high three-quarters slot; hips open efficiently, above-average arm speed, struggles to keep everything working together, timing issues at present, athleticism to improve; consistently on line, balanced through drive; some jerk and recoil at arm deceleration, can finish tentatively.

Evaluator	Wilson Karaman
Report Date	06/12/2017
Affiliate	Lake Elsinore Storm (High A, Padres)
Dates Seen	4/13, 6/12/17
OFP/Risk	60/High
Realistic	50: No. 4 Starter
MLB ETA	2019
Video	Yes

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
FB	50	60	92-95	96	Sat 93-4 (t95) in April, 92-94 (t96) in June; velo plays up off change, mixes the two pitches well; can pin it to both corners, keeps it down, has life down, gets on hitters quick; bouts of problem command at present, will let it leak up and arm-side, lacks movement up; athleticism to project command improvement, pitch can play to plus with above-average command, 55 with average command.
CH	55	70	80-83	84	Excellent arm speed, sells pitch effectively, late action, ball comes out crisp on fastball plane then checks up, plus tumble, will add a little cut occasionally; shows feel and trust, will pitch backwards off it, average present command with plus potential, keeps it down effectively even when struggling to repeat delivery.
CB	45	50	77-82	82	Sporadic usage across two starts, well-commanded present with above-average flash when he does snap it off; feel to spin it, commands it ball-to-strike right now; solid-average bite and finish into zone, has utilized only a couple times as chaser, less-consistent execution in small sample, less projection as zone-expander.

The former eighth-overall pick shows the ingredients of a quality starting pitching prospect, with a legitimate three-pitch mix headlined by a 70-potential secondary. He shows the ability to generate swing-and-miss and off-barrel contact, though he's inconsistent in his navigation of a start. The mechanics have wandered far away from him for stretches of each start I've seen, leading to arm-side and elevated misses. The frame is athletic and allows for some command projection, though the drive needs some attention, as he'll struggle with his timing at that stage of the delivery. If the body and mechanical base win the day there's high-three starter potential here with above-average command, while the stuff's good enough to project at least an inconsistent-but-sometimes-dynamic No. 4 Starter at the highest level.

Kevin Kramer


	Born: 10/03/1993 (Age: 23)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 1"	Weight: 190
	Primary Position: 2B
	Secondary Position:

Medium frame, some strength in build, no more projection.

Mechanics: Quick to the load position; Uses a slight leg kick; Mild leverage on the swing path; Minimal amount of load on the back foot; Remains balanced throughout and after his stroke.

Evaluator	Greg Goldstein
Report Date	06/07/2017
Dates Seen	6/2/17-6/4/17
Affiliate	Altoona Curve (AA, Pirates)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2018	Low	45	40; Bench player	No

Nothing jumped off the page in terms of his character, played hard and was always in the game mentally.

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	50	Fairly short, linear swing; solid barrel control; average bat speed; lets the ball travel and can drive pitches up the middle and to oppo field; doesn’t get his hands in to pull pitches down the line, which could makes him susceptible to to getting jammed.
Power	30	Not much pop; lacks much of a load and has a more line-drive approach; could change his approach to produce more power, but would take away from his better hit tool.
Baserunning/Speed	50	Clocked at 4.18 from home to first; not a liability on the base paths and can score on a ball in the gap; don’t expect him to be much of a difference maker in terms of steals.
Glove	50	Hands and range make up for his lack of arm strength; very comfortable moving to both sides; doesn’t have the athleticism to be an anything more than a capable player with the glove.
Arm	45	Slightly below-average arm that is playable at second base; Has enough arm strength to turn a close double play; Lacks the arm strength to play at any other position.

Kramer is a solid, but unspectacular prospect that is overshadowed by his fellow middle infielder, Kevin Newman. Nevertheless, his hit tool should still play as average because of his ability to spray the ball all over the field. He doesn’t have a power approach, so he won’t make much of an impact there, but he does have the fielding chops and a reasonable enough arm to play second base effectively. Kramer could start as a second division regular if he begins to handle inside pitches better, but his upside is not so high.

Wladimir Galindo


	Born: 11/06/1996 (Age: 20)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 210
	Primary Position: 3B
	Secondary Position: 1B

Big body, athletic with little projection left, thick thighs and broad shoulders.

Evaluator	Nathan Graham
Report Date	06/10/2017
Dates Seen	7X April-May
Affiliate	South Bend Cubs (Low A, Cubs)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
2021	High	50	40; Bench Player	Yes

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	50	Hands start high, mild load and leg kick; average bat speed, mild leverage, some noise in swing, can get off balanced on secondary offerings, some inner third vulnerability to velocity.
Power	45	Mild leverage, average bat speed, 55 power to the pull side, game approach geared for line drives.
Baserunning/Speed	45	Average current speed, 4.25 average on multiple clocks from home to first base; high base running IQ, will take extra base; passive leads, not a base stealing threat; slight regression predicted as he ages.
Glove	50	Average defender, split time at both corner infield positions, average first step, moderate range, soft hands and fluid transfers.
Arm	50	Average arm strength, struggles at times with accuracy when on the move.

Part of the Cubs' 2013 international signing class, Galindo offers the potential to become a solid everyday corner infielder. He's shown bat to ball skills and his natural strength gives some pop. However, the game swing plays more towards line drives and limits his power potential. There are no standout tools like some of his 2013 counterparts, but it's a well rounded game with no glaring holes.

Related Content: Beau Burrows, Yeudy Garcia, Cal Quantrill, Wladimir Galindo, Kevin Kramer

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The Call-Up: Derek Fis... (06/15)

<< Previous Column
Eyewitness Accounts: 2... (06/09)

Next Column >>
Eyewitness Accounts: J... (06/22)

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Dynasty Prospect Ranki... (06/15)

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