June 27, 2017
Minor League Update
Games of June 26
by Steve Givarz
Hitter of the Day:
Chase Vallot, C, Kansas City Royals (High-A, Wilmington): 2-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, K
Vallot always had power, he has just had trouble tapping into it at times. The hit tool is still underwhelming, as he sells out for power and can get pull-happy while spinning off breaking balls. If he was a for-sure catcher, this wouldn’t be as big a deal, but he isn’t, so it is.
Pitcher of the Day:
Yadier Alvarez, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A, Rancho Cucamonga): 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 6 K
We have waxed many poetic sympathies about Yadier thus far. Here is a scouting report, here is a NFTF, here is a MMTP, and here is us ranking him the top prospect in the Dodgers system (over some guy named Cody Bellinger). Spoiler alert, all of them are NSFW.
Other Notable Performances:
Lewis Brinson, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (Triple-A, Colorado Springs): 4-4, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Welcome back to Triple-A, let’s hope your stay is short and you can be back in Milwaukee soon.
Royce Lewis, SS, Minnesota Twins (Rookie, GCL Twins): 2-4, R, HR, RBI
Here is the video of Lewis hitting his HR.
So far, so good.
Bryan Reynolds, OF, San Francisco Giants (High-A, San Jose): 3-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
Coming out of Vanderbilt, Reynolds was more a solid all-around guy, rather than one who was loaded with tools. As Wilson Karaman noted here, “I didn’t see much in the way of a clear deficit to the gem, and that’s certainly a good starting point for any prospect.”
Lucas Herbert, C, Atlanta Braves (Low-A, Rome): 3-4, 2B, RBI
Known more for his defensive polish rather than his offensive ability, Herbert has been making strides so far in Low-A, showing more promise with the bat then expected. He has slowly added strength, and has gotten past his torn meniscus he suffered in 2015.
Garrett Hampson, SS, Colorado Rockies (High-A, Lancaster): 2-3, R, 2B, 3B
With Brendan Rodgers out of the picture, it is time for Hampson to see what he can do at SS.
Ian Anderson, RHP, Atlanta Braves (Low-A, Rome): 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Anderson hasn’t been talked about as much as his other peers from the 2016 class, but there is no doubting the potential of him. He is still quite lean, which means he can add weight, and more giddyup to the FB. He is also extremely athletic, which should help with his current command issues.
Alec Hansen, RHP, Chicago White Sox (High-A, Winston-Salem): 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
As Jarrett Seidler pointed out here, “significant questions remain about his ability to repeat and maintain his command over the long haul. Despite that, there’s a pretty good chance for a mid-rotation starter or an impact bullpen arm here.”
Griffin Jax, RHP, Minnesota Twins (Rookie, Elizabethton): 4 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
While still waiting for his discharge from the Air Force academy, the USAF has allowed him to play this summer. Jax is a legitimate prospect, one who only went to the 3rd round because of the unsure draft deferment. He features a plus fastball, and a whole array of off-speed pitches for strikes.
Lucas Sims, RHP, Atlanta Braves (Triple-A, Gwinnett): 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, 11 K
The stuff has never been an issue with Sims, it has just been a matter of throwing strikes. While reaching Triple-A at 22, the walks have gotten better since 2016, when he walked 92 in 141 IP.
Vadim Balan, RHP, Minnesota Twins (Rookie, GCL Twins): 2 2/3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, K
While this was in the same game as Royce Lewis, the fact that Balan pitched was probably not mentioned in any stories. While he did pitch in a game last year, him, and his brother Petru Balan are the first players to sign professional baseball contracts from Moldova. There is a great profile on Vadim here, and one on Petru (a left-hander) here.
Fight Another Day:
Chase De Jong, RHP, Seattle Mariners (Triple-A, Tacoma): 5 1/3 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 3 HRA
More like Chase “De Gone” right???
P.J. Conlon, LHP, New York Mets (Double-A, Binghamton): 3 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 5 BB, 6 K
Jeffrey Paternostro profiled Conlon here, but long story short, 85-88, plus changeup, needs to survive on command and guts.
Steve Givarz is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
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Minor League Update: G... (06/26)
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