July 12, 2017

Minor League Update

Games of July 11

by Steve Givarz

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Hitter of the Day:

Kevin Cornelius, 1B/3B, Chicago Cubs (Double-A, Tennessee): 4-5, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, K
Cornelius isn’t a prospect, but he had a good day, it was also a light day for the minor leagues. He was selected in the rule 5 minor league portion of the draft this past season. You know who else was taken as a Rule 5 minor leaguers? Justin Bour.

Pitcher of the Day:

Spencer Adams, RHP, Chicago White Sox (Double-A, Birmingham): 7 1/3 IP, 2 H, R, ER, 2 BB, 12 K
Chicago's second-round pick in 2014, Spencer has been on a nice run of late and now sports an 89/18 K/BB ratio in 106 2/3 innings at Double-A. His 12 strikeouts were a season-high and just the second time he's whiffed more than eight in a game this year.

Other Notable Performances:

Kevin Merrell, SS, Oakland Athletics (Short-Season, Vermont): 4-7, R, RBI, 2 SB, 2 K (DH)
Taken in the Competitive Balance round of this past draft, Merrell was one of my favorite players from this past draft. He is an 80 runner who looks more and more like he can stick at SS, while offering power, and a potential plus hit tool.

Dominic Abbadessa, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (Rookie, Gulf Coast): 2-4
In my toils of the GCL so far, Dom has impressed me thus far. Drafted in the 23^rd round out of Huntington Beach HS in 2016, Dom missed the majority of last season recovering from a broken ankle. He ambushes fastballs, is a 70 runner, and offers good defensive skills in CF.

Nolan Jones, 3B, Cleveland Indians, (Short-Season, Mahoning Valley): 2-4, R 2B, RBI
An overslot 2^nd round sign in the 2016 draft, Jones offers a lot of promise with his size, athleticism, as well as his feel for the game. Jones has a fluid left-handed swing with plus bat speed while offering above-average raw power and enough defensive skills to stick at 3B.

Ronald Acuna, OF, Atlanta Braves (Double-A, Mississippi): 1-4, R, HR, RBI, BB, K
Acuna Moncada?

What a wonderful phrase. pic.twitter.com/nqR4CijsAV

— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) July 9, 2017

Acuna Moncada it means no worries…for the rest of your days.

LaMonte Wade, OF, Minnesota Twins (Double-A, Chattanooga): 2-3, BB, K
Since being taken in the 9^th round back in 2015, Wade has hit, hit some more, got on base a lot more, and made positive strides defensively. While he lacks the home run pop to profile as an everyday guy, the tools of a solid contributing 4^th OF are here.

Fernando Romero, RHP, Minnesota Twins (Double-A, Chattanooga): 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 5 K
Since missing two years with elbow injuries and a subsequent Tommy John surgery, Romero has put himself back on the map. At times he has an 80-grade fastball, a plus slider, and enough control to stick as a #3 starter.

Connor Lillis-White, LHP, Los Angeles Angels (Double-A, Mobile): IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K
While Lillis-White was in AZL in 2015 when I was working out there, I don’t remember seeing him. I remember seeing his teammate Winston Lavendier because of his weird delivery, as well as other guys who never made it out of AZL. I remember when I first started doing this, an old scout told me that guys with hyphenated names lacked “the Alpha trait” because neither parent could settle on a last name. But there have been plenty of guys who have made it.

Edward Cabrera, RHP, Miami Marlins (Short-Season, Batavia): 3 1/3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
A prospect by Marlins standards, Cabrera does offer a lot of promise and stuff to like. A lean wiry 6’4” 175lb. body that can add weight, a fastball that can touch the mid 90’s, as well as some promising off-speed offerings. But this is a profile light-years away from even thinking about making some appearances in Marlins Park.

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