July 28, 2017
Minor League Update
Games of July 27
by Wilson Karaman
Hitters of the Day:
The DSL Yankees: 21 R, 11 H, 21 BB, 9 K
I can’t stress enough how magical this box score is. First things first, they scored 19 of their 21 runs in one inning. Not a typo. All told, my dudes plated 21 on 11 hits, thanks to 21 freaking walks. Nobody in the entire lineup tallied more than two hits. They hit no home runs. They knocked only three extra base hits – all triples – in the entire game. They even gave up 13 just because they could! You could live through a million more healthcare votes and never see anything like this again.
Pitcher of the Day:
Jon Duplantier, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (High-A Visalia): 7 IP, 7 H, 9 K
Duplantier had been solid in his four starts since an early July promotion to the Cal League, but yesterday he put together a truly commanding performance. Above-average command of four average-or-better pitches is on the table here, and last year’s third-rounder is making his case for pole position in Arizona’s system.
Other Prospects of Note:
Ryan McMahon, INF, Colorado Rockies (Triple-A Albuquerque): 4-5, R, 3B, HR, 3 RBI
Four straight multi-hit games for McMahon, who has officially flipped the script on his down 2016 and now sits as one of the more raring-and-ready bats a stone’s throw from The Show.
Andrew Suarez, LHP, San Francisco Giants (Triple-A Sacramento): 7 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 9 K
A second-rounder in 2015, Suarez works off the standard ingredients of a pitchability lefty. His four-pitch mix lacks for much in the way of weakness, even as none of the offerings project to plus. He lacks for a go-to “out” pitch, and will need to come with more consistent control than he’s thus far shown in a brief run at Triple A if the stuff’s going to play consistently at the highest level.
Beau Burrows, RHP, Detroit Tigers (Double-A Erie): 5 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 10 K
Burrows racked up the career-high whiff total on 88 pitches through five, continuing to struggle a bit on the margins with his control, as has been the case since his promotion to Double A. He is, however, just 20, and the arsenal is broad. An apparently-tightening mid-70’s hook did a lot of the dirty work yesterday.
Aristides Aquino, RF, Cincinnati Reds (Double-A Pensacola): 3-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB, K
Aquino boasts three plus-or-better tools in his raw power, speed, and arm, with the latter wandering up into true 80 range. But the hit tool concerns scouts have long harbored have mostly won the day this year in his first look at Double-A pitching.
Caleb Ferguson, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga): 6 IP, ER, 7 H, 3 BB, 10 K
The Dodgers, you see, have a whole bunch of really, really good pitching prospects, so you’d be forgiven if Ferguson managed to slip through the cracks and evade your eye. But this kid can pitch, and he’s currently sitting on a sub-three ERA and more than a whiff per inning in the Cal League at 21. Not a bad initial return on a 38th-round investment.
Jermaine Palacios, SS, Minnesota Twins (High-A Fort Myers): 4-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, E
Palacios isn’t the flashiest product, but his level swing can produce its share of hard contact. Just as notable as the dinger in his stat line is the error; between a frame that might outgrow it and natural feel that might never quite get there, it’s possible if not probable he moves off the six at some point.
Chase Vallot, C, Kansas City Royals (High-A Wilmington): BB
The #hugwatch was on after Vallot exited in the second inning, but it was, alas, back spasms and not breaking news.
Sandro Fabian, RF, San Francisco Giants (Low-A Augusta): 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
Fabian apparently likes it when I man the MLU battle station. I wrote him up recently after a similar outburst, and what was true then remains true today.
Seuly Matias, RF, Kansas City Royals (Short Season Burlington): 3-7, BB, 3B, 2 K
Matias got a glowing report from John earlier this week, looking every bit a nascent masher in the making. The pitch recognition and bat speed stick out in particular for such a young player, and the projectable frame don’t hurt either.
Jomar Reyes, 3B, Baltimore Orioles (Rookie GCL Orioles): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, E
Reyes missed the last three months after requiring surgery to fix a finger he broke punching a wall that, to his presumable surprise, turned out to be hard and immobile. He’s got five hits in his first two games back though, so hey, lesson learned?
Royce Lewis, SS, Minnesota Twins (Rookie GCL Twins): 2-4, 3 R, SB
The top overall pick has acclimated well to his first few weeks of professional ball, with yesterday’s two-for pushing him above .300 and his OBP to the brink of .400. He’s produced well while sticking to shortstop for the time being, a destination that evaluators have been skeptical about for him.
Calvin Mitchell, LF, Pittsburgh Pirates (Rookie FCL Pirates): 3-4, BB, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI
Mitchell suffered a bit of a down senior season after establishing himself as one of the premier prep bats in this year’s draft class, but he still inked a seven-figure deal with Pittsburgh in the second round. He’s a boxy runner with a fringe arm that already relegates him to left field, so the bat’s going to have to be the thing. The swing’s a pretty thing from the left side, and if he can grow into an approach that lets it come together, there are conceivable 55’s floating in future space for both the hit and power tools.
Wilson Karaman is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
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DSL* Yankees
Forgive me, for I typoed. Fixed.