August 30, 2017
Minor League Update
Games of August 29
by Steve Givarz
Hitter of the Day:
Ryan Mountcastle, SS??, Baltimore Orioles (Double-A, Bowie): 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
Mountcastle, who will head to the Arizona Fall League, leaves little doubt about his offensive ability. He looks like a plus hitter who can run, and produce a lot of power. But his defensive home has always been in question. He has been playing 3B and SS since reaching Double-A, with both positions grading out poorly.
Pitcher of the Day:
John Simms, RHP, Washington Nationals (Triple-A, Syracuse): 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K
Pitching for his hometown of Houston, TX, Simms delivered his best performance of the season. With the 3 Houston area codes written on his cleats, Simms threw 7 scoreless.
Other Notable Performances:
Spencer Howard, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies (Short-Season, Williamsport): 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, R ER, 4 BB, 10 K
Drafted in the 2nd round out of Cal Poly, Howard pitched only one season as a starting pitcher, but was picked high because of his broad arsenal and his durable frame. His fastball can be plus, his slider can also be plus, he has a cutter that he uses to lefties, and he usually does a good job throwing strikes.
Ryan Yarbrough, LHP, Tampa Bay Rays (Triple-A, Durham): 6 IP, 5 H, R, ER, 0 BB, 8 K
While everyone always asks when Brent Honeywell will make his debut, Yarbrough has had just as good a year in Triple-A.
Grant Holmes, RHP, Oakland Athletics (Double-A, Midland): 5 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 6 BB, 8 K
Well, I can say Grant was unhittable in this outing, which is true, but yea that’s a lot of walks. Craij in Hawaii does not approve, no beer for Craij.
Dane Dunning, RHP, Chicago White Sox (High-A, Winston-Salem): 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Craij does approve this boxscore, drinks his beer, and enjoys another day in paradise.
Alvaro Seijas, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (Rookie, Johnson City): 6 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, 8 K
Signed out of Venezuela in 2015, Seijas is small, there is no getting around it so let me just tell you now. He’s 5’8” 175, not exactly a traditional pitcher’s body. But he throws a plus heater, a hammer of a curve, and a lot of strikes, plus he’s only 18, who knows.
Wander Javier, SS, Minnesota Twins (Rookie, Elizabethton): 1-5, R, HR, 3 RBI
Javier is making moves for our Top 101 list this offseason. While he knew he was young, raw, toolsy, I doubt anyone expected him to perform so well so quick.
Yusniel Diaz, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Double-A, Tulsa): 4-5, R, 2 2B, RBI
We have lots of content on Diaz. Here is JH Schroeder talking about him, here is Wilson Karaman talking about him, talking about him again, plus an eyewitness on him by Wilson.
Ramon Laureano, OF, Houston Astros (Double-A, Corpus Christi): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI
Some believe Ramon’s struggles can be contributed to being far too aggressive compared to last season. Good to see a good game to help him get off that cold streak.
Anthony Alford, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (Double-A, New Hampshire): 3-5, 3 R, RBI, K, 2 SB
Alford looks healthy, which is scary, when he is healthy, he brings lots of loud tools to the game.
Darick Hall, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies (High-A, Clearwater): 3-6, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI (DH)
Prior to his promotion to High-A, Hall was named the MVP of the SAL League. Which is good honor indeed. Hall has big-time power, potentially double-plus raw, and it has been playing a lot this season. But as a 1B-only prospect with a long swing, he will need to keep doing this.
Tristen Lutz, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (Rookie-, Helena): 1-2, 3 R, 3 BB
Taken in the Competitive Balance (A) Round of this past draft, Lutz was your big Texan hitter of the draft. He offers plus raw power, a plus arm, quality athleticism, and a hit tool that has played surprisingly well thus far.
Jorge Mateo, SS/CF, Oakland Athletics (Double-A, Midland): 3-6, 2 R, 2 3B, RBI, K
Mateo is still an 80 runner, and he has been getting the green light much more while with Oakland.
Dermis Garcia, 3B, New York Yankees (Low-A, Charleston): 2-4, R, 2B, 3B, RBI, K
Signed for $3M in July 2014 out of the DR, Garcia has taken a slow path, but offers a high ceiling, but not much of a floor. He still strikes out a lot, too often selling out for power, and his 3B defense has gotten mixed reviews thus far.
Fight Another Day:
Corey Ray, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (High-A, Carolina): 0-4, 4 K
Ray, who was also named to the Arizona Fall League roster, will regain some lost AB’s in hopes of putting a good finish to the season.
Cole Duensing, RHP, Los Angeles Angles (Rookie, Orem): 2 2/3 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB
Taken in the 6th round in 2016 out of a Kansas City High School, Duensing offers intriguing upside, but a lack of polish, and more inconsistencies than one would like, even from a high school arm.
D.L. Hall, LHP, Baltimore Orioles (Rookie, Gulf Coast): 2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
I was supposed to go to this game. I left my beach vacation, drove an hour to Sarasota to find…nobody there. The game was moved to Fort Myers because of poor field conditions in Sarasota from the previous night’s rain. Sigh…baseball. I’ll see you soon DL.
Steve Givarz is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
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6 comments have been left for this article. 
I'm curious if anyone has put eyes on Wander Javier's rookie ball teammate Akill Baddoo? His profile seems to be changing from speed to power and he strikes me as one to watch.