September 12, 2017

Notes from the Field

September 12, 2017

by Wilson Karaman and Nathan Graham

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Wilson Karaman
Brendan Rodgers, SS, Colorado Rockies (High-A Lancaster)
Sent back to High-A after missing most of August with strained quad; timing has been off at the plate since return, beaten consistently in zone by velo, earlier-season aggressiveness has heightened, in three looks over past week has swung at 11 of 13 first pitches, struggling to stay off right-right spin down; looks tired, still favoring quad, 4.43 on ostensible dig after consistent average-or-better run times earleir in season.

Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga)

Compact frame, filled-out, present strength, limited projection remaining; stretch only, aggressive, up-tempo pace, hard drop and drive, inconsistent pace downhill; long arm action, well above-average arm speed to three-quarters slot, struggles to maintain timing to slot; significant head whack, effort through drive, violent finish; FB 92-94 (t95), early glove-side command, wandered as start progressed; plays fairly straight, lacks plane, fly ball pitch, hitters picked it up in the zone, velo flagged a tick by fourth inning; nominally above-average velo with some life, projects to play below that in a starting role; 96-97 in relief role, life in the zone, missed two bats in lone AB; SL 83-85, flashes above-average vertical action, inconsistent, will set an early trajectory, hitters were able to spit on it below zone second time through; firm CH 87-89, couple flashed plus with quality fade, kept it down effectively, limited velo separation, will induce more off-barrel contact than it will miss bats, 50/55 pitch; struggled to maintain command and execute multiple times through in start, better projection to potential high-leverage relief role.

Tony Gonsolin, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga)
2016 ninth-rounder, average frame and build, mild projection for additional strength in shoulders and lower half; significant spine tilt, drop-and-drive, deep arm action uphill to high-three-quarters slot, borderline over-the-top, high-effort delivery with significant fall-off to first-base side; velocity has jumped progressively and significantly this season; arrived in April, 90-92 with some ride in first look, showed three below- to fringe-average secondaries (74-8 CB, 82-3 SL, 85 CH); 92-94 in May and June, 94-96 (t97) in August; last appearance in September (playoffs) sat 98-99 (t100), plane from slot but flat pitch, lacks a ton of movement in premium band, okay life riding above the zone, hitters tracked it in-zone; SL 86-89 (t90), tighter vertical action, lacks second plane, inconsistent command; 40 command/control, but velo spike puts him on radar as middle-relief arm to follow.

Parker Curry, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Rancho Cucamonga)
Recently converted reliever; shorter, stocky, compact frame, simple drop-and-drive mechanics, pretty fluid delivery; quick step-back, up-tempo early, little uphill to a high-three-quarters slot; stride length will wander a bit, hips open early, gets downhill well, generates outsized plane; arm will drag, slow up with secondaries, when he misses he tends to yank balls glove-side; FB 90-92, sneaky life, juice to miss four bats in-zone first time through, commanded it well to both sides out of the gate, lacks movement and finish to get by barrels a second or third time through; CH 82-83, sells it, solid tunnel, draws out some fade, quality tumble, seven whiffs in first three innings, command faltered as he tired, left some hanging; SL 82-84, lands it well ball-to-strike, pretty sweepy, lacks great bite, solid feel for the spin, but doesn't work as a chaser; FB-CH arsenal plays tougher against left-handed hitters, righties tracked well after first look; solid org arm with high-minors ceiling.

Nathan Graham
D.J. Wilson, OF, Chicago Cubs (Low-A South Bend)

Compact body type, athletic, broad shoulders with narrow waist, physically mature; adjusted swing mid-season, went from slightly open stance with high hands to closed with hands held low, has quick hands, above-average bat speed, tries to get loft, slight bat wrap elongates swing, will get off balance on secondary pitches, struggles against left-handed pitchers; current power is raw and primarily pull; plus-plus raw speed, multiple sub-4.0 clocks home to first, quick to accelerate and aggressive on the bases, still developing stolen base ability; current average center fielder, sometimes takes subpar routes, has physical tools to eventually play above average defense; arm is average for center field, accurate; projected below-average hit and power combined with plus speed and defense give a profile of quad-A outfielder.

Wennington Romero, LHP, Cincinnati Reds (Low-A Dayton)

Short with athletic build, minimal projectable growth remaining; semi-windup, three-quarters arm slot with plus arm speed, hard drive with moderate effort, head whack on delivery, clean foot strike, will spin off towards 3B, 1.44-1.50; FB 90-91, t92, flat with minimal arm side run, lacks plane, plus command, stays down in the lower half of zone; Very confident in CB, will throw early and often in count, 74-76, 12-6 movement, has depth, will throw backdoor to RH, plus command; CH only shown few times in my look, 84-85 lacked movement; Relief profile with two major-league average pitches.

Conner Capel, OF, Cleveland Indians (Low-A Lake County)

Athletic build, powerful lower half, minimal projection left for growth, unique stance, feet start close together with front slightly pigeon-toed, above-average bat speed with leverage, plus hand-eye coordination, will expand the zone low on off-speed pitches; gap-to-gap power generated by loft in swing and bat speed; 4.13 and 4.15 on two home-to-first clocks, will play close to average as body matures, aggressive baserunner with good instincts; average range in centerfield, solid routes; plus arm, accurate with carry, could handle right; profiles as major league regular in the outfield.

Wilson Karaman is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @vocaljavelins
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