June 21, 2013

Minor League Update

Games of Thursday, June 20

by Zach Mortimer

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Pitching Prospect of the Day: Taijuan Walker, RHP, Mariners (Double-A Jackson): 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K. The 20-year-old Walker has front-of-the-rotation stuff. He features a plus-plus fastball, a potential plus-plus cutter, a potential plus curveball, and a fringy changeup. Walker may have to develop a splitter at the major-league level, but he has ace-level potential; 25.0 IP, 18 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 33 K in four June starts.

Position Prospect of the Day: Lewis Brinson, CF, Rangers (Low-A Hickory): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI, 2 K. Something very in-depth should be coming on Brinson very soon. I know the strikeout rate is crazy high, but I believe in him.

Other notable prospect performances on June 20:

“The Good”

• Jarred Cosart, RHP, Astros (Triple-A Oklahoma City): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K; everyone knows about Cosart’s fastball, which can touch triple digits, but he also offers a hard curveball that has plus-plus potential. The lack of command will push Cosart to the bullpen, ultimately; 75.2 IP, 55 H, 26 ER, 42 BB, 79 K in 15 outings this year.
• Cory Mazzoni, RHP, Mets (Double-A Binghamton): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. I’ve spoken to a few scouts that like Mazzoni. He offers a plus fastball combined with a solid-average slider and a developing splitter. Most significantly, I have heard that it is looking more likely that he will stick as a starter; 18.2 IP, 18 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 25 K in three June starts.
• Dorssys Paulino, SS, Indians (Low-A Lake County): 3-5, HR, 2 R, RBI, K. Paulino had a lot of believers after he torched the AZL in 2012, but he struggled in the first half of 2013. Let’s hope that this game is the beginning of him getting back on track.
• Stephen Piscotty, OF, Cardinals (High-A Palm Beach): 3-5, 2B, 3B, R, 3 RBI, K. Piscotty is a player that I feel fits the Cardinals mold perfectly. He is just a baseball player. The hit tool may be his only plus tool, but they will figure out how to make it work and utilize him to the best of his abilities; .326/.356/.605 with 4 2B, 1 3B, and 2 HR in last 43 at-bats.
• Kevin Plawecki, C, Mets (High-A St. Lucie): 2-5, HR, R, 4 RBI, K; Plawecki seemed far too advanced for Low-A offensively. He will now have to prove himself against better competition.
• Logan Taylor, RHP, Mets (Low-A Savannah): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K. Taylor has done a good job of missing bats in 2013. His arsenal features a solid-average fastball/curveball combination with a developing changeup. He is slowly creeping his way onto the prospect radar; 28.2 IP, 27 H, 9 ER, 8 BB, 33 K in six starts.
• Henry Urrutia, OF, Orioles (Double-A Bowie): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI. I’ve spoken to many sources about Urrutia, and there’s a wide spectrum of opinions on what he will eventually become. I’m going to see Bowie on Saturday, so I’ll lay my eyes on him and try to get a feel for what he currently is.
• Walker Weickel, RHP, Padres (Low-A Fort Wayne): 5.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K. Weickel has stuff to dream on. He offers a plus fastball, solid-average curveball, and solid-average changeup. Weickel still needs plenty of refinement, but he could take steps forward in the second half of 2013; 10.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 14 K in last two starts.

“The Bad”

• Keon Broxton, OF, Diamondbacks (Double-A Mobile): 0-4, 4 K. Broxton has always offered a nice power/speed package, but will always have a swing-and-miss aspect to his game.
• Joey Gallo, 3B, Rangers (Low-A Hickory): 0-4, 3 K. Gallo was on a tear before the all-star break, but started the second half on the wrong foot.
• Austin Hedges, C, Padres (Low-A Lake Elsinore): 0-4, 3 K. Has anyone ever told you how good of a defender Hedges is?
• Joc Pederson, OF, Dodgers (Double-A Chattanooga): 1-5, 4 K. I like Pederson; I don’t believe he is a star, but he will be something for someone someday.
• Eddie Rosario, 2B, Twins (Double-A New Britain): 0-4, 3 K. The recently promoted Twins prospect is still adjusting to life in the Northeast.

“The Announcement”

I would first like to apologize that I did not make it clear that I would be taking a few days off from the Minor League Update. I saw that the California, Carolina, Midwest, and South Atlantic Leagues were on their all-star breaks and did not think it would do the article justice to force something out.

Now, on to brighter notes. Starting Monday I will be including prospects from the short-season levels in the update. As always ,if anyone has a specific question about a player not included, feel free to leave a comment or contact me on Twitter (@ZachMort) regarding said player. Enjoy!

Zach Mortimer is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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