December 28, 2015

Minor League Update

Games of December 25-27

by Mark Anderson

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Friday, December 25^th

Merry Christmas. Happy Holidays. Even baseball players get a day off.

Saturday, December 26^th

Jorge Flores, SS, Blue Jays (MPL, Naranjeros de Hermosillo): 2-4, R, 3B, K

Having watched Flores for a considerable part of the last two seasons, I’ve become quite fond of watching him play. Flores has a limited MLB profile that likely tops out in a utility role, but the kid can play a solid shortstop and second base, and should stay up the middle defensively; adding center field to his resume would cement his big-league future. Flores is consistently a plus runner who will show better than that on occasion, and while he has a feel for contact, the bat is going to come up pretty light at the big-league level. As a scout, there are always marginal prospects that you fall for, and Flores is one of those guys for me.

Wuilmer Becerra, OF, Mets (VWL, Tigres de Aragua): 1-4, R, HR, K

Having already been discussed by both Jeff Paternostro and myself, there isn’t much left to say about Becerra, other than the fact that he continues to get playing time as the winter league playoffs approach. That speaks volumes of Becerra’s progress and potential value on the field, and prospect hounds could target Becerra as a potential breakout player in 2016.

Peter Tago, RHP, White Sox (VWL, Cardenales de Lara): 1.1 IP, H, 4 K

I have discussed Tago on a couple of occasions this fall/winter and that is largely because I find his developmental path particularly intriguing. A fire-balling right-hander of whom I thought highly when he was drafted out of high school, Tago had nearly washed out of professional baseball before reinvigorating his career in the White Sox system. Still the proud owner of a blazing fastball, quality breaking ball, and improving control, Tago has a future as a lockdown late-inning arm, as evidenced by his performance on Saturday.

Sunday, December 27^th

Cristhian Adames, SS, Rockies (DWL, Toros del Este): 2-3, 2 R, K

Adames has been off and on the prospect radar for the better part of seven years, and while he has yet to find success in two limited big-league trials, there is still some hope that he could be an MLB contributor. Blessed with the defensive skills to be an above-average to plus up the middle defender, that will carry him to a MLB career while his bat prevents him from filling an everyday role. Adames has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues and he should continue to find MLB bench chances in 2016 and 2017.

Riley Unroe, 2B, Rays (ABL, Brisbane Bandits): 4-5, 3 R, 2 2B

A solid-but-unspectacular season in the Midwest League has kept Unroe on the periphery of prospect lists; particularly in a relatively weak Rays minor-league system. As has been mentioned in this space on several occasions, Unroe’s winter league performance has made sure he remains on the prospect landscape heading into the 2016 season. On the heels of a 4-5 showing in Sunday’s tilt, Unroe is now hitting .338/.407/.405 in 38 games. With the potential to settle in as a solid, all-around contributor that plays a quality second base, Unroe should get a number of chances to keep navigating the minor-league ladder.

Mark Anderson is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @ProspectMark
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