June 14, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Monday, June 13th

by Christopher Crawford

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Prospect of the Day:

Eddy Martinez, OF, Chicago Cubs (Low-A South Bend): 4-for-4, R.
Even in a system with Gleyber Torres, Eloy Jimenez, Ian Happ, and more, Martinez has the highest upside of any minor-league player employed by the Cubs, in this guy’s opinion. Like pretty much every player since the game was invented, he’s going to have his ups and downs, and he’s still learning the finer aspects of the game. Still, Martinez has a chance to have five plus tools when everything is said and done. You’re just going to be very patient, because this doesn’t happen overnight.

Others of Note:

Alex Reyes, RHP, St. Lous Cardinals (Triple-A Memphis): 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. If there’s one negative I’ve heard about Reyes, it’s that the curveball has varied in grade. I’ve heard a ton more compliments and the results are outstanding, but sometimes I need to bring everyone back to earth. I don’t like doing it, but it happens.

Ben Gamel, OF, New York Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, BB, CS. If the Yankees were to go call up an outfielder right now, it probably wouldn’t be Aaron Judge, and probably would be this guy.

Dixon Machado, SS, Detroit Tigers (Triple-A Toledo): 2-for-4, R, 2B, K. There is just enough offensive potential in Machado’s right-handed bat for me to think he has a chance to be an everyday shortstop. He’s probably a utility infielder, but weirder things have happened.

Brett Eibner, OF, Kansas City Royals (Triple-A Omaha): 2-for-4, 2B, HR, SB. I never thought I’d be writing about a 27-year-old as a legit prospect, but, well, here we are. He’s been outstanding in 2016.

Gabriel Ynoa, RHP, New York Mets (Triple-A Las Vegas): 5 IP, 14 H, 10 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO. Ynoa what? I think Gabriel might not have had his stuff today. This is the first time I’ve included a line just for a pun, but it probably isn’t the last.

Jamie Westbrook, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A Mobile): 4-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B. He’s not going to hit for power, but every other tool is average, and he can hold his own at second base. That’s not a sexy profile, but it’s a valuable one.

Alec Mills, RHP, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K. Mills struggled in his MLB debut, but we’ll call that nerves. He’s been fantastic in Double-A, and he’s shown two swing-and-miss pitches in his fastball and change.

Jacob Faria, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays (Double-A Montgomery): 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K. I’m not sure there’s a single team in baseball that wouldn’t be envious of the Rays’ right-handed pitching depth, and Faria is probably the most underrated of those arms.

Evan Van Hoosier, 2B, Texas Rangers (Double-A Frisco): 3-for-6, 2 R, K. .Van Hoosier is a plus runner, and his line-drive swing could lead to an above-average hit tool if he shows enough patience at the plate.

Tyler Mahle, RHP, Cincinnati Reds (HIgh-A Daytona): 9 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Hey! A real no-hitter! That’s a lot of fun. Mahle has a plus fastball and three average offspeed pitches, and he throws them for strikes.

Malquin Canelo, SS, Phillies (High-A Clearwater): 3-for-4, CS. All he has to do is hit a little bit, and the glove will do the rest. So far, he’s hitting. A little bit.

Braxton Davidson, OF, Braves (High-A Carolina): 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, 3B, BB, K. He’s striking out way too much and not showing the plus power he showed as a prep, but Davidson’s still only 19, and his offensive upside is still substantial.

Greg Allen, OF, Cleveland (High-A Lynchburg): 3-for-4, 2 R, BB, 2 SB. Allen is one of my favorite fourth-outfielder prospects (yes, that’s a thing; no, I’m not proud of it). His approach is outstanding, and his plus speed and glove make him valuable on the bases and in the field.

Conner Greene, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (High-A Dunedin): 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K. It’s actually been a disappointing season for Greene, as despite his quality stuff, he hasn’t missed bats and he’s putting too many on via walks. There’s plenty of time to correct that, though, and this was a nice effort.

Marten Gasparini, SS, Royals (Low-A Lexington): 3-for-4, HR, CS. Gasparini has had close to zero success in 2016, so here’s to hoping that this jumpstarts the second half of his season.

Brayan Hernandez, OF, Mariners (Dominican Southern League): 3-for-6, HR, SB. Hernandez was one of the best outfield prospects of the 2014 IFA class, and he’s shown an above-average hit tool along with plus speed and a 60-grade arm.

Phil Bickford, RHP, San Francisco Giants (Low-A Augusta): 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Another excellent effort from the Giants’ 2015 first-rounder, and you have to wonder if it might be time to challenge him with a promotion to High-A. Maybe you don’t have to, but I wonder.

Touki Toussaint, RHP, Braves (Low-A Rome): 8 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. No walks. NO WALKS! Sure, we’d like to see more strikeouts, but eight innings of one-run ball and no walks. That’s what we like to see, Touki.

Trace Loehr, IF, Oakland Athletics (Low-A Beloit): 3-for-4, CS. Loehr was a sixth-round pick last June, but that had more to do with his bonus demand than his talent. He has a line-drive swing and above-average speed, and he has just enough power to project as either an everyday second baseman or quality bench bat.

Christopher Crawford is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @CVCrawfordBP
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