July 15, 2016

Minor League Update

Game of Thursday, July 14th

by Mark Anderson

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Prospect of the Day:

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., OF, Blue Jays (Short-Season Bluefield): 4-5, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI. After he washanded a $3.9 million bonus as a 16-year-old last summer, much has been expected of Guerrero as he entered his professional debut. Those scouts that are highest on the teenager believe he could be a plus hitter with plus power, while others remain a little more cautious in their projection. As expected, his debut has had some ups and downs, with last night’s showing easily constituting the high-water mark of his first 19 games.

Others of Note:

Anthony Alford, OF, Blue Jays (High-A Dunedin): 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB, K, SB. There hasn’t been much to get excited about this season with Alford, so finding a night with a couple of knocks, a walk, and a stolen base is worth noting.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Cardinals (Low-A Peoria): 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 7 K. Alcantara has drawn plenty of praise this season for his premium velocity, along with many notes about just how raw his game remains. Last night represents more of the positives in Alcantara’s game and there are scouts that think lines like this could become more frequent very soon.

Delvin Perez, SS, Cardinals (Short-Season GCL Cardinals): 3-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB. The Cardinals stole Perez in last month’s draft, absolutely stole him. He’s going to be very, very good.

Christian Arroyo, SS, Giants (Double-A Richmond): 4-4, 2 R, 2 2B, RBI. Arroyo is frequently overshadowed by premium shortstop prospects in today’s game, but at the end of the day, he should provide the Giants with a solid all-around player.

Michael Mader, LHP, Marlins (High-A Jupiter): 7 IP, 7 H, R/ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Mader’s fastball-curveball combination allows him to turn in some sparkling lines like this when he locates to the edges and keeps hitters off balance.

J.P. Crawford, SS, Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley): 3-5, R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K. Crawford’s season-long line doesn’t always jump off the page, but as he continues to adjust to high-level competition, his true promise begins to shine through.

Nick Williams, OF, Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley): 2-5, 2 R, 2 2B, K. If Williams can make his aggressive approach work for him, piles of doubles will soon follow.

Taylor Guerrieri, RHP, Rays (Double-A Montgomery): 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R/ER, 0 BB, 3 K. It seems as though Guerrieri has been on the prospect scene for ages without the payoff of his original promise. The Rays are going to be rewarded for their patience at the end of the day, as Guerrieri should be a quality mid-rotation arm when he completes his development.

Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox (High-A Salem): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI. I expect so much from Devers offensively that I consistently find myself forgetting just how young he is. The offensive potential borders on special and when he explodes, all of the concerns over this season’s production will look silly.

Brian Johnson, LHP, Red Sox (Short-Season Lowell): 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R/ER, BB, 5 K. Anxiety issues are no joke in any walk of life. It’s just good to see Johnson back on the bump at any level of baseball, so stellar lines like this are just gravy.

David Dahl, OF, Rockies (Triple-A Albuquerque): 3-5, 3 R, 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 K. My adoration for Dahl is well documented within the BP prospect halls, but even I’m running out of superlatives for him during his breakout season.

Tom Murphy, C, Rockies, Triple-A Albuquerque): 4-5, R, 2B, 3B, HR, 2 RBI. Cycle alert… from a catcher!

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