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June 1, 2017

Eyewitness Accounts

June 1, 2017

by Wilson Karaman and Javier Barragan

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Connor Jones
Jake Woodford
Dennis Santana
Kyle Barrett
Ibandel Isabel

Connor Jones


	Born: 10/10/1994 (Age: 22)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 3"	Weight: 200

Full windup, high leg kick into drop and drive straight leg, hides ball well, clean separation, arm action leads to poor control and command - on time at footstrike, but elbow is lower than shoulder in a sort of shotput position, clean foot strike, spine tilt, head and lead arm pull him off-center, adding to poor control/command; high 3/4, finishes well, mild effort, quickness to delivery with quick arm, repeats well, works quick.

Evaluator	Javier Barragan
Report Date	05/21/2017
Affiliate	Palm Beach Cardinals (High A, Cardinals)
Dates Seen	5/16 & 5/20
OFP/Risk	45/High
Realistic	40; Up-and-down organizational depth
MLB ETA	2018
Video	No

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
2S FB	60	60	92-93	95	good tail and sink, works to both corners, repeatedly beat into the ground, gets in on hands, potential for improvement w/simplified delivery/arm action Movement 50/60 Command 30/40 Control 30/40
Curveball	40	50	82	84	10-5 shape with moderate tightness and depth, average bite, can place in the zone and out but command is spotty, occasionally snaps off a 60 slider with edge, used to in any count but secondary to sinker. Control 30/40
Changeup	20	40	83	84	Mild bottom, mostly tails, needs time and repetition, thrown to left handed hitters primarily, little feel for it, all end up arm side. Control 20/40

With a good sinker that induces lots of groundballs, Connor Jones pitches to contact. Jones works quick with his delivery and his tempo, keeping hitters on their toes, but occasionally too quick. He has ugly arm action and a small head whack that drags the command/control to below average. This affects with the consistency and quality of his pitches and development of his changeup. He could move quick as a reliever.

Jake Woodford


	Born: 10/28/1996 (Age: 20)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 4"	Weight: 210

Deep arm action, arm and wrist wrap, clean footstrike, average arm speed, good arm extension, finishes over front leg into an athletic fielding position; three-quarters slot; mild effort, repeats well; competes, doesn't give in, controlled demeanor.

Runner on first 1.20/1.27/1.32

Evaluator	Javier Barragan
Report Date	05/21/2017
Affiliate	Palm Beach Cardinals (High A, Cardinals)
Dates Seen	5/21/17
OFP/Risk	50/High
Realistic	45; Back-end starter
MLB ETA	2019
Video	No

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
Fastball	60	60	92-93	96	Mostly sinkers, aims for corners, gets in on both handedness, more velo will come with further maturation. Occasionally will reach for more into the mid-90s to blow it past hitters particularly later in games, really flattens in these situations, flashed a cutter with moderate movement. Fastball plays well due to ability to pound the zone.
Curveball	40	45	83	86	Uses as out pitch, depth at 10-5 with moderate sharpness, will throw in any count, can place in and out of zone; often thrown to glove side.
Changeup	30	50	84	87	Minimal action, thrown mostly to LHH, will roll out of hand, mild feel, varies count usage, sells it. Flashed average and should be able to get there more consistently with repetition.

A competitor who doesn't let up, Jake Woodford has an idea of sequencing and enough stuff to hold his own in the starting rotation. At 20 years old, Woodford has more room for improvement with pitchability, velo and stuff. Woodford does not do anything flashy, but pitches to win and hits his spots. With continued maturation and development, Woodford will develop into a mid-rotation starter.

Injury: Right elbow sprain in June 2016.

Dennis Santana


	Born: 04/12/1996 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 160

Long 6-foot-2, heavier than listed 160, body's a little soft, but has some elasticity, loose movement; full wind; deep arm action, spine tilt towards center, uphill arm path, slingshot action, significant extension to three-quarter slot; delivery re-worked to open hips more, get more on-line and downhill, had landed closed and inverted with significant crossfire around front side, now still mildly closed, much more north-south; lower half doesn't finish, lands stiff and firm, cuts off, finishes square, loose recoil on deceleration; can run on him, deliberate first move, 1.33-1.51; low-fi, stays consistent, keeps his focus.

Evaluator	Wilson Karaman
Report Date	05/28/2017
Affiliate	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A, Dodgers)
Dates Seen	4/14, 5/27/17
OFP/Risk	50/High
Realistic	40: Middle Relief/Swingman
MLB ETA	2019
Video	Yes

Pitch Type	Present Grade	Future Grade	Sitting Velocity	Peak Velocity	Report
FB	55	60	92-94	95	Flashed 94-96 (t97) first couple innings of the season, has settled down to 92-95; sink, above-average 2-seam run, works the low-and-away corner with it to lefties, lots of grounders, elevates more to righties, attacks the hands; command can get loose, solid-average control projection.
SL	45	50	82-84	85	Gets some depth despite lower arm slot, will drop down right-on-right and really yak one, will front door or run it off against righties, can play when executed as a chase pitch to lefties, can steal strikes; solid pitch.
CH	40	50	85-87		Hard, straight change, moderate vertical action, occasional mild fade; will flash average, less consistent with his execution at present, raw feel, generally keeps it down, rarely hangs; some feel and action, may take a while, but average potential.

Converted shortstop with an unorthodox delivery that has been streamlined a bit. Santana has a solid, moving fastball with some velo that can play against right- and left-handed hitters, and there are two workable secondaries. He still throws like a position player and generates a tough pick-up with good raw stuff. Command and consistency may take some time in the high minors, but the frame looks to be pretty durable and it's not a high-stress delivery. There's a non-zero chance this guy starts some games in the big leagues. I like him as a reliable bullpen arm who can swing, with some leverage opportunity if the velo ticks up as it has previously flashed with adrenaline.

Kyle Barrett


	Born: 08/04/1993 (Age: 23)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
	Height: 5' 11"	Weight: 185
	Primary Position: CF
	Secondary Position: LF

Moderately muscular with limited projectibility.

Evaluator	Javier Barragan
Report Date	05/19/2017
Dates Seen	5/12-13,5/15-5/18
Affiliate	Jupiter Hammerheads (High A, Marlins)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
	High	45	40; Up-and-down organizational depth	No

Leader, first in line on stretches and warm ups, takes his pre-game stretches seriously, good teammate, competes, runs hard, composed in-game, gets dirty, baseball guy.

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	60	Clean load with leg kick and weight shift, strong at touch down, slight bat wrap, quick bat, linear swing. Will bunt, pro-at bats, good takes, battles with two strikes, goes the other way, quick wrists, comfortable with taking a base-on-balls, understands role as leadoff hitter, executes plan at plate.
Power	20	Approach is geared to line drives and slappy hits the other way, would need to be instructed to lift AND pull, there is some power potential as he has been able to barrel the other way well and relatively consistent, but it would still be well below average.
Baserunning/Speed	60	Alert on the basepaths, will steal, healthy leads, knows how to run bases, good acceleration, will peak at about 25-30 bags a season. Will slow slightly as he matures. Home to first 4.01, 4.04.
Glove	55	Solid defender, makes the plays, athletic actions, aggressive to make play on fly balls, range is dependent on speed, playable instincts.
Arm	40	Hits cutoff, playable LF arm, fringe average, online with decent carry, good throwing mechanics, on target.

Leadoff hitter who gets on base with both his legs and eye, Kyle Barrett is an undersized competitor. His best tool is his speed and hit tool, with his arm and power coming below average and well below average, respectively. He looks to line the ball the other way with his better than average barrel control, settling with beating out grounders jail breaking to ~4.00 dig times. His defense is average, fielding what he gets to and taking good routes to balls. Barrett is a good organizational player.

Ibandel Isabel


	Born: 06/20/1995 (Age: 21)
	Bats: Right	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 4"	Weight: 225
	Primary Position: 1B
	Secondary Position: DH

XL frame, broad shoulders, thick backside; big-time strength, powerful hips and shoulders.

Evaluator	Wilson Karaman
Report Date	05/28/2017
Dates Seen	7x April-May 2017
Affiliate	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A, Dodgers)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Realistic Role	Video
	Extreme	30	20: NP	Yes

Big temper, frustrates easily, broken bats over a knee, post-whiff thunder in the dugout; defends scared, looks like he's just trying to not make mistakes in the field.

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	20	Big, powerful, quick leg kick, aggressive, long load, takes a long time to get to trigger point, deep coil, doesn't control the bat at launch, stiff; very long swing path, average bat speed; huge leverage, barrel's not on plane long; hyper-aggressive approach early, huge cuts, obscene swing-and-miss, lots of weak rollover contact; shows some semblance of ability to tone it down and lay off two-strike chasers; would need significant approach improvement and mechanical overhaul to peak at a future 30.
Power	50	80 raw, absolutely titanic shots in BP, took one 440 in-game, multiple triple-digit exit velos; enough to run into a bunch of homers, hit tool dramatically limits game utility.
Baserunning/Speed	20	4.57 DP dig, 4.64 average on five clocks; clogger, body's not going to gain any steps, terrifying freight train coming at you if you're on the hot corner and he's going first to third.
Glove	30	Borderline true 20 defender; lumbering movements, very poor mobility to the ground, well below-average range, hard hands, stiff fielding actions; has dropped multiple routine putouts, pick-off throws, will pull himself off the bag trying to stretch for balls. Benefit of the doubt that enough repetition can play himself into 30 range.
Arm	50	Looks to have pretty good raw velocity, really babies the ball to second, too fine on feeds to the pitcher, poor accuracy.

Very large human with top-of-the-scale raw power but a very limited profile even if a good bit of it plays. Throwback player, unhinged violence in swing and moon-shot launch angles make for fun BP sessions, but probable org depth.

Wilson Karaman is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @vocaljavelins
Click here to see Wilson's other articles. You can contact Wilson by clicking here
Javier Barragan is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @JaviiGunz
Click here to see Javier's other articles. You can contact Javier by clicking here

Related Content: Connor Jones, Ibandel Isabel, Dennis Santana, Jake Woodford, Kyle Barrett

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