December 4, 2013

Minor League Update

International Winter League Games of December 3

by Jeff Moore

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Prospect of the Day: Rymer Liriano, RF, Padres (Tigres del Licey, DWL): 1-4, R, HR. You may have forgotten about Liriano because he missed the entire 2013 season after having Tommy John surgery in Feburary. The time off was a big blow for the super-toolsy but raw Liriano, who needed all the minor-league at-bats he could get. TJ for position players is different than it is for pitchers, so there’s not too much concern about his plus arm coming back, but the missed at-bats could hurt his hit tool, which was his weak link anyway. He just joined the Tigres to help make up for lost time and should return to Double-A where he struggled in 2012.

• Joey Terdoslavich, RF, Braves (Toros del Este, DWL): 1-3, 2 R, HR, BB, 2 K.- There’s the power the Braves need out of Terdoslavich is he’s going to make their roster this spring. His ability to play first base and left field will only take him so far, but some right-handed pop off the bench will get him the rest of the way.
• Maikel Franco, 3B, Phillies (Gigantes del Cibao, DWL): 1-3, 2B, K. Remember when Franco was hitting well over .300 at the start of the DWL season? Yeah, me neither. A 3-for-36 skid will do that to one’s memory. His Tuesday double was just his second extra-base hit in his last 11 games.
• Lisalverto Bonilla, RHP, Rangers (Leones del Escogido, DWL): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K. The Rangers relief prospect has a chance to stick in a major league bullpen because of his changeup. His fastball isn’t overpowering, but his changeup is a legit swing-and-miss pitch and will give him a chance to miss enough bats to pitch in the middle innings.
• Francisco Peguero, CF, Giants (Gigantes del Cibao, DWL): 2-4, 2B. Peguero is getting old for a prospect but the tools are all still there. His aggressive approach at the plate will probably keep him from every becoming an everyday player, but he could carve out a platoon/bench role.
• Melky Mesa, CF, Yankees (Leones del Escogido, DWL): 1-4, 2B, R K. I should have put the CF in quotes, because with last night’s signing of Jacoby Ellsbury, Mesa’s hopes of ever joining the vaunted list of Yankees center fielders went out the window. Instead, he’ll settle in as a fourth outfielder, which is where he belongs anyway.

Random Major Leaguer

• Marcell Ozuna, LF, Marlins (Gigantes del Cibao, DWL): 0-4, 2 K. Ozuna is no longer a prospect due to service time restrictions, but he should be, since he shouldn’t have been called up to the majors when he was in the first place. Much like at the beginning of his time in the majors, Ozuna has hit well this winter but without much home run power and with terrible plate discipline. If the winter league lasted as long as the major league season, the competition would catch up with him here as well. He still has some quality major-league skills, most notably his power and arm, but he needs more time in the minors to learn how to use them properly.

Former Prospect Name

• Jerry Sands, LF, Pirates (Indios de Mayaguez, PRWL): 0-3, 3 K. The road from Quad-A player to big leaguer is paved with golden sombreros. In Sands’ case, he’s never been able to replicate his Triple-A power in the majors and has platoon splits too massive for an un-athletic right-hander.

Did Jonathan Singleton Homer?: No, but he did go 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.