August 4, 2016

Minor League Update

Games of Wednesday, August 3rd

by Christopher Crawford

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Prospect of the Day:

Dylan Cozens, OF, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 4-for-5, 4 R, 3B, 3 HR, SB.
What a difference a (couple of) year(s) makes. Cozens has gone from a guy who many believed was a non-prospect to—and this isn’t a universal opinion, but I’ve heard it—a legit middle-of-the-order option. Keep in mind that Cozens was a big-time football prospect, so he didn’t have the prototypical developmental path you see. There’s a ton of swing-and-miss here, but there’s also a chance for plus-plus power, and he’s made progress with the glove. At the very least, Cozens is interesting, and that’s not something we could say not all that long ago.

Others of Note

Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers (Triple-A Colorado Springs): 6 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K. I’ve said this six times before but it bears repeating: When Hader throws strikes, his stuff competes with that of (almost) anyone.

D.J. Peterson, 1B, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma): 5-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR. Peterson’s homer was of the inside-the-park variety, which is always fun. After a disastrous 2015 campaign, he’s responded pretty nicely in 2016.

Lewis Brinson, OF, Brewers (Triple-A Colorado Springs): 2-for-4, HR, K. Since joining the Brewers organization, he’s hitting .750. Milwaukee wins the trade.

Dominic Smith 1B, Mets (Double-A Binghamton): 3-for-4, R, 2B, K. The Mets made this young man basically untouchable at the trade deadline, so New York wins the trade deadline.

Ryan Yarbrough, LHP, Mariners (Double-A Jackson): 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. He’s no longer the Mariners fifth-best prospect like we listed him in the winter, but that’s more due to developments/draft picks than anything Yarbrough hasn’t done. He’s still got a chance to be a good starting pitcher.

Jake Junis, RHP, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. With so many Royals pitchers struggling on the farm in 2016, Junis has been a revelation, showing two plus pitches and excellent control.

Trevor Clifton, RHP, Cubs (High-A Myrtle Beach): 7 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K. Slowly but surely, Clifton has become one of the Cubs best pitching prospects, missing plenty of bats with a plus fastball and above-average curve.

Zack Collins, C, White Sox (High-A Winston-Salem): 3-for-4, 2B. 3-for-4, R, 2B. Collins was one of the most advanced bats coming out this year’s draft, so it’s no surprise that he’s handling Carolina League pitching.

Dillon Peters, LHP, Marlins (HIgh-A Jupiter): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K. Peters has an out pitch in his curveball, and although nothing else flashes more than average, he has a chance to start because of his ability to locate his arsenal for strikes.

Micker Adolfo, OF, White Sox (Low-A Kannapolis): 3-for-5, HR, SB. Adolfo tantalizes with his talent, and even though it hasn’t translated into even decent numbers yet, he’s still only 19 and has plenty of upside.

Francisco Mejia, C, Indians (High-A Lynchburg): 2-for-4. The hit streak is now at 45 games. Cleveland wins the non-trade.

Kolby Allard, LHP, Braves (Low-A Rome): 6.1, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K. Had the 2015 draft been held in March, Allard would have been a top-five pick. The Braves are very thankful the draft wasn’t held in March.

Nick Banks, OF, Nationals (Short-Season Auburn): 2-for-4, 2B, K. Banks has a great chance to hit for average, and not that long ago, he showed some feel for power at Texas A&M. It’ll be interesting to see if Washington tries to change the swing path back to what he showed as a sophomore.

A.J. Puk, LHP, Athletics (Short-Season Vermont): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K. They’re taking things nice and slow with Puk, and considering the back trouble he battled at Florida, that’s the right path to take.

Austin Franklin, RHP, Rays (Short-Season GCL): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K. The Rays third-round pick in 2015, Franklin has impressed scouts with his above-average fastball and curve combination, and he’ll also show an average change. The command has a long way to go, but there’s plenty of time for that to develop.

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