The Official 2019 Minor League Statline and Prospect Discussion Thread

[Tank]

3 hours ago, Lou said:

Boomer Prinstein is a great name for alt-rock band 

Norm MacDonald:
And in music news, number one on the college charts this summer was 'Better than Ezra'. And at number two: 'Ezra'.

 

 

 

 

[Second Base]

19 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

Scouting 11 Hitters Who Stood Out This Spring

Boomer Prinstein is a former Orioles pro scout. He’s writing for Baseball America about players he’s seen in spring training in Arizona this year. Today, he’s looking at young pitchers who stood out. Yesterday, he looked at 11 pitchers who caught his eye.

To qualify for a spot on this list, the player either needs to be a minor leaguer, yet-to-be-established or rising Major Leaguer. A few of the position players may not be considered young in prospect-terms, but in the case of a few, they have yet to establish themselves or realize their potential in the big leagues.

Jo Adell, OF, Angels

I was able to see Adell for the first time this spring before he went down with a sprained ankle and strained hamstring. I came away very impressed. He has a lean, athletic frame that should continue to fill out, and he has a really nice, handsy swing with plus bat speed and impressive contact ability. Adell showed advanced plate discipline for his age and worked counts well, never letting his swing get to big. He consistently made pitchers get him out with quality pitchers instead of expanding the strike zone and chasing pitches. He's the type of player you definitely notice at the plate with his approach and swing. He kind of reminded me of a young Gary Sheffield. It's maybe not quite the same bat speed—Sheffield had some of the best bat speed of all-time—but there’s a lot to like. Even before the injury, Adell was never going to break camp with the club since he’s still so young, but his future is very bright.

Gotta be honest, I've NEVER heard Sheffield's name thrown around with Adell.  I don't love the comp because of the general difference in stature, but undoubtedly Sheffield remains the gold standard in pre-swing movement and bat speed.  But then again, every comp for Adell that I've seen is imperfect at best.  Torii Hunter is who he reminds me of most so far, but even that's not quire accurate because from pure physcial tools, Hunter was never at the level Adell is right now.  But the overall game seems similar.  Dawson had the same type of pull power, but again, never the athletic stength of Adell.  Dawson was a brute when he pulled the ball though. 

[Dave Saltzer]

On 3/27/2019 at 12:22 PM, totdprods said:

Last year in the 2018 thread, I made a few guesses as to who we should watch and how things might progress...

AAA:
Missed the mark on Almonte, Morris, and Campos...Pena held his own. Zach Houchins didn't do much to improve his stock, nor did he hurt it.
Blash was a monster at AAA, which wasn't too wild of a guess, but he exceeded even his usual lofty, inflated numbers. Rymer was good while he was here. 
Hit the nail on the head with Fletcher and Briceno, maybe even underestimating Jose.

AA:
Barash retired shortly after that post, and Wass was injured almost all year, so that ended that. 
Jose Rojas continues to shine and prove himself more each day. Wesely had an awful year, but Pena and Rodriguez didn't hurt their status.

A: 
Jared Walsh did indeed have a monster year for Inland Empire...and Mobile...and Salt Lake. Jack Kruger is now where Briceno was this time last year. Ryan Vega played one game. 
Luis Rengifo? Don't need to say much there...Baldoquin sort of took a step forward. 
Bertness and Salazar didn't do squat, Procopio and Gatto didn't do a whole lot to help or hurt. 
Jose Suarez did his best Barria impersonation. 

Rookie:
Wenson vanished, MacKinnon hit .333/.457/.513/.970 with more walks than strikeouts his last 45 games, and I don't even remember who Sanchez was.
Rogalla was good - in the two games he pitched - and Ziemba was mediocre. Kida de la Cruz had a mixed year - 6.20 ERA, but 70 K in 53.2 IP.

I'll work on some 2019 predictions and players to watch soon!

You didn't so much miss on Wesely. He was hurt off and on all last year, and even the year before, which has greatly affected his pitching. For a while, he was hitting 94, then hurt his arm, lost the velo, then the control, and it's been a bad ride for him. Good kid, but health hasn't played out.

[Vlad27Trout27]

How fast until Rengifo get's called up? so far La stella and Cozart  aren't cutting it and losing patience in Cozart. Interesting enough read a report where it say, he could play  both corner outfields while having the ability to play both SS/2n. 

[Angel Oracle]

The sooner the better for Rengifo.

They need a potential top of the order spark.

[Blarg]

Thursday is the Inland 66ers opening day. Looks like it's going to be another cold start for the season with temps starting in the low 60's. 

[Vlad27Trout27]

3 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

The sooner the better for Rengifo.

They need a potential top of the order spark.

Totally agreed. especially with the showing La Stella and Cozart gave us. 

[Chuck]

We need to get some minor league rosters up in here. I'm guessing they'll be released tomorrow or Tuesday. 

Also, here's hoping Adell heals up fast. 

[Lou]

4 hours ago, Chuckster70 said:

We need to get some minor league rosters up in here

check the GameDay threads 

[Chuck]

11 hours ago, Lou said:

check the GameDay threads 

[Docwaukee]

11 hours ago, Lou said:

check the GameDay threads 

what about AA or AAA?

[TroutField]

On 3/29/2019 at 10:48 AM, Second Base said:

Gotta be honest, I've NEVER heard Sheffield's name thrown around with Adell.  I don't love the comp because of the general difference in stature, but undoubtedly Sheffield remains the gold standard in pre-swing movement and bat speed.  But then again, every comp for Adell that I've seen is imperfect at best.  Torii Hunter is who he reminds me of most so far, but even that's not quire accurate because from pure physcial tools, Hunter was never at the level Adell is right now.  But the overall game seems similar.  Dawson had the same type of pull power, but again, never the athletic stength of Adell.  Dawson was a brute when he pulled the ball though. 

What about Christian Yelich? (I know, I know he isn’t black) 

[Angelsjunky]

On 3/29/2019 at 7:48 AM, Second Base said:

Gotta be honest, I've NEVER heard Sheffield's name thrown around with Adell.  I don't love the comp because of the general difference in stature, but undoubtedly Sheffield remains the gold standard in pre-swing movement and bat speed.  But then again, every comp for Adell that I've seen is imperfect at best.  Torii Hunter is who he reminds me of most so far, but even that's not quire accurate because from pure physcial tools, Hunter was never at the level Adell is right now.  But the overall game seems similar.  Dawson had the same type of pull power, but again, never the athletic stength of Adell.  Dawson was a brute when he pulled the ball though. 

From this and other reports, what I see is a slightly more athletic version of Torii Hunter with lesser defense but more power and bat speed. Or you could say Gary Sheffield Lite with the bat, but with plus defense and better athleticism.

Sheffield hit .292/.393/.514 with a 141 wRC+ for his career, but his all-time worst -300.9 Defensive runs lead to a 62.1 career fWAR (if he had produced 0 Def, his WAR would have been ~90). Hunter hit .277/.331/.461 with a 110 wRC+, thus being basically above average to good with the bat. His career Def was surprisingly low at -7.9, but that's probably because he played a lot longer in CF than he should have. Most CFers should move to a corner by the time they turn 30 or so.

Some comparable players to consider:

Sheffield: .292/.393/.514, 141 wRC+, -300.9 Def, 62.1 fWAR, 509 HR, 253 SB in 2576 games

Hunter: .277/.331/.461, 110 wRC+, -7.9 Def, 43.0 fWAR, 353 HR, 195 SB in 2372 games

Winfield: .283/.353/.475, 128 wRC+, -243.9 Def, 59.9 fWAR, 465 HR, 223 SB in 2973 games

Dawson: .279/.323/.482, 117 wRC+, -11.8 Def, 59.5 fWAR, 438 HR, 314 SB in 2627 games

 

[Dugout]

Marsh to AA sweet, hopefully the success continues.

[vladdy#27]

 

[vladdy#27]

 

[vladdy#27]

 

[Lou]

Top Reds pitching prospect Hunter Greene is scheduled for Tommy John surgery, the club announced to reporters including C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll miss all of the present season and quite likely some of the 2020 campaign as well.

 

the Reds' medical staff sucks 

[Docwaukee]

28 minutes ago, Lou said:

Top Reds pitching prospect Hunter Greene is scheduled for Tommy John surgery, the club announced to reporters including C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (Twitter link). He’ll miss all of the present season and quite likely some of the 2020 campaign as well.

 

the Reds' medical staff sucks 

he'd almost be almost done with his rehab and on his way to shoulder problems if he were an Angel.  

[Lou]

8 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

he'd almost be almost done with his rehab and on his way to shoulder problems if he were an Angel.  

I agree.

almost. 

[Angelsjunky]

Julian Leon is a sleeper prospect to keep an eye on. I don’t expect great things, but wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the franchise best catching prospect by year’s end, or at least right there with Kruger.

I guess no one claimed Jesus Castillo. Yippety-do-da.

[totdprods]

Adams in Burlington, Marsh to AA...great to see the Angels continuing to push their prospects. Marsh might be closer to reaching the bigs than we'd think. 

Exciting to think about Ward, Thaiss, Rengifo, Jones, Marsh, Adell, Canning, Suarez, Walsh, Rojas, Fletcher, and Hermosillo all being on the big league team next year. It's a possibility. Hell, could happen this September.

[Vlad27Trout27]

If everything clicks, Marsh could be up in September. Just having an outfield of Adell-Trout-marsh.....

[Second Base]

The plan has been to keep Marsh, Jones and Adell grouped together, but last year, Adell's quick progression nixed it for the time being.  Once ST came, he was again operating at a different level than both Marsh and Jones, though it should be noted that all three played like they belong. 

I was really hoping to see Adams in Burlington, and I had heard raving reviews from the organization in Spring.  With him, Maitan, Jackson and Knowles all moving to full season ball, that's quite the wave of talent.  I'm tempering expectations on all fronts in the short term, but long term I feel every single one of those guys from that group will develop into major leaguers.  Adams will be an all-star that plays alongside Adell, Trout and Marsh for a long time.  Maitan will be sort of like our version of Vlad Jr.  Eventually his bat is going to take off and offer serious upside, but there will always be questions about his physicality and defense at 3B until he moves across the diamond.  I like Jackson better as a third baseman but as I hear, the organization will keep him at SS and sees his future more as a 2B.  But that power-speed combo is exciting.  And Knowles is the one that will likely run counter to it all.  I think he'll develop the fastest of the bunch, but also offer the the lowest upside. 

[totdprods]

1 hour ago, Second Base said:

The plan has been to keep Marsh, Jones and Adell grouped together, but last year, Adell's quick progression nixed it for the time being.  Once ST came, he was again operating at a different level than both Marsh and Jones, though it should be noted that all three played like they belong. 

I was really hoping to see Adams in Burlington, and I had heard raving reviews from the organization in Spring.  With him, Maitan, Jackson and Knowles all moving to full season ball, that's quite the wave of talent.  I'm tempering expectations on all fronts in the short term, but long term I feel every single one of those guys from that group will develop into major leaguers.  Adams will be an all-star that plays alongside Adell, Trout and Marsh for a long time.  Maitan will be sort of like our version of Vlad Jr.  Eventually his bat is going to take off and offer serious upside, but there will always be questions about his physicality and defense at 3B until he moves across the diamond.  I like Jackson better as a third baseman but as I hear, the organization will keep him at SS and sees his future more as a 2B.  But that power-speed combo is exciting.  And Knowles is the one that will likely run counter to it all.  I think he'll develop the fastest of the bunch, but also offer the the lowest upside. 

We really need as many of the pitching crop containing Yan, Soriano, Aquino, Hernandez, Rivera, Swanda, Molina, and Chris Rodriguez to take a true step forward this year, to me, more than the bats you mentioned. 

I'd still be satisfied with a Mitch Moreland/Pablo Sandoval/Justin Smoak type outcome for Maitan. Jackson reminds me a bit of Tim Beckham. 

Feels like a lot of these guys could make the bigs quick but not really produce until a year or two later, which I know is true of most prospects, but with most of our guys advancing so quickly, I could see there being some harsher growing pains in Years One and Two, before real production to follow. Kind of like what Yoan Moncada might be going through now.

Edited April 2, 2019 by totdprods