Whatcha know about rolling down in the deep of the minor leagues? Well, read up and know all about it, as Today Geoff Pontes takes you through the Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A levels, while Matt Thompson takes you through Low-A. Read on, brave prospectors!
Griffin Jax, RHP MIN (Triple-A) 6 IP, H, 2 BB, 10 K
Combined with two other pitchers for the one hit shutout. Jax only needed 92 pitches to get through six innings, allowing just three batters to reach base. He looks like he could get some starts in Minnesota if a spot opens up. He was 91-93 mph with the fastball, mixing in his low-80s slider heavily versus right handed hitters. He threw the kitchen sink at lefty hitters, showing his 12-6 high-70s curveball early, mixing in his mid-80s changeup and bread and butter slider. His fastball is hittable but he commanded the pitch well and generated some swinging strikes with the it.
Jackson Kowar, RHP KC (Triple-A) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Trimmed his ERA down to a cool 1.01 over 26.2 IP, he has 36 strikeouts to just 9 walks over that time, and has yet to give up a homer.
Edward Olivares, OF KC (Triple-A) 2-for-4, R, SB
Once again I’m asking why Edward Olivares is not the starting right fielder for the Kansas City Royals?
Ryan Rolison, LHP COL (Triple-A) 5 IP, 5 H, ER, 7 K, HR Allowed
In what has been an up and down season for Rolison, he’s had three good starts and two bad starts which has skewed his numbers some. He’s a backend of the rotation starter that can give you five innings more often than not.
Nolan Jones, OF CLE (Triple-A) 2-for-4, 2 RBI, R
Don’t look now but Nolan Jones is waking up! He now has a ten game on base streak with hits in nine of those games. Over that same period he’s slashing .333/.450/.545 with a 17.5 BB%. That’s the good, now the bad. He’s also running a 42.5 K%. Yikes! Therein lies the rub with Jones, he’ll get on base and show some fireworks with the bat, but he’s way too passive and it inflates his strikeouts.
Alex Jackson, C ATL (Triple-A) 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB
He may actually be the hottest hitter on earth at the moment. Connecting for four homers over his last two games including three on Thursday night and one last night. William Contreras has been fairly good but Jackson should see some of the starts behind the plate in Atlanta once he’s recalled.
Wander Franco, SS TB (Triple-A) 2-for-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
Took a high fastball and deposited it into the right field stands. Made a great defensive play in the ninth inning as well. That’s what Wander is, a potential impact player on both sides of the ball with innate twitch.
Drew Strotman, RHP TB (Triple-A) 5 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K
After this start Strotman dropped his ERA to 2.45 supported by a 3.05 FIP. Our own Tyler Jennings was at his start Sunday and he mixes a fastball that sits 92-96 mph, with a cutter 87-90, and a high 70s hook. He’s likely to get some innings in Tampa this summer. Whether that’s in a more traditional starter’s role or some other Rays style concoction, remains to be seen.
Blake Rutherford, OF (Triple-A) 3-for-6, 2 R, BB
Yesterday in between recording episodes of our draft show, Joe Doyle mentioned Rutherford’s resurgence. I, being an a-hole, tossed cold water on it. Blake must have heard me because he went out and got on base four times. There’s definitely regression coming, but hey, at least he’s better than Mickey!
Jake Burger, 3B CWS (Triple-A) 2-for-5, RBI, 2 R, BB
See ball, eat ball. That’s Burger’s style, he’s aggressive early in counts and doesn’t look to walk. He looks to make hard contact and put the ball in play. Thus far in 2021 the approach has worked as he’s off to a strong start after dealing with injuries across his last few seasons. The question is, will this aggressive approach work at the major league level for a player whose profile is expected to carry on base and power?
Gavin Sheets, 1B CWS (Triple-A) 4-for-6, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R
The King Of The Sheet is back! Much like Burger he’s aggressively putting the ball in play this season and has yielded strong results with the Knights. Prior to 2021 Sheets had seen all his time in the field at first base; but due to organizational needs has spent time in the outfield this season.
Daz Cameron, OF DET (Triple-A) 2-for-4, 2 RBI, BB
He’s been on absolute fire since coming back from injury. The Tigers are currently rolling out the remains of Nomar Mazara, and I don’t see why Daz shouldn’t be getting that time.
Cal Raleigh, C SEA (Triple-A) 2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R
“Why isn’t Cal Raleigh in the majors?”. A common question we’ve heard over the last few weeks. Frankly for a team starting Jose Godoy and rostering Jacob Nottingham I don’t fully have an answer. Oh wait, that’s right… Tanking!
Donovan Casey, OF LAD (Double-A) 4-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R
A 20th rounder back in 2017, Casey has average bat ball skills and below average power, he can play all three outfield positions and run a little. It’s a fifth outfielder ceiling that’s looking to beat the odds and get to the big leagues. He’s a late round pick out of Boston College, so you know I’m a fan.
Ryan Noda, 1B LAD (Double-A) 2-for-4, HR, BB
The Noid was not avoided tonight as he connected for his 7th homer of the young season. After 22 games Noda is running a .240 batting average and a .898 OPS. Very on brand.
Andre Jackson, RHP LAD (Double-A) 5 IP, 2 H, ER, 7 K, HR Allowed
Great fastball shape, above-average velocity, and the ability to command the pitch to all quadrants setup the rest of Jackson’s arsenal. This was his longest start of the year and he really only made one mistake all night, allowing a home run to Brian O’Keefe in the second.
Dom Fletcher, OF ARI (Double-A) 2-for-4, HR
The younger Fletcher has been on the struggle bus to start 2021, slashing just .200/.260/.343. Perhaps this is the spark the former Razorbacks star needed to turn his season around.
Tommy Henry, LHP ARI (Double-A) 6 IP, 2 ER, 2 BB, 9 K
The former University of Michigan ace, Henry has good angle on his fastball and tunnels his slider well off of it. He’s a lefty with average stuff and a good foundation of pitchability. Likely a back end option at some point as soon as mid-2022. Off topic, but the Sod Poodles powder blue jerseys are the crème de la crème of MiLB uniforms.
Cesar Rosado, RHP HOU (Double-A) 5 IP, 3 H, 9 K
A short righthander that throws exclusively from the stretch, Rosado mixes a fastball and slider primarily and has the looks of a middle reliever.
Nolan Gorman, 3B STL (Double-A) 2-for-5, HR, 2 R
Our sweet, sweet boy when YABO! This was just his third of the season and his OPS is currently below .800. Look for Gorman to pick it up over the next few weeks and get on a tear. Despite some early struggles there are few bats I believe in more than Gorman’s. There were always going to be bumps in the road and adjustments that needed to be made, it will happen. Trust the process or whatever.
Bubba Thompson, OF TEX (Double-A) 1-for-5, HR, 4 RBI
It was an O-fer prior to his final at bat, but Thompson stepped up with the bases juiced and delivered with a grand slam of the walkoff variety. There’s a really fun skillset here and still more projection remaining as he hones his hit tool and approach.
Logan Davidson, 3B OAK (Double-A) 2-for-3, 2 RBI, R, BB
The captain of the struggle bus has been so bad I’m considering dropping his role grade substantially. This is the same struggle I saw in the Cape Cod League, an inability to make contact and a general dark cloud that hung over his game. He has however shown the ability to make adjustments and overcome rough patches. Let’s see where this goes.
Shane Baz, RHP TB (Double-A) 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 10 K, HR Allowed
He was dominant outside a rough fourth inning where he allowed all four runs, including a three run jack off the bat of Drew Lugbauer.
Drew Lugbauer, 1B ATL (Double-A) 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R.
Lugbauer has been good in the early going, running a .444 OBP with a .511 slugging percentage. It is however very much a three true outcome profile with a 16.7 BB% and a 29.6 K%.
Odalvi Javier, RHP ATL (Double-A) 5 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 6 K, HR Allowed
On an absolute tear to start 2021 with his ERA now at 1.76. It’s been a tightrope act however as his command has been pretty rough. He’s tough to barrel and has kept hitters off his fastball while missing bats at a fairly good clip (12.2 SwStr%).
Cooper Criswell, RHP LAA (Double-A) 5.1 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 8 K
Another player off to a really strong start, Criswell boasts a 26.4% K-BB%. A 2018 13th round pick has taken a big step forward here and is worth further digging.
Nick Pratto, 1B KC (Double-A) 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB
We should just name this the Nick Pratto Daily Sheet at this point because he owns it. Even when he’s not hitting measuring tape homers he’s getting on base and putting the ball in play. Great to see one of the prettiest lefty swings in the minors finally put it all together.
Alec Marsh, RHP KC (Double-A) 5 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 7 K, 2 HR Allowed
Struggled with his command all night giving up multiple homers and missing the zone a fair amount (81 pitches, 50 strikes). There’s still command questions here but the stuff holds and he misses bats.
Johan Mieses, OF BOS (Double-A) 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
Connected for his tenth homer to draw himself in a tie with Jo Adell for the minor league lead. I have no idea if he’s taken a step forward or not. I also can’t tell you if it will work at the major league level but he’s a former Cardinals outfield prospect so he’s probably good. That’s how this works right?
Peyton Burdick, OF MIA (Double-A) 1-for-5, HR, 4 RBI
The Avian Phallic does nothing but hits homers or make outs, and tonight was of the go-ahead grand slam variety. It’s good to see that he’s hitting for power but you’d like to see less strikeouts and more contact.
J.J. Bleday, OF MIA (Double-A) 2-for-4, BB
Thanks for joining the party J.J.! Both of his hits went for extra bases as Bleday connected for a double and a triple. It’s been a rough go of it early on in 2021, as Bleday has been incredibly passive. Perhaps this is the spark needed to get his bat in gear.
Chris McMahon, RHP COL (High-A) 6 IP, 5 H, ER, 7 K, HR Allowed
Outside of one mistake McMahon was good, showed three pitches and threw strikes. This is on the heels of a pair of poor showings, so it was good to see the former University of Miami star right the ship.
Willie MacIver, C COL (High-A) 3-for-5, RBI, R
Let’s just get this out of the way, I (Geoff) love MacIver. He’s not a buzzy prospect name but he does everything well, can catch and play a few positions in the dirt. He’s maybe not an everyday player but he’s a future major leaguer.
Brenton Doyle, OF COL (High-A) 2-for-5, RBI, 2 SB
After stinging the ball in his 2019 debut, Doyle is picking up where he left off, showing contact, power, on base ability and running at will. This is an exciting potential everyday regular that can make anything happen when he’s on the field. The fourth rounder out of Division 3 Shepherd in West Virginia.
Ryan Gold, DH TOR (High-A) 2-for-4, HR
If life gives you lemons, paint that sh*t gold. Ryan, a former 2016 27th round pick, did just that.
Nick Fraze, RHP TOR (High-A) 6 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K
A 2019 22nd rounder Fraze has been cruising in the first three turns in the rotation; tossing six innings each time out while striking out 19 to just three walks. A name worth a watch to see if there’s anything here.
Andy Yerzy, DH ARI (High-A) 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
A second rounder way back in 2016, it’s easy to forget Yerzy is still just 22 (turning 23 in July). Which means he is still pretty old for the high-A level. There’s not much here in the way of approach, pretty much all power.
Griffin Conine, OF MIA (High-A) 2-for-5, 2 R
This came with a couple of strikeouts but his OPS is now up to .975. There’s been a lot of ups and downs for Conine but he looks like he’s turning it around. A three true outcome type hitter with big raw power.
Matt Canterino, RHP MIN (High-A) 4 IP, 3 H, 10 K
ERA now down to an even 1.00. Why isn’t he in Double-A yet? Hell, bring him up to Triple-A! Canterino is dealing this season as he now has 35 strikeouts to 3 walks over 18 innings. His 24.2% swinging strike rate leads all qualified pitchers in minor league baseball.
Korry Howell, OF MIL (High-A) 2-for-5, 2 R, 2 SB
One of the most exciting players in A-Ball this season, the former Juco Bandit is slashing .303/.400/.605 with six homers and nine steals. It looks like he could find his way onto prospect lists if he keeps this up.
Victor Castaneda, RHP MIL (High-A) 6.2 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K
Fastball+splitter type that’s seen a velocity bump over the last year, Castaneda landed 13th on our Brewers list. He’s been up and down this year as he’s coming off a pair of rough starts.
Clayton Beeter, RHP LAD (High-A) IP, 3 K
Opened the game and struck out the side. Beeter looks destined for the Dodgers bullpen in 2022. His stuff is electric but it looks like the organization is doing one of two things, A. masking an injury B. Grooming him for a relief role. Then again it might be C. Both.
Ethan Elliot, LHP SD (High-A) 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 6 K
The 2019 10th rounder out of Division 2 Lincoln Memorial doesn’t have overwhelming stuff. His fastball sits in the 88-90 mph range but he flashes a plus changeup that keeps hitters off balance. He’s been dominant in 2021 striking out 38 strikeouts to 6 walks over 24.2 IP. He’s also allowed four home runs, which speaks to his hittable fastball.
Tirso Ornelas, OF SD (High-A) 2-for-5, 2 RBI, 2 R
Damn I forgot that Tirso was still playing baseball and frankly his .231/.296/.354 slash doesn’t change that much for me. His prospect status was a bad rumor and we’ve seen nothing now over 1,000 minor league plate appearances.
Jay Groome, LHP BOS (High-A) 5 IP, H, ER, 4 K
In his best start of the 2021 season Groome continued to right the ship after three awful turns to start the year. There’s still a lot to like here but his stuff isn’t quite as good as was advertised at the draft. The starter’s build and pitch mix give him a shot to carve out a backend starter’s role long term.
Jase Bowen, OF PIT (Low-A) 3-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI
The 2019 11th rounder popped two homers in this one. The Pirates seem to be grooming him as a future utility option as Bowen has spent time at 2B, 3B, and all three outfield spots since getting drafted. He’s going to have to keep hitting if he’s going to have a long career as a utility man without playing shortstop, and so far so good as all four homers in his career have come in 2021. Bowen is currently hitting .250/.311/.471 on the season.
Steven Jennings, RHP PIT (Low-A) 4 IP, 5 H, 6 K
The Pirates keep doing interesting things with their arms in the minors this year, and Jennings is no exception. The 2017 second rounder has been disappointing so far, no other way to really put it but the command seems to be much improved compared to 2019. He’s got a five pitch mix with no plus offering, but improving the command can go a long way to carving out a big league future.
Levi Prater, LHP STL (Low-A) 4 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 10 K
Prater is a strong bet to post some weird pitching lines and here’s one that perfectly sums up his professional career to this point. He threw 92 pitches in this one, but couldn’t make it out of the fifth with only 48 pitches landing for strikes. He relies on his secondary stuff to generate whiffs but his command will abandon him at times. The fastball averaged 90.4 while topping out at 92.5, and he’s going to need improved command at that velocity band.
Austin Wells, C NYY (Low-A) 3-for-5, 2 RBI
Wells is having an OK season in Low-A, but he’s been overshadowed this year by teammates Anthony Volpe and Trevor Hauver so far. Wells is hitting .262/.376/.405 with only one homer for the Tampa Tarpons. He’s getting on base at a strong clip, but a hitter with this profile was expected to have more than one homer at this point.
Zac Cook, OF TOR (Low-A) 2-for-2, 2B, SB, BB
Cook has only 14 at-bats so far but he’s made the most out of them so far. I don’t know much about the UDFA out of Texas-Arlington but it said a lot when the Blue Jays inserted him into the leadoff spot in his first game and he’s hit there every game he’s played since.
Addison Barger, DH TOR (Low-A) 5-for-5, 2 HR, 3B, 2B, 3 R, 7 RBI
So this has to be the offensive line of the year right? Barger hit for the cycle and added another homer for good measure on his way to 14 total bases, and seven RBI. Barger is traditionally a shortstop but was DH’ing in this one, and he’s up to .319/.388/.625 on the year, but those numbers are skewed by this game. He needs to make more consistent contact but instead of telling him that I’ll just let him enjoy this one.
Dalvy Rosario, SS MIA (Low-A) 3-for-3, 2 R, BB
I don’t have any real information on Dalvy, but by looking at his player page this may have been his finest offensive game in his professional career. Props to Dalvy! Now it’s on the internet forever!
Federico Polanco, 3B MIA (Low-A) 2-for-4, 3 RBI
A favorite of ProspectsLive’s Ian Smith, and if Ian likes him then you should too. Polanco came over from the Mets for Jordan Yamamoto and he’s putting together a nice season so far. He’s hitting .303/.361/.455 on the season.
Christian Inoa, 2B TEX (Low-A) 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
Inoa was an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic signed by the Rangers in 2015. He hasn’t shown much offensively in his career, but this game gets him immortalized on the sheet, and good for him.
Tekoah Roby, RHP TEX (Low-A) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 9 K
It was Roby’s fourth professional outing and the longest of his career to this point. Roby has a projectable frame and the Florida prep arm from the 2020 draft has a big league future if he can stay healthy and continue to miss bats.
Ernesto Martinez, 1B MIL (Low-A) 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI
He did it again! A three peat! Martinez has hit his way onto the sheet for the third straight night, putting him on track to make the sheet hall of fame. He’s absolutely raking and should get bumped to High-A any day now and might be one of the Brewers top offensive prospects if he keeps this up.
Jhoan Cruz, RHP MIL (Low-A) 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 7 K
Cruz is actually having a really nice season so far if you remove his outing at Delmarva last time out when he got tagged for nine runs, all earned, in just 1 ⅓ innings. I don’t have any info on him besides the stat line, so if you do feel free to pass it along.
Jordan Westburg, SS BAL (Low-A) 2-for-2, 3B, 2 RBI
Westburg is too advanced for Low-A, and is hitting .358 with a 1.065 OPS.
Cade Bunnell, 3B ATL (Low-A) 2-for-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI, SB
The 40th rounder from the 2019 draft with a big night, ordering the slam and legs off the menu. Being a last round pick though he likely doesn’t have the coin to order this meal very often, so Cade was treating himself tonight.
Kale Emshoff, C KC (Low-A) 2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI
A big night for the UDFA out of Arkansas. Kale is in fact a super food if you didn’t know, and it is also gross so do with that information what you will. I much prefer this Kale, and he was one of the biggest UDFA fish to sign with a MLB club after the 2020 draft.
Curtis Mead, 3B TB (Low-A) 2-for-5, HR, 2B
I wish Mead was in a different organization because there’s enough here to potentially be an everyday big leaguer but in Tampa he’s 44th in line at the deli counter.
Cole Wilcox, RHP TB (Low-A) 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Business as usual for the Georgia Bulldog, and Wilcox has a sparkling 2.05 ERA this season in 22 innings with 19 strikeouts and three walks. His power sinker will generate more weak contact than whiffs as he climbs the organizational ladder, but for now he’s bullying hitters with it.
Carson Ragsdale, RHP SF (Low-A) 5 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 12 K
The righty out of South Florida was drafted by the Phillies but sent to the Giants for reliever Sam Coonrod. Rsgsdale has been dominating Low-A bats as he has 35 strikeouts in just under 20 innings with a 0.92 WHIP.
Marco Luciano, SS SF (Low-A) 2-for-4
Luciano stays hot, with a pair of singles in this one.
Joe Davis, 1B BOS (Low-A) 3-for-4, 2 2B, BB
Davis makes the sheet again. Back-to-back nights for the masher, mashing just like he needs to do.
Lazaro Armenteros, OF OAK (Low-A) 4-for-4, 2B, BB
A big night for Lazarito. He got on base five times and didn’t strike out in this one. He’s hitting .339/.431/.577 on the year but with the highest BABIP in MiLB at .667.
Diego Cartaya, C LAD (Low-A) 2-for-4, BB, 3 R
Cartaya is one of the more athletic catchers in the minors, especially when you consider his size. This was only his third game of the year but he’s off to a fast start with six hits in his first twelve at-bats.
Cade Marlowe, OF SEA (Low-A) 2-for-4, R
Marlowe is feasting on Low-A pitching and is becoming a dynasty prospect to roster. Good power and speed combo with some feel for hit in the early going.
Taylor Dollard, RHP SEA (Low-A) 5 ⅔ IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 10 KT
So he is human after all. The pitchability righty took the loss in this one despite throwing 70 of his 95 pitches for strikes. He’s out pitched his stuff so far but is interesting enough to still occupy one of the last slots on your dynasty roster.
Brandon Pfaadt, RHP ARI (Low-A) 6 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
The 2020 fifth rounder out of Bellarmine University out pitched Dollard in this one. Bellarmine is a private Catholic school in Louisville, Kentucky which is also Pfaadt’s hometown. Pfaadt is a strikethrower that sits in the low 90s with his sinker, but can touch 95. He’s got a solid pitcher’s frame but his inconsistent breaking ball could push him to the bullpen.