The newly minted High-A Central league used to be that the first level of full season baseball most players started at when it was known as Low-A Midwest. But now instead of typical high school first round draft picks, it’s more college 1st rounders starting at this level. Joining them are former Midwest League alum that are “repeating” the level after a lost 2020. Some players are finding early success due to being more familiar with their surroundings. I've been fortunate to catch all of the High A Central teams this past month for at least one game and there have been plenty of players that caught my eye as they make their first impression.
Here are a few position by position standouts through the early going.
CATCHER: Dillon Dingler, West Michigan (Detroit Tigers)
Dingler was the first pick on Day 2 of the MLB Draft last year and he continued to garner more attention during his time at the team’s alternate site last year as well as spring. He has the look of a guy that should've not only gone Day 1, but a player that has a legitimate chance to be a top 100 prospect as well as top 10 catcher. Dingler is a strong armed catcher that has probably the best arm in the High-A Central with the athleticism of a JT Realmuto type catcher behind the plate as well as on the bases. He combines his plus defensive ability with an excellent feel for the barrel as balls easily jump off his bat for extra base hits.
For a deeper dive on Dingler, our Scouting Director James Chipman caught him live as well in spring.
Honorable Mentions: Will Banfield, Beloit (Miami Marlins) Jair Camargo, Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins).
FIRST BASE: Spencer Torkelson, West Michigan (Detroit Tigers)
At the start of the season many would have expected to see Spencer Torkelson's name at one of the corner infield spots and although he's struggled a bit early on. He's not the only first base prospect to struggle through the early going at the position. Torkelson has hit all of his career home runs as a pro while playing 1st base so far and he also had a two-home run game on May 29. Despite some of the early season struggles he does a lot of little things to help the team win like stealing bases when drawing leadoff walks and continuing to have a leader type presence in staying even keel despite the early season struggles. I believe he will continue to prove why he was the #1 pick last year as the season goes on.
For more on Tork, read the link in the Dingler blurb from Chipman.
Honorable Mention: Vinnie Pasquantino, Quad Cities (Kansas City Royals) Gabe Snyder, Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins) Reynaldo Rivera, West Michigan (Detroit Tigers)
2ND BASE: Spencer Steer, Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins)
Steer is the quintessential grinder type of player who does more than the numbers show as he has very good instincts and does lots of little things well that go a long way in helping a team win games. When I saw him play earlier this season the moment that stood out to me the most was when he drew a walk from Asa Lacy and then later on in the inning stole home with two outs.
Honorable Mention: Brian Rey, Dayton (Cincinnati Reds) Andre Lipcius, West Michigan (Detroit Tigers)
3RD BASE: Miguel Vargas, Great Lakes (Los Angeles Dodgers)
This is the second time that Miguel Vargas has played for the Great Lakes Loons as he was a Midwest League All-Star in 2019 when they were part of Low A. He looks even better and more comfortable despite playing against more advanced competition. Vargas is playing a solid defensive third base while hitting over .300. There are some questions as to how much power he'll eventually hit for but it seems like just a matter of time before he earns a promotion to Tulsa. He already has had two 9-game hitting streaks so far this season.
Honorable Mention: Jordan Diaz, Lansing (Oakland Athletics) Malcolm Nunez, Peoria (St. Louis Cardinals) Seth Gray, Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins)
SHORTSTOP: Leonel Valera, Great Lakes (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Valera is another player that spent time with Great Lakes in 2019 that's having success now in High A Central. Not known for his power, he's started to drive the ball with authority upping his slugging over 250 points from his numbers in 2019. He's shown some exciting power and so far this year and is looking like his bat is ready for a new challenge. Over a 5-game span from May 21-26 he went 8-for-20 with a double, a triple, and three home runs while driving in 11 runs. While he currently plays shortstop, there's a good chance he will move over to second base in the majors.
Honorable Mention: Max Schuemann, Lansing (Oakland Athletics) Jose Tena, Lake County (Cleveland Indians) Nick Loftin, Quad Cities (Kansas City Royals)
OUTFIELD
Korry Howell, Wisconsin (Milwaukee Brewers)
Howell also played in the Midwest League in 2019 and at the time struggled a bit hitting just .235. However at the time he did show signs of a player with some obvious talent at the time. In High A he's really taken off showing above average defensive ability in centerfield while also showing the versatility to play at shortstop (work in progress) as well all-fields power and speed (6 HR and 9 SB in 20 games). On May 7 he went 3-for-4 with just a double shy of hitting for the cycle while scoring 4 runs.
Andy Pages, Great Lakes (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Pages (pronounced pa-hayes) is one of the youngest players in High A Central and with that comes some growing pains but when you watch him play he shows you little things that you see in star players. From May 26-June 1, he homered 4 times while driving in 11 showing the ability to drive the ball consistently while hitting for average. It seems like the more acclimated he gets the better he's going to do. The fact that he's already showing he can hit for power early on is a good sign, plus he has shown an ability to make in-game adjustments at the plate.
George Valera, Lake County (Cleveland Indians)
Valera has been a well known name since signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2017 when he was a top international signee. Most people know him for his power which was among the best in the New-York Penn League in 2019. The interesting thing of note when I saw him was that speed might be a larger part of his game. He hit a triple and then legged out an infield single in my looks. If the speed he displayed that day is indeed another part of his game he has a good chance to be one of the most exciting players in High A Central.
Honorable Mention: Conor Scott, Beloit (Miami Marlins) Griffin Conine, Beloit (Miami Marlins) Agustin Ruiz, Fort Wayne (San Diego Padres) Matt Wallner, Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins) Michael Guldberg, Lansing (Oakland Athletics) Michael Siani, Dayton (Cincinnati Reds) Bryant Packard, West Michigan (Detroit Tigers) Nelson Velazquez, South Bend (Chicago Cubs)
RIGHT HANDED PITCHERS:
Bobby Miller, Great Lakes (Los Angeles Dodgers)
Miller is the definition of a power pitcher. His fastball sits 95-98 consistently. He complements his power fastball with a slider that has the makings of a plus pitch while also working on developing a curveball and changeup. He's definitely one fans should keep an eye on as he could move through the Dodgers system fairly quickly.
Blayne Enlow, RHP, Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins)
The day I saw Blayne Enlow pitch he was facing Asa Lacy and almost everyone thought Asa was the arm that would impress more but it was Blayne Enlow stole the show. Enlow looked great striking out 7 batters over 5 innings while displaying plenty of swing and miss with both of his breaking balls in his slider and his curveball. He does an excellent job of throwing strikes and commanding his fastball which allows him to use his secondary pitches efficiently and he has the all the makings of a starting pitcher to go along with a nice projectable build meaning there's still plenty of room for growth which is exciting if you’re a fan and scary if your a hitter.
Zach McCambley, RHP, Beloit (Miami Marlins)
McCambley has been impressive through the early going with his best performance of the season being his home debut when he went out and pitched 7 perfect innings on May 11. He's an impressive arm whose best pitch is his slider that sits 80-83. He also mixes speeds well and throws strikes.
Anderson Espinoza, Fort Wayne (San Diego Padres)
I was fortunate to catch Anderson Espinoza's first time back on a mound pitching professionally in over 1,700 days (about 4 ½ years). The former top 100 pitching prospect impressed over two innings with his fastball sitting around 97-98 to go along with a plus changeup. He's a super exciting arm that hopefully will stay healthy as there's still a ton of upside there with him.
Matt Canterino, RHP, Cedar Rapids (Minnesota Twins)
I saw Matt Canterino pitch in 2019 with Cedar Rapids shortly after being drafted and came away impressed. The scary thing for hitters is he's only gotten better since then. Along with Blayne Enlow, Cedar Rapids has two of the more exciting arms in the entire High A Central. On May 28, Canterino struck out 10 batters over 4 shutout innings with 0 walks and only 3 hits allowed. His fastball has topped out at 99 in the past and he has a solid curveball and changeup.
Honorable Mention: Tanner Burns, Lake County (Cleveland Indians) Lyon Richardson, Dayton (Cincinnati Reds) Graham Ashcraft, Dayton (Cincinnati Reds) Noah Davis, Dayton (Cincinnati Reds) Keider Montero, West Michigan (Detroit Tigers) Beau Brieske, West Michigan (Detroit Tigers) Clayton Beeter, Great Lakes (Los Angeles Dodgers) Hunter Gaddis, Lake County (Cleveland Indians) Mason Hickman, Lake County (Cleveland Indians) Stevie Emanuels, Lansing (Oakland Athletics) Kyle Nicolas, Beloit (Miami Marlins) Reese Olson, Wisconsin (Milwaukee Brewers)
LEFT HANDED PITCHERS:
Logan Allen, Lake County (Cleveland Indians)
I was fortunate to see Allen's pro debut and he absolutely impressed me with his ability to throw strikes consistently as well as keep hitters off balance with his three-pitch mix. His fastball sits 90-94 and is complemented by a slider that has the potential to be a plus or better pitch. He will also use a changeup. He's impressed almost every outing so far in the High A Central and has a good chance to be promoted soon.
Asa Lacy, Quad Cities (Kansas City Royals)
I got to see Asa Lacy's first home start for Quad Cities and it wasn't a very good performance — 6 walks over 1.2 innings. The thing that was impressive however was how good his stuff was in the zone. When he was throwing strikes, he was overpowering hitters and generating a lot of swing and miss with both his fastball and his slider, leading me to believe that once he's able to throw more strikes consistently he'll be able to bounce back with some big game performances.
Angel Zerpa, LHP, Quad Cities (Kansas City Royals)
Zerpa is an advanced pitcher for his age and he's really done well putting up good numbers through the first month of the season. He's not overpowering but he does an excellent job of throwing strikes while changing speeds effectively with a fastball that sits 90-93 and a changeup that sits 81-85. His body is projectable which should allow him to continue to add velocity which makes him a very intriguing arm.
Honorable Mention: Ethan Elliott, Fort Wayne (San Diego Padres) Burl Carraway, South Bend (Chicago Cubs)