Brennen Davis - RF - Iowa Cubs (Cubs Triple-A)
Davis has long been at the top of my desired “Live Looks” list, both because he’s the top guy in the Cubs’ system and because he’s the next wave of talent that will be stationed in Des Moines until he receives the call to the bigs. Davis started in RF in both games I attended, the first of which was cancelled after the 2nd inning due to rain. Through no cause of his own, my limited look was ultimately rather mundane as he was not tested defensively and was mostly pitched around.
Davis burst onto the scene in AAA with two homeruns in his first two at-bats with the Iowa Cubs. He knocked out two more in his other 54 at-bats, and I was regrettably witness to none of them. In the box, Davis stands crouched and slightly open with his hands high. Davis is a commanding presence; he’s tall, lean, and as with Bobby Witt, carries a certain aura. Pitchers are aware of his ability, and that ultimately played into the quality of pitches he saw. In his first at-bat, he took two inside pitches, a pitch high, a 3-0 strike down the middle, and then a pitch well low and out of the zone; he did not take a swing while he drew the walk. In his second at-bat, Davis saw better pitches with guys on base, and he was still able to work the count to 3-2. He swung through velocity twice in the at-bat, the final of which was a foul tip to end the ending. He did not see quality pitching after that.
Davis takes some big swings, and it can get long, but it’s with better-than-plus bat speed. There’s obvious strikeout tendencies here - he struck out about a third of the time - and he struggled against lefties during the entirety of the 2021 season. Davis remains the best prospect in the Cubs system, and we had him as a 60 OFP in our in-season update, but he still has work to do. I expect him to spend a nice chunk of the 2022 season in AAA.
Christopher Morel - 3B/LF - Iowa Cubs (Cubs Triple-A)
My infatuation with Morel is no secret; he’s one of the most impressive athletes in the Cubs’ system, and he’s someone I hyped last offseason as a potential breakout. That breakout did not come, but he reached AAA for the last series of the season and still shows the tools that make him an intriguing 22-year old talent. The knock on the profile has been, and continues to be, his hit tool. He hit .220 in AA and .257 in limited at-bats while in AAA. Across 1 full-game and 1 rained out after the 2nd inning, I was able to catch five at-bats. He struck out in the only at-bat from the rain out, and then hit a pair of singles and took a walk in his final game. What was most encouraging in my view was one specific pitch; Morel sat back on a plus curveball and lined it through the gap on the left side. This was important to me as I noted his pitch recognition was an area that needed improvement in his offseason report. He still has swing and miss concerns but, at least in that one at-bat, he was unfazed by offspeed stuff, and to me that is a sign of progress. Morel has above-average to plus bat speed and is able to turn around on inside velocity, something he did in his first at-bat of the second game. While I did not see him impact the ball in my limited look, I still think there’s future average or better power waiting to be untapped with improvement of the hit tool.
In the game that did not count, I saw Morel bobble a ball at 3B, but he managed to keep it in front of him and rifle the ball across the infield to beat the runner. He has tremendous arm strength, and I probably underrated it during the offseason; it’s close to plus-plus and plays anywhere on the field. That play aside, Morel had few defensive opportunities beyond tracking down routine fly balls. He’s a fluid athlete with average range, and he’s probably an average or above-average defender in several different spots - he played 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, and RF this season. The arm talent allows the profile to play up, as does his footspeed in the grass. Morel is a plus runner who glides around the bases. He’s instinctual and keeps his eye on the ball at all times and is prepared to take an extra base given the opportunity. He’s a double digit steals guy at the next level given the opportunity.
Morel has everyday upside, and I cannot stress that enough, but the hit tool concerns and his defensive flexibility have him shaping up to be a super-utility type for the Cubs. I had him as a 50 OFP in the offseason but we’ve since scaled that back to a 45 given the lack of development with the hit tool. Morel should spend most of next season in AAA, and I’m anxious to keep watching him. He’s just a fun player who has more pure physical upside than most.
Bobby Witt Jr. - SS - Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals Triple-A)
I’ve had the good fortune to see Bobby Witt about a half-dozen times this season, and he was the star of an earlier Live Looks piece shortly after he arrived in AAA. This most recent series, however, was my first time watching him at SS. I discussed some internal speculation about his future defensive home in the previous piece, but he’s since made one of the more impressive plays you’ll see this year and has everyone buzzing about next season. And with good reason. Witt is rangy at shortstop and shows a plus arm on the left side of the infield. In the last game of the season, though, Witt took a throw from the 2B while covering the bag and trying to turn two, but he dropped the ball on the transfer. He got the lead runner but allowed the batter to reach first. I would not normally give much thought to the play - mistakes happen, particularly in the last game of a long season - but it’s consistent with some of the earlier reports I received regarding mental lapses. I note that now because while Witt may be among the very best in the minors at his (or any) position, the profile is not infallible.
Nick Pratto - 1B - Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals Triple-A)
At the dish, Pratto finished out his season doing what he does best: hitting home runs, taking walks, and striking out. I specifically noted the possibility of a three-true outcome player in my previous Live Looks, and that holds true to an extent. He’s shown the ability to spray balls the opposite way in previous looks, but these three outcomes remain constants in the profile. As powerful as Pratto is, it’s his defense that is the best tool in the package, and it’s what I wanted to see the most to close out the season. Pratto shows great instincts at 1B and he moves well in all directions. What is most impressive, however, is his glovework. He has soft hands and makes each play look effortless. I watched him dig balls out of the dirt, glove errant throws, and backhand the ball moving toward the line. He also communicates well with everyone on the field. He’s a plus or better defender at 1B, and I would not be surprised if he is a future Gold Glove candidate. He continues to remind me of Eric Hosmer.
MJ Melendez - C - Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals Triple-A)
Melendez-behind-the-plate continues to mostly evade me. One game aside, Melendez has either been DH or out of the lineup in the games I attend. At the plate, Melendez continues to display a patient approach. Much of that has to do with the quality of pitches he’s seeing, but he’s also showing enough restraint on pitches near the zone that I think he’ll have an average eye against major league pitching. I’ve yet to really see him get a hold of a ball, but with his improved discipline and ability to get the bat on the ball, the power is going to play. We’ve already seen what he’s capable of this year, and I think it’s reasonable to expect above-average power production in the future.
One note, but Melendez has gotten some recent work at 3B, playing 8 games there over the last 6 weeks or so. I have not seen him take reps, but the one thing I can offer is that his arm plays. Melendez showed a plus arm with accurate throws to 2B in the one game I saw him catch earlier this season. With a five-time Gold Glove winner ahead of him on the organizational depth chart, this is a situation to monitor this offseason.
Spencer Torkelson - 1B - Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers Triple-A)
The first thing that stood out to me as Torkelson walked to the plate for his first at-bat was the quality of the body. He’s on the shorter side for a 1B, but he’s strong and solidly built throughout. I didn’t know what to expect, but for some reason that was not it. At the dish, he stands crouched and slightly open. He keeps his back leg bent at the knee while his left extends out toward the pitcher. As he loads, he keeps his weight on the back leg and steps into the pitch with some authority. His stance is closed at impact. It’s an easy, level swing that produces loud, linedrive contact. He’s short to the ball and can hit it to all parts of the field. In the first at-bat I saw, he took the first pitch the opposite way to right field for a line drive single. In his second at-bat, he saw three nearly identical breaking pitches away in succession. He took the first, swung through the second, and then drilled the third for a line drive homerun over the centerfield wall. It was, again, loud contact.
Although Torkelson played most of his games at 3B in AA, he did not take reps there in AAA. He played 1B in my look and, for the most part, he played decently. He moves well around the bag and flashes a solid glove, but he did boot a ball that ended up being scored an error. He’s still rough around the edges in the field, but consistent reps at a position will help, and he’s athletic and heady enough to suggest he’ll be an average defender long term. I did not have an opportunity to see his arm strength.
Torkelson is one of the very best prospects in the minor leagues and, while some around the game have shown concerns with his relatively modest batting average, I saw no obvious red flags about his offensive potential. He ripped an opposite way liner, smoked a homerun, drew a walk, and did not strikeout. That’s the profile, and it’s one that is going to come with a high on-base percentage and his fair share of homeruns at the next level. He’s an elite offensive prospect and nearly ready to impact the Tigers’ lineup.
Riley Greene - OF - Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers Triple-A)
In the box, Greene stands open and mostly upright with his knees slightly bent. There’s some rhythm in the stance, and he keeps the bat on his shoulder with his elbows tight until he loads. He shows a feel for the zone and will take pitches, perhaps even too passively at times, but it’s easy to see that he’s waiting for his pitch. One note, but I did catch him fooled by offspeed pitches on a couple occasions, including a first inning strikeout that came on three pitches. At his best, Greene works the count and avoids swinging at pitches out of the zone. He’ll take his fair share of walks at the next level. Not to be overshadowed by Torkelson, though, Greene hit a homerun in the fifth inning to the nearly exact location Torkelson hit his. The ball jumped off the bat and got out to deep centerfield in a hurry. It came off a fastball, which Greene had been looking for the entire game. As with Torkelson, when Greene connects he produces loud contact and gets the ball in the air. He has plus bat speed, and the swing is smooth throughout. The raw power is obvious, and it probably plays above-average in-game, but it also comes with some swing and miss tendencies. He struck out at a 31.5% clip this season, a number far too high for how talented his bat is.
Greene was the DH in my look, so I did not have an opportunity to see him in the field. Overall, Greene impressed with his ability to show restraint at the plate and wait for his pitch. He did not consistently hit the ball as hard as Torkelson did, but it’s easy to see both the physical and offensive upside when he’s up to bat. He has an All-Star ceiling and should debut in the major leagues next season as a 21 year old.
Ryan Kreidler - SS - Toledo Mud Hens (Tigers Triple-A)
Kreidler is a guy that was not previously on my radar. He went unranked in our offseason list and just recently landed at #29 in our in-season update. It’s a good body; he’s tall and lean with room to add strength, although he’s 23 and yet to really do so. In the box, he stands ever-so-slightly open with his knees bent. His hands stay high and out front prior to loading, and he utilizes a small leg kick as he steps into the pitch. He flashes some barrel control and lays off pitches out of the zone, but he also takes some big rips with a slight uppercut. It’s a longer than desired swing, but he gets the ball in the air when he makes contact, and I can project close-to-average power for the position. Strikeouts will remain a part of the profile due to his long levers.
Kreidler is an average runner and has shown an ability to steal bases, but that’s more due to his instincts and situational awareness than his straight-line speed. Kreidler constantly keeps his eyes on all aspects of the playing field. He draws the attention of both the catcher and pitcher while on base, and I watched him evade an out on a strong throwdown from C to 1B and then take second on a subsequent pitch. On the defensive side of the ball, Kreidler actually moves pretty smoothly despite his size, but it’s mostly average range at SS, and I think there’s a decent chance he slides over to 3B given the body and his natural arm strength. I saw him make a couple throws from the left side of the diamond, and it’s an above-average arm. As a whole, the package is pretty close to average across the board, and I think there’s some second-division upside here, although I suspect he ends up more in a utility role at the next level.