I was able to get out to Lansing to catch a game between the High-A affiliates of the Cleveland Guardians and the Oakland Athletics. There were some highly regarded prospects in this one-game sample, including first-round picks Max Muncy and Tyler Soderstrom, as well as Futures Game participant Denzel Clarke.
Max Muncy, SS (OAK)
2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, R, SO
This was the High-A debut for Muncy who wasted no time getting acquainted with the level. His first two at bats resulted in doubles. In his first at bat he quickly found himself in a two-strike count, but he was very calm. He stayed within himself before pulling a double down the line. He slipped out of the box, but still made it easily into second, and recognized a bad throw quickly to advance to third on a throwing error. He looked exponentially more comfortable in his second at bat, getting ahead in the count before pulling another double down the line.
Muncy utilizes a simple set up and load mechanism before launching into a short swing with quick hands. In this game he was able to cover the zone well and find barrel very well. Defensively he showed good instincts at shortstop. He moved very well on the dirt and was playing hard in an attempt to reach anything that came near him. This included a very smooth double play that took him up the middle. He stepped on second then fired a great throw over to Soderstrom at first for two. Quite simply, it was easy to tell that of anyone on the field in this game, Muncy was a different breed. He wasn’t the only one that this could be said about, but in a small sample he looked like a future big leaguer.
Tyler Soderstrom, C/1B (OAK)
2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB
This is another player who, at least offensively, looked the part of a future big league contributor. He put together some professional at bats and even unloaded on a baseball for a no doubt home run. Soderstrom keeps things simple throughout his swing. His hands start close to the launch position, then a quick load gets him ready to swing. He has loft in his swing. There’s a little length in it and his hands are very quick. He got more patient as the game went on. He saw three pitches combined in his first two at bats, one of which was the home run, then he started to wait out the pitchers a bit more.
He can get aggressive in the zone, but his hands are good enough that he doesn’t swing and miss at those pitches very often. He played first base in this game rather than catcher, which might be a sign of things to come with both Shea Langliers and Daniel Susac vying for the big league catching spot at well. He played the position well enough not to stand out for any negative reason. Since he was drafted he’s been a bat first profile and that still reigns true. Much like Muncy, Soderstrom stood out among the pack in that regard.
Milan Tolentino, SS (CLE)
4-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, R, BB, SB
Admittedly, Tolentino was not a player I was coming to the park ready to give a ton of attention. That changed quickly. It helps when a player gets four hits, but it’s his approach that stood out more than anything. He's looking to take the ball up the right back up the middle. His bat-to-ball skills looked fantastic and he was a line drive machine. He handled velocity very well and was covering the zone extremely well. He utilizes a leg kick during the load process. Short swing, with what appeared to be a pretty flat bat path. Pitchers tried to climb the ladder with him to no avail. Perhaps what I liked most from Tolentino was his hustle. If he saw an opportunity to take an extra base, he wouldn’t hesitate. He plays hard on both sides of the ball. He played a good shortstop in this game, getting to everything he should’ve gotten to.
Petey Halpin, OF (CLE)
3-for-6, 3 1B, RBI, 4 R
It’s quickly apparent that Halpin is an excellent athlete on the baseball field. Based on this single game, it’s a contact-over-power approach at the plate, but he was hitting out of the cleanup spot. He was able to hit a trio of singles, but his best contact of the night was a hard lineout right to the second baseman. Some bad luck there. He has a slow leg kick that’s designed to get his hands to the right spot and explode as soon as his foot lands. And explode he does. Quick hands and a hard swing go right at the ball. It’s akin to a spring uncoiling the second his foot lands. It will result in some hard hits, but not all the time.
He doesn’t play a bad centerfield, but the big wall at this away park exposed him a little bit. His reactions and speed were excellent for a centerfielder, however, there was more than one opportunity to play the ball off the wall and Halpin looked like he wasn’t quite sure how to read it off of this specific wall. In each case, he ran to the wall, let it bounce above him, then pounced where the ball landed. It wasn’t poor play, but it didn’t look like great anticipation off the wall. That’s not meant to be a huge knock, he was still a good centerfielder with some good plate skills. He looked like a potential fourth outfielder with some speed off the bench.
Denzel Clarke, OF (OAK)
0-for-3, R, BB
Stats being what they are, I developed a big of a prospect crush on Clarke. He’s a tooled up outfielder with an excellent frame. Right now his defense stands out more than his offense. His reactions and first step in centerfield were tremendous in this game and he had the speed to cover the grass very well. At the plate, he started his day with a major league pop out to third. He got some serious hangtime. The at bat that really stands out what a flyout to the warning track in left field. Clarke almost had a home run, but the sound off the bat was just different. It fooled me, sounding like a 400 foot no doubter.
What I liked in this approach is that he really didn’t expand the zone much. If the pitcher tried to get him to chase, he would lay off it for the most part. But he was very aggressive in the zone and that caused him to lunge at offspeed frequently. He did a good job fighting off the pitch while out on his front foot, but he had trouble staying back on those pitches. Right now, he’s a dead red hitter who looks like he produces some serious EV numbers. His skillset is as raw as they come, and there’s a lot of risk involved, but those tools are something to dream on.
Tommy Mace, RHP (CLE)
4 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
After working as a starter in Low-A, Mace came out of the bullpen for long relief duties in this game. Not that I’m complaining about that one bit. He was fun and he was efficient. This was a no-nonsense kind of outing where he just come out and was throwing everything in the zone with success. Not many hitters could put good wood on it. His fastball was in the low-90s with really nice velo separation off of a low-80s changeup. The changeup also had some nice armside fade low in the zone. He showed his mid-80s slider that was generating a lot of horizontal movement, even up in the zone. The stuff was very impressive, so was the attacking demeanor. He just wasn’t generating a ton of swing and miss in this four-inning stretch. Mace has a nice pitcher’s frame and a high 3/4 delivery that looks to create some interesting angles for the hitters.
Daniel Martinez, RHP (OAK)
1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Much like his teammates, Martinez didn’t fare too well on the mound in this game. The pitching staff allowed 18 runs, 16 of them earned. Martinez stood out for me, though, because of his delivery. It’s extremely smooth and visually very pleasing. He’s a reliever all the way, as he was in this game. He threw a high-80s cutter primarily, mixing in a low-90’s fastball. He did also spin a decent slider with two plane break that he tried to front door right handed batters with. Based on this small sample look, his stuff and delivery have the potential to play in low leverage spots at the big league level, though attach plenty of risk to that ceiling.
Alexri Planez, OF (CLE)
1-for-5, 2 SO
Not the best showing at the plate for Planez, who really was getting exposed by breaking balls away all night. He just couldn’t lay off. Similar to Halpin, Planez’s swing has the feel of an uncoiling spring. He uses a toe tap mechanism, but he doesn’t stride to land until he’s ready to explode at the ball. Unlike Halpin, this really makes Planez a one-dimensional, dead red hitter. He’s a big guy, and the big power potential is evident, but his offensive game is still extremely raw. I was very impressed defensively, though. He moves very well in the outfield. His reactions and routes allow him to make the plays, and he even made a very nice sliding catch. I didn’t get enough of a look at his arm in right field, but he can certainly make the plays out there.
Other Notable Performers:
Aaron Bracho 2B (CLE)
Bracho was a hard guy to get a feel for in a one-game sample. He hit an absolute bomb in his first at bat, though. He showed off what kind of power he has. It looked like he would take those big hacks and sell out for power early, but once he was in two-strike counts he would pull back and try to just make contact. He’s billed as a power and speed combo, and watching him jet up the first baseline on a fielder’s choice showed off his wheels. I didn’t get a time from home to first, so you’ll just have to trust me that he was moving.
Johnathan Rodriguez, OF (CLE)
Another guy who hit a bomb in this game, and it was an absolute tank. He went a perfect 4-for-4 with two walks. His approach in this game was good. It seemed to me like he would sell out for power, though, and he just got a little lucky that the ball was falling for him. He’s another big guy with a nice frame. While a one-game sample isn’t enough to definitively state anything, he gave me the feel of an all or nothing approach at the plate.