Author Archive

Prospect Watch: South Atlantic League Producers

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

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Chad Wallach, C, Miami Marlins (Profile)
Level: Low-A   Age: 22  Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 256 PA, .343/.449/.500, 5 HR, 38 BB, 28 K

Summary
The SAL leader in wOBA also happens to be a catcher who should stick behind the plate.

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Prospect Watch: First Base Sleepers

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

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Preston Beck, 1B/OF, Texas Rangers (Profile)
Level: High-A   Age: 23  Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 291 PA, .277/.392/.446, 7 HR, 46 BB, 41 K

Summary
Beck’s all-around profile merits consideration.

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Prospect Watch: Early Appalachian Standouts

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

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Reymin Guduan, LHP, Houston Astros (Profile)
Level: Rookie-Advanced   Age: 22  Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 6/4 K/BB, 1.29 ERA, 3.97 FIP

Summary
Can you feel the heat?

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Prospect Watch: Short-Season Standouts

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

In this installment of the Prospect Watch, I’m checking in on three players who impressed me last year and are off to big starts this year in the short-season New York-Penn League.

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Rowan Wick, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (Profile)
Level: SS-A   Age: 21   Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 43 PA, .361/.465/.972, 7 HR, 7 BB, 9 K

Summary
Wick has two plus tools and he’s laying waste to the NYPL early on.

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Prospect Watch: Groundball Artists

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

In this installment, I examine three interesting groundball prospects who most have probably never heard of.

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Ryan Newell, RHP, Miami Marlins (Profile)
Level: Low-A   Age: 23   Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 84 IP, 71 H, 29 R, 73/18 K/BB, 2.46 ERA, 3.23 FIP

Summary
Newell’s exceptional plane and solid slider have allowed him to carve up Low-A hitters.

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Prospect Watch: 2014 Improvement

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

In this installment of the Prospect Watch, I examine three players who have improved markedly from my viewings in 2013 to 2014.

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Robinson Leyer, RHP, Chicago White Sox (Profile)
Level: Low-A   Age: 21  Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 62.2 IP, 72 H, 35 R, 43/21 K/BB, 3.16 ERA, 3.97 FIP

Summary
Leyer brings easy heat and knows where it’s going, and his game has taken a quantum leap forward in the past year.

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Prospect Watch: Revisiting Predictions

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

In this installment of the Prospect Watch, I check in on the progress of three players whom I discussed last year.

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Tyler Glasnow, RHP, Pittsburgh, Pirates (Profile)
Level: High-A   Age: 20  Top-15: 3   Top-100: 43
Line: 41.2 IP, 22 H, 11 R, 48/26 K/BB, 2.16 ERA, 3.17 FIP

Summary
Glasnow continues to put up big numbers, though his rawness remains significant.

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Prospect Watch: May Flames

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

NOTE: In no way are the three players presented in this article meant to represent the three singular top performers of last month in the minor leagues. They are merely players who had clearly dominant Mays about whom I have especially relevant and novel information to add.

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Kevin Plawecki, C, New York Mets (Profile)
Level: Double-A   Age: 23   Top-15: 6   Top-100: N/A
Line: 177 PA, .335/.367/.524, 6 HR, 8 BB, 21 K

Summary
An excellent all-around catching prospect.

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Prospect Watch: Control Problems

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

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Victor Payano, LHP, Texas Rangers (Profile)
Level: High-A   Age: 21   Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 54.0 IP, 49 H, 29 R, 43/48 K/BB, 4.33 ERA, 5.44 FIP

Summary
Payano has two interesting pitches from the left side, but he’s been derailed by inconsistency his whole career.

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Prospect Watch: Keeping The Walks Down

Each weekday during the minor-league season, FanGraphs is providing a status update on multiple rookie-eligible players. Note that Age denotes the relevant prospect’s baseball age (i.e. as of July 1st of the current year); Top-15, the prospect’s place on Marc Hulet’s preseason organizational list; and Top-100, that same prospect’s rank on Hulet’s overall top-100 list.

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Orlando Castro, LHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (Profile)
Level: High-A   Age: 22   Top-15: N/A   Top-100: N/A
Line: 55.2 IP, 46 H, 18 R, 41/7 K/BB, 2.91 ERA, 2.77 FIP

Summary
While he’s not remotely physically imposing, this little lefthander knows what he’s doing.

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