Daily Notes: SCOUT Leaderboards for Class A

Table of Contents
Here’s the table of contents for today’s edition of the Daily Notes.

1. SCOUT Leaderboards for Class A
2. Today’s MLB.TV Free Game
3. Today’s Complete Schedule

SCOUT Leaderboards for Class A
A Brief Introduction
Featured in this edition of the Notes are the SCOUT leaderboards for Class A. Briefly stated, SCOUT represents an attempt to use our knowledge of certain metrics, and at what sample sizes they become reliable, to measure run production/prevention in instances where small samples are all that’s available. Stated less briefly, is the explanation available here.

Other recent editions: Triple-A / Double-A / High-A.

SCOUT Leaderboard: Class-A Hitters (Overall)
Below is the current SCOUT batting leaderboard for all Class-A hitters. SCOUT+ combines regressed home-run, walk, and strikeout rates in a FIP-like equation to produce a result not unlike wRC+, where 100 is league average and above 100 is above average. Note that players are compared not to all Class-A hitters, but to those in their respective league, and then combined afterward for the sake of this leaderboard. Note also that xHR%, xBB%, and xK% stand for expected home run, walk, and strikeout rate, respectively.

Player	Team	League	Age	PA	HR	BB	K	xHR%	xBB%	xK%	SCOUT+
Ryan Rua	Rangers (A)	SAL	23	314	24	36	71	7.6%	11.5%	22.6%	177
Viosergy Rosa	Marlins (A)	SAL	23	328	17	46	68	5.2%	14.0%	20.7%	159
Mookie Betts	Red Sox (A)	SAL	20	309	8	56	35	2.6%	18.1%	11.3%	159
Tyler Ogle	Dodgers (A)	MWL	22	317	10	51	44	3.2%	16.1%	13.9%	152
Stetson Allie	Pirates (A)	SAL	22	285	17	36	79	5.7%	12.6%	27.7%	148
Tom Murphy	Rockies (A)	SAL	22	244	17	21	62	6.0%	8.6%	25.4%	143
Rosell Herrera	Rockies (A)	SAL	20	343	13	42	61	3.8%	12.2%	17.8%	143
Jabari Henry	Mariners (A)	MWL	22	231	6	36	31	2.4%	15.6%	13.4%	142
Jacob Wilson	Cardinals (A)	MWL	22	301	11	26	34	3.7%	8.6%	11.3%	141
Tommy Coyle	Rays (A)	MWL	22	314	6	50	41	1.9%	15.9%	13.1%	138

SCOUT Leaderboard: Class-A Hitters (Age 21 and Under)
Here are the top-10 batters from Class A who might still, because of their age, be considered prospects — again, as determined by the methodology explained above.

Player	Team	League	Age	PA	HR	BB	K	xHR%	xBB%	xK%	SCOUT+
Mookie Betts	Red Sox (A)	SAL	20	309	8	56	35	2.6%	18.1%	11.3%	159
Rosell Herrera	Rockies (A)	SAL	20	343	13	42	61	3.8%	12.2%	17.8%	143
Roderick Shoulders	Cubs (A)	MWL	21	307	15	44	88	4.9%	14.3%	28.7%	138
Joey Gallo	Rangers (A)	SAL	18	327	23	35	124	7.0%	10.7%	37.9%	137
Jesse Winker	Reds (A)	MWL	19	293	9	37	49	3.0%	12.6%	16.7%	135
Daniel Vogelbach	Cubs (A)	MWL	20	333	12	33	54	3.6%	9.9%	16.2%	134
Maxwell Moroff	Pirates (A)	SAL	20	284	5	45	45	1.8%	15.8%	15.8%	133
Travis Harrison	Twins (A)	MWL	20	309	13	31	68	4.2%	10.0%	22.0%	130
Byron Buxton	Twins (A)	MWL	19	321	8	44	56	2.5%	13.7%	17.4%	130
Chris Bostick	Athletics (A)	MWL	20	308	10	33	62	3.2%	10.7%	20.1%	125

SCOUT Leaderboard: Class-A Pitchers (Overall)
Below is the current SCOUT pitching leaderboard for Class A. SCOUT- combines regressed strikeout and walk rates in a kwERA-like equation to produce a number not unlike ERA-, where 100 is league average and below 100 is better than average. Note that players are compared not to all Class-A pitchers, but to those in their respective league, and then combined afterward for the sake of this leaderboard. Note also that xK% and xBB% stand for expected strikeout and walk rate, respectively.

Player	Team	League	Age	G	GS	IP	TBF	K	BB	xK%	xBB%	SCOUT-
Leonel Campos	Padres (A)	MWL	25	28	0	36.1	150	63	22	42.0%	10.6%	37
Dietrich Enns	Yankees (A)	SAL	22	19	1	44.1	170	69	14	40.6%	8.8%	44
Alexander Claudio	Rangers (A)	SAL	21	24	0	47.0	167	62	7	37.1%	7.5%	50
Wil Browning	Blue Jays (A)	MWL	24	24	0	33.1	136	51	14	35.8%	9.4%	52
Jose De Paula	Yankees (A)	SAL	22	13	13	64.1	256	96	23	37.5%	9.0%	54
Shae Simmons	Braves (A)	SAL	22	28	0	31.2	130	52	12	37.5%	9.1%	54
Tucker Healy	Athletics (A)	MWL	23	18	0	28.2	110	43	5	33.9%	8.2%	55
Scott Griggs	Dodgers (A)	MWL	22	26	0	32.1	141	52	23	35.8%	11.0%	57
Zachary Petrick	Cardinals (A)	MWL	23	16	0	32.2	132	46	8	33.0%	8.4%	58
Robert Stephenson	Reds (A)	MWL	20	12	12	66.2	265	85	17	32.1%	7.8%	59

SCOUT Leaderboard: Class-A Pitchers (Starters Only)
Here are the top-10 pitchers in Class A who have made at least half of their appearances as starts — again, as determined by the methodology explained above.

Player	Team	League	Age	G	GS	IP	TBF	K	BB	xK%	xBB%	SCOUT-
Jose De Paula	Yankees (A)	SAL	22	13	13	64.1	256	96	23	37.5%	9.0%	54
Robert Stephenson	Reds (A)	MWL	20	12	12	66.2	265	85	17	32.1%	7.8%	59
Tyler Glasnow	Pirates (A)	SAL	19	15	15	66.1	275	98	39	35.6%	11.6%	67
Matt Purke	Nationals (A)	SAL	22	6	6	29.0	118	41	7	31.9%	8.3%	68
Roberto Osuna	Blue Jays (A)	MWL	17	9	9	40.2	162	48	11	29.6%	8.4%	68
Carl Edwards	Rangers (A)	SAL	21	15	15	76.0	310	98	29	31.6%	9.2%	71
Vincent Velasquez	Astros (A)	MWL	21	19	10	75.0	317	88	23	27.8%	8.0%	73
Martin Agosta	Giants (A)	SAL	22	13	13	69.2	281	89	29	31.7%	9.7%	73
Joan Gregorio	Giants (A)	SAL	21	8	8	41.0	165	48	8	29.1%	7.8%	75
Jose Berrios	Twins (A)	MWL	19	10	10	55.1	243	65	15	26.7%	7.8%	75

Briefest Notes
• Texas second-base prospect Ryan Rua is currently tied for first among all minor-league hitters with 24 home runs, although one is compelled to note that (a) he’s on the old side for the level and also (b) playing in a park that concedes home runs to right-handed batter at a rate nearly 50% above Sally League average. RotoGraphs contributor Nathaniel Stoltz considered Rua in some depth last week.

• Mookie Betts deserves our collective attention, obviously, owing to his championship praenomen. Another reason he deserves it, though, is because of how, as a young-ish (20-year-old) player in the Sally League, he’s managed to walk nearly 50% more often than he’s struck out — while also exhibiting something more than negligible power. Mike Newman suggested in these pages this winter that, while likely athletic enough to cover shortstop, Betts’ lack of arm strength relegates him to second base.

• Mexican-born Blue Jays prospect Roberto Osuna turns 18 tomorrow (July 2nd), but has been dominant in a league the average age of which is about 21.5 years old. Signed for $1.5 million in 2011 out of the Mexican League, the right-handed Osuna sits at about 92-95 mph with his fastball, according to MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm and Teddy Cahill.

Today’s MLB.TV Free Game
Detroit at Toronto | 13:07 ET
Jose Alvarez (16.2 IP, 101 xFIP-, -0.1 WAR) faces R.A. Dickey (108.2 IP, 113 xFIP-, 0.6 WAR). Not that it’s predictive at any level, but, as this chart indicates, Dickey’s last six starts resemble a roller coaster both graphically and also probably emotionally:

Readers’ Preferred Broadcast: Detroit Radio, Probably.

Today’s Complete Schedule
Here’s the complete schedule for all of today’s games, with our very proprietary watchability (NERD) scores for each one. Pitching probables and game times aggregated from MLB.com and RotoWire. The average NERD Game Score for today is 5.3.

Note: the following table is entirely sortable.

Away		SP	Tm.	Gm.	Tm.	SP		Home	Time
Jose Alvarez*	DET	7	7	7	6	8	TOR	R.A. Dickey	13:07
Yovani Gallardo	MIL	4	5	6	2	9	WAS	J. Zimmermann	19:05
Wade Miley	AZ	6	3	5	5	5	NYN	Shaun Marcum	19:10
Jason Marquis	SD	0	7	5	0	10	MIA	Jose Fernandez	19:10
Mike Kickham*	SF	6	6	5	4	3	CIN	Bronson Arroyo	19:10
Andy Pettitte	NYA	6	4	4	2	3	MIN	Scott Diamond	20:10
Matt Moore	TB	4	10	5	3	6	HOU	Dallas Keuchel	20:10

To learn how Pitcher and Team NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
To learn how Game NERD Scores are calculated, click here.
* = Fewer than 20 IP, NERD at discretion of very handsome author.