Daily Prospect Notes: 8/4/21

These are notes on prospects from lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen. Read previous installments of the Daily Prospect Notes here.

Emiliano Teodo, RHP, Texas Rangers
Level & Affiliate: Arizona Complex League Age: 20 Org Rank: 25 FV: 40+
Line: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 2 K

Notes
Like Daniel Palencia (now of the Cubs, formerly of the A’s), Teodo signed just before the 2020 season that never happened and only popped onto the radar screen in 2021, when we actually had consistent minor league activity on the backfields. He’s been parked in the 98-101 mph range and spins in an upper-70s curveball that’s at times in excess of 3,000 rpm. Skinny and featuring a fairly violent delivery, Teodo’s projection skews toward relief, but there’s ample time to develop him because of when he signed. He’s another high-variance/upside arm in the Rangers system.

Dylan Coleman, RHP, Kansas City Royals
Level & Affiliate: Triple-A OmahaAge: 24 Org Rank: 21 FV: 40
Line: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 R, 2 K

Notes
Coleman was an afterthought in the Tim Hill trade with San Diego. Edward Olivares (who also came over in the swap) had been hot leading up to the trade and Coleman had struggled when he was last seen, dealing with injuries and ineffectiveness. His velocity, which was 93-96 as a starter at Missouri State, had dropped, dipping to 90-92 toward the end of a rough 2019, and he struggled with command. Now back in 2021, his velocity has not only returned, but has actually exceeded its previous highs; he’s now sitting 96-100 with a hard slider that doesn’t always finish. The combination of the injury history and the lack of a consistent plus secondary weapon keeps Coleman out of the 40+ FV tier, but he’s become a high-probability big league reliever by virtue of his velocity rebound.

Brandon Walter, LHP, Boston Red Sox
Level & Affiliate: Hi-A GreenvilleAge: 24 Org Rank: 18 FV: 40+
Line: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 8 K

Notes
Walter had a huge velo bump from 2019-21, climbing from the upper-80s into the mid-90s. He’s also lowered his release a little bit, and works largely off a two-seamer (he can occasionally climb the ladder, living off angle) and changeup, as well as a tertiary slider that has more lateral movement now than it did in 2019 (probably due to the release change). He has an atypical delivery for a starter but definitely has a backend starter’s repertoire and command. In many ways, he’s similar to Ryan Yarbrough. I have Walter projected in a multi-inning relief role.

Kutter Crawford, RHP, Boston Red Sox
Level & Affiliate: Triple-A WorcesterAge: 25 Org Rank: 20 FV: 40
Line: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 8 K

Notes
Crawford’s stuff hasn’t really changed but his command has gotten much better. He still sits about 91-95 (more toward the upper end of that velo band early in starts) at the top of the zone and mixes in two quality breaking balls that he keeps down and commands to his glove side. Crawford’s curveball is most often his best-looking pitch. There’s no nasty single offering here but every Crawford pitch has utility when he locates, which he now does. He’s a high-probability 2022 rotation contributor with a long-term fit toward the back of one.

Other Notes
I’m primed to slide Jeter Downs out of the Top 100 soon. My look at him during my Northeast scouting run was not good. He really struggled to get the bat head out there and hit fastballs, the same issue that has plagued Carter Kieboom, but which only became evident at the upper levels.

Top 10 overall prospects Adley Rutschman (2-for-4, 2B, HR) and Noelvi Marte (4-for-5, 3 HR) also had big nights at the plate, but there’s nothing new to say about either of them.

Dodgers righty Hyun-il Choi has moved up the Dodgers list considerably, as he’s experienced a little bit of a velo bump (more 92-95 than 88-92, where he was in 2019) and shown remarkable strike-throwing ability; he’s only run three 3-0 counts all year. A plus splitter, at least plus command, and viable fastball velocity make him a high-probability big league starter.





Eric Longenhagen is from Catasauqua, PA and currently lives in Tempe, AZ. He spent four years working for the Phillies Triple-A affiliate, two with Baseball Info Solutions and two contributing to prospect coverage at ESPN.com. Previous work can also be found at Sports On Earth, CrashburnAlley and Prospect Insider.

12 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
steveo
2 years ago

Pretty bummed out about Jeter Downs performance in AAA so far. Do you think his assignment was too aggressive coming off the pandemic? He barely played above A ball.

bosoxforlifemember
2 years ago
Reply to  steveo

Join the crowd, every baseball fan in New England is looking at the numbers and is thinking exactly the same thoughts. If you can’t hit heat, you can’t play.

dubdollas44
2 years ago
Reply to  steveo

I think Jeter Downs was extremely disappointed when he was traded for a 2nd time as a player who performed so well in both organizations, at such a young age . Also, being that he was given his 1st name (after Yankees great Derek Jeter), he and his family are Yankees fans, and it may sound crazy, but it was probably difficult to be traded to the team you were raised to be your arch-rival. He now seems to be coming around a bit, but I feel like the combination of those 2 things probably played a factor in his slow start this season.

spacemanspiff
2 years ago
Reply to  dubdollas44

Nonsense.

sadtrombonemember
2 years ago
Reply to  steveo

Do not fall in love with prospects unless you want your heart broken.

steveo
2 years ago
Reply to  sadtrombone

I know this, but don’t listen to myself. I’m still waiting on Jesus Montero’s breakout.

Cool Lester Smoothmember
2 years ago
Reply to  sadtrombone

Sure, the return isn’t great…but you’ve gotta focus on the important stuff!!!

The Red Sox managed to dump David Price!