Daily Prospect Notes: 9/17/21

These are notes on prospects from Tess Taruskin. Read previous installments of the Daily Prospect Notes here.

Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
Level & Affiliate: Triple-A Omaha Age: 21 Org Rank: 1 FV: 60
Line: 1-for-4, HR, BB, 2 K

Notes
Witt’s ninth-inning dinger on Thursday was his 32nd of the year, the third-most of any minor leaguer this season. Only seven guys have hit at least 30 homers in the minors in 2021, and in comparing Witt to the others in that group, it’s impossible not to notice his impressive and rare combination of speed and power. Of those seven power hitters, Witt is the only one to match his 30-plus homers with 30-plus doubles, and his 24 steals amount to quadruple the second-highest mark on the list (Andy Pages‘ six). He also has the highest average and more hits than anyone in that elite group, and his strikeout rate is the third lowest of the bunch, which may help calm the nerves of those concerned about his swing-and miss-potential. If he can improve upon his walk rate, his already-high profile could be boosted even further.

Cade Cavalli, RHP, Washington Nationals
Level & Affiliate: Triple-A Rochester Age: 23 Org Rank: 3 FV: 50
Line: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, BB, 4 K

Notes
In his fourth game since being promoted to Triple-A, Cavalli reclaimed the top spot on the 2021 minor league strikeout leaderboard on Thursday. His four punch-outs included one each to the opposing lineup’s two biggest offensive threats: a rehabbing Cavan Biggio, and Kevin Smith, who entered the game with a 149 wRC+ on the season, tied for third-best in all of Triple-A. In his previous three Triple-A starts, Cavalli’s fastball velocity was a down a tick or two compared to pre-promotion, but on Thursday it sat around 97, roughly where it had been at Double-A. Only eight minor league pitchers have punched out at least 150 hitters this season. Of those, Cavalli has issued the most walks, but he makes up for it with his ability to induce groundballs. The young righty has allowed only three long balls all season, the fewest of any minor league pitcher with at least 100 innings of work under his belt.

Paul McIntosh, C, Miami Marlins
Level & Affiliate: Low-A Jupiter Age: 23 Org Rank: NR FV: 35+
Line: 4-for-5, 3B, BB

Notes
McIntosh was selected in the 2018 draft, but decided to return to West Virginia to finish college. He signed this year with Miami as an undrafted free agent, joining Low-A Jupiter in mid-August. Entering Thursday’s game, he had already racked up 13 hits in his first 20 games of professional ball and six of those were home runs, with only one single mixed in. He tripled for the second night in a row on Thursday – a liner to center field that came off his bat at 98.5 mph – but the three-bagger was the softest-hit of his four knocks on the night. All three of his singles recorded exit velocities between 107-111.2 mph.

Coby Mayo, 3B, Baltimore Orioles
Level & Affiliate: Low-A Delmarva Age: 19 Org Rank: 13 FV: 40+
Line: 3-for-5, SB, K

Notes
Last night was Mayo’s first three-hit game since joining Low-A Delmarva in mid-August. Before that, he’d been tearing up the Florida Complex League, slashing .329/.440/.566 and walking almost as often as he struck out (13 and 14 times, respectively). Of his 25 total hits, 10 went for extra bases, including four home runs. Since his promotion to full-season ball, Mayo has continued to maintain those impressive numbers. He’s racked up 30 hits in his 24 Low-A games so far, including four homers, a triple, and seven doubles, while maintaining a mid-teens walk rate almost identical to the one he produced in the FCL. His strikeouts have increased, but only slightly, and not in any way that would be uncommon for a player adapting to a more competitive level.

Carlos Rincon, OF, New York Mets
Level & Affiliate: Double-A Binghamton Age: 23 Org Rank: 29 FV: 40
Line: 3-for-4, 2B, SB, K

Notes
When Rincon was promoted to Double-A back in 2019, the issues with his approach at the plate were exposed; in 78 games, he posted an OBP of just .282. This year, he’s shown marked improvement in his approach, boosting that OBP to .329 (.343 with the Dodgers’ Double-A squad, and .304 since being traded to the Mets’ system). But it isn’t just his OBP; he’s hitting for a better average, and for more power than he did in 2019, which amounts to a wRC+ of 119 so far this year. His walk rate has taken a dip since being traded, and his strikeout rate could certainly afford to come down, but his demonstrated ability to get on base this season has been a welcome improvement.

Jordan Diaz, 3B, Oakland Athletics
Level & Affiliate: High-A Lansing Age: 21 Org Rank: 28 FV: 35+
Line: 3-for-3, 2B, HR

Notes
Diaz entered Thursday night’s game as a defensive replacement in the top of the fourth inning, his first time playing the field since his return from the 7-day IL (he’d been activated the day before, and was the DH in the first game of Wednesday’s double-header). In his first two at-bats, he jumped on the first pitch he saw, both times for base hits (a single, and an RBI double). In the eighth, he took his third swing of the evening on a 3-0 get-me-over offering, sending it out of the park to right for his third opposite-field knock of the night. Diaz has one of the lowest strikeout rates in all of High-A this season (15.9%), and his slashline has improved across the board since 2019. But with a hazy defensive forecast, his professional outlook would be greatly improved by an increase in his walk rate. His bat-to-ball skills are indeed impressive, but in his case, they’re also somewhat of a double-edged sword. Just because Diaz can make contact with just about anything, doesn’t mean he should be swinging at junk. That he’s managed to slash the way he has this season despite his low walk rate indicates that he’s swinging more often than he should, and many of the outs he’s producing on balls he’s putting in play would likely be replaced with walks if he learned to dial back his free-swinging approach.