Daily notes on prospects from lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen. Read previous installments here.

Pedro Gonzalez, CF, Colorado (Profile)
Level: Short Season  Age: 19   Org Rank: 7   Top 100: NR
Line: 4-for-5, 2B, BB, SB, CS
Notes
Gonzalez spent much of extended spring training in the Dominican Republic. Colorado doesn’t have an AZL team, so Gonzalez went directly from the DR to Grand Junction, his second year at that affiliate. Because of this, it has been hard for clubs, even those who place a heavier priority on complex-level scouting, to get eyes on Gonzalez. He remains physically projectable at a lean, broad-shoulder 6-foot-5, 190, and he’s a plus runner under way.

His defensive instincts draw mixed reviews, but he has the speed to stay there and try to polish his routes over time. If he fills out, slows down, and has to move to a corner it probably means he’s grown into enough power to profile there, at which point it will become imperative that he quell his desire to chase breaking balls off the plate.

Luis Curbelo, 3B, Chicago AL (Profile)
Level: Short Season   Age: 19   Org Rank: 21   Top 100: NR
Line: 3-for-5, HR, BB
Notes
Curbelo had first-round tools as an amateur, but he scuffled against Floridian high-school pitching after transferring to Cocoa High School from Puerto Rico for his senior year. His sketchy feel to hit forced him to the sixth round of last year’s draft, but he has plus raw power projection and could be an above-average defender at third base.

Matt Manning, RHP, Detroit (Profile)
Level: Short Season   Age: 19   Org Rank: 1   Top 100: 56
Line: 4.1, 3 H, BB, 0 R, 9 K
Notes
There was some gnashing of teeth when Manning didn’t break camp with an affiliate, but he had a unique senior year of high school that included a late start with baseball due to his basketball team’s success. He also threw more innings on the travel-ball and showcase circuit as a rising senior than many of the upper-crust prep arms in last year’s draft. He’s still throwing hard, consistently in the mid-90s, and flashing a plus breaking ball.

Dillon Tate, RHP, New York AL (Profile)
Level: Hi-A   Age: 23   Org Rank: 12   Top 100: NR
Line: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 5 K
Notes
This was Tate’s first outing of the season as he had been sidelined with shoulder soreness that popped up during spring training. His fastball was in the mid-90s last night. It was 94-97 during the Fall League.

Genesis Cabrera, LHP, Tampa Bay (Profile)
Level: Hi-A   Age: 20   Org Rank: HM   Top 100: NR
Line: 7 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 1 R, 8 K
Notes
Cabrera will show you mid-90s heat and has plenty of changeup projection. He doesn’t miss a whole lot of bats right now because the changeup is still developing and Cabrera’s breaking ball is below average, but he seems to be improving his strike-throwing ability as this year goes on. He struggled to throw strikes last year and at times early this season but has only walked four hitters in his last four starts combined.

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Notes from the backfields
Rookie-level and Short Season ball are either underway or just about to be, including the Arizona Rookie League (AZL) around Phoenix, where it’s slated to be in excess of 110 degrees for the next week. Last night, the Giants and Cubs AZL teams played a tune-up game in Mesa. Cubs LHP Brett Anderson was rehabbing and sat 87-90 with a fastball that had above average movement for four innings of work. He touched 92. Anderson’s slider, which really functions as a curveball but is called a slider because it’s harder than the other breaking ball he throws, was consistently average and flashed above. He struggled to find consistent feel for his changeup.

I ran into Cubs RHP Jose Albertos for the third time this season. He was 92-95 and touched 96, as he was the last two times I saw him, and again struggled to find the strike zone. When he did, he was untouchable. He threw the best curveball I’ve seen from him, a comfortably plus, two-plane hook. His changeup feel was not good last night, but it has more than 15 mph separation from his fastball at times and has promising dive. There’s a chance for three plus pitches here, but the strike throwing looks like it’s going to be a long-term project.