Tuesday Cup of Coffee, 4/11

Daily notes on prospects from lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen.

Mike Soroka, RHP, Atlanta (Profile)
Level: Double-A   Age: 19   Org Rank: 9  Top 100: 93
Line: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 H, 7 K

Notes
Soroka is the most polished strike-thrower of Atlanta’s young arms and has mature competitive poise. Much was made of his aggressive assignment to Double-A, but this was a promising start.

Marcos Diplan, RHP, Milwaukee (Profile)
Level: Hi-A   Age: 20   Org Rank: 10  Top 100: HM
Line: 5 IP, 0 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 5 K

Notes
I saw Diplan twice toward the end of spring training. He labored in one start (struggling to get together with his catcher on pitch selection, struggling with his pacing with runners on and missing his spots) and was crisp in his last outing before breaking camp. His stuff is good, 90-94 with three viable secondaries, and he flashes command of all his pitches.

Jay Groome, LHP, Boston (Profile)
Level: Low-A   Age: 18   Org Rank: 3  Top 100: 29
Line: 1.1 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 9 ER

Notes
Groome was removed from the game after a visit from the team’s trainer. Globe beat writer Alex Speier reported that Groome left with a lat injury.

Walker Buehler, RHP, Los Angeles (N) (Profile)
Level: High-A   Age: 22   Org Rank: 4  Top 100: 74
Line: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 4 K

Notes
Buehler’s fastball had been 95-99 in Arizona this spring and Scout’s Taylor Blake Ward reported it as such last night. The velocity itself is not necessarily the notable aspect of Buehler’s evening. Rather, it’s the fact that he’s held velocity he never showed at Vanderbilt dating back to last summer now, though largely in short outings. There are people in the Dodgers org who think he’s going to pitch in the big leagues this year. Look for him to move quickly and for his workload to be well manicured.

Cedric Mullins, CF, Baltimore (Profile)
Level: Double-A   Age: 22   Org Rank: 17  Top 100: NR
Line: 3-for-5, HR, BB

Notes
Mullins skipped High-A and if off to a torrid start at Bowie, hitting .545 with 3 homers in five games. Below is his homer from Sunday, which looks quite effortless. Scouts with whom I spoke universally projected him as a fourth outfielder when I worked on the Orioles org rankings.

Notes from the back fields:
Texas RHP Andrew Cashner sat 87-89 in his west valley rehab start on Monday. Oakland RHP Norge Ruiz, who signed out of Cuba just before the new year, has not yet arrived stateside and is not listed on Oakland’s extended spring roster. A source with the org told me there’s a delay with processing Ruiz’s visa and that there’s no current timetable for his arrival, but that they hope to have the issue solved quickly. Rockies 2016 second rounder Robert Tyler threw in an extended spring game yesterday.