Jake Thompson has been somewhat of a nomad since being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Now in Philadelphia, after a string of solid outings, he may finally be knocking on the door of the big league rotation.
Keep reading for more on Phillies next possible starting pitcher.
Kris Bryant. Kyle Schwarber. Addison Russell. Albert Almora. Now, Willson Contreras. The Chicago Cubs have not been short on providing Major League Baseball with some of the most exciting young bats in the game over the past two seasons.
When I headed out to Rome to watch Max Fried and the Braves last Thursday, I wasn’t expecting much from their opposition. After all, John ranked the Miami Marlins farm system 29th out of 30th for the second season running, so to temper my expectations of the Greensboro Grasshoppers seemed right.
I was impressed with a few things I saw. I saw Marlins 2015 first-round draft pick Josh Naylor steal a base, to improve to 9-for-11 on the season, which still boggles my mind considering he is 6-foot, 225 pounds with what many have labeled Grade 20 speed. I saw Anfernee Seymour rip a gapper and drive in two, continuing to make himself look like a nice find in the seventh round of the 2014 draft. And I saw Cody Poteet totally control the strike zone.
Keep reading for more on one of Miami’s under the radar prospects.
The 2013 MLB Draft was big one for the New York Yankees, as it was the beginning of the youth movement currently transpiring within the organization. Aaron Judge, Ian Clarkin, and Tyler Wade are all atop the Yankees top prospect lists, Nick Rumbelow already got a taste of the big leagues and Eric Jagielo was one of the pieces that helped acquire Aroldis Chapman.
Later in that draft, in the 18th-round, the Yankees chose Dustin Fowler out of West Laurens High School in Georgia. A 2015 breakout season saw Fowler springboard up the Yankees’ farm and become one of the top ten Baby Bombers in the system.
Keep reading on the latest Yankees prospect gaining momentum.
Taking a look at the Salem Red Sox record, you can easily see that they are one of the top notch teams in the Carolina League. Sitting at 41-24 heading into Thursday night’s action, you can make the argument that they are one of the elite teams in all of Advanced-A. When you break down their lineup, you can make the argument that they are underachieving.
That’s just how good they are.
Max Fried was the big chip acquired by the Atlanta Braves in the Justin Upton deal two offseason ago. Just 20-years old at the time of the trade, Fried was one of the most exciting left-handed prospects in baseball, hovering around the Top 50 slot just two years after being drafted seventh overall by the San Diego Padres.
The only problem was, Fried was coming off Tommy John surgery and wouldn’t pitch at all last season.
Coming off of two scoreless outings, I headed out to Rome to check out Fried’s recovery in person and I caught up with him after the game to discuss life as a Brave.
It’s borderline hilarious how people are coming to the defense of Pete Rose after Ichiro Suzuki’s little nub shot back to the pitcher. For those of you living under a rock, Ichiro “tied” Rose yesterday for the most “professional” hits of all time.
Continue reading for more on Ichiro.
It looked like maybe the bright lights of being the top pitching prospect in baseball may have been too much to handle. Lucas Giolito — arguably the best overall prospect in all of the minor leagues — looked lost at the start of the season, like a pitcher much different than the one that had struck out 241 batters over the past two seasons. Luckily for the Washington Nationals, the old adage that patience is a virtue has paid off, as Giolito has turned the corner in a big way.
The Pittsburgh Pirates were handed a bit of blow late last week when Gerrit Cole left a game early with tricep soreness, and took a hit when Cole was placed on the DL yesterday. It’s seemingly all ok, however, because Jameson Taillon is here to save the day.
Last season was the year of the shortstop. Carlos Correa, Addison Russell and Francisco Lindor had huge debuts at the big league level, while the first round of the 2015 MLB Draft was littered with shortstops from top to bottom. As everyone remembers, the first three picks in last year’s draft were all of the shortstop position.
So how have they fared?
NO. 3: BRENDAN RODGERS, COLORADO ROCKIES
Brendan Rodgers, of course, was the first high school player taken off the board in 2015. Being the youngest of the shortstops taken left him the least likely to make his MLB debut first, but that hasn’t meant he hasn’t played well.
Rodgers half-season 2015 debut wasn’t eye-popping, but nowhere near a poor performance. Taking into consideration he played dinged up most of that time — battling hip and hamstring issues — Rodgers’ .273/.340/.420 slash line and three home runs were promising.
The 6-foot, 180-pound 19-year-old battled injury yet again this season, spending time on the disabled list with a knee contusion. He was red hot before being shelved on May 15 — slashing .341/.404/.591 with seven home runs — but has slowed down a bit since his return. His play hasn’t gone unnoticed on the season as he will be in the South Atlantic League All-Star. He is currently batting .285 with eight home runs and 15 doubles, but durability has certainly become a concern that hopefully is addressed.
The Tourists have played Rodgers at second base some this season, perhaps getting him ready for a shift. Many scouts originally felt he would have to shift to third base, but he has shown a better fielding percentage (.952 at second as opposed to .940 at short) and better range factor (5.00 at second versus 4.23 at short) at second so perhaps staying in the middle of the infield is still in his future. His quick bat, natural strength and sound instincts profile well at any position in which he sticks.
NO. 2 OVERALL ALEX BREGMAN, HOUSTON ASTROS
Like Rodgers, the Astros’ 22-year-old shortstop spent time on the DL this season. Bregman, however, hasn’t missed a beat in his debut Double-A season.
Alex Bregman had an impressive first half-season, making it to Advanced-A ball where he out performed his Low-A debut. He slashed .319/.364/.475 with three home runs in 160 at bats in Lancaster, hitting for higher average and more power than he did in 112 at bats for Quad Cities.
This season has been more of the same, as Bregman has jumped a level and seemingly continued to show improvement. He is currently slashing .310/.409/.592 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 41 RBI, but what is most impressive is his patience at the plate. Bregman has struck out just 20 times this season while walking 27. He has now walked 56 times in his young career while striking out 50, and that kind of plate discipline can’t be coached. Bregman simply has it.
Bregman doesn’t profile to be a big power bat (although 20 home run potential is very much in reach) but he displays fantastic gap power, profiling to be more of a doubles hitter as well. While there is little question that his bat will succeed at the big league level, there are big question marks about where he will play.
The 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander has played seven games at third base this season, and while he hasn’t committed and error in 18 chances, he has very questionable range. Defense has never been Bregman’s strong suit, but solid instincts and a decent enough arm for either slot on the left side of the infield have made up for mishaps along the way.
With Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa arguably the most exciting young double-play combo in the big leagues, it will be interesting to see where the Bregman defensive experiment leads.
NO. 1 OVERALL DANSBY SWANSON, ATLANTA BRAVES
Who trades away the number-one overall pick after he produces a half-season debut everyone had hoped for just a few months later? The Arizona Diamondbacks, that’s who.
Dansby Swanson fared well in his Rookie League debut for the Hillsboro Hops, slashing .289/.394/.482 while posting an .876 OPS. He was rewarded by being shipped off to Atlanta with fellow top prospect Aaron Blair in the Shelby Miller deal that has thus far backfired for Dave Stewart and the D-backs.
Since his arrival in Atlanta, Swanson has climbed to Double-A. He tore up the Carolina League to a .333/.441/.526 slash line in 21 games, leading to a quick promotion to Double-A Mississippi. He has struggled a bit since, showing an uncharacteristically-high strikeout rate 0f 16.1-percent (which is still not alarmingly high) while also posting an equally uncharacteristic low walk rate of 9.5-percent (a number Swanson is usually has well into double-digits). His last four games have seen him go 0-for-19, striking out five times and walking just two.
That’s of no matter though as it is simply a cold spell. Swanson seemingly has no weaknesses; he is above-average in all of his skill set. He plays such a good shortstop that the Braves have moved Ozzie Albies to second base since he was promoted to Gwinnett, and it is looking more and more like an Albies/Swanson double-play combo will debut in 2016, albeit it may be as September call-ups.
Unlike Rodgers and Bregman, Swanson is the unquestioned Braves shortstop of the future and, barring trade (which always needs to be said when discussing the Braves) will be a National League All-Star for years to come. He has advanced range and instincts well beyond his years, plus above-average speed to help with both his range and base path skills (Swanson is 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts on his 79-game minor league career).
Don’t forget t read my full article as well as a bevy of others from baseball’s best writers like Jon Heyman, Bernie Pleskoff, Roy Cummings, Bobby DeMuro and more at Today’s Knuckleball. Get there by clicking the link below!
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