Our first installment of Notes From the South kicks off today, with 2080’s Nick J. Faleris, Reggie Yinger, James Chipman, and Corey Turner pitching in with updates from around the Southern (Double-A), Florida State (High A), and South Atlantic (Class A) Leagues.
Southern League Prospect Profile
Edwin Diaz, RHP, Mariners
Edwin Diaz, RHP, Mariners (Double-A Jackson)
Ht/Wt: 6’3″/165 | B/T: R/R | Age (as of April 1, 2016): 22y, 0m
The former third-rounder has been nothing shy of dominant in his return to Double-A Jackson after suffering through some growing pains in his upper-minors debut last summer. In his most recent start against Birmingham, in which he squared off against fellow power-righty White Sox Carson Fulmer (RHP, Double-A Birmingham), Diaz left a 94 mph fastball out over the plate to Adam Engel (OF, Double-A Birmingham) and had it deposited over the big wall in left. Eddy Alvarez (SS, Double-A Birmingham) followed up with a hard double to the left-center field gap off another fastball up and over the plate.
Those were the only two hits Diaz would allow, as the high-waisted righty fanned the next two batters with a lively fastball at the letters and power breaking ball buried on the hands of Nicky Delmonico (1B, Double-A Birmingham) and closed out the inning drawing a 4-3 groundout on a changeup down and away from Trey Michalczewski (3B, Double-A Birmingham). The only opposing hitter to reach base over the next four innings would be Engel, who drew a seven-pitch walk in the third, as Diaz finished the outing with eight strikeouts, one walk, two hits and one run over five innings of work.
Notwithstanding the first two batters of the game, he was in control throughout, working primarily off his fastball and breaking ball while mixing in the changeup for flavor. On the season, Diaz currently sports 24 Ks against just two walks and has allowed just eight hits over his 16 IP. The Puerto Rican native has begun to fill out physically over the past two seasons and should continue to add strength as his body matures.
Most importantly, Diaz is showing a much more advanced approach in 2016, working his fastball in and out and elevating the pitch when ahead in count. His slider is an impressive swing-and-miss weapon thanks to hard bite and a release and trajectory that dovetail well off his heater. He’ll need to continue to grow his changeup, but the early looks this year have the young righty projecting as a potential mid-rotation arm with a fallback as a potentially dominant late-inning reliever. –Nick J. Faleris
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2080 Top 125 Prospect Updates
-Victor Robles, OF, Nationals (#31) – Robles can run and Robles can hit, and he’s shown off both tools frequently through the first 17 games of the 2016 season. The precocious outfielder won’t even turn 19 until May, but he’s looking at home in the Sally League, slashing .333/.461/.583 over his first 78 PAs, and he’s already swiped nine bags for Class A Hagerstown.
Josh Hader, LHP, Brewers
-Josh Hader, RHP, Brewers (#38) Already on his third organization since being drafted by Baltimore in the 19th round of the 2012 MLB Draft, Hader continues to get better and better with age. Now the ripe old age of 21, the loose-and-lanky left-hander is chewing up Double-A bats through his first three starts of the year for the Biloxi Shuckers. While the swing-and-miss stuff is impressive, as evidenced by his 19 strike outs in just 13 innings, Hader has quickly run up his pitch counts in his first three contests, averaging almost 20 pitches per inning. He’ll focus on efficiency and continuing to refine his sequencing and the quality of his changeup in 2016 — both of which will be key to his finding a home in the Brewers’ rotation, long term.
-Ozzie Albies, SS, Braves (#59) has collected hits in 13 of his first 17 games for Double-A Mississippi. In fact last night (April 23rd) was the first time the young shortstop failed to reach base since Opening Day. Albies has impressed early on in the season with his ability to work counts and draw walks, in addition to his knack for finding the ball with the barrel. His double-plus speed out of the box adds another dynamic to his game, putting pressure on the defense at all times – a good case study being this infield hit (Video credit MiLB.com)
-Jack Flaherty, RHP, Cardinals (#80) was roughed up in his last start on April 19 for the High A Palm Beach Cardinals. He recorded only one out, while giving up seven runs on seven hits, walking two and striking out one. 2080’s Mauricio Rubio and C.J. Wittmann discussed Flaherty’s dismal start on this week’s episode of 2080’s podcast, The Scale.
Touch Toussaint, RHP, Braves
-Touki Toussaint, RHP, Braves (#101) is off to a slow start in the Sally League as he continues to struggle with his execution, missing both in and out of the zone , and racking up walks and hits. A flat fastball and poor command of a hard-biting curveball have been the primary culprits, and while Toussaint took a small step forward on Friday with respect to repeating his mechanics and finding some rhythm, the wheels again came off in a four-run fourth inning and Toussaint ended the evening with a five-inning effort, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits with two walks and two strikeouts. 49 of his 74 pitches went for strikes.
-Lucas Sims, RHP, Braves (#110) gave up two hits while striking out 10 in 5.2 IP of work for the Double-A Mississippi Braves. He struck out 40% of batters faced in his first three starts with Mississippi and earned a quick promotion to Triple-A, making the start for Gwinnett on April 23rd, going five innings and striking out five while allowing two runs on four walks and three hits.
-Phil Bickford, RHP, Giants (#122) started his first full-season assignment at Class A Augusta, showing swing and miss stuff with 24 Ks over his first 13.2 IP. 2080’s Nick J. Faleris puts a spotlight on Bickford below.
Additional spotlights on 2080 top 125 prospects Brett Phillips (#32) , Brent Honeywell (#39), and Nick Gordon (#65) are also below.
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Prospect Spotlight – Southern League
Brett Phillips, OF, Brewers
Brett Phillips, OF, Brewers (Double-A Biloxi)
Ht/Wt: 6’0″/185 | B/T: L/R | Age (as of April 1, 2016): 21y, 10m
Phillips returned to Biloxi to start his 2016 season after a solid showing at Double-A in the second half of 2015, splitting time between Texas League Corpus Christi and Southern League Biloxi. Thus far, his production has largely matched what he has done throughout his minor league career, showing feel for contact, a solid approach, a sound understanding of the zone, and enough pop to rack up extra bases along the way. Through his first 13 games the Florida prep product is slashing .311/.404/.489 with over a third of his hits going for extra bases.
In addition, Phillips is a plus runner with solid feel on the base paths, giving him an opportunity to swipe an extra bag when the opportunity permits. He has excellent bat speed and an ability to yank balls on the inner half, as well as spray balls to the gaps when attacking the rest of the zone. It’s unlikely he’ll hit homers at the pace he was setting early last year in the comfy confines of the Cal League, but those homers should transition smoothly to doubles and triples, making him an intriguing possibility at the top of a big league lineup.
With his arm an easy double-plus, the defensive package profiles at either center field or right, with Michael Reed (OF, Triple-A Colorado Springs) likewise giving Milwaukee flexibility at those two positions. Having already shown he can hold his own at Double-A, Phillips will likely see a promotion to Triple-A Colorado Springs as soon as room opens up – most likely when Reed gets the call to Milwaukee. –Nick J. Faleris
Prospect Spotlights – Florida State League
Nick Gordon, SS, Twins (High A Fort Myers)
Ht/Wt: 6’0″/160 | B/T: L/R | Age (as of April 1, 2016): 20y, 5m
Gordon’s bloodlines run strong with father, Tom “Flash” Gordon enjoying a long and successful MLB career in both starting and relief roles, and brother Dee already a two-time all-star and last year’s N.L. batting champ (.333). As an amateur, Nick was viewed as a sound player with a high floor thanks to a lefty swing that’s geared to contact, and a high probability that he would stick as an up-the-middle defender, but he had a limited ceiling due to his lack of impact speed or power. He’s been very much that player thus far as a professional, though evaluators are being forced to reconsider whether his offensive upside was previously underrated.
Through his first 13 games at Fort Myers, Gordon has come out attacking the ball, slashing .322/.344/.492 over his first 61 PAs. He has a smooth stroke that produces hard, line drive contact, and shows enough feel to drive the ball the other way and work the gaps. There’s developing strength in the swing, as well, as Gordon continues to fill out his frame, appearing to sit around 15 pounds heavier than his listed weight of 160.
At present, the profile is that of a potential #2 hitter with solid contact skills and an ability to hit for average and regularly put the ball in play with authority. He’s unlikely to be a home run threat at the upper levels, but should wear out the gaps if pitchers give him too much to work with over the white. Defensively, Gordon boasts an easy plus arm and confident actions, making him a natural fit for shortstop long term. He’ll play all of 2016 as a 20-year-old, and he’s making steady progress towards a major league debut perhaps as early as late 2017 – certainly by the following summer. –Nick J. Faleris
Brent Honeywell, RHP, Rays
Brent Honeywell, RHP, Rays (High A Charlotte)
Ht/Wt: 6’2″/180 | B/T: R/R | Age (as of April 1, 2016): 21y, 0m
After impressing in 12 Florida State League starts in 2015, Honeywell has upped his game to start this year’s campaign, going 18 innings in his first three starts and striking out 19 batters, while walking just two and allowing 11 hits. In possession of the best screwball in the game at present, Honeywell has stymied FSL hitters thus far, utilizing the offering as both a chase pitch ahead and drop-in strike early in the count.
He has maintained a slightly up-tempo motion with an easy arm action, and his execution and feel for four offerings is evidence of his comfort on the bump. At maturity, Honeywell could profile as a solid mid-rotation arm with an above-average changeup to go with his plus fastball and screwball, and at least one evaluator views the curveball as a potential fourth weapon once he places more developmental focus on the pitch. Always a team to take it nice and slow with their big arms, the Rays should continue to allow Honeywell to ease his way through the system. –Nick J. Faleris
Prospect Spotlights – South Atlantic League
Phil Bickford, RHP, Giants (Class A Augusta)
Ht/Wt: 6’4″/200 | B/T: R/R | Age (as of April 1, 2016): 20y, 9m
Bickford has some of the best pure swing-and-miss stuff from last year’s MLB Draft class, and has put that stuff on display through his first three starts of 2016 with Class A Augusta, striking out 24 batters in just 13.2 IP. The righty throws with a lot of effort and comes with a sharp falloff to the first base side, each of which can lead to an inconsistent release, and very soft in-zone command, not to mention periodic bouts of wildness.
Thus far Bickford’s two biggest weapons have been a plus fastball, which comes in two- and four-seam variations, and his slider, which is a true swing-and-miss offering when on. Additionally, Bickford’s changeup has shown improved deception compared to prior years, and now shows above-average potential.
Evaluators have been split in the past as to whether Bickford profiles best in the rotation or closing out games, and that issue has yet to be fully litigated. It’s tough to envision Bickford as an arm with enough consistency and command to routinely turn over major league lineups, but the quality of the stuff is good enough that he may be able to survive with fringy efficiency so long as he doesn’t saddle himself with an excessive number of bases on balls. The focus for now is limiting the number of soft sliders and flat changeups resulting from missed release points, and tightening up his fastball command. –Nick J. Faleris
Chase Vallot, C, Royals
Chase Vallot, C, Royals (Class A Lexington)
Ht/Wt: 6’0″/215 | B/T: R/R | Age (as of April 1, 2016): 19y, 7m
After scuffling in his first tour through the Sally last summer, the former sandwich pick (#40 overall in 2014) has started mashed his way through the first four series of the 2016 season. The Louisiana native is presently slashing .314/.423/.561 with seven walks against 11 strikeouts over his first 52 PAs. His swing is lofted with some length and plenty of leverage, producing natural lift to go with plenty of torque generated through his core. While his plus raw power is the key to his offensive value, Vallot has the bat speed and hand-eye coordination to overcome some of the holes in swing. He should continue to develop into a capable hitter for average, as well, with more reps and instruction.
There’s still work to be done behind the plate for the stocky backstop. Despite generating pop times in the 1.9-second range, Vallot has a tendency to push his throws off target when he doesn’t get his feet underneath him – a shortcoming that will need to be ironed out over time. Additionally, while he possesses soft hands and is an adequate receiver, he can struggle to stay compact behind the plate and can allow his bulk to carry his glove off its point of reception when forced to lean during receipt. He can also struggle to get low in his set up, on occasion dropping to one knee with no runners on to help push his body lower in the zone. His side-to-side actions are adequate but limited, as he squares-up and blocks balls he gets to, but can be late sliding into position.
There’s still a long developmental road ahead of Vallot, but his early offensive output is encouraging after a rough 2015 campaign, and the physical tools are there to be molded into a big league catcher with time and effort. –Nick J. Faleris
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This Week at 2080 Baseball…
Reports Filed:
2080’s James Chipman files two reports this week from the Florida State League:
Tyler Alexander, LHP, Tigers (High A Lakeland)
Ian Clarkin, LHP, Yankees (High A Tampa)
Also, take a look at 2080’s report library covering prospects from around the minor leagues.
Video Library:
We have plenty of coverage from the Florida State League this week, courtesy of contributor James Chipman.
Chance Adams, RHP, Yankees (High A Tampa)
Ian Clarkin, LHP, Yankees (High A Tampa)
Mike Gerber, OF, Tigers (High A Lakeland)
Jairo Labourt, LHP, Tigers (High A Lakeland)
Christin Stewart, OF, Tigers (High A Lakeland)
Tyler Alexander, LHP, Tigers (High A Lakeland)
2080’s video library covering both amateur and pro prospects can be found here.
