Feature Photo: Scott Kingery, 2B, Phillies
Now nearly two months into the season, prospects such as Ian Happ (2B/OF, Cubs) and Anthony Alford (OF, Blue Jays) have earned calls from their parent clubs to the big leagues, but there are players still down on the farm garnering plenty of interest with their performances, both on the field and off.
From the first complete game shutout thrown for Class A Kane County in 13 years, to a surprise batting average leader in the Texas League, this week’s edition stops at all levels to highlight players of interest. Jared zeroes in on a couple of prospects from the Diamondbacks’ system, as well as a pitcher that he interviewed for 2080 during spring training, and Emily looks at a potential Class A ace up the Tigers’ sleeve, one of the many hot-hitting Phillies’ prospects, and a teenage Blue Jays’ infielder prospect with a swing that a few fans may recognize.
Minor League Roulette
Players Who Stood Out for Emily
Scott Kingery, 2B, Phillies (Double-A Reading, Eastern League)
Ht/Wt: 5’10” / 180 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 22y, 11m
Season Stats: .289/.366/.651, 44 H, 8 2B, 13 HRs, 27 RBIs
It’s not the first stab at Double-A for Kingery, the Phillies 2015 second-round pick, but Kingery is already showing more at the plate this season. Splitting 2016 between the Phillies’ High A and Double-A clubs, Kingery hit .293 with a .117 ISO in the Florida State League before moving up to Double-A Eastern League and posting a respectable .250 batting average. Kingery’s ISO registered a meager .088 over 147 trips to the plate in Double-A, however. Fast forward to 2017 and not only has Kingery’s strikeout percentage dropped from 20.4% in 2016 to 18.4% in 2017, his ISO has exploded to .343 with a .980 OPS over 36 games. And home runs? Yes, he has hit a few of those, as well. He has more than doubled his 2016 home-run output with 13 already this season, including six over his last seven games. At 5’10’’, he’s not particularly built for power, but he has above-average bat speed and has improved his recognition of Double-A pitching this season. Triple-A is not far in his future.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, Blue Jays (Class A Lansing, Midwest League)
Ht/Wt: 6’1” / 200 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 18y, 0m
Season Stats: .333/.432/.519, 43 H, 12 2B, 4 HRs, 24 RBIs
Putting his own spin on the very familiar lumberjack swing employed by his father of the same name, Guerrero, Jr. sits among the top three in nine team offensive categories for Class A Lansing, as well as third overall in the Midwest League in on-base percentage and batting average – all just a few months beyond his 18th birthday. At a solid 200 pounds, Guerrero is in the process of trimming away some of his teenage frame, but he carries enough raw power to give a glimpse into what the future holds for the right-handed hitter. In 122 at-bats, Guerrero has maintained an almost identical strikeout percentage from Rookie ball last season, up from 12.7% last year to 12.9% in this year’s Midwest League. Over his last three starts, Guerrero has six hits, four runs and a pair of doubles for the Lugnuts. Currently a corner infielder, Guerrero has shown improvement in his footwork defensively, but still needs polish, which is entirely expected given his youth. While there is talk of a transition to the outfield, don’t expect the Blue Jays to rush his development.
Rogelio Armenteros, RHP, Astros (Double-A Corpus Christi, Texas League)
Ht/Wt: 6’1” / 215 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 22y, 9m
Season Stats: 36 IP, 23 H, 47 SO, 13 BB, 1.25 ERA
Since coming from Cuba for his State-side debut in 2015, Armenteros has been steadily building a name for himself, and his latest stint this season in Corpus Christi is showing the fruits of his labor. With a low- to mid-90s fastball and equally effective breaking ball and changeup secondary offerings, Armenteros has more than doubled his strikeouts-per-nine innings this season from 5.5 to 11.7. Over his last three outings with the Hooks, Armenteros has been fluid, walking just four and allowing six hits over 13 combined scoreless frames. In total, Armenteros has five scoreless appearances this season for the Hooks. Despite a roughly two-point climb in his walks per nine innings to 3.2 in 2017, his control remains average, and Armenteros appears to be settling as an effective starting pitching option for the Astros.
Here’s a Player to Watch
Austin Sodders, LHP, Tigers (Class A West Michigan, Midwest League)
Ht/Wt: 6’3” / 180 lbs. B/T: L/L Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 21y, 11m
Season Stats: 37 IP, 25 H, 42 SO, 12 BB, 0.73 ERA
In a system hungry for pitching potential, Sodders has more or less emerged out of nowhere for Class A West Michigan this season and the numbers speak for themselves. Sodders entered the organization as a seventh-round pick in 2016 and while he generated five consecutive scoreless outings for short-season Connecticut last summer, Sodders managed to stay under-the-radar until grabbing everyone’s attention this season with a red-hot start for the Whitecaps. Over 37 innings of work with the Whitecaps, Sodders has allowed just three runs and has fanned 42, not allowing a run in four of his last five appearances. The true test for the southpaw should come during his next promotion to face hitting in the Florida State League, but for now, West Michigan and their fans can enjoy a rare look at a fresh arm producing solid numbers, something that has been scarce in the Tigers’ organization of late.
Players Who Stood Out to Jared
Cody Reed, LHP, Diamondbacks (Class A Kane County, Midwest League)
Ht/Wt: 6’3” / 245 lbs. B/T: R/L Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 20y, 11m
Season Stats: 41 ⅓ IP, 25 H, 47 SO, 9 BB, 1.08 ERA
On May 12, Reed threw eight shutout innings against the Lansing Lugnuts, so naturally he had to top that in his most recent start. Last Thursday, in front of a home crowd at Northwestern Medicine Field, Reed went the distance against Quad Cities. Holding the River Bandits to just three hits and one walk while striking out nine, Reed gave the Cougars’ bullpen the night off in the first complete game shutout for Kane County since Trent Peterson (LHP, Athletics, 2003-2007) accomplished the feat in August 2004. Reed, a 2014 second-rounder, has only given up five earned runs across seven starts this season. After struggling against High A California League batters last season, Reed is probably itching for the opportunity to return to High A Visalia. He made seven starts there in 2016, but hitters pasted him for a .296 average and pushed his ERA to 6.06. Those struggles came after he posted a 1.82 ERA with Kane County last year, so he has already demonstrated that he can handle Midwest League batters. When the time does come for him to return to the California League, it will be interesting to see if the added reps at Kane County will improve his outcomes in the hitter-friendly league in a second go-around.
Michael Kopech, RHP, White Sox (Double-A Birmingham, Southern League)
Ht/Wt: 6’3” / 205 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 21y, 1m
Season Stats: 42 1/3 IP, 21H, 59 SO, 23 BB, 2.76 ERA
In a March profile of Kopech for 2080, it was noted that Kopech’s high walk rate would need to be a focus of his development this season, and so far he is still walking batters at roughly the same rate as he did with High-A Salem in 2016. Kopech remains a strikeout machine, however, leading all Double-A pitchers with 59 strikeouts. In his most recent start, he pitched seven full innings, something he had yet to do this season and had done only once last year. On May 19, Kopech held the Tennessee Smokies to one run on three hits and two walks, while striking out eight. It’s worth noting that the two walks both came in the first inning, as did the run. After that, Kopech settled in and threw six clean innings, allowing only one more baserunner on a single by Jason Vosler (3B, Cubs) in the top of the seventh. In the March profile, Kopech said that his goal was to reach the majors and pitch in Chicago this season. If he can throw more innings like he did after the first inning in his last start, Kopech will at least earn a bump to Triple-A Charlotte in the International League. Kopech may still be light on total innings as a pro to reach the big leagues in September, as he has yet to throw 100 innings in any one season, and the White Sox are likely to be cautious with his innings total and show some patience. Reaching the 100-inning plateau would be a significant achievement for the hard-throwing right-hander, however.
Edwin Rios, 3B, Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa, Texas League)
Ht/Wt: 6’3” / 220 lbs. B/T: L/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 23y, 0m
Season Stats: .361/.382/.604, 52 H, 11 2B, 8 HRs, 32 RBIs
Rios hit .301 across three levels in 2016, but only .254 during his 33-game stint in the Texas League last year. Consequently, it is a bit of a surprise to see him leading all Double-A batters with a .361 average as of Saturday. Rios has focused less on hitting the long ball this season, and he has been stroking more hits to the opposite field instead. This refined approach has resulted in a small dip in his strikeout rate–22% so far this season, down from 23% in the Texas League last year– and has helped significantly in his league-leading hitting. That said, Rios has only walked unintentionally twice this season, so if the bat cools off, he will need to scale back his free-swinging ways in order to keep getting on base. He has never been particularly good at drawing walks, however. The 6.3 BB% that he posted with Class A Great Lakes in the Midwest League during a 33-game stop in 2016 is the best he has had in a full season of pro ball, so expectations for a significant change in his approach should be tempered. For the time being, his upper .300s batting average will keep Dodgers’ fans from worrying too much.
Here’s a Player to Watch
Christian Walker, 1B, Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno, Pacific Coast League)
Ht/Wt: 6’0” / 220 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 26y, 2m
Season Stats: .306/.381/.631, 48 H, 11 2B, 12 HRs, 46 RBIs
Walker paid brief visits to the majors with the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 and 2015. This offseason, Walker was claimed off of waivers three separate times before finally settling in with the Diamondbacks’ organization just nine days before the season was set to begin. So far this season, Walker is making his case for a return to the big leagues. He has shown the ability to hit for power at each stop in the minors, and this year he has continued to do so, as he was tied for the minor league lead with 12 home runs (as of May 20). His most noteworthy performance of the season came last Saturday against New Orleans, when he hit for the cycle in Reno’s 12-inning, 11-10 win over the New Orleans Zephyrs. Walker’s double in the 11th inning completed the cycle, something he wasn’t aware of until the PA announcer chronicled the feat after the hit. Walker was understandably focused on something else; his team had rallied for six runs in the ninth inning to force extras , which made the cycle possible.
Statistical Highlights From Around the Minor Leagues
- Tony Santillan (RHP, Reds) was perfect going into the seventh inning on Friday night. He retired the first 19 Class A Bowling Green batters that he saw before a pair of singles in the top of the seventh ended his no-hit bid. Santillan is making his second stop with Class A Dayton in the Midwest League, and after struggling to the tune of a 6.82 ERA there in 2016, Santillen is showing much better stuff this season.
- Widely viewed as the Nationals’ top prospect, center fielder Victor Robles, celebrated his 20th birthday on Friday by going 4-for-5 and driving in three runs for High-A Potomac. He was just a double shy of the cycle.
Key Minor League Transactions
- Top Cubs’ pitching prospect and right-hander Dylan Cease hit the 7-day disabled list on Friday after rolling an ankle while covering third base during Thursday’s Class A South Bend game against Lansing. The injury should not prevent him from rejoining the active roster this weekend.
- Time off isn’t normal for Indians’ catching prospect Francisco Mejia, but after being placed on the DL on May 12, Mejia returned to the Akron lineup on May 20. It was a happy return, as he hit a solo home run. Out of 22 games this season, Mejia has hit safely in all but five, and he had a 13-game hit streak to start the year.
- Following a dominant debut over seven starts with Class A West Michigan, Tigers 2016 fourth-round pick Kyle Funkhouser received a promotion to High-A Lakeland. The right-hander left the Midwest League sitting third overall with 49 strikeouts over 31 ⅓ innings for the Whitecaps.
- With Blue Jays’ center fielder Kevin Pillar receiving a two-game suspension last week, the Blue Jays were faced with a gap to fill in the outfield, and decided to call on red-hot Double-A prospect Anthony Alford. Alford debuted with Toronto on the road in Baltimore on Friday night, finishing 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
Notes of Interest
- Rhys Hoskins (1B, Phillies) lost his mother eight years ago, and on Mother’s Day last Sunday, he honored her memory with a first-inning home run and an RBI single to help the Triple-A Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs win both games of a doubleheader against Buffalo.
- 19-year-old Cuban outfield phenom Luis Robert has reportedly agreed to sign with the Chicago White Sox for a deal between $25-to-$30 million, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Ben Badler of Baseball America provides a detailed inside look into Robert’s scouting report here.
What We’re Reading
- Say what you will about Tim Tebow (OF, Mets), but he is putting butts in seats in minor league parks in the South Atlantic League. Darren Rovell writes for ESPN that Tebow has upped attendance for Class A Columbia 30 percent from this time last year. Tebow is drawing crowds on the road, too, often doubling usual attendance for the teams he visits.
- mlb.com editor Danny Wild expands on some of the interesting things minor league players are sharing on Twitter, including Micah Johnson (2B, Braves) and his hidden talents.
