Feature Photo: Lucas Giolito, RHP, White Sox
Minor League Roulette
Although it may feel like the 2017 season just kicked off, we are less than a month from the All-Star break. Wait…what? Per usual, the minor league season is flying by, and with it, the annual player breakouts (Phillies prospect and second baseman Scott Kingery hit his minor league-leading 15th home run) and injuries (Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Alford broke his hamate bone just a few days into his major league career). This week, we review the hot bats of Ryan Montcastle (2B, Orioles) and Alfredo Rodriguez (SS, Reds), the emergence of Reds right-hander Tony Santillan, the highly encouraging news surrounding the return of Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon and, finally, discover the secret to Clint Frazier’s (LF, Yankees) survival without that famous hair.
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Players Who Stood Out for Emily
Clint Frazier, OF, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, International League)
Ht/Wt: 6’1” / 190 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 22y, 6m
Season Stats: .259/.342/.518, 43 H, 16 2B, 9 HRs, 29 RBIs
Coming up on his one-year anniversary in the Yankees’ organization since being traded to the Bombers for Andrew Miller (LHP, Indians), Frazier has really stepped it up this season after getting his feet wet with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year. In 2017, he has hit safely in all but 12 of his 43 games with the RailRiders. Leading Scranton in five team offensive categories, including home runs and RBIs, Frazier is also sitting second on the team in strikeouts with 41. Oddly enough, he’s actually dropped his strikeout percentage by six points from 2016 (26.3% to 20.9%) to 2017, and showing better overall discipline at the plate. Known for his near-elite bat speed, Frazier can get a little trigger happy at the plate at times, but with his power bat and above-average defensive abilities, he’s well on his way to becoming a viable outfield option for the Yankees in the very near future, even without the long red locks that made him famous both in the Indians’ farm system, and on social media. Here’s a recent report on Frazier from 2080’s Ted Lekas.
Tyler O’Neill, OF, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma, Pacific Coast League)
Ht/Wt: 5’11” / 210 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 21y, 9m
Season Stats: .222/.287/.392, 39 H, 11 2B, 5 HRs, 19 RBIs
Since destroying a baseball off a tee during the Arizona Fall League home run challenge in 2016, O’Neill and his power bat have continued to gain notoriety. Just shy of his 22nd birthday, the Mariners 2013 third-round pick is settling into his first taste of Triple-A action with the Rainiers. While there are still areas of his game that need work (plate discipline continues to be an issue; he has a .287 OBP), O’Neill starting to show the power that is so attractive to the Mariners’ front office. Through 47 games, O’Neill — with 11 — is already on pace to surpass his 26 doubles from 2016. His last four games have produced a pair of home runs, a triple and five RBIs for the Rainiers. O’Neill’s strikeout percentage has taken a two-point jump from Double-A in 2016 to 28.6% in Triple-A, but the hike should right itself as he becomes more familiar with Triple-A pitching.
Nick Williams, OF, Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley, International League)
Ht/Wt: 6’3” / 195 lbs. B/T: L/L Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 23y, 6m
Season Stats: .279/.313/.485, 46 H, 10 2B, 8 HR, 27 RBIs
Will Williams ever stop hitting? The Texas Rangers’ 2012 second-round pick joined the Phillies in the whopper Cole Hamels (LHP, Rangers) trade at the 2015 trade deadline. The 23-year-old outfielder has been on a tear in 2017. Holding an active 10-game hit streak, Williams is on pace for more than 20 home runs, with six of his eight home runs coming in his last 10 games. He is sitting top-three in almost every offensive category for the IronPigs, along with hot-hitting teammates Rhys Hoskins (1B, .323/.423/.659, 13 HRs, 38 RBIs) and up-and-coming Dylan Cozens (RF, .228/.295/.491, 13 HRs, 37 RBIs). This is Williams’ second go-around at the Triple A level, and his biggest focus is on dropping his 28.8% strikeout rate. Alongside Hoskins and Cozens, the Phillies have plenty of power coming through the pipeline in the not-too-distant future. Here’s some video of Williams from last August, courtesy of 2080’s Mark Shreve.
Here’s a Player to Watch
Tony Santillan, RHP, Reds (Class A Dayton, Midwest League)
Ht/Wt: 6’3” / 240 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 19y, 11m
Season Stats: 53 2/3 IP, 36 H, 52 SO, 19 BB, 2.35 ERA
It’s difficult to find a right-hander on as hot a streak as Santillan, who is just beyond his 20th birthday. The Texas native has been near perfect in his last pair of starts for Class A Dayton, including carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning on May 19. Santillan has gone a combined 15 scoreless frames for the Dragons, allowing a combined four hits, one walk and fanning 10. Boasting a 1.02 WHIP, Santillan carries a fastball that is known to tip triple digits, and pairs it with a plus slider, both effective swing-and-miss offerings. Since 2016, Santillan’s SO/9 has dropped from 12.1 to 8.8, but his BB/9 has also dropped, from 3.7 to 3.2 in the same timeframe, and this year he’s holding hitters to a .190 batting average against. If he can continue showing improvement in his changeup, which is currently a below-average offering, there’s still a start’s profile here, though the hard-hard, two-pitch combo will certainly play well out of the bullpen if it doesn’t.
Players Who Stood Out to Jared
Ryan Mountcastle, SS, Orioles (High A Frederick, Carolina League)
Ht/Wt: 6’3” / 195 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 20y, 10m
Season Stats: .342/.372/.620, 63 H, 16 2B, 11 HRs, 35 RBIs
The Orioles’ No. 4 prospect according to MLB’s Prospect Pipeline, Mountcastle has been absolutely raking against Carolina League pitching this season. On Thursday, Mountcastle went 4-for-4 with three home runs against the High-A Buies Creek Astros. That brought his season total to 11, and that’s already more than he hit all last season in the Class A South Atlantic League. Mountcastle, Baltimore’s 2015 first-rounder (#36 overall), has 18 multi-hit games this year, but Thursday was his first multi-homer outing. He is in his third professional season but just his second in full-season ball, so there’s time to let the 20-year-old develop. Drafted out of Hagerty (Fla.) High School two years ago, Mountcastle has displayed his hit tool at each rung of the Orioles’ ladder so far. On defense, he has plus arm strength at shortstop, although his range may necessitate a move over to third base eventually. Mountcastle stands to work on his plate discipline, as a 3.6% walk rate is currently being papered over by the fact that he hits everything near the zone hard. Ultimately, given his age, look for Mountcastle to hang around the Carolina League for a full season before continuing his ascension.
Alfredo Rodriguez, SS, Reds (High-A Daytona, Florida State League)
Ht/Wt: 6’0” / 190 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 22y, 10m
Season Stats: .280/.328/.319, 51 H, 7 2B, 0 HRs, 16 RBIs
Rodriguez, profiled in 2080s 2017 Reds Organizational Review, will not wow anyone with his power, but he has been on a torrid streak for the past week. He went 5-for-5 with two doubles last Saturday in Tampa, and then had multi-hit games again on Tuesday and Friday. Most recently, he went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs. In that stretch, Rodriguez has brought his batting average up from .255 to .280. He jumped all the way from the Rookie Dominican Summer League last year to the High A Florida State League this season, but so far leapfrogging over Short-Season A and Class A ball has not flustered Rodriguez a bit. He floundered at the plate in the DSL in 2016, hitting .234, but that has not carried over into this season. Rodriguez slots in nicely in the leadoff spot for Daytona, and with his Gold Glove-caliber defense up the middle, the 22-year-old from Cuba is poised to move through Cincinnati’s system quickly.
Destin Hood, OF, Marlins (Triple-A New Orleans, Pacific Coast League)
Ht/Wt: 6’2” / 205 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 27y, 0m
Season Stats: .261/.344/.527, 43 H, 8 2B, 12 HRs, 35 RBIs
Hood is not going to appear on prospects lists, and he’s become something of a journeyman, but his performance at the plate over the last week-and-a-half deserves attention. In 11 games, Hood homered eight times, including a two-homer, five-RBI night in Colorado Springs on Wednesday. He has never shown much power – his highest home run total on a season came in 2016 when he hit 15 in 476 plate appearances in Triple-A – but he is in a clear rhythm now. Hood got a cup of coffee in Miami last September when roster expanded, so whether this hot streak will merit a call-up to the Marlins this season remains to be seen. If and when his hot streak dies down, Hood still offers respectable on-base skills and can hit well enough that he could benefit the Marlins for a longer stretch, even in an OF-4 utility role.
Here’s a Player to Watch
Lucas Giolito, RHP, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte, International League)
Ht/Wt: 6’6” / 255 lbs. B/T: R/R Age (as of April 1st, 2017): 22 y, 10m
Season Stats: 46 1/3 IP, 42 H, 43 SO, 25 BB, 5.44 ERA
It has been a bumpy start to Giolito’s season, and he has the ugly stat line to show for it. The centerpiece of the December trade that sent him, Dane Dunning, and Reynaldo Lopez from the Nationals to the White Sox in exchange for Adam Eaton (OF, Nationals), Giolito has the pedigree to give White Sox fans reason not to sweat his first seven or eight starts. But seeing him deliver a seven-inning no-hitter like he did Thursday against his former team, the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in a 4-0 win, is also reason for them to feel some relief (it was the first game of a doubleheader). Giolito allowed only three walks and he struck out three. He gave up a walk in the first inning, and then did not allow another baserunner until the fifth. Giolito has already had a taste of the big leagues, shuttling between Syracuse and Washington last season. He struggled in his brief time in the big leagues, so the White Sox will be understandably slow in putting him back on a major league mound any time soon, as his velocity has been down a couple ticks this year, and his BB/9 has risen to an uncharacteristic 4.9 BB/9.
Statistical Highlights From Around the Minor Leagues
- Facing Class A Fort Wayne Thursday evening, Tigers 22-year-old right-hander Anthony Castro tossed a career-high 12 strikeouts over six scoreless frames in a 10-0 win to pick up his third Midwest League win for 2017 over the Fort Wayne TinCaps. Prior to Thursday, Castro had posted nine strikeouts on two different occasions in his career, since signing with the Tigers’ organization in 2011.
- Cardinals starter Matt Pearce pitched his fist shutout and second straight complete game for Double-A Springfield on Friday in a 2-0 win over San Antonio, following his complete game win over Northwest Arkansas May 21.
Key Minor League Transactions
- Just hours after recording his first major league hit, the Blue Jays’ Anthony Alford was placed on the 10-day DL, suffering a left hamate fracture, which occurred during a swing on Tuesday evening.
- 2080’s number two prospect in the Pirates’ system, right-hander Mitch Keller, hit the disabled list with a back strain on Friday. He left his Friday start against Louisville after just one inning. He had given up two runs before being pulled with the injury.
- After undergoing surgery earlier this month for testicular cancer, Pirates righty Jameson Taillon has been cleared to resume activity, receiving his first rehab assignment to the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate in , and against the Erie SeaWolves on Sunday he threw three innings, he allowed just one run while striking out six.
Notes of Interest
- Jacob Nix (RHSP, Padres) is continuing to rehab a groin strain that has sidelined him since spring training. According to a source, the Padres have been gradually adding to Nix’s innings count, and he reached five innings last Saturday. His fastball touched 96 mph with no reported discomfort.
- Since suffering an ankle sprain with Class A South Bend, Cubs right-hander Dylan Cease remains on the 7-day DL with no set timetable for his return. Cease is still throwing occasionally and is walking without crutches. According to sources, the ankle is healing well.
- The White Sox made it official this weekend, signing 19-year-old Cuban outfielder Luis Robert on Saturday. One of the top-ranked international prospects available this year received a reported $26 million signing bonus. With the international luxury tax added on, the contract costs the White Sox roughly $50 million.
What We’re Reading
- For Sports Illustrated, Harry Swartout remembers his grandfather, a World War II veteran who played in the minor leagues in the Pirates’ system before the war.
- For The Players’ Tribune, Detroit Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler breaks down his picks for the five toughest pitchers in the American League Central.
