2080 PRO-SIDE: NOTES FROM AROUND THE COMPLEX

Featured Photo: Bo Naylor, C, Indians

Here are my thoughts on several prospects at the complex level, as I empty the notebook after recent swings through both the Gulf Coast and Arizona Leagues.  For more 2080 Pro-Side content covering the lower minors, be sure to check out our Appalachian League, Gulf Coast League, and Short-Season scouting pieces. As always, you can head to the sortable Report, Spotlight, and Prospect Video libraries to see all of our pro scouting content from the 2018 season.

Feature Spotlights:

Grayson Rodriguez, RHP, Orioles (Rookie GCL Orioles, Gulf Coast League)

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Ht/Wt: 6’5”/220 lbs.           B/T: R/R              Age (as of September 1, 2018): 18y, 9m

Rodriguez was one of the big surprises in this year’s draft, going 11^th overall to Baltimore. He had a solid GCL debut after signing, where his stuff actually got stronger as the summer wore on. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, the 18-year-old Rodriguez is very physical for his age and looks the part of a future workhorse. His semi-windup delivery is low-maintenance, finishing online with a strong drive to the plate. The arm circle is a bit stiff and rigid in the back, but it adds deception and doesn’t impede his feel for spin. Rodriguez’ fastball ranges from 92-to-97 mph, sitting closer to the high end of that range by the end of the GCL season. He keeps it around the plate well and throws strikes, showing signs more in-zone command will develop with pro reps. His curveball was a loopier 72-to-75 mph offering right after signing, but has tightened up into a sharper, high-70s snapper after a summer of pro coaching. Rodriguez is strong enough to throw a true slider at 81-to-85 mph that’s distinct from the curve, a subtle attribute that many young pitchers don’t have. Rodriguez’ mid-80’s changeup is the least refined pitch in his arsenal, but he’s able to get separation from his fastball and keep it around the zone.

Rodriguez showed more polish than anticipated in his pro debut, and he’s another exciting pitching prospect in a rapidly-improving Orioles system. He will start to generate Top 125 prospect buzz if he comes out of the gates showing the same 95-to-97 mph fastball and sharp curve I saw in August. The ceiling is that of a durable mid-rotation starter with the stuff to miss bats.

Bo Naylor, C, Indians (Rookie AZL Indians 2, Arizona League)

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Ht/Wt: 6’0”/195 lbs.           B/T: L/R              Age (as of September 1, 2018): 18y, 6m

Naylor had a strong pro debut in the AZL after going 29^th overall in the 2018 Draft. He’s a gamer with a high baseball IQ that shows up on both sides of the ball. He’s built with similar features to older brother Josh Naylor (LF, Padres), though a bit leaner and more athletic. The younger Naylor hits from a wide, crouched base and finds a strong launch position before the swing. He creates excellent hip torque and whips the bat through the zone, an efficient left-handed stroke that seems capable of producing average without sacrificing power. Naylor takes mature ABs, showing a polished understanding of the strike zone with ability to recognize offspeed. Defensively, he’s benefitted immediately from pro coaching and reps at catcher, where his receiving and actions look improved from where I saw them as an amateur. Naylor won’t ever be a truly plus defender, but the ingredients to stay at the position are there.

I was impressed with Naylor’s toolset in a short AZL look, an advanced hitter with the ceiling of an offensive-minded backstop. The bat is polished enough to handle an assignment to full-season ball to start 2019. Teenage catchers like Miguel Amaya (Cubs), Ronaldo Hernandez(Rays), M.J. Melendez (Royals), and William Contreras (Braves) all established themselves as top prospects in A-Ball this year, and Naylor could be on the same path in 2019.

Guillermo Zuniga, RHP, Dodgers (Rookie AZL Dodgers, Arizona League)

Ht/Wt: 6’3”/195 lbs.           B/T: R/R              Age (as of September 1, 2018): 19y, 10m

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The Braves signed Zuniga in 2016 for $350,000, though he and eleven other prospects were deemed free agents after Atlanta’s international violations were revealed. In December of 2017, Zuniga inked a $205,000 bonus with the Dodgers. The 19-year-old posted strong numbers pitching with the Dodgers’ AZL affiliate this summer, and I was impressed with his upside during a look at him in the league’s championship series.

A large and athletic 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, Zuniga is broad through the shoulders and hips with durable features. His semi-windup delivery is fairly low maintenance, and despite some present inconsistency repeating it, there’s steep downhill angle when he stays online. Zuniga mixes fastballs, showing a four-seamer at 92-to-96 mph and a sinker in the low-90’s. The heater shows ride up in the strike zone, and he showed an advanced idea of how to elevate his fastball with two strikes. Like most teenage pitchers, there isn’t much consistency to his command, but there’s nothing in the delivery to suggest he can’t develop more ability to pitch over the corners. Both off-speed pitches showed potential and flashed above average at best. Zuniga’s mid-80’s slider has long action that’s tough for righties to stay in on. Later in the outing, he broke out a nasty 85-to-88 mph splitter-like changeup with late diving action.

Zuniga’s age and proximity add risk to the profile, but there’s a lot to like about the tools. His ceiling could be as high as a future mid-rotation starter. This type of pitching prospect has a lot of future outcomes, though Zuniga’s upside should get him on prospect lists once he reaches full-season ball.

Carlos Vargas, RHP, Indians (Rookie AZL Indians 2, Arizona League)

Ht/Wt: 6’3”/175 lbs.           B/T: R/R              Age (as of September 1, 2018): 18y, 10m

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Vargas signed with Cleveland at the start of 2016’s J2 international signing period. He didn’t appear in an official professional game until this season, and the Indians skipped him over the Dominican Summer League to make his pro debut in the AZL, where his electric raw stuff has turned heads this summer. He’s striking out more than a batter per inning and posting a respectable ERA, though his 15% walk rate shows how raw the control and pitchability are.

Tall and lean at 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, the 18-year-old is a plus athlete with wirey features and a lightning-fast arm. There isn’t much effort to his delivery, but he lands closed and struggles to repeat his semi-windup and often falls off-line. Vargas is enough of an athlete to correct his lines to the plate, and while it’s a below-average delivery now that hinders his control and command, the physical tools are here to iron things out. The fastball was electric in my look, never falling below 94 mph and scraping the 97-to-98 mph range at its best. It was very straight early in the game, especially when up, but showed flashes of arm-side run as his velocity settled into the mid-90’s later in the outing. His secondary pitch is a hard slider at 84-to-88 mph that flashes sharp bite and late action at best. His inconsistent mechanics and release points limit the consistency of the slider, but the ingredients for a future above-average breaking ball are in the tank. Vargas is mostly a two-pitch guy right now, but he overthrows his slider around 89-to-90 mph at times and it looks like a cutter. It’s an interesting wrinkle that could develop into a third pitch.

It would be great if Vargas were ready for full-season ball when Spring Training breaks in 2019, but it seems more likely he stays back in Extended and heads to a short-season affiliate. He’s the epitome of a risk/reward pitcher: raw enough to be a lotto ticket type of prospect, albeit one whose fastball and slider could be plus pitches down the road.

Robinson Ortiz, LHP, Dodgers (Rookie AZL Dodgers, Arizona League)

Ht/Wt: 6’0”/180 lbs.           B/T: L/L              Age (as of September 1, 2018): 18y, 7m

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Ortiz signed for just $60,000 in June of 2017, and that looks like a steal given how he pitched this summer in the AZL. A sturdy 6-foot and 180 pounds, he repeats a semi-windup delivery well, and throws consistent strikes for a teenager. The fastball worked between 90-to-93 mph in my viewing, showing arm-side run and signs of advanced command. Ortiz has a good feel for his mid-80’s changeup, which he uses as his primary offspeed. He sells it with fastball arm speed, and the pitch flashed above-average drop when thrown in the 82-to-83 mph range. Later in the outing, he mixed a curveball at 78-to-80 mph that showed consistent spin and signs of sharp three-quarter’s shape. The breaking ball could become at least an average pitch (if not a tick better), and I’d like to see him go to it earlier in outings.

Ortiz pitches with feel and changes speeds well for his age, attributes that overwhelmed low-minors hitters (31% strikeout rate, .223 BAA). He’s advanced enough that an assignment to Class A isn’t out of the question. Only 18-years-old, his mix of stuff, strikes, and pitchability give the ceiling of a back-end of the rotation starter.

More GCL/AZL Spotlights and Video: