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Brent Honeywell, rhp, Rays

Team: low Class A Bowling Green (Midwest)
Age: 19
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 8 SO, 1 BB

People can’t agree on much of anything these days, but if you polled Midwest League hitters you’d probably get unanimous support for moving Honeywell out of their league. In addition to his gem this week, he has flat-out carved in his first taste of full-season ball. The screwballing righty has gone 3-2, 1.66 with just 20 hits let up in 38 innings. He’s also fanned 46 against just seven walks. In May, he’s whiffed 17 and allowed only one free pass. He’s had three starts of two hits or fewer, and has allowed just two extra-base hits over his last six outings. Port Charlotte is calling, Mr. Honeywell.
Last edited by Rockies on Fri May 29, 2015 12:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Aaron Blair, rhp, Diamondbacks

Team: Double-A Mobile (Southern)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 2-0, 0.00, 13 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 10 SO, 2 BB

Blair continued to buttress his Double-A résumé this week with a pair of starts featuring no earned runs and more strikeouts than baserunners allowed. Everything has been trending in the right direction for the 2013 sandwich pick, who in his past six starts has logged a 0.89 ERA, a 33-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 41 innings and an opponent average of .197.
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Rowdy Tellez, 1b, Blue Jays

Team: low Class A Lansing (Midwest)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: .375/.394/.531 (12-for-32), 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO

The Midwest League has been swallowing up and spitting out prime prospects this year. See: the Mariners’ Alex Jackson, who already has been sent back to extended spring training with a shoulder injury; the Brewers’ Monte Harrison, who is batting .157; and the Padres’ Michael Gettys, whose 62-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio is, um, troubling. Tellez has avoided those pitfalls, partly because the Blue Jays have put him on a very slow track. Considered one of the more polished high school bats in the 2013 draft class, he spent the better part of two seasons in Rookie ball before reaching Lansing. He’s been part of an impressive group of Lugnuts bounce-back players that also includes outfielders Anthony Alford and D.J. Davis.
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Alen Hanson, 2b, Pirates

Team: Triple-A Indianapolis (International)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .310/.344/.517 (9-for-29), 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-1 SB

Despite Hanson’s fine start as a 22-year-old middle infielder at Triple-A, he likely won’t earn a spot with the Pirates this season, not with Neil Walker firmly entrenched at the keystone. (Walker is signed through 2016.) Hanson’s best chance of carving out a role in Pittsburgh before 2017 depends on his versatility, so while he isn’t an everyday shortstop, he could fill in there if the Pirates should lose Jung Ho Kang or Jordy Mercer. In other words, the organization’s depth gives Hanson plenty of time to refine his skills in Indianapolis.
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Sean Reid-Foley, rhp, Blue Jays

Team: low Class A Lansing (Midwest)
Age: 19
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 1 GS, 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 SO

The Scoop: When Reid-Foley is around the strike zone, he’s one of the most challenging pitchers to square up in the low minors. Using a plus fastball and a swing-and-miss slider, he has a 32 percent strikeout rate. He walked only one better in his start this week, but corralling his stuff in the strike zone has been a challenge so far for Reid-Foley, who has walked 26 batters in 34 innings. The fastball and breaking stuff are already there, so developing his changeup and improving his control will be the developmental focal points here.
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Pirates pitching prospect Adrian Sampson threw seven scoreless innings Sunday in a win for Triple-A Indianapolis.
He held Lehigh Valley to three hits and one walk. Sampson has been on fire lately with wins in his last three starts. The right-hander hasn't lost since April 26. The 23-year-old leads the International League in strikeouts (67) and is second in wins (six) and innings pitched (73 2/3 IP). The Pirates know who to call if a spot opens up in the starting rotation.
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Brent Honeywell, rhp, Rays

Team: low Class A Bowling Green (Midwest)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: 0-1, 2.77, 13 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 16 SO, 3 BB

The Scoop: Even though Chase De Jong bested him both in Thursday’s matchup and in the Midwest League strikeouts race, Honeywell put together another fine week in what has been an excellent season. The righthanded screwball artist punched out 16 to push his total to 76 and to second place in the Midwest League. His WHIP, an even 1.00, is among the top five in the league as well. His screwball is backed up with a mid-90s fastball, a two-seamer and a curveball.
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Touki Toussaint, rhp, Braves

3ds_braves83Team: low Class A Kane County (Midwest)
Age: 19
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 SO

The Scoop: The Diamondbacks shed the approximate $9 million they still owed Bronson Arroyo when they traded him to the Braves last week, but the price of doing business was Toussaint, the club’s 2014 first-round pick and a fine prospect in his own right. The long-limbed, 6-foot-3 Toussaint shows feel for three quality pitches and tossed six shutout innings in his final Kane County appearance while striking out five and allowing only one hit.
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Brent Honeywell - S - Rays
Rays prospect RHP Brent Honeywell has been promoted to High-A Charlotte from Low-A Bowling Green.
He’s moving up to the Florida State League after posting a 2.91 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 1.7 BB/9 and 10.5 K/9 in 65 innings (12 starts) for Bowling Green. Little was known about Honeywell when the Rays selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft, but the 20-year-old right-hander has quickly made a name for himself with his immediate success in the low minors. In addition to a low- to mid-90s fastball, Honeywell possesses an above-average changeup, fringy curveball and absolutely filthy screwball. He shouldn’t have any problems adjusting to the pitcher-friendly FSL.
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Rowdy Tellez - 1B - Blue Jays
Blue Jays prospect 1B Rowdy Tellez went 2-for-5 with an RBI on Thursday in his debut for High-A Dunedin.
Tellez was promoted to Dunedin this week after batting .298/.354/.444 with seven home runs, 19 doubles and 50 RBI in 69 games for Low-A Lansing. The 20-year-old left-handed hitter stands out for his big raw power and sound approach, but as a first-base-only prospect, his bat will have to carry him all the way to the major leagues
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Sam Travis - 1B - Red Sox
Red Sox prospect 1B Sam Travis went 1-for-4 with a double on Thursday in his debut for Double-A Portland.
A second-round draft pick in 2014 out of Indiana, Travis was promoted to Double-A after batting .312/.376/.468 with five home runs, 25 extra-base hits, 40 RBI and 10 steals in 67 games for High-A Salem. The 21-year-old projects to hit both for average and power, while his background as a third baseman and underrated athleticism have helped make him a sound defender at first base.
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Brent Honeywell, rhp, Rays: Honeywell has continued to build on the momentum he had going into the 2014 draft, and went 4-4, 2.91 with 76 strikeouts and 12 walks in 65 innings at Class A Bowling Green in the first half. He gained notoriety before the draft for his screwball, but has rarely thrown it, instead relying on his more conventional pitches to get outs. A 90-95 mph fastball and an average curveball and changeup are a pretty good combo, with the screwball sitting in his back pocket to mess with hitters.
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Jharel Cotton, rhp, Dodgers

Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 2-0, 1.50, 12 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 15 SO

The Scoop: A Virgin Islands native, Cotton has shown a mid-90s fastball and a plus changeup this season, as well as a slider thrown in the high 80s. He dealt with a broken wrist on his left hand this spring, which has limited him to just seven appearances, but he’s a tremendous competitor with two plus pitches at his disposal.
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Brent Honeywell, rhp, Rays

Team: high Class A (Florida State)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO

The Scoop: Honeywell was dominant in low Class A and has been less so in the FSL, but rolled over Tampa on July 18 in what was easily his best outing at the level. With his plus fastball and easy delivery, expect more outings like that one going forward.
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Jharel Cotton, rhp, Dodgers

Team: Double-A Tulsa (Texas)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO

The Scoop: After missing all of April and most of May because of a broken left wrist sustained on a comebacker, Cotton has come back with a mission, with his most recent outing a three-hit gem. Cotton’s fastball sits 88-94 with a plus change, but his pitchability and ability to throw strikes to both sides of the plate make him an interesting player to watch.
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Braves prospect RHP Touki Toussaint struck out a season-high eight batters over six no-hit innings on Monday for Low-A Rome.
The 2014 first-round pick walked four batters and threw 48 of 85 pitches for strikes in the outing. Acquired from Arizona in late June, Toussaint has pitched to a 3.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 7.3 K/9 this season in 64 1/3 innings between the Midwest and South Atlantic Leagues. The 19-year-old right-hander’s control has been shaky in his full-season debut (4.3 BB/9), but he’s been able to offset the free passes with a .193 opponents’ batting average. He’s 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings since joining the Braves system.
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Joe Musgrove, rhp, Astros

Team: Double-A Corpus Christi (Texas)
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 2 G, 1 GS, 11 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO

The Scoop: Musgrove gave up two hits over seven innings as Double-A Corpus Christi blanked Midland, 4-0, on Thursday and got a save prior to that with four shutout innings in Houston’s tandem system. Finally healthy, the physical, 6-foot-5, 255-pounder can touch 95 mph and combines that with a slider and change.
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Chase DeJong, rhp, Dodgers

Team: high Class A Rancho Cucamonga (California)
Age: 21
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 2 G, 1 GS, 10 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 17 SO

The Scoop: The way the Dodgers see it, if they’re going to blast through their international bonus pool anyway and face the maximum penalties, what good are their slot values to them? That’s why they traded three of their four international bonus slots to the Blue Jays on July 2 to get DeJong and second baseman Tim Locastro, a move that will ultimately increase the overage tax the Dodgers will have to pay for exceeding their pool and essentially amounts to them getting two players for money. That’s something the Dodgers have plenty of, and the early returns on DeJong have been positive. After acquiring DeJong, the Dodgers promoted him to the high Class A California League, where he has a 1.46 ERA and a 20-4 K-BB mark in 12 1/3 innings.
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Jesus Tinoco, rhp, Rockies

Team: low Class A Asheville (South Atlantic)
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO

The Scoop: Welcome to your new organization, Jesus. Tinoco responded with his best start of the season. He gets to his mid-90s velocity relatively easily and he mixes in a potentially above-average slider as well. It’s a great combo and it looked great in Tinoco’s first start as a Rockie after being the third prospect leg of last week’s Troy Tulowitzki trade with the Blue Jays.
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Michael Reed, of, Brewers

Team: Triple-A Colorado Springs (Pacific Coast)
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .458/.552/.708 (11-for-24), 7 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 6 RBIs, 5 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: A rangy outfielder with plenty of tools, Reed added strength this offseason and has seen results in spades. He’s got doubles power, speed on the basepaths and an arm strong enough to play in right field. He also walks plenty and doesn’t strike out a ton, suggesting a chance for more power in the future. Under the radar entering the year, Reed moved into the Brewers’ top 10 at midseason.
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9. Brent Honeywell, rhp, Charlotte (Rays)

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht: 6-2. Wt: 180. Drafted: Walters State (Tenn.) CC, 2014 (2s). Video

Honeywell has gained notoriety for throwing a screwball, and as a nephew of 1974 Cy Young Award winner Mike Marshall, who threw the pitch, it makes some sense. Scouts and managers say he uses his screwball and that it’s a plus pitch, as much for the element of surprise as for its action. “It works like a lefthander’s slider,” one scout said with a laugh.

However, the screwball at times obscures the perception of Honeywell, who would be a prospect without it. He’s athletic and loose-armed, with an above-average fastball that reaches 94 mph and jumps out of his hand with good life. His curveball gives him a second above-average offering, and his changeup flashes above-average as well. Best of all, Honeywell has above-average control of all his pitches and may have true plus command when he reaches his ceiling, thanks to his easy arm action, good feel and athleticism.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... prospects/
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20. JaCoby Jones, ss, Bradenton (Pirates)

Age: 23. B-T: R-R. Ht: 6-2. Wt: 205. Drafted: Louisiana State, 2013 (3).

A Mississippi prep product, Jones played mostly second base in three years at Louisiana State but shifted to shortstop for the Pirates before they traded him to the Tigers for Joakim Soria in July. Detroit kept him at short after the trade, and he has impressed managers with his ability to make the routine play consistently. He has fringy range but above-average arm strength, good hands and enough body control for the middle infield.

Jones could be an above-average offensive player at shortstop if he sticks there. He has quick hands and athleticism, turning in above-average run times despite his size. Jones has long levers and plus raw power that would play if he has to move down the defensive spectrum.

The big question with Jones is how much contact he’ll make. He chases breaking balls too often and still hasn’t learned which ones to lay off. As one manager put it, “He chases the nasty ones and takes the hangers.” At minimum, Jones has offensive upside similar to Ryan Raburn but with more defensive ability.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... prospects/
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7. Brent Honeywell, rhp, Bowling Green (Rays)

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2 Wt.: 180. Drafted: Walters State (Tenn.) CC, 2014 (2s). Video

The Rays like to take it slow with their young pitching prospects. For example, Blake Snell, the 2015 Minor League Player of the Year, didn’t make it out of low Class A until his fourth pro season.

Honeywell forced the team to place him on a faster track. He earned a promotion to high Class A Charlotte after just 12 starts in the MWL because he was simply too advanced for the league. He kept hitters off balance with a well-rounded assortment of offerings, adeptly pitching off a 90-95 mph fastball, an average curveball and an average changeup. He sporadically mixes in a screwball as well.

Honeywell’s delivery is compact. His motion does include a head whack, but he has shown that it has not affected his control. He’s a strike-thrower who walked just 1.7 batters per nine innings at Bowling Green.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... prospects/
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8. Grant Holmes, rhp, Great Lakes (Dodgers)

Age: 19. B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 215. Drafted: HS–Conway, S.C., 2014 (1). Video

A broad-shouldered, thick-chested righthander with present strength but little projection, Holmes struck out 10.2 batters per nine innings at Great Lakes thanks largely to a devastating breaking ball. His tight, sharp curve is a 12-to-6 dive-bomber at times, but at other times, his plus breaking ball has two-plane tilt that gives it more of a slider appearance in the low 80s. Both varieties of the breaking ball were nearly impossible for MWL hitters to figure out.

Holmes’ 93-94 mph fastball gives him a potential second plus pitch, though he has more work ahead to develop the pitch. He has worked to clean up his delivery and tone down the recoil in his finish, but he still struggles to get the ball down in the strike zone. As a shorter (6-foot-1) righthander with a low three-quarters arm slot, Holmes will have to have plenty of fastball life to survive up in the zone, even if he has above-average velocity. Because of that, some scouts envision him as a power reliever with two plus pitches.

Holmes will continue to develop as a starter for now, but his fastball control wavers and his changeup needs a lot of development.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... prospects/
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10. Sean Reid-Foley, rhp, Lansing (Blue Jays)

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 220. Drafted: HS–Jacksonville, 2014 (2). Video

In a game now dripping with velocity, Reid-Foley throws hard enough to get noticed. It’s not just that he sits 93-95 mph and touches 98, it’s that he does it with such an easy delivery that looks like he’s just getting loose. Furthermore, he gets excellent extension that adds to the perceived velocity.

For a pitcher who walked 6.1 batters per nine innings in the MWL, Reid-Foley’s control is not as bad as the numbers indicate. He will locate within the strike zone for innings at a time, but his delivery has multiple steps before he reaches his release point, which costs him control because he has not yet developed the ability to self-diagnose and correct flaws. Reid-Foley begins his delivery with a pronounced knee bend, then he turns, repositions his plant foot on the rubber and then begins his takeaway. When he loses his timing, he tends to walk batters in bunches.

Reid-Foley has a stout lower half and easy delivery that would seem to indicate durability. His slider flashes above-average potential but is inconsistent and his changeup is fringy.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... prospects/
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