2022 White Sox Prospect Notes

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Yankees RHP prospect Beck Way struck out seven over five scoreless frames for High-A Hudson Valley.

Beck allowed four hits with a walk. The right-hander has been consistently inconsistent as of late, as two of his last four starts have seen him fire five-inning shutouts. The other two have seen him record a total of 10 outs and give up 11 runs. That helps explain why the 2020 fourth-round pick has a 5.40 ERA, but a 44/12 K/BB ratio helps tell you that there’s been better with the bitter. Way has two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, and he also has made gains with a change that should be an average pitch. The issue -- unsurprisingly -- is command, and it may cause him to move to the bullpen someday. The Yankees will give him every chance to start, however, and if the command can reach average, he has a chance for some fantasy relevance.

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The top pitching prospect in the White Sox organization will soon be making his stateside debut.

Right-handed hurler Norge Vera has just been assigned to the Low-A Kannapolis Cannonballers, as first reported by Francys Romero and MLB Pipeline. He is expected to be activated later today and will likely debut sometime this week.

Cuban RHP Norge Vera (22) is assigned to Kannapolis, Class-A and will be activated in the next few hours. Vera is the #5 prospect of Chicago White Sox, according to @MLBPipeline.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) June 5, 2022

Vera, 22, originally signed with the White Sox as the top available arm during last year's international signing period for $1.5 million. Currently ranked fifth in Chicago's system by MLB Pipeline, Vera spent the 2021 season playing in the Dominican Summer League (DSL), where he dominated the competition. In eight games (seven starts), he threw 19 innings, gave up no earned runs, struck out 34 batters (49.3% strikeout rate), and walked just five (7.2% walk rate).

Norge Vera today in the Dominican Summer League:
3.0 IP, R, 2 BB, 3 SO, he threw 101 mph (last Saturday). Now: 11.2 IP, 0 ER, 21 SO.

A source said to me that Vera has the documentation ready to come to the US, however, remains on the DSL. What are the White Sox waiting for? pic.twitter.com/5b3ZRwPANr

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) September 10, 2021

Marco Paddy, White Sox Special Assistant to the General Manager – International Operations, described Vera as “a right-handed pitcher with an outstanding fastball and who has shown promising secondary pitches” when Vera first signed with the team. Based on MLB Pipeline's scouting reports, the righty sat 95-98 mph during his debut and even hit triple digits. His upper-70s curveball shows occasionally flashes of becoming a plus pitch and he has good control over a mid-80s changeup with fade. Since joining the organization, the Sox have made him simply his pitch mix, which has also included a low-80s slider and mid-80s splitter in the past.

With his upcoming debut in the coming week, Vera figures to still be on track progress-wise. Though his control has been a concern from scouts, many expect that his easy delivery should allow him to at least gain average command as he develops further. The ultimate hope of the White Sox is for Vera to, one day, become a mid-rotation starter. His upcoming starts with Kannapolis will obviously help everyone get a better idea of his future by the end of this season.

(Thanks to Joe Binder of Sox on 35th)
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19. Tommy Henry, LHP, D-backs
Team: Triple-A Reno (Pacific Coast)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 0-0, 1.98, 13.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 16 SO, 1 HR

The Scoop: A second-round pick in 2019, Henry went straight to Double-A for his full-season debut last year and struggled. The D-backs pushed him to Triple-A this year anyway, and he’s rewarded the club’s faith in him. Henry delivered back-to-back strong starts against Tacoma last week, tossing six scoreless innings with one hit allowed and 11 strikeouts in his first outing and following with 7.2 innings, three runs allowed and five strikeouts on Sunday. Most impressively, both starts came at homer-happy Reno. Despite pitching in inhospitable conditions all year, Henry now has a 3.60 ERA in 11 starts for the Aces. (KG)

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Luis González went 1-for-3 with an RBI single and a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Rockies.

González came through with an RBI single off Germán Márquez in the bottom of the first inning to give the Giants an early 3-1 lead. That advantage would not last through the sixth inning. In 36 games (115 at-bats) this season, González is slashing a shiny .322/.367/.443 with two homers, 20 RBI and three steals. The 26-year-old outfielder sat out a game due to a leg contusion over the weekend, but looks to be back on track, now.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/baseball/ ... s-gonzalez

April showers bring May flowers, yet the month was anything but rosy for Andy Pages. However, the change of months has flipped a switch for baseball's No. 62 overall prospect.

Pages slugged a pair of solo homers and a triple to back a stellar performance from No. 18 Dodgers prospect Gavin Stone in Double-A Tulsa's 5-2 win against visiting Northwest Arkansas on Tuesday night.

Pages has gone deep three times in four games this month after leaving the yard three times in May when he batted .212 with a .733 OPS.

The difference, according to the 21-year-old, is simple.

"Just sticking to a better plan at the plate and it's paying off," said Pages through Tulsa trainer and interpreter Jesse Guffey.

Pages hit a career-high 31 homers last year with High-A Great Lakes, but has not found a consistent power stroke through the first two months of 2022. His homer on June 1 was his first since May 19, a span of 10 games and 37 at-bats and gave him six, far off his pace of last season.

"Last year, my focus was on hitting home runs," Pages admitted. "But with that came a lot of strikeouts. My focus this year was to make more contact, take better swings and be a better overall hitter. If the home runs come from that, then that's great."

It worked out for the Havana, Cuba, native in his first at-bat, sending his first long ball over the left-center-field fence. Pages collected his second triple of the year in his next at-bat and added to the Drillers' lead with his eighth round-tripper leading off the sixth inning. It marked the outfielder's first multihomer game of the season and eighth of his career.

The three-hit effort improved Pages' slash line to .256/.377/.489 with 23 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs in 48 games.

Although he doesn't feel the pitching is much different than what he faced last year with Great Lakes, Pages has learned a valuable lesson.

"I realized I need to make adjustments a lot quicker here," he said. "Teams changed the way they pitched me [last month] and I understood that I needed to make my own changes."

Signed to a free agent contract in 2018 at 17, Pages enjoyed solid seasons in 2018-2019 before breaking out last year. The 6-foot-1, 212-pounder established career highs in nearly every offensive category. Pages tied for seventh in home runs and batted .265/.394/.539 with 57 extra-base hits and 88 RBIs.

"I can't be swinging at bad pitches," Pages said. "I need to find my pitch and not let it pass. Developing more patience has been the biggest difference for me lately."

https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-andy-p ... e-coverage

White Sox: Sean Burke, RHP (No. 12)

A 2021 third-round pick out of Maryland, Burke is staking a claim to being the White Sox' best pitching prospect. Promoted to Double-A in early-May, he has logged a 3.27 ERA with 23 whiffs in 22 innings during his first five starts at that level while displaying a mid-90s fastball with carry and a solid knuckle-curve and slider.

https://www.mlb.com/news/hottest-pitchi ... e-coverage
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Bryson Stott (8): With Jean Segura on the IL for a couple of months, the 24-year-old Stott gets another chance to show what he can do in a full-time role. While he was horrible in April (.328 OPS) and May (.331 OPS), June has been a different story (1.145 OPS).

All the improvement can be linked to his plate discipline. His strikeout rate has gone from 32% to 31% to 12% with his walk rate going from 3% to 9% to 12%. He doesn’t even have average power, so he needs to find ways to get on base to be productive.

... Jack Suwinski: He’s been on fire the past few weeks (.343/.395/.600 with 2 HR and 2 SB).

https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/big-kid-adds-6-7-22/
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MAY FULL VOGELSONG PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Luis González, San Francisco. One normally doesn’t expect a pitcher who compiles a 6.23 ERA over 4 1/3 innings, striking out nobody, to be considered a standout. But, of course, Luis González is an outfielder.

Not that you would necessarily have known that before the season. The 26-year-old entered the season with all of nine major league games, and three Annual mentions, under his belt. He was drafted by the White Sox in the third round of the draft five years ago out of the University of New Mexico. He did pitch there—21 starts over three seasons—but ran up a 5.88 ERA. (He didn’t pitch in the minors.) After a successful 2018 at Class-A (.307/.368/.498) he slumped at Double-A Birmingham in 2019 (.247/.316/.359). He spent 2020 at the Alternate Site, getting into three games with Chicago (two plate appearances—a strikeout and a hit by pitch—and an error on the first ball hit to him). González got a slightly larger cup of coffee (six games) in 2021 but his season ended with shoulder surgery and a release in August. The Giants claimed him, and he got called up on April 22 this year when Steven Duggar landed on the 60-day IL with an oblique strain.

Through the end of May, González had started eight games in left, five in center, and fourteen in right. More importantly, he hit .368/.410/.500 during the month, second on the club to Mike Yastrzemski’s .986 OPS. He had three stolen bases, tied for 16th in the league (welcome to baseball in 2022). Among NL batters with at least 80 plate appearances, he was second in batting average, seventh in on-base, and 20th in slugging. positional flexibility has allowed the Giants to navigate injuries to Duggar, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Austin Slater. And, of course, he’s saved the bullpen 4 1/3 innings in blowouts.

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Kohl Simas, RHP, Chicago White Sox (Single-A Kannapolis)

The progress of recently-drafted high-profile White Sox pitching prospects has been touch and go, but the organization has managed to secure developmental wins on a few of their lesser-known selections. A 14th-rounder from 2018, Davis Martin looks like a capable spot starter for Chicago, and 2021 undrafted free agent Kohl Simas looks like an interesting find.

Simas is on the older side for the level, but the arsenal is advanced. Listed at just over six-foot, the 22-year-old is a quick worker with a strong build, good athleticism, and four usable pitches. The fastball comes in 91-93 mph with some heft and occasional run, though it will get hit when located towards the center of the plate. The good news is that I feel comfortable making an above-average command projection here; it’s already better than what you generally see at this level, and he shows an ability to repeat his delivery despite an uptempo delivery with a substantial leg kick. His best secondary is a low-80s slider that showed best at right around 80 mph, with short horizontal action and late vertical bite. The low-80s change has some fade and is a legitimate weapon against lefties, while the mid-70s curve provides a nice change of pace and significant velo separation from the fastball. It’s a solid package overall and there is big league potential here, either as a back-end command and pitch mix starter or as a middle-innings reliever who is primarily fastball/slider. I do wonder how the heater will play against higher levels of competition, but there is only one way to find out. —Ben Spanier

Brandon Walter, LHP, Boston Red Sox (Triple-A Worcester)

Every so often on Twitter I will see a post asking if you could give one prospect an 80-grade who and what would it be? The answer is inevitably going to be bestowing some slayer of belt high fastballs an 80-grade hit tool. I don’t know if someone spoke that into the universe for Aaron Judge this season, but that’s about what it would look like for Jordan Walker or Oneil Cruz or Triston Casas.

Being a weirdo and not particularly interested in farming engagement on prospect Twitter—sorry Craig—I’m more interested in how good a player can be with a 30-grade on their scouting sheet in an important place. When I caught Walter he was sitting around 90 mph. touching 92. Earlier that week he was mostly upper-80s. The pitch has some sink and run from his low-three-quarters slot, but despite the miniscule walk rate, he does miss armside with it a fair bit. I suppose we can quibble if that’s a 30 or a 40 heater for a southpaw, but it’s not a pitch he should be throwing much in the upper minors, let alone the majors.

Fortunately Walter doesn’t have to use it all that often, as he can lean heavily on a big sweeping slider. It breaks late and gets under bats despite the lower slot. It’s an easy plus pitch now. When he needs another non-fastball option against righties, he’ll use a change that flashes above-average fade and comes in about 10 mph slower than the fastball, but he doesn’t always get it to sink down below the barrel. Now, I am starting to abandon how prescriptive I get about pitch mix for starters. I’m even willing to consider larger ontological questions about the starting pitcher. Maybe Walter can be late-career Rich Hill—not to be confused with peak Rich Hill, which was also sort of late-career Rich Hill—but I suspect this arsenal is still best applied in four-to-six-out doses. —Jeffrey Paternostro

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... as-rising/

It’s the beginning of a new era behind the plate for the Toronto Blue Jays. Gabriel Moreno, the club’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 4 prospect in Major League Baseball, will join the club ahead of Friday’s series opener in Detroit, sources told MLB.com on Wednesday night.

The club is still evaluating whether it will add Moreno to the roster for Game 1, but the 22-year-old will be activated during the series in Detroit.

Moreno received the news following Wednesday’s doubleheader with Triple-A Buffalo.

Moreno represents the Blue Jays’ catcher of the future with All-Star potential, a remarkable story of player development after he was signed out of Venezuela for $25,000 in 2016.

After bursting onto the scene in full-season ball with Single-A Lansing in 2019, Moreno’s true breakout took place in 2021 with Double-A New Hampshire. Prior to a hand injury cutting that season short, Moreno hit .373 with eight home runs and a 1.092 OPS.

In 36 games this year at Triple-A, Moreno was hitting .324 with a .784 OPS, while showing marked improvement against the running game by throwing out 54% of runners attempting to steal.

“He wants to be great,” Buffalo manager Casey Candaele said. “He’s driven to do the things that he needs to do to get better. There’s no problems. When I think of a kid who’s that age and gotten so much publicity already, to be able to handle that is very difficult. To think that he has to go through that stuff and keep a sane mind, he does a great job of understanding.”

The Blue Jays have believed in Moreno’s bat stretching back to his teenage years, but his defense has made significant strides.

In fact, when Moreno was signed out of Venezuela, he was an infielder. Scout Francisco Plasencia and director of Latin American operations Sandy Rosario asked a young Moreno to stand behind home plate and make a few throws to second, and the rest is history.

“In every aspect of catching, he’s made significant progress,” general manager Ross Atkins said recently. “He’s become a better receiver. He’s become a better blocker. He’s become a better game caller. But the most encouraging growth has been on the leadership side. He recognizes the importance and power of pitchers feeling his confidence and conviction behind stuff, usage or an overall performance standpoint. Him learning his power to impact pitching has been really exciting.”

This opportunity opened up because of a recent injury to Danny Jansen, who fractured the fifth metacarpal on his left hand. Alejandro Kirk has been one of the hottest catchers in baseball this past month, building an All-Star case that will continue to earn him regular reps, but Moreno’s talent is ready to impact a contender right now. He’s being brought up to be part of the winning, not just a development project.

So much of this rapid ascent is owed to Moreno’s physical gifts, but from top to bottom in the Blue Jays’ organization, you’ll hear about Moreno the person before Moreno the player.

“There’s so much more confidence to his game,” said Andrew Tinnish, the Blue Jays’ vice president of international scouting. “Part of that could be experience, being in camp, being in the [Arizona] Fall League and knowing more English. Maybe part of that is seeing his name out there quite a bit, too. He’s handled it well. He was quiet early on, but he was always very approachable. He wasn’t shy, but a very happy-go-lucky, respectful kid.”

This has all translated into what the organization feels is one of the most important final steps to his development, which is handling a pitching staff. Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Alek Manoah, Ross Stripling and Yusei Kikuchi are five very different pitchers, and it will be Moreno’s responsibility to manage this group. At first, that will come in small doses, but someday he’ll be thrown the keys.

“He recognizes the responsibility,” Atkins said. “Secondarily, he has something that you can’t teach. He has an incredible heartbeat. He is very relaxed. That’s going to benefit him as a leader.”

Where this goes from here is up to Moreno, who should eventually have every opportunity to succeed in an everyday role, even in one of baseball’s most talented and crowded catching groups when Jansen is healthy. For now, though, he stands at the beginning of something, with great expectations and possibilities in front of him.

https://www.mlb.com/news/gabriel-moreno ... ays-callup
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Miguel Vargas, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

2021 minors: .319 BA (483 AB), 23 HR, 11 SB, .906 OPS, 45 BB, 89 K
2022 minors: .288 BA (212 AB), 8 HR, 6 SB, .867 OPS, 32 BB, 43 K

The Dodgers are prepared to activate Max Muncy this weekend and give his UCL-afflicted elbow another chance even though his Triple-A rehab assignment went as poorly as everything else he's tried this year (2 for 14 with six strikeouts). It likely means Vargas' debut is still on hold, though with Edwin Rios now sidelined by a hamstring tear, there's less cushion should Muncy continue to falter. Frankly, nothing is stopping the Dodgers from having Vargas play alongside Muncy, with the latter shifting to second base, but the point is that Muncy's return would be an odd time to bring in the 22-year-old. I wouldn't rule him out for all of June, though.

https://gr.baseball.cbssports.com/news/ ... 8c7973ed27

Gabriel Moreno C
Toronto • #70
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie

2022 Minors AVG: .324 HR: 1 OPS: .784 AB: 136 BB: 12 K: 26

The Blue Jays already have a template for working in Gabriel Moreno alongside Alejandro Kirk. Danny Jansen, who Gabriel is replacing, coexisted with Kirk for the past three weeks, during which time Kirk emerged as a must-start player. Moreno has that kind of potential as well. The power has been lacking this year after a big breakthrough last year, but you may remember we had the same doubts about Kirk at first, too. The line-drive and strikeout rates both point to high batting average potential for Moreno, and his power could still come around.

Bryson Stott SS
Philadelphia • #5
Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie

2022 Stats AVG: .188 HR: 3 OPS: .556 AB: 96 BB: 7 K: 29

A number of exciting young middle infield options have emerged on the waiver wire in recent days, Christopher Morel, Luis Garcia and Ezequiel Duran being chief among them. But the one most likely to be overlooked is Bryson Stott, whose overall numbers are still in the toilet because of his early-season struggles. He has claimed an everyday job up the middle, though, with Jean Segura sidelined by a fractured finger for the next three months, and it turns out regular playing time may have been all he needed to make good on his potential. Stott went 4 for 4 with a homer and a double Wednesday and is batting .391 (9 for 23) with three homers in his six consecutive starts.

https://gr.baseball.cbssports.com/news/542a393
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Limited pitch counts aside, Jared Kelley has been looking pretty good as of late. 6 K’s in 3.0IP today w/ 3H and 1R (35 of 57 for strikes). #Ballers #WhiteSox

https://twitter.com/dailywhitesox/statu ... 6661404683


10. Mason Auer, OF, Rays
Team: Low-A Charleston (South Atlantic)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .407/.429/.724 (11-for-27), 8 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBIs, 1 BB, 8 SO, 4 SB, 1 CS.

The Scoop: Auer was known more as a pitcher than hitter coming out of high school, but a solid season in the outfield at San Jacinto (Texas) JC convinced the Rays he was a position player going forward. He’s rewarding that faith so far. Auer is an athletic outfielder with a strong arm (as you would expect for a former pitcher). His power has yet to fully develop, but he has shown a knack of putting the barrel on the ball. He’s a speedster who knows what he’s doing on the basepaths. He’s swiped 18 bases in 20 tries and his eight triples lead the minors. (JC)

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Norge Vera, RHP, Chicago White Sox (Single-A Kannapolis)

Vera has been firmly on the radar since he signed a $1.5 million deal with the Sox in early 2021, and the hype train only gathered dust as the Cuban battled injuries over the past year and change. He’s finally made it stateside after several dominant outings in the DSL, and in his first appearance the 22-year-old flashed top-end stuff but also showed room for improvement on some of the finer points of pitching.

The fastball is legitimately very good, projecting plus or better. Vera lives around 94-96 mph but flashes a couple ticks higher, and the pitch’s qualities extend beyond sheer velocity. This heater is quite lively, generating plainly visible “rise” and at times naturally cutting to the gloveside. The motion also creates deception, a very deliberate windup culminating in the last-second explosion of a quick arm out of a high slot from a 6-foot-4 frame. These qualities make the number one very difficult to square up and should create plenty of swings and misses and weak contact, especially up and above the zone. Vera displays control over command at present with the fastball, but the delivery is pretty clean and he does seem to have a good idea about where the pitch plays best and makes an effort to locate it there. He throws a changeup, but his curve is the secondary of note and the one that will need to be rounded into form if Vera is to maintain his standing as a big ticket SP prospect. Coming in low-to-mid 80s, it presents real velo separation and is not without action—varying from 12-6ish to more horizontal and slurvy. The execution of this pitch is inconsistent both in terms of sharpness and location, and there weren’t a lot of them thrown in this brief debut. The fastball-heavy approach should work for Vera in the lower levels, but as he stretches out I’ll be curious to see if he can throw the bender for more strikes, both looking and swinging. —Ben Spanier

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... on-wilson/

[Bryson] Stott has had to shift off shortstop now that Didi Gregorius is back. Since both Jean Segura and Johan Camargo are on the IL, that won’t matter too much, since he’s just starting at second base every day instead. He’s finally starting to make good on some of the promise he showed in spring training, homering three times already in June and recording a four-hit game last week.

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(7) Beau Brieske, SP, Tigers

With Casey Mize now needing Tommy John surgery and Eduardo Rodriguez going on the restricted list with no explanation (which, really, is fine, because we just hope he’s ok), Brieske might be able to provide some stability to a rotation that desperately needs it. In his last two turns he went 13 2/3 innings against the Jays and Yankees while only giving up two earned runs, striking out nine, and walking one. He’s made a more concerted effort to mix in a sinker and slider in lieu of his changeup, getting more grounders in the process. The pitching wire is thin, friends. I’ll be keeping tabs to see if Brieske can maintain this approach.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fant ... t-week-10/

Detroit Tigers righty Casey Mize will have Tommy John surgery in the near future, as manager A.J. Hinch announced this past Friday. But the reason why the former top overall pick will ultimately be going under the knife raised some eyebrows—including the ones located on my own visage.

According to Hinch, an in-depth examination of Mize’s elbow revealed that the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was completely intact; no tears—large or small—could be found. The ligament had simply lost its ability to stabilize the inner elbow. In layman’s terms, it became too stretchy.

Although tears of the UCL are the more common reason to undergo Tommy John, excessive stretchiness—the technical term is laxity—is relatively common among pitchers. This laxity is thought to occur due to the accumulation of microtears suffered by the ligament over years of use and thousands upon thousands of repetitions. Occasionally, the microtrauma acutely evolves into macrotrauma resulting in the characteristic “pop” and numbness concomitant with a UCL tear.

For whatever reason, this did not occur with Mize. Seemingly, the amount of microtrauma accrued to the point where his UCL lost integrity and function, but did not rupture. Such oddities occur on occasion.

Mize originally hit the injured list in mid-May after being diagnosed with an elbow sprain, but the decision to undergo surgery did not come until late last week. According to Hinch, this was because it took time for the Tigers to “differentiate between inflammation and actual injury.” This isn’t uncommon as MRI results are not always conclusive. Inflammation, swelling, and other biological processes can distort the clarity of the image, making diagnosis a tricky, if not impossible, taks. Add in the relatively unique nature of Mize’s injury, and the length of the delay begins to make sense.

But questions still arise: Why surgery? Why not treat it conservatively? Why not consider a less-invasive platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection?

Well, the answer likely depends on the area of the ligament in which the most microtrauma has occurred. The UCL is fan-shaped and consists of two distinct portions: the anterior and posterior bundles. The anterior bundle most prominently protects the elbow against valgus force—which tries to pry the humerus and ulna apart at the inner elbow—and, as such, is the most likely portion to rupture.

Additionally, recent studies have found that the UCL has a different volume of blood flow depending on where you look; the proximal UCL—the portion that attaches to the humerus—has a greater blood flow relative to the distal—the portion that attaches to the ulna.

Theoretically, damage to the posterior bundle of the UCL that is proximal could be treated with PRP and rehab. On the other hand, damage to the anterior bundle that is distal would, again theoretically, be more appropriate for surgical intervention. We can perhaps infer that the most significant damage to Mize’s UCL happened in the anterior bundle and likely distally, but this is more informed conjecture than firm reporting.

Regardless, Mize will miss the remainder of the 2022 season, but should return early in the 2023 campaign. Tommy John surgery is no longer the death knell it used to be for starting pitchers, so while the news is disappointing, Tigers’ fans still have reason to be relatively bright-eyed about Mize’s long-term potential.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news ... -rare-one/



Cristian Mena goes 6.0 on 71 pitches (38 for strikes) and surrenders 4 hits and 1 BB. He only got 1 K, but most of the AB’s didn’t last long enough for a K. #Ballers #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/59IF2mqS4Y

White Sox Daily (@dailywhitesox) June 15, 2022
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・Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan made an absurd catch, and it probably saved a win.


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Bryan Ramos

20-year-old third baseman hitting .280/.353/.490, winner of April player of the month honors at High-A Winston-Salem

After dominating the Carolina League to the tune of literally hitting .400 for the first month of the season, Ramos showed why his hot start didn’t earn an immediate promotion with a .180/.260/.326 line in May. He is still striking out just 16 percent of the time and his struggles didn’t betray any flaws in his hit tool, but his approach saw him struggle with the temptations of his own success before working out of it with a resurgent June thus far.

“His expectations for himself are just so high, and really, it’s about controlling his emotions, understanding what pitchers are trying to do to him,” Getz said. “He has a tendency to want to move a little too quick, and try to get the barrel out and turn left. When he squares up a ball to right-center, it is loud. So really it’s about harping that same approach that we’ve been talking about, whether it be with Lenyn Sosa or Colson Montgomery, that center to right-center gap, because he’s got plenty of strength to take to the pull side, he doesn’t need to try to drive the ball to the pull side, that can naturally happen. And with that approach, it allows him to stay on sliders, hard sliders down on the way out of the zone, to be able to shut down those pitches and drive the ones that are hanging.”

On top of Getz feeling that Ramos struggling and reclaiming his approach is a long-term positive, his throwing arm has also been healthy enough to play third base every day this season with some second base mixed in. In the preseason, it was more common to hear debate about Ramos eventually moving to an outfield corner. Through this summer though, it’s been common to hear Sox personnel laud what Ramos has been able to do with everyday opportunities.

“He’s starting to make plays down the line, down the third base (line) and making strong throws across the diamond,” Getz said. “He’s coming in well. He’s a nice presence defensively.”

https://theathletic.com/3367375/2022/06 ... ign=601983
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Mason Auer, OF Rays

League Type: 16+ Teams or 300+ Prospects

Speed is always a commodity worth going out and acquiring in dynasty formats of all types. What if I told you there’s a speedster widely available in a variety of formats that has all-around abilities? Welcome Mason Auer, a former two-way player as a freshman at Missouri State who transferred to San Jacinto (Texas) JC last spring before the Rays selected him in the fifth round last July. He’s a true five-tool player who was once considered a better pitching prospect than positional prospect. However, after showing a tantalizing combination of plus-plus foot speed, power and general athleticism he’s now a full-time outfielder. So far in 2022 Auer has been successful in 23 of his 26 attempts, hitting .314/.391/.514 with four home runs. If that’s not enough to sell you, perhaps this fact will, Auer attended Kickapoo High in Springfield, Mo.

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1B: Elehuris Montero, Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A) Rockies No. 5

.471/.500/1.059, 5 G, 8-for-17, 2 HR, 1 3B, 2 2B, 9 RBI, 7 R, 6 BB, 2 K, 1 SB, 2 HBP

Though Montero has played the majority of his time at third base this year (31, compared to 16 at first), he made half his starts across the diamond last week. Over five games played, which included one start as Albuquerque’s designated hitter, Montero pushed his hitting streak to 14 games and started his team’s series against Sugar Land with a flourish. In his first two contests opposite the Space Cowboys, Montero went 5-for-nine with a homer, two doubles and five RBIs. As of the start of his hitting streak, the corner infielder was a .284/.358/.465 hitter. Entering play this week, Montero has boosted that line to .327/.395/.563 for the season, including a .429/.463/.829 stretch through his first nine games in June.

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Meyer returns to Triple-A mound (June 22)

Max Meyer, who missed a month with right ulnar nerve irritation, threw 53 pitches (33 strikes) across four innings in Triple-A Jacksonville's 3-2 loss. He struck out five, including Wander Franco twice. The only hit that MLB Pipeline's No. 27 overall prospect gave up was a solo homer to Xavier Edwards. -- Christina De Nicola

https://www.mlb.com/news/miami-marlins- ... e-coverage

Max Meyer, LHP, Miami Marlins (Triple-A Cedar Rapids): 4 IP, H, ER, 0 BB, 5 K

After a weird hiccup earlier this season, Max Meyer once again appears the top-15 prospect in baseball most considered him entering the season. In his second start back from the IL, Meyer diced up a stacked Durham Bulls lineup, needing just 53 pitches to get through four nearly perfect innings, with a solo home run his only blemish. He’s now allowed just two hits, two runs, and zero walks in his two appearances since returning to action.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... -lawrence/

(15) Miguel Vargas, 3B, Dodgers

The other option, which seems almost too obvious, is to give time to Miguel Vargas, the team’s top prospect. The 22-year-old is hitting .282/.380/.486 in Triple-A this year, with 11 homers, another 16 extra base hits, and eight steals in nine attempts. That sounds pretty spicy but isn’t exactly blowing the door off its hinges for the PCL. Either way, Vargas is a prime example of what I mentioned earlier about teams letting guys marinate in the minors, almost regardless of the context of the big league team. Regardless of what shakes out, we have to keep our eyes on the situation because the Dodgers are so potent and any piece of their lineup could be helpful.

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Jack Suwinski, OF, Pirates (Yahoo: 15%, ESPN: 5%)

Suwinski is also a low-OBP bat, but his power has flourished in June. If you guessed that entering June 27 the rookie home run leader would be Jack Suwinski, and not any of Jeremy Peña, Bobby Witt Jr, and Adley Rutschman, then you are lying. This month, he is batting .243/.341/.568 with seven home runs and 11 runs batted in. So long as his strikeouts don’t balloon drastically, Suwinski remains a viable fantasy option in the outfield.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fant ... h-week-12/

Despite Monday’s mishap in which Connor Seabold was belted around for three homers in a 7-2 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, the Red Sox have done more than weather a stretch in which starting pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Garrett Whitlock have been on the injured list simultaneously.

Boston has actually come out of it nicely, winning four of six games started by prospects Josh Winckowski, Kutter Crawford and Seabold.

And it isn’t just Eovaldi (low back inflammation) and Whitlock (right hip inflammation) the Red Sox have been missing. Chris Sale hasn’t thrown a pitch in the Major Leagues this season. Neither has James Paxton.

Yet, Boston is 19-5 in June and currently in possession of the top American League Wild Card spot, even after its seven-game winning streak came to an end in the series opener in Toronto.

And as manager Alex Cora noted after Monday’s loss, the Red Sox are about to get healthier. Whitlock threw a bullpen session prior to Monday’s game. Sale and Eovaldi have key steps in their progression coming up.

“We know they’re going to come [back],” Cora said. “The big guy [Sale] is pitching [for Double-A Portland] on Thursday. So he’s getting closer. Nate, he’s throwing a bullpen on Wednesday. This is part of 162.

“We’ve been able to do our thing with a lot of guys down, and just like other teams have done it, right? We’re comfortable with these kids coming up and pitching. We are. Today was just -- we were short in the bullpen and we had to try to get 15 outs with him. It just didn’t happen.”

Seabold got 14 outs on a night Cora stuck with him longer than he would have under normal circumstances.

But with Tanner Houck on the restricted list for these three games in Toronto and the bullpen pressed into a fair share of action of late, Cora challenged Seabold, the team’s No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline, to hang in there into the middle innings against one of MLB’s most dangerous lineups.

When Seabold came out for the fifth, Boston was down, 4-0, with right-hander Kevin Gausman dealing for Toronto. With two runners on and two outs, Matt Chapman put a stain on Seabold’s second career start with a towering two-run homer that put the game away for all intents and purposes.

George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went deep earlier in the night. Home runs accounted for five of the seven runs allowed by Seabold, who also recorded seven strikeouts.

“I made too many mistakes,” Seabold said. “The first few innings, I was able to limit it for the most part. Left one out over the plate with two strikes to Vlad. Gave Springer a first-pitch cookie, but I was able to keep it toned down for the most part. Then, fifth inning, I was out of gas, started making more mistakes, and they started capitalizing on it.”

That’s life in the Major Leagues.

Seabold came over with Nick Pivetta in a deal with the Phillies at the 2020 Trade Deadline in a move that is a clear victory for the Red Sox no matter what happens from here (the acquisition cost was Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree). The right-hander also showed he has some attributes that can make him successful at the highest level.

Of the 46 pitches the Blue Jays swung at against Seabold, they whiffed at 21 of them.

“That’s a lot, right? Like I said, the fastball has some life up there,” Cora said. “There’s some good hitters on that team, and to be able to do that against them, he’s a good one. It just happened that was the first one this year against a tough team. He’s a guy that we really like."

With an off-day for the Red Sox on Thursday, Seabold might get optioned back to Triple-A Worcester, rather than getting another turn in the rotation.

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Bryan Ramos

Born: 03/12/2002 (Age: 20)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 6′ 2″ Weight: 190
Primary Position: 3B
Secondary Position:
Physical/Health: Large frame, broad shoulders, strong throughout.

Evaluator: Ben Spanier
Report Date: 06/22/2022
Dates Seen: several Apr, May, Jun
Affiliate: Winston-Salem Dash (High A, White Sox)

MLB ETA Risk Factor OFP Video
2025 Medium 55 No

Tool Future Grade Report

Hit 55 Fluid and versatile swing for a power hitter, able to manipulate the barrel and get to pitches in all four quadrants. Quick inside and takes pitches away where they are pitched. Shows ability to stay on breaking stuff.

Power 60 Above-average bat speed and natural strength creates easy power to all fields, already plays in-game and he can tap into it against different pitch types and locations.

Baserunning/Speed 45 Decent runner, might lose a step eventually. Can be overzealous at times.

Glove 50 Makes the plays at third for the most part, though the actions aren’t the smoothest. Range is fine at present.

Arm 55 Strong arm, makes the routine throws.

Overall I really think Ramos can hit, and the power is quickly evident. Going back to 2021 he has shown well against older competition. There might be some question about positional fit (especially if he fills out a bit more), so he’ll need to keep impressing with the bat at the upper levels.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... nario-hit/

Connor Seabold: The other half of the coup that was the Workman/Hembree trade with Philadelphia, Seabold has dazzled in Worcester when healthy this season.The right-hander was roughed up by the Blue Jays in his 2022 debut, but he also induced lots of swings-and-misses. His lack of premium velocity gives him a relatively low margin for error, but his plus changeup and overall pitchability give him a chance to stick as a back-end starting option. Barring that, Seabold has the makings of a long-term medium-leverage reliever, opener or swingman.

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Tommy Henry, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno): 6 IP, 7 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 10 K.

Holding opponents to two runs or fewer in any Pacific Coast League is a badge of honor. Henry’s dominance extended the outing’s impressiveness further, as he reached double-digit strikeouts for the second time in an outing this season. Henry’s efficiency has been hit or miss at times, but at his best he’s working around barrels to get groundballs on his changeup and keeping hitters off-balance. His low-90s heater has continued to sit where it typically has, showing little sign of the tantalizing burst it had during the 2020 season, but he’s managed to get by all the same.

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JUNE FULL VOGELSONG PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Jack Suwinski, Pittsburgh.

Here’s a news flash: The Pirates aren’t very good. So when their (arguably) best player, Bryan Reynolds, went on the COVID-19 injured list in April, they didn’t have a deep roster of minor league outfielders to call up. They went with the guy who, entering the season, had a .612 OPS in 30 Rookie League games, .697 in 236 Low-A games, .653 in 116 High-A games, and .750 for the Pirates’ Double-A affiliate. This is for a corner outfielder.

Nor did he get sent down after batting a symmetrical .150/.150/.150 in five April games, though things improved to a depressingly league-average (by OPS+).195/.271/.429 in May. When the competition is Ben Gamel (out since May 28 with a hamstring strain), Jake Marisnick (out since May 10, thumb surgery), Tucupita Marcano (out since June 17 with COVID-19), Cole Tucker (optioned to Triple-A with a .397 OPS), and Calvin Mitchell (not optioned to Triple-A despite a .553 OPS), it creates opportunities.

On top of that, Suwinski has a pedestrian pedigree. He was the 444th player chosen in the 2016 draft, by the Padres, out of Taft High School in Chicago. He was never on anybody’s Top 100 (or 101) lists. He has never appeared in the Annual. He was mentioned in a 2019 Eyewitness Account (“Hit tool has a long way to go, and while the odds are slim, a major overhaul could bump him up to a starting profile”) but that’s it. If he’s known for anything, it’s for being traded by the Padres (along with Marcano and pitching prospect Michell Miliano) in the Adam Frazier deal last July.

And then came June. He blasted seven homers in the month, tied for the eighth-most in the league. His .318 ISO was fifth-best among qualifiers. He batted .250/.347/.568. Despite a low-OBP reputation, he walked in over a tenth of his plate appearances. His two-run homer off Mark Melancon gave the Pirates a 2-1 walkoff win on June 4. On June 19, he became the first rookie ever to hit three homers including a walkoff when he broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of ninth against the Giants with his third homer of the game. That made him the second Pirates rookie to hit three homers in a game. The other, in 2009, was Andrew McCutchen.

Pump the brakes on the McCutchen comparisons. Suwinski led all qualifiers with a 36% strikeout rate in the month. He made contact on 84% of his swings in the strike zone and 54% out of the zone; league averages were 87% and 61%, respectively. He’s played all three outfield positions competently but not remarkably: 2 defensive runs saved, -0.5 UZR, 1.0 FRAA.

But there’s plenty of space between Andrew McCutchen and a 16th-round prep pick from a Chicago high school that’s never placed a player in the majors. Despite his slow start, Suwinski’s 1.1 WARP was third on the team through the end of June. The Pirates aren’t very good, but it’s not Suwinski’s fault.

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14. Max Meyer, RHP, Miami Marlins

Why he’ll succeed: When Miami drafted Meyer with the third pick two years ago, he already possessed a fastball which could hit 100 mph and a 70-grade slider. Since then, he’s gone from having a barely existent changeup to a consistently plus changeup which he sometimes relies on as his out pitch. How many times can the Marlins amplify a pitcher’s changeup like this?

Why he might fail: Despite sometimes-premium velocity, Meyer’s fastball has a very hittable shape, which has led him to get fewer swings and misses than you might think as a pro. He missed time earlier this year with an elbow injury.

22. Miguel Vargas, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

Why he’ll succeed: Vargas has yet to find a level where he can’t mash baseballs. You could drop him blindfolded and barefoot in the Oklahoma oil fields overnight, and he’d walk back to the stadium and go 2-4 with a double. He continues to get it done at third base and has added second and corner outfield this year because yeah, it’s the Dodgers.

Why he might fail: Vargas isn’t an ideal third baseman and may not have ideal power for a corner spot. He’s a very good bet to be a good major leaguer, but maybe doesn’t have star upside.

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"I'm pumped. Let's go."

Those might've been the words of right-handed prospect Max Meyer, but they're also the sentiment of Marlins fans after watching a video posted to Twitter on Thursday night. In it, MLB Pipeline's No. 21 overall prospect and the club's No. 2 prospect is told he will be headed to Miami on Friday.

Two-time All-Star Sandy Alcantara is slated to start the series opener against the Phillies on Friday, and according to a source, Meyer will make his Major League debut Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET at loanDepot park. The Marlins (43-45) are three games back of the final National League Wild Card spot entering the first half's final weekend.

Meyer will need to be added to the 40-man roster, which has an open spot after reliever Louis Head was claimed off waivers by the Orioles on Tuesday.

Miami selected Meyer third overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of Minnesota. In his first professional season, he pitched in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and earned Double-A South Most Outstanding Pitcher after compiling a 2.41 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 101 innings spanning 20 starts. Meyer continued that dominance in a two-start Triple-A stint before the '21 campaign ended.

The 23-year-old Meyer picked up right where he left off in 2022, posting a 1.72 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 31 1/3 frames through his first six starts. But he was uncharacteristically off in his next two outings, diagnosed with right ulnar nerve irritation that sidelined him for a month.

"I felt like I was almost there, but now I feel like my perspective has changed a little bit," Meyer said while rehabbing in Jupiter, Fla. "Whenever I'm going up, that's what it's meant to be and it is what it is. I've just got to keep taking care of my stuff every day. Who cares what other people say if I'm going up, if I'm staying there? Doesn't matter to me. I'll get my shot, and I'll be up there for a long time."
Meyer fans five in return

At the time of Meyer's selection in the Draft, his slider was the consensus best pitch in the 2020 Draft. His fastball sits at 92-95 mph and can reach 100 mph, according to MLB Pipeline's scouting report. The question mark was his developing changeup. That would help determine whether he could remain a starting pitcher or eventually become a lights-out closer. Prior to the injury, Meyer had increased his fastball usage and had grown comfortable turning to his changeup in any count. His slider was still elite.

"We knew how competitive and tenacious he was on the field, and as he's developed over the last couple of years, nothing he's done surprised me," senior director of amateur scouting DJ Svihlik said on Wednesday. "That includes when he hits some bats out there. I understand that's part of what his fastball is. I'm not surprised that his changeup is developing into a weapon. I'm not surprised that he's competing really, really hard. We knew that about him. So I still think when I look out at Max, I see a guy that pitches in a playoff. I know we like to use the words like No. 1 starter, No. 2 starter, No. 3 starter, so on and so forth. Playoff pitchers, we define it that way in the amateur Draft. We see Max as a playoff starter."

That falls in line with the video announcing his highly anticipated arrival to The Show. Asked by Triple-A manager Daren Brown what his first thought was upon being drafted two years ago, the ever-confident Meyer replied: "Win a ring in the big leagues."

https://www.mlb.com/news/max-meyer-to-debut-saturday
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OF: Yoelqui Céspedes, Birmingham Barons (Double-A)
White Sox No. 4
.412/.565/.941, 5 G, 7-for-17, 2 HR, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 3 R, 5 BB, 5 K, 4 SB

Last year, Céspedes reached Birmingham for 27 games before the close of the season and impressed there with a .298/.340/.404 slash line. This year, his average is down over 30 points from that mark at the level, but his OPS is nearly 50 points higher thanks to loud contact and some more plate discipline. Last week was a terrific example, with the outfielder bashing five extra-base hits in as many games. Céspedes doubled in Birmingham’s first two games against visiting Montgomery, then homered in two of his last three. On Saturday, his only hitless game of the award period, Céspedes worked three walks in a game for the first time since last Aug. 11 and just the second time in his career.

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20. Yoelqui Cespedes, OF, White Sox
Team: Double-A Birmingham (Southern)
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: .412/.565/.941 (7-for-17), 3 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 5 RBIs, 5 BB, 5 SO, 4-for-4 SB

The Scoop: For the first two months of the season, Cespedes almost literally never walked. In April and May, he walked just three times in 35 games. He drew five walks this past week alone, and since June 1 has racked up 16 bases on balls. Perhaps not coincidentally, Cespedes’ most patient month has also been his most powerful. His nine walks in July are a high-water mark for any month this season, and his eight extra-base hits are on track to eclipse the 10 he accumulated in April. (JN)
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Looking at Max Meyer’s Big League Debut

Unless you count Stephen Strasburg’s much-hyped debut, a top pitching prospect’s first start usually doesn’t have much to write home about. While talented, the player in question is understandably an unfinished product who’s facing big league hitters for the first time, in addition to fighting off nerves and perhaps pressure to perform. If you’re looking for some razzle-dazzle, it’s best to wait out a season of adjustments, maybe two. I mean, just look at how Shane McClanahan is taking off this season!

At a glance, Max Meyer’s debut is emblematic of the rookie pitcher’s all-too-common plight. Sure, he did strike out five and hold his own through five innings, but things quickly unraveled afterward. In the top of the sixth, the Phillies got to see Meyer for a third time, which resulted in a home run, walk, and a double. Richard Bleier then took over, but the lefty allowed both runners to score, ballooning Meyer’s earned run total to five. You never got the sense that Meyer was in control of the Phillies, and you couldn’t be blamed for thinking he was ill-prepared.

But c’mon, FanGraphs doesn’t just stop at the box score. From a different angle, Meyer’s debut is one of the more striking ones in recent memory.

If I may generalize a bit, rookie pitchers tend to be reliant on their fastballs, especially during the first few starts of their career. The fastball is a weapon they can trust, whereas secondary pitches might still need refinement. Confronted with a new environment, it’s human instinct to stick with what’s comforting.

Already, Meyer breaks the mold. The 79 pitches thrown in his debut consisted of 39 sliders, 28 four-seam fastballs, and 12 changeups. That’s nearly 50% sliders, which is bonkers for a starter. He threw it for strikes, and he threw it for chases. Here’s a GIF of that slider Meyer showed no reservations in whipping out:

Upper-80s velocity? Check. Perfect location? Check. The slider is a big part of why the Marlins drafted Meyer third overall in the 2020 draft; even by major league standards, it’s one of the better breaking balls around, and Meyer’s ticket to ace-dom. But arguably most impressive is his commitment to using it so often, when even seasoned big leaguers take the conventional wisdom of establishing one’s fastball way too seriously. The results speak for themselves: Meyer’s slider earned a 41% CSW (called strikes plus whiffs) rate on the night. This isn’t a one-off, but rather a beginning. With the fastball count all but dead, Meyer’s arrival signals what’s to come in MLB.

As it stands, though, he’s still an outlier. And there’s yet another aspect in which Meyer stands out. Last week, I wrote about the importance of fastball shape, and how movement and release point matter in tandem with velocity. Meyer’s heater isn’t the speediest, topping out at 96 on Saturday and sitting between 93–95 mph. It also doesn’t have elite vertical movement, nor is it released from a funky release point or even particularly close to home plate. Instead, what differentiates Meyer’s fastball from the rest is an absence of movement. You can’t really tell from a GIF, but here’s the fastball in action:

Looks fairly normal, right? But the numbers suggest otherwise. In his debut, Meyer’s fastball averaged a mere 10.8 inches of vertical movement. For reference, the mighty Spencer Strider is at 17.6 on the season, and even Hunter Greene checks in at 16. A sample of 28 pitches produces some massive error bars, but even so, we have enough to conclude that what Meyer uses is no ordinary fastball.

Let’s break it down further. You might think this is a case of a sinker being misclassified as a four-seamer, but the lack of horizontal movement as well — a microscopic 2.3 inches — is a dead giveaway. Meyer doesn’t just throw a gyro slider; he also throws a gyro heater. Gyro is short for gyro spin, which is the type of spin that doesn’t contribute to a pitch’s movement. Letting gravity do all the work might not sound too sexy, but in theory, all a fastball needs is to be unique. Give hitters an angle they haven’t seen before, then reap the benefits.

The problem, however, is that there really isn’t a suitable comp for Meyer’s fastball in major league baseball (besides maybe Chi Chi González), which means no clear blueprint exists on how to optimize it. Should he treat it like a regular four-seamer and aim for the letters? Or is it better to let it sink towards the bottom of the zone, in hopes of inducing weak contact? Against the Phillies, Meyer opted for neither, but not of his own volition: He painted the corners at times, but several fastballs ended up down the middle, resulting in hard-hit balls. It’ll be interesting to check back in with Meyer on a day in which he has better feel for his heater.

In college, Meyer was primarily known for his fastball-slider combo. Since being drafted, he’s continued to hone a changeup, which every young Marlins pitcher seems to have in his arsenal. It isn’t quite there — it was the worst-commanded pitch of Meyer’s debut, with many bouncing in the dirt — but hey, one changeup did get a whiff out of Darick Hall:

Unlike the fastball, the changeup is hardly a unicorn; this is your run-of-the-mill offspeed offering from a righty. It also seems negatively impacted by Meyer’s feel for gyro spin. Compared to his Marlins peers, he doesn’t produce enough sidespin to kill the lift on his changeup and let it fade, but with only 12 thrown so far, maybe we should take the movement data with a grain of salt. Nonetheless, it’s a solid pitch in its current state, and what matters above all for a changeup is command, not stuff. And if everything comes together, we might be looking at a complete arsenal with no extra fluff, so to speak.

In his first big league start, Meyer ran into a few bumps in the road, coughed up five runs, and looked entirely mortal. It’s underwhelming when described that way, but consider the finer details. In the process, he threw his breaking ball nearly half the time, the high usage justified by elite velocity and exquisite command. He backed it up with an odd four-seamer that isn’t seen often in an age where ride is king. Whether it’ll hold up is a question for later; for now, we can appreciate the singularity. His changeup didn’t get to shine, but Meyer’s athleticism and the Marlins’ track record are two great reasons to bet on its development.

I admittedly didn’t think too much of Meyer when he was first drafted, and as a prospect, I thought he could benefit from a more vertically oriented fastball. The Marlins did apparently raise his arm slot, but that didn’t turn his heater into a conventional bat-misser. Instead, what we have here is a quirky yet promising profile. It’s impossible to see into the future with a single start, but it instantly put Meyer back on my radar. The Marlins already have an electric rotation chock-full of homegrown talent, and it’s exciting to think he can become a true part of it.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/looking-at- ... gue-debut/
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