14. Shane Drohan, MIRP
Drafted: 5th Round, 2020 from Florida State (BOS)
Age 25.1 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 195 Bat / Thr R / L FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
45/45 40/45 45/45 60/60 40/45 90-92 / 95
Drohan has transformed in many ways since he was drafted out of Florida State in 2020. He recently traded his red socks for white ones as the Southsiders scooped him up in the Rule 5 Draft. Perhaps most notable, however, is the degree to which he has shortened up his arm action. He steadily climbed through the Red Sox system and had an incredible beginning to the 2023 season with six starts at Double-A, during which he boasted a 0.82 WHIP and allowed just five total earned runs. Due largely to his lack of precision working in the strike zone, his stat line sagged upon a promotion to Triple-A, as Droahn’s HR/9 grew more than sevenfold. Eleven of the 19 dingers he allowed at Charlotte came on belt-high beach balls. While his in-zone swing-and-miss took a tumble, his chase rate stayed in the mid-30s across both levels, and although he throws his slider more often, his changeup is his standout secondary in this regard, with a combined chase rate across the two levels of around 46%. He rarely threw the pitch to lefties, but righties struggled mightily against it, posting just a .154/.236/.262 slash line against the cambio in Drohan’s 89 innings post-promotion. Drohan’s Triple-A struggles were the first obvious stumbling block of his professional career, and if he can regain the command that allowed him to dominate at the lower levels, he could earn a role as a back-end starter. If not, he’s got the arsenal to be a changeup-heavy multi-inning reliever.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/chicago-whi ... prospects/
2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
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Red Sox Pitching Prospect Richard Fitts Is Growing His Game
by David Laurila
Richard Fitts is a big right-hander hoping to do big things in a new organization. He has a chance to do just that. Acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the New York Yankees in December’s Alex Verdugo trade, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Auburn University product is coming off a season where he logged a 3.48 ERA and fanned 163 batters in 152-and-two-thirds innings with Double-A Somerset. A 2021 sixth-round pick slated to begin the forthcoming campaign in Triple-A, he ranks among the top starting pitcher prospects in the Red Sox system.
Fitts discussed his game earlier this month when Boston held its annual Rookie Development Camp at Fenway Park.
———
David Laurila: Let’s start with how you approach your craft. Are you a pitching nerd?
Richard Fitts: “I’d like to be considered a pitching nerd. I’m by no means a genius, but I take a lot of pride in trying to get better every single day, and that includes figuring out the ins and outs of what can make me the best that I can be.”
Laurila: What did you learn in the Yankees organization that you didn’t necessarily know at Auburn?
Fitts: “I learned a lot more about how to throw a four-seam fastball in different spots. That’s kind of how I’ve developed as a pitcher. I’ve learned where I can throw certain pitches and what counts to throw them in. Auburn was amazing — I loved every single minute and was able to develop a little bit there — but once I got into pro ball and got some metrics in front of me is when I think I really took off.”
Laurila: Where does your fastball play best?
Fitts: “Usually up in the zone, up-and-in. I like to throw it down-and-away a good bit too, but mostly up in the zone. That’s to both righties and lefties. I get pretty good ride on my fastball.”
Laurila: Do you know the metrics on it?
Fitts: “Last season, I was probably sitting anywhere from about 18 to 22 inches of ride. From what I’ve heard from hitters, and kind of from the data, I also have some perceived cut. It’s like a power cutter, almost.”
Laurila: Location and usage aside, are you throwing your fastball any differently than you did in college?
Fitts: “No. But when I got to Auburn, I was actually only throwing two-seams. I played the infield when I was in high school and threw two-seams across the diamond. When I got to Auburn, coach [Butch] Thompson said ‘Hey, you’ll tick up a couple miles an hour if you throw a four-seam,’ so I started long-tossing with one. At that point, the four-seam was new to me.”
Laurila: Are you throwing a cutter?
Fitts: “I played around with one last year, but I ended up scrapping it because it was too similar to my fastball. Actually, it was almost like a really bad slider merged with a really bad fastball.”
Laurila: What is your best secondary?
Fitts: “I’m working hard on developing a solid changeup that I can use against both righties and lefties, but right now it’s probably my slider.”
Laurila: Is it a sweeper or a conventional slider?
Fitts: “It’s a little bit in between. I’m trying to get a little more sweep to it, but not the giant sweepers that we’re seeing across the league. I’m starting to figure some things out in hopes of getting a consistent movement of 10 or more inches.”
Laurila: Were you comped to anyone in the Yankees system? Maybe a guy where they’d tell you, “Watch him, your stuff plays similar to his.”
Fitts: “We talked about that a little bit, but it was mostly just trying to find what I should work on as an individual. We looked a lot at video and would go from there.”
Laurila: Where are you velocity-wise?
Fitts: “Last year, my average was about 93-94 [mph]. This year, I want to tick that up a good bit.”
Laurila: How have you changed physically over the last few years?
Fitts: “Right now, I’m 6-foot-4, 245. I know that some listings have me at 215 pounds, but that was what I came into professional baseball at. Since that time, I’ve gained 30 pounds — 10 over the last year — and a lot of muscle mass. Now it’s just about fine-tuning my mechanics as best I can.”
Laurila: Any final thoughts?
Fitts: “My goal is to be a longtime big leaguer and to win here in Boston — win some World Series. I also want to be the best version of myself. You asked about comps, and right now I’m focused on becoming that best version. I want to be authentic. At the end of the day, I want to be Richard Fitts.”
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/red-sox-pit ... -his-game/
by David Laurila
Richard Fitts is a big right-hander hoping to do big things in a new organization. He has a chance to do just that. Acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the New York Yankees in December’s Alex Verdugo trade, the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Auburn University product is coming off a season where he logged a 3.48 ERA and fanned 163 batters in 152-and-two-thirds innings with Double-A Somerset. A 2021 sixth-round pick slated to begin the forthcoming campaign in Triple-A, he ranks among the top starting pitcher prospects in the Red Sox system.
Fitts discussed his game earlier this month when Boston held its annual Rookie Development Camp at Fenway Park.
———
David Laurila: Let’s start with how you approach your craft. Are you a pitching nerd?
Richard Fitts: “I’d like to be considered a pitching nerd. I’m by no means a genius, but I take a lot of pride in trying to get better every single day, and that includes figuring out the ins and outs of what can make me the best that I can be.”
Laurila: What did you learn in the Yankees organization that you didn’t necessarily know at Auburn?
Fitts: “I learned a lot more about how to throw a four-seam fastball in different spots. That’s kind of how I’ve developed as a pitcher. I’ve learned where I can throw certain pitches and what counts to throw them in. Auburn was amazing — I loved every single minute and was able to develop a little bit there — but once I got into pro ball and got some metrics in front of me is when I think I really took off.”
Laurila: Where does your fastball play best?
Fitts: “Usually up in the zone, up-and-in. I like to throw it down-and-away a good bit too, but mostly up in the zone. That’s to both righties and lefties. I get pretty good ride on my fastball.”
Laurila: Do you know the metrics on it?
Fitts: “Last season, I was probably sitting anywhere from about 18 to 22 inches of ride. From what I’ve heard from hitters, and kind of from the data, I also have some perceived cut. It’s like a power cutter, almost.”
Laurila: Location and usage aside, are you throwing your fastball any differently than you did in college?
Fitts: “No. But when I got to Auburn, I was actually only throwing two-seams. I played the infield when I was in high school and threw two-seams across the diamond. When I got to Auburn, coach [Butch] Thompson said ‘Hey, you’ll tick up a couple miles an hour if you throw a four-seam,’ so I started long-tossing with one. At that point, the four-seam was new to me.”
Laurila: Are you throwing a cutter?
Fitts: “I played around with one last year, but I ended up scrapping it because it was too similar to my fastball. Actually, it was almost like a really bad slider merged with a really bad fastball.”
Laurila: What is your best secondary?
Fitts: “I’m working hard on developing a solid changeup that I can use against both righties and lefties, but right now it’s probably my slider.”
Laurila: Is it a sweeper or a conventional slider?
Fitts: “It’s a little bit in between. I’m trying to get a little more sweep to it, but not the giant sweepers that we’re seeing across the league. I’m starting to figure some things out in hopes of getting a consistent movement of 10 or more inches.”
Laurila: Were you comped to anyone in the Yankees system? Maybe a guy where they’d tell you, “Watch him, your stuff plays similar to his.”
Fitts: “We talked about that a little bit, but it was mostly just trying to find what I should work on as an individual. We looked a lot at video and would go from there.”
Laurila: Where are you velocity-wise?
Fitts: “Last year, my average was about 93-94 [mph]. This year, I want to tick that up a good bit.”
Laurila: How have you changed physically over the last few years?
Fitts: “Right now, I’m 6-foot-4, 245. I know that some listings have me at 215 pounds, but that was what I came into professional baseball at. Since that time, I’ve gained 30 pounds — 10 over the last year — and a lot of muscle mass. Now it’s just about fine-tuning my mechanics as best I can.”
Laurila: Any final thoughts?
Fitts: “My goal is to be a longtime big leaguer and to win here in Boston — win some World Series. I also want to be the best version of myself. You asked about comps, and right now I’m focused on becoming that best version. I want to be authentic. At the end of the day, I want to be Richard Fitts.”
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/red-sox-pit ... -his-game/
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22. Jacob Burke, CF
Drafted: 11th Round, 2022 from Miami (CHW)
Age 22.9 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 208 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/40 45/50 30/40 55/55 40/50 50
Burke spent two years at Southeastern Louisiana before transferring to Miami for his draft year, and proceeded to slug .599 and set a career high in homers (13) with the Hurricanes. He has continued to mash in pro ball and is a career .291/.393/.439 hitter through High-A. He has quick wrists and a compact swing that generates doubles power with ease. More importantly, Burke has played center field well as a pro and projects as a viable big league defender there. He lacks the premium offensive tools of a regular or an oft-used platoon partner, but there’s enough here to consider Burke a likely fifth outfielder.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/chicago-whi ... prospects/
Drafted: 11th Round, 2022 from Miami (CHW)
Age 22.9 Height 6′ 1″ Weight 208 Bat / Thr R / R FV 40
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw
30/40 45/50 30/40 55/55 40/50 50
Burke spent two years at Southeastern Louisiana before transferring to Miami for his draft year, and proceeded to slug .599 and set a career high in homers (13) with the Hurricanes. He has continued to mash in pro ball and is a career .291/.393/.439 hitter through High-A. He has quick wrists and a compact swing that generates doubles power with ease. More importantly, Burke has played center field well as a pro and projects as a viable big league defender there. He lacks the premium offensive tools of a regular or an oft-used platoon partner, but there’s enough here to consider Burke a likely fifth outfielder.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/chicago-whi ... prospects/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
Tyler Schweitzer, LHP
BA Grade: 45/High
Track Record: Schweitzer was the Mid-American Conference pitcher of the year in his final season at Ball State. The White Sox drafted him in the fifth round in 2022 and signed him for $325,000. Working strictly on his throwing program after reporting to Chicago’s minor league complex after the draft, the crafty southpaw pitched in 23 games in 2023 split between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem, with a combined 3.94 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 107.1 innings.
Scouting Report: Schweitzer takes the mound with a solid four-pitch mix that grades as average across the board. He commands his low-90s fastball and will occasionally get it into the mid 90s, with good life up in the zone and plenty of spin. His breaking pitches–a slider in the low 80s and a curveball in the mid-to-upper 70s–previously blended too much, but he did a better job of differentiating the two pitches in 2023. He rounds out his arsenal with an average changeup at 82 mph, and he’s been working on getting more separation between his curveball and changeup. Scheweitzer has above-average pitchability and feel for throwing strikes, and is described as having moxie when he’s on the mound.
The Future: Projected as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter, Schweitzer will get to Double-A at some point in 2024. His stuff isn’t flashy, but he gets the job done with his mostly average stuff.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... cts-lists/
BA Grade: 45/High
Track Record: Schweitzer was the Mid-American Conference pitcher of the year in his final season at Ball State. The White Sox drafted him in the fifth round in 2022 and signed him for $325,000. Working strictly on his throwing program after reporting to Chicago’s minor league complex after the draft, the crafty southpaw pitched in 23 games in 2023 split between Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem, with a combined 3.94 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 107.1 innings.
Scouting Report: Schweitzer takes the mound with a solid four-pitch mix that grades as average across the board. He commands his low-90s fastball and will occasionally get it into the mid 90s, with good life up in the zone and plenty of spin. His breaking pitches–a slider in the low 80s and a curveball in the mid-to-upper 70s–previously blended too much, but he did a better job of differentiating the two pitches in 2023. He rounds out his arsenal with an average changeup at 82 mph, and he’s been working on getting more separation between his curveball and changeup. Scheweitzer has above-average pitchability and feel for throwing strikes, and is described as having moxie when he’s on the mound.
The Future: Projected as a potential back-of-the-rotation starter, Schweitzer will get to Double-A at some point in 2024. His stuff isn’t flashy, but he gets the job done with his mostly average stuff.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... cts-lists/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
Jacob Melton, OF, Houston Astros
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 210 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
The Astros’ second-round pick in 2022, Melton was a late cut from the top-100, primarily because his approach isn’t good enough yet to get him there, although he has some plus tools including his raw power and his defense in center, which gives him a great floor as an extra outfielder. He’s overly aggressive at the plate and sells out for power, even though he has great bat speed and barrel control, so he should see some power come naturally as a function of the hard contact he’s making — averaging 90 mph and topping out at 112.
He’s had some advantages in the minors to boost his stat line, with 85 percent of his plate appearances last year coming against right-handed pitching (as in, with the platoon advantage), while he played most of the year in High-A Asheville, a terrific hitter’s park, and hit just .220/.318/.392 on the road. He needs to cut down on his chase rate and just make better swing decisions overall. He’s got 30-30 upside with plus defense in center if he can show a better approach at the plate.
https://theathletic.com/5244674/2024/02 ... ssed-2024/
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 210 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
The Astros’ second-round pick in 2022, Melton was a late cut from the top-100, primarily because his approach isn’t good enough yet to get him there, although he has some plus tools including his raw power and his defense in center, which gives him a great floor as an extra outfielder. He’s overly aggressive at the plate and sells out for power, even though he has great bat speed and barrel control, so he should see some power come naturally as a function of the hard contact he’s making — averaging 90 mph and topping out at 112.
He’s had some advantages in the minors to boost his stat line, with 85 percent of his plate appearances last year coming against right-handed pitching (as in, with the platoon advantage), while he played most of the year in High-A Asheville, a terrific hitter’s park, and hit just .220/.318/.392 on the road. He needs to cut down on his chase rate and just make better swing decisions overall. He’s got 30-30 upside with plus defense in center if he can show a better approach at the plate.
https://theathletic.com/5244674/2024/02 ... ssed-2024/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
24. Fernando Perez, RHP
Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 170 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 45/Extreme
Track Record: Perez signed in January 2022 as an under-the-radar target. He grew up in a remote area of Nicaragua and was not considered a notable signing. Perez debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, making 12 starts and showcasing advanced command. He made 10 starts in the Florida Complex League in 2023 and impressed over 49.2 innings. The most memorable moment of Perez’s season came on Aug. 7 when he tossed seven no-hit innings to combine with two relievers to complete a no-hitter.
Scouting Report: A tall, projectable righthander, Perez has made his name early on the quality of his command. He mixes three pitches in his four-seam fastball, slider and changeup. Perez’s fastball sits 92-93 mph and touches 94 at peak with ride and run. He shows good command for the pitch and consistently lands it in the zone. His most frequently thrown secondary is a low-80s gyro slider with some cut. He shows tremendous feel for the pitch. Perez’s changeup sits 82-83 mph with nice tumble and fade, and he commands it. His control and command are above-average and he projects to remain a starter long term.
The Future: Perez is a talented strike-thrower with a projectable mix and body who should grow into a back-end starter.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason
RHP Fernando Perez
Final stats: 2.72 ERA | 49.2 IP | 12 BB | 57 K
At 6-3 and 170 pounds, the 19-year-old Nicaraguan is still maturing physically but showed flashes of starter potential. Of the only 35 hits he allowed, just one was a homer.
“Perez had a huge year in FCL,” says [Joe] Sclafani, [the Blue Jays’ director of player development]. “He's a real strike-thrower, has a feel for how to pitch, can throw everything in the zone and manipulate the ball where he wants to. The building blocks there are super-exciting and he showed more swing and miss than we were anticipating. That will be a fun one to watch.”
https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/bl ... n-on-rise/
27. Fernando Perez, SP
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2022 from Nicaragua (TOR)
Age 19.8 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
40/45 50/55 40/50 20/50 91-94 / 95
Perez led Toronto’s FCL team in innings and posted a stellar 29% strikeout rate and a 6% walk rate. He isn’t an ultra-athletic or projectable teenage pitcher, but he is polished, sitting 91-94 with equal parts above-average rise and run. A big part of Perez’s effectiveness stems from the quality and utility of his secondary offerings. His upper-70s curveball has good depth, and he can occasionally create bat-missing arm-side action on his changeup. While he probably doesn’t have a terribly high ceiling, Perez has the kind of stuff that would go in rounds three to five were he a draft-eligible player.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/toronto-blu ... prospects/
Ht: 6'3" | Wt: 170 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 45/Extreme
Track Record: Perez signed in January 2022 as an under-the-radar target. He grew up in a remote area of Nicaragua and was not considered a notable signing. Perez debuted in the Dominican Summer League in 2022, making 12 starts and showcasing advanced command. He made 10 starts in the Florida Complex League in 2023 and impressed over 49.2 innings. The most memorable moment of Perez’s season came on Aug. 7 when he tossed seven no-hit innings to combine with two relievers to complete a no-hitter.
Scouting Report: A tall, projectable righthander, Perez has made his name early on the quality of his command. He mixes three pitches in his four-seam fastball, slider and changeup. Perez’s fastball sits 92-93 mph and touches 94 at peak with ride and run. He shows good command for the pitch and consistently lands it in the zone. His most frequently thrown secondary is a low-80s gyro slider with some cut. He shows tremendous feel for the pitch. Perez’s changeup sits 82-83 mph with nice tumble and fade, and he commands it. His control and command are above-average and he projects to remain a starter long term.
The Future: Perez is a talented strike-thrower with a projectable mix and body who should grow into a back-end starter.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason
RHP Fernando Perez
Final stats: 2.72 ERA | 49.2 IP | 12 BB | 57 K
At 6-3 and 170 pounds, the 19-year-old Nicaraguan is still maturing physically but showed flashes of starter potential. Of the only 35 hits he allowed, just one was a homer.
“Perez had a huge year in FCL,” says [Joe] Sclafani, [the Blue Jays’ director of player development]. “He's a real strike-thrower, has a feel for how to pitch, can throw everything in the zone and manipulate the ball where he wants to. The building blocks there are super-exciting and he showed more swing and miss than we were anticipating. That will be a fun one to watch.”
https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/bl ... n-on-rise/
27. Fernando Perez, SP
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2022 from Nicaragua (TOR)
Age 19.8 Height 6′ 3″ Weight 185 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Curveball Changeup Command Sits/Tops
40/45 50/55 40/50 20/50 91-94 / 95
Perez led Toronto’s FCL team in innings and posted a stellar 29% strikeout rate and a 6% walk rate. He isn’t an ultra-athletic or projectable teenage pitcher, but he is polished, sitting 91-94 with equal parts above-average rise and run. A big part of Perez’s effectiveness stems from the quality and utility of his secondary offerings. His upper-70s curveball has good depth, and he can occasionally create bat-missing arm-side action on his changeup. While he probably doesn’t have a terribly high ceiling, Perez has the kind of stuff that would go in rounds three to five were he a draft-eligible player.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/toronto-blu ... prospects/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
7. Keiner Delgado, 2B/SS
Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5-7 | Weight: 145 | Seasonal age in 2024: 20
Arias was the most famous guy on the Florida Complex League Yankees’ roster, but Delgado offered the best present hit tool, with the results to show it in a .293/.414/.485 line and more walks (36) than strikeouts (31). He’s a true switch-hitter with sneaky pop for such a fun-sized player, as he’s listed at 5-7, 145, and I hope for his sake he’s put on a few pounds since then. He’s got incredible feel to play the game, with smooth actions on defense and the sense that he’s always in control, giving him a chance to stick at short. If not, he’d be at least a 55 if he ends up at second, splitting time between the two spots. He’s small, but it’s plus run, plus hit, middle infield, and maybe a chance for 15+ homers. I’m in.
https://theathletic.com/5261866/2024/02 ... keith-law/
9. Fernando Perez, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 170 | Seasonal age in 2024: 20
Perez hails from Nicaragua, and he made his U.S. debut last year in the Florida Complex League, showing plus control already with velocity that improved as the season went on. He was more 88-91 mph early in the year but was consistently in the low 90s later in the season with good life on the fastball, averaging over 92 on the entire season, and he can spin a promising curveball as well. He’s got a big frame and should end up a strong kid who can handle some innings and probably throw even a little harder. He’s a ways off but projects as a league-average starter.
https://theathletic.com/5262403/2024/02 ... keith-law/
16. Richard Fitts, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 230 | Seasonal age in 2024: 24
One of the three pitchers Boston acquired from the Yankees for Alex Verdugo, Fitts quietly ended up in the top 10 among all minor-league pitchers in strikeouts with 163, with a solid year as a 23-year-old starter in Double A. It was more command and feel to pitch than stuff, as it’s a light 91-96 mph without a plus secondary, and he gave up 22 homers in 151 innings because hitters do make hard contact when they square it up. The command and control are something, though, so he could pick up with a move to relief, or perhaps the Red Sox find a way to boost his velocity or improve his slider or changeup and make him a back-end guy.
https://theathletic.com/5261710/2024/02 ... keith-law/
8. Dominic Keegan, C
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-0 | Weight: 210 | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
Keegan looks like a sure backup catcher in the majors, capable on defense, liked by pitchers, with power and some patience but fringy bat speed that’s going to cause his average to drop as he faces harder throwers
https://theathletic.com/5262256/2024/02 ... keith-law/
Bats: B | Throws: R | Height: 5-7 | Weight: 145 | Seasonal age in 2024: 20
Arias was the most famous guy on the Florida Complex League Yankees’ roster, but Delgado offered the best present hit tool, with the results to show it in a .293/.414/.485 line and more walks (36) than strikeouts (31). He’s a true switch-hitter with sneaky pop for such a fun-sized player, as he’s listed at 5-7, 145, and I hope for his sake he’s put on a few pounds since then. He’s got incredible feel to play the game, with smooth actions on defense and the sense that he’s always in control, giving him a chance to stick at short. If not, he’d be at least a 55 if he ends up at second, splitting time between the two spots. He’s small, but it’s plus run, plus hit, middle infield, and maybe a chance for 15+ homers. I’m in.
https://theathletic.com/5261866/2024/02 ... keith-law/
9. Fernando Perez, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 170 | Seasonal age in 2024: 20
Perez hails from Nicaragua, and he made his U.S. debut last year in the Florida Complex League, showing plus control already with velocity that improved as the season went on. He was more 88-91 mph early in the year but was consistently in the low 90s later in the season with good life on the fastball, averaging over 92 on the entire season, and he can spin a promising curveball as well. He’s got a big frame and should end up a strong kid who can handle some innings and probably throw even a little harder. He’s a ways off but projects as a league-average starter.
https://theathletic.com/5262403/2024/02 ... keith-law/
16. Richard Fitts, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 230 | Seasonal age in 2024: 24
One of the three pitchers Boston acquired from the Yankees for Alex Verdugo, Fitts quietly ended up in the top 10 among all minor-league pitchers in strikeouts with 163, with a solid year as a 23-year-old starter in Double A. It was more command and feel to pitch than stuff, as it’s a light 91-96 mph without a plus secondary, and he gave up 22 homers in 151 innings because hitters do make hard contact when they square it up. The command and control are something, though, so he could pick up with a move to relief, or perhaps the Red Sox find a way to boost his velocity or improve his slider or changeup and make him a back-end guy.
https://theathletic.com/5261710/2024/02 ... keith-law/
8. Dominic Keegan, C
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-0 | Weight: 210 | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
Keegan looks like a sure backup catcher in the majors, capable on defense, liked by pitchers, with power and some patience but fringy bat speed that’s going to cause his average to drop as he faces harder throwers
https://theathletic.com/5262256/2024/02 ... keith-law/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
4. Nick Nastrini, RHP (2024 top-100 ranking: 76)
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 215 | Seasonal age in 2024: 24
Nastrini went to the White Sox in the trade that sent Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers, a tremendous deal for the Sox that also netted them power-armed relief prospect Jordan Leasure. Nastrini was the Dodgers’ fourth-round pick in 2021 off a spring at UCLA where he walked 38 guys in 31 innings, a hell of a job by Los Angeles’ amateur scouting group, as he’s improved a ton since the moment he signed and projects as a fourth starter or better depending on how much further his command and control develop. He works with four pitches, sitting 93-96 mph with a plus changeup and plus slider. He has a pretty consistent delivery and traditional three-quarters arm slot that doesn’t give him a ton of deception; he gives up a lot of contact in the air, so there’s a risk he becomes homer-prone or at least prone to extra-base hits as he moves up the ladder.
The fastball might be his worst pitch, but he has three other weapons to use, with the changeup possibly a 70 given how much trouble hitters have with it. It doesn’t have terrific action, but it looks just like the heater coming out of his hand, and hitters missed it more than half the time they swung at it last year. There’s still some relief risk here as he walked about 11 percent of batters he faced last year and will have to work to limit hard contact. His 2023 season had more positives than negatives, however, and the odds of him remaining a starter went over 50 percent for the first time.
9. Jonathan Cannon, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-6 | Weight: 213 | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
Cannon has always had the stuff to be a major-league starter, both in terms of velocity and overall arsenal, but he’s never missed as many bats as scouts expected and, until recently, couldn’t even get the groundballs his two-seamer was supposed to get. That last bit did change in 2023, as he had a groundball rate over 50 percent on the year, but he still gave up too much damage on contact, a lot of it on his secondary stuff. He’s probably a reliever at this point, but I understand the urge to keep starting him.
11. Jordan Leasure, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 215 | Seasonal age in 2024: 25
Picked up in the Lance Lynn trade along with Nastrini, Leasure might have the best pure stuff in the system: 95-97 mph with carry at the top of the zone and a very hard, tight, downward-breaking slider in the upper 80s, along with an average curveball around 80 with very high spin rates. He’s a straight reliever between the delivery and lack of a weapon for lefties, but give him another half-grade of control and he’s rolling out of any big-league bullpen.
• Outfielder Terrell Tatum looks like he could have been a DI running back in another life, with a compact but strong build, plus-plus speed, and athleticism for days. He can play anywhere in the outfield, and he’s shown he’ll take a walk, drawing 100 last year between High A and Triple A. He’s also one of the most extreme groundball hitters in the minors, over 60 percent at both stops last year. The White Sox have been trying to work with his swing to get him to hit some more line drives, which would give him a solid platoon upside.
• Jacob Burke has the tools to be a decent fourth outfielder who can handle center, but he just doesn’t make enough contact for a low-power guy.
https://theathletic.com/5257706/2024/02 ... keith-law/
• Justin Campbell was the team’s second-round pick in 2022 but has yet to make his pro debut after undergoing ulnar nerve decompression surgery last May. He’s 6-7 with an average fastball and plus changeup, but there was already a concern about him losing velocity going from pitching once a week to every fifth day. He did throw a ton of strikes in college, a demographic where Cleveland’s had success.
https://theathletic.com/5258696/2024/02 ... keith-law/
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 215 | Seasonal age in 2024: 24
Nastrini went to the White Sox in the trade that sent Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers, a tremendous deal for the Sox that also netted them power-armed relief prospect Jordan Leasure. Nastrini was the Dodgers’ fourth-round pick in 2021 off a spring at UCLA where he walked 38 guys in 31 innings, a hell of a job by Los Angeles’ amateur scouting group, as he’s improved a ton since the moment he signed and projects as a fourth starter or better depending on how much further his command and control develop. He works with four pitches, sitting 93-96 mph with a plus changeup and plus slider. He has a pretty consistent delivery and traditional three-quarters arm slot that doesn’t give him a ton of deception; he gives up a lot of contact in the air, so there’s a risk he becomes homer-prone or at least prone to extra-base hits as he moves up the ladder.
The fastball might be his worst pitch, but he has three other weapons to use, with the changeup possibly a 70 given how much trouble hitters have with it. It doesn’t have terrific action, but it looks just like the heater coming out of his hand, and hitters missed it more than half the time they swung at it last year. There’s still some relief risk here as he walked about 11 percent of batters he faced last year and will have to work to limit hard contact. His 2023 season had more positives than negatives, however, and the odds of him remaining a starter went over 50 percent for the first time.
9. Jonathan Cannon, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-6 | Weight: 213 | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
Cannon has always had the stuff to be a major-league starter, both in terms of velocity and overall arsenal, but he’s never missed as many bats as scouts expected and, until recently, couldn’t even get the groundballs his two-seamer was supposed to get. That last bit did change in 2023, as he had a groundball rate over 50 percent on the year, but he still gave up too much damage on contact, a lot of it on his secondary stuff. He’s probably a reliever at this point, but I understand the urge to keep starting him.
11. Jordan Leasure, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-3 | Weight: 215 | Seasonal age in 2024: 25
Picked up in the Lance Lynn trade along with Nastrini, Leasure might have the best pure stuff in the system: 95-97 mph with carry at the top of the zone and a very hard, tight, downward-breaking slider in the upper 80s, along with an average curveball around 80 with very high spin rates. He’s a straight reliever between the delivery and lack of a weapon for lefties, but give him another half-grade of control and he’s rolling out of any big-league bullpen.
• Outfielder Terrell Tatum looks like he could have been a DI running back in another life, with a compact but strong build, plus-plus speed, and athleticism for days. He can play anywhere in the outfield, and he’s shown he’ll take a walk, drawing 100 last year between High A and Triple A. He’s also one of the most extreme groundball hitters in the minors, over 60 percent at both stops last year. The White Sox have been trying to work with his swing to get him to hit some more line drives, which would give him a solid platoon upside.
• Jacob Burke has the tools to be a decent fourth outfielder who can handle center, but he just doesn’t make enough contact for a low-power guy.
https://theathletic.com/5257706/2024/02 ... keith-law/
• Justin Campbell was the team’s second-round pick in 2022 but has yet to make his pro debut after undergoing ulnar nerve decompression surgery last May. He’s 6-7 with an average fastball and plus changeup, but there was already a concern about him losing velocity going from pitching once a week to every fifth day. He did throw a ton of strikes in college, a demographic where Cleveland’s had success.
https://theathletic.com/5258696/2024/02 ... keith-law/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
1. Jacob Melton, OF (Just missed)
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 210 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
The Astros’ second-round pick in 2022, Melton was a late cut from the top 100, primarily because his approach isn’t good enough yet to get him there, although he has some plus tools including his raw power and his defense in center, which gives him a great floor as an extra outfielder. He’s overly aggressive at the plate and sells out for power, even though he has great bat speed and barrel control, so he should see some power come naturally as a function of the hard contact he’s making — averaging 90 mph and topping out at 112.
He’s had some advantages in the minors to boost his stat line, with 85 percent of his plate appearances last year coming against right-handed pitching (as in, with the platoon advantage), while he played most of the year in High-A Asheville, a terrific hitter’s park, and hit just .220/.318/.392 on the road. He needs to cut down on his chase rate and just make better swing decisions overall. He’s got 30-30 upside with plus defense in center if he can show a better approach at the plate.
https://theathletic.com/5263881/2024/02 ... keith-law/
[RHP] Cristian Mena will start the season in AAA.
Mena is Arizona’s No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline.
“His slider and his curveball are both really good, and he’s got a decent changeup, too,” Hazen said. “I think we’re still looking for, and we haven’t laid eyes on him yet, but some velocity gains that we think could be in there given his youth and with more maturity, and then refinement of everything. He’s certainly not a finished product. I’d very much anticipate him being in [Triple-A] Reno to start the season.”
https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/mining-the-news-2-12-24/
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 210 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Seasonal age in 2024: 23
The Astros’ second-round pick in 2022, Melton was a late cut from the top 100, primarily because his approach isn’t good enough yet to get him there, although he has some plus tools including his raw power and his defense in center, which gives him a great floor as an extra outfielder. He’s overly aggressive at the plate and sells out for power, even though he has great bat speed and barrel control, so he should see some power come naturally as a function of the hard contact he’s making — averaging 90 mph and topping out at 112.
He’s had some advantages in the minors to boost his stat line, with 85 percent of his plate appearances last year coming against right-handed pitching (as in, with the platoon advantage), while he played most of the year in High-A Asheville, a terrific hitter’s park, and hit just .220/.318/.392 on the road. He needs to cut down on his chase rate and just make better swing decisions overall. He’s got 30-30 upside with plus defense in center if he can show a better approach at the plate.
https://theathletic.com/5263881/2024/02 ... keith-law/
[RHP] Cristian Mena will start the season in AAA.
Mena is Arizona’s No. 12 prospect per MLB Pipeline.
“His slider and his curveball are both really good, and he’s got a decent changeup, too,” Hazen said. “I think we’re still looking for, and we haven’t laid eyes on him yet, but some velocity gains that we think could be in there given his youth and with more maturity, and then refinement of everything. He’s certainly not a finished product. I’d very much anticipate him being in [Triple-A] Reno to start the season.”
https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/mining-the-news-2-12-24/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
9. Cristian Mena, RHP
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-2 | Weight: 170 | Seasonal age in 2024: 21
Acquired in February for outfielder Dominic Fletcher, Mena reached Triple A last year at age 20, although his results weren’t that great at that level or at Double A, as he walked too many and was too homer-prone. He drives the ball down in the zone really well and has a plus curveball that missed a lot of bats at both spots, with enough of an arsenal to profile as a back-end starter if he cuts the walk rate down. I could see him picking up another 1-2 mph from his current 91-94, which would obviously help him stick in a rotation.
https://theathletic.com/5280971/2024/02 ... keith-law/
Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6-2 | Weight: 170 | Seasonal age in 2024: 21
Acquired in February for outfielder Dominic Fletcher, Mena reached Triple A last year at age 20, although his results weren’t that great at that level or at Double A, as he walked too many and was too homer-prone. He drives the ball down in the zone really well and has a plus curveball that missed a lot of bats at both spots, with enough of an arsenal to profile as a back-end starter if he cuts the walk rate down. I could see him picking up another 1-2 mph from his current 91-94, which would obviously help him stick in a rotation.
https://theathletic.com/5280971/2024/02 ... keith-law/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
The true headliner of the deal is probably [Richard] Fitts, a 2021 draftee who hit Double-A in 2023. He commands a rising fastball well and held his 93-95 mph velocity over a 150-inning workload. It’s the kind of pitch that provides a good foundation for a starter’s arsenal; it’s not one of those flat-plane invisiballs that turn batters into pretzels, but it has good shape and he keeps it out of the center of the zone while peppering the upper boundary of the zone. But don’t take it from me; here’s Eric Longenhagen’s updated report on him:
“Fitts spent most of his college career in the bullpen, but, as the Yankees frequently do, he was moved into the starting rotation as a pro and he has ascended through the minors with little resistance. Fitts worked a whopping 152 innings in 2023, 50 innings more than he did in 2022, and not only maintained his velocity throughout the entire season but had a little bit of a bump. He began his last start of the year pumping 93-96 mph fastballs past Double-A hitters. There is still not a third pitch here but Fitts checks every other starting pitcher scouting box. Plus-plus fastball command and a hard two-plane slider give him two whiff-getting weapons, and any worry about stamina or command leftover from his pre-draft look has evaporated. The Yankees list is going to be one of the first published and Fitts would have been a 45 FV arm ranked relatively high in that system. His 40-man timeline puts him on pace to debut in 2025. If he can develop a third viable offering in 2024, he’ll be a top 100 prospect next offseason, but he’s polished enough as a strike-thrower to debut in 2024 if the BoSox need him.”
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/yankees-acq ... o-at-home/
“Fitts spent most of his college career in the bullpen, but, as the Yankees frequently do, he was moved into the starting rotation as a pro and he has ascended through the minors with little resistance. Fitts worked a whopping 152 innings in 2023, 50 innings more than he did in 2022, and not only maintained his velocity throughout the entire season but had a little bit of a bump. He began his last start of the year pumping 93-96 mph fastballs past Double-A hitters. There is still not a third pitch here but Fitts checks every other starting pitcher scouting box. Plus-plus fastball command and a hard two-plane slider give him two whiff-getting weapons, and any worry about stamina or command leftover from his pre-draft look has evaporated. The Yankees list is going to be one of the first published and Fitts would have been a 45 FV arm ranked relatively high in that system. His 40-man timeline puts him on pace to debut in 2025. If he can develop a third viable offering in 2024, he’ll be a top 100 prospect next offseason, but he’s polished enough as a strike-thrower to debut in 2024 if the BoSox need him.”
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/yankees-acq ... o-at-home/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
Rule 5 pick Shane Drohan underwent nerve decompression surgery on his shoulder Thursday and will be shut down for a few weeks.
Drohan will resume throwing towards the end of the spring and likely open the regular season on the 60-day IL. The Rule 5 pick from the Red Sox was a long shot for the White Sox rotation, but he appeared likely to claim a bullpen spot.
https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/shane-dro ... ff309200f4
Drohan will resume throwing towards the end of the spring and likely open the regular season on the 60-day IL. The Rule 5 pick from the Red Sox was a long shot for the White Sox rotation, but he appeared likely to claim a bullpen spot.
https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/shane-dro ... ff309200f4
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
Justin Campbell, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
Campbell could have been (and maybe should have been) in the Black Box Pitching group of this year’s Picks to Click. The graceful 6-foot-7 righty was Cleveland’s 2022 first rounder, but he has yet to throw a pro pitch at an affiliate because he was shut down post-draft and then had May 2023 surgery to relieve pressure on his ulnar nerve. He had premium extension/approach angle traits and a plus changeup when healthy.
Shane Drohan, LHP, Chicago White Sox (BOS)
Drohan could be sent back to Boston if the walk issues he had later in 2023 persist; the White Sox don’t otherwise have the alternatives to push him off the roster.
Ryan Fernandez, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (BOS)
St. Louis’ bullpen isn’t destitute, but it would probably take a couple of the current NRIs (Ryan Loutos, maybe?) kicking the door down during spring training to domino Fernandez off the roster.
Hunter Goodman, RF/1B, Colorado Rockies
Goodman ... garnered Top 100 consideration despite [his] overt flaws. [Goodman] chases enough that it fundamentally alters [his] profile ... Goodman had a 38% chase rate against sliders in 2023, per Synergy. He also swings about as hard as anyone in baseball and is dangerous all over the zone. He caught about a dozen games in 2023 and more often played an outfield corner, first base, or DH’d. He’s at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, yes, but he is fairly versatile.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/names-to-kn ... prospects/
Campbell could have been (and maybe should have been) in the Black Box Pitching group of this year’s Picks to Click. The graceful 6-foot-7 righty was Cleveland’s 2022 first rounder, but he has yet to throw a pro pitch at an affiliate because he was shut down post-draft and then had May 2023 surgery to relieve pressure on his ulnar nerve. He had premium extension/approach angle traits and a plus changeup when healthy.
Shane Drohan, LHP, Chicago White Sox (BOS)
Drohan could be sent back to Boston if the walk issues he had later in 2023 persist; the White Sox don’t otherwise have the alternatives to push him off the roster.
Ryan Fernandez, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (BOS)
St. Louis’ bullpen isn’t destitute, but it would probably take a couple of the current NRIs (Ryan Loutos, maybe?) kicking the door down during spring training to domino Fernandez off the roster.
Hunter Goodman, RF/1B, Colorado Rockies
Goodman ... garnered Top 100 consideration despite [his] overt flaws. [Goodman] chases enough that it fundamentally alters [his] profile ... Goodman had a 38% chase rate against sliders in 2023, per Synergy. He also swings about as hard as anyone in baseball and is dangerous all over the zone. He caught about a dozen games in 2023 and more often played an outfield corner, first base, or DH’d. He’s at the bottom of the defensive spectrum, yes, but he is fairly versatile.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/names-to-kn ... prospects/
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
Pitching prospect Cristian Mena has been impressing with increased velocity in Spring Training.
The 21-year-old Mena was just acquired by the Diamondbacks from the White Sox for Dominic Fletcher back in early February. Since arriving with his new team, he has showcased a fastball that’s sitting 94-96 mph after averaging just 92 mph last year. That’s a key, according to Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen, who said “If the fastball starts playing better, I think he’s going to have a lot of success.” With Ryne Nelson currently slated in the final spot of the Diamondbacks’ rotation, it’s not out of the question that Mena could push him at some point during the season if he continues to develop.
https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/cristian- ... 7b36f50000
Jonathan Cannon, the White Sox No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, threw two hitless innings in his Cactus League starting debut during a 5-0 loss to Arizona Sunday, striking out two.
“This spring is really just kind of been making sure the fastball shape is good,” said Cannon, who threw 15 of his 25 pitches for strikes. “Pretty much was exclusively sinker/cutter. That’s been a big focus for me in throwing that sinker glove side, which I did a lot today to lefties.
“So, that really has been the biggest focus is working on that sinker glove side. Making sure the cutter is good, changeup. I didn’t throw any breaking balls today, but that’s been a big focus as well.”
Pitching at the big league level, albeit during Cactus League action, was a different feel for Cannon -- at least, at first.
“I was actually talking about it in the dugout,” Cannon said. “Once you get on the mound, it’s just baseball. That’s how I’ve always looked at it. The anticipation is a lot worse than actually going out there and playing the game. So it was all good.”
Nick Nastrini, who makes his first Cactus League start for the White Sox against the defending World Series champion Rangers on Monday at Camelback Ranch, looks at confidence and trust in his repertoire as the biggest development over the past two years.
“It’s really just being able to throw all my pitches in every single count,” Nastrini said. “That’s something our coach really touched on in college [at UCLA].
“It was not something I was really able to do. It was something I really wanted to establish, especially last year being able to throw behind-in-the-count changeups, breaking balls, and execute breaking balls back to back.”
The only way to find this particular improvement is to practice what you preach in actual game situations, according to Chicago's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline. That practice also could mean giving up a few hits while refining the process.
“It takes walking some guys, too,” Nastrini said. “You are going to go up there and throw a 2-1 changeup and yank it and go 3-1, so it’s being able to do that over and over again, having that confidence.
“You can throw any pitch in the bullpen because you can attach a count to a pitch during a bullpen, but there’s no repercussion if you don’t execute it. Being able to do that in the game is something you have to be able to do. It’s for sure a confidence thing.”
Nastrini, 24, came to the White Sox with fellow right-hander Jordan Leasure and outfielder Trayce Thompson from the Dodgers in exchange for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly at last season’s Trade Deadline. He probably won’t break camp with the team but would be on the short list at Triple-A Charlotte if -- and when -- the White Sox need a starter.
“You just have to pick up right where you left off,” said Nastrini of being traded. “The guys in the clubhouse when I got to [Double-A Birmingham] were really receptive. I was really thankful for that. You have to keep going.
“Catch your stride in a different place. There’s going to be differences going from any organization. There’s going to be differences in the way the coaches work and the way they communicate, but there weren’t really that many crazy differences. It was a pretty seamless transition.”
https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-clas ... 07699177=1
The 21-year-old Mena was just acquired by the Diamondbacks from the White Sox for Dominic Fletcher back in early February. Since arriving with his new team, he has showcased a fastball that’s sitting 94-96 mph after averaging just 92 mph last year. That’s a key, according to Diamondbacks General Manager Mike Hazen, who said “If the fastball starts playing better, I think he’s going to have a lot of success.” With Ryne Nelson currently slated in the final spot of the Diamondbacks’ rotation, it’s not out of the question that Mena could push him at some point during the season if he continues to develop.
https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/cristian- ... 7b36f50000
Jonathan Cannon, the White Sox No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, threw two hitless innings in his Cactus League starting debut during a 5-0 loss to Arizona Sunday, striking out two.
“This spring is really just kind of been making sure the fastball shape is good,” said Cannon, who threw 15 of his 25 pitches for strikes. “Pretty much was exclusively sinker/cutter. That’s been a big focus for me in throwing that sinker glove side, which I did a lot today to lefties.
“So, that really has been the biggest focus is working on that sinker glove side. Making sure the cutter is good, changeup. I didn’t throw any breaking balls today, but that’s been a big focus as well.”
Pitching at the big league level, albeit during Cactus League action, was a different feel for Cannon -- at least, at first.
“I was actually talking about it in the dugout,” Cannon said. “Once you get on the mound, it’s just baseball. That’s how I’ve always looked at it. The anticipation is a lot worse than actually going out there and playing the game. So it was all good.”
Nick Nastrini, who makes his first Cactus League start for the White Sox against the defending World Series champion Rangers on Monday at Camelback Ranch, looks at confidence and trust in his repertoire as the biggest development over the past two years.
“It’s really just being able to throw all my pitches in every single count,” Nastrini said. “That’s something our coach really touched on in college [at UCLA].
“It was not something I was really able to do. It was something I really wanted to establish, especially last year being able to throw behind-in-the-count changeups, breaking balls, and execute breaking balls back to back.”
The only way to find this particular improvement is to practice what you preach in actual game situations, according to Chicago's No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline. That practice also could mean giving up a few hits while refining the process.
“It takes walking some guys, too,” Nastrini said. “You are going to go up there and throw a 2-1 changeup and yank it and go 3-1, so it’s being able to do that over and over again, having that confidence.
“You can throw any pitch in the bullpen because you can attach a count to a pitch during a bullpen, but there’s no repercussion if you don’t execute it. Being able to do that in the game is something you have to be able to do. It’s for sure a confidence thing.”
Nastrini, 24, came to the White Sox with fellow right-hander Jordan Leasure and outfielder Trayce Thompson from the Dodgers in exchange for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly at last season’s Trade Deadline. He probably won’t break camp with the team but would be on the short list at Triple-A Charlotte if -- and when -- the White Sox need a starter.
“You just have to pick up right where you left off,” said Nastrini of being traded. “The guys in the clubhouse when I got to [Double-A Birmingham] were really receptive. I was really thankful for that. You have to keep going.
“Catch your stride in a different place. There’s going to be differences going from any organization. There’s going to be differences in the way the coaches work and the way they communicate, but there weren’t really that many crazy differences. It was a pretty seamless transition.”
https://www.mlb.com/world-baseball-clas ... 07699177=1
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
Damiano Palmegiani, INF, Blue Jays
Although a final 2023 line of 23 home runs in 540 plate appearances with a .255 batting average doesn’t sound particularly compelling for a 23-year-old across two levels, Palmegiani’s combination of solid power and approach with an average contact rate plays up in RoboScout’s model when folding in the underlying Statcast data. Finishing the season in Triple-A, it’s quite possible that the Venezuelan-born 14th-round draft pick from 2021 sees some time with the Blue Jays in 2024, continuing their recent lineage of righthanded-hitting bats with 20-plus home run power, a patient approach, but with limited defensive value, in the Davis Schneider mold.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... t-top-100/
Although a final 2023 line of 23 home runs in 540 plate appearances with a .255 batting average doesn’t sound particularly compelling for a 23-year-old across two levels, Palmegiani’s combination of solid power and approach with an average contact rate plays up in RoboScout’s model when folding in the underlying Statcast data. Finishing the season in Triple-A, it’s quite possible that the Venezuelan-born 14th-round draft pick from 2021 sees some time with the Blue Jays in 2024, continuing their recent lineage of righthanded-hitting bats with 20-plus home run power, a patient approach, but with limited defensive value, in the Davis Schneider mold.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... t-top-100/
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26. Eric Adler, SIRP
Drafted: 6th Round, 2022 from Wake Forest (CHW)
Age 23.3 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 190 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Curveball Command Sits/Tops
55/60 55/60 60/60 20/35 92-96 / 98
Adler was dominant on the 2021 Cape and looked like a potential second rounder, but he really struggled to throw strikes during his draft year and fell all the way to the sixth round. Adler has power relief stuff, with three potential plus pitches. After his fastball typically sat 92-95 in college, he lived at the upper end of that boundary in 2023, when his heater sat 94-96. He can vary the shape and speed of two different breaking balls. One is a vertical curveball that sometimes has a bit of arm-side finish, which will make it a weapon against lefties; the other is a harder, two-planed slider in the 86-89 mph range. It’s a pretty nasty collection of pitches, Adler just hasn’t ever really thrown strikes aside from that Cape Cod stint, and his mechanical inconsistency harms his breaking ball quality in addition to his control. He’d need to be a bit more reliable than we’re projecting to grab a meaningful relief role.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/chicago-whi ... prospects/
35. Eric Adler, RHP
The White Sox selected Adler out of Wake Forest in 2022 after a down season in the Demon Deacons’ bullpen. Despite the results, the righthander has intriguing stuff that high-spin fastball in the low 90s, a downer curveball in the low 80s and a sharp slider that sits between 86-90 mph. He dominated righties but needs to up his control and command to get the most out of his mix.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... 0-in-2024/
Eric Adler
A 6th round draft pick in 2022, Adler was viewed as one of the top relief pitchers in that entire draft class despite concerns about his ability to throw strikes. His double-plus stuff gives him high-leverage upside, and his walk rates, while still high, have been kept in check better than expected early in his minor league career. He may begin the 2024 season in Double-A, and as long as he doesn’t take a step back in his development, an MLB promotion this season isn’t overly far-fetched.
Chance of debuting in 2024: 50%
https://www.soxon35th.com/which-white-s ... t-in-2024/
Drafted: 6th Round, 2022 from Wake Forest (CHW)
Age 23.3 Height 6′ 2″ Weight 190 Bat / Thr R / R FV 35+
Tool Grades (Present/Future)
Fastball Slider Curveball Command Sits/Tops
55/60 55/60 60/60 20/35 92-96 / 98
Adler was dominant on the 2021 Cape and looked like a potential second rounder, but he really struggled to throw strikes during his draft year and fell all the way to the sixth round. Adler has power relief stuff, with three potential plus pitches. After his fastball typically sat 92-95 in college, he lived at the upper end of that boundary in 2023, when his heater sat 94-96. He can vary the shape and speed of two different breaking balls. One is a vertical curveball that sometimes has a bit of arm-side finish, which will make it a weapon against lefties; the other is a harder, two-planed slider in the 86-89 mph range. It’s a pretty nasty collection of pitches, Adler just hasn’t ever really thrown strikes aside from that Cape Cod stint, and his mechanical inconsistency harms his breaking ball quality in addition to his control. He’d need to be a bit more reliable than we’re projecting to grab a meaningful relief role.
https://blogs.fangraphs.com/chicago-whi ... prospects/
35. Eric Adler, RHP
The White Sox selected Adler out of Wake Forest in 2022 after a down season in the Demon Deacons’ bullpen. Despite the results, the righthander has intriguing stuff that high-spin fastball in the low 90s, a downer curveball in the low 80s and a sharp slider that sits between 86-90 mph. He dominated righties but needs to up his control and command to get the most out of his mix.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... 0-in-2024/
Eric Adler
A 6th round draft pick in 2022, Adler was viewed as one of the top relief pitchers in that entire draft class despite concerns about his ability to throw strikes. His double-plus stuff gives him high-leverage upside, and his walk rates, while still high, have been kept in check better than expected early in his minor league career. He may begin the 2024 season in Double-A, and as long as he doesn’t take a step back in his development, an MLB promotion this season isn’t overly far-fetched.
Chance of debuting in 2024: 50%
https://www.soxon35th.com/which-white-s ... t-in-2024/
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Teddy Sharkey, RHP, Orioles:
Few college relievers saw the success that Sharkey did at Coastal Carolina. After striking out 74 batters over 49.2 innings, the Orioles selected Sharkey in the seventh round and assigned him to Low-A after a single appearance in the Florida Complex League. Sharkey mixes a four-seam fastball at 95-97 mph with late cut, a mid-80s slider with cut and a power curveball in the 79-80 mph range with heavy depth. In his professional debut, Sharkey had whiff rates above 30% or higher across his fastball, slider and curveball in his pro debut. With a trio of power pitches and little chance of starting long term, Sharkey could move quickly and help the Orioles’ bullpen by the end of the season.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... s-in-2024/
39. Teddy Sharkey, RHP
A dominant college reliever at Coastal Carolina, Sharkey was the Orioles’ seventh-round pick in 2023 and could move quickly through their system. He has a riding mid-90s fastball and a pair of potential bat-missing breaking balls that grade well analytically, and struck out 16 of the 37 batters he faced with a 0.70 WHIP in his pro debut.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... 0-in-2024/
Few college relievers saw the success that Sharkey did at Coastal Carolina. After striking out 74 batters over 49.2 innings, the Orioles selected Sharkey in the seventh round and assigned him to Low-A after a single appearance in the Florida Complex League. Sharkey mixes a four-seam fastball at 95-97 mph with late cut, a mid-80s slider with cut and a power curveball in the 79-80 mph range with heavy depth. In his professional debut, Sharkey had whiff rates above 30% or higher across his fastball, slider and curveball in his pro debut. With a trio of power pitches and little chance of starting long term, Sharkey could move quickly and help the Orioles’ bullpen by the end of the season.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... s-in-2024/
39. Teddy Sharkey, RHP
A dominant college reliever at Coastal Carolina, Sharkey was the Orioles’ seventh-round pick in 2023 and could move quickly through their system. He has a riding mid-90s fastball and a pair of potential bat-missing breaking balls that grade well analytically, and struck out 16 of the 37 batters he faced with a 0.70 WHIP in his pro debut.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... 0-in-2024/
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Nick Nastrini, RHP, White Sox:
The White Sox acquired Nastrini from the Dodgers before last season’s trade deadline. He split his time post-trade between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, making three starts respectively for each. Nastrini is off the 40-man roster and is likely behind Jake Eder and Jared Shuster for first crack at the White Sox rotation. Despite this, he offers the most upside of that trio and will likely be ready for his first crack at the big leagues later this summer.
Nastrini mixes four pitches in fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. His four-seam fastball sits 94-95 mph, touching 96 mph at peak with 18.7 inches of induced vertical break on average with cut. It’s an above-average fastball but it takes a backseat to his secondaries; his hard gyro slider and changeup both grade out as at least above average with excellent results in 2023 to back that claim. Nastrini will likely begin 2024 in Charlotte with an opportunity to pitch his way into the majors by the summer.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... l-in-2024/
The White Sox acquired Nastrini from the Dodgers before last season’s trade deadline. He split his time post-trade between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, making three starts respectively for each. Nastrini is off the 40-man roster and is likely behind Jake Eder and Jared Shuster for first crack at the White Sox rotation. Despite this, he offers the most upside of that trio and will likely be ready for his first crack at the big leagues later this summer.
Nastrini mixes four pitches in fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. His four-seam fastball sits 94-95 mph, touching 96 mph at peak with 18.7 inches of induced vertical break on average with cut. It’s an above-average fastball but it takes a backseat to his secondaries; his hard gyro slider and changeup both grade out as at least above average with excellent results in 2023 to back that claim. Nastrini will likely begin 2024 in Charlotte with an opportunity to pitch his way into the majors by the summer.
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Top prospect Jacob Melton cleaned up his swing.
“That was a big thing this offseason, to try to clean up the swing, simplifying a lot of things,” Melton said. “I just want to be in a better position coming into this season.”
With that in mind, Melton worked on his swing in the offseason, looking to have smaller and fewer movements, which he hopes will put him in position to see the ball better. He worked with former Oregon State teammate Wade Meckler of the Giants and Oregon State assistant coach Ryan Gipson.
https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/mining-the-news-3-4-24/
Jacob Melton, OF, Corpus Christi Hooks, AA (Houston Astros #1)
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 65 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50
After spending his first college season at Linn-Benton (Ore.) CC and having his first two years at Oregon State truncated by the pandemic and an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, Melton won Pacific-12 Conference player of the year honors and set Beavers records with 83 RBIs and 175 total bases in 2022. He surprisingly dropped to the end of the second round, where Houston snapped him up with a $1 million bonus, and he batted .245/.335/.467 with 23 homers and 46 steals in 99 games in his first full pro season in 2023. When the Astros were negotiating the Justin Verlander trade with the Mets last summer, they preferred to give up Top 100 prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford so they could hold onto Melton.
Melton still doesn't have a classic left-handed swing, but Houston has helped him streamline it and tone down a big leg kick that he had in college. His strength and bat speed create plus raw power that plays to all fields, and his mechanical changes have enabled him to drive the ball in the air more consistently. He struggled against southpaws and did most of his damage at the friendly confines of High-A Asheville in 2023, but he also produced outstanding underlying metrics in terms of swing decisions, consistency of hard contact and exit velocity.
Melton has well-above-average speed and uses it well, stealing 46 bases in 53 attempts last year. His quickness gives him solid range in center field and he has a better chance to remain up the middle with 2022 first-rounder Gilbert departing in the Verlander deal. He also fits the right-field profile with his offensive upside and solid arm strength.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/astros/ja ... ton-689200
“That was a big thing this offseason, to try to clean up the swing, simplifying a lot of things,” Melton said. “I just want to be in a better position coming into this season.”
With that in mind, Melton worked on his swing in the offseason, looking to have smaller and fewer movements, which he hopes will put him in position to see the ball better. He worked with former Oregon State teammate Wade Meckler of the Giants and Oregon State assistant coach Ryan Gipson.
https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/mining-the-news-3-4-24/
Jacob Melton, OF, Corpus Christi Hooks, AA (Houston Astros #1)
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 65 | Arm: 55 | Field: 55 | Overall: 50
After spending his first college season at Linn-Benton (Ore.) CC and having his first two years at Oregon State truncated by the pandemic and an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, Melton won Pacific-12 Conference player of the year honors and set Beavers records with 83 RBIs and 175 total bases in 2022. He surprisingly dropped to the end of the second round, where Houston snapped him up with a $1 million bonus, and he batted .245/.335/.467 with 23 homers and 46 steals in 99 games in his first full pro season in 2023. When the Astros were negotiating the Justin Verlander trade with the Mets last summer, they preferred to give up Top 100 prospects Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford so they could hold onto Melton.
Melton still doesn't have a classic left-handed swing, but Houston has helped him streamline it and tone down a big leg kick that he had in college. His strength and bat speed create plus raw power that plays to all fields, and his mechanical changes have enabled him to drive the ball in the air more consistently. He struggled against southpaws and did most of his damage at the friendly confines of High-A Asheville in 2023, but he also produced outstanding underlying metrics in terms of swing decisions, consistency of hard contact and exit velocity.
Melton has well-above-average speed and uses it well, stealing 46 bases in 53 attempts last year. His quickness gives him solid range in center field and he has a better chance to remain up the middle with 2022 first-rounder Gilbert departing in the Verlander deal. He also fits the right-field profile with his offensive upside and solid arm strength.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/astros/ja ... ton-689200
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Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
15. Nolan McLean, RHP
Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 214 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 55/Extreme
Track Record: McLean starred in baseball and football in high school outside Raleigh, n.C., and briefly played both sports at Oklahoma State before dropping football. He continued as a two-way player for the Cowboys, playing third base and then right field while notching 11 career saves as a reliever. The Orioles drafted McLean in the third round in 2022 as an eligible sophomore but did not sign him. One year later, the Mets drafted him in the third round and signed him for slot value of $747,600. McLean made six lineup appearances at DH and two on the mound in a brief pro debut.
Scouting Report: The Mets will let McLean serve as DH on occasion in 2024--he slugged .561 in three collegiate seasons with a 35% strikeout rate--but his developmental focus will be pitching. The organization is excited by the raw stuff he showed in an offseason pitching camp and believes he can move quickly in pro ball. McLean averages 95 mph on his two-seamer with an easy motion and has topped at 98. His velocity could climb as he adapts to a pro starter’s routine. McLean’s high-spin slider has plus potential with mid-80s velocity--up to 88 mph--and two-plane break. He also throws a quality high-70s curveball on occasion. McLean didn’t throw a changeup as a college reliever, but the Mets like what they have seen in side sessions. His athleticism and strong frame stand out. McLean walked nearly 13% of collegiate batters as a reliever, so control is a giant question mark.
The Future: The Mets have turned college relievers Tylor Megill and Christian Scott into notable pro starters and will look to do the same with McLean. He should break camp with High-A Brooklyn in 2024 and deepen the organization’s growing store of athletic pitchers drafted out of college.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason
Ht: 6'4" | Wt: 214 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 55/Extreme
Track Record: McLean starred in baseball and football in high school outside Raleigh, n.C., and briefly played both sports at Oklahoma State before dropping football. He continued as a two-way player for the Cowboys, playing third base and then right field while notching 11 career saves as a reliever. The Orioles drafted McLean in the third round in 2022 as an eligible sophomore but did not sign him. One year later, the Mets drafted him in the third round and signed him for slot value of $747,600. McLean made six lineup appearances at DH and two on the mound in a brief pro debut.
Scouting Report: The Mets will let McLean serve as DH on occasion in 2024--he slugged .561 in three collegiate seasons with a 35% strikeout rate--but his developmental focus will be pitching. The organization is excited by the raw stuff he showed in an offseason pitching camp and believes he can move quickly in pro ball. McLean averages 95 mph on his two-seamer with an easy motion and has topped at 98. His velocity could climb as he adapts to a pro starter’s routine. McLean’s high-spin slider has plus potential with mid-80s velocity--up to 88 mph--and two-plane break. He also throws a quality high-70s curveball on occasion. McLean didn’t throw a changeup as a college reliever, but the Mets like what they have seen in side sessions. His athleticism and strong frame stand out. McLean walked nearly 13% of collegiate batters as a reliever, so control is a giant question mark.
The Future: The Mets have turned college relievers Tylor Megill and Christian Scott into notable pro starters and will look to do the same with McLean. He should break camp with High-A Brooklyn in 2024 and deepen the organization’s growing store of athletic pitchers drafted out of college.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason
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18. Zach Levenson, OF
Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 210 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 45/High
Track Record: After one season with Seminole State (Fla.) JC, Levenson transferred to Miami, where he spent two seasons with the Hurricanes and hit .295/.406/.546. He was selected to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference third team in 2023 after hitting .292/.397/.554 with 14 home runs. The Cardinals drafted Levenson in the fifth round in 2023 and signed him for $381,300. He debuted with Low-A Palm Beach after signing and hit .268/.331/.480 in 34 games.
Scouting Report: Levenson showed a combination of plate skills and average or better power both as an amateur and in his short pro sample. Levenson has a simple righthanded swing with strong wrists and loose hands which allow him to adjust to a variety of pitch types. He has a good balance of aggression and patience and rarely swings himself into outs. Levenson’s raw power is average at present and he shows the ability to get to it by hitting the ball consistently at good angles. Levenson is an average runner who could slow down to fringe-average. He has enough speed for the corner outfield where he’s a fringe-average defender with a fringe-average arm.
The Future: Levenson is an offensive-driven corner outfielder with second-division regular upside.
Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Field: 45 | Arm: 45
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... prospects/
23. Zach Levenson
OF, Palm Beach Cardinals, A
St. Louis Cardinals
AGE: 22
BATS: R, THROWS: R
HT: 6' 2", WT: 211
ETA: 2026
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
Levenson went from a junior college standout at Seminole State College of Florida in 2021 to a solid DH/bench option for Miami in 2022 to a starting outfielder/team captain for the Hurricanes in 2023. He made the most of his playing time in his final spring on campus, slashing .292/.397/.554 with 14 homers and a decent 18.8 percent strikeout rate over 63 games. The Cardinals selected Levenson in the fifth round in July and signed him for exact slot at $381,300. He was an above-average hitter during a 34-game spin with Single-A Palm Beach, slashing .268/.331/.480 with six homers and a 114 wRC+.
The right-handed hitter’s setup at the dish isn’t overly complicated. He stays back in his stance, slightly lifts his legs and lets his arms and hands fire. It’s a process that works for him as he pulverized fastballs as a Miami junior and didn’t even whiff on a pitch 95 or above in that collegiate season. The misses he did experience came more on breaking stuff, and that trend continued in the Florida State League. Levenson will show average power -- standing more to the pullside -- and ran a 40 percent hard-hit rate at Single-A at a time when many other college picks show fatigue.
The Florida native needs to hit because with speed and arm strength that can both be called fringy, he’s likely locked into left field long-term. That’s where he made 21 of his 27 defensive starts with Palm Beach with fellow 2023 picks Chase Davis and Travis Honeyman also on the roster.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/cardinals ... son-804241
Ht: 6'2" | Wt: 210 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 45/High
Track Record: After one season with Seminole State (Fla.) JC, Levenson transferred to Miami, where he spent two seasons with the Hurricanes and hit .295/.406/.546. He was selected to the all-Atlantic Coast Conference third team in 2023 after hitting .292/.397/.554 with 14 home runs. The Cardinals drafted Levenson in the fifth round in 2023 and signed him for $381,300. He debuted with Low-A Palm Beach after signing and hit .268/.331/.480 in 34 games.
Scouting Report: Levenson showed a combination of plate skills and average or better power both as an amateur and in his short pro sample. Levenson has a simple righthanded swing with strong wrists and loose hands which allow him to adjust to a variety of pitch types. He has a good balance of aggression and patience and rarely swings himself into outs. Levenson’s raw power is average at present and he shows the ability to get to it by hitting the ball consistently at good angles. Levenson is an average runner who could slow down to fringe-average. He has enough speed for the corner outfield where he’s a fringe-average defender with a fringe-average arm.
The Future: Levenson is an offensive-driven corner outfielder with second-division regular upside.
Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Field: 45 | Arm: 45
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... prospects/
23. Zach Levenson
OF, Palm Beach Cardinals, A
St. Louis Cardinals
AGE: 22
BATS: R, THROWS: R
HT: 6' 2", WT: 211
ETA: 2026
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
Levenson went from a junior college standout at Seminole State College of Florida in 2021 to a solid DH/bench option for Miami in 2022 to a starting outfielder/team captain for the Hurricanes in 2023. He made the most of his playing time in his final spring on campus, slashing .292/.397/.554 with 14 homers and a decent 18.8 percent strikeout rate over 63 games. The Cardinals selected Levenson in the fifth round in July and signed him for exact slot at $381,300. He was an above-average hitter during a 34-game spin with Single-A Palm Beach, slashing .268/.331/.480 with six homers and a 114 wRC+.
The right-handed hitter’s setup at the dish isn’t overly complicated. He stays back in his stance, slightly lifts his legs and lets his arms and hands fire. It’s a process that works for him as he pulverized fastballs as a Miami junior and didn’t even whiff on a pitch 95 or above in that collegiate season. The misses he did experience came more on breaking stuff, and that trend continued in the Florida State League. Levenson will show average power -- standing more to the pullside -- and ran a 40 percent hard-hit rate at Single-A at a time when many other college picks show fatigue.
The Florida native needs to hit because with speed and arm strength that can both be called fringy, he’s likely locked into left field long-term. That’s where he made 21 of his 27 defensive starts with Palm Beach with fellow 2023 picks Chase Davis and Travis Honeyman also on the roster.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/cardinals ... son-804241
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31. Christian Oppor, LHP
Chicago’s 2023 fifth-rounder is a projectable lefthander with athleticism and an intriguing three-pitch mix. The juco product has a fastball and slider that project as above-average offerings and a changeup that could get to fringe-average. Oppor ties it all together with potentially average control. He’ll make his full-season debut in 2024.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... 0-in-2024/
Christian Oppor, LHP, White Sox
Age: 18
Highest Level: Rookie
The A’s made a nice gamble by selecting Oppor in the 11th round in 2022 and then watched him as a draft-and-follow with Gulf Coast (Fla.) State JC this spring. Unfortunately for Oakland, Oppor’s stock gained too much helium for him to sign as a D&F for $225,000 and he instead re-entered the draft and signed with the White Sox in the fifth round for $550,000.
He made just one start and pitched 7.2 innings in the Arizona Complex League, but he looked sharp and posted a 1.17 ERA with nine strikeouts to two walks, and showed solid-average control of a 90-94 mph fastball that was a solid bat-misser as well.
Oppor also showed solid feel to land a slower, mid-70s breaking ball that has solid spin and depth, and looks like a pitch that could become an above-average offering with more power down the line.
He has a lean, 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame that should be able to add plenty of mass in the future, and his easy, deliberate operation looks like one that should be able to deliver strikes at a solid rate. Oppor also has thrown a low-80s changeup, but the pitch needs more consistency and feel. On a list of maxed out, older college players, Oppor is a fun projection lefthander with youth on his side to dream on.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... aft-class/
In Brief: A chat with 2023 fifth-rounder Christian Oppor
The electric lefty talks college ball in Florida, keeping walks down, and playing against older competition
When the White Sox selected Christian Oppor with the 152nd pick in the 2023 draft, they were already familiar with what the young lefty could offer on the mound. Just one year prior, then 18-year-old Oppor was featured on Chicago’s draft board as a high school talent worthy of a late-round pick, but the Oakland A’s swooped in and selected him in the 11th round. Oppor and the A’s were unable to work out a deal, and the young southpaw elected to play a year of college baseball for Gulf Coast State Junior College in Florida.
“My senior year of high school, I was getting looked at by a lot more pro scouts than college scouts. But when I went down to Jupiter [Florida] there were a lot of junior college schools, and I had a really good outing down there,” Oppor says of his decision-making process prior to signing in Florida. “I started talking to more southern schools, and knowing it was warmer down there when we played sounded a whole lot better than playing back up in Wisconsin or Iowa. So, that a was a pretty good chunk of why I picked Gulf Coast State College.”
In his lone year playing in Florida, the Madison, Wis. native pitched to a 6.24 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) while sporting an obscene 12.83 K/9 figure, due in large part to an electric fastball that opposing hitters couldn’t seem to make any contact with.
Encouraged by his mature approach and promising peripheral statistics, the White Sox locked him up with a fifth round pick in the 2023 draft.
Standing in at 6´2´´, Oppor sports a three-pitch-mix highlighted by a high-90’s fastball and accentuated by a slurvy secondary pitch with impressive movement that sits in the low-to-mid 70s. He also tosses a developing changeup that will likely be a key in determining whether or not he has potential to pitch as a starter as he makes his way through the Pale Hose system.
The White Sox assigned Oppor to the Arizona Complex League for his first taste of professional action, and he dazzled in his brief stint in rookie ball. In five games (one start), Oppor covered 7 2⁄3 innings with a 1.17 ERA and a 30% strikeout rate. Perhaps more surprisingly, he issued only two walks in that time despite a reputation that suggested walks were going to be more of an Achilles heel in his game.
When asked what he thinks about scouts and evaluators lumping him into the electric-but-wild category, Oppor says “I started out hot in college with keeping my walks low, and I just wanted to imitate that here. I was always trying to strike people out in college, but here I just stay loose, pump the zone, and make them try to hit it. The guys behind me are going to make plays. My velocity is going to be down, but it’s been working and once I get more comfortable, I can start to throw harder and harder.”
Indeed, 46 of Oppor’s 55 pitches in professional baseball have been thrown for strikes, indicating that the big lefty has every intention of following through on his promise to pump the zone and prove evaluators wrong regarding concerns over his command of the strike zone. At 18 years old, nearly three years younger than his average competition in the ACL, Oppor appeared undaunted on the mound.
“It was a little different when I first got here, and everyone [in the ACL] is pretty much from a big D1 school,” he says. “But I wasn’t really looking at how much older they were, I was focusing on how much more I can develop here. Plus, there’s a lot of good guys on my team, so it made it easy to make friends and settle in.”
If Oppor continues to settle in and produce at the professional level, don’t be surprised to see him rifle up into the organization’s Top 30 prospect list by the end of 2024. This young Sox southpaw has all the poise, talent, and maturity to make big leaps year after year within a White Sox system that is desperate to produce homegrown, top-self pitching talent.
https://www.southsidesox.com/2024/2/15/ ... te-college
Chicago’s 2023 fifth-rounder is a projectable lefthander with athleticism and an intriguing three-pitch mix. The juco product has a fastball and slider that project as above-average offerings and a changeup that could get to fringe-average. Oppor ties it all together with potentially average control. He’ll make his full-season debut in 2024.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... 0-in-2024/
Christian Oppor, LHP, White Sox
Age: 18
Highest Level: Rookie
The A’s made a nice gamble by selecting Oppor in the 11th round in 2022 and then watched him as a draft-and-follow with Gulf Coast (Fla.) State JC this spring. Unfortunately for Oakland, Oppor’s stock gained too much helium for him to sign as a D&F for $225,000 and he instead re-entered the draft and signed with the White Sox in the fifth round for $550,000.
He made just one start and pitched 7.2 innings in the Arizona Complex League, but he looked sharp and posted a 1.17 ERA with nine strikeouts to two walks, and showed solid-average control of a 90-94 mph fastball that was a solid bat-misser as well.
Oppor also showed solid feel to land a slower, mid-70s breaking ball that has solid spin and depth, and looks like a pitch that could become an above-average offering with more power down the line.
He has a lean, 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame that should be able to add plenty of mass in the future, and his easy, deliberate operation looks like one that should be able to deliver strikes at a solid rate. Oppor also has thrown a low-80s changeup, but the pitch needs more consistency and feel. On a list of maxed out, older college players, Oppor is a fun projection lefthander with youth on his side to dream on.
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... aft-class/
In Brief: A chat with 2023 fifth-rounder Christian Oppor
The electric lefty talks college ball in Florida, keeping walks down, and playing against older competition
When the White Sox selected Christian Oppor with the 152nd pick in the 2023 draft, they were already familiar with what the young lefty could offer on the mound. Just one year prior, then 18-year-old Oppor was featured on Chicago’s draft board as a high school talent worthy of a late-round pick, but the Oakland A’s swooped in and selected him in the 11th round. Oppor and the A’s were unable to work out a deal, and the young southpaw elected to play a year of college baseball for Gulf Coast State Junior College in Florida.
“My senior year of high school, I was getting looked at by a lot more pro scouts than college scouts. But when I went down to Jupiter [Florida] there were a lot of junior college schools, and I had a really good outing down there,” Oppor says of his decision-making process prior to signing in Florida. “I started talking to more southern schools, and knowing it was warmer down there when we played sounded a whole lot better than playing back up in Wisconsin or Iowa. So, that a was a pretty good chunk of why I picked Gulf Coast State College.”
In his lone year playing in Florida, the Madison, Wis. native pitched to a 6.24 ERA in 13 appearances (12 starts) while sporting an obscene 12.83 K/9 figure, due in large part to an electric fastball that opposing hitters couldn’t seem to make any contact with.
Encouraged by his mature approach and promising peripheral statistics, the White Sox locked him up with a fifth round pick in the 2023 draft.
Standing in at 6´2´´, Oppor sports a three-pitch-mix highlighted by a high-90’s fastball and accentuated by a slurvy secondary pitch with impressive movement that sits in the low-to-mid 70s. He also tosses a developing changeup that will likely be a key in determining whether or not he has potential to pitch as a starter as he makes his way through the Pale Hose system.
The White Sox assigned Oppor to the Arizona Complex League for his first taste of professional action, and he dazzled in his brief stint in rookie ball. In five games (one start), Oppor covered 7 2⁄3 innings with a 1.17 ERA and a 30% strikeout rate. Perhaps more surprisingly, he issued only two walks in that time despite a reputation that suggested walks were going to be more of an Achilles heel in his game.
When asked what he thinks about scouts and evaluators lumping him into the electric-but-wild category, Oppor says “I started out hot in college with keeping my walks low, and I just wanted to imitate that here. I was always trying to strike people out in college, but here I just stay loose, pump the zone, and make them try to hit it. The guys behind me are going to make plays. My velocity is going to be down, but it’s been working and once I get more comfortable, I can start to throw harder and harder.”
Indeed, 46 of Oppor’s 55 pitches in professional baseball have been thrown for strikes, indicating that the big lefty has every intention of following through on his promise to pump the zone and prove evaluators wrong regarding concerns over his command of the strike zone. At 18 years old, nearly three years younger than his average competition in the ACL, Oppor appeared undaunted on the mound.
“It was a little different when I first got here, and everyone [in the ACL] is pretty much from a big D1 school,” he says. “But I wasn’t really looking at how much older they were, I was focusing on how much more I can develop here. Plus, there’s a lot of good guys on my team, so it made it easy to make friends and settle in.”
If Oppor continues to settle in and produce at the professional level, don’t be surprised to see him rifle up into the organization’s Top 30 prospect list by the end of 2024. This young Sox southpaw has all the poise, talent, and maturity to make big leaps year after year within a White Sox system that is desperate to produce homegrown, top-self pitching talent.
https://www.southsidesox.com/2024/2/15/ ... te-college
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Padres
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- Name: Jim Berger
Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
Jonathan Cannon, RHP, Chicago White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 5 IP, 0 ER, 5 H, 6 K, 3 BB.
A 2022 third-rounder out of Georgia, Cannon has climbed the system ladder in the brisk, workmanlike manner one might expect out of a major conference college arm. His numbers weren’t exceptional in the SEC, however, and they were also fairly lackluster in his return to the Deep South after last year’s midseason promotion to Double-A Birmingham. His second Triple-A outing was better than his first, though, and the stuff pops on his good nights. Cannon throws several pitches—three fastballs and multiple off-speeds–-but leans heavily on a mid-90s sinker. He placed 15th on our White Sox list.
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... eat-scott/
A 2022 third-rounder out of Georgia, Cannon has climbed the system ladder in the brisk, workmanlike manner one might expect out of a major conference college arm. His numbers weren’t exceptional in the SEC, however, and they were also fairly lackluster in his return to the Deep South after last year’s midseason promotion to Double-A Birmingham. His second Triple-A outing was better than his first, though, and the stuff pops on his good nights. Cannon throws several pitches—three fastballs and multiple off-speeds–-but leans heavily on a mid-90s sinker. He placed 15th on our White Sox list.
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... eat-scott/
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Padres
- Site Admin
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- Name: Jim Berger
Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
1. Denzel Clarke, OF
Born: 2000-05-01
B: Right, T: Right
H: 6′ 5″, W: 220 lbs.
History: Drafted 127th overall in 2021 draft, Cal State Northridge; signed for $700k.
Previous Rank: #12 (Org)
Major League ETA: Late 2024 / Early 2025
Year Team Level Age PA R 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ BABIP
2021 ATH ROK 21 22 2 2 0 1 1 3 6 1 2 .316 .409 .579 – .417
2022 LAN Hi-A 22 218 30 9 2 8 21 28 79 16 1 .209 .317 .406 105 .307
2022 STK Lo-A 22 193 37 14 2 7 26 28 56 14 2 .295 .420 .545 119 .411
2023 MID AA 23 286 54 11 4 12 43 37 85 11 1 .261 .381 .496 116 .348
The Report: Always bet on plus-or-better power combined with plus-or-better speed. This combo provides players with so much room for error. It allows hitters to get away with swing-and-miss, which Clarke has in spades, because when they do hit the ball it’s with impact. It allows fielders to get away with soft contact, slow jumps, and poor reads, because they can beat it out or chase it down. When the plus-power, plus-speed bat also walks at a high clip, giving them a high OBP floor, go all in.
Clarke is a good example of the description above, a great athlete who can get away with being a little rough around the edges in certain capacities, but he’s also showing progress in sanding those down. In 2023, his K-rate dropped from around 33% to just under 30%, despite jumping to Double-A. This number was also dropping month-by-month throughout the season, bottoming at around 25% in June. At 6-foot-5 and long-legged, Clarke covers ground quickly on the bases and more importantly in center field, where that speed combines with strong reads for a plus defensive projection. A long swing path through the zone and acceptable spin recognition portend continued development in his hit tool, and his natural power allows him to access 20+ home run pop with a toned-down swing, minimizing whiffs. Clarke has flown under the radar until now, but has a real chance to be a first-division center fielder.
Of note, he did miss the last two months of the year with a strained shoulder—it will be important to ensure he returns with the same strength when he hits the field in 2024.
OFP: 60 / First-division center fielder, borderline All-Star
Variance: High. Swing-and-miss and injuries bring plenty of variance to the table. It remains possible upper-level pitch sequencing and command will poke holes in his swing and approach.
Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:
Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 226
Potential Earnings: $10-15
Fantasy Overview: Clarke offers a tantalizing power-speed package and made enough contact gains last year to engender excitement over a potential 20-20 bat.
Reckless Fantasy Comp: Poor man’s Mike Cameron
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... prospects/
3. Denzel Clarke, OF, Midland RockHounds, AA (Oakland Athletics)
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50
Clarke did not take up baseball until age 10, but you wouldn’t know it based on how natural he looks on the diamond. After playing for the U-18 Canadian Junior National team just a handful of years after picking up the sport in his native Toronto, the A’s drafted him in 2021 out of Cal State Northridge and signed him above slot for $700,000 as a fourth-round pick. Considered one of the organization’s most exciting prospects in quite some time, he appeared primed for a move to Triple-A in 2023 after hitting .261 with 12 home runs, 11 doubles, four triples and 11 stolen bases in his first 64 games at Double-A Midland until a left shoulder strain in July sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
It’s easy to see where Clarke gets his athleticism from. His family ties include baseball-playing cousins Josh, Bo and Myles Naylor, who was a 2023 Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick by the A’s. Clarke brings a volatility that reminds some in the organization of watching a young Bo Jackson. He has worked to improve his overall hitting mechanics, though the swing-and-miss remains high, especially when facing pitches with good spin. When he puts the ball in play, the results are impressive with power to all fields.
Clarke’s strong arm and plus speed, which also makes him a serious threat on the basepaths, enable him to handle center field well, but his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame and continued injury concerns might make right field a better long-term spot. The main focus for the A’s is to get the incredibly toolsy outfielder through a full season healthy while continuing to refine his raw tools with a full campaign of at-bats.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/athletics ... rke-672016
5. Denzel Clarke, OF
Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 220 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 55/Very High
Track Record: Clarke was a decorated amateur for Canada’s junior national team, but he was more raw than the average college outfielder when the A’s drafted him in the fourth round in 2021. He accrued just 326 at-bats over three college seasons at Cal State Northridge, so it was a mild surprise when he opened 2023 with Double-A Midland in late April after missing time with a left shoulder strain. Clarke blitzed the competition, hitting four homers over his first three games. He cooled off a bit in May and June, but still hit .261 with 12 homers through 64 games until a left shoulder injury ended his season in late July.
Scouting Report: Clarke has long faced questions about whether his hitting instincts and contact ability can improve to the point where his dynamic power and speed flourish regularly. He made meaningful progress toward addressing those concerns in 2023, albeit in a shortened season. Clarke showed more consistent timing and cut both his whiff and chase rates, allowing his plus raw power and solid on-base skills play more consistently. He still has some rather unique moves--Clarke holds his hands high and heel off the ground prior to the pitch--but tinkered with his stance and setup less in 2023. Clarke still battled bouts of swing-and-miss and was susceptible at times to good four-seam fastballs, especially up in the zone. Laying off breaking stuff down and away has also been a point of emphasis. Clarke is a plus defender who covers ample ground and is capable of making highlight-type plays in center field, with a strong arm. He’s also a plus runner who has stolen 42 bases in 48 tries in pro ball.
The Future: Clarke will turn 24 in May and still has yet to reach Triple-A, but he has a relatively high ceiling if he can sustain his contact gains against more skilled pitching.
Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Field: 70 | Arm: 50
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason
Born: 2000-05-01
B: Right, T: Right
H: 6′ 5″, W: 220 lbs.
History: Drafted 127th overall in 2021 draft, Cal State Northridge; signed for $700k.
Previous Rank: #12 (Org)
Major League ETA: Late 2024 / Early 2025
Year Team Level Age PA R 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ BABIP
2021 ATH ROK 21 22 2 2 0 1 1 3 6 1 2 .316 .409 .579 – .417
2022 LAN Hi-A 22 218 30 9 2 8 21 28 79 16 1 .209 .317 .406 105 .307
2022 STK Lo-A 22 193 37 14 2 7 26 28 56 14 2 .295 .420 .545 119 .411
2023 MID AA 23 286 54 11 4 12 43 37 85 11 1 .261 .381 .496 116 .348
The Report: Always bet on plus-or-better power combined with plus-or-better speed. This combo provides players with so much room for error. It allows hitters to get away with swing-and-miss, which Clarke has in spades, because when they do hit the ball it’s with impact. It allows fielders to get away with soft contact, slow jumps, and poor reads, because they can beat it out or chase it down. When the plus-power, plus-speed bat also walks at a high clip, giving them a high OBP floor, go all in.
Clarke is a good example of the description above, a great athlete who can get away with being a little rough around the edges in certain capacities, but he’s also showing progress in sanding those down. In 2023, his K-rate dropped from around 33% to just under 30%, despite jumping to Double-A. This number was also dropping month-by-month throughout the season, bottoming at around 25% in June. At 6-foot-5 and long-legged, Clarke covers ground quickly on the bases and more importantly in center field, where that speed combines with strong reads for a plus defensive projection. A long swing path through the zone and acceptable spin recognition portend continued development in his hit tool, and his natural power allows him to access 20+ home run pop with a toned-down swing, minimizing whiffs. Clarke has flown under the radar until now, but has a real chance to be a first-division center fielder.
Of note, he did miss the last two months of the year with a strained shoulder—it will be important to ensure he returns with the same strength when he hits the field in 2024.
OFP: 60 / First-division center fielder, borderline All-Star
Variance: High. Swing-and-miss and injuries bring plenty of variance to the table. It remains possible upper-level pitch sequencing and command will poke holes in his swing and approach.
Jesse Roche’s Fantasy Rundown:
Top-500 Dynasty Prospects: 226
Potential Earnings: $10-15
Fantasy Overview: Clarke offers a tantalizing power-speed package and made enough contact gains last year to engender excitement over a potential 20-20 bat.
Reckless Fantasy Comp: Poor man’s Mike Cameron
https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... prospects/
3. Denzel Clarke, OF, Midland RockHounds, AA (Oakland Athletics)
Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50
Clarke did not take up baseball until age 10, but you wouldn’t know it based on how natural he looks on the diamond. After playing for the U-18 Canadian Junior National team just a handful of years after picking up the sport in his native Toronto, the A’s drafted him in 2021 out of Cal State Northridge and signed him above slot for $700,000 as a fourth-round pick. Considered one of the organization’s most exciting prospects in quite some time, he appeared primed for a move to Triple-A in 2023 after hitting .261 with 12 home runs, 11 doubles, four triples and 11 stolen bases in his first 64 games at Double-A Midland until a left shoulder strain in July sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
It’s easy to see where Clarke gets his athleticism from. His family ties include baseball-playing cousins Josh, Bo and Myles Naylor, who was a 2023 Competitive Balance Round A Draft pick by the A’s. Clarke brings a volatility that reminds some in the organization of watching a young Bo Jackson. He has worked to improve his overall hitting mechanics, though the swing-and-miss remains high, especially when facing pitches with good spin. When he puts the ball in play, the results are impressive with power to all fields.
Clarke’s strong arm and plus speed, which also makes him a serious threat on the basepaths, enable him to handle center field well, but his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame and continued injury concerns might make right field a better long-term spot. The main focus for the A’s is to get the incredibly toolsy outfielder through a full season healthy while continuing to refine his raw tools with a full campaign of at-bats.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/athletics ... rke-672016
5. Denzel Clarke, OF
Ht: 6'5" | Wt: 220 | B-T: R-R
Age: null
BA Grade: 55/Very High
Track Record: Clarke was a decorated amateur for Canada’s junior national team, but he was more raw than the average college outfielder when the A’s drafted him in the fourth round in 2021. He accrued just 326 at-bats over three college seasons at Cal State Northridge, so it was a mild surprise when he opened 2023 with Double-A Midland in late April after missing time with a left shoulder strain. Clarke blitzed the competition, hitting four homers over his first three games. He cooled off a bit in May and June, but still hit .261 with 12 homers through 64 games until a left shoulder injury ended his season in late July.
Scouting Report: Clarke has long faced questions about whether his hitting instincts and contact ability can improve to the point where his dynamic power and speed flourish regularly. He made meaningful progress toward addressing those concerns in 2023, albeit in a shortened season. Clarke showed more consistent timing and cut both his whiff and chase rates, allowing his plus raw power and solid on-base skills play more consistently. He still has some rather unique moves--Clarke holds his hands high and heel off the ground prior to the pitch--but tinkered with his stance and setup less in 2023. Clarke still battled bouts of swing-and-miss and was susceptible at times to good four-seam fastballs, especially up in the zone. Laying off breaking stuff down and away has also been a point of emphasis. Clarke is a plus defender who covers ample ground and is capable of making highlight-type plays in center field, with a strong arm. He’s also a plus runner who has stolen 42 bases in 48 tries in pro ball.
The Future: Clarke will turn 24 in May and still has yet to reach Triple-A, but he has a relatively high ceiling if he can sustain his contact gains against more skilled pitching.
Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 70 | Field: 70 | Arm: 50
https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/2 ... =preseason
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Padres
- Site Admin
- Posts: 4397
- Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 1:00 am
- Location: Wells, Maine
- Name: Jim Berger
Re: 2024 Padres Prospect News and Notes
18. Nasim Nuñez, SS/2B, Washington Nationals
Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 20 | Run: 70 | Arm: 65 | Field: 70 | Overall: 40
Nuñez was known for his speed and defense when the Marlins took him in the second round of the 2019 Draft and signed him for over slot at $2.2 million, and that very much remains the case. His 183 steals rank second-most in the Minors since his Draft year, and his stellar glovework on the dirt earned him a spot at last year’s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, where he won MVP honors with a double and three RBIs. Nuñez spent his entire 2023 season with Double-A Pensacola, where he slashed .224/.341/.286 with five homers and 52 steals in 125 games, and when the Fish kept him off their 40-man roster in the offseason, the Nationals took him in the Rule 5 Draft.
Entering his age-23 season, Nuñez still has the reputation as a Gold Glove-caliber middle infielder with incredibly smooth actions moving to all sides. His hands scoop up most of what’s hit in his general direction, and he has the arm strength to make plays going any direction. He’s a natural fit at shortstop but has some second-base experience too as Miami tried to give him more lanes to the Majors.
However, the switch-hitter needs to do more to stick on a Major League roster. On the positive side, Nuñez has an approach that could translate to the bigs, as he’s patient enough to lay off pitches outside the zone and doesn’t often miss against offerings of any kind when he does swing. However, his .061 isolated slugging percentage was second-lowest among Double-A qualifiers in 2023, and he’s never slugged above .323 at any Minor League stop, hindering his Rule 5 chances.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/nationals ... nez-683083
NOTE: Despite his .222/.306/.279, 29 SB [couldn't find a D grade] projection he may see some time as the 9 hitter for the IBC Padres this season if his fielding is rated awesome due to Geraldo Perdomo's stint on the IL ...
Scouting grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 20 | Run: 70 | Arm: 65 | Field: 70 | Overall: 40
Nuñez was known for his speed and defense when the Marlins took him in the second round of the 2019 Draft and signed him for over slot at $2.2 million, and that very much remains the case. His 183 steals rank second-most in the Minors since his Draft year, and his stellar glovework on the dirt earned him a spot at last year’s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, where he won MVP honors with a double and three RBIs. Nuñez spent his entire 2023 season with Double-A Pensacola, where he slashed .224/.341/.286 with five homers and 52 steals in 125 games, and when the Fish kept him off their 40-man roster in the offseason, the Nationals took him in the Rule 5 Draft.
Entering his age-23 season, Nuñez still has the reputation as a Gold Glove-caliber middle infielder with incredibly smooth actions moving to all sides. His hands scoop up most of what’s hit in his general direction, and he has the arm strength to make plays going any direction. He’s a natural fit at shortstop but has some second-base experience too as Miami tried to give him more lanes to the Majors.
However, the switch-hitter needs to do more to stick on a Major League roster. On the positive side, Nuñez has an approach that could translate to the bigs, as he’s patient enough to lay off pitches outside the zone and doesn’t often miss against offerings of any kind when he does swing. However, his .061 isolated slugging percentage was second-lowest among Double-A qualifiers in 2023, and he’s never slugged above .323 at any Minor League stop, hindering his Rule 5 chances.
https://www.mlb.com/prospects/nationals ... nez-683083
NOTE: Despite his .222/.306/.279, 29 SB [couldn't find a D grade] projection he may see some time as the 9 hitter for the IBC Padres this season if his fielding is rated awesome due to Geraldo Perdomo's stint on the IL ...
