IBC

Hao-Yu Lee will be one of eight Detroit Tigers prospects participating in the forthcoming Arizona Fall League, and while he doesn’t possess the highest profile of the bunch, he does have the most-traveled backstory. Acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline in exchange for Michael Lorenzen, the 20-year-old infielder hails from Taiwan and began dreaming of playing professionally in the United States at age 16 after a strong performance in a U-18 tournament, in Korea. Two years earlier he’d excelled in a tournament that took place 15-plus miles southwest of Comerica Park.

The Phillies signed Hao-Yu in June 2021—the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays were among the other MLB teams that had expressed interest — once he’d finished high school. No. 8 on our Phillies Top Prospects list with a 40+ FV coming into this season, he slashed .273/.362/.399 before going on the shelf with a quad strain in mid-August. He ended up playing in just eight games for the High-A West Michigan Whitecaps before missing the duration of the campaign.

The first big-league game Hao-Yu attended was in 2017 when he was competing in the Junior League World Series, which is held annually in Taylor, Michigan. He doesn’t remember if the Tigers won that day, but he does recall his first impression of Comerica Park. “I told my teammates that I was going to play here someday,” the confident youngster said of the experience.

He also remembers the tournament, and for good reason. Not only did Taoyuan, Taiwan capture the international bracket, they went on to beat Kennett Square, Pennsylvania in the finals. Moreover, Hao-Yu “raked that tournament; five games, five homers!”

The AFL-bound infielder has a big personality, and it came out when I asked him how he would describe his game. “I’m a shower, not a teller,” Hao-Yu said with a smile. “What you see is what I am.”

Hao-Yu’s parents — his father is a bus driver, his mother a dental assistant — had yet to see him play in the United States when I spoke to him during his short stint with the Whitecaps. He fully expects that to change.

“The flight is too expensive for them to come now,” Hao-Yu explained. “So here in the minors, no. When I get to the big leagues, yes.”

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A’s: Max Muncy, SS (No.

After the A’s took him near the end of the first round of the 2021 Draft, Muncy’s first full season, across two levels of A ball as a teenager, was uneven, though he did have 19 homers and 19 steals. Things started to click for him when he got to Double-A this year, and he hit .302/.387/.446 in 51 games at the level, leading some to believe the best is yet to come for the middle infielder.

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Damiano Palmegiani, 3B/1B, Toronto Blue Jays
Listed Height: 6-foot-0
Listed Weight: 195 pounds
DOB (Age): January 24, 2000 (23)
Rank: 456

Statcast Batted Ball Data
Level BBE Avg EV Max EV Avg LA Hard Hit Z-Con Con O-Sw Sw wRC+
AAA 48 94.2 109.4 18.9 56.3 80.4 70.1 24.3 39.7 146

Palmegiani is a slugging corner infielder who may ultimately be positionless. His lack of defensive value is problematic, but his bat may be good enough to carry him to a MLB role. Palmegiani toes the line of a three-true-outcomes hitter, with mediocre contact skills and a patient approach that has resulted in a strikeout or walk in 40.6 percent of his plate appearances this year. He has also launched 23 home runs this year, and he has exhibited plus raw power in Triple-A (107.7 mph 90th percentile exit velocity). Matt Chapman is a free agent this offseason, and Palmegiani could be an internal option at third base at some point next year. Other than his poor glove, he also has to beat out Davis Schneider, Orelvis Martinez, and Addison Barger for playing time at the hot corner. Still, Palmegiani offers interesting power and patience. He is playing in the Arizona Fall League this offseason.

Nick Nastrini, RHP, Chicago White Sox
Listed Height: 6-foot-3
Listed Weight: 215 pounds
DOB (Age): February 18, 2000 (23)
Rank: 136

Statcast Pitch Data: 8/31, 9/6, 9/13, 9/24
Pitch Velo Spin Vert Horiz Total % Strike% Whiff% CSW%
Four-Seam Fastball 93.7 2262 13.1 -4.9 173 52.6 64.2 17.1 24.9
Changeup 85.0 1889 27.8 -14.2 63 19.2 61.9 42.9 30.2
Slider 85.6 2223 33.0 3.1 60 18.2 65.0 40.6 33.3
Curveball 78.9 2355 51.0 1.5 33 10.0 39.4 37.5 24.2

Nastrini, acquired by the White Sox from the Dodgers in the Lance Lynn trade, has long tantalized with excellent stuff. He has also struggled with command and control throughout his minor league career, with a walk rate consistently well over ten percent. Nastrini has seen his stuff regress slightly this year, with his average fastball velocity dropping slightly below MLB average. Even so, it still profiles as an average offering, due to its above-average carry and shape. It compares similarly to Ryne Nelson’s fastball this year (102 Stuff+), though with a tad less velocity. Nastrini’s best pitch is arguably now his changeup, with solid velocity (8.7 mph) and induced vertical (8.1 inches) and horizontal (9.3 inches) movement separation from his fastball. His slider has surpassed his curveball, with above-to-plus traits comparable to Hector Neris’ slider (109 Stuff+). Finally, his 12-to-6 curveball is mixed in more sparingly due to mediocre qualities and command. All in all, Nastrini is not quite the prospect he was as recently as last year. He still has a starter’s repertoire, but there is less room for error if his command remains below average.

Cristian Mena, RHP, Chicago White Sox
Listed Height: 6-foot-2
Listed Weight: 170 pounds
DOB (Age): December 21, 2002 (20)
Rank: 230

Statcast Pitch Data: 8/29, 9/5, 9/12, 9/19
Pitch Velo Spin Vert Horiz Total % Strike% Whiff% CSW%
Four-Seam Fastball 92.8 2208 14.3 -5.9 135 38.1 60.0 9.8 19.3
Curveball 83.2 2472 44.2 2.0 93 26.3 63.4 36.4 40.9
Changeup 88.5 1853 26.4 -12.4 73 20.6 53.4 45.7 27.4
Slider 83.6 2413 31.0 7.5 53 15.0 54.7 39.1 28.3

Mena was the youngest pitcher in Triple-A all year. His aggressive assignments and head-above-water performance are certainly impressive. Yet, Mena has a below-average fastball that misses few bats and typically gets hit in the air. That is not a recipe for success at the MLB level. It does occasionally flash plus qualities, when it touches 94-95 mph with strong carry, but too often it sits 91-92 mph with mediocre shape. Given his youth, Mena may be able to sit more regularly in the upper portion of his velocity band as he matures. His bread-and-butter pitch, however, is his curveball, which often showcases a plus combo of velocity and depth. His flatter slider operates in the same velocity band and is a work in progress. It is at its best when it has frisbee shape with sweep. Too often it is short, flat, and hittable. Finally, Mena is more regularly mixing in a firm changeup that has some utility given its solid movement separation from his fastball. There are enough intriguing pitches, and possible remaining projection, to continue to roster Mena in leagues with up to 250 prospects. If his fastball never takes another step forward, he may be limited to a relief role where he can lean heavily on his curveball.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fant ... mber-2023/

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- It didn't take long for Max Muncy to make a strong first impression on Arizona Fall League Opening Day.

On the first pitch he saw, the seventh-ranked Athletics prospect took a mighty swing at a ball down the middle thrown by right-hander Zak Kent (Rangers). The crack of the bat echoed throughout Surprise Stadium, and the ball sailed 403 feet into the left-field bullpen to give the Solar Sox an early one-run lead.

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Muncy's homer, which registered an exit velocity speed of 103 mph, set the tone for his performance Monday night, although Mesa ultimately lost to the Saguaros, 13-8. The 21-year-old finished 4-for-5 with two RBIs, a pair of runs and a stolen base. He was just a triple shy of the cycle.

"I think it was just being around these guys," Muncy said. "This is a great group of guys. They kind of gave me the energy to go out there and play today. I feel like we just kept it loose, I know we fell short but it was a good day overall."

The 21-year-old shortstop, the A's first-round pick in 2021, just completed his second professional season, playing for High-A Lansing and Double-A Midland. He raised his batting average from .229 in '21 to .275 this season, which he attributes to the A's Minor League hitting coaches.

The A's have seen an influx of its top prospects make an impact in the Majors, including Zack Gelof, Lawrence Butler and Mason Miller, all of whom played in the AFL last season. Butler dubbed the heralded A's rookies as the "New Oakland," and Muncy is ready to be part of the group that helps turn the fortunes of the A's, who lost 100-plus games in back-to-back seasons.

"That group is great," he said. "I love a lot of those guys in that clubhouse. It's exciting to see the young guys go in there and perform. … In Spring Training, the older guys have taught us so much and helped us out with our game a lot."

With such high hopes comes tough competition. Along with Muncy, Jack Wilson (OAK No. 1) and Darell Hernaiz (No. 9) play shortstop and are top-10 prospects in Oakland's system. The trio is expected to arrive in the Majors in 2025, according to MLB Pipeline. Muncy is working on enhancing his defense at shortstop but is ready to play at any position the A's need him at.

"It's really wherever the team needs me," he said. "If I get the chance to get up there at some points, it's going to be where the team needs me and wherever I need to be to win games."

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Rays: Dominic Keegan, C (No. 9), Peoria Javelinas

Keegan has been making consistent contact through the first week of Fall League play, leading all backstops in total bases, with seven. Racking up five of those against Mesa, the 23-year-old had a multihit night that featured a two-run homer the other way in the first inning. In 48 games with High-A Bowling Green, the Vanderbilt product racked up 79 total bases, including 19 extra-base hits.

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Jacob Burke, OF, Chicago White Sox (AFL Glendale): 1-4, R, HR, 4 RBI.

Despite facing nagging injury concerns, Burke has shown flashes of potential exceeding those of the typical 11th-round college bat. Valid swing and miss concerns also apply, and the power hasn’t presented itself as much as it probably needs to, but the Miami man is a good athlete with plenty of bat speed.

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

Dominic Keegan, C, Tampa Bay Rays (AFL Peoria): 2-3, HR, 2B, R, 2 RBI.

Nabbed in the fourth round by the Rays after a hugely productive season at Vanderbilt, Keegan completely dominated the Low-A Carolina League with Charleston, settling back into merely respectable offensive numbers following a promotion to the more age-appropriate Bowling Green. Make no mistake, though, Keegan can hit, and he is continuing to emphasize that with his performance in the fall league. He isn’t only playing catcher nominally, either—he grades out very well by our defensive metrics.

Hao-Yu Lee, IF, Detroit Tigers (AFL Salt River): 1-3, HR, BB, 2 R, RBI.

Somewhat surprisingly traded over from the Phillies at the deadline in exchange for Michael Lorenzen, Lee missed much of the second half due to injury. The 20-year-old possesses just enough athleticism to remain at second base, and he can probably handle third, but the value he provides there isn’t enough to take pressure off of his bat. The eye test says he has good feel for the barrel but whiffs more than you’d expect, and the data indicates that he doesn’t sting the ball as hard or as consistently as he probably needs to. Advanced for his age but physically maxed-out, it will be interesting to watch how Lee fares in his first full season in the Midwest.

Max Muncy, SS, Oakland Athletics (AFL Mesa): 1-3, HR, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI.

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Rockies: 34 homers
Hunter Goodman, 1B/C (No. 12)

After Goodman hit 36 homers in 2022, mostly at the lower levels of the Minors, we wanted to see if his power would continue to show up as he moved up the ladder. He answered with a resounding yes by finishing one off the Minor League lead in 2023 en route to making his big league debut. He’s also driven in 217 runs over his last two Minor League seasons.

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Dominic Keegan, C (Rays’ No. 9 prospect)

When the Rays selected Keegan out of Vanderbilt in the fourth round of last year’s Draft, the question was whether he could remain behind the plate. He started to answer that question this year, starting 79 games at catcher for Charleston and Bowling Green and earning positive reviews from Tampa Bay’s staff. Meanwhile, the 23-year-old batted .287/.386/.466 with 13 homers in 106 games. He’s gaining more experience in the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League, and if he continues on this trajectory, Keegan could be a capable, all-around catcher of the future to dream on.

https://www.mlb.com/news/rays-2023-minor-league-roundup

Bryan Ramos, 3B, Chicago White Sox (AFL Glendale): 5-9, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI, K.

One of the few bright spots in the Chicago minor-league system this year, Ramos continues to show off his plus raw pop without sacrificing contact ability. A groin injury coming out of spring training delayed his 2023 campaign but Ramos began to heat up to end the season, slashing .306/.370/.510 in the month of August. The White Sox were a trainwreck this past season, but Ramos gives the new regime a glimmer of hope in an otherwise shallow farm system.

Damiano Palmegiani, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays (AFL Surprise): 3-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... l-hitting/

Blue Jays: Damiano Palmegiani, 3B (No. 18), Surprise Saguaros

Palmegiani delivered a four-RBI night for Surprise, kicking things off with an RBI double in the bottom of the third. The 23-year-old followed with his first Fall League triple, which cleared the bases to extend the Saguaros late-game lead. The infielder is currently third on the squad with 14 RBIs and is slugging .534 in the desert.

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Dominic Keegan, C, Tampa Bay Rays (AFL Peoria): 4-5, R, 2B.

The offensive production dipped slightly for Keegan after his mid-season promotion to High-A, but he has been rejuvenated during his time in the Fall League. Through his first nine games with Peoria, Keegan has posted a .471/.514/.853 slash line with three home runs. It’s not a given he sticks behind the plate, but if he does, Keegan would be that rare backstop that doesn’t need to be hidden at the bottom of a lineup.

Jordan Leasure, RHP, Chicago White Sox (AFL Glendale): 1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.

Leasure was another pop-up power arm in the Dodgers’ organization when the White Sox acquired him last summer in the Lance Lynn deal. The big righty features a high velocity fastball and power slider but also command that can get loose at times. It’s the type of arm that will move quickly up the ladder and Leasure should get a crack at making a rebuilding White Sox bullpen in 2024.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... his-licks/

It’s been said that hitting can be contagious. Hao-Yu Lee, the Tigers' No. 8 prospect, agrees and was thrilled to be invited to the Arizona Fall League to catch that contagion.

It had been a frustrating season for the 20-year-old second baseman, who navigated through a trade, an injury and never felt quite right at the plate. He’s been feeling much more "hitterish" this fall, though, and his bat-to-ball skills were on full display as he went 3-for-5 in the Salt River Rafters' 8-7 loss to the Mesa Solar Sox on Tuesday afternoon.

Lee was far from the only player to swing the bat well at Sloan Park, as the Rafters banged out 15 hits, with all but one player in the lineup picking up a hit and four others joining Lee in the multihit category. Lee, who had a .760 OPS over 75 games during the regular season, never got in sync for an extended period, but he doesn’t think the quad strain that sidelined him was responsible.

“Timing-wise, it’s been an ongoing issue the entire season,” Lee said through interpreter Peter Lin. “It’s not because of the injury. I feel like I’m a tick off throughout the entire season. I don’t know why when I got here, maybe I just saw everybody hitting, and I clicked.”

Lee has picked up a hit in all but two of his 10 Fall League games with an extra-base knock in consecutive games for the first time of the campaign. Tuesday's three-hit performance wasn’t enough to offset Cubs outfielder Kevin Alcántara’s three-hit (and five-RBI) day, but it did raise his overall slash line to .297/.413/.432.

Ever since Lee came to the United States after the Phillies signed him for $570,000 in the summer of 2021, the Taiwan native has shown off an advanced approach, especially for his age, so the fact that he has more walks than strikeouts in the AFL should not be surprising. He has the chance to be an above-average hitter in the future, though missing reps because of injuries hasn’t helped. Lee lost time in 2022 with a broken hand, and this year it was his left quad. That one was particularly ill-timed because it came just eight games after he was sent to the Tigers at the Trade Deadline for Michael Lorenzen. In many ways, this marks the first time he’s shown the Tigers what he’s really capable of, something he’s eager to continue heading into 2024.

“It’s not something I can control, but I had several injuries,” Lee said. “You can’t control this, it is what it is. Right now, I’m going to do what I can control, finish here strong and show the Tigers fans next year, starting from Spring Training.”

Getting traded can be quite a shock for any young player, even without injury issues. Lee admits he initially he had trouble wrapping his head around why the Phillies gave up on him. He’s had some time since the Aug. 1 deal to flip the script around and see it from the Tigers' perspective, not to mention the fact that the guy the Phillies received in the deal contributed on the playoff roster.

“At the beginning, I wasn’t really grasping the idea,” Lee said. “Getting traded was ‘The Phillies didn’t want me.’ That was my thought at the beginning. But I’ve thought about it and it turns out, it’s actually a good thing. The Tigers wanted me and the Phillies had to give somebody up to get a Major Leaguer and that happened to be me.”

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Damiano Palmegiani, 3B, Blue Jays:

The Blue Jays have unearthed strong offensive talents from later in the draft in recent years, including both Davis Schneider and Spencer Horwitz, who were taken in the 24th round or later. Palmegiani is the next in that line of underrated players with upside at the plate. The Canadian national (via Venezuela) connected for his fifth home run of the Fall League on Wednesday. Palmegiani has hit .263/.371/.553 over 21 games with 11 extra base hits. He is limited defensively, but has a combination of good approach, average bat-to-ball skills and power.

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14. Jorge Barrosa, CF (Triple-A Reno)

A staff favorite for a couple of years now, Barrosa is an undersized, switch-hitting outfielder who has outplayed his fringy tools throughout his minor league career. Listed at 5-foot-5—and that might be one listed height that is actually legit—he impacts the ball a bit more than you think, although in more of the gap-to-gap, medium-hard line drive kind of way. The double-digit home run totals the past two seasons are mostly a function of his home parks and leagues, but he offers a good approach, an average hit tool, and might scrape 10 home runs while playing all three outfield spots. That’s a very nice fourth outfielder. And hey, maybe he outplays this ranking as well.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... prospects/

Playing catcher is one of the toughest tasks in baseball. Not only do you have to be locked in for every single pitch behind the plate, but you still have to be able to produce when it’s time to get into the batter’s box.

Dominic Keegan has found a way to excel at both aspects and has been showing that off to great effect in the Arizona Fall League. With Wednesday's game between his Peoria Javelinas and the Glendale Desert Dogs tied in the eighth inning, 1-1, speedy Mets prospect Rowdey Jordan attempted to steal second. The Rays' No. 9 prospect sent a missile to second baseman Ryan Bliss (SEA No. 14), who applied the tag to nab Jordan.

So Keegan’s arm prevented Glendale from getting the winning run in scoring position, but he also played a factor in the outcome by calling Peoria's eventual 2-1 win in 10 innings. Seven hurlers took the mound for the Javelinas, combining to allow one run on six hits.

“I mean, everybody was just really confident with their fastball,” Keegan said. “They wanted to attack with their fastball and I like that point of attack and it worked out for them today. They were feeling it, keeping the ball high and just throwing strikes."

Tampa Bay's 2022 fourth-round Draft pick reached base on a walk in the second inning and eventually scored on a fielding error by the Desert Dogs. He went 0-for-3 in the contest, but has been one of the most effective offensive players on the circuit.

Keegan ranks fourth in slugging percentage (.585), sixth in OPS (1.031) , ninth in average (.340) and 10th in OBP (.446) among qualified players.

“[I’m] just playing loose and not putting too much pressure on myself or doing too much,” he said. “Really just come out here with small goals and try to accomplish those. [I’m] not looking at the numbers too much, playing my game and having fun.”

Coming out of the prestigious Vanderbilt University program prepared to face some of the toughest young talent in the game, Keegan hadn't spent that much time behind the plate. He only started catching full-time in his final season of college baseball. He back-stopped 80 games in the Minor Leagues this season and has continued to iron his defense over 13 games in the Fall League.

“It’s been good,” Keegan said. “I’ve been able to catch a lot of games. … Being out here and adding to all the games I’ve caught out here has been good. I’m just trying to keep up with my body and staying healthy.”

The AFL usually emphasizes individual performances, but at this point in the season, the top teams bring out the competitiveness in their pursuit of a playoff spot. The Javelinas' victory gives them much-needed momentum heading into a critical game against the Salt River Rafters. Thursday’s winner will advance into Friday's play-in game at Camelback Ranch.

The bond Keegan has been able to create with his teammates in the desert has enabled him to learn more sides of the game. And he thinks an AFL championship would be the perfect capper to the fun season.

“Not only do we have really good ballplayers, but we also have a lot of good people,” Keegan said. “We get along with each other, we’re out here at the clubhouse every day, hanging out, playing ping pong, whatever it is. That makes it a lot more enjoyable to come to the field and start chemistry out there on the field when we play.”

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