IBC

Miguel Vargas, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa): 3-5, HR, 2 R, RBI, SB

Craig gave me some guff in gchat a couple weeks ago for not writing much for the Vargas entry in the MLU. He homers seemingly every Wednesday, so I’ve run out of things to say here, but fair is fair, so how about this? What if we are low on him? He’s 21, missed a full season of development, and basically xeroxed his High-A line jumping to Double-A. Every staff report, every external crosscheck on Vargas has come back glowing about the bat. The Dodgers are getting him some time at second base too, which is both optimistic, but also the kind of thing they pull off. What’s the argument he’s that far behind Jordan Walker at this point in time? He may not hit the ball quite as hard, but he hits it plenty hard.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news ... inding-it/

Miguel Vargas, 3B, Double-A Tulsa (Dodgers)—Vargas has impressive bat-to-ball skills, but before this season his power lagged behind. He added strength during the 2020 shutdown and this season has shown a dramatic uptick in power, surpassing his previous season high in homers by June 19. On Wednesday he collected three hits, including his 22nd homer of the season, in a loss to Amarillo.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... er-9-2021/

Gabriel Moreno, C, Toronto Blue Jays (Rookie FCL Blue Jays): 3-3, R, 2B

Moreno’s finally back from a fractured thumb that has kept him sidelined since June 25th. He was in the midst of a breakout offensive season where he was slashing .373/.441/.651 as a 21 year old in Double-A. If he can finish up the year anywhere near those numbers he’ll assuredly take the top spot on our Jays prospect list this winter.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/news ... -his-case/

Connor Seabold was scratched from his start on Thursday for Triple-A Worcester and placed on the Red Sox taxi squad.

Seabold will likely get a chance to start on Saturday against the White Sox. The 25-year-old has pitched very well after starting the year on the injured list with elbow inflammation with a 40/10 K/BB ratio since Late July. All that said, that's a tough debut lineup, and fantasy managers will be taking a risk having him in the lineup for that outing.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... or-seabold

8. Andy Pages, OF, Dodgers
High-A Great Lakes

A high-upside Dodgers prospect? Astonishing.

Pages had been known as a bit of a toolshed, and this year the 20-year-old Cuban has seen a lot of those tools turn into skills. He fits a classic corner-outfield mold, with an extremely strong throwing arm and plenty of power to profile in right field.

Pages got multiple votes as the Best Power Prospect, Best Outfield Arm and Most Exciting Player, and the stat line bears out those votes. He has nine outfield assists on the season, and his 23 home runs were tied with Griffin Conine, who had since been promoted to Double-A, for the most in the High-A Central.

There are still rough edges to polish, but the righthanded-hitting Pages makes plenty of impact on both sides of the ball.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... s-ballots/

4:54 pm: The team has officially announced Beer’s promotion. Infielder Drew Ellis was optioned to Triple-A Reno in a corresponding move.

3:21 pm: The Diamondbacks are planning to select first base prospect Seth Beer to make his major league debut during this weekend’s series against the Mariners, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Arizona already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster after releasing righty Seth Frankoff earlier in the week.

Beer was a first-round pick of the Astros back in 2018. The left-handed hitter had a monstrous three-year run at Clemson leading up to the draft, and he’s continued to mash in pro ball. Beer has hit well at every minor league level over the past couple seasons, with that success continuing after he was traded to Arizona in July 2019 as part of the Zack Greinke blockbuster. (The three other players Arizona acquired — utilityman Josh Rojas and right-handers J.B. Bukauskas and Corbin Martin — have also reached the majors).

After spending last season at the D-Backs’ alternate training site, Beer was assigned to Triple-A Reno this year. Over 435 plate appearances there, the 24-year-old owns a .287/.398/.511 line with sixteen home runs. Those numbers are aided by a hitter-friendly environment, but Beer’s production still checks in twenty-six percentage points above the Triple-A West league average. Coupled with his previous track record of success, there’s little left for Beer to prove against minor league arms.

Despite his draft pedigree, Beer isn’t regarded as an elite prospect due to concerns about his limited defensive value. Baseball America slotted him seventeenth in the Arizona system on their midseason update, praising his offensive acumen while questioning whether Beer could develop into even a serviceable defender at first base. Many expect the National League to adopt the designated hitter in 2022 as part of the next round of collective bargaining negotiations, and few would seemingly stand to benefit more from a potential NL DH than Beer.

The Diamondbacks would have had to add Beer to the 40-man roster this offseason or else risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft. They’ll get an early look at a potential long-term option as they play out the string on a terrible year. Beer could seemingly take some playing time from the struggling Christian Walker, who has hit just .234/.308/.356 in 373 trips to the plate.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/09/ ... -beer.html

Seth Beer will serve as the Diamondbacks designated hitter on Saturday night against the Mariners.

Beer came off the bench to clobber a solo homer on Friday evening in his first major-league at-bat. He'll draw his first starting assignment on Saturday evening at designated hitter and will bat seventh against right-hander Chris Flexen in Seattle. The 24-year-old slugger possesses plenty of over-the-fence pop and is worthy of a speculative roster for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... /seth-beer

Connor Seabold will start on Saturday against the White Sox.

Seabold was scratched from his start on Thursday night at Triple-A Worcester and has already joined the Red Sox in Chicago. The 25-year-old right-hander has put up impressive numbers in the minors, recording a solid 3.67 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 44/13 K/BB ratio across 41 2/3 innings at Triple-A Worcester this season. It's an extremely challenging matchup, but there's some sneaky streaming appeal for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... or-seabold

Rockies: Elehuris Montero, 3B (No. 4), Triple-A Albuquerque

Montero matched a career high he set in 2017 with five RBIs in a three-hit game for Albuquerque in its 9-2 win over El Paso. The 23-year-old roped his second triple of the year to drive in two runs and drove in at least one run with each hit he had. Montero was a main piece of Colorado’s return in the Nolan Arenado trade and has impressed in his first year with the organization, with an .897 OPS over 101 games. Since he got the call to Triple-A on Sept. 2, Montero has slashed .351/.351/.649 for an even 1.000 OPS with six extra-base hits in nine games.

https://www.mlb.com/news/top-prospect-p ... e-coverage

Seth Beer went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk in Saturday's victory over the Mariners.

In an 0-2 count, Beer smacked an 0-2 fastball from Chris Flexen into left field, scoring David Peralta. He also drew a seven-pitch walk in the top of the sixth, the first of his career. The 24-year-old rookie has reached base in both his career games and he makes for an intriguing addition to any fantasy roster.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... /seth-beer

Bryan De La Cruz went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBI on Saturday, powering the Marlins to a 6-4 victory over the Braves.

De La Cruz opened the scoring in the ballgame with an RBI single off of Charlie Morton in the first inning. He then smacked a go-ahead solo shot off of Richard Rodriguez with two outs in the eighth inning to put the Marlins ahead to stay. With the three-hit effort, the impressive 24-year-old outfielder is now hitting .349/.393/.496 with four homers and 15 RBI in his first 138 plate appearances at the big league level.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... de-la-cruz

Casey Mize allowed three runs on three hits over two innings in Saturday's loss to the Rays.

Mize struck two and walked one in the short outing. All three runs on his line scored in the second inning, with Kevin Kiermaier's RBI triple the most notable blow in the frame. The 24-year-old right-hander finished his two innings of work having thrown 48 pitches (28 for strikes). Mize will bring a 3.66 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 108/40 K/BB ratio (140 1/3 innings) into a road showdown with these same Rays when he next takes to the mound.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... casey-mize

Dodgers: Andy Pages, OF (No. 5), High-A Great Lakes

Pages has five hits in his past three games, and four of them have left the yard. The 20-year-old tacked on two more home runs in a 2-for-4, four-RBI day, which made him the sixth Minor Leaguer to reach 30 home runs this year. Pages hit 11 homers in June, and while he likely won’t top that in the season’s final week, he’s still poised to finish strong.

https://www.mlb.com/news/top-prospect-p ... e-coverage

Andy Pages, OF, Dodgers (High-A Great Lakes): 2-4, 2 HR.

Thirty home runs as a 20-year-old in High-A for the promising young Cuban. The Dodgers pipeline remains potent.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... n-machine/

Andy Pages, RF, High-A Great Lakes (Dodgers): Pages came into Friday needing four home runs in the final nine games of the season to finish with 30 home runs. He finished the task ahead of schedule, homering once on Friday, again on Saturday and twice on Sunday. His first on Sunday was 464 feet. His second was a three-run shot that drove the Great Lake Loons comeback for a 10-7 win.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... r-13-2021/

Mets SP Tyler Megill hadn't been the most noteworthy young pitcher from a Fantasy standpoint over the last month, but he put together a promising outing against the Yankees on Friday. Megill went seven innings deep, allowing two runs and striking out 10 batters. It was the swing-and-miss stuff and how deep he worked into this game that really caught our attention. This was the longest outing of his career and also the most single-game strikeout total of his career. His velocity was up and his spin rates were significantly up. He might be on to something and he's worth a speculative add in all mixed leagues to stash and potentially play in your playoffs or down the stretch run of your Roto league.

http://view.email.cbssports.com?qs=0306 ... 09b8a9cd40

The biggest news out of Birmingham is that José “Popeye” Rodríguez is heading to the Barons on Tuesday. He should get a few extra games, as Birmingham should be going to the playoffs.

https://www.southsidesox.com/2021/9/12/ ... er-12-2021

Great news for Sox fans, Jose Rodriguez has been promoted to AA Birmingham. He should be in uniform for them Tuesday. I didn’t think the Sox would do it with his winter ball status and one week left in the season. Congratulations to Jose!

https://twitter.comslydanno70status1437 ... 12-2021%2F

Bryan De La Cruz $13 ($47, $1)

Buried in a deep and talented Astros system, De La Cruz got the opportunity that he needed with a trade to the Marlins at the deadline for Yimi García. He has run with it, too, hitting an impressive .349/.397/.496 with four home runs in 141 PA. The .456 BABIP and 26 percent strikeout rate tell me that you shouldn’t count on a .349 AVG, but the four home runs for Miami combined with the 12 that he hit in the minors tell me that enough power has emerged to make him a viable outfield starter for years to come who could pop 15-20 dingers with a solid AVG. De La Cruz has looked impressive every time that I’ve watched him play, and while athleticism isn’t a fantasy category, it helps when you’re vying for regular plate appearances.

Seth Beer $13 ($37, $1)

The Diamondbacks brought Beer up to the big-league club to DH in their weekend series against the Mariners, but it’s likely that he entirely or mostly displaces Pavin Smith at first base even when Arizona goes back to playing in NL parks. Beer’s power numbers at Triple-A Reno aren’t impressive, but he has good plate skills and could be a valuable fantasy contributor even if a seasonal pace of 30-plus home runs isn’t in the cards. He could sit against southpaws, which is worth keeping in mind if you need volume above all else.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fant ... w-week-24/

Gabriel Moreno Blue Jays C

Notes:

Tools: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 30 | Fielding: 50 | Arm: 55

Skinny: A broken thumb took time out of Moreno's 2021 season, but it was otherwise a breakout season for a player who became one of the game's elite catching prospects. Moreno has always been a good athlete with the hand-eye coordination to make a lot of contact, but swing adjustments and more strength have helped his power show up more in games.


Miguel Vargas Dodgers 3B

Notes:

Tools: Hit: 60 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Field: 40 | Arm: 50Skinny: Vargas was one of the best hitters for his age in Cuba and has hit over .300 at every level since signing with the Dodgers. After mostly driving balls the other way in the past, he's begun turning on balls this season to show impressive pull-side power. Now that he's added power to his advanced hitting ability, he has a chance to be a middle-of-the-order threat whose offense outweighs any defensive shortcomings.

Andy Pages Dodgers OF

Notes:

Tools: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Fielding: 55 | Arm: 70

Skinny: One of the most exciting and tooled-up players in the Dodgers’ system, Pages has impressed this season at High-A. He is one of just seven players in the minor leagues with more than 20 doubles and 25 home runs, and his throwing arm is among in the best in the minors, too.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/ranking ... prospects/

RODRIGUEZ ON A ROLL White Sox No. 10 prospect Jose Rodriguez continued to see his stock rise with another multi-hit perfor-
mance, which included his 14th home run of the season, in Hi-A Winston-Salem’s 15-4 loss to Bowling Green (TBR). Rodriguez, 20,
extended his hit streak to 12 games (eight multi-hit efforts), and owns a dynamic .365/.386/.547 slash line since the start of August.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d0myJU ... 9nfoT/view

17. Andy Pages, OF, Dodgers
Team: High-A Great Lakes (Centra)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .417/.500/.958 (10-for-24), 8 R, 1 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBIs, 2 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: Pages can be frustratingly inconsistent, but when he’s right, he’s a game-changing talent. Pages homered in three straight games to close out Great Lakes’ series against West Michigan, including hitting two homers in the final game of the series. The outburst gave Pages 30 home runs on the season, tied for fifth-most in the minor leagues. (KG)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... eek-91421/

2. Bryan De La Cruz, OF, Marlins
Age: 24

De La Cruz joined Meyers as a breakout outfielder in the lineup at Triple-A Sugar Land, batting .324/.362/.518 with 12 homers and 50 RBIs in 66 games before being traded to the Marlins as one of two players for Yimi Garcia at the trade deadline. He immediately joined the Marlins in the majors and hit .338/.389/.478 in his first 40 games while starting at all three outfield positions. De La Cruz has long had a good feel to hit but didn’t have the strength to impact the ball. That changed this year when he reported to spring training more filled out and stronger than ever and made swing changes to get the ball in the air more.

He hit righties (.342, .874 OPS) as well as lefties (.295, .885 OPS) at Triple-A to alleviate pre-existing platoon concerns, destroyed fastballs while staying competitive on breaking balls and showed extra-base power to all fields, all of which he’s carried over to the majors. He’s improved at hitting the ball hard in the air and has above-average speed to go with that newly usable power, making for an intriguing potential power-speed combination. De La Cruz is playable in center field and above-average in both outfield corners with a strong arm. While he obviously won’t continue to hit nearly .340 in the majors, he’s made a strong case he can continue being a productive everyday outfielder.

4. Steven Kwan, OF, Indians
Age: 23

A fifth-round pick out of Oregon State in 2018, Kwan has had a strong track record of hitting for average and getting on base at just about every level. What changed this year is he added power. Kwan has hit .345/.419/.559 between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus with a career-high 10 home runs in only 63 games, with most of his damage coming at pitcher-friendly Akron.

Kwan’s strike-zone awareness and pure contact skills are among the best in the Indians organization. He was previously a slap hitter in college and the lower levels of the minors, but he added a leg kick to get into his lower half more this season and began showing surprising pull-side power. He’s an above-average runner and instinctual defender in center field and has the athleticism to play all three outfield spots, although his below-average arm will limit him in right.

Kwan’s contact skills, athleticism and newfound power have made him a likely major leaguer in most evaluators’ eyes. He’ll start off in the majors as a bench player and has a chance to grow into a starter if he can maintain his power spike.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... -to-watch/

Seth Beer, Arizona Diamondbacks – 20 percent rostered

Beer left Tuesday night’s game against the Dodgers with a possible left arm or shoulder injury, so this advice may be over before it even begins. Luke Combs lied—Beer may, in fact, have broken my heart. (Editor’s Note: Beer was diagnosed with a dislocated shoulder.)

If he does escape serious injury, though, the 24-year-old is worth a look in deeper mixed leagues. Any questions about his ultimate upside have never been about his bat, after all. Out of Clemson, Beer was one of the best and most game-ready hitters in the draft. The questions were always about where he would play, especially after the Astros dealt him to the designated hitter-less Diamondbacks.

The club was able to hide him at DH for his first three major-league games, but on Tuesday they started him at first base. There or a corner outfield spot are the two most likely places that he’ll wind up, and while neither is ideal, the team will have to live with his defensive shortcomings or trade him again, because his time in the minors should be over. So long as he’s getting regular run somewhere, the bat is ready to produce right now. And, ultimately, that’s all we care about.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fant ... p-leagues/

What is a realistic projection for a guy with the hitting ability of Miguel Vargas?


Kyle Glaser: Vargas is a special hitter. .280-plus with 20-plus home runs annually with a chance to even be a .290, 25-HR guy. The only question about his hitting ability was if he could pull the ball in the air. He answered that question, loudly, in the affirmative this season at Double-A. There is no hesitation putting plus hit, above-average power on him.

Why no love for Jairo Pomares in the top 100 prospects? The kid can flat out rake for a 20 year old in High A. What's not to like?


Kyle Glaser: Pomeras is raking in the low minors, but he has an EXTREMELY aggressive approach that even Giants player development officials are skeptical will work once he faces upper-level pitching. His approach to hitting is just “swing”. He goes up and looks for anything that looks close and just whales away. There is something to be said for his ability to get the bat on the ball even on his ugly swings and he absolutely destroys mistakes, but he's going to have to rein in his approach to project to hit against Double-A pitching and above. Giants officials are actually more impressed with his defense and baserunning than they are his bat, which is a positive development that speaks to his work ethic and desire to improve and be a complete player. If he can take that over to working on his approach so he won't get eaten alive by better pitching, then we might have something.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... hat-91421/

White Sox: Andrew Dalquist, RHP (No. 6), Low-A Kannapolis

Dalquist fired five one-hit innings in his longest and first scoreless outing since he pitched five frames on Aug. 21. Though he walked three and struck out only one, he tossed 44 of his 72 pitches for strikes and worked out of early trouble in the second inning, inducing a double play to escape a bases-loaded, one-out jam. In 23 starts with Kannapolis, the 20-year-old pitched to a 4.99 ERA with only one home run allowed in 83 innings.

https://www.mlb.com/news/top-prospect-p ... e-coverage

Bryan Lavastida, C

Cleveland’s farm system has been excellent this year, led by standout performances from George Valera, Brayan Rocchio and Daniel Espino. Lavastida also deserves recognition. The 15th-round pick from 2018 has shown contact ability and power (not to mention 16 stolen bases) while ascending from High-A to Triple-A.

Gabriel Moreno, C

Until he broke his thumb, Moreno was one of the most talked-about players in the minors. The precocious backstop showed a strong blend of hittability and power and the defense to be an asset behind the plate. The small sample was enough to vault him from a very interesting prospect all the way to the No. 8 spot on BA’s Top 100.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... k-in-2021/

Bryan Lavastida, C, Cleveland Guardians (Double-A Akron): 1-3, R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K.

Season Stats (High-A, Double-A, & Triple-A): 287 AB, .289/.380/.465 9 HR, 16 SB.
Lavastida has put together a solid offensive season over three levels of the organization. He commands the zone well and makes loud contact with a swing geared for line drives. Defensively, he’s still very raw but his athleticism should help him improve with additional experience.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... than-ever/

I am wondering if the BA crew is saying about Miguel Vargas. His performance was great this year as a 21 year old in AA and his track record is pretty darn good too.

Ben Badler: I'm very in on Vargas. I've seen him since I think he was maybe 15 or 16, he has always stood out to me for his pure hitting ability even with his defensive questions. He controls the zone, controls the barrel, makes a ton of contact and he has power that he's starting to tap into as he learns which pitches he should try to pull for damage.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... hat-92121/

Dodgers: 31 home runs
Andy Pages, OF (No. 5)

Pages hit 19 homers in Rookie ball in 2019 and proved the power would keep showing up as he moved up the ladder. His 31 homers led the Dodgers organization and the High-A Central. He tied for fourth in all of the Minors and is one of just 10 Minor Leaguers to reach the 30-homer plateau.

Rockies: 26 home runs
Elehuris Montero, 3B (No. 4)

While his 26 homers don’t put him in any kind of elite category, they do land him second in the Rockies organization and first among ranked Colorado prospects. More importantly, the homers and his overall .273/.354/.520 line across Double-A and Triple-A righted Montero’s ship and made him look more like the prospect he was in 2018 rather than the one who scuffled in 2019, giving the Rockies hope for some solid return from the Nolan Arenado trade.

https://www.mlb.com/news/notable-2021-p ... e-coverage

Rockies: Elehuris Montero, 3B (No. 4), Triple-A Albuquerque

Montero put together a perfect day at the plate and turned in his second four-hit game of the year. Not only was Montero 4-for-4, but he did so with a trio of doubles. The 23-year-old has hit .279 over 112 games this season and is batting .282 through 20 games in his first taste of Triple-A.

https://www.mlb.com/news/top-prospect-p ... e-coverage

Casey Mize pitched well over three innings in a no-decision against the Royals on Friday, allowing one run on two hits.

The right-hander struck out three and didn't walk a batter -- throwing 30 of his 41 pitches for strikes. The only tally against him came on a sacrifice fly by Whit Merrifield in the third inning. The Tigers have limited his innings for most of the second half, but Mize has turned in an impressive season overall -- registering a 3.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 114/41 K/BB ratio over 146 1/3 innings. He'll take his last turn in the rotation on Wednesday against the Twins in Minnesota.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/baseball/ ... casey-mize

greenfrog: How should the Jays address their catching logjam in 2022? Trade Moreno for a quality MLB piece and keep Jansen (who is hitting again) plus Kirk? Or trade Jansen or Kirk and bet on [Gabriel] Moreno as the long-term solution? Or keep all three and see what happens over the course of the year?

Kevin Goldstein: I would bet on Moreno.

Downtrodden Cubs Fan: This White Sox team is really fun. There, I said it.

Kevin Goldstein: They are an absolute blast.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/kevin-golds ... 9-27-2021/

The Isotopes came into Monday's action in fourth place in the Homers That Help chase for an extra $5,000 for the winning club's worthy cause. Colorado's No. 4 prospect Elehuris Montero increased the Albuquerque number over the Final Stretch to nine homers by putting the looooong in his 27th long ball of the year (his fifth at Triple-A). Sorry, that one only counts once toward the final tally.

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/2021-tri ... h-coverage

Elehuris Montero, third base

Before the 2019 season, Baseball America ranked Montero the 81st-best prospect in baseball. The Dominican proceeded to miss just about every pitch hurled his way that season, hitting just .194 for the Cardinals’ Double-A and Rookie affiliates. COVID-19 derailed minor league games in 2020, so Montero looked every bit the bust when he was sent to the Rox this past February.

His 2021, however, has once again shown that same promise that had the Cards penciling Montero into their infield of the future. Montero racked up 22 home runs and 69 RBIs for the Rockies’ Double-A Hartford Yard Goats before he was called up to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, where he has driven in 13 runs in 22 games.

There is a chance that Montero, only 23, replaces the man he was traded for at third base. However, at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, the Rockies might also end up moving Montero to first base. Either way, the front office is expecting the prospect to someday become a power hitter in the middle of the big club’s lineup—and that’s something that comes natural to Montero. “The power is inside me,” he told the Denver Post in August, “but I’m not sure where it comes from. I just try to hit the ball and away it goes.”

https://www.5280.com/2021/09/checking-i ... l-history/

José Rodríguez, SS, Chicago White Sox

It would probably be an interesting exercise in semantics trying to determine whether Rodríguez is a “breakout candidate” for 2022 rather than someone who has already “broken out” in 2021. Whichever one it is, I think that he is someone worth highlighting in a shallow White Sox system littered with underperformers. The 20-year-old slashed .283/.328/.452 in 361 Low-A plate appearances and .361/.381/.538 in 126 at High-A, which earned him an unexpected late-season promotion to Double-A. His plate approach is relatively rudimentary at present; he’s gotten by on his elite hand-eye coordination and excellent bat speed. His bat-to-ball ability is such that he was able to make contact with basically everything that was thrown at him in the lower levels, but adjustments are likely to be necessary as time marches on. There’s the potential for 20-plus homers here and Rodríguez should continue to hit for average thanks to his natural hitting ability. Positional fit is a question, and while he’s not completely devoid of shortstop ability he is prone to mistakes there and might be better suited for second or third. —Ben Spanier

Jairo Pomares, OF, San Francisco Giants

The 21-year-old outfielder got a late start to his 2021 campaign but slashed .372/.429/.693 with 14 homers and 22 doubles in 51 Low-A games before a late-season promotion. He added seven home runs in 30 games at High-A Eugene to bring his total to 21 on the year. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Pomares generates exceptional bat speed with a left-handed swing that routinely produces triple-digit exit velocities. The extraordinary hand-eye coordination and confidence that makes him a gifted hitter can also lead to over-aggressiveness and poor pitch selection, which resulted in a 27 percent strikeout rate and a mere 16 walks drawn in 328 plate appearances. Defensively, Pomares’ athleticism and mobility provide ample range in the outfield corners where his strong throwing arm keeps opposing baserunners honest. While he’s garnered attention among the Giants top prospects, Pomares’ remarkable bat-to-ball talents and immense offensive capabilities should captivate a wider audience in years to come. —Brandon Williams

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

8. Josh Rogers, LHP, Nationals

After getting rocked for an 8.65 ERA in brief trials with the Orioles in 2018-19, Rogers got released at the end of May this year and signed with the Nationals four days later. The 2015 11th-round pick (by the Yankees) out of Louisville moved into Washington's rotation this September and has logged a 2.08 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings over his last three starts. He has gone 2-1 with a 2.73 ERA in his five starts with the Nats.

https://www.mlb.com/news/hottest-rookie ... e-coverage

The Dodgers named infielder Miguel Vargas the 2021 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Hyun-Il Choi the 2021 Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Vargas moved up to №6 on the Dodger prospect list compiled by MLB.com after a powerful 2021 season between High-A Great Lakes and Double-A Tulsa, batting a combined .319/.380/.526 with 23 home runs and 27 doubles. He homered in his first game of the year with Great Lakes and slashed .314/.366/.532 with seven home runs in 37 games before getting called up to Tulsa for the first time on June 6. He hit .321/.386/.523 with 16 home runs in 83 Double-A games.

The 6-foot-3-inch 21-year-old from Cuba ranked in the top 10 in average, on-base percentage, slugging and OPS among all qualified Double-A batters. Vargas is the son of Cuban national baseball team star Lázaro Vargas, who won two Olympic gold medals.

Since signing as an international free agent in September 2017, Miguel Vargas has hit .316/.384/.480 with 32 home runs in 297 games across three minor league seasons.

“My approach this year is a lot different,” Vargas said earlier this year to Dodger Insider. “I feel like I know me more than past years. My approach in the counts is different. I’m more aggressive at home plate. I know what I want. I know where I want to find the ball.”

Choi played his first full minor league season this year after playing in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2019, where he led the league with 71 strikeouts in 65 innings. The 21-year-old right-hander went 8–6 with a 3.55 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 106 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings between Low-A Rancho Cucamonga and High-A Great Lakes this season.

Choi, who was signed as an international free agent in 2018 out of Seoul, South Korea, went 8–3 with a 3.17 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with Rancho Cucamonga before getting called up to Great Lakes on July 31 and posting a 4.17 ERA in nine starts. He is currently ranked the №26 overall prospect in the Dodger system.

“I think this award is really good for me, a little positivity I can give myself to prove that what I’ve been doing is working so far and is going to push me to the next level,” Choi said through an interpreter.

Vargas and Choi were presented their respective awards in a ceremony Friday prior to the Dodgers’ series opener against the Brewers.

https://dodgers.mlblogs.com/miguel-varg ... 21fc5a14d0

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (MLB No. 97), Peoria Javelinas

Stott drew 65 walks in 112 games across three levels in 2021, and he showed off his keen eye in the first game of the 2021 Arizona Fall League season by drawing three walks, collecting two hits, scoring twice and stealing a base. The Phillies’ No. 2 prospect rose all the way from High-A to Triple-A in his second Minor League season, and for good reason. He slashed a clean .299/.390/.486 in the regular season with 71 hits (44 of them going for extra bases) and 10 steals, batting no lower than .288 in any of his three stops.

https://www.mlb.com/news/fall-league-pr ... october-13

Céspedes 'thrilled' to get more ABs in AFL

October 22nd, 2021
Jim Callis

When the White Sox signed Yoelqui Céspedes for $2.05 million in January, club officials noted the outfielder (now 24 years old) wasn't too far off from being ready for the Majors. But he also went two years without playing in official games after defecting from Cuba, and some visa issues limited his U.S. debut to 72 Minor League games this summer.

Céspedes' glaring need for more at-bats made him an obvious candidate for the Arizona Fall League.

"I was very happy and thrilled that the White Sox invited me," the No. 2 White Sox prospect said through an interpreter. "It's one step closer for me to being in the big leagues."

A half-brother of two-time All-Star Yoenis Céspedes, Yoelqui first played in Cuba's top league at age 17 in 2015 and was a member of its World Baseball Classic team two years later. He defected while playing on Cuba's team in the independent Canadian-American Association in June 2019 and became eligible to sign in March 2020. He elected to wait until the next signing period so he could join the White Sox, who have a nucleus of Cuban stars that includes José Abreu, Yasmani Grandal, Yoán Moncada and Luis Robert.

Céspedes' bat speed and strength create well above-average power, though some international scouts wondered how well it would play against more advanced pitching. He can get overly aggressive at the plate, and his right-handed stroke can get too long and uphill. He hit just .287/.351/.415 in four seasons in Cuba and only .253/.343/.316 in 27 games during two years in the Can-Am League.

Céspedes acquitted himself well in his pro debut, however, batting .285/.350/.463 with eight homers and 18 steals in 72 games between High-A and Double-A. He said the biggest adjustment besides playing games on a daily basis again was the quality of the pitching he faced.

"In Cuba, the velocity wasn't the velocity that we have here in the States," said Céspedes, who went 3-for-18 (.167) with a double and a steal in his first week with the Glendale Desert Dogs. "It was a big adjustment for me and another stepping stone for me. The velocity as well as the sharpness of the breaking balls were the two biggest adjustments I needed to make."

Céspedes has other attractive tools beyond his power. He can show plus straight-line speed in workout settings and has a chance to remain in center field, though his quickness plays closer to average down the line. He has one of the strongest arms in Chicago's system and earns plus-plus grades from evaluators.

White Sox hitters in the Fall League

Jose Rodriguez, SS (No. 9): The best prospect in Chicago's 2017-18 international class, Rodriguez signed for $50,000 out of the Dominican Republic and features at least average tools across the board with some sneaky pop. He batted .301/.338/.469 with 14 homers and 30 steals in 111 games between three levels this year, reaching Double-A at age 20.

https://www.mlb.com/news/white-sox-ariz ... e-coverage

Blue Jays: Gabriel Moreno, C (MLB No. 32), Mesa Solar Sox

Playing in his fourth AFL contest, Moreno broke out with a perfect day at the plate. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a walk. Batting out of the No. 2 spot, Moreno singled in the first, walked in the third, doubled in the fifth and singled again in the sixth. After driving in a run with a seventh-inning sacrifice fly, he delivered an RBI double in the eighth to cap his day. Moreno is making up time in the AFL this year after playing just 37 games between Rookie-level, Double-A and Triple-A during the Minor League season, and he was able to post a .367/434/.626 slash line in his limited action.

https://www.mlb.com/news/arizona-fall-l ... e-coverage

Bryson Stott got a quick glimpse of what the Arizona Fall League would be like back in July. That was when the Phillies' No. 2 prospect (MLB's No. 97) went to Denver and participated in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The infielder went 0-for-2 that day, though he reached base twice and scored a run, and it gave him an idea of what it was like to see that much talent in one place at one time.

“That was awesome,” said Stott, who's playing for the Peoria Javelinas this autumn. “It’s the same concept: You play with all of those guys and try to meet them and build relationships with them. Spending a month-and-a-half here instead of just the one day is going to be awesome.”

The 2019 first-rounder certainly seemed to be enjoying it during the league’s first couple of weeks, going 8-for-19 over his first six games. He drew nine walks while striking out just four times for a robust .421/.607/.579 line. None of this should surprise anyone who has watched Stott's progress during a 2021 season in which he started off in High-A and ended it at Triple-A. He hit well with a very strong approach at the plate (13.3 percent walk rate combined) to finish with a .299/.390/.486 line with 16 homers and 10 steals. He was able to keep things simple as he moved up the ladder, with a very simple lesson he’s carried with him to Arizona:

“That I don’t have to try to do too much,” Stott said. “I can stay in my zone and my approach and I’m big enough and strong enough now that I don’t really have to force anything and try to yank balls. I can use the whole field and stay within myself a lot more.”

He’s also learning how to move around the infield. He played nothing but shortstop during his college career at UNLV. That’s where he’s spent the majority of his time professionally and he'll have every chance to play there long-term if that’s where the Phillies need him. But he’s also seen time at second and third, and while he continues to focus at the premium position in Arizona, he sees the importance of his work at multiple spots.

“Being able to play all three spots is huge for development purposes,” Stott said. “You never want to be that one-position guy, and anything to help your teams win -- you want to play any spot you can.”

And Stott wants to do it every day. It would be easy to point to fatigue after a successful first full season that included 112 games and 487 plate appearances. But like every Minor Leaguer, Stott’s goal is to not just make it to the highest level, but be a regular there, which means being ready to play as close to 162 games as possible.

“I want to see how many games I can play in a year,” Stott said. “It’s been a long year, and 30 more games is going to be fun. It gets you ready for the big league season, going into Spring Training and the Minor League season as well.”

https://www.mlb.com/news/phillies-arizo ... rview-2021

Right-hander Colby White was named the Rays’ Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. White, 23, has pitched for all four of Tampa Bay’s full-season affiliates this season, putting together a 1.52 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP with 99 strikeouts and 13 walks in 59 1/3 innings over 40 appearances. A sixth-round pick in the 2019 Draft, White is tied for first among Rays prospects with 10 saves and ranks seventh in strikeouts despite pitching out of the bullpen. He climbed from Low-A Charleston to High-A Bowling Green on June 10, then received a promotion to Double-A on Aug. 10 and advanced to Triple-A on Sept. 9.

https://www.mlb.com/news/josh-lowe-shan ... rd-winners

Connor Seabold, RHP, Boston Red Sox (AFL-Scottsdale): 4 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K.

Season Stats (Rookie & Triple-A): 59.2 IP, 3.47 ERA, 64/22 K/BB.

Elbow inflammation delayed the start of Seabold’s 2021 season, but once healthy, he performed well enough to warrant a late-season spot start for the Red Sox during their playoff stretch run. He doesn’t blow anyone away with pure stuff, but his ability to throw strikes and keep hitters off balance with a solid three-pitch mix will make him an option for Boston’s rotation next year.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... or-boston/

Blue Jays: Gabriel Moreno, C (MLB No. 32), Mesa Solar Sox

One day after recording four hits, Moreno punctuated a three-hit day with his first Fall League homer, a seventh-inning solo shot for the Solar Sox. He tacked on his third double of the season and scored two runs. Over the past two days, the slugging catcher has gone 7-for-9 with three doubles, a homer, five runs and three RBIs. The 21-year-old’s strong play in Arizona is a continuation of his injury-shortened regular season in which he posted a slash line of .367/.434/.626 and an OPS of 1.060 over 37 games, mainly at Double-A New Hampshire. In five Fall League games, Moreno sports a 1.366 OPS and has walked six times in 26 plate appearances.

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (MLB No. 97), Peoria Javelinas

Stott joined his double-play partner Gonzales by recording four hits from the cleanup spot. The 2019 Draft first-rounder roped a triple and a double, driving in four runs and scoring two in the Javelinas' 15-7 victory. Stott leads Peoria in all three slash categories so far, posting a line of .424/.535/.636 with a 1.171 OPS in nine games. Although he is still looking for his first Fall League long ball, he has driven in 10 runs on five doubles and a triple while showing improved plate discipline with nine walks in 43 plate appearances. The Las Vegas native is currently second in the AFL in hits with 14, and is tied for first in doubles with two others.

https://www.mlb.com/news/arizona-fall-l ... e-coverage

The Bryson Stott Show was on full display Tuesday afternoon. The 2019 Phillies first-rounder collected four hits while driving in four and scoring twice, and he also showed off his range and arm with a couple of nice plays at shortstop as his Peoria Javelinas beat the Mesa Solar Sox, 15-7.

Stott tripled, doubled and singled twice in the first six innings before striking out and flying out to center field in his final two at-bats. He admitted that hitting for the cycle did creep into his mind.

"A little bit," he said with a chuckle. "But I was just trying to drive those guys in that got on base a bunch of times. With those guys getting on base as much as they did, it makes it easy to hit."

Stott has made offense look easy in the Arizona Fall League. He has hit safely in each of his nine games and reached base at least twice in seven of them. He's batting .424/.535/.636 with five doubles and ranks among the developmental circuit's leaders in most offensive categories.

Philadelphia's No. 2 prospect (and MLB's No. 97) hit .299/.390/.486 with 16 homers and 10 steals in 112 games during his first full pro season, rising from High-A to Triple-A this summer. He scuffled a bit in the middle of his Double-A stint, but Reading hitting coach Tyler Henson helped him snap out of it by getting him to focus on his approach.

"He was with me on staying in my zone and telling me that pitchers might try to do some stuff that might not go along with everyone else's plan," Stott said. "But if I stuck with my plan and got them up and got them in the zone, I'd have success...

"That's what I've been doing. Just really honing in on my strike zone and finding out the pitches I can do damage with. The pitches that I get myself out on are the ones I really want to work on, cut those down and kind of make them come to me."

https://www.mlb.com/news/bryson-stott-p ... e-coverage