2021 White Sox Prospect Notes

[Padres]

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (MLB No. 98), Double-A Reading

Stott tallied his second two-homer game of the year, hitting a solo shot in his first and last at-bats of the evening in Reading’s 9-3 loss. The dingers were his sixth and seventh of the season at Double-A, bringing his 2021 total to 12. After hitting just .230 in July, Stott has heated up in August, slashing .350/.381/.625 with four RBIs.

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

[Padres]

Dodgers: Miguel Vargas, 3B (No. 9), Double-A Tulsa

Vargas’ season has been defined by a drastic uptick in his power numbers, and that strength was on display Saturday as the third baseman clubbed two home runs, his third career multi-homer game. With those two long balls, Vargas now has 19 home runs on the season with a .526 slugging percentage. In 2019, by comparison, Vargas had seven home runs in 124 games with a .440 slugging percentage. That power has especially been on display in what has been a scorching hot August; in 12 games this month, Vargas is slashing .391/.453/.717 seven extra-base hits (four homers).

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

[Padres]

Yoelqui Céspedes, CF, Chicago White Sox (High-A Winston-Salem)

Yoenis’ half-brother signed for just over $2 million with an accompanying bit of fanfare earlier this year, almost immediately topping the ranks of a White Sox system that has been thinned out by recent graduations. After lingering in the complex for a while, Céspedes made his full-season debut in late June and has slowly been heating up over the past few weeks.

Listed at 5-foot-9 and just over 200 pounds, the 23-year-old Céspedes is very solidly built, with strength visible throughout but especially in the upper body. Despite the stocky—muscular, but stocky—frame, he is a plus runner who plays a very nice center field. Yoelqui consistently gets good jumps and runs smooth routes, though the arm is more above-average than plus. Obviously it’s the bat that will determine whether Céspedes is an everyday big leaguer, and despite the very encouraging signs that have been emerging of late there are still a few lingering doubts for me. The raw power is huge; there is above-average bat speed along with the strength, creating a beautifully explosive swing from a quiet setup. When Céspedes zones a pitch and crushes it, the results are loud as well as aesthetically pleasing. The concern is when he is faced with pitches carrying a higher degree of difficulty. Early on he wasn’t getting around on fastballs located up with above-average velocity, but the recent hot streak has alleviated some of those concerns for me. The main issue is that the swing is geared for certain pitches in certain locations and he doesn’t always seem keen to adjust, so he can look stiff at times on well-executed breaking stuff down and away. He has, however, shown the ability to lace balls the other way when so inclined. So, the divisive hit tool for now remains divisive. —Ben Spanier

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... ects-loom/

Miguel Vargas, 3B/2B, Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa): 2-4, 2 HR, K.

Vargas is having few issues getting his bat to the ball and doing damage despite his youth in Double-A. He has a .300/.382/.522 line with just 35 strikeouts in 233 plate appearances as a 21-year-old.

Seth Beer, 1B, Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno): 2-5, 2 HR, BB, K.

More blast offs for Beer, whose numbers are finally creeping towards promotion range as Arizona plays out the string.

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

Seth Beer, 1B/OF (No. 13), Triple-A Reno

Beer is just about hotter than the surface of the sun. The first baseman continued his white-hot August with two more home runs on Sunday, his second multi-homer game of the season and the fourth of his professional career. In August, Beer is hitting .391 with five extra-base hits, four of them being home runs. Should Beer continue this pace, there’s a good chance he’ll have a .300/.400/.500 slash line by the end of the month.

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

[Padres]

3B: Miguel Vargas, Tulsa Drillers (Double-A)
(Dodgers No. 9)
.444/.462/.840, 6 G, 11-for-25, 3 HR, 1 2B, 8 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB

You won’t find many doubting Vargas’ offensive potential, and he put that on full display last week against Wichita. His biggest performance of the week came Saturday when he notched his first multihomer game of the season with a pair of solo dingers in a 5-2 win. Playing in his age-21 season, Vargas has handled a midseason jump to Double-A quite well and is hitting .314/.366/.532 with seven homers in 37 games at the Minors’ second-highest level. He still faces questions about an ability to stick to third base, but his bat gives him a decent floor.

OF: Jairo Pomares, San Jose Giants (Low-A)
(Giants No. 13)
.435/.444/.826, 6 G, 10-for-23, 2 HR, 3 2B, 8 RBI, 3 R, 0 BB, 7 K

Since signing for $975,000 out of Cuba in July 2018, Pomares has shown a knack for hitting in the Giants system, and that has continued this season at Low-A. The left-handed masher strung together back-to-back three-hit games on Friday and Saturday and followed them up with two more knocks on Sunday. A late start to the season has kept him from qualifying for a batting title, but his .372 average, .693 slugging percentage and 1.122 OPS are all tops among Low-A hitters with at least 200 plate appearances at the level this season.

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

Prospect analysis often requires making predictions about an unpredictable game and its unpredictable players. That sense of the unknown is one reason why breakout prospects intrigue us so much.

Every year, a player who entered the season as a relative unknown ends up dominating as soon as the first pitch is thrown on Opening Day.

The Nationals’ Juan Soto was that way in 2018, when he returned from a series of injuries in the prior season to rip through Low-A, High-A and Double-A in just 39 games on the way to big league stardom.

This year, Blue Jays catcher Gabriel Moreno stands as one of the biggest breakouts in baseball. Through 32 games at Double-A he hit .373/.441/.651 with eight home runs. He drew 14 walks against 22 strikeouts.

But to those who got to watch the 21-year-old Venezuelan in 2020, this isn’t an opening act. It’s an encore performance.

Blue Jays minor league hitting coordinator Hunter Mense puts it this way: “I talked to some reporters before the season and their first question was: ‘Is there anybody we’re missing or anybody that might be a little bit too low?’ and my answer was always emphatically Gabriel Moreno.

“What everybody missed out on last year was just seeing some of the strides that guys made and, for him, improving some of the strength that he had.

“He was already one of my favorites in the organization because of what he can do offensively, but then you fast-forward a year and—and nobody got to see him—and it was like, ‘Yeah he’s the absolute real deal.’ ”

Moreno entered the season ranked as Toronto’s No. 8 prospect. Internally, the Blue Jays knew his stock was about to explode because of the work he’d done behind the scenes at the team’s alternate training site.

Now, Moreno has quickly joined the Mets’ Francisco Alvarez and the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman in the conversation for the game’s best young catching prospect.

“He’s already pretty much a plus defender,” one scout said. “The receiving is excellent. The blocking’s really good. He can throw. The release is good. Everything you want to see, he already does, and he’s 21.

“He does it all. To be honest, I do not think I saw him make a single mistake. I saw at least four games, maybe five, of him catching and I don’t think I saw any mistakes.”

If standout defense were the bulk of Moreno’s tools, he would still be a quality candidate for a long big league career, but his work behind the plate is only half of his talent. He can really hit, too.

Moreno began the 2021 season as the fifth-youngest player in the Double-A Northeast, yet he was just the third-youngest on his own team, behind righthanders Simeon Woods Richardson and Elvis Luciano. Moreno had been an offensive menace since Day One.

Only a late-June thumb fracture that resulted from a hit by pitch could slow Moreno. For now.

“His approach is aggressive, but it’s good aggression,” the scout said. “It’s swinging at balls that he should be swinging at, which is really the mark of a good hitter . . . No matter if the rest of his body gets a little bit fooled, his hands are always back. He uses the whole field

“He just smoked balls back up the middle, and is totally content to do that. Obviously in today’s game, number one, those guys are rarer. Number two, they’re extremely valuable because no one does that.”

When he got to Low-A in 2019, Moreno made an immediate impact, swatting a home run in his first game with Lansing. He finished his stint at the level with impressive numbers, but the Blue Jays wanted to see more oomph behind the balls he put in play.

A 19-year-old needing to get stronger is understandable, because many players that age are still growing into their bodies. But Moreno was already showing an innate ability to make contact, so the Blue Jays knew they had to work carefully to thread the needle of adding power without sacrificing any of his raw hitting ability.

Because of the travel restrictions in Venezuela during the pandemic last year, Moreno stayed in Florida before the Blue Jays’ alternate training site opened in Rochester, N.Y. There, just as he had in Low-A in 2019, Moreno made a quick, loud impression.

“The first ball that he hit was—I think it was off of (Blue Jays reliever) Julian Merryweather—and it was a line drive into left field at 104-105 (mph), which he hadn’t touched when he was in Low-A in 2019,” Mense said.

“So it was like, ‘Oh, wow. OK, so he’s already reached a new peak, one swing into this thing.’ And then there were times where he would hit balls 109-110 And we’re like, ‘OK, this is starting to come together now.’ So that’s the next piece that I think we could check off.”

In today’s game, the high-spin fastball at the top of the zone is the favorite weapon of many pitchers. Most hitters struggle to get the bat on the ball, and if they do, it’s likely going to result in weak contact. One of the early things that stuck out about Moreno was that he was the rare hitter who wasn’t overly susceptible to that type of pitch.

“When we watched him, it was always one of those things that, with how the game is being pitched nowadays, he was going to be OK because he wasn’t going to get blown away by these fastballs, especially these fastballs up in the zone,” Mense said. “He could kind of launch the barrel high and stay quote-unquote above the baseball a bit longer than what most guys can because he grew up not being very strong.

“Because of that, he had to hit balls low because he knew that for him to get hits, he wasn’t going to be able to hit them in the air and get them over guys’ heads and get him over the fence . . . Even when he first got with us, the path was a little bit more above the ball to where it was like a low line drive-type of stroke. The more he worked like that, it helped when he got into games because he didn’t miss underneath those fastballs that now you see a lot of those guys miss underneath.”

Moreno still has areas to polish before he’s ready for the big leagues. In particular, the Blue Jays would like to see him tighten his pitch selection a little bit more in terms of deciding which pitches he can impact before letting it rip.

Taking what he showed in the controlled atmosphere at the alternate site and translating it into the upper levels of the minors has made Moreno one of the season’s breakout stars.

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

Bryan De La Cruz | MIA, OF – 113 wRC+, 2 HR, 7 RBI in 60 PA

Sticking in Miami, De La Cruz came over in the Yimi Garcia deal and immediately joined the Marlins where he has been installed in rightfield. He is hitting a bit with a .298/.333/.439 line, but strikeouts are a concern. He has a 32% K rate with a 38% O-Swing rate being the biggest issue in his profile. His 11% SwStr rate is about average so there could be some strikeout improvement if he stops chasing so much. De La Cruz hit 12 HR with a 112 wRC+ at Triple-A, though the .324 AVG stands out. At his best, he can curb the strikeouts and hit .270 or better with a little pop.

https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/who-are-these-guys/

[Padres]

Miguel Vargas, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa): 2-3, R, RBI.

Going 2-for-3 with a couple of singles is a nice night at the office, but not usually MLU worthy. Do I have a lower bar for Miguel Vargas? Yeah, maybe. Do I like to remind people every week that he’s hitting over .300 in Double-A with power? Of course. However, it’s worth noting he’s playing some second base now. Yes, it’s the Dodgers, but they made Max Muncy work. Now, a repeat of that outcome is tough to ask for—even after noting Vargas was a better prospect than Muncy ever was. But we’ll be keeping an eye on it in this space.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... -the-best/

[Padres]

Seth Beer, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks

2019 minors: .289 BA (450 AB), 26 HR, 24 2B, .904 OPS, 46 BB, 113 K
2021 minors: .295 BA (305 AB), 15 HR, 27 2B, .936 OPS, 34 BB, 63 K

I wrote about Beer in my Five on the Periphery last week, saying I wasn't sure if his impact potential was enough for you to stash him away ahead of a call-up, but after another big week that included a two-homer game, I've reconsidered. The bottom line is that every minor-leaguer's chances of coming in and making an impact are pretty slim this time of year, but unlike some, Beer should at least get a shot (yes, I just typed that). He's closing in on his 25th birthday, the Diamondbacks have no one else worthy of manning first base, and he's suddenly surging, batting .385 (25 for 65) with seven home runs and a 1.260 OPS over his past 19 games.

https://gr.baseball.cbssports.com/news/ ... 78f998d77c

[Padres]

Dodgers: Hyun-il Choi, RHP (No. 26), High-A Great Lakes

Choi worked around four hits and two walks to spin five scoreless innings, marking his first scoreless outing since July 4. The 21-year-old tossed 42 of his 73 pitches for strikes as he fanned two batters in his seventh start of the year in which he’s gone at least five innings. Since getting the call to High-A on Aug. 3, Choi has pitched to a 1.93 ERA with an 18-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in four starts.

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

[Padres]

Red Sox: Connor Seabold, RHP (No. 13), Triple-A Worcester

Seabold, of course, wasn’t invited to the “first professional home run” party, but he did have a memorable day in his own right. The right-hander pitched a season-high seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball with nine strikeouts and one walk, easily his most masterful performance of the season. At one point, Seabold retired 14 consecutive batters, including striking out the side in the third inning. In six starts with Worcester, Seabold has a 3.73 ERA with 36 strikeouts across 31 1/3 innings.

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

Marlins' Zach Thompson: Solid against Reds

(7 hrs ago) Thompson allowed two runs on three hits and one walk with three strikeouts through five innings, taking a no-decision in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Reds.

All three of the hits Thompson allowed came in the first inning, but the Reds made two of them count. A Tyler Naquin double led to a Nick Castellanos homer that constituted the two runs the right-hander conceded on the night. While he didn't rack up the strikeouts, Thompson faced the minimum for his remaining four innings. Even though he owns a stellar 2.97 ERA on the season, he is winless in his last eight starts. Such is life for a Miami pitcher in 2021.

https://grnlfbbl.baseball.cbssports.com ... ge/3083187

[Padres]

Miguel Vargas, 3B/2B, Los Angeles Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa)

The 21-year-old Cuban-born infielder’s stock has continued to appreciate in 2021 as he’s slashed .314/.382/.524 with 19 homers and 19 doubles across two levels of the Dodgers’ farm. While he’s always demonstrated an innate knack for the game, the emergence of Vargas’ natural strength has amplified his virtuoso ball striking abilities. His middle-of-the-field approach and power to all fields make him an ever dangerous hitter, capable of putting runs on the board with a singular swipe of the bat. His 16 percent strikeout rate and 11 percent walk rate in Double-A tell the tale of his superior plate awareness and pitch selection. In addition to his keen eye and stoic plate discipline, Vargas’ uncanny ability to make adjustments pitch-to-pitch and at-bat to at-bat assert unrelenting pressure to the mettle of opposing pitchers.

As impressive as his offensive strides have been, Vargas’ defensive ability has kept pace. While his athleticism and mobility are relatively average, Vargas’ strong throwing arm and instinctual feel for the game ensure he’s cool enough to handle the hot corner. He’s also dabbled defensively at first base and second base, creating more opportunities to get into the lineup. His perfect 8-for-8 stolen base record is indicative of his savvy instincts on the basepaths. Vargas should be contending for a major league roster spot as a 22-year-old next spring training. If he doesn’t fit into the Dodgers’ long-term plans, an All-Star caliber, run-producing third baseman could be a valuable bargaining chip at next year’s trade deadline. —Brandon Williams

Jairo Pomares, OF, San Francisco Giants (High-A Eugene)

As a follow up to fellow prospect evaluator, Brandon Williams’ assessment of Pomares back in early July, I was curious to see if his bat would continue to excel at the next level. Indeed he has. The 21-year-old lefty was promoted from Low-A San Jose on Aug 17th when he was hitting .372 with 15 home runs and an impressive 138 total bases. It’s been a lot more of the same in his first six games in High-A. Pomares is slashing .391/.391/.565 for the Emeralds. I got a look at him this weekend where he went a combined 3-7 in a Saturday double-header. He sported an open stance, medium leg kick, explosive hands and a bat path designed to punish the power alleys. Pomares demonstrated advanced bat-to-ball skills and surprising plate discipline in select plate appearances, especially in one particular at-bat where he fell behind 0-2 before working the count full and sending a loud line drive back up the middle for an RBI single.

There is no doubt that Pomares loves to swing the bat, however—his aggressive approach has only tallied 15 walks in 224 plate appearances this year and his .391 on-base percentage matches his .391 batting average in his first 23 plate appearances in High-A. While, Pomares’ future 60-grade offensive tools will certainly carry the profile as he works his way through the ranks, if he could learn to pair his advanced bat-to-ball skills with an improved and consistent approach to pitch selection, it would not only provide a boost to his OBP, but it would also aid in his zone awareness as he starts to face more advanced pitching, which could come sooner than later for the 21-year old if he continues at his current offensive clip. —Kevin Johnson

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... sses-them/

Marlins: Griffin Conine, OF (No. 22), Double-A Pensacola

Conine blasted home runs Nos. 33 and 34 to widen his lead atop the Minor League long ball leaderboard. It’s Conine’s third multihomer game of the season, and he drove in four runs (three on the homers, one on a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded) in Pensacola’s 9-1 win. The two dingers also gave the 24-year-old a homer in three straight plate appearances dating back to Saturday’s game-tying solo shot in the bottom of the ninth. Nine of Conine’s 34 homers this year have come at the Double-A level.

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

Carter Kieboom struggled again at the start of his latest opportunity in the majors with the Nationals, but he started to turn it around when the calendar flipped from July to August, and the 23-year-old 2016 1st Round pick talked earlier this month about one at bat that he’d felt kind of helped it click.

“It was tough for a little while,” Kieboom said, “and then I think I would say the last fly ball I hit — I don’t know, when we were playing the Cubs, hit one to left-center, and then from there it’s kind of been — I felt something kind of different, and then from there, just taking that same feel to every single at bat now and I think that’s been the biggest difference.”

Going back to August 1st, Kieboom was 17 for 56 (.304/.375/.500) with two doubles, three home runs, six walks, and 15 strikeouts over 16 games and 64 PAs going into this weekend, and the Nationals’ three-game set with the Brewers in Milwaukee, WI.

“I think gradually he’s been getting a little bit more comfortable,” Martinez said. “The good thing about Carter is that — like I said earlier, that he’s starting to swing a lot more early in the count, and really trying to stay on the ball early and using the whole field, and that’s good to see. He’s been aggressive in the strike zone early in the count. First few times he’s been up here he was trying to see a lot of pitches, it seems like he was hitting 0-2, 1-2 a lot, and that’s tough to hit constantly like that up here, but I like the fact that he’s going up there, he’s being aggressive in the strike zone, and he’s really hitting pitches really hard.

“The other good thing about that is he’s also taking his walks. He’s got a really — he’s got a good eye, he’s not afraid to take his walks, so that’s good to see too as a young player.”

https://www.federalbaseball.com/2021/8/ ... uis-garcia

Bryan De La Cruz: A .435 BABIP has his triple slash up to .319/.342/.435 for the season. The production has opened up everyday at-bats for him.

Griffin Jax: He’s been decent in the second half with a 2.73 ERA and 0.95 both suppressed by a .183 BABIP. His ERA estimators are around 5.00 during that time. While some regression is expected going forward, he’s making some improvements. His walk from is down (4.1 BB/9 to 2.4 BB/9). His groundball rate is up (27% to 42%). His groundballs are up because he’s throwing his average fastball (6% SwGB%) fewer times (52% to 43%).

https://fantasy.fangraphs.com/waiver-wi ... t-week-21/

[Padres]

Griffin Conine, LF, Double-A Pensacola (Marlins) — Conine re-took the minor league home run lead with a two-homer day on Sunday that followed a home run on Saturday. Royals C M.J. Melendez is likely the only competition Conine now faces for the MiLB home run crown. Melendez has 31 home runs. No one else has more than 25. Conine now has 34 home runs between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola. Conine’s prodigious power has been somewhat of an all-or-nothing approach. He is hitting .228/.343/.564 overall.

Just promoted from Low-A to High-A Winston-Salem, SS Jose Rodriguez has settled in nicely. He went 5-for-8 with a home run in a doubleheader . . .

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... t-23-2021/

[Padres]

To find success, Carter Kieboom became ‘comfortable with being uncomfortably early’

By Jesse Dougherty

It was the swing before a big swing that felt as good as one had in, well, a very long while. Ask a struggling hitter about his struggles, and common responses are to not think so much, to relax, to wipe his brain clean and focus on the next pitch. Executing that, though, lies somewhere on the spectrum between difficult and impossible. So Carter Kieboom tried the opposite.

Walking to the plate in the seventh inning of an Aug. 2 matchup with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kieboom told himself to be early. In his words, recounted about a week later, “I just went up there like: ‘I’m going to hit a home run here. I’m just going to go for it.’” Then José Alvarado, a flame-throwing reliever, started Kieboom with a 100-mph sinker, and he pounced. The inside pitch splintered his bat. The ball sailed for a single to center, far from a shot out of the park.

But the result didn’t matter much. The process had finally clicked.

“Never did I struggle in my life with hitting,” said Kieboom, the Washington Nationals’ 23-year-old third baseman. “I’ve always been a hitter, and I never struggled for a year-and-a-half or so, maybe more, maybe two years, like I did. To find that timing and find that hitter that I always knew was in me, to come out and do it every day now, it feels great.”

In his next at-bat after facing Alvarado, Kieboom skied a homer off right-handed reliever Ian Kennedy. In his 97 plate appearances since July 25, when he effectively became the Nationals’ everyday third baseman, Kieboom has 22 hits, two doubles, four home runs, 11 walks and 23 strikeouts. He has logged at least one RBI in five of his past six games. All in one, it’s a tiny sample, a step in the right direction and a stark difference from a brief stint in the majors in 2019, a rough 2020 and when Kieboom flatlined in spring training ahead of this season.

Heading into February and March, he had another chance to stick at third. But he went 6 for 45 with 17 strikeouts and no homers in Grapefruit League play. When the roster shook out, he was optioned to the alternate site and the Nationals filled their bench with Jordy Mercer and Hernán Pérez. And when Kieboom learned of that decision, he burrowed himself in the cage, seeking the timing he found some four months later, hacking at Alvarado’s hard sinker.

The hope is that this chance, and the opportunity to play without fear of demotion, could unlock the potential Kieboom showed as a first-round pick and top prospect. Kieboom may not have many chances left.

“That freedom, to be able to play the game and make a mistake and have those days at the plate where you’re scuffling, to be able to come back the next day and jump right back into things, you get that short-term memory loss by playing every day and just getting to go out there and do it,” Kieboom said. “Yeah, being up here now, obviously you want to win and that’s what we’re going to do. But at the same time, we got really young really quick.”

This is not to say that Kieboom is a finished product. Not even close. He is refining his footwork and hands at third (as evidenced by the four errors he has made since he was promoted in late July). He is also still prone to strikeouts, shown by his pair against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday, and the Nationals want to see more aggression early in counts.

But that these are the discussions surrounding him, and that they’re not about whether he can hang in the majors, is a massive improvement. His past two seasons did lower the bar. On Saturday, he floated an RBI single to right against dominant Brewers closer Josh Hader. On Sunday, he lunged for a live drive before turning an unassisted double play in the eighth, then crushed a solo homer in the ninth. He is blending good and bad, as any young player should.

“He’s grown up quite a bit already since I saw him the first time up here,” Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said. “And I think a lot of it is that he’s got confidence and feels like he belongs up here now. That’s a good sign.”

“For Carter, it’s really just about getting in position consistently and being ready to hit,” explained Brian Daubach, who was Kieboom’s hitting coach with the Class AAA Fresno Grizzlies in 2019 and the Rochester Red Wings this season. “In the past, that’s been a constant battle for him, how to time it right. But you’ve seen the progression, and now he has to do it day in, day out.”

Daubach is describing what Kieboom emphasized against Alvarado on Aug. 2. Kieboom calls it “being comfortable with being uncomfortably early.”

Part of that is physical: planting his front foot toward the end of the pitcher’s delivery, then loading his hands. But most of it is mental. That’s why it didn’t stick until, while walking to the batter’s box, Kieboom kept telling himself not to be late. One pitch later, a single made it seem as if he were back to mashing in high school or with the Class A Potomac Nationals. He just needed to feel it again.

“Something I missed and have longed for for a long time,” Kieboom said. “So I just built off of that.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2 ... nationals/

[Padres]

5. Bryson Stott, SS
Team: Double-A Reading (Northeast)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .571/.593/.810 (12-for-21), 3 R, 5 2B, 5 RBIs, 4 BB, 5 SO, 0-1 SB

The Scoop: Stott has bounced back from a rough July and been white-hot this month at Double-A Reading. The 2019 first-round pick has hit .397/.432/.658 in 19 games in August and extended his hitting streak to eight games with a sensational series against Bowie last week. Stott recorded multiple hits in five of the six games and reached base in 16 of 27 plate appearances against the Baysox. He doubled in each of his final four games. (KG)

19. Jairo Pomares, OF, Giants
Team: High-A Eugene (West)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .407/.407/.556 (11-for-27) 5 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 BB, 6 SO.

The Scoop: If you are picking out the best performers of the 2021 MiLB season, Pomares should be quickly mentioned as one of the top candidates. The Giants didn’t send Pomares to San Jose until mid June, so he doesn’t yet qualify for the MiLB batting crown, but his .376/.426/.677 slash line would make him the minors' batting leader if he did have enough at-bats (he currently has 226). A jump to High-A this week has done nothing to slow Pomares down. He actually raised his batting average with an excellent introduction to Eugene. (JC)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... eek-82421/

[Padres]

Bryson Stott, SS, Double-A Reading (Phillies) — Stott is having an outstanding August and on Tuesday he added two more hits to his ledger. The 2019 first-rounder from UNLV extended his hit streak to eight games and collected an RBI in a win over Portland. Stott is hitting .397/.430/.641 with three homers, 13 RBIs and 12 multi-hit games this month.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... t-25-2021/

Andy Pages, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (High-A Great Lakes): 3-4, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, K.

There are loud tools in Pages’ profile, with double plus raw pop and one of the strongest outfield arms in all of baseball. His swing is geared for power and he knows how to get to it, as evidenced by his league-leading 27 home runs. There’s currently still too much swing and miss, but it’s a fun profile of a future thumping corner outfielder.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... e-8-25-21/

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

Pages held onto his High-A Central home run lead by hitting homers No. 24 and 25 of the season on Tuesday. After teammate Ryan Ward took the Central lead by hitting his 24th dinger in the fourth inning, Pages hit an inside-the-park home run an inning later to tie for the lead, then regained the lead by belting a two-run homer to left field in the sixth inning. The multihomer day was the second of the season for Pages.

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

Scioscia: I think all our young guys performed very well. Mark Kolozsvary, our catcher, just has a special makeup and something about him where he is just a force behind the plate. Nick Allen, our shortstop, is a guy that will definitely play in the big leagues. The way he plays shortstop, he made the all-defensive team and that says a lot with all the great players and great shortstops who were in this tournament.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... ial-plans/

[Padres]

Bryson Stott, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (Double-A Reading): 3-5, R, HR, 2 RBI, K, SB.

Stott is hot, slashing .391/.427/.644 in the month of August. The glove might be better suited elsewhere in the infield, but the bat is strong enough to handle a move down the defensive spectrum.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... -very-hot/

D-backs: Tommy Henry, LHP (No. 16), Double-A Amarillo

For the first time all season, Henry tossed a scoreless outing. The southpaw fanned eight over five strong innings, allowing just two hits and one walk as he threw 58 of his 87 pitches for strikes. After giving up a leadoff double and issuing a two-out walk in the second, the 24-year-old finished his night by retiring the next 10 batters in order. In 20 Double-A starts, Henry has fanned 121 batters in 102 1/3 innings.

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

[Padres]

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (No. 2), Double-A Reading

Stott’s magical month of August motored on with a 3-for-4, two-run night at the plate. He entered the night with a .391/.427/.644 slash line in August and now the 23-year-old has reached safely in 22 of 23 games. In that time, he boasts 14 multihit games and 15 extra-base hits, including a double and a homer Friday. Stott was already a productive player with Reading, but his month-long tear has boosted his OPS by more than 100 points at the Double-A level.

Tigers: Daniel Cabrera, OF (No. 16), High-A West Michigan

Want to talk about saving your best for last? Cabrera’s career-best night ended with a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth inning, lifting him to four hits and six RBIs. He also added a double, marking his third game with multiple extra-base hits this year. The 22-year-old is just settling in during his first season in pro ball and he now owns a .702 OPS in 98 games. Tigers prospect stats »

White Sox: Bryan Ramos, 2B/3B (No. 11), Low-A Kannapolis

Ramos wasted no time making his mark, knocking a single and a three-run homer in the first inning of the Cannon Ballers’ rout. He went on to finish 3-for-4 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored. After going hitless in 10 consecutive games -- a staggering 0-for-35 drought -- Ramos now has six hits and five runs scored over his past two games.

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

[Padres]

Reds: Mark Kolozsvary, C (No. 27), Triple-A Louisville

Kolozsvary had himself quite the coming out party in Indianapolis. Just four days after being promoted to Triple-A Louisville, Kolozsvary went 3-for-5 with his first two extra-base hits (first-inning home run, ninth-inning double) in the Bats’ 13-10 loss to the Indians. In three games with Louisville -- an admittedly small sample size -- Kolozsvary is slashing .286/.333/.571, a step up from the .233/.341/.438 he had to begin the season with Chattanooga.

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

[Padres]

Bryan De La Cruz hot stretch: The rookie outfielder, acquired from the Houston Astros in the Yimi Garcia trade, has quickly made an impression on the Marlins since making his MLB debut on July 30.

The numbers: A .348 batting average, five doubles, two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored in 26 games.

His defense has been solid, too. De La Cruz has accounted for five defensive runs saved in 218 innings in the outfield, trailing just Duvall (13) and Magneuris Sierra (seven) among Marlins outfielders this season despite far less playing time.

The 23-year-old will have another month to continue showing his long-term value.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mlb/ ... 06063.html

[Padres]

Bryan Ramos, 2B/3B, White Sox (Low-A Kannapolis): 3-5, 2 HR, K.

There are more lithe infielders than Ramos, but the sturdy 19-year-old has thus far shown promise working both the hot corner and the keystone in Low-A. He’s striking out at a perfectly reasonable 23 percent clip, though whether his athleticism can continue to hold up his defensive versatility will be a question mark.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/pros ... k-to-back/

[Padres]

Giants: Jairo Pomares, LF (No. 9), High-A Eugene

Pomares smacked a game-tying home run in the top of the ninth inning, his second of the game. Not only did the knocks lead his team to a 6-5 win, it was also his first multihomer game this season. On Tuesday, Pomares went 2-for-4 with three RBIs -- tying his season-high for a single game. Since his Aug. 17 callup to the Emeralds, the outfielder has smacked three homers, raising his batting average to .308 on the year.

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

5. Bryson Stott, SS, Phillies
Team: Double-A Reading (Northeast)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .481/.517/.741 (13-for-27), 7 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: After a promotion to Double-A at the beginning of June, Stott struggled in his first two months with Reading, but he’s been on fire since the calendar turned to August. He’s posted a .420/.455/.680 slash line while showing a huge increase in power after adding muscle at the alternate training site in 2020. His 15 home runs this season match his total from 171 collegiate games. (CHT)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... eek-83121/

[Padres]

Yoelqui Cespedes

Born: 09/24/1997 (Age: 23)
Bats: Right Throws: Right
Height: 5′ 9″ Weight: 205
Primary Position: CF
Secondary Position:

Physical/Health: Short, stocky frame, strength visible throughout but especially in upper body. Possesses more athleticism than might be expected given that description.

Evaluator: Ben Spanier
Report Date: 08/31/2021
Dates Seen: several while at High-A

Affiliate: Birmingham Barons (AA, White Sox)
MLB ETA: late 2020
Risk Factor: Medium
OFP: 50
Video: No
Tool Future Grade Report

Hit 45 Open stance, closes in conjunction with moderate leg kick. Fairly quiet but uses steep, aggressive, power-oriented swing that is designed to hit mistakes and pitches middle-in. Can get very pull-oriented and is vulnerable against decent breaking stuff down and away, doesn’t always get to good velocity up.

Power 60 Isn’t yet getting to it with regularity in-game, but it’s a beautiful power-hitter’s cut and when he zones a pitch he can send it a long way. Will also hit his share of doubles into the gap. Above-average bat speed, good hip rotation, and plenty of upper body strength.

Baserunning/Speed 60 Plus runner who is aggressive, will take the extra base, stretch extra base hits, and grab a few steals.

Glove 60 Very smooth. Gets good jumps and runs clean routes, hardly ever has to rush to make up for mistakes.

Arm 55 Strong arm and throws get good carry, but don’t really pop.

Overall: I see Céspedes as someone who, even with hit tool concerns, can be an average regular with a profile built on power, defense, and speed. Has more value as a center fielder but should be able to handle all three spots.

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

Marlins: Griffin Conine, OF (No. 22), Double-A Pensacola

Conine retook sole possession of the MiLB home run lead with his 35th dinger of the year, a two-run shot on the first pitch he saw in the top of the second to cut Montgomery’s lead to one. It’s Conine’s fifth homer out of the five-spot this year, and the 24-year-old added a walk and scored two runs in Pensacola’s 8-6 win. The slugger continues to shatter his previous career-high mark of 22 dingers he set back in 2019. He’s currently one homer ahead of friend and No. 4 Royals prospect MJ Melendez on the leaderboard.

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

[Padres]

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (No. 2)

The idea of the 2021 Futures Gamer in hitter-friendly Reading sounded good when he got promoted to Double-A in the beginning of June. It took him a little while to find his groove, but, boy, did he in August, with a .408/.447/.660 line thanks to 16 multi-hit performances. That’s enabled the 2019 first-round pick to up his season totals to .303/.387/.510 with 15 homers.

Dodgers: Miguel Vargas, 3B (No. 6)

The son of legendary Cuban slugger Lazaro Vargas, Miguel signed for $300,000 in 2017 and demonstrates some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Dodgers system. He has mashed at a .394/.454/.596 clip with five homers in 27 Double-A games over the last month, boosting his season line to .319/.386/.523 with 20 homers in 104 contests between that level and High-A.

Giants: Jairo Pomares, OF (No. 9)

Known more for his hitting ability than his power coming into the year, Pomares swatted three homers in his 51-game pro debut in 2019 but has 17 in 65 contests this year between Low-A and High-A despite missing the first six weeks with back issues. A Cuban signed for $975,000 in 2018, he has batted .362/.389/.619 with six homers in 27 games during the last month to improve his 2021 line to .357/.404/.659. His slugging percentage and 1.082 OPS would rank second in the Minors if he weren’t a few plate appearances short of qualifying.

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

Home runs
Griffin Conine (35) vs. MJ Melendez (34)

This race has drawn the most attention and for good reason. Conine -- son of Mr. Marlin Jeff Conine -- is playing his first full season in the Miami system after having been acquired from the Blue Jays last September, and he’s taken off with 35 blasts in only 98 games between High-A Beloit and Double-A Pensacola.

Melendez is now a Top 100 prospect, only two years after he hit .164 with nine homers in 110 games at Class A Advanced, in part because of this power surge. Thirty-four of his 66 career homers have come in 2021 alone between stops at Double-A and Triple-A. The fact that the Royals backstop is now in Omaha might give him a leg up in this race because of his anticipated participation in the Triple-A Final Stretch. Perhaps the Fish could move Conine as well to give him a fighting chance, but his .180 average and 43.6 percent K rate at Double-A highlight how much more there is to hitting than slugging homers.

One more interesting twist here -- it’s personal in the best of ways. Both sluggers’ fathers are coaches at Florida International University. Mervyl Melendez serves as head coach while Jeff Conine is associate head coach for the Panthers. Both Melendez and Conine are expected to work out together around campus this offseason. There could be some big bragging rights involved.

https://www.mlb.com/news/minor-league-s ... -countdown


Daily Prospect Notes: 9/2/21
by Tess Taruskin
September 2, 2021

These are notes on prospects from Tess Taruskin. Read previous installments of the Daily Prospect Notes here.

Robert Hassell III, CF, San Diego Padres
Level & Affiliate: High-A Fort Wayne Age: 20 Org Rank: 4 (72 overall) FV: 50
Line: 3-for-6, 3 HR, 3 K

Notes
On Wednesday night, true to his name, Hassell worked in threes. In his third game since his promotion from Low-A (where he had the third most hits and third highest average on the season), the lefty provided both homers and strikeouts in triplicate. But contrary to last night’s line, the 2020 first-rounder’s season has been characterized neither by excessive power nor a concerning K-rate; he slashed .323/.415/.482 at Low-A with a 138 wRC+, maintaining walk and strikeout rates both in the mid-teens.

While the Wednesday whiffs represent an unconcerning blip in an approach that has otherwise proven far more advanced than his age would let on (he just turned 20 a few weeks ago), the dingers — his first, second, and third at High-A — were a glimpse at the type of power that would be a welcome addition to Hassell’s profile, if he’s able to sustain it. Over the course of the night, he demonstrated his ability to hit balls out to both left and right field, and against both left- and right-handed pitchers.

Hyun-Il Choi, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Level & Affiliate: High-A Great Lakes Age: 21 Org Rank: 17 FV: 40+
Line: 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Notes
You may have noticed in the GIF above that Hassell’s first homer didn’t come until the fifth inning. Before that, he struck out swinging twice against Choi, but the righty wasn’t able to keep the rest of Fort Wayne’s lineup at bay, giving up a season-high eight hits. More reassuring was the zero in the walk column, which hopefully indicates a return to the unflinching command that had become his standard at Low-A, where he walked just seven batters in his 65.1 innings of work, good for a microscopic 2.8% walk rate, before his early-August promotion. In his last three starts before Wednesday’s contest, however, he nearly matched that season total, issuing six free passes in just 13.2 innings.

On Wednesday, Choi’s struggles had more to do with his inability to miss bats in the zone, rather than missing the zone itself, which could conceivably (and perhaps correctly) be interpreted as swapping out one problem for another. If he can harness his splitter as a more consistent out pitch, I’m willing to chalk this rough patch up to growing pains.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/daily-prosp ... es-9-2-21/

[Padres]

Red Sox: Connor Seabold, RHP (No. 13), Triple-A Worcester

Seabold’s up-and-down season is back on the upswing, thanks to six innings of scoreless, one-hit ball. In his past six starts, Seabold has allowed one hit and zero runs three times; in his other three starts, he allowed 10 runs in 14 1/3 innings (6.38 ERA). All told, the 25-year-old has 44 strikeouts in 40 2/3 innings at Triple-A, which he reached this season for the first time in his career.

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

[Padres]

Bryan De La Cruz swatted a solo homer and notched a pair of RBI on Sunday in the Marlins' extra-inning loss to the Phillies.

De La Cruz smacked a solo shot to left field off southpaw reliever Bailey Falter in the fourth inning and also added a game-tying RBI ground out against righty Héctor Neris in the sixth inning. The 24-year-old rookie has outperformed expectations, slashing .336/.390/.477 with eight runs scored, three homers, 12 RBI and one stolen base across 118 plate appearances.

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

Casey Mize hurled three perfect innings on Sunday in a no-decision against the Reds.

Mize tallied a pair of strikeouts and needed only 34 pitches (27 strikes) to spin three perfect frames against a talented Reds' lineup. The 24-year-old righty has worked beyond the fifth inning only twice in his last 10 starts as the Tigers continue to closely monitor his innings. He's expected to be on a limited workload for the remainder of the season. He holds a pristine 3.51 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 106/39 K/BB ratio across 138 1/3 innings (26 starts) this season. He'll square off against the Rays on Sunday afternoon at Comerica Park.

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

Dodgers recalled RHP Mitch White from Triple-A Oklahoma City.

With A.J. Pollock (hamstring) hitting the injured list on Sunday, the Dodgers had an opening on their active roster so White will return to add a fresh arm and depth to the bullpen. He owns a 3.49 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 41/17 K/BB ratio across 38 2/3 innings in 18 appearances (three starts) with the Dodgers this season.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... itch-white

[Padres]

10. Steven Kwan, CF, Indians
Team: Triple-A Columbus (East)
Age: 24

Why He's Here: .591/.640/1.000 (13-for-22), 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: Very quietly, Kwan has put together a very loud performance in the upper levels of Cleveland’s system. Known more as a slash-and-burn player at Oregon State, Kwan has tapped into a great deal of power in his third full season as a pro (not counting the Covid year). In 1,346 plate appearances between college, two stops in summer ball and his first two seasons with Cleveland, Kwan hit six home runs. This year, he’s clubbed nine in just 57 games. Moreover, he’s one of just five players in the minors with 250 or more plate appearances and a slash line of better than .350/.400/.500. (JN)

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... week-9721/

Seth Beer, 1B, Triple-A Reno (D-backs) — Beer had his best month of the season in August (.310/.398/.512) and has carried it into the early part of September. The D-backs No. 17 prospect went 3 for 3 with two doubles in Reno’s 9-7 loss to Tacoma. It was Beer’s 10th multi-hit game in his last 26 starts and gave him 32 doubles on the year, second in Triple-A West.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... er-7-2021/

Seth Beer, 1B, Diamondbacks (Triple-A Reno): 3-3, 2 2B, BB.
There’s no impediment to Beer getting a cup of coffee the last few weeks of September for Arizona, as 30-year-old Christian Walker is sopping up at-bats to no effect ahead of him. Beer isn’t quite dominating as much as his profile will require ultimately, but he’ll need a Rule-5 add this winter anyway, so Arizona may decide to get his audition an advance opening.

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

Blue Jays prospect catcher Gabriel Moreno has been cleared for a minor league rehab assignment with the team's Florida Coast League affiliate.

Moreno underwent surgery in early July for a fractured thumb, so it's great to see him back in action. The 21-year-old was hitting .373/.441/.651 with eight homers through 32 games in Double-A this year prior to the injury. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 10 prospect in the game in their recent midseason list.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... iel-moreno

[Padres]

Jose Rodriguez: As the weeks roll on, ‘Popeye’ just continues to hit. The 20 year old shortstop slashed .435/.458/.565 for a 1.024 OPS, four runs scored, three doubles, three RBI, walked once (did not strike out), stole two bases (was caught stealing twice), and had 10 hits in 23 at bats.

https://www.futuresox.com/2021/09/07/te ... dominance/

Second baseman — Bryan Ramos (Low-A) — 6 G, .211/.318/.368, 2B, 3B, RBI, R, SB

White Sox No. 11 prospect Bryan Ramos logged a pair of extra-base hits and stole his 12th base of the season to pick up the weekly honor at second base. The 19-year-old infielder helped provide an offensive spark in Low-A Kannapolis’ 6-5 loss against Down East (TEX) on Friday with a double and a triple. Ramos owns an impressive .343/.425/.657 slash line over his past 10 games. He ranks fifth in the Low-A East Division in doubles (21) and extra-base hits (35).

Shortstop — Jose Rodriguez (Hi-A) — 6 G, .435/.458/.565, 3 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 2 SB

White Sox No. 10 prospect Jose Rodriguez found himself in the highlight spot for the FutureSox Team of the Week, once more, as the 20-year-old middle infielder filled the box score for Hi-A Winston-Salem. Rodriguez hit safely in all six games throughout the week, which included four multi-hit efforts, and added a pair of stolen bases in Friday’s 6-3 loss. The Valverde, Dominican Republic, native owns a dynamite .374/.398/.516 slash line in 23 games since he earned a promotion to the Dash on Aug. 10.

https://www.futuresox.com/2021/09/06/fu ... 30-sept-5/

Jimmy Lambert allowed a run over five innings on Tuesday in a win over the Athletics.

Lambert struck out two while allowing just three hits in the contest. The right-hander has mostly struggled at the highest level and still has a 6.23 ERA in his 13 innings over four appearances -- three starts -- but this was a nice effort. He'll likely get another chance to start next week with so many in the Chicago rotation hurting.

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/base ... my-lambert