Southern League Prospects

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm thinking of driving to Jackson, MS to see some games in the near future.

 

Help me out and tell me who's to watch in the Southern League.

 

This also may help me decide which teams to make the trip to see.

[toonsterwu]

I'll probably head down that way in the next month or so as well, although more for business.

 

The North - (don't have time to skim the South right now)

 

Let's see, individually, Taijuan Walker is still in AA (Jackson Generals - Mariners). John Hicks is there as well, and he's gaining some steam as a intriguing catching prospect (although behind Zunino). I've never really gotten on-board the Brad Miller train for some reason, but he's an intriguing middle infield prospect with Jackson. A few of those OF pieces are intriguing as well, but somewhat boom/bust (Morban/Landry/Martinez). Carson Smith is a nice looking pen possibility. At first glance, don't know too much about the rest of their guys there, but that's a solid looking prospect grouping.

 

Chattanooga (Dodgers) has Yasiel Puig. I'd love to see/hear how good this guy really is. He's being made out to be ... a stud. Puig overshadows Joc Pederson, who is a very, very good OF prospect. The staff has a few fascinating names - Zach Lee, Onelki Garcia, Chris Reed, Aaron Miller, Rob Rasmussen (well, Miller's dropped, but name wise, caught my eye). Former Cubs draftee Ryan Acosta has worked his way to AA, something I wasn't aware of.

 

Those two teams stand out to me. Let's see, the other two would be the Brewers and White Sox clubs, and it makes sense that they don't stand out, as neither team has a strong farm system.

 

Huntsville - At first glance, the names that stand out a tiny bit are Jungmann, Davis, Nelson, and Pena. Not too enthused with any.

 

Birmingham - Trayce Thompson and Keenyn Walker have nice ceilings as OF's, but a bit boom/bust. The staff is a bit more intriguing with Scott Snodgress, Erik Johnson, and Nestor Molina standing out.

[Guest]

Just based on the names mentioned, besides the obvious Walker and Puig, I really like Joc Pederson's game.

 

I'm a bit biased with Rasmussen; not only did he go to UCLA, he's from the same town as me and I went to HS with his cousin.

[toonsterwu]

Dammit, 2 lost posts. Quick scan of SL South -

 

Pensacola (Reds) - I really like Tucker Barnhart as a catching prospect. Chad Rogers is a decent groundball arm. Kyle Lotzkar has a good fast/curve, but has had health issues. Not sure I buy Donald Lutz.

 

Mississippi (Braves) - Christian Bethancourt is awesome defensively, but has problems offensively. That said, doesn't strike out much, so any offense gives him a shot. Edward Salcedo is a toolsy guy but has to work on his approach. The pitching is better. JR Graham has a big fastball and 2 decent secondary stuff. Any improvement in his secondary stuff and he jumps in prospect lists. Alex Wood has a funky delivery and a plus fast/change combo (I think), but the mechanics may push him to the pen. Aaron Northcraft might be a nice sleeper that can get groundballs. Cody Martin has plus control (I think). Ryne Harper is another intriguing arm, but I don't recall why.

 

Mobile - Very thin on the positional front. Nick Ahmed and Jon Griffin are the names that stand out. Ahmed is the shortstop in the Upton trade. Has a chance to stick at short, but has to improve offensively. Griffin is an older corner slugger. Holmberg is a nice finesse southpaw who can hit low 90's. Meo and Spruill both have enough stuff to think they have a chance. Kevin Munson, I think, is a nice pen prospect.

 

Jacksonville - JT Realmuto is a good catching prospect who is still raw. Derek Dietrich is a nice 2nd base prospect, but the K's are an issue. Zack Cox was a hyped collegian who has fallen flat. Even if he finds his hitting stroke, his lack of pop at the hot corner is still a problem. A nice sleeper might be Kyle Jensen, but he has to cut down on his K's. The pitching is thin. Adam Conley is a decent lefty with starting potential. Sam Dyson has a good fastball. Arquimedes Caminero reminds me a bit of a ... raw Dolis? Scott McGough is a nice pen arm, but not sure I buy late inning potential.

 

* Former Cubs farmhand James Leverton has hit AA with the Marlins. Robert Morey intrigues me only because he was an intriguing arm in college at UVA, but injuries and struggles have hit him in the pros.

 

Montgomery - Mikie Mahtook is probably the best positional guy, and he might be more of a Brandon Guyer type. Todd Glaesmann has pop, but he also has K's. Cam Seitzer has a name, but not much pop. Enry Romero is a southpaw with a big fast/breaking ball, but command is an issue and may be more of a pen arm. Braulio Lara was the power lefty everyone thought would go high in Rule 5, but the Marlins sent him back to the Rays, presumably because his command is still a problem (didn't follow the spring). Riefenhauser was in AFL, is a finesse lefty compared to those two.

 

____

 

That was an intriguing exercise (and frustrating losing posts twice becuase of my stupidity). I certainly don't follow the entire minors as much as I used to, so I might not know some sleepers, but in general ... wow, the Southern League looks thin. I thought the Smokies squad was a fairly pedestrian crop of guy, prospect talent wise, but it might be the 3rd or 4th best prospect laden team there. As Cubs fans know all too well, it goes to show a missed draft class or two can really hamper a system (particularly since a lot of the SL South teams are organizations that are considered solid at developing talent).

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Thanks for the input. I know since having my second child, I haven't followed the minors at all, and haven't made a trip to Jackson to watch a game in 2 years and then that year only once or twice. The first couple of seasons over there, I'd go at least 10-12 times during the season.

 

I'm going to try to get over there for the Tennesee series in May and maybe a few more this summer.