Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 5-4-16

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa won 8-4 Box Score

 

CF A. Almora Jr 1/5, R, 2 K

C W. Contreras 0/0, 2 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, CS (2)

2B A. Alcántara 0/5, 3 K

DH D. Vogelbach 3/5, 2 R, HR (3), 5 RBI

3B L. Watkins 1/3, RBI, BB, K, E (3, throw)

SP J. Buchanan 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, 6-3 GO-FO, 86-53 pitches-strikes

 

Tennessee lost 8-7 Box Score

 

CF J. Hannemann 1/4, 2B (6), RBI, BB, K

2B C. Young 1/4, BB, CS (3)

3B J. Candelario 0/5, 2 K

RF B. McKinney 1/3, 2 R, 2 BB

C V. Caratini 1/4, R, BB

LF M. Zagunis 2/5, R, RBI, K

SP R. Zastryzny 5 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 5-2 GO-FO, 89-54 pitches-strikes; batting: 1/1, R, 2B (1), RBI, BB

RP S. Peralta 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 WP, 1-1 GO-FO

 

Myrtle Beach won 3-0 Box Score

 

CF R. Crawford 0/3, BB, K

SS G. Torres 0/4, R, K, SB (2)

2B I. Happ 0/3, BB, 2 K

RF Je. Baez 1/4, R, 2B (4), K

DH S. Dunston Jr 2/3, R, BB, SB (3)

SP Z. Hedges 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 11-4 FO-DO

RP R. McNeil 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 0-3 GO-FO

 

South Bend lost 4-2 Box Score

 

LF D. Dewees 0/5, 2 K

DH PJ Higgins 0/3, 2 BB, K

RF E. Jimenez 1/4, K

1B M. Rose 0/4

3B J. Hodges 0/3, R, BB, K

C T. Alamo 2/4, 2B (3), RBI, 2 K

SP J. Steele 3+ IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 4-1 GO-FO, 76-50 pitches-strikes

RP J. Norwood 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 2-1 GO-FO

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Justin Steele had 3 scoreless with 4 strikeouts but then couldn't get out of the 4th.

 

3+ IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Alamo showing immeasurable raw power with his third XBH (all doubles) in a month.

 

Vogelbach with a grand slam for Iowa. Contreras with a 4 walk game. Almora got his first in a few games, also striking out twice.

 

Contreras 0/0 with 4 BB and a HBP. I think he'll fit in on this big league team.

[TruffleShuffle]

Justin Steele had 3 scoreless with 4 strikeouts but then couldn't get out of the 4th.

 

3+ IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K.

 

so he lowered his ERA.

[CubsWin]

Bryan Hudson pitched 3 shut out innings in ExST today allowing 2 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1. He and Cease have had back-to-back solid performances.

 

I found this comment from AZ Phil at thecubreporter.com interesting...

I think the Cubs might consider skipping Dylan Cease past South Bend and starting him at Myrtle Beach next season, especially if he gets some time at South Bend this season and pitches well there. As a southern kid with TJS history, pitching at Myrtle Beach in April is probably a lot more attractive than pitching in South Bend, but Cease can't go to Myrtle Beach if he isn't ready for Hi-A.

 

The main problem with Cease is command & control, and yesterday was really the first time he threw strikes fairly consistently. Too often he struggles to command his fastball (it's like a teeenager driving a Porsche 918 Spyder) and/or can't get a feel for his curve, but if he can sustain yesterday's outing and make it typical (and also use the change-up more-regularly in games), he will move a lot faster.

 

Cease will be Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2018, so if he moves at a normal pace he will be at South Bend in 2017, Myrtle Beach in 2018, then get added to the 40-man roster in November 2018, and then be optioned to AA in 2019. However, if he skips South Bend in 2017 or spends only half a season at South Bend in 2017, he could conceivably be ready for AA in 2018, and he could get a call-up later that season, since he has to go on the 40 post-2018 anyway.

 

But I can't see him pitching in MLB any earlier than mid-2018 (and that's absolutely the best-case scenario). An MLB debut sometime in 2019 is more realistic (and even that's an optimistic ETA, since it presumes no setbacks along the way).

 

I will also say that right now the top three pitching prospects in the organization are (in no particular order) Dylan Cease, Bryan Hudson, and Duane Underwood Jr, and only Underwood is anywhere close to being MLB-ready (he is Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2016, and so he could get a call-up later this season -IF- he dominates at AA). Cease and Hudson will both likely be in the starting rotation at Eugene in 2016, and then everything becomes TBD.

 

BTW, Hudson actually is more-advanced than Cease in terms of command. and if anyone skips South Bend next season, I would say Hudson would be the one more-likely to do so.

 

Cease and Hudson are both legit TOR starting pitching prospects, but they are way down in the pipeline.

[toonsterwu]

A couple years ago, I wouldn't have been as hopeful, but it sure seems likely that Vogelbach can play himself into being a useful piece to shop around. Perhaps not the lead piece in any deal, but a possible solid secondary piece. Still ... for all the talk (and there certainly was some) about his game power would take off, it's still relatively similar at this early juncture. Starting to think that he might be better than the Billy Butler comp I had been thinking. Unfortunately, finding a fit due to his limitations is still a concern. Still, if he produces, someone is bound to have some intrigue. I hate looking to them every time, but a rebuilding team like Oakland could certainly find a fit (Olson's scuffling, but Olson could probably go to corner OF and be more effective than Vogelbach).

 

Zagunis and Caratini have certainly turned the offensive corner. With Cartaini, I think that, at least, in the interim, we're going to have to expect some streakiness. With Zagunis ... I know I shouldn't be that intrigued with him, but I can't help but wonder. Still, he's going to have to prove that he can make enough contact in AA and AAA.

 

Happ cooling off doesn't bother me. It was nice to hope that maybe he could burn his way up the ladder, but a cooling off was always the more realistic possibility. What does trouble a bit is that K rate climbing.

 

We're getting close to the point with Torres where the numbers will start to matter a bit. I kept looking at clips to try and see if something was different. I didn't follow in the spring all that much, but was there news on him revamping his swing for more power? It certainly seems that the swing has changed a bit from his past, but admittedly, clips can only tell you so much (and always hard to find clips of him flailing or looking bad). Still ... it looks good - bat speed looks good.

 

How Eloy has been able to hold his own in South Bend so far is, I think, fairly impressive for a guy who had enough question marks on how he'd adapt to better pitching. Still a long way to go.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Also from AZ Phil:

 

AZBOBBOP: Nothing new on Oscar de la Cruz. Still shut down with elbow issues.

 

I guess not having TJS so far is good news. :|

[toonsterwu]

On zagunis ... If he's like this power wise at years end, then yes, it's a huge concern. He'll never have plus power but he does need to show more. At this early juncture, I was more concerned if the ... Slightly awkward .... Swing would hamper his contact ability.

 

At the same stage, butler is ahead of vogelbach, but overall, still think they are fairly similar guys.