Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 5-22-17

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Box Scores:

 

Iowa won 7-6 Box Score

 

CF J. Andreoli 1/4, R, 3B (2), 2 K

2B T. La Stella 1/3, R, RBI

LF M. Zagunis 1/4, R, K

3B J. Candelario 1/4, R, HR (7), 2 RBI, 2 K - 3rd HR in 3 games

C V. Caratini 0/3, R, RBI, BB, K

DH S. Bruno 1/3, R, HR (3), RBI, K

SP C. Kelly 3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 2-4 GO-FO, 82-53 pitches-strikes, E (1, pickoff), balk

RP D. Berg 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 4-0 GO-FO

RP J. Leathersich 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 1-3 GO-FO

RP P. Johnson 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-2 GO-FO

 

Tennessee PPD - Rain

 

Myrtle Beach lost 10-5 Box Score

 

2B B. Flete 1/3, R, 2B (8), 2 RBI, BB, K, E (6, throw)

C PJ Higgins 0/5, K

RF E. Martinez 0/4, RBI, K

1B M. Rose 1/5, K

DH T. Alamo 1/4, R, 2B (9)

3B J. Hodges 3/3, 2 2B (13), RBI

SP T. Hatch 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 WP, 4-4 GO-FO, 86-52 pitches-strikes

 

South Bend lost 11-1 Box Score

 

3B Z. Short 1/4, R, 2B (9), K

2B Y. Peguero 1/4, K

C A. Mineo 0/3, BB, 2 K, PB (2)

DH W. Galindo 0/3, RBI, 2 K

SS I. Paredes 0/3, K

1B J. Pereda 0/3, K

SP M. Rondon 4.2 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, 1 WP, 1 HR, 3-4 GO-FO, 86-52 pitches-strikes

[CubsWin]

Bryan Hudson in May:

 

4 G, 22 IP, 17 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 13 K, 1.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .215 BAA, 39 GO - 8 AO

 

AZ Phil reported that he had two excellent outings in a row at ExST before his promotion. Looks like his 1st two starts in April (in which he went 8 IP, 9 ER, 6 BB, 2 K) might just have been nerves and/or adjusting to a new level. We'll see...

[CubsWin]

It's just one game, but Wladimir Galindo made several nice plays at 3B yesterday. His defense has been questioned, but he was impressive and his arm is plenty strong enough. He showed good athleticism and quick reactions on two plays in particular. One was a terrible hop on a sharply hit ground ball where he spun and snagged it and another where he leaped high in the air to get a line drive I thought was a sure base hit to end a Lugnuts rally.

 

The bat is okay for a guy who will be 20 all season in his first taste of full season ball. He drove a ball opposite field high off the wall for an RBI double yesterday. He's dropped his K-rate from 28.6% last year to around 23% so far this season but the walks are down, too. He's hitting .290/.330/.420 so far despite slumping over his last 10 games. He'll be an interesting one to watch this year.

[CubsWin]

Zagunis in May: .295/.442/.492 13 BB, 17 K

[davell]

Dammit, Eloy not in the lineup. Hopefully, its nothing.

 

Hatch 3 3 0 0 1 0 so far on 43 pitches. Pitching to contact.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Eloy tweaked a (gulp) hammy yesterday and was pulled early

 

http://www.cubsinsider.com/2017/05/21/injury-update-eloy-jimenez-exits-early-tweaked-hamstring/

[We Got The Whole 9]

Dammit, Eloy not in the lineup. Hopefully, its nothing.

 

Hatch 3 3 0 0 1 0 so far on 43 pitches. Pitching to contact.

Cease said this. Which is nothing revelatory but you figure they have told this to each pitching prospect.

 

If he can stay healthy and continue to pitch well, the young starter could be on his way to High-A at midseason. But before he can start thinking about getting promoted to a new level, Cease knows there are certain things the Cubs front office is seeking.

 

“I know what they want to see from me,” he said. “Fastball command and throwing my secondary pitches for strikes. Which I didn’t really do a great job of (against Peoria), but for the most part that’s what they really want me to do.”

[davell]

Hatch with his best start in MB, 5 3 0 0 2 4, on 86 pitches. He could come out for the 6th. Either way, I'm glad to see him put together a complete outing.

[sneakypower]

Bryan Hudson in May:

 

4 G, 22 IP, 17 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 13 K, 1.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .215 BAA, 39 GO - 8 AO

 

AZ Phil reported that he had two excellent outings in a row at ExST before his promotion. Looks like his 1st two starts in April (in which he went 8 IP, 9 ER, 6 BB, 2 K) might just have been nerves and/or adjusting to a new level. We'll see...

slicing out the best possible sample of a guy and there he's still not striking anybody out / controlling the strike zone kind of seems like damning with faint praise kind of situation

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Jeimer just hit his third home run in as many games.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[CubsWin]

Bryan Hudson in May:

 

4 G, 22 IP, 17 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 13 K, 1.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .215 BAA, 39 GO - 8 AO

 

AZ Phil reported that he had two excellent outings in a row at ExST before his promotion. Looks like his 1st two starts in April (in which he went 8 IP, 9 ER, 6 BB, 2 K) might just have been nerves and/or adjusting to a new level. We'll see...

slicing out the best possible sample of a guy and there he's still not striking anybody out / controlling the strike zone kind of seems like damning with faint praise kind of situation

Fair enough. It does happen to be the best possible example but it also is his latest 4 starts. If he had two good starts followed by 2 crappy ones followed by 2 good ones, I would be less optimistic. Consistency is important and stringing 4 good starts consecutively gets my attention.

 

Couple that with 2 dominant starts in ExST before being promoted and the fact that his 2 crappy starts were his first two in full season ball and it indicates that maybe those ExST performances were less outlier more predictive.

 

As far as the Ks, I get it. I love Ks, but that's not Hudson's game. If he had induced 39 ground outs vs. 8 fly ball outs in his last 4 starts, the lack of strikeouts becomes a lot more worrisome.

 

Not trying to change your mind on him. Just stating why I'm encouraged.

[Thrilho]

Zagunis started out the season slow (.474 OPS in first 12 games) but since 4/20 he's been real good. .318/.468/.600 with 6 HRs in 109 PAs. 18% BB vs 22% K .464 wOBA. I'm not sure how much to believe FG's MiLB batted ball stuff, but on the year he's sporting by far the highest fly ball rate of his career. It's 44% in 2017 vs 36%, 21%, and 33% at his last 3 stops. GB rate down to 37% from 43%, 53%, 43%.

 

So I don't know what stadiums he's been hitting these home runs in, but he's been getting it in the air and hitting lots of HRs. If the power even kind of continues he could be pretty valuable with that consistent 15%+ walk rate vs generally <20% K rate.

[davell]

Albertos went 3 innings today. Only took him 35 pitches. 5/0 GO/FO. Gave up 2 hits, a run, and 2 K's. No walks. Much better than his prior 2 outings.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

Zagunis started out the season slow (.474 OPS in first 12 games) but since 4/20 he's been real good. .318/.468/.600 with 6 HRs in 109 PAs. 18% BB vs 22% K .464 wOBA. I'm not sure how much to believe FG's MiLB batted ball stuff, but on the year he's sporting by far the highest fly ball rate of his career. It's 44% in 2017 vs 36%, 21%, and 33% at his last 3 stops. GB rate down to 37% from 43%, 53%, 43%.

 

So I don't know what stadiums he's been hitting these home runs in, but he's been getting it in the air and hitting lots of HRs. If the power even kind of continues he could be pretty valuable with that consistent 15%+ walk rate vs generally <20% K rate.

 

We Got The Whole 9 mentioned how he'd like to see Trackman data from minor league stadiums. And Zagunis is a guy I'd like to see that data on. It definitely seems like he's trying to get the ball elevated more, based off of that Fangraphs batted-ball data you mention, and the simple fact that he's hitting for more power. He might be trading some BABIP for some ISO, but I'd wager it would be worth it if he keeps driving the ball out of the park. Maybe it's just a product of the PCL and those changes won't benefit him at the major league level, though.

 

From seeing him in person, I was surprised by how hard he hit the ball. But it was definitely more of a line-drive swing. If he is hitting the ball hard, and can elevate it without sacrificing too much contact, he's definitely interesting with his on-base skills.

[davell]

I love the fact BA mentioned our FO sees some Youkilis in him.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I forgot to mention about the South Bend game I went to on Friday.

 

Pereda was catching and he looked good behind the plate. He's got a lot of tools and some sneaky athleticism. He reminds me a little of Willson. He's got a freaking cannon. He threw behind a runner at second, and, though he didn't get him, it was a really strong throw -- right on the money. There was a lot of zip on that thing, too, and it elicited a number of gasps from people around me in the stands. He also did a nice job of blocking a couple of pitches in the dirt. And he made a nice leaping snag of a wayward pitch way above the zone. I couldn't tell much about his framing, as I was right behind the plate and blocked by the ump. But he looked pretty quiet when he was receiving the ball. I thought he had some nice footwork around first when I've seen him play there, too. With the bat, I wasn't very impressed. He takes some nice ABs, but he doesn't do much beyond just putting it in play.

 

Zack Short was playing short, and he looked good. He ranged way over to make a play on a ball on the other side of the second base bag. I've mentioned before that he has a strong arm, and it's looked accurate every time I've seen him. I'm more convinced that both he and Paredes could play short after seeing them a couple more times. Their arms can play anywhere on the infield. And they both look smooth and fluid. I don't know enough about scouting and haven't seen them enough to be positive, but, sure, I can buy it.

 

I'm not a fan of Yeiler Peguero. He just doesn't do anything well enough to intrigue me. And he doesn't seem to have his head in the game very often.

 

Parades is composed at the plate, seems to have a good idea of what he's trying to do, and hits the ball hard. I'm not sure why the results haven't been there. I like him quite a bit.

 

I've mentioned how I was wowed by D.J. Wilson's tools. And I still believe he is the best prospect on the team. I haven't seen where the strikeouts are coming from. He's looked fine at the plate when I've seen him.

 

 

I know Tom asked about Vladdy Jr. I can't believe that kid just turned 18. He's so freaking big. He's a grown-ass man. And he's definitely the real deal. He's got a great approach, a great eye, good bat speed. His swing is a lot like his dad's, but it doesn't look as effortless. Still, he's the real deal at the plate, and I can only imagine what kind of a beast he'll be if he starts tapping into that power. He didn't look very smooth at third. I'm not sure he'll stick there. It wasn't too terrible or anything. He might just need some more work over there. I'd read his arm wasn't that great -- certainly not like his father's -- but, it actually looked strong to me.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I wish I could see Vlad Jr. some more, though. He's mesmerizing. And it's freaky how much he's like his dad. It's hard to wrap my mind around a Vladimir Guerrero clone that is patient at the plate.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

I should mention that Pereda only reminds me of Willson because they look similar behind the plate. He definitely doesn't have that kind of athleticism and doesn't play with the same kind of passion, not to mention the differences with the bat.

[craig]

Bryan Hudson in May: 4 G, 22 IP, 17 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 HR, 8 BB, 13 K, 1.23 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .215 BAA, 39 GO - 8 AO ....AZ Phil reported that he had two excellent outings in a row at ExST before his promotion. Looks like his 1st two starts in April (in which he went 8 IP, 9 ER, 6 BB, 2 K) might just have been nerves and/or adjusting to a new level. We'll see...

slicing out the best possible sample of a guy and there he's still not striking anybody out / controlling the strike zone kind of seems like damning with faint praise kind of situation

Fair enough. ....As far as the Ks, I get it. I love Ks, but that's not Hudson's game. If he had induced 39 ground outs vs. 8 fly ball outs in his last 4 starts, the lack of strikeouts becomes a lot more worrisome.

Not trying to change your mind on him. Just stating why I'm encouraged.

 

I'm also encouraged. Players have success in different way But counting the two XST games, he's had 8 starts, and 7 of them have been variably effective, he's only had one terrible start. It would seem that for now, as a 19/20 year old, relative to low-level hitting, he's pitching effectively. So, for the moment, being effective relative to his league, and certainly relative to his age, now seems the norm and not the exception.

 

Usually being effective is a change compared to last summer, so I take that as encouragement. And the extraordinary GO/AO ratio seems reproducible enough to suggest that's no fluke.

 

The K's are terrible, particularly in conjunction with the BB's which are mediocre. (And the BB's don't capture the other "wild" things, if you added in the HBP and the WP, the ratio of K's/"wild things" would be well below 1.)

 

But you can get away with a lot if you never allow a HR. Tom has correctly mentioned the massive importance of HR-allowance rate (hello, Lackey and Underwood.....). That's the area where Hudson has excelled this season, and assuming the GO/AO is even remotely sustainable, that should continue to excel.

 

HR/K/BB seem the big three to me; If the GO/AO allows the HR to be great, and the BB's are anti-awful, he's got a chance.

 

It's odd that his K-rate is so exceptionally low, when at draft and in early camp, there was talk about his curve being so good. Most K's come on breaking balls, obviously, so it appears that was either untrue to start with, or that he's lost that curve or any semblance of control over it.

 

So I think there may be a possibility (which doesn't mean probability) that K's might improve. He just turned 20; he might get a little faster, and grow into mediocre/average velocity. And sometimes guys who have just turned 20 can adjust/improve their curveball some.

[We Got The Whole 9]

Hudson sounds a bit like Montgomery as a best case scenario. His curve gets a ton of weak grounders and will be his saving grace IMO. He needs to polish his change, I feel like a change with nasty fade from that release point would be devasating.

 

On the note of HR suppression: I was so encouraged going into this season by Preston Morrison and his 3 HR allowed in 150 pro innings. So far in 37 he's allowed 5 this season and his strikezone dominance has also vanished. He was one of my guys going into the season.

[weis21]

I wish I could see Vlad Jr. some more, though. He's mesmerizing. And it's freaky how much he's like his dad. It's hard to wrap my mind around a Vladimir Guerrero clone that is patient at the plate.

this post made me go and watch a career highlights video of vlad. thank you, kind sir.

 

i was all about to be "this is my favorite non-cub player i think" but then manny ramirez highlight video autoplayed after the vlad video and the play he made when he high fived the boston fan in BAL and then turned around to finish the double play i think made my heart melt. so now i don't know. i guess i just love baseball.