Minor League Discussion & Boxes, 6-11-21

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Scheduled Games (All Times Central):

 

Iowa vs. Columbus, 7:08 p.m.

Tennessee vs. Rocket City, 6:00 p.m.

South Bend vs. Wisconsin, 6:05 p.m.

Myrtle Beach at Augusta, 6:05 p.m.

 

Probable Starters:

 

Iowa: TBD

Tennessee: RHP Cam Sanders (28.2 IP, 4.0 ERA, 4.21 FIP, 10.99 K/9, 3.14 BB/9)

South Bend: RHP Max Bain (22.1 IP, 6.85 ERA, 6.16 FIP, 9.27 K/9, 6.45 BB/9)

Myrtle Beach: RHP Sam Thoresen (19.2 IP, 2.75 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 13.27 K/9, 6.41 BB/9)

[Bertz]

Christopher Morel, from 5/19 through yesterday:

 

.214/.333/.414, 3 dongs, 14.3 BB%, 17.9 K%, 110 wRC+, .226 BABIP

 

His first two weeks were hideously bad, and with a minor leaguer you can't simply say "BABIP=Luck" but I'm really picking up what Morel's putting down right now.

[CubsWin]

Would really like to see some bounceback performances from Sanders and Bain tonight.

 

Thoresen is 22 (which is basically league appropriate after the lost season last year) and won't turn 23 until after the season. He's put himself on the map. Needs to cut back on the walks going forward, but nice numbers on the year, and he's coming off his last 2 starts where he went:

 

8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 13 K.

 

Nice starters frame at 6'3", 210 lbs. He's another one of the 2020 post draft UDFA signings like Bailey Reed, Scott Kobos and Ben Leeper who have acquitted themselves well thus far.

[CubsWin]

Christopher Morel, from 5/19 through yesterday:

 

.214/.333/.414, 3 dongs, 14.3 BB%, 17.9 K%, 110 wRC+, .226 BABIP

 

His first two weeks were hideously bad, and with a minor leaguer you can't simply say "BABIP=Luck" but I'm really picking up what Morel's putting down right now.

Yeah, if a player is raking, like Nelson Velazquez is right now, you can live with a low walk percentage. The high strikeout percentage still needs to be addressed down the line for any chance of major league success, but Velazquez is still young at 22 and young for his league at the moment.

 

Morel showed some pop in the early going, which we all knew he had, but nothing else. Coming into the season, my main problem with him as a prospect was his lack of selectivity. As with Velazquez, that's okay if you're slashing .300/.330/.550, but it would still need to improve as he develops, and of course Morel's slash line was nowhere near that.

 

The good news is Chris is even younger than Nelson (by about 6 months) and playing at a higher level (AA). At 21, skipping High-A and getting his first taste of AA, I would expect him to struggle early on. What I was really looking for was development in his selectivity. I didn't see it in the first 2 weeks of the season. He was his normal, free-swinging self. But he has really shown the adjustment since, as you pointed out.

 

Controlling the strike zone and forcing pitchers to give him pitches he can drive will be paramount to unlocking his potential. He hasn't done it yet, but he's shown that he gets it and is trying, all while facing much more advanced competition than he ever has before. Despite his terrible season-long numbers, this is the developmental process I was hoping to see.