Mesa's Top Prospects?

[Outshined_One]

Now that Mesa's season is over, I'm curious as to what some of the minor league gurus around here have to say about the top prospects the Cubs had down in Mesa this season.

 

To start, I think it's kinda obvious who the top prospect at Mesa was this season. LHP Mark Pawelek, needless to say, really doesn't need much of an introduction. 43 IP, 56/21 K/BB, 0 HRs (although the AZL is not conducive to HRs), 25 H, 2.72 ERA, and of course, an 0-3 record. Most of us are fairly well-aware of his upside and potential problems down the line (namely his mechanics), but I have to say that there's no doubt in my mind that he earns top prospect honors in Mesa.

 

But who are some of the other guys who stood out at Mesa? Statistics can only tell part of the story, but some of the younger guys down there managed to put up some intriguing numbers. Here are some of note:

 

C Mario Mercedes: Gotta dig a catcher who has a K/BB of 5/5 in 81 ABs with reasonable defense behind the dish (2 passed balls).

 

C Yusuf Carter: Joe Carter's nephew saw his share of time at DH this season, but he flashed some pretty nice power for the AZL, smacking 2 doubles and a HR in 38 ABs. He's going to have to learn some patience down the line, though (14 Ks, 1 BB).

 

1B/DH Russell Canzler: It was his second go-round in the AZL, but he showed off enough power to raise some eyebrows, with 11 2B, 3 3B, and 1 HR in 157 ABs. He also had a semi-respectable K/BB (41/24). Only problem is going to be whether or not he has defensive upside, since he's spent plenty of quality time at DH.

 

OF Randy Brown: Seems like a speedy guy (8 SB...and 7 CS) with some power upside (8 2B and 5 3B in 189 ABs). A 33/11 K/BB for a 19 year old isn't half bad, either.

 

OF Deryck Lewis: Probably the Mesa position prospect most talked about on this board, from what I can tell. With good reason, too. In 174 ABs, he hit 14 doubles and 5 triples. Couple that with a 23/17 K/BB line and you have something interesting brewing with this guy.

 

OF Ryan Episcopo: Yeah, he doesn't seem to have the kind of power that will allow him to stick at a corner OF spot. But considering he's a young 20 (turned back on July 20th), there's still growing left to do. 7 2B, 1 3B, and 2 HR in 168 ABs is a decent line for his level. You'd like to see better power numbers from a guy with a 47/25 K/BB line in that many ABs, though.

 

So, that about accounts for the run-through of my list. I know plenty of guys here have seen more extensive scouting reports (and who have seen these guys) than I have and will have different standards for what constitutes a top prospect down there. I didn't pay much attention to guys who were over the age of 20, needless to say.

 

I'm curious to see what everyone else had to say. I'm sure guys like SS Dylan Johnston and SP Scott Taylor will be some of the names mentioned in this thread (based more on their upside than performance). However, I'd like to see some more in-depth analysis on these guys.