Minor League Report, 6/14

Cubs super-prospect 3B Kris Bryant

The 2014 season has been quite interesting to this point. With so many teams floating around contention due to unforeseen parity in a game that has had so little over the years, we haven’t seen many top talents reach the big leagues to assist their clubs compete. Gregory Polanco finally reached Pittsburgh, but the Cardinals just sent Oscar Taveras back to the minors following the activation of Matt Adams from the 15-day disabled list. With injuries to Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Archie Bradley, and Taijuan Walker, the elite level prospects haven’t provided a lot of positive material for minor league analysis. For that reason, you have to reach deeper. Here are some names that you may be familiar with, but, if you’re not, you should get to know a little better.

Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB
2013	21	-0.8	A–A+-Rk	36	146	128	22	43	14	2	9	32	1	11	35	.336	.390	.688	1.078	88
2013	21	1.3	Rk	2	7	6	0	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	1	.167	.143	.333	.476	2
2013	21	-0.2	A-	18	77	65	13	23	8	1	4	16	0	8	17	.354	.416	.692	1.108	45
2013	21	-1.8	A+	16	62	57	9	19	5	1	5	14	1	3	17	.333	.387	.719	1.106	41
2014	22	-2.6	AA	66	286	240	60	86	19	0	22	57	8	41	75	.358	.462	.713	1.174	171
2 Seasons				102	432	368	82	129	33	2	31	89	9	52	110	.351	.438	.704	1.141	259

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

Bryant is a one-man wrecking crew in the Double-A Southern League in 2014, and you should already be familiar with him, as Bryant was the No.2 overall pick out of San Diego in the 2013 MLB Draft. For all of the fears that went along with the holes in his swing, which is still present based on the 75 strikeouts, Bryant can still draw a walk while producing elite-level power from the right side. He may have to move to an outfield corner in the long run due to Starlin Castro being at short and Javier Baez likely moving to third, as the Cubs have Anthony Rizzo locked up through 2021 (including options) at first. Regardless of where he plays, he’ll be an All-Star talent. The Cubs don’t need to bring him up due to their 27-38 record and ongoing rebuild, but the scariest part of his numbers are the fact that they could only get larger with a move to Triple-A and the Pacific Coast League. He could break camp with the Cubs in 2015 and will likely get a nice audition this September.

Victor Sanchez, RHP, Seattle Mariners

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	W	L	ERA	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	H9	BB9	SO9	SO/W
2012	17	-4.3	A-	6	2	3.18	15	0	0	85.0	69	37	30	5	27	69	1.129	7.3	2.9	7.3	2.56
2013	18	-3.8	A	6	6	2.78	20	1	1	113.1	106	42	35	4	18	79	1.094	8.4	1.4	6.3	4.39
2014	19	-5.5	AA	3	2	4.06	9	1	1	44.1	45	26	20	10	12	39	1.286	9.1	2.4	7.9	3.25
3 Seasons				15	10	3.15	44	2	2	242.2	220	105	85	19	57	187	1.141	8.2	2.1	6.9	3.28

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

The Mariners have a lot of young pitchers who get a lot of attention with Taijuan Walker, James Paxton, and Erasmo Ramirez each earning some starts at the major league level over the last couple of seasons; however, with those names receiving so much attention, there is a sneaky exciting talent coming up who isn’t getting nearly as much recognition as most players with his skills would, and that is Victor Sanchez. At 19, Sanchez is already in Double-A, having skipped the horrific pitching environment of the California League, and he is pitching very well. Over his last two starts, Sanchez has allowed just two earned runs over 13.2 innings (1.32 ERA), striking out 13 and allowing 11 base runners (0.80 WHIP). Sanchez isn’t a dynamic strikeout pitcher, but he has plus command and, at his age, he may further develop his stuff to take another step forward. He could certainly give up fewer home runs, but when you consider that he is 5 1/2 years younger than the average player in the Southern League, he deserves a break. He’s a very mature pitcher given his age and deserves more attention than he is getting.

Astros OF Preston Tucker

 

Preston Tucker, OF, Houston Astros

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB
2012	21	-0.1	A-	42	187	165	32	53	7	0	8	38	1	18	16	.321	.390	.509	.899	84
2013	22	-1.4	A+-AA	135	601	535	97	159	32	2	25	103	3	56	91	.297	.368	.505	.872	270
2013	22	-0.9	A+	75	333	298	61	97	18	1	15	74	3	29	45	.326	.384	.544	.928	162
2013	22	-2.0	AA	60	268	237	36	62	14	1	10	29	0	27	46	.262	.347	.456	.803	108
2014	23	-1.2	AA-AAA	66	294	265	42	73	17	0	17	43	3	26	48	.275	.347	.532	.879	141
2014	23	-1.2	AA	65	290	261	41	72	17	0	17	43	3	26	46	.276	.348	.536	.885	140
2014	23	-3.7	AAA	1	4	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.250	.250	.250	.500	1
3 Seasons				243	1082	965	171	285	56	2	50	184	7	100	155	.295	.366	.513	.879	495

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

Another Houston Astros prospect who is near ready to make an impact at the major league level, Tucker was just promoted to Triple-A after being near the top of the Texas League in doubles, home runs, and total bases. After thriving in 2013 between High-A and Double-A, Tucker has made the adjustments necessary to continue his progression to Houston to join Jon Singleton and George Springer, while the club waits for Carlos Correa and others in the lower minors to help make Houston a World Series contender in the next three seasons. Even thriving against left-handers, Tucker is capable of being more than just an average outfielder in the majors.

Christian Walker, 1B, Baltimore Orioles

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB
2012	21	-0.1	A-	22	93	81	12	23	5	0	2	9	2	10	14	.284	.376	.420	.796	34
2013	22	-0.7	A+-A-AA	103	439	393	51	118	27	0	11	56	2	34	67	.300	.362	.453	.815	178
2013	22	0.4	A	31	131	116	19	41	5	0	3	20	0	11	16	.353	.420	.474	.894	55
2013	22	-0.8	A+	55	239	215	25	62	17	0	8	35	2	17	41	.288	.343	.479	.822	103
2013	22	-2.4	AA	17	69	62	7	15	5	0	0	1	0	6	10	.242	.319	.323	.641	20
2014	23	-1.6	AA	65	284	258	43	79	10	1	17	58	1	22	58	.306	.363	.550	.913	142
3 Seasons				190	816	732	106	220	42	1	30	123	5	66	139	.301	.364	.484	.848	354

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

After being taken in the 4th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of South Carolina, Christian Walker had a somewhat productive first full minor league season in 2013 (.815 OPS, just 67 strikeouts in 439 plate appearances), but it was also somewhat disappointing (11 home runs). Walker did play at three levels in 2013, so, perhaps, he wasn’t in one location long enough to make the adjustments necessary to showcase his power, but the 2014 season has been quite different. Walker already has 17 home runs and is sporting an OPS of .913 as of publishing. While his strikeout rate has increased, that is allowing him to produce at higher levels. With Chris Davis under team control through the 2015 season, could you be looking at the future first baseman in Baltimore? It could be the case, but Walker has to continue his offensive outburst if he is going to make it in the majors as a right-handed hitting first baseman.

Rymer Liriano, OF, San Diego Padres

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB
2008	17	-1.5	FRk	67	267	232	34	46	13	1	9	37	9	28	106	.198	.296	.379	.675	88
2009	18	-2.2	Rk	50	216	197	44	69	8	1	8	44	14	15	52	.350	.398	.523	.921	103
2010	19	-2.5	A–A-A+	117	481	441	59	102	26	7	3	38	31	32	119	.231	.288	.342	.630	151
2010	19	-2.3	A-	53	225	203	35	55	13	6	0	12	17	17	53	.271	.335	.394	.729	80
2010	19	-2.4	A	50	201	188	21	36	11	1	2	20	11	10	54	.191	.234	.293	.526	55
2010	19	-3.8	A+	14	55	50	3	11	2	0	1	6	3	5	12	.220	.291	.320	.611	16
2011	20	-1.7	A-A+	131	580	510	89	152	31	9	12	68	66	53	108	.298	.365	.465	.830	237
2011	20	-1.6	A	116	519	455	81	145	30	8	12	62	65	47	95	.319	.383	.499	.882	227
2011	20	-2.7	A+	15	61	55	8	7	1	1	0	6	1	6	13	.127	.213	.182	.395	10
2012	21	-2.2	A+-AA	127	520	465	65	130	32	4	8	61	32	41	119	.280	.350	.417	.767	194
2012	21	-1.6	A+	74	314	282	41	84	22	2	5	41	22	21	69	.298	.360	.443	.803	125
2012	21	-3.1	AA	53	206	183	24	46	10	2	3	20	10	20	50	.251	.335	.377	.712	69
2014	23	-1.2	AA	66	282	252	38	69	14	2	11	40	10	25	73	.274	.344	.476	.820	120
6 Seasons				558	2346	2097	329	568	124	24	51	288	162	194	577	.271	.338	.426	.764	893

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

Even after missing all of the 2013 season due to Tommy John surgery, Rymer Liriano is young for his league. The 22-year-old outfielder is back on track, showcasing all of his tools, though the swing and miss looks to be a bit larger than anticipated after his long layoff. Regardless, in 2011, Liriano showed the speed (66 steals) and power (50 extra-base hits) that make fantasy baseball fans salivate. He could probably make the Padres offense a little better if he were called up today, but he still has some work to do to become an All-Star level talent in the future.

Luke Jackson, RHP, Texas Rangers

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	W	L	ERA	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	WHIP	H9	BB9	SO9	SO/W
2011	19	-2.8	A	5	6	5.64	19	0	0	75.0	83	57	47	9	48	78	1.747	10.0	5.8	9.4	1.63
2012	20	-2.3	A+-A	10	7	4.65	26	1	0	129.2	130	72	67	6	65	146	1.504	9.0	4.5	10.1	2.25
2012	20	-1.6	A	5	5	4.92	13	1	0	64.0	63	37	35	4	33	72	1.500	8.9	4.6	10.1	2.18
2012	20	-2.9	A+	5	2	4.39	13	0	0	65.2	67	35	32	2	32	74	1.508	9.2	4.4	10.1	2.31
2013	21	-2.2	A+-AA	11	4	2.04	23	0	0	128.0	92	32	29	6	59	134	1.180	6.5	4.1	9.4	2.27
2013	21	-1.8	A+	9	4	2.41	19	0	0	101.0	79	30	27	6	47	104	1.248	7.0	4.2	9.3	2.21
2013	21	-3.5	AA	2	0	0.67	4	0	0	27.0	13	2	2	0	12	30	0.926	4.3	4.0	10.0	2.50
2014	22	-2.5	AA	7	2	2.86	12	0	0	72.1	50	23	23	5	19	74	0.954	6.2	2.4	9.2	3.89
4 Seasons				33	19	3.69	80	1	0	405.0	355	184	166	26	191	432	1.348	7.9	4.2	9.6	2.26

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

Prior to the 2013 season, Jackson was heading towards becoming an organizational arm, even though he was a first round draft pick in 2010. Then, it all seemed to click last year and over his last 200.1 innings he has a 2.34 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and 208 strikeouts. Now, with the Texas Rangers reeling and in need of pitching depth after injuries to Derek Holland, Martin Perez, and Matt Harrison, Luke Jackson has positioned himself for some time in Arlington at some point this summer.

Nationals OF Michael Taylor

Michael Taylor, OF, Washington Nationals

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB
2010	19	-0.9	Rk-A	43	164	141	14	28	5	3	1	13	1	15	33	.199	.276	.298	.574	42
2010	19	-0.7	Rk	38	149	128	14	25	4	3	1	12	1	14	31	.195	.270	.297	.567	38
2010	19	-2.6	A	5	15	13	0	3	1	0	0	1	0	1	2	.231	.333	.308	.641	4
2011	20	-1.4	A	126	488	442	64	112	26	7	13	68	23	32	120	.253	.310	.432	.742	191
2012	21	-1.6	A+	109	431	384	51	93	33	2	3	37	19	40	113	.242	.318	.362	.680	139
2013	22	-0.8	A+	133	581	509	79	134	41	6	10	87	51	55	131	.263	.340	.426	.767	217
2014	23	-1.6	AA	62	271	233	50	77	11	2	16	49	17	32	83	.330	.416	.601	1.017	140
5 Seasons				473	1935	1709	258	444	116	20	43	254	111	174	480	.260	.333	.427	.759	729

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

Michael Taylor is breaking out. After an impressive repeat of High-A in 2013 (57 extra-base hits and 51 stolen bases), Taylor has reached a career-high in home runs in just 62 games, while still showing tremendous speed (17 steals) in his first go-round in Double-A. There is a lot of swing and miss in his bat, but the power and speed skills that he possesses make him an intriguing prospect, especially when you consider that he could be in a pretty electric lineup with Bryce Harper, Anthony Rendon, and company in the next couple of seasons. With Denard Span due a $9 million option or a $500,000 buyout in 2015, Taylor is likely leaving a lot of questions for Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo and Washington management about just what to do in center field in 2015. If nothing else, Taylor could spend some time in Triple-A next year, or even later this season, before earning a full-time role in 2016.

Jake Lamb, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks

Year	Age	AgeDif	Lev	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB
2012	21	0.1	Rk	67	315	280	47	92	22	5	9	57	8	24	51	.329	.390	.539	.930	151
2013	22	-0.7	A+-Rk	69	304	248	48	75	22	0	13	52	0	50	75	.302	.421	.548	.969	136
2013	22	2.3	Rk	5	21	17	4	5	2	0	0	5	0	2	5	.294	.381	.412	.793	7
2013	22	-0.9	A+	64	283	231	44	70	20	0	13	47	0	48	70	.303	.424	.558	.982	129
2014	23	-1.6	AA	65	273	239	42	78	25	4	11	55	0	25	58	.326	.399	.603	1.002	144
3 Seasons				201	892	767	137	245	69	9	33	164	8	99	184	.319	.404	.562	.966	431

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/14/2014.

Jake Lamb was a 6th round pick out of Washington in 2012, and all that he has done since getting drafted is hit. This season, his numbers in the Southern League are being mocked by Kris Bryant’s absurd outburst, but they are still very, very good. The doubles and home runs show the power potential in Lamb’s bat, and the .996 OPS in 59 at-bats against left-handed pitching shows that Lamb is quite capable of becoming a regular in Arizona. With Kevin Towers around, Lamb could be traded before ever reaching the desert, but he would be an extremely solid option to force Martin Prado off of the hot corner, and joining Paul Goldschmidt as a tremendous offensive threat in the Diamondbacks lineup in the near future.

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