Prospectus Feature: AFL Preview: Peoria Javelinas

Peoria Javelinas– Orioles, Reds, Padres, Mariners, Rays

The Guys You Know

RHP Brent Honeywell, Tampa Bay Rays (#44 on Midseason Top 50)

The Guys You Don’t

Greg Harris, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays, While his father, also named Greg Harris, is more known for being the first ambidextrous pitcher, this Greg is known for his right arm. Acquired for Joel Peralta and Adam Liberatore in the winter of 2014, has a solid-average fastball and a host of secondary offerings he can throw for strikes. —SG

Kyle McGrath, LHP, San Diego Padres – McGrath hits the trifecta for root-forable prospect: he’s a former 36th-round pick, he throws a nasty changeup, and he’s that most rare and precious jewel: an over-the-top left-handed reliever. Go get ‘em, kid! —WK

RHP Emilio Pagan, Seattle Mariners – Pagan can rush his fastball into the mid-90s and he complements the offering with a slider that flashes plus. Limited ceiling, but likely a big leaguer. —BG

LHP Nick Routt, Cincinnati Reds – An older arm, Routt had new found success with a cutter/fastball/slider combination. He performed extremely well in Double-A, but had a rough debut in Triple-A where he wasn’t able to throw as many strikes with the 91-93 heater. -SG

LHP Tanner Scott, Baltimore Orioles – You could probably count on one hand the amount of lefties that throw harder than Scott. Unfortunately you would need 100 people’s hands to count how many lefties have better control than Scott. —SG

LHP Jose Torres, San Diego Padres – Torres was the best reliever I saw in the Cal League this year, with a nasty fastball-slider combination from the left side that led him all the way to a big-league debut in September. He’ll be in the mix for a bullpen role next season in San Diego. —WK

RHP Dylan Unsworth, Seattle Mariners – The South African pounds the zone with a fastball that reaches the low-90s, but the rest of his arsenal lacks impact. —BG

LHP Seth Varner, Cincinnati Reds – Varner throws a lot of strikes and can get hitters out in front with his average FB/CH combination, but unfortunately his breaking ball is below average and he becomes very hittable in the zone. —SG

RHP Thyago Vieira, Seattle Mariners – A right-handed reliever, Vieira has a live arm, and after injuries robbed most of his 2014 and 2015 seasons, he showed up in the Cal League with newfound triple digit heat. He’s also found a workable slider from a movement perspective, but everything plays down due to serious command issues. —BG

Brad Wieck, LHP, San Diego Padres – The return from Queens for Alex Torres, Wieck is a gargantuan southpaw who leverages his height well to generate outstanding plane and explosiveness. Wieck’s gnarly fastball sets the tone for a swing-and-miss arsenal that produced 93 strikeouts in 61 and a third frames through Double-A. Similar to fellow electric lefty Jose Torres, Wieck figures to be in the bullpen mix next year for San Diego. —WK

RHP Jimmy Yacabonis, Baltimore Orioles – Yacabonis has good life on his plus fastball and a slider that could eventually play as a six as well. He could emerge as a middle relief option in Baltimore next season. —BG

C Nick Ciuffo, Tampa Bay Rays – There has never been a question about his defensive skills, but the emptiness of the stick and the lack of power leaves a lot to be desired. —SG

C Tyler Marlette, Seattle Mariners – For the third year in a row, Marlette found himself in High-A to begin the season. He’s still a bat-first backstop with questionable receiving skills, and it’s starting to look like the bat might not get his foot in the door. —BG

C Austin Wynns, Baltimore Orioles – Wynns, 25, hit the high minors for good in 2016. He doesn’t have much of a stick, but his chops behind the plate could get him a cup of coffee. —BG

2B Brandon Dixon, Cincinnati Reds – Acquired in the offseason in the Todd Frazier deal, Dixon has playable power and a usable bat, but has not been able to find a defensive home. Being passed by Tony Renda and Dilson Herrera leave his options short. —SG

SS Adrian Marin, Baltimore Orioles – A plus runner, Marin is a steady defender at SS, where while his arm only grades out as average he has the instincts and lateral range to get to most balls. At the plate his lack of contact ability and ability to adjust to offspeed has caught up to him. —SG

1B/OF Brian O’Grady, Cincinnati Reds – O’Grady’s OBP and versatility certainly stands out, but he isn’t a good defender at any of them, and he can’t wait out pitchers forever as better arms have exploited his long swing and his patient approach. —SG

Josh Van Meter, 3B San Diego Padres – Van Meter rebounded from a gruesome broken leg in 2015 to reestablish himself as a quality infield prospect in the Friars’ system. He boasts above-average bat speed and a decent approach at the plate, and with second base reps on his resume as well he has the look of an interesting utility profile. —WK

SS Zach Vincej, Cincinnati Reds – Known as a steady defender up the middle, Vincej hit for more power in his second turn in Double-A, but he was an older player for the level and it remains to be seen whether or not it’s for real. —SG

1B/C Chad Wallach, Cincinnati Reds– This will be Wallach’s third time in the fall league, that means that he can get a free upgrade at the In-N-Out burger on his next visit. —SG

OF D.J. Stewart, Baltimore Orioles – When the Orioles drafted Stewart in the first round in 2015, they were hoping his good eye and above-average power would translate quickly to the professional game. It hasn’t. Stewart has just average bat speed and a linear swing that prevents him from driving balls over the wall. The Orioles have used him in the outfield—even starting him twice in center—but many evaluators think he profiles best at first, where his bat won’t play in an everyday role. —BG

RHP Barrett Astin, Cincinnati Reds
LHP Kyle Bird, Tampa Bay Rays
RHP Diego Castillo, Tampa Bay Rays
RHP Stefan Crichton, Baltimore Orioles
RHP Jason Jester, San Diego Padres
RHP Jesus Liranzo, Baltimore Orioles
RHP Phil Maton, San Diego Padres
RHP Evan Mitchell, Cincinnati Reds
2B Kean Wong, Tampa Bay Rays

The Guys You Will

Luiz Gohara, LHP, Seattle Mariners – Still just 19, Gohara proved too advanced for the Northwest League, and then fanned over a batter per inning across ten starts in Clinton. He can reach the upper-90s with his fastball, and just as encouragingly, his curve has taken a big step forward over the last calendar year. He’s still refining the pitch, along with a change that often stays too firm, but both looked better in 2016 than they did in 2015. There are risks—including concerns about his frame and focus—but Gohara has the highest ceiling of any arm in the Mariners system, and he’s finally starting to put it together on the field. —BG

Drew Jackson, SS, Seattle Mariners – Jackson is a physical specimen, oozing with athleticism and blessed with both throw and speed tools that push double-plus in their raw forms. He shows a decent baseline approach at the plate as well, but he struggled this year from start to finish to translate his tools and physicality into baseball skills. The arm was wild, the speed played down on the bases, and his athleticism got eaten up in the box by a rigid setup and swing. The underlying ability is too enticing to give up on, and he’ll look to use the AFL as a positive springboard into 2017. —WK

Franchy Cordero, OF San Diego Padres – Cordero is another player whose high-end athleticism and quick-twitch movements jumps out immediately in initial viewings. He boasts plus speed with a second gear that helps him run down balls to both gaps in center, and he has the raw arm strength to play anywhere on the grass. I was highly skeptical of his hit tool in early-season looks, but he mashed his way through Double-A by season’s end. —WK

Michael Gettys, OF, San Diego Padres – Gettys is an impressive defensive prospect, with plus speed that plays in center and outstanding arm strength. And his athleticism appears in flashes in the box to, most notably in the well above-average bat speed he creates. The swing isn’t the most efficient or consistent at present, and his AFL reps against quality pitching will be important in continuing his growth and development in that particular area. —WK

Guillermo Heredia, OF, Seattle Mariners – A member of Cuba’s 2013 WBC team, Heredia had a whirlwind 2016 season. Heredia defected from Cuba in 2015, and hadn’t played in nearly two years when he arrived in spring training. The rust showed: his plus speed played down on the bases, and he got off to a slow start in Double-A Jackson before heating up and eventually making it to Seattle for 45 games. It’s a defense-first profile: Heredia tracks the ball well off the bat, and his speed allows him to cover a lot of ground. At the plate, Heredia uses a short and somewhat stiff stroke to put the ball in play. He doesn’t strike out much, and he’s capable of working more than an occasional walk. The smart bet is that he’s a fourth outfielder, but he doesn’t have to hit all that much better than he did in 2016 for his wheels and defensive prowess to justify a regular spot in the lineup. —BG

Tyler O’Neill, OF, Seattle Mariners – O’Neill had the best season of any prospect in Seattle’s system. Many evaluators, myself included, thought he’d struggle in his first taste of Double-A, but the Canadian lowered his strikeout rate, walked more, and bashed 26 homers in 130 games. O’Neill’s profile still has warts: he’s limited to a corner, he still swings and misses more than even a power hitter should, and it’s fair to wonder how often he’ll expand the zone south against elite breaking pitches. That said, it’s not unrealistic to think that O’Neill could have 70 power in games at the big-league level; those guys don’t grow on trees. —BG

Justin Williams, OF, Tampa Bay Rays- Williams has certainly gotten more and more polished since his early years. He is an extremely strong player with plus raw power that has been playing more and more into game action. While he has some overall stiffness in his body he is still a quality athlete and features above-average bat speed and a decent idea of what to do at the plate. His plus throwing arm plays well in right, but he isn’t a runner and struggles to get quality reads. The profile might play more at DH than outfield, but his kind of power is hard to come by and is still a young 21 years old. —SG