Minor League Update: Games of Wednesday, October 21st

Hitter(s) of the Day:

Willson Contreras, C, Cubs (AFL Mesa Solar Sox): 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Aledmys Diaz, SS, Cardinals (AFL Surprise Saguaros): 3-4, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI

Both of these guys have received a good bit of attention in this space already, and both continued to rake yesterday with nearly identical, outstanding games. We’re looking at two helium balloons if the performance to date keeps up throughout their respective Arizona campaigns.

Pitcher of the Day: Nick Travieso, RHP, Reds (AFL Peoria Javelinas): 3 IP, BB, 4 K

The 2012 first-rounder’s stuff backed up as a pro, but has settled in to where he still boasts the potential for three average-or-better pitches to go along with an innings-eating frame. The performance in the pitching-friendly Florida State League wasn’t the stuff dreams are made of this summer, but it was solid enough to keep him on a forward developmental track. A higher-probability arm than most, he figures to test the Double-A waters next year with the potential for an arrival on the lower rungs of the Cincinnati rotation not much farther off on the horizon.

Others of Note:

Rafael Devers, 3B, Red Sox (DWL Leones del Escogido): 2-4, R, K

18year-olds in Low-A with 6 hit/6 power bats don’t grow on trees, and Devers solidified his standing as a top-20 prospect this year by impressing with his advanced feel for the barrel and consistent swing execution. One thing about that kind of offensive talent at such a young age is that you tend to want to show it off as often as possible. Devers’ sub-five percent walk rate will need to migrate north as his age does, but otherwise it appears to be all systems go (at least offensively) for one of the premier bats in the low minors.

Tyler O’Neill, OF, Mariners (AFL Peoria Javelinas): 1-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K

This line pretty much sums up O’Neill, who led the Cal League in homers last year in spite of a ”kill the fastballs” approach that also produced a strikeout rate north of 30 percent. O’Neill’s thick, muscular frame helps him generate outstanding bat speed, but he struggles to rein in the swing or make adjustments within at-bats, leading to an extreme Jekyll and Hyde profile in the batter’s box. His relative athleticism and above-average arm strength give him foundational tools to succeed in either corner-outfield spot, but his route-running and general feel for reading contact both remained quite raw through his stop at High-A.

Gary Sanchez, C, Yankees (AFL Surprise Saguaros): 2-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, K

Sanchez is another guy who has spent more than his fair share of time in the spotlight of this page, and he’s earned it by crushing pretty much everything thrown to him thus far in the desert. With yesterday’s performance he’s now racked up 19 total bases in his first 20 plate appearances, reminding everyone in the process about the kind of thunder that resides in his stick.

Kyle Freeland, LHP, Rockies (AFL Salt River Rafters): 3 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K

It was a tough year for the former first-rounder, who started the season injured and ended it missing surprisingly few bats in a choppy tour of the California League. At his best he’ll work up to 95 with a jumping fastball that he can also manipulate with some cut in the low-90s, and he’ll complement the hard stuff with a 55/60 slider and average change. The delivery is inconsistent, however, leading to command that will wander from inning to inning, and the performance has vacillated between “flat” and “okay” so far in Salt River. There’s a bunch of untapped projection remaining here, but for now he remains a kid in need of reps as he searches for greater consistency in his execution.

Danry Vasquez, OF, Astros (VWL Leones del Caracas): 4-5, 2R, HR, 3 RBI

Vasquez has bubbled below the surface of the Houston organization for several years now, and after dominating this same league last winter and coming out of the gate strong in his second taste of California League ball this spring, it looked like he might be turning a corner. That didn’t really happen, however. The bat stagnated mightily at Double-A, conjuring old questions about desire and actual ceiling. The skillset of a bat-first fourth outfielder remains somewhere inside, but the odds have grown longer of that kind of big-league future actually materializing.

Brooks Pounders, RHP, Royals (AFL Surprise Saguaros): 4 IP, 2 H, 7 K

Pounders is a big boy, checking in at a rambunctious 270 listed pounds, and the 2009 second-rounder has reemerged post-2013 Tommy John surgery as a prototypical org guy with theoretical back-end potential thanks to a wily attack and decent pitchability. He dominated yesterday, topping out at 94 while flashing decent secondaries. He doesn’t miss a ton of bats, but he acquitted himself well enough in eight starts at Double-A this year and may just find himself on a big-league mound at some point in 2016 if the upper-minors development continues on its current path.

Nick Burdi, RHP, Twins (AFL Scottsdale Scorpions): IP, H, K

The Twins popped Burdi in the second round of the 2014 draft with an eye towards advancing him quickly up the ladder and into the back of their bullpen, but the reliever’s command had other ideas in a disastrous stint at Double-A in the season’s first half. His 80-grade heater was on display yesterday as he sat around the century mark, but it’s fairly straight velocity, making command of it along with the potentially plus-or-better low-80s slider he’ll also deploy all the more paramount. He threw well after a second-half demotion to High-A, and got his fall campaign off on the right foot with a scoreless debut inning, so a rebound into the Twins’ future plans certainly remains on the table.

Casey Gillaspie, 1B, Rays (AFL Mesa Solar Sox): 0-3, BB

Gillaspie posted decent numbers in the Midwest League this year, but that has not translated thus far to Arizona, as yesteday’s oh-fer leaves him just two for his first 25 at Mesa. As a first baseman with average hit and power tools, the pressure to max out everything he’s got offensively will be enormous throughout his climb up the chain.

Jake Peter, 2B, White Sox (AFL Glendale Desert Dogs): 2-4, BB, RBI, K

Peter plated the only run in Glendale yesterday with a walk-off single in the ninth. A former seventh-rounder who worked in the mid-90s as a college reliever, he converted full-time to the infield after dealing with persistent elbow soreness and had a solid-if-unspectacular full season debut at High-A Winston-Salem this year. His advanced hit tool and on-base skillset can carry the offensive profile to average for second base, and while the previous elbow issues have diminished the utility of his arm somewhat it still likely rates as an above-average to plus tool on the right side. It’s not a particularly sexy profile, but it can be a solidly effective one as a second-division keystoner.