Minor League Update: Games of Wednesday, May 18th

Prospect of the Day:

Jon Harris, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (Low-A Lansing) 7 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K.
Harris really struggled in his first professional season, and he didn’t make it out of the first in his opener. He hasn’t given up an earned run since. The former Missouri State ace shows three plus pitches in his fastball, curve, and change, and he will show an average curveball just to be a jerk as well. Strike-throwing still isn’t a strength, but with his arsenal, that skill only needs to be average for him to be a quality pitcher. If it can get above that level, the upside is quite high.

Others of Note:

Max Kepler, OF, Minnesota Twins (Triple-A Rochester): 3-for-5, 3 R. Looks like he’s taken to his demotion just fine. Would have been fun to see him get more of a chance, though.

Cody Reed, LHP, Cincinnati Reds (Triple-A Louisville): 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. He was outdueled by Tyler Olson (I’m as surprised as you are), but he continues to miss bats and show he’s ready to contribute to the big-boy club.

Tim Anderson, SS, Chicago White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 2-for-5, R, 3B. Sure, you’d like to see more walks, but my goodness is he hot, and he has the talent to make this kind of run at least somewhat sustainable.

Zach Eflin, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley): 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6. Jake Thompson has the higher upside, but somewhat surprisingly, Eflin looks to be the more “big-league-ready” pitcher thanks to his ability to pound the zone with four pitches.

Ozzie Albies, SS, Atlanta Braves (Triple-A Gwinnett): 1-for-3, HR. That’s now three homers for Albies, a player most scouts (me included) graded as having 20 power coming into the year. A sign of things to come? Probably not. It’s still fun/nice to see.

Alex Bregman, SS, Houston Astros (Double-A Corpus Christi): 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, SB. When he starts playing third base. Oh, sorry. I thought you asked when we should start taking a Bregman call-up seriously.

Adalberto Mejia, LHP, San Francisco Giants (Double-A Richmond): 7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. His ability to add and take away from his offerings is advanced, and he’s getting ahead in the count, something that he hadn’t done consistently in the past.

Reynaldo Lopez, RHP, Washington Nationals (Double-A Harrisburg): 6 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K. I had received less-than-enthusiastic reports on Lopez this season. I’ll be very curious to see what those reports are after tonight’s start. I’ll leave a comment if/when I get them.

J.P. Crawford, SS, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 1-for-3, BB, SB. People keep asking me if there’s something wrong with Crawford. He’s getting on base and playing quality defense at a premium position. He’s fine.

Willy Adames, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (Double-A Montgomery): 2-for-5, 2 HR, BB. There’s always been raw power in Adames’ bat. It appears that’s beginning to show up in games now. This is a most positive development, indeed.

Kevin Kramer, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates (High-A Bradenton): 4-for-6, 2 R, BB, SB. If you’re looking for someone to man the hot corner with big power, Kramer is not your guy. He does have a chance for a plus hit tool, however, and he should be an adequate defender at third as well.

Trevor Clifton, RHP, Chicago Cubs (High-A Myrtle Beach): 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Clifton will show two plus pitches in his fastball and curve, and the change appears to be making some progress.

Adam Engel, OF, White Sox (High-A Winston Salem): 2-for-6, 2 R, 2 BB, SB. He’s hitting .389/.476/.500 since being demoted to High-A. He shouldn’t have been demoted in the first place.

Sam Howard, LHP, Colorado Rockies (High-A Modesto): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. Howard has only allowed two homers in his 42-plus innings in the Cal League, which speaks well of his ability to keep the ball down.

Anthony Alford, OF, Blue Jays (High-A Dunedin): 2-for-4, R, 2B. He’s really struggled, but he came into the game with a BABIP of .269, which is just impossibly low, especially for someone who can run like Alford.

Jonathan Hernandez, RHP, Texas Rangers (Low-A Hickory): Texas seems to grow guys like Hernandez—a projectable right-hander who shows three solid-average pitches—on trees. And when I say grow on trees, I mean spend a lot of money to get them into their system. Good for them.

Tyler Stephenson, C, Reds (Low-A Dayton): 3-for-6, 2 R, HR. He’s really struggled in his first full season, but that was to be expected, and he’s still one of the best catching prospects in baseball.

Jake Gatewood, IF, MIlwaukee Brewers (Low-A Wisconsin): 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, K. He’s on pace to join the very exclusive 25-homer, 10-walk club. I don’t think there’s anyone else in that club. I hope there isn’t anyone else in that club.

Eloy Jimenez, OF, Cubs (Low-A South Bend): 4-for-5, SB. I was getting asked a lot of questions about what was wrong with Jimenez not too long ago. Funny how tearing the cover off a baseball for a couple of weeks can quiet things down, isn’t it?

Francisco Mejia, C, Cleveland (Low-A Lake County): 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, BB, K. It seems like he’s been in the Cleveland system forever, but Mejia is still just 20, and the results are starting to match the talent.