Image credit: Bill Mitchell Photography
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| Born: 06/01/1995 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 5′ 10″ | Weight: 190 |
| Mechanics |
| Shorter RHP, looks trimmer than last year, more defined musculature, still a rounder frame, will require maintenance; aggressive early tempo into high, rotational leg kick, rares back and chucks it from a three-quarters slot; above-average arm speed, loses balance point, struggles to execute with pitch-to-pitch timing consistency, will get too quick down the hill; effort through release, head whack, well below-average command, 40 projection; really struggles with consistency out of the stretch, semi-slide step, sub-1.2 on the regular, loses lower-half push without takeaway, velo will tick down |
| Evaluator | Wilson Karaman |
| Report Date | 05/23/2018 |
| Affiliate | Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (High A, Dodgers) |
| Dates Seen | 1x 2017, 2x 2018 |
| OFP/Risk | 50/High |
| Realistic | 45/middle-inning arm |
| MLB ETA | 2019 |
| Video | Yes |
| Pitch Type | Present Grade | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| FB | 50 | 55 | 92-94 | 97 | Above-average present sitting velo, projection to plus in relief role; some ride to it, solid-average movement, will wander around the zone on him, straightens out in upper quadrants, finish to beat barrels in zone but will leave in hittable locations too often; has shown 95-97 out-the-gate velocity in multiple starts, pitch can play there in relief role; will cut it occasionally in the high 80s, undeveloped variant |
| SL | 45 | 55 | 77-83 | 84 | Shape-shifter, hybrid pitch, will get sweepier right-right, harder vertical variant to lefties; above-average movement will flash plus when he gets more vertical, inconsistent execution, will roll it, loses plenty of ’em up and arm side; above-average projection with great consistency, some gap from present though |
| CH | 40 | 45 | 85-87 | 88 | Hard circle change, straight, occasionally draws out mild fade; contact pitch, limited swing-miss, enough to keep High-A hitters off barrel, between below-average velo separation, average movement, and poor command don’t see a path to an average third pitch here |
| Overall |
| Sheffield’s a fiery pitcher with a good baseline of stuff. He struggles to consistently execute a noisy delivery that has its share of effort, and the below-average command projection that ensues points him pretty squarely onto a relief track. He’s shown the ability over multiple starts to get to additional velocity when amped up at the outing’s start, and offers potential value in middle-inning relief with higher-leverage potential if command of his top two maxes out. |
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| Born: 03/09/1999 (Age: 19) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6′ 1″ | Weight: 185 |
| Primary Position: C | |
| Secondary Position: 1B | |
| Physical/Health |
| Strong frame, broad shoulders, thick lower half, bigger than listed 185 pounds; still has room for additional growth. |
| Evaluator | Nathan Graham |
| Report Date | 05/23/2018 |
| Dates Seen | 5X April-May 2018 |
| Affiliate | South Bend Cubs (Low A, Cubs) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2022 | High | 55 | 45/Second-Division Regular | Yes |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 45 | Balanced, slightly open stance, minimal load and leg kick, average bat speed, gets leverage; Doesn’t get a lot from the lower half, will get off balanced and hit off the front foot especially on secondaries, moderate barrel control, solid hand-eye. |
| Power | 55 | Plus raw power, generates lift in the swing, current approach is to pull but has the strength to go opposite way, very strong frame but lacks consistent lower half engagement, still some room for physical growth; projects to above average power. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 45 | Current average raw speed, average 4.27 home to first on multiple clocks, not a threat to steal but is not a liability on the bases; Will slow with physical maturity and time spent behind the plate, projects to slightly below average. |
| Glove | 50 | Raw but has physical tools to stick behind the plate, athletic with quick hands, inconsistent blocking balls down in the dirt but has shown agility, can be slow out of the crouch. |
| Arm | 55 | Above-average raw arm strength, quick transfers, throws show strong carry through the bag, inconsistent mechanics, has tendency to rush throws causing ball to sail arm side; with development arm could be a weapon. |
| Overall |
| Only 19, Amaya, a strong-armed catcher with some pop in his bat, is holding his own against more advanced Midwest League competition. Defensively he’s still raw with a lot of improvement still needed but the physical tools make it easy to envision a future everyday catcher. At the plate, Amaya shows quality bat to ball skills at the plate to go along with a leveraged, powerful swing. He’s a quality catching prospect with a profile of an above average major league starter. |
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| Born: 11/20/1995 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 176 |
| Primary Position: CF | |
| Secondary Position: 2B | |
| Physical/Health |
| Looks trim, athleticism intact after extended shoulder injury rehab last year, added strength to lower half, added explosiveness to stride, speed gains, has pretty well maxed physically |
| Evaluator | Wilson Karaman |
| Report Date | 05/31/2018 |
| Dates Seen | ~30x 2016-2018 |
| Affiliate | Lancaster JetHawks (High A, Rockies) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2019 | Moderate | 45 | 40/Nice versatile bench piece | Yes |
| Makeup |
| Has successfully battled back from multiple catastrophic injuries |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 50 | Fluid trigger, strong hands, advanced ability to manipulate barrel, quality plate coverage, line-drive stroke with all-fields utility; gets big in leverage situations, some ugly ABs with runners on, old vulnerabilities to same-hand spin and elevated velo creep back in, will lose top hand and slice off pitches, higher rate of INF pops and weak fly-ball contact; spoils pitches well, extends ABs; |
| Power | 30 | Strength to generate some loud contact, best swing plane geared towards line drives; will look to separate in hitting counts, loses swing when he does, limited game utility of fringe-average raw |
| Baserunning/Speed | 60 | Has gained a step with improved physicality, aggressive baserunner, solid reads and releases on steal attempts, efficient cross-over, multiple clean bags on above-average pops |
| Glove | 50 | Still tentative in reading contact and tracking, raw in space going back, plus closing speed into the gaps mitigated by present rawness of route-running, some projection for improvement, potential to provide average defensive value through fringe-average glovework across multiple up-the-middle positions on top of above-average potential in left |
| Arm | 40 | Mechanics have streamlined some on the move, more efficient catch-and-release, well below-average carry, below-average velocity, stretched in center, liability in gaps |
| Overall |
| The odd first-round (CBA) pick as a prep second-baseman in 2014, Wall has worked his way back from myriad serious injuries to earn a recent promotion to Double-A. The makings of a solid-average hit tool remain apparent, though lost developmental time has handicapped his ability to stay focused situationally, and he still comes out of his game and his swing at times. He’s a good pure hitter, though, and has speed and aggressiveness to burn on the bases. Lancaster is a difficult place to learn outfield reads on the fly, so potential for significant development in that area in higher minors. There is a considerable gap to make up at present. He doesn’t show an especially natural feel for center, which leaves him with a likely destination in left, where his speed can help him play as a solid defender. The potential for fill-in utility at second and in center opens up a path to some bench versatility even if the hit tool doesn’t quite get all the way there. |
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| Born: 06/27/1997 (Age: 20) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6′ 5″ | Weight: 225 |
| Primary Position: 1B | |
| Secondary Position: LF | |
| Physical/Health |
| Tall, long torso, and sturdy build with heavy muscle in core and legs. Carries a small amount of extra weight that shouldn’t be an issue. Fluid coordinated movements with better athleticism than body suggests. Explosive/strong hips and wrists. |
| Evaluator | Kevin Carter |
| Report Date | 06/06/2018 |
| Dates Seen | 4/21/2018, 4/22/2018 |
| Affiliate | Corpus Christi Hooks (AA, Astros) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| 2018 | Low | 60 | 55; Above-average regular | No |
| Makeup |
| Relaxed and steady throughout game. Treats 2-strike counts like 0-strike counts and maintains approach throughout PA. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 55 | Coordinated with above-average quickness that allows him to make contact on pitches high-and-in despite swing with some length to it. Generates plus bat speed with explosive hip movements. Likes to pull pitches over the plate, but occasionally will take a pitch the opposite way. Adjusts shoulder plane to location. Quality feel for barrel. Quality and patient approach at the plate, but sometimes struggles to pick up advanced breaking/offspeed. |
| Power | 60 | Better than plus raw strength generated by strong core, hips, and wrists. Swing has some upward plane, but generates more line drives than fly balls which will limit the game power to plus. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 45 | Athleticism allows him to accelerate and move well despite size, but is still ultimately a below-average runner. |
| Glove | 50 | Quickess and size will play well at 1B and should have average to above-average range at 1B. Hands are a bit firm, but despite that he will be able to make the routine scoops and plays. |
| Arm | 45 | Average or better arm strength, but very inconsistent accuracy cause the arm to play well below potential. |
| Overall |
| Yordan Alvarez profiles as an above-average regular at 1B due to quality athleticism and coordination that allows him to tap into his considerable raw strength at the plate. Alvarez has above average barrel control with a consistent swing tooled for hardest contact on line drives. He has the raw strength to hit 35 or more home runs, but swing will likely not tap fully into his HR potential.
Alvarez can play an average 1B where his quickness and coordination will allow him to make the routine plays despite less than stellar hands. He can fill in at LF where his range and arm will cause him to be below-average. Alvarez might not improve with his pitch recognition enough to his his profile as an above average regular, but his adjustments in game suggest that it’s a relatively small concern. Overall, Yordan Alvarez profiles as an above-average regular with the potential to move beyond that with a swing that utilizes more of his raw power without sacrificing too much contact. |
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| Born: 09/13/1997 (Age: 20) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Left |
| Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 195 |
| Primary Position: LF | |
| Secondary Position: CF | |
| Physical/Health |
| Lean and extremely athletic with a good bit of physical projection remaining. |
| Evaluator | Scott Delp |
| Report Date | 06/09/2018 |
| Dates Seen | April/May 2018; six games |
| Affiliate | Daytona Tortugas (, Reds) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Realistic Role | Video |
| Late 2020 | Medium | 60 | 55; Above-average regular | No |
| Makeup |
| Trammell plays the game hard and never takes anything for granted on the field. Puts pressure on the defense to make plays and is aware of defensive situations. Have never seem him hang his head or dwell on a failure or mistake. |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 60 | Swing can get a bit long and there is more swing and miss than you’d like right now, but he still gets to a lot of pitches. Patient and seems to understand both his strengths and limitations. Controls the barrel and can use the whole field, especially against left-handed pitching. Open stance without much in the way of a stride or leg kick. Very quiet. Stance allows him to see the ball sooner, but he sometimes stays a bit too open and loses some power potential. |
| Power | 60 | Average present power, but the likelihood that he grows into his body a bit should allow him to develop to plus, especially with some minor adjustments to his approach. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 60 | Again, assuming he adds bulk, he may slide to above-average speed from the near elite present grade. Still adjusting to his new level as a base stealer and needs to learn reads of pitchers. Will force the issue on first-to-third and elsewhere on bases. |
| Glove | 50 | Should be at least average wherever he winds up, but he is more likely to see most of his big league time in left. Can cover plenty of ground there. Reacts well of the bat and takes good routes. Not afraid around the wall. |
| Arm | 40 | While he shows occasional flashes, the arm is the biggest question mark among all of his tools. Does not generate consistently strong carry. Arm should be average for LF, but will be fringy in CF. |
| Overall |
| Though there are certainly flaws right now, Trammell shows strong refinement for a player who was never a full-time baseball player until he turned pro. The Reds signed him away from a football scholarship at Georgia Tech so he has just begun to approach his development potential. As such, I’m on the optimistic side with Trammell. He likely will settle in as a .280 hitter with 20 HR and 20 SB, those those power/speed numbers may move based on how his body develops. |
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