Image credit: © BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN via Imagn Content Services, LLC
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| Born: 09/03/1996 (Age: 25) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 218 |
| Mechanics |
| Calm windup with a partial leg kick and fully extended over-the-top arm action |
| Evaluator | Marc Delucchi |
| Report Date | 07/04/2022 |
| Affiliate | Eugene Emeralds (High A, Cubs) |
| Dates Seen | 7/4/2022 |
| OFP/Risk | 40/Medium |
| MLB ETA | 2024 |
| Video | No |
| Pitch Type | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 55 | 93 | 96 | Wong has gone away from his old sinker to a standard four-seamer, which was his most effective pitch on Monday. Ryan Bliss sat on the first pitch of the outing, blasting a 95 mph fastball more than 420 feet over the center field wall. However, Wong’s fastball was his most consistent pitch. His fastball was 94-96 for the first two innings before it settled in at 92-94 t96 over his next three+ innings of work. When Wong located his curveball, Hillsboro hitters struggled to keep up with the pitch’s velocity, however, it won’t be effective enough to carry him. |
| Curveball | 55 | 78 | 82 | The sharp power curveball is a promising secondary offering that has the characteristics of a potentially plus breaking ball. It generated some whiffs and a good amount of soft contact; however, he was unable to throw it for strikes and consistently bounced the pitch for easy takes. Won’t need to develop an excellent feel for his curveball for it to be an effective pairing with his fastball, but he’ll need to make some big strides with his command to maximize its full potential. |
| Changeup | 40 | 88 | 90 | Sporadically threw an upper-80s pitch that was difficult to classify. It did not have noticeable movement, but clearly was a change-of-pace pitch. Right now, there is not enough movement to make up for the minimal velocity disparity from the fastball. Without big improvements, this pitch probably isn’t usable at higher levels. |
| Overall |
| It’s been a tough road early in his pro career, but even at 25, the former third-round pick still has many of the traits that made him a highly regarded draft prospect. Wong can hold his velocity well enough to stick in the rotation, but his secondary offerings will probably force him to the pen. His curveball has plus potential, but he lacks a consistent feel for the pitch at the moment and is still searching for a viable third pitch. Still, Wong has the pieces to be a big-league reliever and could be a late-inning candidate if his velocity kicks up to the upper 90s with a lesser workload. |
| Born: 03/28/1999 (Age: 23) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 0′ 0″ | Weight: |
| Mechanics |
| Loose athletic over-the-top delivery with a standard leg kick/full extension. |
| Evaluator | Marc Delucchi |
| Report Date | 07/05/2022 |
| Affiliate | Hillsboro Hops (High A, D-backs) |
| Dates Seen | 7/4/2022 |
| OFP/Risk | 40/Medium |
| MLB ETA | 2025 |
| Video | Yes |
| Pitch Type | Future Grade | Sitting Velocity | Peak Velocity | Report |
| Fastball | 45 | 92 | 95 | Four-seam fastball was 92-94 t95 through the first two innings but faded to 90-92 t93 by the final 30 pitches of his outing. Hunter Bishop sat on a first-inning fastball for a massive home run well over 400 ft. |
| Slider | 50 | 83 | 86 | Sharp slider which tunnels well with the fastball and got a couple of swing throughs on Monday. There were a few 88-90 mph floaters that could have been bad changeups, but they seemed like sliders that slipped out and didn’t have a break. Jairo Pomares clobbered one for a double. Still, even when the slider did break, it tended to float up in the zone when he tried to throw it for a strike. If he can clean that up it has the potential to be an average big-league offering. |
| Curveball | 50 | 78 | 80 | Big swooping 11-5 curveball that generated whiffs and check swings, particularly against the least experienced hitters. He had a better feel for the pitch that his slider, but Hill struggled to keep it down when he tried to throw it for strikes. With that said, he did a good job placing it outside and low as a chase pitch. |
| Overall |
| Hill has three potential big-league pitches and an athletic 6-foot-1 frame, but has a below-average fastball and lacks a carrying tool at the moment. I could see Hill holding mid-90s velocity in the bullpen and being a solid middle reliever, but wouldn’t be surprised if he develops enough command to end up an up-and-down starter. |
| Born: 12/01/1999 (Age: 22) | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6′ 0″ | Weight: 224 |
| Primary Position: 1B | |
| Secondary Position: 3B | |
| Physical/Health |
| Extra-large frame, strong build with a thick lower half, physically mature. |
| Evaluator | Nathan Graham |
| Report Date | 06/27/2022 |
| Dates Seen | Multiple 2022 |
| Affiliate | Cedar Rapids Kernels (High A, Twins) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Video |
| 2024 | High | 55 | No |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 50 | More than just a slugger, Encarnacion-Strand’s contact ability will allow him to post decent averages at the major league level. There’s above-average bat speed and barrel control allowing him to hit with authority to all fields. He commands the strike zone well but can be thrown off balance by advanced spin. There are going to be some swing-and-miss concerns due to the length of the swing but his solid approach should keep the strikeouts in the acceptable range. |
| Power | 70 | Easy double-plus raw power generated by physical strength and plenty of loft in the swing. He chooses his spots well, attacking in hitters counts and driving the ball to all fields. The baseball jumps off of the bat, likely to produce 25-30 home runs per year at the major league level. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 40 | Sneaky athletic accelerates quicker than you would anticipate. Produced a 4.20 on a dig home to first base clock. Likely to settle in as a below-average runner as he ages. |
| Glove | 45 | Currently getting plenty of reps at third base but is likely to move to first in the near future. Decent hands and shows good instincts but lacks the lateral range to stick at the hot corner but will play fringe-average at first. |
| Arm | 50 | Average arm strength for the left side of the diamond, accurate and throws show good carry. |
| Overall |
| Encarnacion-Strand projects as an above-average first baseman/DH whose contact and power combination make him a middle-of-the-order run producer. His defensive limitations put a ton of pressure on the bat and he’s yet to prove himself against upper-level pitching. If the swing and miss don’t improve he could still see time on a second-division club, but there is also a positive risk that the bat clicks and he becomes an occasional All-Star. |
| Born: 12/07/2000 (Age: 21) | |
| Bats: Left | Throws: Right |
| Height: 6′ 2″ | Weight: 170 |
| Primary Position: CF | |
| Secondary Position: | |
| Physical/Health |
| Wiry athletic frame who works from an open, upright left-handed stance in the batter’s box with a smooth full-extension swing. |
| Evaluator | Marc Delucchi |
| Report Date | 07/06/2022 |
| Dates Seen | 6/15/2022, 6/17/2022, 6/18/2022 |
| Affiliate | San Jose Giants (Low A, Giants) |
| MLB ETA | Risk Factor | OFP | Video |
| 2025 | High | 45 | No |
| Tool | Future Grade | Report |
| Hit | 40 | When McCray made contact, even on foul balls, he tended to get the barrel on the ball. However, he had a concerning amount of whiffs in my looks. Numbers over the past two seasons (roughly 30% K-rate and .380 BABIP) are in line with someone struggling to put the ball in play, but making consistent hard contact.
Not a free swinger. His approach is just really inconsistent. He had some fantastic plate appearances where he made excellent takes, fouled off tough two-strike pitches, and barreled up a line drive. Then there were others where he was swinging out of his shoes at pitches out of the zone early in the count. I still think McCray will always have below-average K-rates and could get stalled when he reaches upper minors competition, but he has the bat speed to prove me wrong if he cleans up his approach. |
| Power | 50 | Has plus bat speed and barreled the ball at a decent clip, but his contact issues are going to force some adjustments that keep him from producing more than average home run power. |
| Baserunning/Speed | 60 | Has 60-70 grade speed right now and should be able to maintain it through his mid-20s. |
| Glove | 60 | He didn’t get great jumps in center field on my looks, but he made excellent recoveries and his speed allows him to play with that extra patience. McCray’s athleticism will keep him in center for the long haul. |
| Arm | 0 |
| Overall |
| I saw a too much swing and miss for me to be confident he’s a future big-league starter, but he has All-Star level tools. He currently projects on the strong side of a center field platoon with a Michael Saunders/Jackie Bradley Jr.-type high-end outcome. |
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