TWiP (6/17/10): Mike Trout, Wilson Ramos, Eric Arnett, and More!

Welcome to the June 17, 2010 edition of This Week in Prospects! As always, feel free to ask questions!

Hot Shots

Travis Wood, LHP, Reds (AAA)—Wood is a very solid lefty pitcher who could turn into a more effective version of Oakland’s Dallas Braden, featuring a solid mid-80’s cutter and one of the best changeups in the minors.

Wood is 4-3 with a 3.56 ERA in 13 Triple-A starts this year, and is on the verge of breaking into the majors at age 23.

With an 81/20 K/BB ratio, including 33/3 against fellow lefties, Wood has been very effective and has shown precise command.

Furthermore, he’s got a 1.71 ERA and 21/3 K/BB in three June starts, so he’s improving as the season wears on.

Wood’s heat tops out around 91, but then again, so does Mark Buehrle’s. Wood may not be the next Buehrle, but he should be a very solid mid-rotation starter very soon.

(Other nine prospects after the jump).

Mike Trout, OF, Angels (Low-A)—Every week, when I’m looking for the ten players for that week’s TWiP, I start from the top (Triple-A) and work my way down. Often, by the time I’m in Low-A, I’ve already found three guys I really want to profile in this first section.

This week, though, annoyed that I kept missing Trout despite his huge year, I made sure to put him in first, before I looked at anyone else.

The 18-year-old is hitting .365/.443/.549 in Low-A, with 32 steals.

Anyone putting up those sorts of numbers deserves a long look, but an 18-year-old in a full-season league…wow. With Stephen Strasburg and Jason Heyward now in the majors, there’s no clear #1 overall prospect. I think Trout needs to be in the discussion.

Alex Torres, LHP, Rays (AA)—Torres is something of a lefthanded Mike Leake. He has ridiculous stats and a big array of good pitches, but average velocity and a small body make scouts wary.

Well, it’s worked out well for Leake, so why not Torres?

The lefty struck out 156 batters in 156 innings last year while posting a 2.77 ERA. This year, he’s at 2.42 with 77 K in 67 IP. He’s also improved his K/BB from 156/85 to 77/29.

Torres has only allowed three homers all year as well.

The lefty stands just 5’10”, but he’s got solid low-90’s heat to go with a huge curve and very good slider. His changeup is also a decent pitch.

Torres may not become the next Johan Santana, but he could become a more consistent version of Houston’s Wandy Rodriguez.

Slumping Stars

Wilson Ramos, C, Twins (AAA)—Ramos is a popular name thrown around in trade rumors. Seen as a guy who would be already starting if it weren’t for Joe Mauer, Ramos will likely be traded away from a Minnesota team that doesn’t really need him as long as Mauer’s healthy.

Ramos had a short cameo in the majors earlier this year for an injured Mauer. He got off to a very fast start and ultimately hit .296/.321/.407 in 27 at-bats.

Slow down, everybody.

Wilson Ramos is hitting just .229/.264/.346 in Triple-A, and is arguably the worst starting catcher in the International League, let alone the majors. He had a hot week in the majors and a hot first week of June in Triple-A, but he hit below .180 in Triple-A in both April and May—he’s nowhere near big-league ready.

Ramos is still 22, and he hit .317/.339/.496 last year, so it’s not like he’s never produced. But his plate discipline (33/7 K/BB) is a big issue that needs to be addressed, he’s not a very smooth receiver, and he’s never hit over 13 homers in a season, so his power hasn’t really showed up yet.

People freaked out about Jarrod Saltalamacchia like this a few years back when he was in the Atlanta system, and he turned out to be a fairly ineffective player (at least thus far) in the majors. Again, that was based on projection and a short hot streak, just like with Ramos. Hopefully, a team doesn’t make the mistake of assuming Ramos is a lock to be a plus MLB catcher.

Rymer Liriano, OF, Padres (Low-A)—Like Ramos, Liriano put up a big year last year, hitting .350/.398/.523 in Rookie ball.

The Padres thought they had a future leadoff guy on their hands, and that Liriano could progress quickly. He couldn’t.

Like Ramos, Liriano has an overly aggressive approach that simply hasn’t worked this year. He’s at .191/.234/.293, and put up a putrid .427 OPS in May. His K/BB is a Ramos-esque 54/10.

Sometimes, guys need to realize there’s only one Vladimir Guerrero every generation. Liriano has said he models his game after Guerrero, but it seems he doesn’t have the skills to make it work—let’s not forget Vlad rarely strikes out, while Liriano has done so over once per game, even in his huge 2009.

If you don’t walk much, you better put a lot of balls in play, and Liriano simply doesn’t right now.

The news isn’t all bad, though: Liriano’s just about to turn 19, so he’s plenty young. The Padres are likely to make him go to short-season Eugene once play starts there on Friday, and maybe he can get it going there. He’s got good speed and defense too.

Still, Liriano serves as a cautionary tale: Not everyone who dominates a short-season league can even compete in full-season ball the next year, even if scouts like their game.

Eric Arnett, RHP, Brewers (Low-A)—The first-round selection of the Brewers in 2009, Arnett showed some command issues in his pro debut (35/21 K/BB) but was otherwise solid.

This year, he has decent enough command (20 BB in 56 IP), but everything else has been horrific.

A 6’5” power pitcher should be able to strike out more than 43 batters in 56 innings in Low-A, particularly when that pitcher is 22 years old. Arnett has also inexplicably allowed 11 homers this year, despite playing in a pitcher-friendly league that plays even friendlier early in the year.

All told, he’s 0-7 with a 6.87 ERA, including an 11.25 mark in April and 7.27 in June.

Unlike Liriano or Ramos, Arnett doesn’t have the benefit of being young for his level—at his age, he really should be two levels higher if he’s a legitimate hot prospect. He has to fix his issues, particularly the homers, quickly, or he should probably move to relief.

Sleeper Alert!

J.J. Hoover, RHP, Braves (High-A)—The Myrtle Beach rotation has been well-documented, thanks to top prospects Randall Delgado and Julio Teheran, who both jump into the “best minor league pitcher” discussion with Stephen Strasburg in the majors.

J.J. Hoover is the fourth starter in the Pelicans’ rotation, behind Delgado, Teheran, and hotshot 19-year-old Arodys Vizcaino, but Hoover has the upside to wind up better than a fourth starter in the majors.

With a big, durable frame and an array of good pitches, Hoover is an efficient pitcher who is capable of getting strikeouts and grounders.

He’s got a nice fastball in the 90-95 range, two good breaking pitches, and a solid changeup. Hoover’s only allowed three homers in 69 innings and has a good 53/19 K/BB ratio.

He probably isn’t quite dominant enough to be a full-on ace in the bigs, but Hoover’s got some real potential. His upside is likely somewhere in between Joe Blanton and Chad Billingsley.

Scott Barnes, LHP, Indians (AA)—Barnes’ 2010 is Exhibit A on why minor league ERAs don’t always mean much.

His is 6.18, and yet the lefty really hasn’t done anything wrong.

He’s struck out over a batter per inning, K’d more than twice as many hitters as he’s walked, and allowed less than one homer per nine innings.

That all leads to a very good 3.72 FIP, which falls more in line with his 2.89 ERA in High-A last year.

Barnes is also on fire in June, with a 20/2 K/BB in 16 2/3 innings and no homers allowed.

The lefty has decent velocity in the 88-92 range and throws a plus changeup and solid curveball. He could well turn into Joe Saunders with more strikeouts, which is certainly useful.

Edgar Osuna, LHP, Royals (AA)—There are few easier ways to get overlooked than to be a small pitcher who throws an 83-87 mph fastball.

Don’t tell Osuna that; people are starting to notice him as he leads the Texas League in ERA with 1.77.

Of course, like I just said with Barnes, ERA isn’t everything, and Osuna doesn’t deserve a mark that low. Still, his 2.88 FIP indicates he’s doing plenty right.

What is it that he’s doing? Well, he just doesn’t walk anyone, with just eight walks in 71 innings. His strikeout rate is modest, but when put next to the walks, he gets a fantastic 49/8 K/BB ratio.

Osuna, 22, is certainly ready for Triple-A. Despite his lack of velocity, he’s not lacking in stuff. He throws a fantastic changeup and curveball to go with his fastball, so he simply changes speeds and keeps hitters guessing. Hey, Barry Zito won a Cy Young with an 86-88 mph fastball and a huge curve, so we shouldn’t artificially cap Osuna’s potential just because he doesn’t touch 90.

That said, Osuna isn’t going to be an ace; he doesn’t get enough strikeouts for that. Still, he could be a Mark Buehrle sort of pitcher if everything breaks right. At the very least, he could have a long career as a reliever who frustrates lefties with his curve, righties with his changeup, and everyone with how freaking slow he throws the damn ball compared to the starter he relieved.

The Quadruple-A Special

Matt Miller, OF, Rockies—I’ve been hoping Miller gets his shot for a while now. He’s done nothing but hit in the minors, but he’s always been old for his levels, and it’s not like the Rockies need outfield help.

The A’s just traded for Conor Jackson…I would’ve rather seen them get someone like Miller, who would likely cost less to acquire and be under team control for longer.

Miller’s a career .313/.376/.470 hitter in the minors, including .324/.391/.460 in three years of Triple-A time. He’s hitting .329/.402/.443 this year.

Miller isn’t just a lefty-masher, either: he actually has hit better against righties over his career, although he’s hit over .300 against both lefties and righties.

Miller isn’t blessed with the greatest speed in the world, but he’s a high-energy player who gets the job done decently in either outfield corner.

Like ex-Quad-A player Emil Brown, Miller doesn’t have the flashiest package of skills, but he’s got enough ability to hold down a starting spot in an MLB outfield corner for the next few years without embarrassing himself. He would also make for a tremendous NL reserve.

Miller’s hitting .431/.486/.585 in June. Come on, MLB teams. Someone free this guy.

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Tags: Alex Torres, Edgar Osuna, Eric Arnett, J.J. Hoover, Matt Miller, Mike Trout, Rymer Liriano, Scott Barnes, Travis Wood, Wilson Ramos