Astros Prospects Among Notable Week 2 High-A Performances

Mar 5, 2015; Jupiter, FL, USA; A general view of baseballs on the field at Roger Dean Stadium prior to a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to week two of GotC’s High-A ball recap. Last week, we saw Giants prospects off to hot starts in the California League, outfielders dominating the Carolina League and pitchers flummoxing offenses in the Florida State League.

Not much has changed in the overall standings, but some teams did move up in the standings. In the California League, the Lancaster JetHawks went 5-3 to tie Rancho Cucamonga atop the South Division, and in the FLSL South, the Bradenton Marauders went 5-2 to move into a tie for second place with the Palm Beach Cardinals.

In order to make these updates interesting and keep readers informed about as many prospects as possible, I’m going to do my best to avoid mentioning the players multiple weeks in a row. Sometimes a hitter will get on a hot streak and highlighting his success will be unavoidable, but in general don’t expect a weekly Mike-Papi-update. (Yes, he’s still hitting under .200 in case you were wondering.)

With that, let’s dive in to the California League…

Next: California League

California League
North
Visalia Rawhide (Diamondbacks)—14-4
Bakersfield Blaze (Mariners)—10-8
Modesto Nuts (Rockies)—7-11
Stockton Ports (Athletics)—7-11
San Jose Giants (Giants)—7-11

South
Lancaster JetHawks (Astros)—10-8
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Dodgers)—10-8
Inland Empire 66ers (Angels)—9-9
High Desert Mavericks (Rangers)—8-10
Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres)—8-10

Notable performances:
We start with two Astros first base prospects who are having differing degrees of success. Chase McDonald is slashing .343/.387/.642 even after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts Sunday. He has five homers, second in the league, and has driven in 14 runs. He’s also struck out 25 times in 17 games, so he fits right in with the Astros’ fixation on all-or-nothing hitters, but it’s working so far. A.J. Reed is having a rougher time; he’s hitting .226 but has drawn 10 walks in his 17 games and thus has a respectable .364 OBP. He also has three homers and 18 Ks, so these two may be competing for the titles in both categories.

More from MLB Prospects

Dodgers catching prospect Kyle Farmer is having a better second go at High-A ball. After a fruitful 57 games in A-ball, Farmer struggled in a 36-game stint in Rancho Cucamonga in 2014, slashing .238/.306/.292. This season, he’s off to a .365/.414/.596 clip and has even stole four bases.

Pitchers building on strong performances in the second week of play are Ryan Butler (Lake Elsinore), Edwin Diaz (Bakersfield) and Victor Alcantara (Inland Empire). Butler is third in the league in ERA (1.16) and has only walked three batters in 23 1/3 innings, leading to a promising 4.67 K/BB ratio. Diaz, the Mariners No. 7 prospect according to MLB.com, has a 1.89 ERA in four starts and has the league’s third best WHIP (.79). Alcantara, the Angels’ No. 9 prospect, has a 2.37 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through four starts.

Next: Carolina League

Carolina League
North
Frederick Keys (Orioles)—11-7
Potomac Nationals (Nationals)—9-8
Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)—8-9
Lynchburg Hillcats (Indians)—7-10

South
Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs)—9-7
Carolina Mudcats (Braves)—8-8
Salem Red Sox (Red Sox)—8-9
Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox)—7-9

Notable performances:
I mentioned earlier this week that outfielders were dominating the Carolina League offensive leaderboards, and that has changed. One of the players mentioned has an odd lack of power numbers, however. Clint Frazier, the Indians’ first round pick in 2013, doesn’t have a home run in 65 at bats, and he only has four extra base hits, all doubles, leading to a sluggish .338 slugging percentage. His power bat is supposed to be one of his better tools, and this is still a very small sample size, so we’re a long way to hitting the worried button, but it is something to keep on your radar.

More from Call to the Pen

Winston-Salem pitcher James Dykstra is doing his best Greg Maddux impersonation by only allowing one walk and one run in his 20 innings pitched. Dykstra, who threw a no-hitter back on April 15, has a been using groundouts to fuel his success: he’s allowed 3.18 groundouts for every out in the air, and those ground balls have allowed him to hold opposing offenses to a .097 AVG.

Two Braves prospects are also having notable starts to the season. Steve Janas has allowed two runs and a .175 AVG against in his 18 innings and has struck out 13 while only walking one. His teammate, Lucas Sims, has carried his struggles from 2014 with him to 2015. Sims has walked nine batters in 12 innings, and only struck out 12 in 12 innings, continuing his less-than-desirable K/BB ratio from 2014 (1.88). That ratio has fallen each of the past two seasons, his this is not an encouraging trend.

Next: Florida State League

Florida State League
North
Daytona Tortugas (Reds)—10-7
Tampa Yankees (Yankees)—10-8
Clearwater Threshers (Phillies)—9-9
Dunedin Blue Jays (Blue Jays)—9-9
Brevard County Manatees (Brewers)—8-9
Lakeland Flying Tigers (Tigers)—7-11

South
Charlotte Stone Crabs (Rays)—12-6
Bradenton Marauders (Pirates)—10-8
Palm Beach Cardinals (Cardinals)—10-8
St. Lucie Mets (Mets)—9-9
Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins)—7-11
For Myers Miracle (Twins)—6-12

Notable Performances:
Javier Betancourt and Grayson Greiner, two Tigers prospects with Lakeland, are showing their youth. Betancourt, 19, is hitting .182 and has only scored one run. His glove is generally viewed as what will get him to the majors if he makes it that far, but this is a troubling sign considering his AVG, OBP and SLG all fell at least 70 points from 2013 to 2014. Greiner a 2014 third-round draft pick, had a promising 26-game stint as a pro in 2014, hitting .322 with two home runs, but he’s hitting .125 and has 13 strikeouts in 48 at bats in 2015. Both players are young and should improve as the season progresses.