MLB’s major league season is now ended, and the offseason reviews have begun. Today, we will review the top prospects that played in the advanced rookie leagues this season, the Pioneer League and the Appalachian League.
This is the second in a series of posts on the top ten prospects in each league. This series is not entirely indicative of where a player may end up in a top 100 MLB prospect list as a player may not have played long enough to be considered. There aren’t hard and fast rules here, just a general “was this guy here long enough to be considered” feel. On a short-season league, that’s probably about 40-50 plate appearances or a handful of starts. For a full-season league, it’d probably be about double that, but once again, that can be waived in general if a guy made such an impact on the league that it’s hard to ignore his impact on being part of that league.
Call to the Pen will be having a top 100 list released in the early winter, so be looking for that as well, but for now, this should whet your prospecting appetite outside of scouting reports to come on some of the top prospects in the game!
Pioneer League
1. Alec Hansen, RHP, Great Falls (White Sox) – At this time last fall, Hansen was considered a legitimate possibility for the #1 overall selection in the 2016 draft. He lost his arm slot and thus his location in the spring in college, and that caused him to drop to the second round. The White Sox worked with him, and he really showed that he was absolutely the guy everyone thought he cold be last fall, flashing a fastball that climbed into the upper 90s along with a wicked slider, a curve that showed plus in his pro time, and he dominated hitters, striking out 59 in only 37 innings in the Pioneer League on the year.
2. Riley Pint, RHP, Grand Junction (Rockies) – Pint was picked #4 in the 2016 draft by the Rockies, and after being featured in Jeff Passan’s “The Arm” book this summer, everyone knew about his high-end velocity. Pint definitely flashed that, but what sets Pint apart from most high school hard throwers is that he can throw an elite curve ball and a plus change. One of the things he struggles with right now is simply being consistent in his approach in all situations, but he has an elite repertoire that will be fun to track.
3. Lucas Erceg, 3B, Helena (Brewers) – Some issues with grades and reported “personality” red flags bumped Erceg from a first-round talent to being selected in the second round. He was a tremendous hitter in college, and he didn’t slow down once he hit Helena, slashing .400/.452/.552 before being promoted. Erceg has excellent spray power to all fields, and he’ll be a guy that could put the ball over the fence much more easily as he fills out into his frame. He has an excellent arm at third and can stay there just fine as well. The thing that really surprised many, including me, was how well Erceg ran in his pro debut, using high-level baseball smarts to steal eight bases versus one caught stealing even though Erceg has what I would grade as below-average speed.
4. Taylor Trammell, OF, Billings (Reds) – One of the most raw talents in the draft, Trammell was rumored as high as the early first round based on his raw tools, but fell down to the Reds in the second round for an over slot bonus. He came out and showed the incredible combination of power and speed in his athletic frame. He is an excellent defender that could be just fine in center but elite in left. Trammell hit 17 extra base hits and stole 24 bases on the year while putting up a .374 OBP. He did strike out at a very high rate, and that’s part of that raw skill set that will be brought along slowly, but Trammell certainly showed to be a very good value in the second round for the Reds.
5. D.J. Peters, OF, Ogden (Dodgers) – Quite arguably the biggest steal of day 2 of the 2016 draft, Peters was snapped out in the 4th round out of Western Nevada Community College by the Dodgers, and the 6’6, 225-pound outfielder came into the Pioneer League and showed his incredible athleticism and power. He tallied 40 extra base hits in just 262 at bats, but he’s not just a big plodder as he has very good speed, though it does take him a few steps to get to top speed, so he’ll likely never be a big base stealer. He showed good pitch recognition with 35 walks in his time in the PL as well. He’s a right field profile with his significant size, but he’s a guy who hits for good average to go along with his big power, something extremely rare to find.
6. Tony Santillan, RHP, Billings (Reds) – I’ve seen Santillan twice, and I caught bad games, but the reports I’ve received from others indicate that he could certainly rate much higher on this list. He has high-end velocity as he tops out over triple digits with his fastball, has a hard-biting slider and showed better movement on his change this year. I saw his arm slot all over the place, but he had much better luck keeping that arm slot in the Pioneer League, leading to 46 strikeouts in 39 innings, and more importantly only 16 walks over those same innings. He’s got a very high floor as a back-end reliever.
7. T.J. Friedl, OF, Billings (Reds) – This may be one of the more intriguing stories of the year. Friedl was absolutely missed in the draft. He was a redshirt sophomore for Nevada that hit .401 on the season, which would almost certainly earn a draft spot in the summer draft, but for some reason teams never registered that he was draft-eligible! While playing with Team USA this summer, the Reds were clued into this and approached Friedl. Due to their high bonus pool, they had the cash to sway him, paying him a bonus equivalent to an early 3rd round draft selection. He started late, but his bat never stopped once he got to the Pioneer League, as he slashed .347/.423/.545 over 121 at bats. He is a guy who profiles as a leadoff hitter and above average center fielder defensively.
8. Jahmai Jones, OF, Orem (Angels) – Very toolsy athlete that had a very positive season in the Pioneer League before having a rough introduction to the Midwest League. Jones is a guy who could be a very solid corner outfielder, but he has the athleticism to play center if he continues to work on his reads off the ball. He flashed both power and speed in the Pioneer League, but what was most impressive in his time in the Pioneer was his 21/29 BB/K rate over 196 at bats, showing the maturity in his approach that has come in the last season for the 2015 2nd round pick out of Georgia.
9. Keibert Ruiz, C, Ogden (Dodgers) – Ruiz was the youngest player in the Pioneer League this season in just his second year as a professional after signing as an international free agent in 2014 for $140K. The Dodgers are finding that they could have netted a bargain with that signing as he has exceptional defensive skills already and his bat is way ahead of most catchers at the same stage. A switch-hitter, Ruiz is more contact than power at this point, but his build also doesn’t really lead to a ton of power right now. As he fills out, his excellent contact skills could allow his power numbers to increase as well. He had a great line in Ogden, slashing .354/.393/.503, pounding the gaps with 18 doubles and two triples in just 189 at bats.
10. Gilbert Lara, SS, Helena (Brewers) – Lara was a major money signing two summers ago in the international market, but he’s struggled to produce since. Lara has had no struggles on the defensive side, as he’s viewed as an elite defender whose biggest issue could be getting too big in some eyes to stay at shortstop, in spite of his ability to handle the position. Lara’s bat, however, has yet to fully develop, though it flashes for sure. He has raw power that indicates a possible 15-25 home run hitter as he fills out, yet he’s athletic enough that he could also steal double-digit bases, but he needs to get better at pitch recognition to make those things happen.
Next: Appalachian League