MLB: Top Ten Prospects In the Northwest and New York-Penn League
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 short-season A-ball leagues this season, the Northwest League and the New York-Penn League.
This is the third 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!
Northwest League
1. Leody Taveras, OF, Spokane (Rangers) – Taveras played in three leagues this summer in his first pro season after being signed out of the Dominican Republic last summer. Started in the Dominican Summer League, moved up to the Arizona Rookie League, and played his last month with Spokane. He did not put up outstanding numbers with Spokane, but he flashed those incredible tools of his, showing power and speed, even though he didn’t make great contact, hitting only .228 in his 123 at bats in the league.
2. Dylan Cease, RHP, Eugene (Cubs) – Many don’t realize that the drafting of Kyle Schwarber by the Cubs in 2014 was actually a drastic under pay in slot, money the Cubs used to gobble up high school arms that had priced themselves out of the first couple of rounds. One of those was Georgia native Cease, who they snagged in the 6th round. Cease had Tommy John surgery that summer, which delayed the start of his impact on the Cubs system, but he announced his presence with authority this season. He posted a 2.22 ERA and 1.16 WHIP while striking out 66 in only 45 innings. Cease touched triple digits with his fastball on multiple occasions, topping out at 101. He has a monster curve to go with the big fastball. His command was coming back from surgery, as is to be expected. Cease has tremendous upside as a possible ace if he can bring his change along.
3. Kyle Lewis, OF, Everett (Mariners) – Lewis was one of the best power hitters in the draft in 2016, but he was a top 5 expected pick until he did the final interviews with teams, which typically include medicals. I know of at least one team who removed Lewis completely from their board after doing medicals with him. Now, I’ve not heard at all what the concern in those medicals were, but it was concerning to hear that, and then to see Lewis hit tremendously well with Everett before blowing out his knee in a gruesome way. One Physical Therapist that was discussing the diagnosed injury for Lewis stated that this could be a multiple season issue, and that he could never be able to be a full-time outfielder again based on his experience with the injury Lewis suffered. The bat is absolutely real, and he showed it with a .299/.385/.530 line with 16 extra base hits in only 117 at bats before the injury. It would be a shame if that was the peak of what we see from Lewis.
4. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Salem-Keizer (Giants) – Reynolds was among a number of college selections that the Giants made in this June’s draft. Reynolds was the first of these selections, and while he may not have any single tool that would grade as “plus”, he has above average tools across the board. He flashes solid contact skills, good power, good speed, solid defense, though probably better suited for a corner than center field, but his outfield partners in the NYPL really predicated him playing center. Reynolds slashed .312/.368/.500 with 18 extra base hits. His switch-hitting stroke has excellent gap power that could lead him to the majors as at least a 4th outfielder that hangs around for quite a while in the league.
5. Heath Quinn, OF, Salem-Keizer (Giants) – One of my favorite hitters in the draft, Quinn somehow fell all the way to the 3rd round, and he’s the second member of the S-K outfield you see here, and Gio Brusa, the third member of the outfield, would end up on the list if I went another 5 players. Quinn is a pure hitter with an excellent contact tool and big time power. He hit .337/.423/.571 with 9 home runs. Quinn does have strikeout issues, but he also walks plenty as well. Quinn has enough range to stay in right field where his excellent arm plays very well. His big bat could be an impact in San Francisco fairly quick.
6. Joey Lucchesi, LHP, Tri-City (Padres) – Many would be surprised to see the 4th rounder this high, even after he led the country in strikeouts in 2016. Lucchesi is a guy who uses deception and excellent command to have his low-90s fastball much more successful, multiple curves, and a very good change. Lucchesi may not grade out with elite pitches, but he’s extremely smart on the mound, and he should move very quickly through the system (a good thing since he’s 23). His final stats were 40 innings with a 1.35 ERA and a 2/53 BB/K ratio (seriously!!). I would put him on your radar if you’re a guy in a dynasty league.
7. Anderson Tejeda, SS, Spokane (Rangers) – Tejeda was a cheap sign in 2014, signing for $100K out of the Dominican. He made his pro debut this year, and he showed surprising big power in his bat, ranking in the top 5 in the league in home runs, in spite of playing less than 1/3 of the league schedule. Tejeda did strike out at a tremendous rate (over 1/3 of his plate appearances) and had absolutely no doubles, only 8 home runs and one triple, so the power numbers could have been fluky. Tejeda has the range and quickness to stick at short, but his arm could eventually preclude a move to second base, but his raw power at either position would be among the elite if he can work on his pitch recognition further.
8. J.B. Woodman, OF, Vancouver (Blue Jays) – Woodman was the biggest variance guy I had in pre-draft reports. Guys who liked him thought his power was game-changing and could translate to a 65-70 level power bat in professional baseball. Those who didn’t like him felt his strikeout rate was such that he’d never be able to tap into that power. Woodman received some comparisons to Andrew Benintendi among those who really, really liked him, and there could be an argument that his pro debut certainly aligned more with Benintendi’s.
9. Matt Krook, LHP, Salem-Keizer (Giants) – Call me an optimist, but I caught two games of Krook, and his stuff was some of the most electric I’d seen of any college pitcher this year. His control was simply terrible, and there’s no two ways around that, but he has a low-90s fastball that can touch 94-95. He has a breaking ball and a change that, when they are on, are plus to plus-plus pitches. From the left side, that’s three plus to plus-plus pitches. If he can get his landing point consistent, which will in turn allow his release point to be more consistent, he can improve his control and has the opportunity to be a top of the rotation type of pitcher if he can simply keep the ball in the zone.
10. Justin Maese, RHP, Vancouver (Blue Jays) – The 2015 3rd rounder started out in the Northwest League, and he was so solid in 5 starts that he was bumped up. That led a lot of guys to over-rank Maese in my eyes. He has a tremendous sinking fastball that generates a ton of ground balls. Still just 19, Maese also has a slider and change, but the slider is what looked to me like a pitch with a major league future. A sinker-slider guy can succeed as a 4-5 starter, but most likely that’s a relief profile.
Next: New York-Penn League
New York-Penn League
1. A.J. Puk, LHP, Vermont (Athletics) – Puk was rumored as a top-2 selection for the 2016 draft at this time in 2015. He had a spring that really didn’t show a ton of production, though at the same time it continued what Puk does – flash big potential, striking out 101 in 73 2/3 innings in college. The 6’7, 220-pound lefty has the stuff and the size to be a guy who could eat up a ton of innings with repeatable mechanics and high-end stuff, slotting perfectly as a #2 sort of guy, perhaps even a “staff ace” in the mold of a James Shields when he was with the Rays. However, the potential out-weighed the production again in the NYPL, not going deep, but showing a high-90s fastball that has excellent downward plane along with flashes of brilliance from his slider. He put up a 3.03 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 33 innings in the NYPL.
2. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Mahoning Valley (Indians) – If Puk is a guy all about potential, McKenzie is a guy who started putting some potential into production in 2016. The 2015 42nd overall pick out of high school only allowed 3 earned runs the entire season in 49 innings, striking out 55 batters. He showed some solid smarts on the mound, setting up hitters well with his fastball/curve combo to get them flailing at his change. He has projection left physically in his 6’5 frame, which could add a tick of velocity as well. This isn’t a typical 1-2 ranking, it’s definitely a 1a-1b, and the only difference is that Puk has the velocity already that McKenzie will need to be that front line guy.
3. Dane Dunning, RHP, Auburn (Nationals) – I’m a bigger fan of Dunning than most, and when he was selected in the first round by the Nationals, many thought it was a “cheap” pick to save money. Dunning would have been a #1 starter for nearly any other college in the nation other than Florida. He’s got a fastball that reaches upper 90s, but he usually sits more like 93-94 with good movement low in the zone. He has a very good change along with an excellent slider, if not inconsistent righ tnow. I’m a big fan of his ability to pound the zone right now, and his slider flashes the ability to develop into a swing-and-miss pitch. He’s got the build of a prototypical #2/#3 starter that eats a ton of innings.
4. Desmond Lindsay, OF, Brooklyn (Mets) – Two hamstring injuries have slowed the progress of Lindsay. He was a third baseman in high school, but the Mets have moved him to the outfield upon his pro debut, and he’s still picking up the nuances of picking up the ball off the bat in center field, though he has the speed and arm to handle center well as he develops the ability to pick up the ball off the bat. Lindsay’s offensive profile is quite mature for a teenager. He could develop raw power in the future, but at this point, he has excellent gap power with a solid eye and pitch recognition. He’s also an elite runner. Lindsay could end up being a leadoff type with power as he develops, but with his injury history, he’ll be given time to develop in 2017.
5. Justin Dunn, RHP, Brooklyn (Mets) – A college closer until his final year of college, when Boston College moved him to the mound, Dunn had a wide variety of opinions in pre-draft evaluations. Many worried about his uptick in innings this year, others were blown away by the raw skills in the transition to starting. He has a mid-90s fastball that can touch 98-99 along with a curve, slider, and change. Dunn is a tremendous athlete, which also is a positive as far as maintaining his move to the rotation from the bullpen. I heard a lot of good things about his pitches, but I’ve also heard more than one scout wonder aloud about his ability to hold up in another year or two after the drastic increase in innings he faced this year.
6. Will Craig, 3B, West Virginia (Pirates) – Craig was the highest-rated college bat in the draft, but concerns about his defensive future dropped him below a few other fellow college hitters. He did struggle some initially in his pro debut, but he caught fire as the season wore on, flashing his power bat and showing excellent strike zone judgement. I am a little concerned about the reports on his defense, which some said was possible average at third and others said was bad enough that he’d have to be a DH-only. Still, hitting 14 extra base hits and walking 41 times in 218 at bats is a pretty impressive first season and should give Craig more chances to find a spot to play his glove in order to get that bat in the lineup.
7. Bobby Dalbec, 3B, Lowell (Red Sox) – I was flabbergasted when Dalbec slipped all the way to the 4th round. While he struggled in the spring at the plate, Dalbec was leaned on incredibly hard by his team off of the mound all the way to being the NCAA runner up. However, this is a guy who led the Cape Cod League in home runs last summer and was well-regarded for his big power with solid grades at third base. He led his team in home runs with 7 in just 132 at bats in his pro debut. He will strike out plenty at the plate, but he has good contact skills and monster power as well.
8. Cody Sedlock, RHP, Aberdeen (Orioles) – Here’s one guy that I differ from a lot of consensus writing I’ve seen so far. While Sedlock’s raw talent is undeniable, I’ve never seen a starter profile in Sedlock. I do think he’ll be an incredible reliever, worthy of a ranking this high, even. He had pitched very little before this year, and suddenly, he was the workhorse for his college, and while the Orioles handled him wisely by limiting him to 3 innings per start, I do think that he’ll eventually have to have the training wheels taken off as a pro, and I think it will be a bumpy ride as a starter. He walked 4.3 BB/9 in his pro debut, one of the things I noted in his college performances. He has a three pitch mix that is all above-average in a fastball, curve, and slider.
9. Brady Aiken, LHP, Mahoning Valley (Indians) – The 2014 #1 overall selection by the Astros before contract squabbles led to Aiken enrolling in IMG Academy in order to be eligible again in 2015. Aiken ended up with surgery before the 2015 draft, and the Indians took a chance on him in the first round. He made his debut in 2016, and the NYPL was his second stop on his season. His numbers weren’t amazing for sure, with a 4.43 ERA and 1.25 WHIP, but he did have 22 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings, showing his pre-surgery velocity was back that made him a legit #1 selection.
10. Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Connecticut (Tigers) – After turning down the Dodgers in 2015, Funkhouser really struggled in the spring with Louisville to find his top-end stuff. This caused him to fall all the way to the 4th round to the Tigers, and they are already very pleased that they made the decision to take the gamble on Funkhouser. He posted a 2.65 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 37 1/3 innings in his pro debut, all in the NYPL. He also struck out 34 to just 8 walks after struggling with location in his college season. Funkhouser got glowing reports from 2/3 guys I asked about him, one going so far as to say that he thought Funkhouser looked better now than he did pre-draft in 2015 when he was selected in the first round by the Dodgers.
Next up will be the full-season low-A leagues, the South Atlantic League and the Midwest League, so look forward to those!