MLB: Carolina, California, Florida State League Top Prospects

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MLB’s regular season is now ended, and the offseason reviews have begun. Today, we will review the top MLB prospects that played in the three high-A leagues this season, the Carolina League, the California League and the Florida State League.

This is the fifth in a series of posts on the top ten MLB prospects in each league. This series is not entirely indicative of where a player may end up in a top 100 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!

California League

1. Yusniel Diaz, OF, Rancho Cucamonga (Dodgers) – Shoulder injuries kept Diaz from the field for parts of the season, but when he was there, scouts raved about what they saw. He has tremendous defensive ability that should handle center field without an issue and plenty of arm to profile in right field if he is moved out of center. Diaz has tremendous raw power, but it didn’t play up as over-the-fence power in game, and his instincts on the bases could use some work (eight caught stealing in 15 attempts). However, the raw skills are tremendous across the board here, and Diaz could end up profiling as a 20-25 home run, 25-30 steal center fielder.

2. Chris Shaw, 1B, San Jose (Giants) – Shaw was incredibly impressive in 2016. He’s a big guy (6’4, 235) that gets tremendous power in his swing. However, he’s not just a pure power guy. He was able to show the ability to have solid contact skills as well. Shaw’s also fairly adept around the first base bag, considered above-average as a defender. Overall, Shaw hit 21 home runs between San Jose and AA.

3. Grant Holmes, RHP, Rancho Cucamonga/Stockton (Dodgers/Athletics) – Traded midway through the season, Holmes really struggled once he was traded. His heavy fastball and power curve are both excellent pitches, but right now he struggles to show a third pitch. If he can do that, he’ll quickly be an elite prospect as a starter, but right now, he may end up more a back-end starter or an elite reliever.

4. Ryan Castellani, RHP, Modesto (Rockies) – A sinker/slider guy with a developing change, Castellani added positive weight in the offseason, which added velocity, bringing his fastball to 91-95. He does still have moments where his talent is ahead of his baseball instincts, and he can get swallowed up by the moment, but Castellani fought through these moments enough to pitch 168 innings, only allowing 8 home runs in a traditional hitter’s league.

5. Michael Gettys, OF, Lake Elsinore (Padres) – Gettys was promoted from low-A to Lake Elsinore, and he took up his hitting to another level, showing much more power, knocking out nine home runs to go with his nine steals in 248 at bats. Gettys did struggle with a 17/77 BB/K ratio, but he showed plenty of ability to be a high-level defender along with a power/speed combination hitter.

6. Luis Urias, IF, Lake Elsinore (Padres) – Urias was the youngest player in the Cal League, yet he won the league’s batting title. He showed an exceptional ability to handle the bat and was very difficult to strike out as well. His power right now is gap power at best, and his instincts on the bases prevent his speed from translating to stolen bases right now (he was caught 13 times in 20 steal attempts). Defensively, he has excellent hands and receives the ball well, but he struggled with range enough for shortstop, though he profiled as an elite defensive second baseman.

7. Travis Demeritte, 2B, High Desert (Rangers) – The Georgia native was traded to the Braves in late July, and he hit tremendously well in the Cal League before his trade. He had only hit in 331 at bats, yet Demeritte had 25 home runs and 13 steals. Demeritte struck out plenty on the season, and that’s going to be his biggest issue as he works up the minors, now with the Braves system.

8. Ariel Jurado, RHP, High Desert (Rangers) – The Panamanian native showed excellent sinker/slider with a solid change that he threw with excellent control. While he controlled his three pitches well, his command within the zone could still use some work. He will generate a ton of ground balls and he will need to continue to attack hitters rather than simply sit back for grounders, as he did a few times on the season. However, his elite ground ball rate should give him a high floor.

9. Yency Almonte, RHP, Modesto (Rockies) – The leading strikeout man in the league when he was promoted to AA, Almonte showed elite velocity that reaches upper-90s along with a hard slider and a change that is making strides. Almonte will need to work on his command within the strike zone as he does keep the ball in the zone.

10. Domingo Leyba, IF, Visalia (Diamondbacks) – In his second season in the league, Leyba hit much better. His defense was quite good last year, and he continued this in 2016. His biggest knock defensively is an average to fringe-average arm. That could predicate a move to second base in the future. He did make big strides in pitch recognition in 2016, and continuing that move forward will allow his average to above-average power and speed to play up with excellent contact.

Next: Carolina League

Carolina League

1. Yoan Moncada, 2B, Salem (Red Sox) – Moncada is the #1 prospect in the entire game due to his tremendous balance of power and speed. Carolina League pitchers dealt more with the speed while he was in the league, as he stole 36 bases in only 228 at bats. He’s got a tremendous ability to keep the bat in the zone but to also deliver power, which is a rare combination. His 6’2, 205-pound frame is very built, as can be seen in the picture with David Ortiz. Moncada played second base in the Carolina League, but he’s likely going to have his future at third base with the Red Sox, and he absolutely has the arm to handle third base.

2. Andrew Benintendi, OF, Salem (Red Sox) – Benintendi jumped all the way to the majors in such speed that many felt he had surpassed Moncada. He came to the Red Sox out of college and was mature in his approach at the plate and in the field. Benintendi would be a center fielder in any organization without an all-world defender like Jackie Bradley, Jr. in center field already. Benintendi has an excellent blend of power and speed, with grades of 60 and 65 on his power and speed grades, respectively. Translating, that would put Benintendi at a 20/20 threat consistently as a professional.

3. Victor Robles, OF, Potomac (Nationals) – We looked at Robles in the South Atlantic League list, and he is a tremendous defensive center fielder with a very high-level hit tool and elite speed. His transition to high-A was not quite as impressive offensively as his time in the Sally League. He did end up posting a .354 on base over his 168 at bats, stealing 18 bases. Robles really received notice in the Carolina League for his arm in the outfield alongside his already well-known defensive range.

4. Gleyber Torres, SS, Myrtle Beach (Cubs) – Torres took a big step forward defensively this season, assuaging any concerns that scouts had about him sticking at shortstop long-term. He has received comments from some that he would grade out as a 7 or 8 grade defender on the 2-to-8 scouting scale. That’s consistent Gold Glove type of play. On top of that, he also took a step forward at the plate, showing power to go along with his present speed, hitting 9 home runs along with stealing 19 bases. Torres still shows youthful mistakes at times, as his 10 caught stealing displays in spite of high-end speed. Torres did strike out 87 times over 356 at bats, which is a high rate, but he did lower this after his trade to the Yankees.

5. Michael Kopech, RHP, Salem (Red Sox) – Kopech got a late start to the season after he broke his hand during a fight with a teammate in the spring. He showed up with Salem once healthy and was absolutely dominant. His fastball can top triple digits with relative ease, sitting in the upper 90s. Kopech pairs his fastball with an incredible slider and a change that has been very effective, sitting in the 88-91 range. Kopech’s combination of stuff was near impossible for Carolina League hitters to handle, as he struck out 82 in 52 innings and allowed a .147 average against.

6. Francisco Mejia, C, Lynchburg (Indians) – Mejia became well known this summer for a 50-game hitting streak. The incredible part of that streak, which ended while he was with Lynchburg, was that he started in low-A, was promoted, was traded to the Brewers, the trade was then rescinded when Jonathan Lucroy exercised his no-trade clause, and he kept hitting through all of it. His arm draws absolutely rave reviews behind the plate, and he moves very well laterally. At only 20, Mejia is very mature in the skills that a catcher would need for big league success, and he also put up a .333/.380/.488 line in 168 at bats in high-A.

7. Rafael Devers, 3B, Salem (Red Sox) – Devers was considered as one of the top 20-40 prospects in the entire game at the beginning of the season. Devers was hitting below .200 as the calendar turned to June as teammates Benintendi and Moncada were promoted to AA. He went on such a hot streak that he ended up finishing the season hitting .284 with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases. Devers has some issues with an inconsistent swing that will likely be high maintenance as he progresses, but he has very good hands with solid power. Devers defensively is incredibly elite at third base.

8. Erick Fedde, RHP, Potomac (Nationals) – Fedde was returning from Tommy John surgery, and he worked to get his feel back with Potomac. As soon as he got that feel, he moved quickly to AA. In 18 appearances, he had a 2.85 ERA with 92 innings and a 19/95 BB/K ratio. He works with a three-pitch mix, including a 92-96 MPH fastball, a slider, and a change. Fedde’s the oldest guy on this list, but he’s a guy that was selected in the first round for a reason, and he made big strides in that recovery this season.

9. Bobby Bradley, 1B, Lynchburg (Indians) – Bradley may be a 1B-only profile, and his .235 batting average may not inspire a lot of intrigue, but he did hit 29 home runs in a league where double digit home runs at all is impressive power. Bradley has ridiculous huge power. He will strike out plenty for sure, but he still walked plenty as well, achieving a .344 on base in spite of his .235 average. Bradley is going to need to work on shortening his swing with two strikes to help with that batting average to be viable as he climbs the ladder, but his power will give him plenty of chances.

10. Zack Collins, C, Winston-Salem (White Sox) – Collins came into the 2016 draft season as arguably the best college hitting prospect, but concerns about his defense behind the plate dropped him to the 10th pick. In the end, many teams picking earlier may regret not grabbing Collins as his bat was everything advertised, and his defense was much better than so. His defense did get some variety of reviews, with an average arm and some work needed on his footwork behind the plate, but he did very well moving laterally and framing pitches. He hit six home runs over 120 at bats, showing off his impressive power.

Next: Florida State League

Florida State League

1. Gleyber Torres, SS, Tampa (Yankees) – As can be read above in the Carolina write-up, Torres’ glove took a big leap forward, and he should have a definite career as a shortstop going forward. The big thing that changed when he came to Tampa in trade was that he took a big step in his pitch recognition. While Torres has been compared to Javy Baez in his power/speed combo along with his proclivity to strikeouts, he struck out in less than 17 percent of his plate appearances with Tampa.

2. Amed Rosario, SS, St. Lucie (Mets) – The biggest debate in this list is who is #1 between Torres and Rosario. Rosario has a defensive profile that was already elite before 2016, but he took a big step forward at the plate in 2016. He’s got incredibly strong wrists and the ability to drive the ball, though the power he currently exhibits are more gap power than deep power. His bat to ball ability is excellent, which should allow for good batting average. He has very good quickness, which he uses to show high-end range on defense, but he also has an innate ability to scoop up anything that comes near him on the ground at shortstop.

3. Kevin Newman, SS, Bradenton (Pirates) – Flashing incredible bat control and pitch recognition, Newman was at a similar start to his 2016 as fellow 2015 draftees Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson, but unlike those two, he finished his progression at AA after blowing up high-A. Newman has very solid all around offensive skills, likely never going to be a 30 homer or 30 steal guy, but very possibly a guy who will hit for 10-15 of both for a while at his best. Newman has plenty of defense to stay at short, but he also has enough arm to move to third base if he needs to as he moves up the chain.

4. Jorge Mateo, IF, Tampa (Yankees) – Mateo was the shortstop for Tampa before Torres came to town. Mateo has ridiculous speed on the base paths, but his maturity has held him back thus far, both in his on-field approach and his off-field behavior. He was suspended for behavior after a friend was promoted without him. On the field, he was moved to second, but he might work better in the outfield due to his high-end arm. Mateo could use pitch recognition work as well, as he walked at a very low rate for a guy with his speed to be useful.

5. Anthony Alford, OF, Dunedin (Blue Jays) – Alford had an injury-riddled year, but in spite of that, he flashed big time ability, especially in his walk rate in the last half of the season. He did have to wear a knee brace due to one of the injuries, and that possibly slowed him just a tick, but he showed his incredible athleticism that had many wondering if he’d choose baseball or football out of high school due to his high-level athletic ability. He flashed power and speed (9 HR, 18 SB). On top of that, he’s an excellent defender that can handle center field very ably even when he wasn’t 100%, so when his knee is back to top-level, many surmise he’ll be a plus plus defender.

6. Nick Gordon, SS, Fort Myers (Twins) – Gordon’s family history is certainly well-known, but perhaps he’s heading down the road of his brother a bit earlier than Dee moved off of shortstop. Nick struggled with multiple evaluators in his range and instincts at short, though his arm rated very well, so he could move to third base well rather than second. He’s also exhibited his brother’s struggles with same-handed pitchers as he had a 150-point difference in his OPS against right-handed pitchers vs. lefties. He was still able to hit .291 with 19 stolen bases.

7. Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Dunedin (Blue Jays) – Reid-Foley was drafted as a high-end talent in 2014 in the 2nd round, with the Blue Jays paying over slot to buy him out of college. He worked hard on his mechanics in the offseason and the evidence was in his much improved control, especially his heavy sinking fastball. He used his two breaking pitches off of his fastball, and the numbers were impressive. He struck out 71 in 57 innings and allowed a miniscule .172 batting average against.

8. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Fort Myers (Twins) – Gonsalves had a breakthrough season in 2016, finishing in the top 15 in all of the minor leagues in strikeouts and in the top 10 in ERA and batting average against. He was so solid in his time with Fort Myers that he was promoted to AA Chattanooga. Gonsalves relies on a low 3/4 arm slot that creates a unique sinking action to his fastball and change. His slider showed above average with plus ability. His curve has similar ability, but it’s still a work in progress.

9. Corey Ray, OF, Brevard County (Brewers) – Drafted fifth-overall in the 2016 draft, Ray was considered to be quite raw coming out of college, so it was surprising that the Brewers sent him to high-A. However, Ray flashed skills that showed he could handle center field and had power and speed ability. While Ray’s routes in center field need work, his speed in center makes up for his poor jumps currently. If he can work on those jumps, he could be a plus defender in center.

10. Brent Honeywell, RHP, Charlotte (Rays) – Known for throwing the screwball, Honeywell made tremendous strides in 10 FSL starts before being promoted to AA. In those 10 starts, he was more than impressive, throwing 56 innings, striking out 64, and allowing a .211 average. He has filled out his frame, and in doing so, he ended up adding velocity and power to his pitches. His fastball now touches 97 with an ability to manipulate the pitch along with his curve and screwball.

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Next: A Review of 'Pitch'

Next up will be the AA leagues, the Southern League, the Eastern League, and the Texas League, so look forward to those!

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