Minor League Baseball League Top 10 Prospects: Eastern League

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With the minor league baseball season over, it’s list season, and we’ll continue the league top 10 lists with the Eastern League

Minor league baseball has concluded its regular season and playoffs at this point in the most part, so we will be starting our series of league top 10 prospects here at Call To The Pen. This series will be keyed by Benjamin Chase through extensive video research and discussion with scouts and those within the game. Certainly, there are other opinions on these players and the order, but this is his list. Each list will start with a review of the season for that league and some of the leaders in each league. One note: to be eligible to be on this list, a player must have qualified for the league stat leaders (2.7 PA/league G for hitters, 0.8 IP/league game for pitchers) in order to be considered.

Season Wrap

Trenton had the big team in the 2017 Eastern League during the regular season, winning 92 games, 7 games more than any other team in the league. However, they ran into a team who was an absolute buzzsaw at the right time of the year as Altoona swept through the entire playoffs to win the Eastern League after winning the Western division title.

Some of the league leaders:
AVG – Garabez Rosa, Bowie, .310
OBP – Mike Ford, Trenton, .410
SLG – Jeremy Barfield, Portland, .584
HR – Christin Stewart, Erie, 28
SB – Champ Stuart, Binghamton, 35

W – Yefry Ramirez, Trenton/Bowie, 15
SV – Shane Broyles, Hartford, 21
K – Ryan Castellani, Hartford, 132
ERA – Corey Oswalt, Binghamton, 2.28
WHIP – Thomas Pannone, Akron/New Hampshire, 1.09

Now to the top 10…

10. Thomas Pannone, LHP, Cleveland Indians/Toronto Blue Jays

Pannone was a late conversion to the mound, and he’s been picking up the craft seemingly on the fly. He was an outfielder until his draft year, when he moved to the mound, featuring a low-90s fastball when drafted in the 9th round by the Indians in 2013. He’s been developing his secondary stuff since and picking up velocity as well.

Pannone now sits in the low-90s, and he can reach back for a 95 when he needs it with excellent movement on the pitch. His curve and change both work around the same velocity in the upper 70s to lower 80s, and he has seen both take tremendous steps forward.

Pannone isn’t a guy who likely will push for an “ace” status, but he’s significantly strengthened his floor as a back end starter, and he continues to make progress in his ability to pitch, which leaves plenty of ceiling still available.

This season, Pannone opened the year at high-A Lynchburg, but he made only 5 starts without allowing a single earned run before he was moved up to Akron. He was traded to the Blue Jays in exchange for reliever Joe Smith in August, leaving a handful of starts for the Blue Jays affiliate in the same league. In total in the Eastern League, he went 7-3 over 20 starts and 117 innings with a 2.92 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 29/110 BB/K ratio. Overall on the season, he made 25 starts, throwing 144 2/3 innings, with a 2.36 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 36/149 BB/K ratio.

Pannone will likely open 2017 in AAA with Toronto’s system, but he could make a push for the Blue Jays rotation quickly if he continues to see similar growth in his ability to use his stuff that he’s seen thus far.

9. Yefry Ramirez, RHP, New York Yankees/Baltimore Orioles

Ramirez is on his third organization at this point, after initially signing with the Diamondbacks as a position player, but moving to the mound after one season. The Yankees made an astute pick in grabbing him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft before 2016, and they were very pleased with the results as Ramirez put up a combined 2.82 ERA and 0.92 WHIP over 124 1/3 innings with a 32/132 BB/K ratio.

Ramirez is 6’2″, but he plays much taller due to his high-3/4 arm slot and long limbs. His fastball is what most note about him, working in the 92-95 range and touching 97 with excellent late life. However, what has been impressive in the last two seasons is to see the growth in his curve and change, the former becoming a near-plus pitch on a consistent basis and the latter flashing plus and consistently showing above-average.

The Orioles acquired Ramirez mid-season in exchange for international signing money. They enjoyed his final half-dozen starts with Bowie, as good as his starts with Trenton this season. Overall, he pitched the entire season in the Eastern League, going 15-3 over 24 starts, throwing 124 1/3 innings, with a 3.47 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and a 49/117 BB/K ratio.

Ramirez still has a significant ceiling he could reach, but his relative recent move to pitching (he’s only been on the mound 6 seasons total) has him with a fairly significant low floor. Even with his solid performance at AA this season, the Orioles will be wise to give him a full season at AAA to fully develop his feel on his secondary pitches.

8. Ryan Castellani, RHP, Colorado Rockies

The Rockies took Castellani out of high school in a Arizona in the second round of the 2014 draft. He’s quickly established himself as one of the most intriguing young pitchers in their entire farm system.

Castellani’s best two pitches are his heavy two-seam fastball that works in the 93-95 range, touching 97, along with a sinking change that mimics the excellent action of his fastball. His breaking stuff has needed some work, and he’s settled on a slider with a short, hard break when it’s at its best, but he really struggled with the consistency of the pitch this season after seeing some significant strides last season.

Castellani showed some of the misnomer of the Cal League after allowing just 8 home runs in 167 2/3 innings in 2016 in high-A with Modesto and then seeing 16 balls leave the park in the Eastern League this season in 157 1/3 innings. Beyond the jump up in level, there are also some significant hitter parks in the Eastern League, and the Cal League has seen a number of its worst offender parks close or undergo redesign in recent seasons.

Castellani will likely work in AAA in the PCL next season, and if he can get consistent movement out of his slider to add a third pitch to his sinker/change combo, he could settle in well as a #3 starter with an easy, repeatable delivery that would allow him to eat up innings in huge chunks. The fastball would likely work well in the bullpen as a backup option, however.

7. Corey Oswalt, RHP, New York Mets

A 7th round selection by the Mets in 2012, Oswalt has been a bit of a slow developer, but he’s filled into his frame both physically and in stuff as he stands 6’5″ and 250 pounds and has seen his fastball jump up to the point where he can sit 93-95 and reach back for a 96-97.

Oswalt does not have a tremendous amount of movement on the fastball, but he’s done well as he’s had better health in the last year in getting good plane on the fastball with more consistent arm slot and better location than he had ever really shown, previously having excellent control, but often missing his spots within the zone, leading to some significant hit rates.

Oswalt’s best secondary pitch is his slider, a solid-average pitch that can flash fringe-average. His change took a big step forward with his better command and repeating his mechanics better. That led to a tremendous overall season for Binghamton, going 12-5 in 24 starts and 134 1/3 innings, with a 2.28 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 40/119 BB/K ratio.

Oswalt has the type of profile that could find health finally (he’s just completed his second full season of his entire minor league career) and see even another couple ticks add to his velocity, turning him from a backend guy to a 2/3 guy.

Oswalt’s spotty health history means he still likely needs another year to build up innings before he’d be ready for the workload of a full season in a big league rotation.

6. Sean Reid-Foley, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

Reid-Foley is the first pitcher to show up in the rankings in a season where the Eastern League really saw some tremendous offensive numbers. Fittingly, Reid-Foley’s numbers were pedestrian, to say the least with New Hampshire, as he went 10-11 over 27 starts, throwing 132 2/3 innings with a 5.09 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and a 53/122 BB/K ratio. For a pitcher who had never allowed more than 4 home runs in a season previously in the minors, he saw 22 balls escape the yard in 2017.

That doesn’t change Reid-Foley’s prospect status. While teammate Connor Greene saw some concerning issues in his raw stuff, much of the issue with Reid-Foley was simply his pitches getting hit at a very high rate. With a fastball that works 92-95 and can run up to 97, he works with a plus fastball that really got excellent movement after he made some mechanical changes in 2015 and took a took off the pitch for better command and control.

His change is an impressive weapon, though it did struggle to show the same movement in 2017 that it had shown in 2016, when it really moved from a “he also throws” pitch to an effective weapon. Without knowing if he changed grip on the pitch (and finding no direct quotes on the subject), it will be something to watch going forward.

Reid-Foley works with a pair of excellent breaking pitches, a curve that works in the mid- to upper-70s with a sharp break and spin and a slider that he seems to get two actions on, getting more of a wipeout action on at times and getting more of a sharp break at times, working in the mid-80s.

I watched a half dozen of Reid-Foley’s starts, attempting to see what was different this season for him over 2016, and there’s nothing that jumps off the page mechanically or anything like that, so it could be something that you see him bump up to AAA and move past like a simple bump in the road to the Toronto rotation. He’s one to watch closely, as the stuff here is frontline starter quality, but the numbers certainly don’t say that in 2017!

5. D.J. Stewart, OF, Baltimore Orioles

Coming out of Florida State in 2015, many saw Stewart as a future power/speed monster, but he hasn’t lived up to the 25th overall draft slot where the Orioles picked him up. Stewart made some stance adjustments in 2016 over the course of the season that began to really take hold as the season wore on, and his 2017 has been incredibly impressive.

Stewart is 6′ tall and build thick at 225-230 pounds, but he is incredibly athletic, and his 20 stolen bases this season were absolutely indicative of the speed that Stewart possesses. His arm is what really profiles him as a left fielder at best defensively as he can cover a good bit of ground in the outfield.

Stewart hit .278/.378/.481 with Bowie this season with 26 doubles, 2 triples, 21 home runs, and 20 stolen bases. While the entire season was impressive, Stewart really took hold when he had Cedric Mullins and Austin Hays in the outfield with him, and there are many who believe that the Orioles would be well-served if that was a future outfield alignment.

Stewart does not have excellent first step speed, but he has very good instincts at when to use his speed, and his speed once underway is above-average. Add that to his plus raw power and quality batting eye (65/87 BB/K ratio over 457 at bats).

Stewart should spend a good portion of 2018 at AAA, but with the Orioles outfield seeing Seth Smith leave after 2017 and Adam Jones a free agent after 2018, the team could give some time to Stewart at the major league level in 2018 to see what they have.

4. Richard Urena, SS, Toronto Blue Jays

Urena was part of a multiple-shortstop crop for the Blue Jays in 2012, but they have kept Urena while trading away guys like Franklin Barreto. Urena showed the worst of what his skill set could be this season, but even then, he’s more than worthy at this spot.

Urena has a very aggressive approach at the plate, likely not going to ever draw a ton of walks, but also not a guy who has shown much proclivity to strike out, only having one season of a 20% strikeout rate. He does not draw a ton of walks, so his offensive impact is very contact-driven, and while he had shown gap power in the past with some promise that he could develop some home run power down the road.

This season, Urena hit .247/.286/.359 with 36 doubles, 3 triples, 5 home runs, and no stolen bases while posting a 30/100 BB/K over 551 plate appearances. He has jumped to the majors for a late season promotion, and he’s hit .224/.286/.345.

Urena has the raw tools to be a plus shortstop, but he can be lackadaisical in his throws or his effort on a ground ball. Urena has the range to be able to handle the position well when he’s on point with his effort. He does, however, have a huge roadblock at the major league level in Troy Tulowitzki, who is signed through 2020.

3. Bobby Bradley, 1B, Cleveland Indians

After dominating in high school in Mississippi, many thought Bradley would have a shock to his system when he first experienced pro ball after being drafted in the 3rd round by Cleveland in 2014. Instead, he hit .361/.426/.652 in 39 games for the Indians’ Arizona Rookie League affiliate.

From that point, many have watched the powerful lefty bat of Bradley to see how he progresses up the system. He’s continued to product tremendous power, and he even was able to cut his strikeout rate this season, though it seemed he cut his walk rate just a hair this season, but watching in games, he still worked counts well, he just seemed to end them with a hit ball result rather than a walk or strikeout.

Often times that hit ball result with Bradley leaves the ballpark. He has 79 home runs the last three seasons in three full season levels, and he’s not a dead-pull power guy by any means. Bradley has the ability to hit the ball out to all fields.

Defensively, Bradley is a first baseman, so there’s not a move for him to a better position on the defensive spectrum, but with Carlos Santana a free agent after 2018, the Indians could be aggressive with Bradley in spring training if Santana doesn’t return or open him in AAA with Edwin Encarnacion at 1B and let Bradley force his way into the Cleveland lineup.

2. Christin Stewart, OF, Detroit Tigers

Coming out of the University of Tennessee as a first round selection in 2015, Stewart had more polishing to do than many, but he has truly pushed forward quickly in the Tigers system, establishing himself as a legit option to open 2018 in a corner outfield spot.

Stewart opened the season on a role, but slowed down over the year. He has a swing that he’s shortened since his college days and he’s found himself more able to make consistent contact, but this season, he had his walk rate take a significant hit. He put up a season line for Erie of .256/.335/.501 with 29 doubles, 3 triples, 28 home runs, and 3 stolen bases. He showed more athleticism than had been present before in the outfield, making a corner outfield a legit option rather than a likely role as a DH.

Stewart has legit power and has shown the ability to have above-average contact ability as well. While he may not be a guy who hits .300 and knocks out 30+ home runs, he should be a guy that provides power in the middle of the Tigers lineup for a number of years to come.

1. Francisco Mejia, C, Cleveland Indians

After a 50-game hitting streak in 2016, it was going to be interesting to see what Mejia would do for an encore. He certainly did not disappoint, hitting .297/.346/.490 with 21 doubles, 2 triples, 14 home runs, and 7 stolen bases.

Mejia has really progressed as a switch-hitter, allowing him to be impactful from both sides of the plate. He also worked to finally tap into the power that has always been present in his swing this season in game, allowing him to knock out 14 home runs. I’m not sure that there will be a ton more than that in his natural skills, but then again, the major league home run totals right now are all sorts of messed up, so for all I know, Mejia will hit 30+ annually in the current environment.

One thing that began to pop up last season is that while Mejia is a tremendous athlete for a catcher and rates with a plus arm and excellent pop times behind the plate, he had his detractors as a catcher. I began to hear more and more noise along these lines this season after initially dismissing the comments as the Indians probably just wanting to get his bat into the lineup every day.

Mejia does have some very awkward movements in his lateral approaches to balls, and I was surprised in watching him more intently on his defense just how often he got crossed up by his pitcher. Some comments were made about Mejia having some communication issues (not language-related) with his pitchers, and the crossing up seemed evidence of that issue.

This fall the Indians will be working Mejia in the infield in the Arizona Fall League rather than behind the plate. That could be a very important thing to follow to get an idea of what the plan for Mejia will be moving forward.

Next: 2017 Minor League Awards team

Some of the top prospects who didn’t make the minimum time in the league this season included Rafael Devers, Austin Hays, Scott Kingery, Michael Chavis, Miguel Andujar, Ryan McMahon, Brendan Rodgers, Chris Shaw, Anthony Alford, Gleyber Torres, Jorge Mateo, Victor Robles, Cole Tucker, Domingo Acevedo, Justus Sheffield, Beau Burrows, or Mitch Keller. All of those players would have merited consideration for this list, but none had the requisite time for the list.

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