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2019 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread

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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5001 » by Black Watch » Fri May 24, 2019 3:46 am

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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5002 » by polo007 » Fri May 24, 2019 8:14 pm

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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5003 » by Schad » Sat May 25, 2019 1:24 am

Al Kirk, the lovable spheroid catcher, hasn't slowed down in Dunedin. He's hitting .342/.444/.500 with a bunch of doubles since arriving in high A, and has to date maintained a higher than 1:1 BB:K rate.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5004 » by -MetA4- » Sat May 25, 2019 1:48 am

Schad wrote:Al Kirk, the lovable spheroid catcher, hasn't slowed down in Dunedin. He's hitting .342/.444/.500 with a bunch of doubles since arriving in high A, and has to date maintained a higher than 1:1 BB:K rate.


His name came up in a BA chat recently - the ever dreaded "unnamed scout" hit him with a 20-grade (ie: the worst grade possible) for his catching.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5005 » by Schad » Sat May 25, 2019 1:59 am

-MetA4- wrote:
Schad wrote:Al Kirk, the lovable spheroid catcher, hasn't slowed down in Dunedin. He's hitting .342/.444/.500 with a bunch of doubles since arriving in high A, and has to date maintained a higher than 1:1 BB:K rate.


His name came up in a BA chat recently - the ever dreaded "unnamed scout" hit him with a 20-grade (ie: the worst grade possible) for his catching.


Might be a bit wait-and-see. Most reports on his defense aren't great, but that's a lot harsher than I've seen previous. Catchers are the hardest to judge from numbers, but he's throwing out runners at a good clip and doesn't have an unusually high number of passed balls or wild pitches, so there's every reason for the Jays to keep him at the position for as long as possible.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5006 » by BigLeagueChew » Sun May 26, 2019 7:37 pm

What happens with Conine, when's the earliest he could return?
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5007 » by Fairview4Life » Tue May 28, 2019 3:55 pm

Schad wrote:
-MetA4- wrote:
Schad wrote:Al Kirk, the lovable spheroid catcher, hasn't slowed down in Dunedin. He's hitting .342/.444/.500 with a bunch of doubles since arriving in high A, and has to date maintained a higher than 1:1 BB:K rate.


His name came up in a BA chat recently - the ever dreaded "unnamed scout" hit him with a 20-grade (ie: the worst grade possible) for his catching.


Might be a bit wait-and-see. Most reports on his defense aren't great, but that's a lot harsher than I've seen previous. Catchers are the hardest to judge from numbers, but he's throwing out runners at a good clip and doesn't have an unusually high number of passed balls or wild pitches, so there's every reason for the Jays to keep him at the position for as long as possible.


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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5008 » by dagger » Tue May 28, 2019 4:10 pm

BigLeagueChew wrote:What happens with Conine, when's the earliest he could return?


Suspended for 50 games. Presumably, when Lansing (?) hits the 50 game mark, he would become eligible, but whether he is ready to play at that point is something to watch for.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5009 » by BigLeagueChew » Tue May 28, 2019 5:53 pm

dagger wrote:
Suspended for 50 games. Presumably, when Lansing (?) hits the 50 game mark, he would become eligible, but whether he is ready to play at that point is something to watch for.


Took a form of Ritalin I think, wasn't sure who's season he would fall under but if it's Lansing their 50th game is this week? If it's not Lansing we won't see him for awhile? If it's Vancouver they start mid June, as you know, and his suspension hasn't even started yet?
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5010 » by polo007 » Wed May 29, 2019 7:29 am

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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5011 » by dagger » Wed May 29, 2019 12:52 pm

Schad wrote:
-MetA4- wrote:
Schad wrote:Al Kirk, the lovable spheroid catcher, hasn't slowed down in Dunedin. He's hitting .342/.444/.500 with a bunch of doubles since arriving in high A, and has to date maintained a higher than 1:1 BB:K rate.


His name came up in a BA chat recently - the ever dreaded "unnamed scout" hit him with a 20-grade (ie: the worst grade possible) for his catching.


Might be a bit wait-and-see. Most reports on his defense aren't great, but that's a lot harsher than I've seen previous. Catchers are the hardest to judge from numbers, but he's throwing out runners at a good clip and doesn't have an unusually high number of passed balls or wild pitches, so there's every reason for the Jays to keep him at the position for as long as possible.


Meanwhile, he continues to hit up a storm - 3-3 last night with a pair of doubles and four ribbies. As for his defensive abilities, if I read the stats right he's 5-10 throwing out runners, has had three passed balls and 1 error in 15 games for a .992 fielding percentage. At the plate, he's hitting .367 - yes, small sample - with eight walks and seven strikeouts. Dunedin has a winning record. I mean how bad could he be? Maybe he's just hearing the footsteps of Moreno at Lansing who's also showing a hot bat :)

Here's his MLBPipeline profile from the winter - I don't much has changed,
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 50 | Field: 45 | Overall: 45

Signed out of Mexico in 2016, Kirk appeared in only one game during his professional debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League after he re-aggravated a hand injury that he initially suffered in a car accident. Fully healthy in 2018, Kirk established himself as a legitimate prospect by hitting .354/.443/.558 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs over 58 games in the Rookie-level Appalachian League.

Kirk ranked among the Appy League leaders in a host of categories, as he finished third in average, fourth in OBP (.443) and slugging (.558) and tied for first in RBIs. Employing a direct and impactful swing, Kirk has natural hitting ability and above-average raw power to his pull side. He got to it during games consistently in 2018, though he's expected to be more of a hit-over-power guy as he moves through the Minors. Scouts like Kirk's chances of becoming at least an average hitter, in part because he controls the strike zone so well, as evidenced by the 33/21 BB/K ratio he posted in 2018.

Listed at 5-foot-9, 220 pounds, Kirk isn't particularly athletic, nor does he run well. He's a good blocker, though, and earns praise for his solid arm strength and catch-and-throw skills that helped him throw out 43 percent of attempted basestealers in 2018. Kirk will need to make a slew of improvements to stay behind the plate, but there are some scouts who believe he'll do just that, viewing him as a potential bat-first regular.



Another Dunedin note - Logan Warmoth seems to be warming up a bit at the plate, so keep an eye on that.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5012 » by dagger » Wed May 29, 2019 11:27 pm

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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5013 » by Schad » Thu May 30, 2019 4:16 am

BigLeagueChew wrote:What happens with Conine, when's the earliest he could return?


The answer, apparently, was today; played RF for Lansing.

Feel I should also mention Josh Winckowski. He's one of the sorta-sleeper prospects in our lower minors: signed for $125k out of high school as a 15th rounder, throws low/mid 90s, gets grounders, throws strikes, apparently has okay secondary stuff that still needs refinement. Doing quite well in Lansing as a 20 year old, and the GB rate + good strikeout totals probably give him the inside track on a promotion in the not-too-distant future.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5014 » by dagger » Thu May 30, 2019 5:29 pm

Schad wrote:
BigLeagueChew wrote:What happens with Conine, when's the earliest he could return?


The answer, apparently, was today; played RF for Lansing.

Feel I should also mention Josh Winckowski. He's one of the sorta-sleeper prospects in our lower minors: signed for $125k out of high school as a 15th rounder, throws low/mid 90s, gets grounders, throws strikes, apparently has okay secondary stuff that still needs refinement. Doing quite well in Lansing as a 20 year old, and the GB rate + good strikeout totals probably give him the inside track on a promotion in the not-too-distant future.


Consistent, too. Rarely has a subpar outing, and that includes last season at Vancouver. Another Lansing guy to watch, for the bullpen only, is Jackson Rees, who, though not overpowering (91-94), apparently has a killer slider and his numbers (including 40K in 22 IP) are crazy. He's older, and so no reason to age him gracefully.

At NH, Forrest Wall, whom many had forgotten about, has been on a tear, went 3-4 today and raised his average over .300. Considering the dearth of outfield prospect talent in the high minors, he may yet get to the majors as a placeholder. He's still only 23.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5015 » by Schad » Fri May 31, 2019 4:13 am

Wall has a tough road as a guy without much pop, but shaving about 6% off his K rate thus far this season is a good step.

Conine appears to be okay without the uppers: 4 for 5 with two doubles and two HRs in his second game back.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5016 » by Schad » Sat Jun 1, 2019 12:04 am

Joey Murray with 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 8:2 K:BB. He continues to look like one of those guys that don't have great stuff (he seems to be a SPIN RATE! darling in addition to the deception on his fastball, but I don't have numbers on that; his velocity's nothing to write home about, though), but get results in the minors nonetheless, that you just keep pushing until they eventually hit a wall (or don't). Still posting some of the best K rates of any starter in the minors after his promotion to Dunedin, as he did last year and in college; if the Jays think there's enough prospect value there to challenge him, he could be a three-level player this year reaching AA.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5017 » by polo007 » Sat Jun 1, 2019 2:01 am

Schad wrote:Conine appears to be okay without the uppers: 4 for 5 with two doubles and two HRs in his second game back.

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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5018 » by polo007 » Sun Jun 2, 2019 5:43 am

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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5019 » by dagger » Mon Jun 3, 2019 1:50 pm

Forrest Wall with another pair of doubles yesterday - average to .312, OBP to .413. It's worth remembering that in the 2014 draft, he was the 35th overall pick, a highly touted prep bat, and that injuries and a team mandated batting change in the Colorado system have hampered his development. At one point, he was a top 100 prospect of MLB Pipeline. He became the forgotten prospect, but if he's now "getting it", it would be a really nice return on a couple of months of Seung-hwan Oh. He's a CF, batting leadoff at New Hampshire. The Blue Jays told him to scrap that hitting approach he was required by the Rockies to adopt. Schneider told him to revert to what was comfortable for him, and it appears to be serving him well at present.
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Re: 2018 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread 

Post#5020 » by polo007 » Mon Jun 3, 2019 3:35 pm

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