2019 Minor Leagues/Prospect Discussion Thread

[polo007]

Thoughts on eight standout prospects from this year’s Futures Game - The Athletic

Nate Pearson, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

Age: 22 Height: 6-6 Weight: 245 lbs. Bats: R Throws: R

Futures Game: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (13 pitches, 11 strikes)

Since coming out of Junior College in Florida, it’s been no secret that Nate Pearson had a big fastball. But it wasn’t until the 22-year-old hit 104 mph on the Arizona Fall League radar gun in 2018 that everyone snapped to attention.

Selected by the Blue Jays in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Pearson has worked his four-pitch mix, lead by his high-octane fastball to become the Blue Jays’ No. 2 name in the pipeline.

For Pearson, the task will be to keep that big arm healthy as he works to settle in with Double-A New Hampshire. Pearson’s cannon presents the Blue Jays with plenty to work with, but now the focus becomes streamlining the ingredients and helping the lanky 22-year-old find where he can really lock in against Eastern League hitters.

Coming out of the bullpen for the American League on Sunday, Pearson found 101 mph on the radar four times over 13 pitches, with some 98 and 99 mph mixed in along the way.

[Schad]

Playing 2B for the Everett AquaSox* today against Vancouver: Cesar Izturis Jr. Judging by his numbers, his father taught him to hit.


*Are they a farm team of the Red Sox or White Sox? Of course not.

[vaff87]

Wonder if Patrick Murphy/Yennsy Diaz/TJ Zeuch will get a shot to pitch in the majors this year?

[Schad]

I wouldn't be surprised if we saw Murphy. ERA isn't great, but he gets strikeouts, and they might give him a taste as a reliever if nothing else.

Zeuch and Diaz are probably 2020 targets. Zeuch badly needs something other than his sinker to click, and Diaz needs further refinement. He could probably be a solid-to-good major league reliever tomorrow, but they'll give him a chance to harness his stuff first.

[SharoneWright]

Playing 2B for the Everett AquaSox* today against Vancouver: Cesar Izturis Jr. Judging by his numbers, his father taught him to hit.


*Are they a farm team of the Red Sox or White Sox? Of course not.

You're on an unprecedented asterisk binge.

[polo007]

Atkins: triple-A ‘clearly in sight’ for Blue Jays prospect Pearson - Sportsnet.ca

After a strong first-half performance, the Toronto Blue Jays’ top pitching prospect could soon be one step closer to the major-leagues. Nate Pearson, the Blue Jays’ first-round pick in 2017, could be in line for a promotion to triple-A Buffalo in the coming weeks according to Toronto GM Ross Atkins.

“Nate’s been awesome. He, unfortunately, one year ago, had the injury … and missed the entire season so we tried to expedite his development because the talent is so exceptional, really,” Atkins said during an appearance on Good Show on Thursday. “I think triple-A is clearly in sight as we get now the limits are off, where he’s going to be pitching more regular five- and six- and seven-inning outings. If he is successful for another round of outings in double-A I’m sure we’ll be talking about triple-A.”

Last year, Pearson’s season ended just about as soon as it started after he was struck by a comebacker, resulting in a fractured ulna in his right forearm in May 2018. This year, he’s healthy and thriving on the mound, already earning a promotion from single-A ball in Dunedin, where he started the season, to double-A with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. There, the 22-year-old has tallied 32 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched with a 3.54 ERA and is certainly garnering some excitement among fans eyeing his strong potential.

However, it could be tough for Pearson to earn a promotion to the majors in 2019. The Blue Jays have watched his innings total carefully after a 2018 season in which injuries limited him to just 22 innings and there’s no need to add Pearson to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft just yet. As such, his MLB debut might have to wait until 2020.

“As it relates to the major leagues, with someone who doesn’t need to be protected, it’s going to be on somewhat of a limited workload. To bring someone to the major leagues for a limited period is not always the best idea for the long-term health and strategy of not just the player, but for the entire organization,” said Atkins.

Listen to the full interview:

https://pmd.fan590.com/audio_on_demand-5/Ross-Atkins-with-Ben-Ennis,-JD-Bunkis-and-Ben-Nicholson-Smith-gs-20190711-Interview.mp3

[Schad]

Gabby Moreno is going to find himself much further up our prospect list by the end of the year. Even if he's slightly raw as a catcher, players at the position who don't strike out, maintain a ~25 HR/600 PA pace and post an OPS of .900+ at age 19 in full-season ball are not terribly common. Hit his 7th HR tonight, and his seasonal line is a very nice .310/.372/.538 since being promoted from instructionals back in May.

[vaff87]

Gabby Moreno is going to find himself much further up our prospect list by the end of the year. Even if he's slightly raw as a catcher, players at the position who don't strike out, maintain a ~25 HR/600 PA pace and post an OPS of .900+ at age 19 in full-season ball are not terribly common. Hit his 7th HR tonight, and his seasonal line is a very nice .310/.372/.538 since being promoted from instructionals back in May.

Didn’t one of his coaches also say his arm is “second to none”? So he also has the defensive tools.

I was thinking the other day about how our prospects might look right now. I think I had him ranked 7th. Although, I might put him 6th. I assume the top five are: Bo, Pearson, Groshans, Pardinho and Manoah.

[Schad]

Didn’t one of his coaches also say his arm is “second to none”? So he also has the defensive tools.

I was thinking the other day about how our prospects might look right now. I think I had him ranked 7th. Although, I might put him 6th. I assume the top five are: Bo, Pearson, Groshans, Pardinho and Manoah.

Has the tools by all indications. He's just relatively new to catching, so there's some projection with his defensive abilities.

[polo007]

The education of a Blue Jays prospect: ‘I’m not near as good as I thought I was,’ says pitcher Adam Kloffenstein - The Athletic

That he would initiate an apprenticeship with the club’s top pitching prospect is a measure of Kloffenstein’s precocity and his awakening to how much he had to learn. His chutzpah wasn’t new. His humility was. Suddenly, with rehabbing big-leaguers and more experienced prospects around him every day, he began to grasp how little he knew about the game he’d been so good at in high school.

“I’m a pretty big pride guy,” he said. “I’ve never been the guy that watches what everyone else does because I always felt like I was better than everyone – which was pretty much the case in high school.

“But here you’ve got to swallow your pride. You look at these older guys and you’re like, hey, no matter how tall they are, how hard they throw, how much money they make, all that stuff, the bottom line is they’re in the big leagues. So they all do something well.”

Quickly, he could tell that Pearson – now in Double A – did a lot well, not only in the way he pitched but in the way he prepared to pitch.

“Pearson’s work ethic is out of this world,” Kloffenstein said. “I compare myself to him – big guy, throws hard, got all the repertoire of pitches. I really like to watch him work. He’s a big believer in preparation, always taking care of himself. Every time you see him, he’s doing something.”

In the weight room, Kloffenstein rode an exercise bike and studied Pearson’s workout routine. Sometimes they worked out together. At mealtime, Kloffenstein picked up nutrition tips.

That fall, the Jays sent them both to Lansing for an exhibition game between the Jays’ farm team and Michigan State University. They roomed together. Kloffenstein tuned in to Pearson’s game-day routine, another homage to the importance of preparation. From the time he woke up, Pearson was locked in. Kloffenstein says he was too.

He also learned from watching Pearson pitch.

“He obviously throws really frickin’ hard,” Kloffenstein said. “But what’s impressive is that most guys that throw 100 miles an hour rely on it, and he doesn’t at all. He’s got many pitches, and he can throw them all.”

The record shows that the teenager threw only two one-inning stints in the Gulf Coast League in his first pro season. But those games were the least important part of his early-prospect education. His biggest takeaway: pro ball is a full-time job.

The lessons continue apace in Vancouver, where his work has been promising, if a little uneven (3.66 ERA in five starts covering 19 2/3 innings).

“I’ve learned way more than I thought I was going to,” he said, “and I’m not near as good as I thought I was.”

[vaff87]

Kevin Smith has finally been hitting well, recently. Although still striking out way too much, smh.

[polo007]

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[polo007]

Kevin Smith has finally been hitting well, recently. Although still striking out way too much, smh.

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[dagger]

Of the top pitching prospects, Eric Pardhino has been the most consistent (as in consistently good), and while he may not get a promotion this season - it's his first full season ball, he's really young, and they don't let him pitch more than five innings yet, I suspect he might get through a couple of levels next year

[Cyrus]

What is our prospect/farm team ranked, that most of our "good" prospects have graduated to the big leagues with Vlad up, Biggio, and the soon to be the promotion of Bo....are we in the top 10?

I believe last year we were ranked between 4-6 range.

[Schad]

Over a 600 PA season, Griffin Conine's current pace would see him hit 43 HRs and strike out 217 times. Fully 53% of his plate appearances have ended with the defense playing no part save spectacting.

[vaff87]

Over a 600 PA season, Griffin Conine's current pace would see him hit 43 HRs and strike out 217 times. Fully 53% of his plate appearances have ended with the defense playing no part save spectacting.

I wish he’d stop striking out so much. He clearly has a ton of power.

[Schad]

40 HR power and 200 Ks can play, even, but he's pretty much at the upper bound. I just can't think of many prospects (particularly college guys) who struck out that much in the low minors and went on to have much major league success. Joey Gallo is the obvious comp, so it's certainly possible, but the failure rate is pretty goldarn high.

[Schad]

Forrest Wall has homered in four straight games. Prior to that, he had 4 HRs in the first 78 games of the season.

He's still more than a bit fringy as a prospect, but he has played most of the year in CF, gets on base at a solid clip, and is showing a bit of pop (the NH stadium can be kind to lefties, though). Still a tough road ahead, and being able to play at least an adequate CF at the major league level is probably make-or-break for his chances of being at least a bench bat.

[Ado05]

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