We’re a week and a half into the minor league season from A-ball to Triple-A and now is a good time to see who’s gotten off to a hot start across the levels and leagues. Yes, it is only a week and a half but sometimes a hot start is all someone needs to get called up to The Show, or make the jump to the next level, from either the hitting or pitching side. Next week we will delve into who’s hot in the upper levels across all three Double-A leagues and both Triple-A leagues, while this week we start with Class-A and A-Advanced.
Class A
Midwest League
Hitters
Nolan Gorman (3B, STL) – Drafted in the June 2018 draft, Gorman quickly made the ascent to the top of the Cardinals prospect rankings mainly due to his game changing power. Since making his pro debut he’s done nothing to dissuade the hype surrounding him with a .291/.379/.570 slash line in 63 games with 17 home runs, 49 runs, 44 RBI, and one steal in 2018. Now in the first 12 games of 2019 at A-Ball he’s hitting .348/.404/.761 with four bombs, 13 RBI, and 10 runs. When he was drafted there was concern as to whether his bat would hit for average well enough and so far that’s the case though it’s early and he hasn’t reached Double-A yet.
Pitchers
Ryan Weathers (LHP, SD) – The southpaw is another draftee from the 2018 draft who is now making his full-season debut this year after registering just 18.1 innings pitched in 2018. He’s already nearly reached that total this year with 16.1 innings at A-ball through three starts posting a 2.16 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 1.48 xFIP, 11.88 K/9, 1.08 BB/9, and an impressive 63.4-percent ground ball rate. Drafted out of the Tennessee High School ranks, he possesses a three-pitch mix that all grade as above-average though none is a true out pitch as of yet. The fastball sits 90-93 and touches 95 with great riding life, the curveball sits in the upper-70s with good depth and high spin rate, while the change shows good fade. At just 19 years old he’s got a ways to go but he’s got the ceiling of a number-three starter.
South Atlantic League
Hitters
Lolo Sanchez (OF, PIT) – The 17th-ranked prospect for the Pirates heading into 2019, Sanchez was signed out of the Dominican Republic back in 2015 and since then has been steadily from Rookie ball to full-season. In his first full-season in 2018 he hit .243/.322/.328 with four home runs, 57 runs, 34 RBI, and 30 steals in 114. The batting average was higher until later in the season when he began to get a steady diet of breaking balls and off-speed stuff. To start 2019, in the first 13 games, he’s hitting .359/.435/.590 with a home run, nine RBI, four runs, and three steals. He will always be a speed over power guy but once he figures out hitting breaking pitches, his average should stay in the .280-.295 range with a less than 15-percent K-rate going forward.
Steele Walker (OF, CWS) – Perhaps the guy with the best name in the 2018 draft, Walker played in three different leagues last year, two rookie leagues and full-season A-ball. He had mixed results in that 44-game span with some power and some speed shown but not a great slash line. In the first 11 games of the 2019 season, Walker is slashing .333/.391/.564 with eight RBI, three runs, and two steals. One of the top college bats in his class, the 22-year-old should be a quick mover through the deep White Sox system as he makes his way towards being a starting outfielder on the south side in a year or two as he possesses above-average tools across the board except for his arm but that’s not a knock in center field.
Pitchers
Grayson Rodriguez (RHP, BAL) – One of the biggest needs for the Orioles currently is pitching and Rodriguez figures to be a big part of building up the pitching in their system. Taken with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of the Texas prep ranks, Rodriguez showed better stuff and velocity in his senior year which made him shoot up the draft boards. The righty touches 97-98 with his heavy life fastball, though it sits 92-94 normally, added a mid-80s slider in his Senior year that is already graded as a plus pitch, has a mid-70s curveball with nice depth, and possesses a changeup that should be a worst an average MLB pitch. In his brief pro career, Rodriguez has struck out 40 batters in 30.1 innings while giving up three earned runs, 12 walks, and 20 hits. The youngster has a long way to go but he is one of the best pitching prospects the Orioles have had in a long while.
Logan Gilbert (RHP, SEA) – Gilbert was taken in the first round of the 2018 draft out of Stetson University, Alma Mater of Jacob deGrom and Corey Kluber , but didn’t pitch after being signed. The Mariners have such belief in him that they elected to start his pro career at full-season pro ball and skip rookie ball or the fall leagues with him completely. That faith has paid off so far as he’s posted a 0.64 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 22:3 K:BB ratio, and .109 BAA in the first 14 innings of his career. The 6’6” 225 lb. right-hander features a four-pitch mix anchored by a plus fastball that sits mid-90s with deceptive movement, two distinct breaking balls in a slider and curveball with the slider slightly ahead of the curve, and an above-average changeup. Expect Gilbert to be a quick mover through the system and be up within two years.
A-Advanced
California League
Hitters
Luis Campusano (C, SD) – Most know the high-end catching prospect in the Padres’ system in Francisco Mejía but Campusano is also a top-18 prospect in the deepest system in the league and is a former high second-round pick. After going through full-season A-ball last year and hitting .288/.345/.365 with 40 RBI, 26 runs, and three home runs in 70 games, Campusano has moved up to High-A this year. In the first 11 games played, the backstop is slashing .439/.510/.634 with a home run, nine runs, and eight RBI with five doubles as well. He is expected to be able to stick behind the plate long term given his defense and strong, accurate arm, consistently posting sub-2.0 second pop times. The bat needs to continue to improve but long-term he is likely the next starting catcher for the Padres.
Tirso Ornelas (OF, SD) – Tell me if you’ve this before? San Diego has a talented outfielder in the fold. Ornelas, at 19 years old, has an advanced approach at the plate and a fluid left-handed swing that is starting to show dividends in the lower levels of the Padres’ system. At 6’3” and 200 pounds he is a big-framed kid who has been playing centerfield but ultimately is in line to switch to a corner outfield spot given his already fringy speed. In a half a season at A-ball in 2018, he hit .252/.341/.392 with eight home runs, 45 runs, 40 RBI, and five steals before moving to High-A this year where he’s hitting .327/.443/.531, a home run, 11 runs, seven RBI, and a steal in 13 games. He needs to work on launch angle in his swing to tap into the raw power he possesses but that should come around with more experience and work.
Carolina League
Hitters
Luis Robert (OF, CWS) – Robert was the most recent high-profile Cuban defector to come stateside and he’s certainly lived up to the hype. In 50 games in 2018, a .269/.334/.360 slash line with 31 runs, 17 RBI, and 15 steals Robert started to show the promise he possesses but now in the first 11 games of the High-A in 2019, his game has taken another step. A .489/.538/.957 slash line with five home runs, 16 RBI, 15 runs, and five steals has him starting hotter than basically anyone on this list or in the minors as a whole. Everyone of his five tools is graded as above-average and he has 30-30 upside from the right side of the plate while playing a great defensive outfield.
Kyle Isbel (OF, KC) – A common theme is developing amongst these players, most were taken in the 2018 draft, and Isbel is another one that fits that theme. A third-round selection out of the college ranks, the outfielder went from Rookie ball to A-ball in his first pro season while slashing .326/.389/.504 with seven home runs, 57 runs, 32 RBI, 24 steals in 64 games. Now in 2019, in 12 games at High-A, Isbel is slashing .364/.440/.659 with two home runs, nine runs, five RBI, and five steals with a .494 wOBA. The Royals view him as a future top of the lineup kind of hitter with his 60-grade speed and 55-grade hit tool allowing him to continually post high on-base rates and then steal bags while playing a good defensive outfield.
Pitchers
Bryan Mata (RHP, BOS) – Mata has been the youngest pitcher at whatever level he’s been at for the last three years including once more in 2019. At 19 years old, the 6’3” 210 lb. righty is a promising young arm in the Red Sox system that is off to an even more promising start to the year with a 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 0.82 BB/9, 9.0 K/9 and a .186 BAA in the first 11 innings of the year. The righty uses a three-pitch mix to keep the hitters at bay with the anchor being his 92-97 mph fastballs, that’s right he throw both a two-seam and four-seam variety, with late sink and life, a fading changeup with deceptive arm speed, and a curveball that’s at least an MLB-average offering at this point. His issue has been consistency as last year his BB/9 rate jumped to 7.25 over 72 innings from 3.04 in 77 innings in 2017. If he can’t harness his control, a bullpen arm is what he shapes up to be with a faster track to the majors.
Florida State League
Hitters
Vidal Brujan (2B, TB) – Brujan started to poke through the crowd in 2017 before really lighting the prospect ranks on fire in 2018 when he hit .320/.403/.459 with nine home runs, 112 runs, 53 runs, and 55 steals in 122 games between A-ball and High-A. Now he’s started the 2019 season at High-A where he’s hitting .333/.380/.422 in 12 games with six RBI, four runs, and eight steals. Brujan is a switch-hitter with a plus-hit tool and double-plus speed making him an elite leadoff hitter candidate who also profiles as an above-average defensive second baseman. Typically the Rays play the long-game with their prospects but Brujan may just push the envelope and timeline if he keeps up the pace he’s sat the last two years.
Pitchers
Nate Pearson (RHP, TOR) – Pearson was a first-round pick in the 2017 draft after hitting 102 in a heavily-scouted bullpen session in May in the Florida JUCO ranks. Since then though he hasn’t really been able to stay on the mound to rack up the innings. After signing in 2017, he pitched a total of 20 innings and then in 2018 he was on the mound for just 1.2 innings before a comebacker broke his forearm relegating him to getting work in Arizona Fall League where he lit up radar guns at 103-104 mph. The now 22-year-old righty possesses one of, if not, the best fastball in the minors at a 75-grade but then also backs it up with a 55-grade slider, 50-grade changeup, and 45-grade curveball which all play up because of the velocity on the fastball. The 6’6” 245 lbs. pitcher gets great downward plane on the pitches and pounding the strike zone to the tune of a 17:1 K:BB ratio in the first 12 innings in 2019 with only five hits given up as well. He is an ace in waiting and should take a huge step in that direction if he can make it through this season healthy.
Casey Mize (RHP, DET) – The top overall pick in the 2018 draft for the Tigers is starting to show why he was taken that highly. Coming out of Auburn he had the best K:BB ratio in D-I baseball at 12:1 in his senior campaign and now in 2019 over the first 11 innings at High-A he’s improved on that mark at 15:0 with a sparkling 0.82 ERA and a .135 BAA. The future ace has three plus to plus-plus pitches in his arsenal with a 92-97 mph fastball, mid-80s slider, and a splitter with the slider morphing into a cutter at times. There is no doubt that Mize will be the future ace of the Tigers in likely a season and a half as he will be a quick mover through the system, as seen by already being at High-A with just 13.2 innings pitched in pro ball prior to this season.