Official MiLB/Prospects Thread

[Laika]

 

Let's all go!

[Jonn]

 

Let's all go!

 

If Vlady Jr and Bo are still in Lansing definitely. They will likely be promoted by July.

[Terminator]

 

Let's all go!

 

I want that Stein. Would be a very cool item if all 3 ended up big leaguers.

[Krylian]

Woodman isn't a prospect until his K rate goes down, and he's already 22. Not a fan, but I guess he has time to improve.

 

Bichette and Vladdy are the future, my friends.

 

I worry that at least one of them get dealt. Hopefully not though. It would be nice to actually eat some food from your own garden for a change.

[Krylian]

Jon Harris is pretty damn s*****.

[Ray]

TJ Zeuch went 7.0 innings yesterday. Gave up 11 hits, but still managed to keep it at 4ER. 7 starts in and he's sitting at a 3.00 ERA now. His lack of walks is pretty absurd. 1.9 BB/9 thus far into the season, and had 1.9 BB/9 in Rookie League as well in a decent sample size. Kid definitely has control.

[SpeedyGose]

Anthony Alford scouting report from 2080 -

 

Alford projects as a Role 60, occasional All-Star-caliber center fielder for the Blue Jays with a legitimate set of five tools and plus athleticism. But the profile is of the high-risk variety given his injury history, and reaching his ceiling is almost entirely predicated on his ability to stay healthy.

 

Alford has a well-proportioned, strong, athletic frame. He has a slight open stance with a high hand set-up, and in this viewing he showed a less-pronounced leg kick that was evident when I last saw him last year. He’s keeping his hands and bat quiet when loading, and showing less hand-pump action. He has quick hands and wrists that generate easy-plus bat speed, and he barrels balls up with a very live bat – the ball really jumps, and the hit tool projects as plus.

 

He is a better hitter when looks to use the opposite field and not be so focused on pulling the ball. His combination of raw strength, the ability to loft the ball, and the leverage in his swing give him plus in-game power potential as well, with 25-plus home runs per year not out of the question at the big league level. He should also settle into above-average on-base capability as well, which is currently at .416 thus far in 2017, well up from his .344 on-base percentage at High A Dunedin last year.

 

In the field, he projects as a plus center fielder who should stick at the position in the big leagues so long as the health stays good. He shows above-average first-step quickness and it pairs well with plus range thanks to his plus to double-plus speed. Alford shows good defensive instincts, with good lateral quickness and good acceleration, which offsets the fringe average arm, which is enough to carry the position, but he’s not going to be racking up big assist numbers. He showed plus to double-plus speed out of the box (4.20, 4.25, 4.19 seconds from home to first base) which looks like it has decreased some due to his leg injuries, or perhaps because he’s protecting his legs early in the season (in this series, he left the May 6 game after slipping on wet turf and pulling his groin, though he’s continued to play every day since). On the basepaths, he has good instincts, and I can see 20-plus stolen-base potential.

 

Overall, the package is impressive, and proving his health is one of the few obstacles left on his ascension to the major leagues, as is the Jays’ current roster. With Gold-Glover Kevin Pillar currently occupying center field for the Jays, look for Alford to get some time in the corner spots this season at the Double-A and Triple-A levels, and if the athleticism plays out as expected in either spot, he’ll be in the conversation for a starting role with the big league club on Opening Day in 2018.

[Laika]

Holy f***, that's the best report I've ever seen.

 

60 hit

60 game power (potential)

65 run

60 defense (CF)

45 arm

 

that's Trout-lite

 

of course, the game power is probably not even a 50 right now

[glory]

Did Alford get called up? It's floating around on Twitter, but none of the usual Jays reporters are reporting it.

[Laika]

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/sports/2017/05/19/anthony-alford-promoted-mlb-blue-jays/332595001/

 

Seems like it?

[Dr. Dinger]

Kevin Pillar is a Gold-Glover?

[Dr. Dinger]

Tits! This is probably our most exciting call-up since... Stroman? Lawrie?

[Dr. Dinger]

This deserves its own thread.

[Slade]

Tits! This is probably our most exciting call-up since... Stroman? Lawrie?

 

Since Lunchbox.

[Laika]

Tits! This is probably our most exciting call-up since... Stroman? Lawrie?

 

Probably just Sanchez/Osuna

[43211234]

This deserves its own thread.

 

Since Dwight Smith Jr!

[Dr. Dinger]

Danny (Toronto): Bo Bichette the next big SS prospect? If not him, who?

 

Jeffrey Paternostro: If you think he is a shortstop long term, definitely. If you don't--and I'm skeptical--he's still a very good prospect.

 

---

 

Seth (NYC): For purely fantasy - Carter Kieboom or Bo Bichette?

 

Jeffrey Paternostro: Man, this is well within the fudge factor for me, both potential plus offensive forces, both probably not shortstops long term, it might come down to ultimate positional home, but I think I'd take Kieboom's bat at this point. Might change my mind in a week though.

 

---

 

Ben (NYC): #1 prospect in 2018, 2019, 2020?

 

Jeffrey Paternostro: I forget how I answered this last year when I was asked, so I guess I will take another crack.

 

2018: Victor Robles

2019: Vladito

2020: Ehhhhhhh, let's say Kevin Maitan I guess.

 

---

 

Source: https://baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=1411

[Dr. Dinger]

May 19, 2017

The Call-Up

 

Anthony Alford

 

by Jeffrey Paternostro and Mark Barry

The Situation: With backup outfielder Darrell Ceciliani on the disabled list with a shoulder injury and starting center fielder Kevin Pillar suspended by the team, the Blue Jays have need of an outfielder for a few days. They’ll be using this as an opportunity to get their best outfield prospect’s feet wet in the majors.

The Background: Anthony Alford was taken by the Blue Jays in the third round of the 2012 draft out of Petal High School in Mississippi. He was expected to go higher, but signability concerns attached to his NCAA football commitment dropped him to Day 2. The Jays gave him $750,000 as part of a two-sport deal that also allowed him to play football at Southern Mississippi. He began focusing on baseball full time in 2015 and immediately broke out at the plate, smashing both A-ball levels to the tune of .298/.398/.421 and breaking onto top 100 lists. His 2016 return to Dunedin was marred by a concussion and leg injuries, but a healthy Alford has resumed mashing the baseball this season, posting an .866 OPS in 33 games in the Eastern League.

Scouting Report: The first thing you notice with Alford is the body. He looks more like a strong safety than a center fielder. Of course he has been both, but the SEC football athleticism has translated well to the diamond. He’s a plus runner with a plus arm, and can go get it in center. That’s a pretty good start if you are building an above-average major-league regular from scratch, but Alford has broken out at the plate this spring as well. A lot of this may be due to being healthy after an injury-plagued 2016, but the fact that he has handled to the jump to Double-A with aplomb is still noteworthy.

There’s some pre-swing waggle and a leg kick here, but Alford is strong enough and athletic enough to keep everything under control. He hits line drives with authority to all fields, and has an advanced approach at the plate considering he only focused exclusively on baseball in the last few seasons. He looks like he should hit for more power than he does. There isn’t a ton of lift in the swing, and his approach favors the big part of the park. I think he’s strong enough that double-digit home run power will come eventually, but it may take some time to show up. The rest of the profile though, that’s here now and should give him a decent shot to jump right into the deep end of the pool in Toronto despite fewer than 150 plate appearances above A-ball.

Immediate Big League Future: This is likely just a weekend trip up north for Alford, but his strong early 2017 campaign has put him on the map for a call-up if and when there is a longer-term need. And if this does end up a lost season for the Blue Jays, they might want to see what Alford can do at the major-league level sooner rather than later—although I’d imagine sooner would still be later than the Super 2 safe harbor date. —Jeffrey Paternostro

Fantasy Impact: Alford has more than held his own this year, slashing .325/.411/.455 with three homers and nine stolen bases in 141 plate appearances. He also has shown great discipline at the plate, drawing walk rates well over 10 percent at every minor-league stop, while also striking out in only 17 percent of plate appearances this season at Double-A New Hampshire.

 

At his peak, Alford has the potential to be an 10-homer type, but his real calling card will be his wheels. Alford has always had success on the basepaths when healthy, and could be a threat to swipe 30-plus bags, if he hits enough to get on base. The question becomes: how long will Alford be up? Even though he's been in the Blue Jays' system since 2012, he still has less than 1,200 minor-league plate appearances, and only 141 above High-A. It's hard to imagine this call-up isn't primarily to just have an extra functional body on the roster. Having said that, if you're in a deep, deep re-draft league, I might scoop Alford up on the outside chance that he sticks for longer than anticipated, especially with stolen bases at such a premium. Long term, he's still likely a top-50 dynasty prospect, but he might just need a little more time to develop. —Mark Barry

[Laika]

Danny (Toronto): Bo Bichette the next big SS prospect? If not him, who?

 

Jeffrey Paternostro: If you think he is a shortstop long term, definitely. If you don't--and I'm skeptical--he's still a very good prospect.

 

---

 

Seth (NYC): For purely fantasy - Carter Kieboom or Bo Bichette?

 

Jeffrey Paternostro: Man, this is well within the fudge factor for me, both potential plus offensive forces, both probably not shortstops long term, it might come down to ultimate positional home, but I think I'd take Kieboom's bat at this point. Might change my mind in a week though.

 

---

 

Ben (NYC): #1 prospect in 2018, 2019, 2020?

 

Jeffrey Paternostro: I forget how I answered this last year when I was asked, so I guess I will take another crack.

 

2018: Victor Robles

2019: Vladito

2020: Ehhhhhhh, let's say Kevin Maitan I guess.

 

---

 

Source: https://baseballprospectus.com/chat/chat.php?chatId=1411

 

Robles is definitely not on track right now to be #1 next year. It's looking like maybe Gleyber or Rosario (if he stays down long enough).

[Dr. Dinger]

Robles is definitely, definitely not on track to be #1 next year.

 

#1 next season will probably be Gleyber. Moncada and Rosario probably won't be Top 100 eligible. Robles is a slappy hacker, I'm not that into it.

[Spanky__99]

KieBoom!!!

[Laika]

#1 next season will probably be Gleyber. Moncada and Rosario probably won't be Top 100 eligible. Robles is a slappy hacker, I'm not that into it.

 

Vlad should/could be top 5 (boner emoji)

[Dr. Dinger]

Vlad should/could be top 5 (boner emoji)

 

So you're saying I'll have three Top 5 prospects in DDL next Spring?

 

[Laika]

So you're saying I'll have three Top 5 prospects in DDL next Spring?

 

 

Prospects suck tho

[Krylian]

Prospects suck tho

 

Are we allowed to use that term or is it homophobic

[Dr. Dinger]

Prospects suck tho

 

Yeah, but so do old guys. I held Bautista and Pujols a year too long.

[Laika]

Yeah, but so do old guys. I held Bautista and Pujols a year too long.

 

Yeah you definitely did. It sucks when a veteran's value plummets off a cliff.

 

Pujols' value has been gone for a few years now though. I hope he has one more elite hitting year just for his reputation.

[Maahfaace]

King, did you give up on the daily MiLB recaps?

[MunenoriKawasakiMVP]

BABIP inflated but man Fields is hitting in AAA. Future Dyson?

[5minutesforframing]

King, did you give up on the daily MiLB recaps?

 

 

They're greatly missed King.