Minor League Top 10
1. Mike Trout – OF, Triple-A Salt Lake City (LAA) – .435/.491/.652, 1 HR, 3 3B – Mike Trout not only does “Blue Steel” really well, but he has started out the season with a 10-game hit streak, is 4-for-5 in stolen bases, and doesn’t belong in the minor leagues anymore. I don’t want to put him on this list ever again. Yet for some reason, Vernon Wells and his .229/.229/.467 line is in front of him. Trout can recoup the remaining money on that albatross of a contract in one fell swoop with his ascension to the big club. (See what I did there? Ascension? Angels?)
2. Bryce Harper – OF, Triple-A Syracuse (WAS) – .220/.256/.341, 8 K, 0 HR, 3 2B – Harper is struggling at the onset, but he’s one hot streak away from having the type of numbers that make him so special. Think of how great Trout has been and how bad Harper has been, and if they meet in the middle, it’s going to be two great players.
3. Dylan Bundy – RHP, Low-A Delmarva (BAL) – 2 GS, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K – No, you aren’t seeing things. Bundy, like Trout, doesn’t belong at his current level. He just can’t be seen at this point. He needs a challenge. With these two starts, we have a new #1 pitching prospect in baseball, folks.
4. Jurickson Profar – SS, Double-A Frisco (TEX) – .206/.308/.471, 3 HR, 1 SB – Profar’s only three extra base hits are those home runs. Problem is that he only has seven hits overall. The power looks to be a product of his environment, but outside of that, he’s off to a slow start like Harper.
5. Manny Machado – SS, Double-A Bowie (BAL) – .289/.373/.511 – 2 HR, 13 K – Machado is still only 19 and is hitting well in a pitching-friendly environment to start the year. This bodes well for at least a look at the Major League level this season, probably in September. Robert Andino is having a nice start to the season, but, well…he’s Robert Andino. They will make room for Machado if he’s ready.
6. Julio Teheran – RHP, Triple-A Gwinnett (ATL) – 2 GS, 1-0, 4.05 ERA, 5 K, 4 BB – Bounced back after his rough first start with a groundball clinic on April 12, and if that initial hiccup is all he has, chances are he’ll be ready to help Atlanta should they need it.
7. Trevor Bauer – RHP, Double-A Mobile (ARI) – 3 GS, 3-0, 0.57 ERA, 15.2 IP, 20 K, 12 BB – Bauer is still needing a lot of pitches to get through his starts, but he still has swing and miss stuff (11.5 K/9 IP) and has the arm to last through all those high pitch counts. That being said, he needs to cut down on the walks in order to be effective at the Major League level. Still should see a Phoenix mound at some point this year.
8. Gerrit Cole – RHP, High-A Bradenton (PIT) – 2 GS, 7 IP, 8 H, 5 R (4 ER), 2 HR, 3 BB, 11 K – Bauer’s old UCLA teammate isn’t on the start that Bauer is on, but he has a pretty good strikeout ratio as well to start the season. He still has great stuff, but he hasn’t pitched a game that counts since his days at UCLA coming into these past two starts, so some rust will still need to be shaken off.
9. Taijuan Walker – RHP, Double-A Jackson (SEA) – 1 GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 K – Wasn’t hit too hard in his season debut, and is still showing off stuff that could make him a part of an incredible homegrown rotation in Seattle as early as 2013.
10. Miguel Sano – 3B/OF, Low-A Beloit (MIN) – .273/.442/.697, 4 HR, 9 BB, 12 K – There’s swing-and-miss in his game, but when he hits the ball, it goes FAR. More on him this Wednesday in our Low-Level Highlight.
Prospect Spotlight – Wil Myers – OF, Double-A Northwest Arkansas (KC)
Myers, a 21-year-old former catching prospect, is the third part of the position player tripod that was atop the Kansas City farm system in 2010, also known as The Greatest Farm System of All Time. He joined Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, two players who are already at the Major League level, and after battling injuries in 2011, Myers is off to a great start, hitting .333/.366/.641 with three homers. If there is something early on that could be troubling, he does have 14 strikeouts in 41 plate appearances so far, but his stroke is so good that he can make up for it.
It’s very rare, but somehow, both Myers and Bryce Harper made the move from catcher to right field, showing a possible path for a player that didn’t involve an infield corner. Myers has a plus arm in right, has enough athleticism to cover the ground, and his bat obviously plays there. There is just one problem: He’s blocked at the Major League level by recent extension grantees Alex Gordon and Jeff “Bacon Tuesday” Francoeur. Frenchy is signed through 2013 and Gordon through 2016, and with Salvador Perez also signing an extension, there isn’t anywhere for Myers to go if he continues to rake.
That being said, Frenchy would have to produce at a high level for Myers to be blocked for long, and if he does, he all of a sudden becomes a great trade chip at a relatively cheap price. The sooner he can come up to Kansas City, the better, as all of a sudden, a core of Hosmer, Gordon, Moose, Perez, Myers, Billy Butler and Lorenzo Cain looks like a pretty dang fantastic offense. Especially considering the window would basically be as long as Hosmer’s arbitration status.
Myers is someone to keep an eye on this year, and with Kansas City looking to make a move either this year or next, Myers should be a major part of it. If any of the pitching that was a part of that Greatest Farm System of All Time comes around, Kansas City will truly be looking good very soon.
