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Minor League Prospect Report: The not so Top Prospects
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In my first installment last week, I provided updates on each organizations top Minor League Prospect, who was actually in the minors. While most teams top prospects are still on the farm learning their craft, some organizations, like Cincinnati, have their top four currently flying private charters.
Today, I'll mention a few guys who are either mid-level prospects, or not prospects at all, who are performing either above or below expectations.
Josh Vitters: In last weeks article, I mentioned the 18 year old Vitters, the Chicago Cubs top prospect, was on the disabled list. He had played just four games with Class A Peoria before being hurt. Vitters was activated last week and is currently playing with Lo Class A Boise of the Northwest League. In seven games, he is hitting .345/0/4, including a 3-6 performance with two RBI last night in a 4-1 victory over Burlington. More importantly, Vitters is playing defense, alternating between third and short. The Cubs also promoted one of their top pitching prospects, righthander Jeff Samardzija, to Triple A Iowa, where he will make his debut tonite against Albuquerque.
Jake Arietta: Arrietta, a 21 year old righthander with the Baltimore Orioles, is absolutely dominating the advanced Class A League. Pitching for the Frederick Keys, Arietta is 5-3 with 2.88 ERA, allowing just 58 hits in 84.1 innings and racking up 85 strikeouts. These numbers are even more impressive when taken into the context that Arietta has struggled a bit of late, losing his last three decisions and posting a 5.07 ERA.
Dexter Fowler: Fowler, a switch-hitting CF with Colorado's Double A franchise in Tulsa, has been on a tear recently, hitting .366 in his last ten games. Overall for the season, Fowler is at .314/7/45, with 15 stolen bases, and posting an .888 OPS. With the parent Rockies expected to begin a roster purge shortly, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Fowler could skip Triple A and find himself patrolling CF in the major leagues.
Joe Koshansky: Off and on Colorado's prospect list the past couple seasons, Koshansky, a 25 year old lefty swinging and hitting first baseman, has once again forced himself into the forefront of the Rockies re-building plans. Koshansky is currently raking it at .297/18/74, his 74 RBI's and 29 doubles lead the Pacific Coast League. His SLG is fifth in the league, and his OBP of .373 ranks fourth. As with Fowler, Koshansky may find himself handling the right corner in Colorado if incumbent former star Todd Helton agrees to move on.
Mat Gamel: Gamel, the Milwaukee Brewers sixth ranked prospect at the beginning of the season, currently leads the Double A Southern League in hitting at .371. Well over .380 most of the season, a recent 2-21 slump dropped his average to below .370, a 3-4 performance this past Sunday, which included his 15th homer of the season, pushed him back over the .370 mark. Gamel's 24 doubles rank second in the league, as does his .432 OBP. His 65 rbi's lead the league, and while he has surprised the Brewers with his consistency, it is his defense which is holding him back. While somewhat improved over last season, Gamel has made 19 errors at 3B, comfortably leading the league. Despite his offensive showing, and despite winning Minor League Player of the Month for May, Gamel's stock has not risen significantly in the organization, and excepting a September courtesy callup, he will remain in Huntsville all season.
Aaron Hicks: Hicks was the Minnesota Twins first round pick in this years draft. A 6'2" 170 pound switchhitting CF, Hicks made his pro debut on Sunday, going 2-4 in the Twins Gulf Coast (Rookie) League team's 9-2 loss to the Red Sox.
Fernando Martinez: Another top prospect (New York Mets) who had been on the DL recently, Martinez began a rehab assignment for the Mets Rookie League team in Port St. Lucie, going 1-3 as the designated hitter on Sunday.
Austin Jackson and Jose Tabata: Two of the Yankees prized outfield prospects are heading in the opposite direction of late. Tabata has twice been suspended for disciplinary reasons, the first time in late April. Following a strikeout which dropped his average below .200, Tabata returned to the dugout, went to the clubhouse and removed his uniform. Trenton manager Tony Franklin promptly suspended Tabata for three games. On May 29th, Franklin removed Tabata from a game, for unspecified reasons, with another suspension following, this time for five games. For the season, Tabata is hitting .232/2/29 with ten stolen bases. Jackson, on the other hand, hitting .333/4/8 in his last ten games, raising his overall numbers to .282/7/45.
Steve Pearce: The Pirates top offensive prospect, Pearce got off to a slow start this year, with his average hovering around the Mendoza line on June first. Since then, he's raked at a .312 clip, includin a .325 run his last ten games. His 23 doubles are second in the International League, and has shown a dramatic improvement at the plate, as he has struck out just 45 times in 72 games. Pearce, moved to rightfield from first base in the Arizona Fall League in 2007, has recently moved back to 1B, speculating the Pirates have accelerated talks on moving the unproductive and drastically overpaid Adam LaRoche.
Reid Brignac: Brignac, Tampa's top position prospect now that Evan Longoria has reached the majors, has run hot and cold in his first full season of Triple A ball. Brignac started slowly, got so hot he raised his batting average almost forty points in just two and a half weeks, has slumped since the middle of June, including two seperate 0-13 streaks. Brignac is now at .269 after his 0-3 performance last night, but his 24 doubles continue to lead the league, and he has begun to drive the ball, as his seven homers attest. Brignac has made just seven errors in 69 games, with three of those errors coming on a wet field earlier this season in Durham.
Jeremy Hellickson: With due respect to David Price, Wade Davis and Jake McGee, the top pitcher in the Rays system year to date is Jeremy Hellickson. Pitching for Class A Vero Beach, Hellikson threw seven inning of one hit, shutout ball on Sunday, lowering his ERA to 2.00 and raising his won-lost record to 7-1. He has allowed 64 hits in 76.2 innings with a ridiculous 83-5 strikeout to walk ratio. Hellickson is 21, 6'1" 185 and was the Rays fourth round pick in the 2005 draft, and entered this season as the Rays ninth rated prospect.
- Kelsdad provides the Minor League Beat Reports exclusively for ArmchairGM
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