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Pitching Prospect of the Day: Blake Snell, LHP, Rays (Low-A Bowling Green): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K; fastball has easy plus potential; slider and changeup both have plus potential; command is developing; get on board, the stock has two arrows pointing up; 25.2 IP, 23 H, 8 ER, 16 BB, 34 K in six starts.

Position Prospect of the Day: Jorge Soler, RF, Cubs (High-A Daytona): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB; second time on the list in three games; plus-plus power potential; developing hit tool; good right-field profile; .289/.379/.556 7 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR in 90 at-bats.

Other notable prospect performances from May 9:

“The Good”

  • Josh Bell, RF, Pirates (Low-A West Virginia): 3-4, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI; timing at the plate has improved; still needs plenty of polish before promotion is even mentioned; .288/.341/.504 with 12 2B and 5 HR in 125 at-bats.
  • Alex Colome, RHP, Rays (Triple-A Durham): 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, BB, 10 K; plus fastball; solid-average curveball; fringy changeup; mechanics lead most to believe he will be used in a relief role at the major-league level.
  • Joey DeMichele, 2B, White Sox (High-A Winston-Salem): 3-6, 2B, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, K; bat is much more impressive than current stats indicate; developing power potential; fringy defender at second; fringy runner.
  • Nick Franklin, 2B, Mariners (Triple-A Tacoma): 3-5, 2B, R, SB; solid-average hit tool; average power; solid-average defensive profile at second; pressing the issue for big-league promotion; .344/.468/.522 with 7 2B, 3 HR, and 5 SB in 90 at-bats this season.
  • Kyle Gibson, RHP, Twins (Triple-A Rochester): 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K; potential for three plus pitches (fastball/slider/changeup); big frame; had Tommy John surgery in 2011; in the first wave of Twins prospects who will make an impact in the big leagues.
  • Ariel Pena, RHP, Brewers (Double-A Huntsville): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0ER, 2 BB, 10 K; acquired in Zack Greinke trade; fastball can touch higher than plus velocities; slider has solid-average potential; fringy changeup, which is thrown too firmly a majority of the time; below-average command; most believe he will end up in a relief role.
  • Robbie Ray, LHP, Nationals (High-A Potomac): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K; fastball touched 96; armside life; good command to both sides of plate; fringy slider and changeup; pitched off the fastball; ball came out free and easy; after a disappointing 2012, Ray’s stock is on the rise; 39.0 IP, 24 H, 9 ER, 18 BB, 48 K in seven starts.
  • Anthony Rendon, 3B, Nationals (Double-A Harrisburg): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 4 RBI, 2 BB; plus-plus hitting ability; solid-average power potential; plus defensive profile. During his short stint in the big leagues, Rendon struggled, and scouts believed he was trying to do too much at the plate, which caused his swing to lengthen.
  • Aderlin Rodriguez, 3B, Mets (High-A St. Lucie): 3-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI, K; big-time raw power; hit tool suffers because of minimal plate discipline; sells out for power; fringy defender at third; well-below-average runner; fringy prospect.
  • Daniel Rosenbaum, LHP, Nationals (Triple-A Harrisburg): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K; below-average fastball; fringy curveball; solid-average changeup; back-end starter ceiling.
  • Cory Spangenberg, 2B, Padres (High-A Lake Elsinore): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB; solid-average hit tool; plus runner; gap power; will get into slap-and-run mentality; .319/.383/.509, 9 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, and 13 SB in 116 at-bats.
  • Robert Stephenson, RHP, Reds (Low-A Dayton): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K; fastball has elite potential; curveball has easy plus potential; developing changeup; reports have been very positive; 44 K in 34.0 IP this season.
  • Logan Verrett, RHP, Mets (Double-A Binghamton): 8.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 K; fringy fastball; solid-average slider; curveball and changeup are fringy at best; fringy prospect; 47.1 IP, 35 H, 16 ER, 11 BB, 30 K in seven starts.
  • Tyler Wagner, RHP, Brewers (Low-A Wisconsin): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K; college arm; fastball can touch plus velocity; usable slider and changeup; 30.0 IP, 23 H, 8 ER, 11 BB, 27 in six appearances.
  • Kolten Wong, 2B, Cardinals (Triple-A Memphis): 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R, K; plus hit tool; solid-average runner; fringy power; plus defensive potential at second; very good baseball player; ability to play in the major leagues in 2013;.292/.314/.408 with 6 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 5 SB in 130 at-bats.
  • Christian Yelich, OF, Marlins (Double-A Jacksonville): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, K; well, ladies and gentlemen, Christian Yelich can hit. The promotion to the big leagues cannot be far off.

 “The Bad”

  • Travis Harrison, 3B, Twins (Low-A Cedar Rapids): 0-3, BB, 3 K; intriguing young bat; supplemental-first-round selection in 2011; plenty of raw power.
  • Erik Johnson, RHP, White Sox (Double-A Birmingham): 4.2 IP, 5 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 K; four-pitch mix; not far from being big-league ready; rough start, but the stuff has been very good.
  • Melky Mesa, CF, Yankees (Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre): 0-3, 3 K; the swing has a lot of miss in it; fringy prospect.

“The Ugly”

Gary Brown, CF, Giants (Triple-A Fresno): 0-3, BB, 2 K; it’s not likely that the bat will play in an everyday role; .201/.267/.306 with 36 K in 134 at-bats.

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bheikoop
5/09
Is there any concern regarding Yelich's increased strikeout and decreased walk rate? Hard contact is hard contact, but is it coming at a price?
mort10
5/09
He might be getting aggressive early in the season; still a SSS(small sample size). I am all about hard contact though.
Drakos
5/09
Spangenberg was also 2-4 with another double in the second game of yesterday's double header. Not too bad of a day. There was a MILB.com article today where he says he's changed his approach some recently and isn't swinging as hard. This has actually resulted in a better average and more power than he was showing earlier in the season.
GFunk911
5/09
Funny, it looks like Blake Snell's performance couldn't hold Shane Greene's jock.

All Shane Greene did (at High-A Tampa) last night was 8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K, 8/3 GB/FB. Oh, and his 45/6 K/BB in 44.2 innings is damn impressive too (especially compared to Snell walking almost 7 men per 9, including last night, as a starter and before last night, he had 16 walks in 19.2 IP as a starter).

Not even worthy of a mention, though.
flyingdutchman
5/09
Probably because he's a 24-year old in the low minors.
mort10
5/09
Sadly I have Greene in NP territory.
ofMontreal
5/09
Jeez, poor Gary Brown. Is there a mechanical problem? Certain people were so very sure of him.
mort10
5/10
Brown's bat never really developed; looked very 4/5 outfielderish ceiling last season.