Friday, November 20th
Jimmy Cordero, RHP, Phillies (DWL, Leones del Escogido): 0 IP, 3 BB, 2 R/ER
Cordero impressed me last summer in the Eastern League, particularly after he lit up my radar gun to the tune of 99, 100, 101, and 102 mph in one outing. The elite fastball velocity is easy to see and there’s even the occasional quality breaking ball, but what he showed Friday night—a complete lack of control—is the downside to Cordero’s game. He frequently has little clue where the ball is going, and that must change for him to contribute to the Philadelphia bullpen in 2016 and beyond.
Correlle Prime, 1B, Rockies (ABL, Perth Heat): 1-3, HR, R, BB, K
Prime entered the 2015 season as a rising prospect in the Rockies system, coming off a massive 2014 season in the South Atlantic League, and that all came to a crashing end with a horrific showing in the offensive haven of the California League. As Prime attempts to reinvigorate his prospect stock in Australia, ripping a line drive home run to left field doesn’t hurt. The power in Prime’s game is real, but so are the strikeouts, and a return trip to the Cal League will be in order as he tries to show he can handle the difficult road as a first-base prospect.
Saturday, November 21st
Christian Arroyo, SS, Giants (AZL, Scottsdale Scorpions): 2-4, 2 R
Coming off a strong 2015 season in the California League, Arroyo’s AFL performance cemented the fact that he is in fact a legitimate MLB prospect. His path to the big leagues appears blocked as a shortstop over the next few years, but he has the defensive tools to slide to either side and provide value to the club. Arroyo came up big in the AFL championship game with two hits and he also reached base a third time via error, and on top of that, one of his outs was a hard line drive to left field. With the combination of key hits in big games and a solid—though not spectacular—profile seem to make him the prototypical Giants prospect who could be a key piece of their next pennant chasing club.
Steven Moya, OF, Tigers (DWL, Toros del Este): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 K
I know it is easy to throw stones at Moya’s strikeouts and his lack of walks, but with top-of-the-scale power and surprising athleticism, Moya is a guy who warrants attention until the bitter end. On top of that, the strides Moya has made since he first arrived in the States are absolutely jaw dropping; not something anyone could have reasonably predicted. It is difficult to expect Moya to continue making developmental leaps, but having watched him for nearly his entire career, I refuse to ignore the possibility that he could adjust just enough to carve out a solid big league career.
Sunday, November 22nd
Manuel Margot, OF, Padres (DWL, Toros del Este): 2-3
Margot’s big-league address changed as part of the Craig Kimbrel deal, and while he has not found great success in the Dominican this off-season (hitting just .225 in 22 games), he still profiles as a massive part of San Diego’s future. Margot has excellent defense skills that will keep him in the lineup, but his bat has plenty of potential as well. Margot makes easy contact, can drive the ball to the gaps and may have more power in the tank as he matures, and he can also steal bases. Margot has a complete set of tools that could make him an impact big leaguer that makes trading Craig Kimbrel easily palatable.
Pat Light, RHP, Red Sox (PRWL, Criollos de Caguas): 1 IP, 2 K
Moved to the bullpen in 2015 after spending his professional career working out of the starting rotation, Light re-emerged as a prospect this season with an electric plus-plus fastball that I saw reach 99-100 mph on several occasions last season. His split-change gives him a second plus pitch to work with and makes him an intriguing late-inning option if he can throw strikes consistently. That’s something he did not do after a promotion to Triple-A in the second half of 2015.
Orlando Arcia, SS, Brewers (VWL, Caribes de Anzoategui): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, BB, K
Easily the Brewers top prospect, Arcia could make performances like this the norm as the Brew Crew’s starting shortstop as soon as the second half of the 2016 season. A no-doubt shortstop defender who should stay at the position throughout his entire career, Arcia’s bat has taken enormous leaps forward over the last two years and he now profiles just a tick behind the truly exceptional young shortstops already in the majors.
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