Notes from the Field: July 19, 2016

Joe Rizzo, 3B, Seattle Mariners (AZL Mariners)

Seattle’s second-round pick last month, Rizzo is a quality athlete in the mold of a young(er) Anthony Rendon. He boasts smooth hands and quick reactions at the hot corner, with fluid motions, effortless transfers, and an above-average throwing arm. He showed off the leather on a very nice backhanded play to the line in my look, then finished the play with a strong, instinctual throw right to his first baseman’s chest. In the box he struggled mightily with pitch recognition, waving at curveballs and changeups in the dirt from right- and left-handers alike all night. Issues recognizing curveballs are to be expected from a cold-weather prep kid, but he took some particularly ugly hacks at benders – the type of cuts that should lead to pitchers throwing nothing but junk his way until he figures out a better approach. There is definitely talent here, with a smooth lefty swing and the type of defensive instincts which can't be taught. Particularly with the bat, however, the burn look to be on the slower side. –Matt Pullman

Luke Bard, RHP, Minnesota Twins (Double-A Chattanooga)

A former Comp-A pick in 2012, Bard has been set back by injuries that have led to a longer developmental road. He barely played in 2013, missed all of 2014 after surgery on his throwing shoulder, and struggled to gain traction last year. He possesses a sturdy 6-foot-3, 205 pound frame, and pitches from a half-wind. The arm action has some stiffness to a true three-quarter slot, and he’ll generate above-average arm speed. His fastball still shows plus potential coming in at 93-95 (t96), but the pitch lacks movement and he struggled with his control. The slider is an effective secondary at 83-86 with two-plane depth and some bite, though once again his control of the pitch was lacking. Bard is a two-pitch reliever at this point, and while he’s getting on at 25, there is still a chance for some up-and-down relief work if the overall control ticks up. –Steve Givarz

Adonys Cardona, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (High-A Dunedin)

Originally signed out of Venezuela for a hefty $2.8 million bonus in 2010, Cardona has been a pretty big disappointment thus far. Back before the 2012 season, Kevin Goldstein ranked him the 9th best prospect in the system, but it has been a long road since those halcyon days, as he has struggled mightily with health and overall consistency. Listed at 6-foot-2, 20 pounds, he lacks much in the way of remaining physical projection at this point in his career. He missed all of 2015 with a broken throwing elbow, and has been used exclusively out of the bullpen in the Florida State League this year. Pitching from the stretch-only, Cardona has a low-effort pump-and-go delivery, with a compact arm action and above-average arm speed to his three-quarter slot. His fastball showed impressive velocity at 94-96 (t97), but while the pitch has above-average run, he has very little control of it, and he missed with particular frequency to the arm aside. Beyond the gas he threw only a couple mid-80’s changeups with split action, but hitters weren't fooled by the offering. This was a short one-out performance, so I didn't get to see his full arsenal, but until his control comes around it won’t much matter what else he throws. –Steve Givarz

Freddy Peralta, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (High-A Brevard County)

An international signee out of Moca in the Dominican, Peralta recently turned 20 and already possesses fastball command that exceeds his age. The pitch stood out against Kane County, sitting 90-92 with a ton of natural run that increased as he worked down in the zone. It worked best arm-side, and showed plus potential. Peralta has broad shoulders, but his smaller frame at 5-foot-11 does not appear to allow for much projection. He throws from a low three-quarter delivery with a crossfire, and the delivery helps give the fastball a downhill angle in spite of his size. He is deliberate to the plate, slowing down his motion as he extends and at times culminating with a dramatic, exaggerated finish.

To complement the fastball, Peralta has a slider (80-81) and a split-like change (85-86). The slider will be crucial to his success, as its shape was very inconsistent in my viewing. When it was working, it flashed average potential with solid horizontal movement, moderate tilt, and tight (though inconsistent) rotation. He did not wield the split-change often, but it had no tail or fade, with just a moderate amount of vertical drop.

If Peralta can smooth his mechanics some and refine the slider the package could play well out of the bullpen in a two-pitch combination, and his low-effort delivery suggests another tick or two of velocity would be possible in short bursts. The raw material of the split-change leaves the door open ajar for more, but he’ll need to iron out the mechanical issues that are presently restricting his secondaries, and the bullpen seems a likelier fit. –Will Siskel

C.J. Hinojosa, SS, San Francisco Giants (Double-A Richmond)

Hinojosa has some stiffness in his setup, with pigeoned knees and a quiet, low-riding crouch with low hands. He generates some early rhythm into a long stride with an equally-elongated hand load that can drift inconsistently, and he'll get out on his front side early, leading to his share of rollovers. He works deep counts and there's some swing-and-miss in the game, but he'll offset his elevated striekeouts with some walks. There's decent plane to the swing, with some power to the pull side and hard, line-drive contact to all fields. He put up a 65-grade run time on a fluid finish in the only clock I got, but the game speed looked to play well below that. He didn't make much effort to time pitchers, and his secondary leads were cautious. The actions at shortstop are borderline, with quick steps but without the fluidity or range to be an asset there. The arm was a question mark on the left side as well, with just average velocity and moderate carry from the backhand. –Wilson Karaman

Ramon Laureano, OF, Houston Astros (High-A Lancaster)

Laureano has made some impressive adjustments as the season has rolled along and has been crushing the ball of late. He’s gotten quieter in his setup, with solid balance into a quick weight transfer, and he’s shown notable improvements both in getting his front side open and keeping his hands back. That evolution has helped unlock some outsized pop from his modest 5-foot-11, 180 pound frame, and he’s made a habit of hunting early-count fastballs in recent looks. He’s quick into the zone with strong wrists and an accurate barrel, and with mild leverage and plenty of extension on the outer third he’s shown an impressive ability to drive the ball to all fields. When he gets into counts he’ll command the zone and spoil pitches to extend at-bats, with enough pitch recognition to spit on High-A benders and take his walks.

The raw foot speed threatens plus underway, though it plays down out of the box on account of both a high finish and a slower first-gear startup. He’s an instinctual base-stealer who shows an advances ability to time pitchers and pick his spots to run. Defensively he has shuffled around to log a roughly equal number of starts at all three outfield spots, though I haven’t loved the reads in center across a couple looks now. He’s slow at picking up trajectory on balls hit at him, and lacks confidence in his first steps. The closing speed is above-average, but it’s balanced out by a longer stride that takes a few steps to get into. He controls his body well laying out, and there’s arm strength in the average range that can play to the fringe side in right. He’s emerged as perhaps my favorite of the solid fourth-outfielder prospects currently roaming the Lancaster grass (with Jason Martin and Bobby Boyd the others). –Wilson Karaman

Thomas Burrows, LHP, Seattle Mariners (Short-Season Everett)

Something's up with Burrows. Seattle's 4th rounder in last month's draft, the lefty was regularly sitting in the low-90s and touching higher as Alabama's closer this spring. In the two outings I've caught, Burrows has topped out at 90 and is sitting a few ticks lower than that. He has two off-speed pitches with good shape — a slider with sharp downward action and a changeup that keeps righties off balance — but his drop in velocity is concerning. –Brendan Gawlowski

Jacob Brentz, LHP, Seattle Mariners (Short-Season Everett)

Brentz is a 20-year-old southpaw on his second spin through the Northwest League. At this level pitchers aren't always consistent with their mechanics, and the quality of their raw stuff often drifts from pitch to pitch. That's especially the case with Brentz. The lefty sat in the 87-89 range for much of the night, touched 94 in his final inning, and filled up the velocity chart everywhere in between. He throws four- and two-seam fastballs with average tail, and while he generally hits his spot east-west, he frequently misses up and down. This might stem from his arm action, which looks a bit like James Paxton's did before he lowered his arm slot this year. He's an equal-and-opposite guy with a bit of rock-and-fire, and when he doesn't calibrate quite right his timing to slot isn’t there, and that drives the north-south inconsistency.

Timing issues aside, his delivery is pretty clean: he has good balance and tempo, with a still head and a clean landing. He works from a high three-quarters arm slot and hides the ball effectively, in part from throwing slightly across his body. His curve is a 12-6 bender with average break, and while it's still a little slow in the mid-70's, it flashes average and appears to have taken a step forward over the winter. He also showed a slider that sat 83-84; he had trouble getting depth on it consistently, but the pitch occasionally featured two-plane movement, and it too looks like a projectable offering. Brentz has a lot of work to do, but as a lefty with arm strength and two projectable off-speed pitches, he's one of the more interesting arms in the lower levels of the Mariners’ system. –Brendan Gawlowski