Scott Beerer, OF, Rockies (High-A Modesto)
I was talking to a scout over the weekend about a minor league pitcher who was pretty impressive but who, as a converted position player, was quite old for his level. “With converted guys, I don’t really care much about age,” he said. I wondered if the same applies to the other kind of conversions, as Beerer is quickly becoming a guy to root for. At 27, he still has to move quickly, but so far he’s proving that he at least deserves a chance to continue his career in 2010 at Double-A, as after a 4-for-10 weekend that including a double, triple, home run and seven RBI, he’s batting .342/.408/.553 in 45 games for the Nuts.
Michael Brantley, OF, Indians (Triple-A Columbus)
Earlier in the month, it looked like Brantley’s season might end early due to a foot injury, but he was able to return after a cortisone shot, and he’s batting .400 since his return. While his season line of .267/.350/.362 is hardly eye-opening, there’s a lot to like here, given that Brantley has more walks (58) than strikeouts (47) in 453 at-bats, 43 stolen bases in 48 attempts, and has slowly made improvements in every aspect of his game, all while being one of the youngest everyday players in the league. I’m not saying he’s a future star or anything, but he is a better prospect that the numbers indicate.
Cody Decker, 1B, Padres (Low-A Fort Wayne)
Last year, the MVP of the Arizona complex league was a Padre named Decker (Jaff Decker, a real prospect), but the same is true this year, as Cody hit .354/.421/.717 and set league records for RBI (63), extra-base hits (39), and total bases (142), all accumulated in the last 52 games. Those kind of numbers have generated a lots of e-mails, so here’s the bad news: he’s not really much of a prospect. A 22nd-round pick out of UCLA, Decker is already 22, short, wide, and quite limited athletically. If that sounds like Jaff, you might be right, but this one is way older and just joining him a Low-A. It’s a great year statistically to be sure, but he’s basically this year’s Vito Chiaravalloti.
Danny Duffy, LHP, Royals (High-A Wilmington)
The Royals have been the butt of many jokes this year, and for good reason, but at least they still have an impressive numbers of young arms in the system. Duffy had a 2.20 ERA at Low-A Burlington last year, and he’s slowly getting his Carolina League mark down as well; after another excellent start on Sunday, he’s allowed just three runs over 20
Jeurys Familia, RHP, Mets (Low-A Savannah)
The Mets are another organization needing some good news, so here goes: this kid is the real deal. A 19-year-old Dominican with a power pitcher’s frame and plenty of projection, Familia has been generating a lot of buzz lately in the South Atlantic League, and five more shutout innings on Sunday lowered his ERA to 2.69 in 24 outings for the Sand Gnats. His fastball sits in the low 90s with impressive sink and run, and he’s made progress throughout the year with his curveball and changeup. There’s plenty of ceiling here, and he’s definitely put himself on the prospect map.
Reese Havens, SS, Mets (High-A St. Lucie)
Last year’s first-round pick has been plagued by injuries in his first full season, and he’s batting just .246 in the Florida State League, yet his stock remains unchanged because he’s done so much beyond the batting average. Home runs on Saturday and Sunday give him 14 on the year, just three off the league lead, while he’s added 53 walks and solid-but-unspectacular defense at shortstop. I know our readers are more than smart enough to look beyond the batting average, so this is just more evidence.
Miguel Rojas, SS, Reds (Low-A Dayton)
I saw the Dayton squad up close and personal last month, and this was the guy I kept ending up the most impressed with, despite the fact that he had little fanfare. Two-hit games in all three weekend contests raised his average to .277/.329/.344 on the year, but he’s batting .323/.366/.373 since the All-Star break. A 20-year-old product of Venezuela, Rojas is a very good shortstop with nice range and fundamentals well beyond his years, as well as a quick, line-drive swing that has generated only 41 strikeouts in 448 at-bats. If anything, he kind of reminded me of Ozzie Guillen, and that’s not as bad a thing as you might think.
Tyler Skaggs, LHP, Angels (Rookie-Level AZL Angels)
A supplemental first-round pick this June, Skaggs signed a week before the deadline for a smooth $1 million, and he pitched three scoreless innings on Saturday, giving him a career ERA of 0.00 in six innings. That’s one of the great frustrations of the deadline; nobody begrudges picks for waiting, as those who wait get paid. Teams want to move it up so they can have more than six innings to look at their new asset, as Skaggs looked pretty damned good against the 24 batters he faced in his pro debut, but left everyone wanting for more.
Drew Storen, RHP, Nationals (Double-A Harrisburg)
When the Nationals selected Storen with the 10th overall pick in June, one of the primary thoughts behind the selection was that he could move quickly. So far, that seems to be working out for both parties, as Storen is now with his third team, and a perfect inning on Saturday kept his Eastern League ERA at 0.00 while allowing just two hits in 10 innings. Overall, Storen has tossed 34
Josh Thole, C, Mets (Double-A Binghamton)
Thole spent the weekend doing what he’s basically been doing all year-hitting. Multi-hit games on Friday and Saturday raised his season averages to .328/.395/.422, and he got the best news of his career when general manager Omar Minaya said Thole would be added to the big-league roster come September. A pure batting average-dependent player with very little power, it’s hard to figure out what he is down the road, other than a big leaguer.
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Seems to work well.