Notice: Trying to get property 'display_name' of non-object in /var/www/html/wp-content/plugins/wordpress-seo/src/generators/schema/article.php on line 52
keyboard_arrow_uptop

Aroldis Chapman, LHP, Reds (Triple-A Louisville): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K

It's remarkable how all the Strasburg hype has led to this guy being almost forgotten about.  And while he hasn't been nearly as dominant, he's been very good in five of nine outings and has struck out 55 in 45 2/3 innings.  He's likely in the big leagues come September, and likely for good.

Jose Iglesias, SS, Red Sox (Double-A Portland): 3-for-3, 2B, 2 R

Remember when the Red Sox signed Iglesisas and it was one of those really can pick it but might not hit situations?  Forget about that.  Iglesias has live up to every expectation defensively, but the bat has been nothing short of a revelation.  He's 19 years old and hitting .303/.338/.408 in Double-A – that's a guy who can hit.

Ethan Martin, RHP, Dodgers (High-A Inland Empire): 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 9 K

The 2008 first-round pick is the Jekyll and Hyde of pitching prospects.  See him on the right day, and he looks like the top prospect in the system.  On the wrong day, he looks like a mistake pick.  Clearly, last night was the right day, as he had the best start of his career, but his ERA on the season is 4.76, which speaks to his nature.  This optimist would say that him merely proving he can be great is enough for now.

Stolmy Pimentel, RHP, Red Sox (High-A Salem): 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K.

This is the second time in his last three starts that Pimentel has gone six hitless innings, yet like Martin, there's inconsistency here, as in his other eight starts his ERA is over five.  His fastball and changeup are true plus pitches, and when his command is on, he's, well, unhittable.

Others Of Note:

  • Pedro Alvarez 3B, Pirates (Triple-A Indianapolis): 4-for-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI.  Has yet to really go on a tear, but you look up and he's slugging .517.
  • J.P. Arencibia, C, Blue Jays (Triple-A Las Vegas): 4-for-4, 3 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.  Hard to ignore a 10 total base game; former first-rounder is 9-for-18 in last four.
  • Nevin Ashley, C, Rays (Double-A Montgomery): 3-for-4, 2 R.  Love him as a sleeper in Rays system; very good defender who's hitting .352/.404/.466.
  • Andrew Cashner, RHP, Cubs (Triple-A Iowa): 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 2 K.  Not a notable performance as much as a notable role, as move to the pen indicated the big leagues are calling soon.
  • Matt Davidson, 3B, Diamondbacks (Low-A South Bend): 2-for-2, HR (7), 4 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB.  Best of the 2009 first-round core at South Bend; up to .298/.367/.506.
  • Mychal Jones, SS, Braves (Low-A Rome): 3-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, CS.  Overall numbers still look poor because of miserable April; hitting .365/.417/.554 in May.
  • Liam Hendriks, RHP, Twins (High-A Fort Myers): 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K.  21-year-old Aussie is one of the better finesse pitchers around; neither A-level team providing much of a challenge.
  • Caleb Joseph, C, Orioles (Double-A Bowie): 2-for-4, 2B, HR (3), 2 R, 2 RBI.  Recovering nicely from slow start; 16-for-39 in last ten games.
  • Fabio Martinez Mesa, RHP, Angels: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K.  Arguably the best stuff in the Midwest League; 71 K in 48 1/3 IP.
  • Devin Mesoraco, C, Reds (High-A Lynchburg): 3-for-4, 2B, HR (10), R, 2 RBI, BB.  That's already a new career-high in home runs.  It's May, people.
  • Mike Montgomery, LHP, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 3 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 3 K.  Mortal alert?
  • Ben Revere, OF, Twins (Double-A New Britain): 4-for-4, BB, R, CS. Both OBP and SLG are over .400 now at .329/.403/.401; don't focus on what he can't do.
  • Dayan Viciedo, 1B, White Sox (Triple-A Charlotte): 2-for-4, HR (10), R, RBI.  Hit just 12 home runs in 130 games last year; batting .326/.375/.618 in May.

Thank you for reading

This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.

Subscribe now
You need to be logged in to comment. Login or Subscribe
dantroy
5/28
One more player worthy of mention: Tanner Scheppers struck out 7 in 3 IPs last night. 41k/7BB in 24 AA/AAA innings this year.
tcfatone
5/28
I wonder what the Rangers are waiting for with this guy? Could provide a huge boost to the pen right out of the gate, methinks.
cjgeisler
5/28
About June 10 (ala Strasburg) I would guess for Tanner...
leites
5/28
They've been keeping his innings low and are now stretching him out to be starter in the 2nd half, right?
dantroy
5/28
I understand they see him as a SP long term, but want to limit his innings to about 100 this year. So he's been doing 2 inning stints on 3/4 days rest (he did 3 last night) against high-level competition. My guess is they'll stretch him out even further in the minors, and then let him pitch in the bullpen in Arlington at some point in the 2nd half.
NYYanks826
5/28
Do you have home/road splits on Ethan Martin? The fact that he is pitching his home games at Inland Empire can't be helping his overall ERA at all.
dantroy
5/28
You can find all kinds of splits here:

http://www.minorleaguesplits.com/index.html

kgoldstein
5/28
He's in the southern half of the Cal League. Home games are better conditions than most road contests for him.
garethbluejays2
5/28
John Buck certainly has provided power for the Bluejays but would Jeroloman be a better option than Molina as a backup catcher for the Bluejays. Great stats, bar strikeouts, at AA but is it only a repeat phenomena?
wendtm
5/28
Shouldn't we make a national holiday out of all the June callups? Make them all be on a certain day? Something like "June 8 is National Super-Two Day." ESPN could have a quadruple-header like Opening Day, featuring all the studs in their first game. People like me could take a half-day and head to the bar. Good for MLB, good for us. Everybody wins. Turns the Law of Unintended Consequences on its head.
pobothecat
5/29
Ladies and gentlemen, your Pepsi Great Idea winner.
biteme
5/28
Alvarez didn't do much before June last year, either. Then he got promoted and was much better at a higher level. Just sayin'
oPlaiD
5/28
His ISO, walk rate, and K rate are basically identical to last season (with a slight dip in walk rate). He just doesn't have the massive .407 BABIP he had in AA last season. He was at .293 BABIP in A+ and he's up to .310 for this season. I'm not sure how each of those leagues plays in regards to balls in play, but he's been quite up and down so it's hard to say where it'll end up in the future, and that's going to be a big factor in the batting averages he posts.
mattymatty2000
5/28
Kevin, love the glowing report on Inglesias, but I've read that he's 20, not 19. Soxprospects.com (www.soxprospects.com/players/iglesias-jose.htm) lists him as being born on January 5th, 1990, which would make him 20. Is that incorrect?
OuagadougouGM
5/28
Chapman had a blister problem in the start where he got crushed a couple weeks back. If you throw out that start, his ERA is 2.13 and his other numbers look pretty darn good, though obviously the control is still an issue.

You have to figure his hit rate will come down a bit too, as 42 hits allowed in 46 innings is a bit high for a guy that has K'ed 55 in those 46 innings.
rittdogg
5/28
I've been wondering about Ashley; until the AFL he hadn't hit anything close to this level since short-season ball. Any idea if he's doing anything differently at the plate, or is this just physical maturity?
chabels
5/29
Do you ever gather or get information about players' personal lives? Chapman's ability to adapt to live in the United States will likely have as much of an impact on his professional career as his ability to harness his tools.

Do you know what the team is providing Chapman in terms of staffing? Some have suggested that one reason Chapman will stay down longer is to ease any cultural adjustment, he can deal with that first and then with the pressures and increased media attention after he's been here for six months rather than right away. Your thoughts?
mketchen
6/01
Kevin,

On Mesa, that K rate is sick! Can you please give a quick rundown of what he throws.