Notes from the Field: July 5, 2017

JH Schroeder
Eli White, SS, Oakland Athletics (High-A Stockton)
R/R SS. Skinny build with narrow hips. Slight crouch, high hands, slight drop during load, flat bat. Small leg kick. Got wrapped a bit, looks really slow to ball, late on a 3-1 FB, and late on a couple low FBs. Low finish. Decent spin recognition. Pretty good zone feel, rarely expanded. Surprisingly amount of hard contact. Defensively, pretty quick transfer, but looked a little unsure. Played on ball back into a hit, and threw one away. Showed some really nice hands on a bad hop where the ball stayed down. Run times, 3.96 (jailbreak), 4.1, and 4.3 (pulling up).

Boomer Biegalski, RHP, Oakland Athletics (High-A Stockton)
RHP. FB 87-91, limited arm-side tail, looked all 4S. Command was not precise, generally down, but not in/out. Generated good tilt down in zone. CH. 77-79. More fade than FB, good arm-action, flashed plus drop. Trusted R v. R, locked up several hitters. Left up on occasion. CT/SL, 80-83. Short-sharp, showed late, commanded glove-side, hung only a couple. CB, 77. Rolls, useful to steal strike. Delivery, 1B-side, over-the-top release. Lanky guy, all knees and elbows, quick delivery, short arm action, doesn't get extended out back, action looks tough on elbow/shoulder. Seemed to get more over top on CH, really trying to turn it over. FB probably would play a lot better up in the zone, but doesn't have repertoire of secondary pitches to go with it (good CH, bad CB).

John Eshleman
Jimmy Yacabonis, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (Triple-A Norfolk)
The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder has just re-joined Baltimore’s cadre of up-and-down bullpen arms (cf: Crichton, Nuno, Ynoa, Hart, Fry, etc.), getting the call over the weekend. His Triple-A statline out of the Norfolk pen is impressive, but he flopped in his three-appearance debut last month. I think Yacabonis has a decent chance to stick in Baltimore on the strength of his live fastball. It sat 93-95 w/ run across 2 1/3 IP, and was commanded well, getting him ahead in many counts. His slider (84- 86) was fringe-average—with good life but inconsistent command, that worked down in the zone. If he can avoid hangers, I like his chances.

Greg Goldstein
Malquin Canelo, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (Double-A Reading)
Smaller frame that has a bit of projection remaining; shows quickness and plus athleticism in his movements; wild hands, jerks them during load; slightly below-average bat speed; linear stroke; off balance, moves feet throughout swing; wild mechanics makes it tough to consistently barrel up pitches; frequently chops at pitches; doesn’t hit the ball hard the opposite way; whippy swing and looseness in his hands makes you think he has room to improve with the bat; potential for a 40 hit tool, lots of tightening needed in swing to get there; lacks raw power; can’t create enough bat speed to drive balls that are in the hittable zone; lacks leverage to have average gap power; slightly above-average arm strength that plays at SS; Quick twitch actions in the field; has the range to be an above-average shortstop defensively; has athleticism to make leaping plays on the ball and keep in hard hit grounders in the infield.

Blake Perkins, CF, Washington Nationals (Low-A Hagerstown)
Switch hitter; thin frame with a projectable body; should be able to add considerable strength as he matures; open stance from left side; slightly above-average bat speed; smooth swing with loose hands through the zone, can get off balance at follow through; potential to drive the balls to all fields; flashes ability make frequent hard contact; bat control needs improvement, but athletic stroke gives hope going forward; lacks approach; grounder-heavy; needs to make his swing more compact in order for his above-average bat speed to play; lacks raw power now; has the frame to add a lot of strength; potential for raw power to become above-average, more gap power at this point but will start to hit more balls over the fence as he gains more muscle; doesn’t turn his weight well in order to pull the ball; projected below-average game power; clocked at 4.10 home to first as a LHH; average arm strength that could improve a bit as he adds muscle throughout his body; surefire center fielder; glides in the outfield; athletic enough to make flash plays necessary at the position, makes routine plays with ease; skills and speed project him to be a plus defender; potential MLB regular; likely second-division starter.

Chaz Fiorino
Jose Morban, RHP, Oakland Athletics (short-season Vermont)
Listed at 6-foot-2, 160 pounds, the 19-year-old right-hander looked a tad heavier than listed weight but still offers a projectable frame with room for added strength. There's some effort to the delivery but displays a quick arm and featured an average three-pitch mix across the board which stood out given his young age. The fastball was 88-92 and despite some effort in the delivery there could be more in the tank as he physically matures. He also showed advanced feel for a changeup and curveball eliciting swing-misses with both. Particurlalry the changeup which he showed confidence in to throw in a 3-0 count which is not something you typically see, nevermind in NYPL action.

Oscar Tovar, RHP, Oakland Athletics (short-season Vermont)
Listed at 6-foot-1, 160 pounds, was another 19-year-old right-handed pitcher out of the Vermont bullpen that caught my attention. A mature lower half with projection in upper half for future added strength as he physically matures. Tovar pounded the zone with fastballs 94-97 that Lowell hitters just couldn't catch up to. Tovar also showed advanced feel for secondaries given his age, including a slider (84-85) & changeup (82-86 mph) already projecting as at least average grade pitches in the future.

Nathan Graham
Isaac Paredes, SS, Chicago Cubs (Low-A South Bend)

Just 18 years old, Paredas is physically mature with wide shoulders and strong core, much bigger than the listed 175 pounds, body type will likely force a move to third base; swing starts with a slightly open stance, hands begin high and have a tendency to drift during the load, moderate leg kick, shows above average barrel control and hand-eye coordination, aggressive approach, gets good swings on balls he should not swing at, has improved pitch recognition from beginning of the year, stays more on balanced; power is projectable as fringe average and is primarily pull; the arm is strong and plays above average for the left side; In the field he has average range but shows soft hands and quick transfers; the solid glove and hitting profile should carry him into a major-league lineup.

Emmett Rosenbaum
Carmen Benedetti, OF, Houston Astros (Low-A Quad Cities)
Large torso, broad shoulder, plenty of upper body strength; open stance, long stride, noticeable bat wrap, average bat speed, engages hips well, swing can get long; plus raw power, reaches it well in games, drove balls to all parts of the field; Decent approach, had trouble recognizing breaking balls, stepped in the bucked on occasion; Below-average runner; Looked passable in right, average arm, range could be an issue. Benedetti has a lot of power and shows something resembling a decent approach. However, the bat-to-ball ability is suspect and the defensive profile isn't ideal, making him more of a bench profile.