Minor League Update: Games of Tuesday, July 5th

Prospect of the Day:

Dawel Lugo, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks (High-A Visalia): 4-5, 3 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI.
Yanno, I was supposed to go to this game before life interfered, and dag nabbit, I still haven’t seen a cycle in the flesh. Leyba continues to evolve for the better offensively, from a hitter who looked like he was waiting for a late bus in the box to one who takes some pitches and lets his natural hand-eye coordination produce line-drive contact.

Others of Note:

Gary Sanchez, C, New York Yankees (Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes-Barre): 3-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K. Sanchez is the definition of a player biding his time until opportunity knocks. His defense has taken a handful of steps forward to where he’s been one of the better backstops statistically at Triple-A this season, and the bat, while no longer as hot as the Arizona sunshine in the fall, continues to profile just fine for the position.

Bradley Zimmer, CF, Cleveland Indians (Double-A Akron): 3-4, BB, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, K. Zimmer’s been a hot topic of discussion in our #BPTop50 discussions, specifically relative to his org-mate Clint Frazier. The pop continue to show up against right-handed pitching, and if he can hang on in center it’s an impact profile.

Ian Happ, 2B, Chicago Cubs (Double-A Tennessee): 3-5, BB, R, 2B. Speaking of guys who’ve seen some spilled internet ink on our thread, Happ either can’t or just won’t stop hitting since his promotion to Double-A. Yesterday’s effort was his seventh multi-hit game in 11 Southern League starts.

Ryan McMahon, 3B, Colorado Rockies (Double-A Hartford): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, K. McMahon’s season to date is a nice reminder that players who are very young for their minor-league levels don’t always (or even usually) succeed right away. He’s struggled to gain much of any traction this season, and even despite yesterday’s niceness and a solid .310 mark across his last ten games, he’s produced those numbers despite 17 whiffs and zero walks through the stretch. I liked the bat a lot this time last season, but there are coverage and approach issues that are going to take some time to overcome.

Yohander Mendez, LHP, Texas Rangers (Triple-A Round Rock): 5 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 7 K. Is it too early to call him one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball? I don’t think it’s too early to call him one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball. Let’s you and me agree to call him one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in baseball, shall we?

Josh Taylor, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks (Double-A Mobile): 9 IP, 3 H, 5 K. Welcome to Double-A, kid. Taylor went undrafted, migrated through a glitch in the Matrix from Philadelphia to Arizona, struggled with consistency in the Cal, and then promptly came within three pitches of posting a Maddux in his Southern League debut. He’s a big boy with gas that runs into the mid-90s from the left side, and there are enough glimpses of secondary utility and command to hold out hope for a big league career someday, which…whew!

Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Double-A Tulsa): 3-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K. It’s been a season of adjustment for Bellinger after he took the Cal by storm as a 19-year-old last year, but the power and plus defensive potential at first continue to stand out, and he’s shown the ability to hang in just fine as one of the youngest regulars in the Texas League.

Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies (Double-A Reading): 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, K, E. Hoskins only hits dingers on days that end in “y.”

Matt Strahm, LHP, Kansas City Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 5/1 IP, 2 R (0 ER), 5 H, 8 K. If you’re in the market for a pop-up pitching prospect at Double-A, Strahm may just be your dude. The former JUCO star has seen his stuff tick up and his command tighten over the past year as he’s put a complicated Tommy John recovery further into his rearview, and if the change keeps progressing there’s sneaky mid-rotation potential here.

Jason Martin, OF, Houston Astros (High-A Lancaster): 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR, K. I just penned an Eyewitness on Mr. Martin that’ll be available directly, but he punchline is that there is some pop here, and an okay-ish hit tool to boot, but the power outburst this year is much more likely environment-induced than sustainable. He’s a high-quality fourth-outfield prospect in an org with a few of them, though.

Mikey White, SS/2B, Oakland Athletics (High-A Stockton): 2-3, BB, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI. Deuces wild here for the former second-rounder. I’m not entirely sure how White left the yard twice in one game based on the swing plane, but here we are.

Arvicent Perez, C, Detroit Tigers (Low-A West Michigan): 5-5, 2 R, 3B, 3 RBI. Perez looked like a potential fast-track prospect after a stellar stateside debut in 2014, but he was, well, he was not good for pretty much all of last season. He’s been stinging the ball lately though, capped off by yesterday’s performance, and has shown enough bat to intrigue once again given the defensive profile and elite arm strength. The offense still projects to be on the light side, but any progress is a good thing for a young catcher.

Kolby Allard, LHP, Atlanta Braves (RK Danville) 5.1 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, BB, 8 K. Full-season ball proved a touch aggressive an assignment for young Allard, but short-season hasn’t provided much of a challenge since his demotion, so here he is, stuck in the middle with you.

Gareth Morgan, OF, Seattle Mariners (RK Arizona League): 3-4, R, K. I happened to catch the former 74^th pick’s two-game California League cameo last month, and to say he looked overmatched is an understatement. He’s a physical specimen with oodles of raw power, but there’s a bunch of length to the swing, and his timing and rhythm just weren’t there. He’ll get another chance soon, but it’s a loooong path ahead.