Hitter of the Day
Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Glendale Desert Dogs) 3-5, 2 RS, 2B. Bellinger’s game features double-plus raw power that he isn’t shy about trying to tap into in-game. His swing has a ton of leverage and when he decides to unleash the dragon he does so with the intent to murder the baseball. It produces extremely fun contact, especially in the hitter-friendly Arizona environment, but it also creates swing and miss in his game. His raw strength is so good he doesn’t have to actualize it all the way to be an effective player, but if he’s going to see significant duty at first base any semblance of a two-strike approach would assuage the risk here.
Pitcher of the Day
Austin Voth, RHP, Washington Nationals (Glendale Desert Dogs) 5 IP, 3 H, 0 RA, 0 BB, 3 SO. The Nationals have pumped out some high-octane arms recently and Austin Voth … well, Austin Voth ain’t that. He can still be a useable major-league arm. Voth features a cutter and a fastball that work in the high 80s and he shows average command. He could be a swingman, a guy who works in lower leverage relief, and if the command plays up he could be a solid fifth starter.
Best of the Rest
Harrison Bader, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (Glendale Desert Dogs) 2-4, 2 RS, 3B. He has a broad assortment of tools but, if he plays left he'll have to significantly cut down on his swing and miss. Bader can be an average player with some pop.
Nick Gordon, SS, Minnesota Twins (Surprise Saguaros) 2-4, RS, 2B. I could probably copy-paste “another solid game from a solid prospect” for Gordon here, but that’s a little cheap. Gordon has some barrel control and is willing to use the whole field in his approach.
Yu-Cheng Chang, SS, Cleveland Indians (Mesa Solar Sox) 1-4. Chang isn’t a flashy prospect, but he shows good barrel control, average strength, and solid-average athleticism. He’s not long for short, but he can play there in spurts.
Yairo Munoz, SS, Oakland Athletics (Mesa Solar Sox) 2-4, 2 2B. Munoz’s approach is similar to Bellinger’s, just turned down a few degrees. He swings hard and with intent, which leads to loud contact, but he also swings often, which leads to a below-average approach.
Fight Another Day
Michael Gettys, OF, San Diego Padres (Peoria Javelinas) 0-5, 4 SO. Gettys has some things to work on in his swing. It’s a muscled up stroke that lacks fluidity, so the strikeouts are going to be a part of his game. If his hit tool plays even to below average he will have an immense amount of value thanks to his secondary skills.
Tanner Scott, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (Peoria Javelinas) 2 IP, 3 H, 2 RA, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO. Scott throws hard and his slider misses bats. His command also escapes him, which makes him prone to some ugly outings.
Jarlin Garcia, LHP, Miami Marlins (Mesa Solar Sox) 1 IP, 4 H, 3 RA, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO. Garcia’s fastball works in the low-90s and he backs it up with a solid curve. His mechanics get stiff, which hurts his command.
Stephen Gonsalves, RHP, Minnesota Twins (Surprise Saguaros) 0.2 IP, 3 H, 4 RA, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO. Gonsalves carved up A-Ball in 2015 with an athletic delivery and a plus change. His command slipped dramatically in 2016 and over 74.1 innings in Double-A his walk rate was 12.5 percent. That’s something to keep an eye on in the future, even if I believe he gets his command under control in 2017.
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