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Let's take a look at what's brewing (
) in the Minor Leagues for those Clowns:
Editors note, these rankings are really loose, just some of my favorite or most intriguing prospects. In fact, I probably left a couple guys out. I may have something else planned for them later.
CF Zack Grahmann - The speedy Grahmann was a 3rd round pick in 2012, and did really well in Single A Evansville, posting a 6.1 WAR last season, with a 146 OPS+. He made the jump to Double A Richmond and struggled, posting an OPS+ of just 98 in a season cut short in late June due to a finger injury. He'll be back in Richmond next season, and I really hope he turns it around. While I don't see him putting up a 6.0 WAR season again any time soon, I do think he can be a 1.0-1.5 WAR kind of guy as a fourth outfielder/spot starter. My scout views him more favorably than OSA, but either way, I see him as an average contact guy that won't strike out much, and draw his share of walks, if he pans out. My scout see's him as an above average center fielder, and I'm curious to see if that rating improves.
RF Kaleb Higgs - A 2nd round pick in 2011, Higgs spent nearly three years in Single A getting his shit together. Still only 20, Higgs earned a promotion to Double A this season, and didn't disappoint, posting an impressive 131 OPS+ in 23 games. I can't wait to see what he does next season, which will begin again in Double A. He missed too much time this year with various injuries, and he could really use a full season honing his craft. Our scout has reported multiple potential increases the last couple seasons, so I'm curious to see what he is, because you know, scouts. If he pans out, he's a perfect fit in left, but he can manage right field if need be. He's a five or six hole hitter, and again, if he pans out, my scout sees him hitting 20-25 homers a season, though that power hasn't shown through yet.
CL J.D. Helton - "Animal" has struggles his first season at each level, before putting up a dominating encore the following season, and the first half of that trend continued this season at Triple A Fort Wayne. There's some really good news here, as a .388 BABIP betrayed what was actually a pretty good Triple A debut. Check out that 2.96 FIP versus his 4.11 ERA. The 2011 2nd rounder has excellent stuff, he just doesn't always know where it's going, though his walk rate is improving. His K/9 of 11.6 made his 3.8 BB/9 rate passable, but he'll have to continue to strike out batters to make it in a BLB bullpen. His ground ball tendency, along with his easy 100 MPH heat, could prove to be tough to handle for even the best hitters in the league.
SP Aiden Gay - Gay, a 2012 1st rounder, has rocketed through our system, while being pretty much ignored by most top prospect lists. Our crack scouting staff see's him as a solid number three, and OSA pretty much agrees. He's been a 5.0 WAR pitcher in Double and Triple A, doesn't walk anyone, gives up less than a hit an inning, strikes out... enough hitters, and has three solid pitches. Solid lefty for the rotation? Yes, please.
SP Jaylin Byrd - Byrd was a 5th round selection in this years draft, a selection we made mostly on his OSA rating, and a little because of his stats. He was mostly disappointing this season, on the surface anyway. Although he posted a 4.28 ERA, he sported a 2.64 FIP, a K/9 of 11.6, and a BB/9 of 2.6. Good stuff, I think. The 6'3" lefty throws 95 MPH and sports four average pitches, including a plus slider. A great leader, I'm clearly out of things to say about him.
3B Pat Dumitrescu - A 2nd round pick in 2012, I wish he had a different last name. He's progressed at each level, earning a 14 game audition in Triple A to cap off this season, and sported a 124 OPS+ for the Komets. A flashy defender at the hot corner, his future is a little less certain at the plate, despite pretty good numbers in the minors. Our scouts and OSA don't really agree on his future, though they do both see him as average to above average, only in different areas. Still, I could see 15-20 homers, a .275 average, maybe a .345 OBP, and pretty good defense at third, and we all know that isn't very plentiful in this league.
3B Erik Jackson - Speaking of good third basemen that are difficult to come by, here's another one. Jackson capped off a great college career by being selected in the first round by the Clowns this season, and he did not disappoint, earning a short promotion to Double A prior to seasons end. We're trying to convert him to short, and he'll continue that transition to start next season, but plus defense at third is definitely a pretty nice fallback option to have. If he plays to our scouts expectations, look for 35 homers, a slash line of .295/.370/.555, and plus defense if he's at third. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
SP T.J. Reyburn - Reyburn was a 3rd round selection in 2013, after an unheralded college career. He made his debut in Single A as a reliever, and was quickly promoted to Double A after 5.1 scoreless innings for the Hit Kings. This season however, we decided to try him in the rotation, and we couldn't be happier with the results. T.J. posted an even 10-10 record a 3.22 ERA (2.69 FIP!), a 5.1 K/BB ratio, and a 4.7 WAR. The short (5'10") lefty surprises hitters with his easy 95 MPH heat, and his impeccable control allows him to make his pitch when he needs to. His stamina is a concern, but he'll be back in the rotation when he debuts at Triple A next season.
RF Ed McAllister - I feel like we stole Big Ed in the 3rd round of this years draft, and he didn't disappoint, posting a 158 OPS+ in his Single A debut. Our scouts see him as a clean up hitter or maybe a five spot guy, where he should be able to put up 25-30 homers a season. He's not a great defender at this point, in fact, he's pretty damn bad, so maybe he's a DH. We hope that average speed and solid peripheral defensive ratings can translate into him being at least serviceable in left. Great leadership, and he wants to play for a winner. Also, greedy as fuck.
SP Fred Myatt Fred is probably the most intriguing prospect I've had in years. A 2nd round pick in 2011, I've been waiting for that lack of control to catch up with him with each jump through the minors. It hasn't. Fred made his BLB debut this year, first as a mid-season call up for bullpen help, just to see what he could do (shit his pants), then as a roster expansion call up, just to see if he could not shit his pants. Things have gone much better this second time up, though it's been a bit of a mixed bag. The good news includes a 14.3 K/9 rate and a .409 BABIP. The bad news is that nasty 1.50 WHIP and a 4.8 BB/9 rate. Like I said, mixed bag.
He sports plus, plus stuff, three good pitches, the fastball and change both plus, and solid stamina. He throws 101 MPH. And that's about it. He has terrible control, per my scout. OSA see's him in a better light here, and that could make all the difference if they're right and we're wrong. He won't start for the Clowns until next season, at the earliest. I may leave him in the bullpen, depending on what happens this off-season. But if he's going to fail, I need to see it happen in the rotation. I need him in that rotation. I hope he doesn't fail.
) in the Minor Leagues for those Clowns:Editors note, these rankings are really loose, just some of my favorite or most intriguing prospects. In fact, I probably left a couple guys out. I may have something else planned for them later.
CF Zack Grahmann - The speedy Grahmann was a 3rd round pick in 2012, and did really well in Single A Evansville, posting a 6.1 WAR last season, with a 146 OPS+. He made the jump to Double A Richmond and struggled, posting an OPS+ of just 98 in a season cut short in late June due to a finger injury. He'll be back in Richmond next season, and I really hope he turns it around. While I don't see him putting up a 6.0 WAR season again any time soon, I do think he can be a 1.0-1.5 WAR kind of guy as a fourth outfielder/spot starter. My scout views him more favorably than OSA, but either way, I see him as an average contact guy that won't strike out much, and draw his share of walks, if he pans out. My scout see's him as an above average center fielder, and I'm curious to see if that rating improves.
RF Kaleb Higgs - A 2nd round pick in 2011, Higgs spent nearly three years in Single A getting his shit together. Still only 20, Higgs earned a promotion to Double A this season, and didn't disappoint, posting an impressive 131 OPS+ in 23 games. I can't wait to see what he does next season, which will begin again in Double A. He missed too much time this year with various injuries, and he could really use a full season honing his craft. Our scout has reported multiple potential increases the last couple seasons, so I'm curious to see what he is, because you know, scouts. If he pans out, he's a perfect fit in left, but he can manage right field if need be. He's a five or six hole hitter, and again, if he pans out, my scout sees him hitting 20-25 homers a season, though that power hasn't shown through yet.
CL J.D. Helton - "Animal" has struggles his first season at each level, before putting up a dominating encore the following season, and the first half of that trend continued this season at Triple A Fort Wayne. There's some really good news here, as a .388 BABIP betrayed what was actually a pretty good Triple A debut. Check out that 2.96 FIP versus his 4.11 ERA. The 2011 2nd rounder has excellent stuff, he just doesn't always know where it's going, though his walk rate is improving. His K/9 of 11.6 made his 3.8 BB/9 rate passable, but he'll have to continue to strike out batters to make it in a BLB bullpen. His ground ball tendency, along with his easy 100 MPH heat, could prove to be tough to handle for even the best hitters in the league.
SP Aiden Gay - Gay, a 2012 1st rounder, has rocketed through our system, while being pretty much ignored by most top prospect lists. Our crack scouting staff see's him as a solid number three, and OSA pretty much agrees. He's been a 5.0 WAR pitcher in Double and Triple A, doesn't walk anyone, gives up less than a hit an inning, strikes out... enough hitters, and has three solid pitches. Solid lefty for the rotation? Yes, please.
SP Jaylin Byrd - Byrd was a 5th round selection in this years draft, a selection we made mostly on his OSA rating, and a little because of his stats. He was mostly disappointing this season, on the surface anyway. Although he posted a 4.28 ERA, he sported a 2.64 FIP, a K/9 of 11.6, and a BB/9 of 2.6. Good stuff, I think. The 6'3" lefty throws 95 MPH and sports four average pitches, including a plus slider. A great leader, I'm clearly out of things to say about him.
3B Pat Dumitrescu - A 2nd round pick in 2012, I wish he had a different last name. He's progressed at each level, earning a 14 game audition in Triple A to cap off this season, and sported a 124 OPS+ for the Komets. A flashy defender at the hot corner, his future is a little less certain at the plate, despite pretty good numbers in the minors. Our scouts and OSA don't really agree on his future, though they do both see him as average to above average, only in different areas. Still, I could see 15-20 homers, a .275 average, maybe a .345 OBP, and pretty good defense at third, and we all know that isn't very plentiful in this league.
3B Erik Jackson - Speaking of good third basemen that are difficult to come by, here's another one. Jackson capped off a great college career by being selected in the first round by the Clowns this season, and he did not disappoint, earning a short promotion to Double A prior to seasons end. We're trying to convert him to short, and he'll continue that transition to start next season, but plus defense at third is definitely a pretty nice fallback option to have. If he plays to our scouts expectations, look for 35 homers, a slash line of .295/.370/.555, and plus defense if he's at third. That's what I'm talkin' 'bout!
SP T.J. Reyburn - Reyburn was a 3rd round selection in 2013, after an unheralded college career. He made his debut in Single A as a reliever, and was quickly promoted to Double A after 5.1 scoreless innings for the Hit Kings. This season however, we decided to try him in the rotation, and we couldn't be happier with the results. T.J. posted an even 10-10 record a 3.22 ERA (2.69 FIP!), a 5.1 K/BB ratio, and a 4.7 WAR. The short (5'10") lefty surprises hitters with his easy 95 MPH heat, and his impeccable control allows him to make his pitch when he needs to. His stamina is a concern, but he'll be back in the rotation when he debuts at Triple A next season.
RF Ed McAllister - I feel like we stole Big Ed in the 3rd round of this years draft, and he didn't disappoint, posting a 158 OPS+ in his Single A debut. Our scouts see him as a clean up hitter or maybe a five spot guy, where he should be able to put up 25-30 homers a season. He's not a great defender at this point, in fact, he's pretty damn bad, so maybe he's a DH. We hope that average speed and solid peripheral defensive ratings can translate into him being at least serviceable in left. Great leadership, and he wants to play for a winner. Also, greedy as fuck.
SP Fred Myatt Fred is probably the most intriguing prospect I've had in years. A 2nd round pick in 2011, I've been waiting for that lack of control to catch up with him with each jump through the minors. It hasn't. Fred made his BLB debut this year, first as a mid-season call up for bullpen help, just to see what he could do (shit his pants), then as a roster expansion call up, just to see if he could not shit his pants. Things have gone much better this second time up, though it's been a bit of a mixed bag. The good news includes a 14.3 K/9 rate and a .409 BABIP. The bad news is that nasty 1.50 WHIP and a 4.8 BB/9 rate. Like I said, mixed bag.
He sports plus, plus stuff, three good pitches, the fastball and change both plus, and solid stamina. He throws 101 MPH. And that's about it. He has terrible control, per my scout. OSA see's him in a better light here, and that could make all the difference if they're right and we're wrong. He won't start for the Clowns until next season, at the earliest. I may leave him in the bullpen, depending on what happens this off-season. But if he's going to fail, I need to see it happen in the rotation. I need him in that rotation. I hope he doesn't fail.
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