2014 Fantasy Baseball: The Farm Report, August 12
Well, Trevor May and Javier Baez have left us. Most like, they’ve left us for good. Baez did so with a bang, treating Coors Field like the launching bad it is. Sure, he swings and misses a ton, but when he makes contact angels sing. May’s debut did not go as planned. He walked seven batters in two innings, striking out zero, and surrendering four runs before he was not allowed to throw another pitch. He’s better than that, so don’t fret too much.
| Name | Franchise | Level | PA | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addison Russell | Cubs | AA | 126 | 18 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 0.308 | 0.357 | 0.556 |
| Byron Buxton | Twins | A+ | 130 | 18 | 3 | 13 | 6 | 0.237 | 0.308 | 0.381 |
| Carlos Correa | Astros | A+ | 293 | 50 | 6 | 57 | 20 | 0.325 | 0.416 | 0.510 |
| Joc Pederson | Dodgers | AAA | 465 | 83 | 26 | 62 | 26 | 0.303 | 0.427 | 0.467 |
| Joey Gallo | Rangers | A+ | 246 | 53 | 21 | 50 | 5 | 0.323 | 0.463 | 0.735 |
| Joey Gallo | Rangers | AA | 220 | 34 | 17 | 45 | 1 | 0.255 | 0.347 | 0.568 |
| Kris Bryant | Cubs | AA | 297 | 61 | 22 | 58 | 8 | 0.355 | 0.458 | 0.702 |
| Kris Bryant | Cubs | AAA | 210 | 45 | 16 | 40 | 7 | 0.322 | 0.438 | 0.672 |
| Maikel Franco | Phillies | AAA | 468 | 52 | 10 | 59 | 2 | 0.248 | 0.295 | 0.393 |
| Jose Peraza | Braves | A+ | 304 | 44 | 1 | 27 | 35 | 0.342 | 0.365 | 0.454 |
| Jose Peraza | Braves | AA | 185 | 34 | 1 | 15 | 24 | 0.326 | 0.355 | 0.417 |
| Jorge Soler | Cubs | AA | 79 | 13 | 6 | 22 | 0.415 | 0.494 | 0.862 | |
| Jorge Soler | Cubs | AAA | 67 | 15 | 5 | 17 | 0.309 | 0.433 | 0.709 |
The race for the minor league home run crown is shaping up to be a good one. Both Kris Bryant and Joey Gallo have left the yard 38 times, which is quite the feat. Bryant’s more likely to get a cup of coffee in September, in my opinion. And I don’t think he’ll spend much time in the minors next season, especially if Chicago is able to ink him to a contact. [I have no knowledge they’re even trying to, just speculating on service time issues] Gallo’s power is so, so prodigious, but so is his swing and miss game. As much as I’d like to see him in the majors early next season, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s slowed down a little bit in order to fix his issues making contact.
While we’re talking about Cubs’ prospects: Addison Russell and Jorge Soler [included by request, because I’m an idiot and forgot him in the first place] are really good. If Oakland wins the World Series, they’ll live with dealing Russell away, but it isn’t going to be easy. He can mash. You have to part with talent to get talent, but it might be a tough pill to swallow if Russell reaches his lofty ceiling. And Soler’s no slouch, crushing at two levels this season. It’s not out of them realm of possibility that Soler, Russell, and Bryant will join Starlin Casto, Baez, and Anthony Rizzo next season. And holy hell, that’s going to be a ton of fun.
| Name | Franchise | Level | IP | K% | BB% | ERA | FIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archie Bradley | Dbacks | AA | 45.1 | 19.4% | 12.6% | 5.18 | 3.76 |
| Archie Bradley | Dbacks | AAA | 24.1 | 20.4% | 10.6% | 5.18 | 3.76 |
| Noah Syndergaard | Mets | AAA | 107 | 23.6% | 7.4% | 4.79 | 3.85 |
| Jonathan Gray | Rockies | AA | 117 | 22.6% | 8.0% | 3.85 | 3.46 |
| Mark Appel | Astros | A+ | 44.1 | 18.4% | 5.1% | 9.74 | 5.29 |
| Mark Appel | Astros | AA | 14.1 | 22.4% | 10.5% | 5.02 | 2.68 |
| Henry Owens | Red Sox | AA | 121 | 25.6% | 9.5% | 2.60 | 3.16 |
| Henry Owens | Red Sox | AAA | 11.2 | 28.0% | 10.0% | 3.09 | 2.50 |
| Robert Stephenson | Reds | AA | 115.2 | 22.9% | 12.4% | 4.67 | 4.45 |
| Matt Wisler | Padres | AAA | 93.1 | 18.5% | 6.8% | 5.30 | 5.61 |
| Alex Meyer | Twins | AAA | 114 | 27.0% | 11.7% | 3.32 | 3.64 |
| Julio Urias | Dodgers | A+ | 67.1 | 28.2% | 11.2% | 2.94 | 3.73 |
| Dylan Bundy | Orioles | A+ | 26.1 | 12.8% | 11.1% | 4.78 | 4.01 |
This has not been the year of the pitching prospect. Many of them have gotten hurt. Many have struggled with their command, and fallen down a little bit.
Archie Bradley’s command is still a little funky. Robert Stephenson, too. Although I have a little more faith in the latter to iron his issues out. Mark Appel has been better since he was promoted, but it would have been hard to be any worse.
Henry Owens has been fantastic all season, and looks as if he’ll figure into Boston’s plans sooner rather than later. Ditto for Alex Meyer in Minnesota.
Lastly, Dylan Bundy’s back, but he’s not back. That’s to be expected, considering he is recovering from Tommy John. Scouts have noted velocity issues, which just proves that some guys need a little more time to work their way back. Sometimes we take TJS a little for granted; it’s still a major surgery, and recovery times aren’t always linear.
Until next time.
The Author
