FanPost

prospects with first 10 days good, good

As a hobby, I just browse and read lots of reports on Crew prospects. I read tonight some scout who gave some notes on a Carolina game last week. I noted how he said Erceg was crazy good on D at 3rd base. I just let these tidbits sit in my mind.

Of course browsing the minors box scores leads you to see who is up and who is down. After 13th games I am interested in the follwing good, good of some prospects.

Poor Garret Cooper playing first base at AAA. He is a historical .750-800 minor league with no power. He started like a house on fire, offensively, 1.198 OPS. Perhaps he will have his career year at age 26 in AAA. Or perhaps we will become Lyly Overbay. Good luck to him. And a great start in his first 28 at bats.

I have hope Yadiel Rivera will hit well enough to be the cheap 25th man (infielder) for the Crew for three or four years. His defense (I have always read) is spectacular. His OPS starts at .850, but 6k and no BB. Was it last year he batted so well in the spring he broke with the team. This is make or break year for him at age 24. He needs to hit.

I am excited Nottingham has started with a .770 OPS at AA. But he has only thrown out 1 of 5 base stealers. I see he bats 3rd in the line up. Last year was the mulligan year. I hope he proves worth the home run masher we gave to Oakland for him. (Davis had 42 homers last year, and I think has a few already this year; but DS does not like noodle arms). I guess the point is we desperately need a catching prospect. (hint, some good news coming up below). And let us see how Bubba Derby does (in the same AA squad with Jacob, and the 2nd player we got from the A's for Khris Davis)

On the pitching side at AA, Lopez has started out fine in his two starts (12k and 2bb in his 12 innings). Jon Perrin is being Jon Perrin with 7ks and no walks in his 4 ip. The most intriguing story at AA is this Aaron Wilkerson dude. Some NAIA superstar. But was undrafted because his last year in college he pitched with a damaged UCL. So Tommy John followed, and some stacking shelves for a job, and independent ball, then in 2015 was signed by the Red Sox, and now with us. He has good minors stats, and his first 10 ip with Biloxi yielded 15ks and only 2 bb. Is he Junior Guerra II.

At A+ Carolina, Jake Gatewood is doing something really odd. Last year he has a usual k/bb line for him. He had, in 496 at bats, 141k and 18 walks. Yup. And this is common for him. In 2017 he has so far 9k but 8bb with it. I always note guys with BB near the K numbers. Has Jake changed? His small sample .962 OPS is nifty to start the year.

Last year's number 4 pick, Corbin Burnes has two stellar starts so far this year at A+ - yielding a 0.82 era and 0.73 whip.

At Wisconsin a healthy Monte Harrison has a couple home runs and a .833 OPS. Trey Supak has 11ks and 1 bb in his 8 ip so far. And Miguel Diaz... (oh, he is not there anymore - I dont see him at A+ either)

But mostly I am excited by 18 year old catcher, Mario Feliciano, our competive balance pick last year out of Puerto Rico. Early days, but a .994 OPS, with 3bb to go with 4 ks. In his first 21 abs, he has a home run, and triple, and a pair of doubles.

Finally, in my reading today I see Kodi Medeiros hit 102 on the stadium gun (wherever he pitched). The subnote was the gun is a bit fast. And I do note Kodi is not pitching well. And the same scout that raved re Erceg, did the anti-rave re Kodi's pitching.

To be honest, there are a lot of prospects that have not started too well. But the above is just some good, good I came across in my reading.