photo © John Blackwell

Hopes were high for Nick Tyson coming into the year. The 32nd-round draft-and-follow from the 2006 draft had posted good numbers for Helena in his pro debut in 2007, and people were excited to see what he could do in full-season ball, especially after Baseball America rated his curveball as the best in the system. Unfortunately, Tyson's season at West Virginia unraveled quickly, as he allowed almost two hits an inning before being demoted to back to Helena.

BCB: I'd imagine you're not thrilled at how your season's gone so far. How would you describe it?

NT: Well, if you didn't know, I was sent back to [Helena] ‘cause of how things went for me in West Virginia.

BCB: Yeah, that had to be frustrating for you.

NT: Yeah, it was. But I was told that things happen for a reason, so I just kept my head were it needed to be, and that was for me to get better and back to were I was. Being in Montana let me realize that things weren't as good as I thought they were. As in, I needed to focus on things more and do extra to stay ahead of the game. Since here, I have done a lot better. I feel like I have more control of my outings ‘cause of the extra work I do on my own.

BCB: What do you attribute your struggles in West Virginia to?

NT: The struggles I went through were on my shoulders. I kept putting the blame on other people but then realized it was my doing. When I saw that, I began to do better and help my team also.

BCB: When did you begin to take responsibility? After your demotion?

NT: I saw it before I got demoted, but by that time it was too late. About a week later I was demoted.

BCB: Do you think you'll be in Helena to stay until the season is over?

NT: I've put thought into that, but I'm still not sure. Anything could happen.

BCB: Can you describe what you throw a little bit?

NT: I have a two-seam fastball that I throw as my fastball at about 87 to 88. I'm not a power guy. I pitch to contact, as they say. I'm developing a changeup, and finding my curveball again. That's about it.

BCB: Would you call yourself a groundball pitcher?

NT: Yeah, I'd have to say I would.

BCB: So if you have a batter 0-2, are you still going to pitch to contact and try to get a grounder, or are you going to try to strike him out?

NT: Like most pitchers, I'd try to strike him out. But a groundball wouldn't hurt either. (laughs)

BCB: I read when you were drafted that you had a good curve. You've kind of lost the feel for it?

NT: Yeah. That was part of me not focusing on my main goal, thinking things would have come a lot easier.

BCB: How do you lose the feel for your curve, and how do you go about finding it again?

NT: It's not so much losing the feel; it's more of not doing what you did to get yourself were you were, as in me not doing my extra work, thinking what I was doing was good enough.

BCB: What extra work are you doing now that you weren't before?

NT: I do extra running. I work on my mechanics every day—well, as much as I can, really. That's really it. They say pitching is about being able to repeat your delivery, so I try to build up muscle memory by repeating my windup. I also try to find better ways to control my pitches, as in hitting spots.

BCB: So the changeup you're developing, is that new this year? Or did you throw it last year?

NT: II mixed it in last year every now and then. I'm still making adjustments to it, but its coming along pretty well. I've been using it quite a bit now. It's becoming a better pitch for me.

BCB: Is it a circle change or a straight change?

NT: It's more of a split change. But as I said, I'm still making minor [alterations] to it, so in the end it could be a circle change.

BCB: What would you say the strength of your game is right now?

NT: Being able to command my fastball to both sides of the plate, and having a second and third pitch to go along with it.

BCB: So if those are your strengths, what is the thing you need to work on the most?

NT: Just because I say they're my strengths doesn't mean I don't need to work on them. I need to always work on everything I do. But if I had to pick a weakness, it would have to be my repetitiveness of all my pitches—being able to double up or even triple up on batters is a big key.

BCB: Do you ever shake off pitches?

NT: Never. Well, I can't say never. But I try to have faith in not just my pitches but in my catcher. Maybe he sees something I don't in the hitter.

BCB: Do the coaches ever call the pitches?

NT: Sometimes they do, but not much.

BCB: You got lumped in with Rob Bryson and Chad Robinson in people's minds because you were all interesting, late-signing pitchers from the 2006 draft. It seems like all of you have had kind of disappointing years, to varying degrees. Is that just coincidence, or is it a coaching thing or something?

NT: It's just a coincidence. We just happen to have some things go wrong. Chad went down with a big injury, and Rob got traded. I heard that it was good for him to get traded because he could move up faster. That's our main goal, so I wish him all the luck in the world. That was my boy when we were on the same team. I used to say there was no Tyson without Bryson.

BCB: Have you kept up with him at all since the trade?

NT: We still keep in touch. Like I said, he was my boy.

BCB: How's he feeling about his shoulder injury?

NT: Not too sure about that. I know he has to be mad that he's injured. I heard he was coming along pretty well, though. I just hope he gets well soon.

BCB: Who are your other good friends in the system?

NT: Zelous Wheeler, Eric Farris, Wes Etheridge, who's no longer in the system. I also have a few Dominicans, too.

BCB: I didn't know Etheridge had been released. What happened to him?

NT: Not too sure. Don't want to go too far into it.

BCB: No problem. Which Dominicans are you close with?

NT: Jose Garcia, Pedro Lambertus, Roque Mercedes, Amaury Rivas.

BCB: I hear Lambertus throws really hard.

NT: He throws gas. He runs it up the in the upper 90s. A lot of the Dominicans throw hard. Look at Wily Peralta: he topped out at 97 the other day. I heard one outing not too long ago his last five pitches were all 97. He also has dirty offspeed.

BCB: You think he'll stay in the pen?

NT: Yeah. He's a great closer. I don't see why he would come out.

BCB: How about Rolando Pascual? He was the Brewers' biggest international signing in awhile, but he hasn't really done much.

NT: He's struggling, as we've all done before. I think he'll pull through it, though. He's still learning and eager to learn.

BCB: Is his stuff significantly better than other pitchers'?

NT: Yeah. He has a really good fastball that he can run into the mid-90s. He just needs to learn to control it a bit. But as I said, he's young and still learning.

BCB: It seems like you have a very positive attitude, not just about yourself but about other players.

NT: I've been told that before. As a kid, I was always taught by my mom to look at the good things in life. She helped me put a good head on my shoulders.

BCB: She did a great job. We really appreciate your time, and wish you the best of luck going forward.

NT: Thanks.

Haven't heard much about Steffan Wilson? That's a good sign for the Brewers' system. Not long ago, a guy capable of playing third putting up a .295/.357/.509 line at West Virginia would have received a lot more attention, but thanks to the system producing three huge third base prospects in the last three years, Wilson is flying under the radar. Regardless, I think you'll find the former Harvard player's answers thoughtful and self-effacing.

BCB: You guys had a tough loss [Tuesday night].

SW: Yeah we did.

BCB: You've been playing really well lately though—both you personally and the team in general. Are you happy with the season so far?

SW: Yeah, there are things that I would change, but things are going well. And this is the most important month.

BCB: What would you change?

SW: Well, the start that I got to the season, and the start that the team got off to. I guess it’s kind of expected a little bit. And everyone can look back and change something for the better, I’m sure. But we’re in a tight race right now, and though I think we all play our hardest every day, if we realized how close it would be, we may not have taken some of the losses that we knew we should have won a lot harder. At the same time, this team does a great job of bouncing back from tough losses, so it’s kind of useless to say what you may change, and as a whole, the season has been a success thus far. Sorry, that was a long answer.

BCB: No, don't worry—long answers are good! Did you make any adjustments after your poor start? Personally, I mean.

SW: Oh yeah, I made a ton of adjustments throughout the season. Adjustments are made daily. That’s the name of the game. I think I have come a long way as a player, and I can safely say that everyone on the team has improved throughout. A lot of my adjustments came in my hitting approach with the help of our hitting coach, Jim Lett: recognizing what pitchers are going to try to do to me as a hitter, creating a consistent approach and swing, protecting the outer half, especially when I am down in the count, and just coming up with a good mental approach for a long and roller coaster-like season.

BCB: So you've learned to take it the other way more?

SW: That’s still a work in progress, and I still find myself trying to pull balls that need to be hit the other way, but I think I’ve improved and adjusted my swing in a way to maximize those goals.

BCB: You said everyone on the team has improved Who has seen the most gains?

SW: Well, I think Lee Haydel has been an excellent player for us. He’s hitting the ball very well and is an important part of our offense. For the most part, everyone has seen improvements, shown in their improving numbers. It’s tough though, because everyone is working on something different, though all working for the same goal of consistency and success. Everyone has different weaknesses that they key on.

BCB: Would you say your biggest weakness is going the other way when it's given to you?

SW: Um, that’s just part of it. I think hitting my pitch and not missing it is another goal of mine. At-bats where you miss the pitch you know you should drive into a gap or out of the park are frustrating, and I think as you see with the higher levels, the good hitters don’t let pitchers get away with a hitter’s pitch. They hit it hard somewhere; they rarely take it for a strike. If I can hit my pitch early in the count, it will make my down-in-the-count approach easier, but at the same time, if I can hit a pitcher’s pitch the other way, the next at-bat, the pitcher may try to come in and leave one over the plate I can hit hard somewhere.

BCB: So, what about Haydel's improvement has impressed you so much?

SW: Well, his bat control and his ability to hit left-handed pitchers. I think just his overall grasp of the game has vastly improved, along with all of us in our first full season. He worked hard in the offseason, and it’s obvious that his hard work has paid off. He’s hitting the ball hard all over the field. He went through a stretch where he was flaring the outside pitch into left field with little success, but recently he’s been driving the ball that way, and in big situations.

BCB: Speaking of improving, Brent Brewer had a big night for Brevard County, did you see?

SW: I didn’t get a chance.

BCB: Walk-off three-run homer in the 13th inning. His first home run of the year.

SW: Wow. That is a big night.

BCB: What did you think of him as a ballplayer? Obviously he has the tools...

SW: Yeah, he definitely has tools. I thought he was a good young ballplayer. When I played with him, we had similar obstacles in the way of confidence. Early in the season, almost everyone on the team was struggling, and no one had a whole lot of confidence, which is such a big part of this game. But his range in the field was very impressive, and he was hitting the ball hard for a while early in the season. But we are all a work in progress.

BCB: Does it frustrate you at all that you have Taylor Green and Mat Gamel ahead of you at third? Knowing that you might well have earned a promotion in a different system by now?

SW: That’s one of those things that is out of my control. Both of those guys are great ballplayers and set the bar pretty high for guys like me and Zelous [Wheeler]. It gives me a level of success to shoot for. But like I said, it’s one of those things I can’t control. I figure if I play well enough, I’ll get to keep playing. And those guys are certainly up for promotions themselves.

BCB: Have you talked to Eric Fryer at all about being blocked like that? It seems like the two of you are in similar situations, with him having Jonathan Lucroy and Angel Salome in front of him.

SW: No. He and I room on the road, but we don’t talk about things like that. The talent in this system is great. It provides a healthy level of competition. I think and hope that the guys that can play, and show they can play every day, will be rewarded. Fryer and myself are in our first full season. The guys ahead of us have proved themselves year-in and year-out. When I do that, we’ll see where I am, but I have a long way to go to see myself at that caliber, and I can only play my game and hope I play well and that it gets noticed.

BCB: You and Fryer and Wheeler have all played a bunch of positions this year. Have you got a sense for where the organization views you long-term?

SW: I think I speak for all of us when I say we have no idea. I don’t think it hurts to be able to play multiple positions, but I know I’d like to be able to call one of those positions my own, and have a lot of confidence in one specific position. I know though that I have to hit, and if I can do that, maybe I’ll fall into a position.

BCB: How do you feel about your defense at third?

SW: I think it’s a lot better this year than last, and when I played there every day, early in the season, I felt good about it. But I see the great plays Zelous makes and know that I am not where he is, and it’s tough when you don’t get a chance to improve everyday at third. But it was something I worked hard on in the off season, and something I intend to continue to work hard at.

BCB: What kind of feedback have you gotten about your strengths and weaknesses defensively?

SW: I haven’t gotten a whole lot this year. I think it’s one of those end-of-season things. But last year I was told I needed to improve my range. A lot of my offseason stuff was aimed at that kind of improvement, but I think reps is a big part of it. That would improve my footwork, hands, and throwing position. Consistency in my throws was something else I worked a lot on.

BCB: Wow's your arm strength?

SW: My arm feels great, which is nice to say this late in the season. It’s never really been the strength of my throws that is the problem; I wanted to work hard on the accuracy of those throws.

BCB: There were a couple pitchers I wanted to ask you about, as well.

SW: Okay.

BCB: Roque Mercedes seems like he's a completely different pitcher in the bullpen. What's changed?

SW: Well, the bullpen is certainly different than being one of the starters. You come into a game that’s not yours and hitters you haven’t faced yet, in many cases. I think he has adjusted to his new role though, and comes into games now ready to throw strikes, and aware of what the hitters he is facing have done in their previous at-bats. I think he pitches to contact more now, and is more efficient in that sense.

BCB: How hard has he been throwing out of the pen?

SW: I’m not sure. Right around 90 I think. It’s hard to find and accurate radar gun in the league.

At this point, Steffan had to get some sleep, but I think you'll agree that the breadth of his answers more than makes up for the fewer than usual questions.

Last Saturday I had the good fortune of seeing the Power play and getting to talk to a few people around the organization.  The Power started the game in an eight run hole but a nine run uprising in the 7th gave the Power the victory.  I'd like to share some thoughts on some of the players I saw here and more will be coming on this trip later.

Pitchers

The good news was I was able to see Seidel, Frederickson, and Wooten pitch in one night.  The bad news was Siedel, Frederickson and Wooten all had to pitch that night.

R.J. Seidel

Seidel is the local kid made good out of Damian Miller's hometown of La Crosse.  Seidel was a 16th round pick last year but pitched well in Rookie ball last year and had been doing well for the Power much of the year though he has struggled lately.  His change-up was supposed to be his best pitch but pitching coach John Curtis mentioned he was having a lot of trouble locating it this year and that was certainly the case this outing. 

After giving up a hot shot through the box to the lead off hitter he served up a change-up middle/in to the next batter and he went deep to dead center.  He did come back to break what I am guessing was a maple bat on a change-up in his second inning of work and when he got that pitch down in the zone it did look like it could be effective. 

His fastball touched 90 but was mostly in the 86-88 region and he also threw a curveball, which was his best off speed pitch that night, in the low 70's.  Seidel got hit hard in the two innings he worked and didn't get a single swing and a miss the entire night.

Evan Frederickson

Frederickson listed five pitches in his BCB interview (Thanks Battlekow) that he said he threw but when I talked to Curtis he only mentioned the fastball, slider, and change up.  There had been rumors that his velocity was down and sadly when I was watching him he was working in the mid 80's and touched 89 on the gun.  That wouldn't be so bad if he was dialing it back to get some more control but he was all over the place and threw 12 strikes in 32 pitches. 

He had little control of his fastball and all of his off speed pitches were up in the zone.  Even his strikeout came on a hanging change up.  His slider really looked sluvy to me and I would guess that my pitch identification algorithm would call it a curveball.  He throws it in the low 70's and it seems to have some downward movement but every time he threw it it ended up above the strike zone.  He clearly was trying to use the pitch as a "get ahead" type of pitch as he threw it on the first or second pitch every time.

Robert Wooten

Wooten has kind of moved into the closers role for the Power but pitched in the 7th inning on Saturday.  I believe that was his first professional win so that was kind of cool as he came into the game with the score 8-1.  Wooten came into the game and threw a nasty slider at the knees on the black for strike one and proceeded to make the Delmarva hitters look foolish with that pitch for the inning he worked getting two strike outs and a weak little grounder.  His slider may be a big league pitch right now as it has tremendous movement and he really locates the pitch well.  He can either throw it for a strike or start it on the corner and have it fall off down and away.  It really is a good pitch for him. 

The bad news was his fastball was in the mid 80's and touched 87 once.  He threw one split which got the strikeout on the last batter, the only lefty he faced.  He is extremely polished and probably could handle A+ right now and maybe could be skipped to AA next year.  If he can get his velocity back to the high 80's and touching low 90's, like he said in his interview, he can probably be an effective reliever but you just don't see too many right handed pitchers throwing a 85 MPH heater out of the pen in the show for a good reason.

Pedro Lambertus

I know, you are thinking who is this guy?  I had no idea either until I saw him pitch.  He is a 19 year old Dominican with a blazing fastball that has some serious movement to it.  He touched 96 on the gun and was working in the 93-94 range all night.  Control has obviously been an issue for him this season but he had it working on Saturday getting nothing but strike outs and ground balls. 

It is very irregular for a guy who throws mid 90's to be a groundball specialist but Lambertus is definitely that.  Maybe think of a younger Salomon Torres.  He came in and stranded two runners with only one out and then got through two more innings of clean work getting two double plays in the process.  With his decent strikeout numbers and large groundball splits he could be effective getting out of jams in the future as well.  Lambertus' off speed pitches are nothing to write home about.  I mean if he had even a decent slider to go with the fastball that would be probably all he would need but if he had that we would have heard of him by now. 

He is only 19 so he is pretty young for the league and has been pitching better of late.  With the down and in movement on his fastball to right handed batters he likely is going to have control issues all his career but he has the stuff to walk a few batters and get away with it.  Obviously a decent off speed pitch would be a boon but Torres for instance, throws his sinker more than 70% of the time so that one pitch could take him pretty far.

Position Players

The Power were held to one run on a wild pitch in the first six innings against the Delmarva started but when the bullpen came in the flood gates opened.  Delmarva's starter was lefty Zachary Britton who has pitched well this year.  He features a upper 80's fastball, slider, and a nasty change up that really had the Power batters on their heels.

Caleb Gindl

When I saw Mat Gamel facing a lefty it was clear why he was having success against lefties as he stays in and went the other way.  Gindl, not so much.  He was pull happy all game as all three of the balls he put in play went to the right of the second baseman (as he was looking at it).  He did end up with two hits on the night after the lefty starter left the game on a seeing eye grounder and a liner in to shallow right but while Britton was in the game he looked rather overmatched.  This is something not too surprising from a 20 year old in A ball. 

Defensively though is where he really had issues.  When the game started the sun was setting in his eyes and badly misplayed two balls both over his head.  The first was back and to his left and the sun really shouldn't have been a problem there but he took a horrible route of left then back and wasn't in the same area code as the ball slammed off the wall.  The Delmarva hitter stood in the box admiring his work a little too long or he might have had a shot at three bases.  The second came an inning later and a similarly hit ball was back and to his right.  This time you could see him visibly shielding his eye (no sunglasses!) as he tried to get to make his way over.  This ball short hopped the wall and probably could have been corralled if he had gotten over their quickly enough.  There was a runner on first in this case so Gindl did gather the ball quickly and threw a strike to the cut off man from the warning track keeping the runner at third.  Obviously Gindl is holding his own in this league and should easily be promoted to A+ next year but skipping a level is probably not in his future.

Eric Fryer

Fryer had caught the game before and after a long bus ride home from New Jersey he was DH'ing on Saturday.  So I didn't get a chance to see him behind the plate but he impressed at the plate.  He drew two walks and had an opposite field double off the wall in left.  He got ahead in all five of his at bats and even the pitches he made outs on where pitches he should have been swinging at.  He didn't swing and miss during the night either. 

Fryer is a pretty big guy and from the sound of it didn't take to the outfield too well so I am guessing behind the plate or first base are his real options.  It is nice that he has turned things around after a poor showing in rookie ball last year but you wonder what his future is in the organization.  There likely are three catchers ahead of him and oodles of players who either are at first or might end up at first.  Still, it never hurts to have catching depth and one who controls the plate well might make the A's or Padres salivate.

Logan Schafer

Schafer does not control the strike zone well as you might expect from looking at his stats.  He was fooled badly by some breaking balls and came up empty four times with three of them on balls that were out of the zone.  He did go 2 for 5 and punished two fastballs including one of only two hits against Britton (Schafer is a lefty so that is kind of meaningful).  

The Sally league is a fastball league like the Midwest league.  Batters are going to see a ton of fastballs as pitchers are learning to command that pitch so I suspect that Schafer is feasting on fastballs right now.  That said, his line drive rate is insanely high right now and he is showing really good doubles power so the tools are there.  He had a easy night in right so I won't make any comments on his defense.

Zelous Wheeler

Wheeler is kind of a shorter player who reminds me of Calix Crabbe for those of you who saw him play at Beloit or someplace else.  Wheeler too is just 21 so he has some room to grow and there are already some nice things in his game.  First, he ranged way to his left in the hole to get to a ball and then made a nice throw from his knees to just get a runner.  He also showed good plate discipline getting ahead in the count several times.  One led to a walk and one lead to a monster home run when a reliever came inside.  He isn't very big but the ball really flies off his bat. 

He did have some trouble against off speed pitches and it was rather clear the game plan was away, away, away and still all three balls he put in play he pulled.  Also, he was a bit slow turning the double play and boy did he have a lot of opportunities that night.  His arm also doesn't look the strongest but it probably is good enough to stick at second.

Steffan Wilson

Wilson was rather aggressive at the plate seeing only nine pitches in four at bats.  He did make some nice contact when he did hit the ball but did swing and miss several times as well.  Wilson was playing first not third and didn't have to make any out of the ordinary plays in the field.  He is a little older than Gindl and Wheeler so he should be playing well at this level at 22.  The next couple of years will be make or break for him and honestly I'd rather have a guy like Wheeler who might turn into a decent player at a premium defensive position than Wilson whose ceiling probably isn't a starter as a corner infielder.

Recently, after being deluged with requests (okay, there were two), I added a prospect ranking to the left-hand sidebar. The off-day today seemed like a good time to expand a bit on my reasons and thinking. Besides, nothing generates good debate like somewhat arbitrary, mostly uninformed hierarchies!

01. Mat Gamel 3B (22) [AA] - .373/.434/.630/1.065, 21 errors
Breakout player of the year has gone from Ryan Braun Lite to Ryan Braun, which unfortunately includes the errors as well. Gamel has better range than Braun did, and with the system choked with outfielders, he'll get the next year and a half to prove he can't play third.

02. Matt LaPorta OF (23) [AA] - .292/.404/.596/1.000
LaPorta looks for all the world like a right-handed Pat Burrell, again including the iffy corner outfield defense. He's not the pure hitter that Gamel is, and he doesn't have the defensive upside, but he has the best plate approach in the system.

03. Alcides Escobar SS (21) [AA] - .326/.359/.435/.794, 21/26 SB
Escobar differs from the other position players near the top of this list in that he is an elite glove man rather than a defensive liability; though he's committed 15 errors already, that total is inflated by his excellent range. His plate discipline hasn't improved (his walk and strikeout rates are almost identical to those from his stint in Huntsville last year), but he's flashing significantly more power than ever before, which is a great sign.

04. Jeremy Jeffress RSP (20) [A+] - 41.7 IP, 36 H, 22 R, 22 ER, 5 HR, 15 BB, 56 K, 1.68 GO/AO, .234 BAA
The only pitcher in the system even remotely close to being a future ace at the Major League level, Jeffress throws high-90s heat, touching 100, and his slider and changeup are also potential plus pitches. He’s had a couple disastrous starts, but even in those he dominated for multiple innings before collapsing, something that could be due to lapses in focus. He’s also seen an intriguing rise in his groundball ratio this year.

05. Angel Salome C (22) [AA] - .346/.404/.534/.938, 24% CS (18/74), 8 PB
Salome might be the best prospect in the system due to position scarcity if he could actually catch, but he can’t really, despite possessing a good body for the position, which is another way of saying he’s too short (5’7") to play anywhere else on the field. He does have a missile for an arm, but it’s lacking a guidance system so far. On the offensive side of things, there’s little question that he can hit, and he’s seen a nice recovery in his walk rate from last year, especially as the season has gone on (12/15 BB/K in 82 June AB’s as his average has come down from stratospheric to merely good).

06. Jonathan Lucroy C (22) [A+] - .311/.384/.527/.911 38% CS (22/58), 4 PB
Only five days younger than Salome, Lucroy (pronounced like LaCroix) is hot on Angel’s heels as a prospect. A recent promotion to Brevard County hasn’t slowed him down at all, and a 31/40 BB/K ratio tells the story of his advanced plate approach. He has a rep as an offense-first catcher, but his stats look pretty good and the pitchers don’t seem to be saying anything bad about him. Lucroy’s also has stolen 8 bases while only being caught once.

07. Taylor Green 3B (21) [A+] - .302/.384/.459/.843, 11 E
Last year’s most pleasant surprise has carried his success over to the tough hitting milieu of the Florida State League. Gritty off the charts, nobody particularly likes Green’s tools, but he seems to be getting the job done just fine so far; next year will be a pivotal one for Green’s prospect status, as the jump to AA is the biggest one in the minors. Green’s a natural second baseman but plays an acceptable third base, a position he will likely continue to occupy until Mat Gamel claims it. He’s the system’s best Canadian prospect.

08. Michael Brantley CF (21) [AA] - .320/.403/.409/.812, 23/29 SB
Brantley came into the year as a big-time sleeper after consistently posting .300/.400 AVG/OBP stats throughout his minor league career but utterly lacking power, and he’s awakened with a roar, morphing into what could be a great leadoff hitter with stats similar to Luis Castillo’s, only from the center field position. He’s not a particularly good defensive center fielder yet, but he’s a great athlete and should improve.

09. Zach Braddock LSP (20) [A+] - 43.7 IP, 34 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 2 HR, 27 BB, 51 K, 0.67 GO/AO, .215 BAA
Braddock was the pitching version of Taylor Green last year, blowing both hitters and stats nerds away with his huge strikeout totals before being shut down with shoulder problems. Fully recovered after a delayed start to the year, Braddock has had his ups and downs at Brevard County, but has retained his dominance, as you can see from his strikeout rate and batting average against. Walks, which weren’t a problem for him at all last year, have really plagued him so far. He doesn’t have Jeffress’ pure stuff, relying on a fastball that’s about 90 MPH, but lefties who can strike people out like this get a lot of chances. Again like Green, the jump to AA next year will be quite telling for Braddock.

10. Cole Gillespie LF (24) [AA] - .277/.378/.494/.872, 7/7 SB
LaPorta Lite, Gillespie is even older and his production has resembles his teammate’s in shape but with less amplitude. He’s a polished, professional hitter who will at the very least be a fourth outfielder, but he’s probably limited to left field defensively because shoulder surgery has ruined his throwing arm.

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I like following prospects. It's like having Christmas Eve all the time, every player a wrapped present of infinite promise, each with the potential to be a Red Ryder carbine-action BB gun with a compass in the stock. Sure, sometimes they turn out to be socks, but there's always another present to open. With that in mind, let's see how our Christmas is shaping up:

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