• The KillerFrogs

2018 MLB Thread

FBallFan123

Active Member
MLB Pipeline is doing their prospect rankings for every MLB team.

They ranked Tyler Alexander #20 in the Detroit Tigers farm system....

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=det

MLB Pipeline said:
Tyler Alexander | Rank: 20 (Preseason: 20)
Team: Unassigned ETA: 2018
Position: LHP Age: 23 DOB: 07/14/1994
Bats: R Throws: L Height: 6' 2" Weight: 200 lb.
Drafted: 2015, 2nd (65) - DET
Watch
Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55 | Overall: 45

It has been a tale of two full seasons for Alexander since joining the Tigers as a Draft-eligible sophomore taken out of TCU in the second round of the 2015 Draft. In his first full season, he did what every organization hopes to get from an advanced college lefty, pitching his way to Double-A. A return to the Eastern League in 2017, however, didn't go nearly as well, leaving questions about whether the southpaw's stuff is good enough for the highest levels.

When Alexander is going right, he commands his largely average stuff well down in the zone. He is capable of adding and subtracting from his fastball, as well as sinking it, to get ground-ball outs, throwing it anywhere from 88 mph up to 92-93 mph. His changeup is his best secondary pitch, a tick above average and he can mix in an effective slider and curve. While Alexander continued to walk very few hitters in 2017, his command within the strike zone wasn't good. He doesn't have the power repertoire to get away with pitching up and he paid the price.

Alexander is a smart pitcher, one who has shown the ability to make adjustments in the past. The Tigers hope he is able to learn from his rough 2017, rediscover his command, and continue his march toward being a starter in the back end of a big league rotation.


2017 Team W L ERA G GS SV IP H HR BB K AVG WHIP GO/AO
EAS ERI (AA) 8 9 5.07 27 26 0 138.1 178 20 23 120 .309 1.45 0.93
Minors 8 9 5.07 27 26 0 138.1 178 20 23 120 .309 1.45 0.93
 
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FBallFan123

Active Member
MLB Pipeline is doing their prospect rankings for every MLB team.

They ranked Tyler Alexander #20 in the Detroit Tigers farm system....

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=det

Riley Ferrell is #20 on the Astros list....

MLB Pipeline said:
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=hou

Riley Ferrell | Rank: 20 (Preseason: 20)
Team: Corpus Christi Hooks (AA) ETA: 2018
Position: RHP Age: 24 DOB: 10/18/1993
Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 2" Weight: 200 lb.
Drafted: 2015, 3rd (79) - HOU

Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 60 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Ferrell posted a 1.72 ERA and a school-record 32 saves in three years at Texas Christian before signing for an above-slot $1 million as a third-rounder in 2015. He figured to be one of the first players from that Draft to reach the Majors before that ETA changed when he had surgery to remove an aneurysm from his throwing shoulder in May 2016. He missed the rest of that season but recaptured his power stuff in Double-A last year.

With a pair of pitches that grade as well above average at their best, Ferrell could become a closer if he can find some more consistency. His fastball usually ranges from 93-98 mph with late life and his mid-80s slider has two-plane break and can be more unhittable at times. The Astros may have him work on a power curveball to give hitters a different look.

Because he has a high-tempo delivery and lapses into bouts of overthrowing, Ferrell's control and command never have been as sharp as his stuff. His slider can have vicious bite that makes it especially hard to tame, and there's some question as to whether big leaguers will chase it out of the strike zone. He threw more strikes in 2017 than he had in the past, but he also was more hittable and will need to find a happy medium.

2017 Team W L ERA G GS SV IP H HR BB K AVG WHIP GO/AO
CARBC (A+) 0 0 0.00 2 0 2 2.0 0 0 0 5 .000 0.00 0.00
TEXCC (AA) 2 2 3.81 36 0 4 52.0 51 2 14 55 .263 1.25 1.19
Minors 2 2 3.67 38 0 6 54.0 51 2 14 60 .255 1.20 1.16
 
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FBallFan123

Active Member
More MLB Pipeline rankings.

Kevin Cron and Alex Young are #20 and #23 in the Arizona rankings. respectively.

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=ari
MLB Pipeline said:
Kevin Cron | Rank: 20 (Preseason: 20)
Team: Reno Aces (AAA) ETA: 2018
Position: 1B Age: 25 DOB: 02/17/1993
Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 5" Weight: 245 lb.
Drafted: 2014, 14th (420) - ARI

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 30 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45
There have been two certain things about Cron since he came out of TCU as a 14th-round pick in 2014: He has a ton of power and comes from a family steeped in the game of baseball. The younger brother of C.J. and son of former professional player and coach Chris has now hit at least 25 home runs in each of his three full seasons of pro ball. Improvements in his approach led to even better offensive results in Double-A in 2017, leading to him earning Southern League MVP honors.

At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Cron's strength is obvious, and his raw power is at least plus. Swing-and-miss issues and a lack of plate discipline had previously held him back and forced him to repeat at Double-A in 2017. His pitch recognition improved tremendously in his second go-round in the Southern League, with the increase in walks helping to offset what will always be a healthy strikeout total. With his size and below-average speed, Cron is a little limited defensively, but he has good hands and the D-backs actually think he's deceptively strong as a fielder. He has a strong arm and could even see a little time at third in 2018.

It will be Cron's bat that gets him to The Show, and the power will have to keep showing up for him to be a regular first baseman in the big leagues. The D-backs didn't protect Cron on the 40-man roster last offseason, but he went unselected in the Rule 5 Draft. He'll try to show the organization he deserves a spot in 2018.

MLB Pipeline said:
2017 Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB AVG OBP SLG OPS
SOU JXN (AA) 138 515 76 146 35 0 25 91 56 134 1 .283 .357 .497 .854
Minors 138 515 76 146 35 0 25 91 56 134 1 .283 .357 .497 .854


http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=ari

MLB Pipeline said:
Alex Young | Rank: 23 (Preseason: 23)
Team: Jackson Generals (AA) ETA: 2018
Position: LHP Age: 24 DOB: 09/09/1993
Bats: L Throws: L Height: 6' 2" Weight: 205 lb.
Drafted: 2015, 2nd (43) - ARI

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 45
After taking Dansby Swanson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 Draft, the D-backs went college-pitching heavy, selecting one with each of their next five picks. Young was the first in that group taken, in the second round out of TCU. The lefty made a fairly successful jump to Double-A in his second full season, finishing seventh in the system in ERA.

Young relies on a three-pitch mix and his ability to throw them for strikes, rather than any one true out pitch. His fastball is average, thrown around 91-92 mph. His breaking ball, which was more of a slider when he entered pro ball, has morphed into more of a curveball and grades out as Major League average. The lefty has worked on his changeup a lot and it's caught up to his breaking ball, giving him a third average offering. There isn't a whole lot of margin for error for Young, so his ability to command all three is important. He did a much better job of doing that down in the zone in the second half of his 2017 season.

Young did pitch out of the bullpen at times with TCU and he looked good doing so during his brief pro debut in 2015. The D-backs plan to continue to let him start and see if he can keep developing into a back-end starter, knowing the stuff would tick up a bit in shorter relief stints.

MLB Pipeline said:
2017 Team W L ERA G GS SV IP H HR BB K AVG WHIP GO/AO
SOU JXN (AA) 9 9 3.68 27 24 0 137.0 125 12 58 103 .245 1.34 0.91
Minors 9 9 3.68 27 24 0 137.0 125 12 58 103 .245 1.34 0.91
 
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Eight

Member
holy crap, i thought my son was kidding when he said tim lincecum was heading to the rangers


also, anyone have a clue where arrieta ends up?
 

FBallFan123

Active Member
holy crap, i thought my son was kidding when he said tim lincecum was heading to the rangers


also, anyone have a clue where arrieta ends up?

Tough to say. There's been talk of the Phillies, but they seem to want a shorter term contract (like 3 years).

It's hard to see what team would be willing to give Arrieta the years and money he wants.
 

FBallFan123

Active Member
AZ Snake Pit is going through some of the organizations top prospects.

They mention how Cron is blocked by Goldschmidt at 1B, and just like MLB Pipeline, mention he could play some at 3B this season.

Also talk about Alex Young...and maybe a potential move to the bullpen.

It'll be an interesting season to watch how they progress.....

https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/2/27/17057486/diamondbacks-prospects-21-25
AZ Snake Pit said:
#25: 1B Kevin Cron. Cron is currently blocked at 1B by Paul Goldschmidt from upfront and possibly Drew Ellis and Pavin Smith from behind. Cron had a breakthrough season in 2017, showing improvement in strikeout and walk rates without trading in power. That resulted in him winning Southern League MVP honors and on the doorstep of MLB action. With no path to the starting lineup at 1B, the team has dabbled with the possibility of moving him to 3B where his arm should play. He’ll be biding his time in Reno until an opportunity opens up for him this year.

https://www.azsnakepit.com/2018/2/28/17061364/diamondbacks-prospects-16-20
AZ Snake Pit said:
#20: LHP Alex Young. It will be interesting to see what the Diamondbacks do with Alex Young at this point. He’s been primarily a starter his entire pro career, but his stuff does not play in an MLB rotation with two average pitches he can rely on. His run prevention numbers in AA aren’t terrible but I don’t think he’d fare well in AAA or MLB as a starter long term with the lack of a plus pitch and being a two pitch pitcher. A move to the bullpen could have his fastball play up to the low 90s with his slider playing more against LHHs.
 

FBallFan123

Active Member
Athletics Nation recently called Brian Howard the favorite sleeper among the pitching prospect, and highlighted some of his great pitching statistics from Low-A Vermont last year, such as....29.0 K/BB ratio and 1.15 ERA...

https://www.athleticsnation.com/201...-2018-community-prospect-list-30-brian-howard

Athletics Nation said:
Oakland A’s 2018 Community Prospect List #30: Brian Howard is a strike machine
The 6’9 hurler walked one batter in 31 innings in his pro debut.
While Tyler Ramirez is still my overall favorite sleeper right now, Brian Howard holds that distinction on the pitching side. The case begins with the stats from his pro debut in Low-A Vermont last summer, specifically his 29 Ks and 1 BB. He coupled that with a 1.15 ERA and low hit/HR rates to show that he wasn’t just avoiding walks by laying in meatballs and getting blasted early in the count.

Now, there’s a legitimate counterpoint to be made that Howard was an older draftee beating up on weak competition in a pitcher’s league. That’s true, and he’ll need to come back out and re-prove himself next year at a higher level just like his teammate Dunshee. But for what it’s worth, Vermont isn’t exactly full of teenagers — last year, of 238 batters (min. 50 PAs), 70% of them were 21 or older. Howard was mostly facing other college draftees, and while the competition can still be weak it’s more to do with the chaff picks being weeded out rather than an issue of age difference.

On top of that, Howard’s numbers were truly special, not merely good. His 29.0 K/BB rate is about as high as you’ll ever see a pitcher do at any level, and the last two A’s draftees to even reach 20.0 K/BB in their Vermont debuts were 2nd-rounders Daniel Gossett and Dillon Overton — both of whom reached MLB by age 24, though they haven’t stuck there yet. The A’s have drafted a lot of old mid-round college pitchers with unremarkable stuff, but we never see any of them do what Howard did. Expand the search to all of short-season Low-A ball (NY-Penn and Northwest Leagues), and only about two pitchers per year put up that kind of K/BB in their post-draft debut. No matter what context you put on this, the numbers stand out.

The big question, though, regards that unremarkable stuff. Howard has a four-pitch arsenal (fastball, cutter, curve, change) but tops out at only 91 mph, according to Melissa Lockard of Oakland Clubhouse. At 6’9, though, his extreme height reportedly adds deception to the package — Lockard notes that the “angle at which he releases the ball allows the fastball to get on hitters quickly.” Lockard also speaks well of Howard’s personality and makeup, his clean and repeatable delivery. and a college reputation for rising to the biggest occasions. He showed that clutch side in Vermont’s playoff series, with the following line in his one postseason start: 7⅔ ip, 1 run, 10 Ks, 2 BB, 4 hits, 1 HR.

There’s still a long way to go, but Howard brings so much to like. His debut performance was off the charts, even with all proper context included. He’s the rare super-tall pitcher with excellent control, which might help play up his otherwise questionable stuff. And he flat-out throws quality strikes, which is one of the best head starts you can ask for. He’s no sure thing, which is why he barely made this list (and still only in the early-20s on my personal list), but he’s going to be fascinating to follow this summer.
 
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