Exclusive Bonus Supplement Prospects Who May Contribute in 2019
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2019 PROSPECT HANDBOOK EXCLUSIVE BONUS SUPPLEMENT PROSPECTS WHO MAY CONTRIBUTE IN 2019 BY BASEBALL AMERICA’S STAFF WRITERS & CORRESPONDENTS BASEBALL AMERICA INC. • DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA 1 YEAR PRINT AND DIGITAL BUNDLE PACKAGE Keep up to date on the top prospects in the game with a bundle subscription from Baseball America. With a 1 year bundle subscription you will receive the print magazine and digital premium access to our website 24/7/365. Receive the best of Baseball America. Click on ‘join now’ on Baseball America.com or Call 1-800-845-2726 FIND, FRIEND, OR FOLLOW US ON: @BaseballAmerica @BaseballAmerica BaseballAmericaMag ReadBA 19Handbook Promotion_6x9_K.indd 1 1/7/19 3:43 PM 2019 CONTRIBUTORS ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS IF ILDEMARO VARGAS is well liked by the organization for his versatility, knack for making solid contact and high energy, and with Daniel Descalso gone, Vargas could carve out a role for himself as a utility infielder. 1B KEVIN CRON put up another strong season in the upper minors, then found his way onto the 40-man in November, and with Paul Goldschmidt gone, a path finally exists for his bat- first, power profile to play in Arizona. RHP JOEL PAYAMPS has a chance to start, but at worst they see him as a reliever with a mid- 90s fastball and two useable offspeed pitches. RHP BO TAKAHASHI doesn’t have much projection, but he has good command, pitchability and deception; three useable pitches; and a bulldog mentality on the mound. ATLANTA BRAVES RHP JOSH GRAHAM is a converted catcher who has a solid fastball/breaking ball combo but he has a tendency to overthrow, which has led to significant control issues. LHP CORBIN CLOUSE has always had a hard slider (as well as a loopier early-count get-over slider) but he improved his fastball command which has him close to ready to help the Braves bullpen. LHP THOMAS BURROWS fastball sits at only 91-92 mph, but he gets a lot of awkward swings thanks to an above-average slider and a deceptive delivery. BALTIMORE ORIOLES RHP DIOGENES ALMENGO was signed as a free agent after the Astros released him and hasn't pitched above Low-A at age-23, but shows a fastball that was up to 98 mph in the Dominican Winter League with an average-potential changeup and slider, though there wasn't much command. C AUSTIN WYNNS is a typical backup catcher who can manage a staff and work an at-bat, a skillset that will serve the Orioles' young staff well going forward. LHP CHRIS LEE had another injury-hit year that ended up with him off the 40-man roster, but he pitched well as a groundball reliever and could finally make the majors in that role. BOSTON RED SOX LHP BOBBY POYNER is a soft-tossing lefthanded reliever whose 89-91 mph fastball plays up with command and deception. His main secondary is a plus changeup that plays against righthanded batters and makes him more than just a lefty specialist. Poyner made 20 ap- pearances for the Red Sox last year and is primed for a larger role in their bullpen in 2019. RHP CHANDLER SHEPHERD posted a 3.89 ERA in Triple-A Pawtucket last season and was added to the 40-man roster after the year. The 6-foot-3 righthander operates with a low-90s fastball, a swing-and-miss curveball and a usable changeup. He doesn’t miss many bats, but BaseballAmerica.com Baseball America 2019 Prospect Handbook Supplement • 3 2019 CONTRIBUTORS MARK CUNNINGHAM/GETTY IMAGES CUNNINGHAM/GETTY MARK Red Sox infielder Tzu-Wei Lin he’s durable and could help as rotation depth. LHP JOSH TAYLOR was acquired from the D-backs for shortstop Deven Marrero before the season and logged a 3.79 ERA in 33 appearances at Double-A Portland before a late promo- tion to Triple-A. Taylor is a hard-throwing lefty reliever who mixes a 93-96 mph fastball with an upper-80s slider, low-80s curveball and upper-80s changeup, although his control is below-average. He is more effective against lefties (.662 OPS) than righties (.738) and is best-suited as a lefty specialist. RHP MARCUS WALDEN made the Red Sox’s Opening Day roster last season and pitched to a 3.68 ERA in eight relief appearances for the club. The 30-year-old operates 93-95 mph with his fastball and uses a low-90s cutter as his main secondary. Both draw swings and misses, but his control has long been iffy. He provides bullpen depth again in 2019. SS TZU-WEI LIN has come up as a reserve infielder each of the last two seasons. He’s strictly a utilityman, although a potentially good one who can play second base, shortstop and third base. He consistently gets on base from the left side but has little power. CHICAGO CUBS RHP JAMES NORWOOD has a spectacular fastball that he ran into triple-digits in 2018 but needs to develop a bit more to be a truly valuable piece in the bullpen. He gets around his slider and has a funky delivery that doesn’t allow for big-time command. Without any im- provement, he could be a low-leverage reliever. RHP JEN HO-TSENG made his big league debut in 2018 but got hit hard at Triple-A Iowa. He pitches with a low-90s fastball and a low-80s changeup primarily, while mixing in the occasional mid-70s curveball. Without anything plus in the arsenal, Tseng has the future of a low-leverage reliever. RHP DUANE UNDERWOOD JR. rededicated himself in the offseason, and the result was his major league debut. He made one start with the big club and showed a three-pitch mix fronted by a low-90s fastball and backed primarily by a mid-80s changeup and mid-70s curveball. Further refinement of the breaking ball would help his future, which right now is as a spot starter. 4 • Baseball America 2019 Prospect Handbook Supplement BaseballAmerica.com 2019 CONTRIBUTORS CHICAGO WHITE SOX LHP CALEB FRARE was acquired from the Yankees in August and made his major league debut on Sept. 2. He was desirable for his low-to-mid 90s fastball and above-average, mid-80s slider that he throws with near-equal frequency. RHP THYAGO VIEIRA was acquired from the Mariners before the 2018 season and brings a signature fastball in the mid-to-upper 90s and a mid-80s slider, but his command and control are poor enough that he rarely sticks in the majors for long. RHP RYAN BURR was acquired from the Diamondbacks and made his major league debut in late August. The 24-year-old struggled with his control with the exception of a short stint in Triple-A Charlotte. He works primarily with a mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider. OF CHARLIE TILSON shows contact skills and speed but does not have the power to profile in a corner, which means he’d have to unseat Adam Engel in center field. CINCINNATI REDS RHP JOSE LOPEZ is a starter who throws four pitches with enough command to get a cameo as a backend type starter. 2B ALEX BLANDINO got some at-bats this season and can help as a versatile infielder off the bench. RHP JESUS REYES has a three-pitch mix which includes a mid 90’s fastball, showing that he can start and come in out of the pen if needed. SS BLAKE TRAHAN is a backup middle infielder who has some ability to hit for contact and a versatile glove. CLEVELAND INDIANS RHP SHAO-CHING CHIANG signed with the Indians out of Taiwan in 2011. He reached Triple- A in 2018 and has a four-pitch mix that gives him a chance to start. His sinker sits around 92 mph and his best secondary offering is his changeup, which has splitter action. RHP CHIH-WEI Hu made his big-league debut in 2017 with Tampa and has split time between Triple-A and MLB over the last two years. Traded to Cleveland in November in exchange for Gionti Turner, Hu attacks hitters with a low-90s fastball, slider and changeup. RHP WALKER LOCKETT made his big-league debut in 2018 with the Padres, who dealt him to the Indians after the season in exchange for Ignacio Feliz. Lockett is listed at 6-foot-5 and leverages his height and low 90s sinker to create plenty of groundball outs. RHP HENRY MARTINEZ broke out in the Dominican Winter League after the 2017 season and carried his momentum into 2018, reaching Triple-A. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and reaches 98 mph. SS ERIC STAMETS was the Indians’ return for David Murphy in 2015. Always known as a glove-first shortstop, Stamets doesn’t have much offensive upside but could fill the role of utility infielder thanks to his ability to defend anywhere in the infield. BaseballAmerica.com Baseball America 2019 Prospect Handbook Supplement • 5 2019 CONTRIBUTORS COLORADO ROCKIES RHP YENCY ALMONTE was effective in a brief stint with the Rockies last season and could fill a useful relief role again this year thanks to a mid-90s fastball and a hard 86-88 mph slider. RHP RAYAN GONZALEZ made it back onto the mound late last season after Tommy John surgery in 2017. When he’s on, he attacks hitters with a mid-90s cutter that could be useful in a relief role. C BRETT NICHOLAS is a No. 3 catcher who bounces around. His bat and glove are good enough to serve in a fill-in role, although he’s stretched as a backup who plays regularly.