https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/09/mlb-atlantic-league-official-partner-league.html Evidence that contracted MiLB teams may be able to join independent leagues. I think this is great, as it means MLB can streamline their primary development pipeline and communities keep cheap baseball. It would be even better if these independent league teams fielded prospects signed by major league teams. I would love to see it work like this: Draft expanded back to 40 rounds, but includes international players. All players under 25 must enter the league through that draft. Each MLB Org has 4 full season affiliates, plus 2 complex league teams (one in the US, one in the Dominican), with 35 man roster limits per team. MLB orgs can then sign any additional prospects they want, and place them in an MLB-affiliated Independent League. Those teams would include players belonging to different orgs as well as unsigned players. I am a believer that MLB orgs drafting and signing more players is better for the game. Anyone who is drafted or signs with an Org automatically has lifelong ties to the game and league. I am also a believer that more MLB affiliated teams is better for the game and league. That is not mutually exclusive from my belief that the big league orgs should fully oversee their prospect development pipeline.
Updated “Of The Future” prospect at each position: C Korey Lee: First round pick has “Mike Napoli with better defense” ceiling. Likely won’t be ready until 2023, so Houston will probably have to find a Maldonado type (maybe even Maldonado) to cover 2022. Lee was added to Houston’s 60 man player pool late this season. Others to consider: Mike Papierski, Nathan Perry 1B JJ Matijevic: 2nd round pick has had a lot of bumps in the road and started off limited due to defense. And it was a bad sign he wasn’t part of Houston’s 60 man pool this season. He isn’t even currently ranked in Houston’s Top 30 prospects. However, he has a pretty high offensive ceiling, and this time last year was regularly posting triple digit exit velocity in the Arizona Fall League, where he was an all-star. It also appears 1B is wide open after Gurriel’s new deal runs out in 2022, since neither Abraham Toro or Taylor Jones looked very good. Others to consider: Jones, CJ Stubbs, Joe Perez 2B Dauri Lorenzo: The reality is that José Altuve has 2B locked down at least until his contract expires after the 2024 season, so it’s pretty unlikely that Houstons next 2B is even in their current farm system. Lorenzo was a highly touted international signee who has yet to play professionally. Lorenzo could well stay at SS but may lose some range as he grows. Others to consider: Luis Santana, Shay Whitcomb, everyone on the SS list SS Jeremy Pena: Pena had a breakout 2019 and was on a few Top 100 lists last year. He was eventually added to Houston’s 60 man player pool this year and has one of the highest floors in the system due to his defense; he isn’t likely to be a star, but he has a good chance to be an everyday caliber SS. His development timeline matches up with when Houston will have an opening at SS. Others to consider: Freudis Nova, Grae Kessinger 3B Joe Perez: Ideally, Alex Bregman will be manning 3B in Houston for the next decade, and like 2B, with Bregman under contract thru 2024 the Astros’ next 3B probably isn’t in the system yet. The current pickings at 3B are pretty slim. Perez was a 2nd round pick who has big power potential and an elite throwing arm. He was an overslot HS draftee under Luhnow, and those prospect have an excellent track record. RF Jordan Brewer: Kyle Tucker broke out this season and looks to have RF under control; he is under team control through 2025. Brewer is a very high ceiling yet unpolished prospect. He has a very rare combination of power and speed. CF Colin Barber: With George Springer’s pending departure, Houston has an immediate need in CF, and Barber likely won’t be ready until 2023 at the earliest. But none of the CF prospects in the upper level appear ready to take over, including Myles Straw. Barber has star level ceiling, a potential 20/20 player who mans an up the middle position. He is another Luhnow HS draftee. LF Chas McCormick: McCormick has been a steady riser and was recently added to Houston’s playoff roster. With Michael Brantley a pending free agent, Houston may give McCormick first crack at replacing him. McCormick doesn’t have a pedigree or even a statistical track record that predicts he will be an everyday player, but the org obviously thinks highly enough of him to add him to the 40 man. Other OF to consider: Ronnie Dawson, Jake Meyers, Zach Daniels
I would think Brewer would be RF with his arm if he makes majors. Tucker's arm is more suited for LF, maybe CF. Tucker's range has been good this shortened season even though his body language projects a lack of confidence sometimes on fly balls.
Appy League is I believe the first to formalize anything, they're moving to a collegiate wood bat summer league. Sounds very cool from a scouting/development perspective. I think I saw that the NYPL is going to do something similar, but not sure. https://www.milb.com/milb/news/appalachian-league-becoming-collegiate-wood-bat-circuit
Yeah, Tucker looks like a LF to me. He should be fine out there, but I would be much happier with someone else in RF and CF. James Click has some work to do...
Tucker is a LF, but if it means bringing Brantley back for a couple of years, you could do worse in right.
Sure, which is what I said. You could do worse in RF, but Tucker is a LFer. Stros have run out Berkman and Biggio in the OF, so we're well versed in "can't find anybody better gotta get everybody on the field, so we'll play square pegs and round holes." It was easy this year without Yordan.
Instructional league roster is out. 52 guys, they will play 18 games between now and 11/2. Really not much to glean from the roster, as there are any number of reasons a player could be included (or left off). One thing I do think is notable is that several guys who would have been in the DSL are now stateside; I think it’s likely Dauri Lorenzo, Misael Tamarez, Jaime Melendez, and Daniel Pacheco will all be in the GCL next season, which makes them each a little more interesting.
Here’s the full list of org Top 30 prospects not invited: OF Jordan Brewer (injured) RHP Tyler Ivey RHP Blair Henley 1B JJ Matijevic RHP Ty Brown Others that I would have expected: C: Cesar Salazar IF: David Hensley, Miguelangel Sierra, Peter Zimmerman, Jake Adams, Osvaldo Duarte OF: Bryan De La Cruz, Corey Julks, Chandler Taylor, Scott Schreiber
https://www.mlb.com/news/astros-alternate-site-report Not much there. Sounds like they plan to add Whitley to the instructional league roster, or at least planned to.
2021 minor league season likely to be delayed. Planning to have minor league spring training start after big league spring training ends. Hopefully that won’t be necessary but I’m glad they’re being proactive this time.
9 Astros prospects became free agents today: Oscar Campos, Carlos Canelon, Dean Deetz, Osvaldo Duarte, Brendan McCurry, Jamie Ritchie, Abdiel Saldana, Nick Tanielu, Gabriel Valdez None of those guys were good enough to be added to the 40 man, but Tanielu and Ritchie were on the alternate site roster this season. Deetz had made it to Houston. I thought Duarte and Campos were interesting prospects. Deetz, Ritchie, and Tanielu were 2014 draftees, leaving Josh James (34th round) as the lone prospect still in the system from that draft.
https://www.mlb.com/news/astros-instructional-league-report Putila complements Daniels, Lee, Nova, and Hunter Brown. I continue to think Houston is only 2-3 prospects away from having an average to above average system. Adding Leon would give them 5 really good position player prospects (Leon, Lee, Pena, Nova, Barber) that would have a place in a lot of teams’ top 10 list. Whitley, Brown, Solis, Santos, and Abreu are 5 very high ceiling pitching prospects who round out the top tier nicely.
Updated 2021 Astros minor league roster projections based on instructional league and alternate site feedback: AAA: C: Stubbs, Papierski, Shaver IF: Jones, Mayfield, De Goti, A Sierra, Matijevic OF: McCormick, Dawson, Ferguson, Meyers SP: Whitley, Garcia, Bielak, Armenteros, Dubin, Bailey, Sneed, Conine RP: Castellanos, Rodriguez, Torres, Blanco, Garza, Scrubb Traded: Abreu, Perez, Martes Released: Emanuel, Quintana, Wrenn, LaRue, McKee, Scheetz, Hartman, Ferrell AA: C: Manea, Salazar IF: Santana, Pena, Valdez, M Sierra, Adams OF: Adolph, Costes, De La Cruz, Julks, Taylor SP: Ivey, Solis, Rivera, Solomon, Donato, Hansen, Deason, Daniels, Collado RP: Mushinski, DeJuneas, Hernandez, France, Cabral Released: Robinson, Bermudez, Henderson, Benedetti, Rodriguez, Schreiber, Hensley High A: C: K Lee, Perry, Paulino IF: Whitcomb, Kessinger, Nova, A Lee OF: Barefoot, McKenna, Dirden, Brewer, Orr SP: H Brown, T Brown, Henley, Freure, Bellozo, Chavez, Moclair RP: Endersby, Gruller, Sprinkle, Serrano, Matthews, Peck Released: Holderbach, Biermann, Wielansky, Machado, Bravo, Rodriguez, Conn, Rosado, Ceballos, Robaina, Ruppenthal, Cody, Tejada A: C: Rodriguez, Stubbs, Krabbe IF: Correa, Lorenzo, Perez, Carrasco, Zimmerman OF: Daniels, Barber, Corona, Guerrero, Abreu P: Cobos, Taveras, Gomez, Tamarez, Gusto, Lopez, Lopez, Macuare, Schroeder, Ramirez, Melendez, Santos, Pacheco Released: Castillo, Ramirez, Jordan, Arias, Urdaneta, Mendoza, Barry, Casey, Dickey, Drennan, Horrell, Plumlee, Jiminez, Jaquez, De Paula, West, McDonald, Palmer, Rodriguez, Holcomb EST/GCL/DSL notables: C: Palma, Alvarez, Santander IF: Martinez, Cueta, Gonzalez, Coutinho OF: Uceta, Rivas, Carrillo, Pinto, Machandy, Cortabarria, Ramirez, Leon P: Tokar, Vega, Subero
https://www.mlb.com/news/astros-farm-system-analysis-2020 Not much here, other than more highlighting of how far Houstons farm has fallen. One thing I noted was that Houston had a top 10 farm prior to the Greinke trade, and aside from that trade and Kyle Tucker graduating, not much has changed. That reinforces my belief that Houston is really only 2-3 really good prospects away from having an above average system. Not sure how they address that anytime soon, as they are still contending and are more likely to trade away prospects than acquire them, and they won’t have a 1st round pick in 2021. But adding Pedro Leon in January will be a good start, and just like the previous 2 seasons, there is a relatively large group of prospects who could take big leaps in 2021 (Nova, Lee, Barber, Pena, Brown, Solis, Santos). One other point of optimism is that unlike most of the last 5 years, most of Houston’s top prospects are in the lower levels, so graduation/attrition will not be as big of a factor.
