Melendez's Asheville ERA was inflated because two of his last three outings, all of which were at home, were... not good. He wasn't horrid, but the elevated walk rate during his time there could (could) be something to monitor. Didn't do too bad last night as he allowed an unearned run on three hits, walked one, and struck out six in his Corpus debut, so I think I agree with Snake's theory of the org wanting him out of Asheville ASAP.
For good or ill this move by the organization vaults Melendez (pre-maturely) into the top 10 on my MVP list.
I may have already asked this…but what are some realistic comps for Whitley if he rehabs well post TJ-surgery? Seems like a right of passage surgery nowadays, lots of pitchers are having the procedure done. What’s his top end, median, and floor comp? Or is it too difficult to forecast since it’s been so long?
Talent wise he has all the tools to be a true Ace, that hasn't really changed. Otherwise we would have cut bait already with his nonsense. He's a major f**king idiot though, so ceiling perennial all star, floor lousy minor leaguer, trending towards the latter. Maybe the time off gets his head out of his ass.
His variety of pitches, velocity, physical upside, and potential for movement/command/control put his ceiling as comparable to pretty much anyone. But his bust potential has steadily increased for 4 years and at this point until he comes back and dominates AAA for 40+ innings I don’t think anyone should be predicting a major league future for him. He has big time personality and other off-the-field red flags in addition to his injury history. Obviously for Houston’s sake I hope he makes good on his potential but for now that’s not my prediction.
Richi Gonzalez went 2-4 with a grand slam and 5 RBI down in the FCL today. Gonzalez, who turns 19 in December, signed out of the Dominican Republic to open the 2019 IFA period. He was ranked #27 in the Astros system in the Baseball America Prospect Handbook and he was touted as having the best outfield arm strength in the system despite not playing in an official game prior to this season. As he's striking out in nearly half of his plate appearances this season, another year in Palm Beach probably awaits him.
Rhett Kouba started for Fayetteville tonight and has 6k in 3ip so far. 12 of Houston’s 17 signed draft picks have played in Fayetteville so far this season.
Zack Mathews, 2020 undrafted starter finally beginning a rehab assignment in Florida tomorrow. Been waiting for this one.
What’s this based on? I think he has a really high chance to have a long mlb career, and a good chance to be an everyday caliber player. But there’s really not much evidence to expect him to be a superstar. I think a really good near-ceiling outcome for him would be something like Willy Adames, which is a really good above average everyday SS with near star level production.
No real evidence, I just like his lineage, makeup and both his solid defense and his simple swing mechanics. Maybe Superstar is a bit strong, but I can see him becoming a Marcus Semien type player.
What if he becomes Semien with the bat and Adames with the glove? I think he can be a much better fielder than Semien and good with the bat but not near as good as Semien, who's about to hit forty HR's this yr. That's still a top 5 SS.
The ceiling is the same that it has always been. He is still young enough, his stuff is still there most likely. The problem is that he is a jackass.
I am not saying he will be an all star as I haven’t seen enough of him against high competition to formulate an opinion. I had real questions about the bat speed when I saw him at the lower levels but that is no longer a concern. What I will say is that he is a professional in a career where it really matters. He has consistently pin pointed his weaknesses and addressed them systematically and has plotted and planned and executed very successfully…. Which is rare at such a competitive profession. He has drastically changed his body and he hasn’t taken any short cuts doing it. He has added lean muscle and not the easier to add bulky body weight. He has retained his quickness to remain a very good defensive shortstop and his working out on his reflexes has paid off with better body control and quickness… that stuff isn’t easy to work on and to do it properly means hard work and discipline over a long period of time. As a result he has a far quicker bat and can drive the ball with some authority. He mentally and emotionally appears well suited for being a professional baseball player and guys that have that and can hang around tend to improve. I will say that the clip of his home run to the opposite field is impressive. He was somewhat fooled and didn’t get the type of swing he would want on it, and the ball still carried well for him and that bodes well for generating extra base pop at the MLB level. Again, I don’t know enough to say he will be a starter long term or a star. However he does have some attributes that are not initially measurable for scouts… and he is in an organization that judges and develops talent as well as any organization in baseball.
