• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

2021 Minor League Thread

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Good article on what happens in a minor league town after MiLB contraction.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...bc0f403f96a0a1/32/47/60a50bf29d2fdae302565447



Young acknowledges this hard truth but thinks MLB didn’t give the team a chance to defend itself. “When [MLB] decided on those 42 contracted teams, there was no negotiation to speak of,” he says. “They had made their decision for their various reasons.” (In response, an MLB spokesperson told me: “The restructuring of MLB’s player development system was a multiyear process that involved hundreds of conversations with Minor League owners, government officials and leadership from the individual minor leagues and Minor League Baseball.”)



However, a new or at least significantly renovated stadium would be needed to meet MLB’s demands. The city’s mayor says there have been conversations, but, as much as Frederick loves its Keys, the public is likely to balk at paying for it. “One of the big changes we’ve seen over the last 25 to 30 years is that communities aren’t necessarily eager to step forward and open up their wallets to build sports facilities,” says O’Connor, who argues the onus should be on the private sector, including the team’s ownership.

Young has a different take: “I may be the owner of them, but the fact is they’re the community’s team.” He believes that a sports team and its stadium provide a lot of intrinsic value to a community — encouraging business growth, tax revenue and even civic pride. A city does need to take some responsibility for its team, says Young.
 
BimboColesHair said:
Already mentioned Gaddis and Logan Allen, so everyone of note I saw besides them.

Lake County Pitchers

Tanner Burns - prototype in the organization for starting pitching to a T. Throws 4 pitches and throws them whenever he wants. Sound, athletic mechanics. Fastball sat 92-93, gets a lot of swing and misses with it because he locates it well. Throws a hard slider (the aforementioned slutter) up in the count, down in the count, whenever he wants and it has good late bite on it. Good curveball that falls off the table (he needs to tunnel it better IMO). Decent change up as a wrinkle when he sees guys for a 2nd or 3rd time. He's just solid everywhere, not outstanding with one thing. Exact way you can describe Bieber, Plesac, Civale, etc. as minor leaguers. He'll end the year in Akron.

Mason Hickman - a lot to work with with Hickman. Experienced college arm with typical traits looked for right now, but his size points to a higher ceiling coming. Right now sits 89-91, smooth repeatable mechanics which is great for a tall guy. He generates a ridiculous amount of drop on his fastball due to his frame and over the top throwing motion, which you don't really see in baseball with everyone worrying about spin rate and trying to "rise" their 4-seemers. Pairs that up with a 12-6 curve that works off of it. He also throws a slider as a wrinkle, but it's just that at this point. If they are able to strengthen him up a bit and optimize his mechanics and add 2-4 MPH, like they have with Bieber, Plesac, etc., and he keeps the vertical movement on his fastball then he becomes a big time prospect to watch.

Ray Burgos - often forgotten about from the 2016 draft, it was nice to see him live in game action post-injury finally. He was on a path to fly through the lower levels prior to him hurting his triceps in his throwing arm. He's smooth and low effort when he pitches, but because of his size is able to sit 92-93 with good life. His arm slot allows him to play a sweeping slider off of his fastball and he has the makings of an above average change-up, which is key for lefty starters to have nowadays IMO. He just needs to stay healthy, cause he is very talented. Guessing they will nurse him through this season and take it slow.

Relievers - there's just a crop of solid, but not spectacular from a prospect standpoint, relievers in Lake County right now. Kellen Rholl is a wrinkle the Indians target nowadays with a funky near side-arm lefty delivery but doesn't have big stuff. Kevin Kelly was solid and has multi-innings reliever potential if his swing and miss sticks. Tim Herrin is an intriguing lefty if he is able to dial his stuff in, mid-90s guy with a nasty slider that can K a ton of hitters. Nate Ocker hasn't shown what he showed in 2019 yet (velo is down), but some guys may take some time to get back to where they were, if they are even able to get to that point.

Said before the season started in this thread that this team is going to strike a lot of batters out. They're currently 2nd in their league in Ks as a staff, striking out 141 batters in 114 IP. This staff currently owns the second best ERA in the league at 2.84 as well. Just a solid pitching staff, but the highlights of the group are the 2020 draftees.
Click to expand...

The only question is where not if CLE will pick either LSU RHP Landon Marceaux or UCSB RHP Michael McGreevy with Tanner Bibee as an extra (or consolation prize) in the upcoming draft.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LL3
BimboColesHair said:
Already mentioned Gaddis and Logan Allen, so everyone of note I saw besides them.

Lake County Pitchers

Tanner Burns - prototype in the organization for starting pitching to a T. Throws 4 pitches and throws them whenever he wants. Sound, athletic mechanics. Fastball sat 92-93, gets a lot of swing and misses with it because he locates it well. Throws a hard slider (the aforementioned slutter) up in the count, down in the count, whenever he wants and it has good late bite on it. Good curveball that falls off the table (he needs to tunnel it better IMO). Decent change up as a wrinkle when he sees guys for a 2nd or 3rd time. He's just solid everywhere, not outstanding with one thing. Exact way you can describe Bieber, Plesac, Civale, etc. as minor leaguers. He'll end the year in Akron.

Mason Hickman - a lot to work with with Hickman. Experienced college arm with typical traits looked for right now, but his size points to a higher ceiling coming. Right now sits 89-91, smooth repeatable mechanics which is great for a tall guy. He generates a ridiculous amount of drop on his fastball due to his frame and over the top throwing motion, which you don't really see in baseball with everyone worrying about spin rate and trying to "rise" their 4-seemers. Pairs that up with a 12-6 curve that works off of it. He also throws a slider as a wrinkle, but it's just that at this point. If they are able to strengthen him up a bit and optimize his mechanics and add 2-4 MPH, like they have with Bieber, Plesac, etc., and he keeps the vertical movement on his fastball then he becomes a big time prospect to watch.

Ray Burgos - often forgotten about from the 2016 draft, it was nice to see him live in game action post-injury finally. He was on a path to fly through the lower levels prior to him hurting his triceps in his throwing arm. He's smooth and low effort when he pitches, but because of his size is able to sit 92-93 with good life. His arm slot allows him to play a sweeping slider off of his fastball and he has the makings of an above average change-up, which is key for lefty starters to have nowadays IMO. He just needs to stay healthy, cause he is very talented. Guessing they will nurse him through this season and take it slow.

Relievers - there's just a crop of solid, but not spectacular from a prospect standpoint, relievers in Lake County right now. Kellen Rholl is a wrinkle the Indians target nowadays with a funky near side-arm lefty delivery but doesn't have big stuff. Kevin Kelly was solid and has multi-innings reliever potential if his swing and miss sticks. Tim Herrin is an intriguing lefty if he is able to dial his stuff in, mid-90s guy with a nasty slider that can K a ton of hitters. Nate Ocker hasn't shown what he showed in 2019 yet (velo is down), but some guys may take some time to get back to where they were, if they are even able to get to that point.

Said before the season started in this thread that this team is going to strike a lot of batters out. They're currently 2nd in their league in Ks as a staff, striking out 141 batters in 114 IP. This staff currently owns the second best ERA in the league at 2.84 as well. Just a solid pitching staff, but the highlights of the group are the 2020 draftees.
Click to expand...
I guess it's safe to cancel my Baseball America subscription.
 
BimboColesHair said:
It’s a good thing Morris and Cantillo should be back shortly. But to say this wasn’t expected (the arm injury numbers) would be a lie.
Click to expand...
Both to Akron? Their rotation isn't exactly prospect laden, but wonder how things will shuffle out.
 
Last edited:
@BimboColesHair

Do you think we will see Brauny Munoz in Lynchburg soon or even this year?? I am hoping once we see some promotions he will be the 1st or 2nd one come up.
 
He’ll be in Arizona to start. Depends on how he does/if the Lynchburg guys get promoted.

Problem in Lynchburg is a good bit of their bullpen are starters, so they could just slot some of those guys in and move up a reliever only they draft this year.
 
Alright, Akron.

1, the pitching talent in Akron is the weakest at any of the affiliates right now especially the starters.

Alex Royalty sat 91-92 with his 4-seem and 2-seem, his best pitch is a split-change that falls off the table and fades away from lefties/in to righties, and he throws a wrinkle slider that is fringe average with little bite. Good make-up, throws strikes and attacks hitters, but his lack of stuff caps him a bit. Typical Indians college starter depth arm.

I've been high on Francisco Perez going back like 4 or 5 years on this board, he's just never been consistently healthy since coming stateside but finally is. Someone who really benefited from the missed season to hit the reset on their health. He can still be a starter and they are keeping him up on a starters routine even with him coming out of the bullpen. Sits 95-96 on his FB and touches 98 and mixes in an above-average change-up, slider, and curve though he rarely uses the last one. Life on his pitches and his command are night and day from the last time I saw him pitch, so it's good to see him healthy.

For a 25th round pick out of a cold weather football school, Eric Mock is pretty impressive. Like Royalty he doesn't have big time stuff, 91-93 FB, 2-seemer with bite, slow looping curve for a wrinkle, and an average slider. But he has a tough to time hesitation in his delivery that makes it hard to get in a rhythm against him. Not really a prospect of note, but the 1st chance I got to see him pitch.

Position players in a separate post.
 
Thanks for the report.

F. Perez is a guy that they need to look at maybe as soon as this year at the ML level or he's probably a lock to be gone in R5. Could be a trade asset.

Anything on Shane McCarthy?

And yet despite not being very talented, Akron's pitching staff has the best Team ERA among the 4 affiliates. But they're also a bit older and iirc Akron is a pitcher friendly stadium.
 
@BimboColesHair @MadThinker88 Still awaiting your Akron appraisals... No rush.. :runaway:All kidding aside.

Early season awards.

SP. Xvazion Curry. - no doubt he has been the "best" starter in our system so far. 1 game into a promotion, he keeps producing.

RP Nick Mikolajchak - pitched 3 innings tonight and was finally scored upon. It was a high scoring game, but this might have been his farewell and it would not be surprising to see him pitch in his next outing for Columbus.

Hitters:

This is much tougher...

Biggest early surprise: Jhokensy Noel.
Others of note.

Most of Akron (Catchers not so much)
Micah Pries
Will Brennan
Owen Miller
 
@Criznit
I'm still working on my item (such that it is). The off day for the Tribe on Thursday will help me put more pen to paper for it...
It will get posted in that weekly thread (so it will jump up the boards & get noticed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-14: "Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:14: " Time for Playoff Vengeance on Mickey."
Top