It’s early in the minor league season, but the pop-up talents are already appearing. Let’s look at one such player in Pittsburgh right-hander Braxton Ashcraft down in High-A East Greensboro.
Category Archives: NL Central
Hudson Head, OF, PIT
A main piece in the Joe Musgrove trade to San Diego, just who did the Pirates get when they traded for (among others) Hudson Head? [Fourth in my offseason look at prospects without much of a track record, but the scouts like him]
Riley O’Brien, RHP, CIN
Hi, Reds fans! Ready to meet your newest organization pitcher?
Adbert Alzolay, RHP, CHC
In honor of Adbert Alzolay’s fine first start of 2020 for the Cubs, let’s see how he got here.
Johan Oviedo, RHP, STL
Johan Oviedo got his first major league strikeout today in the first inning against Chicago. What can we glean from his minor league record to tell us how his major league career might go?
Tony Santillan, RHP, CIN
You thought 2020 was bad, meet Tony Santillan’s 2019…
Zack Brown, RHP, MIL
Another arm for the Brewers in their 60-man group, Zack Brown had a 2020-type year in 2019.
Corey Ray, OF, MIL
Ray does three things well, but one thing poorly that leads to another poor thing.
Tony Santillan, RHP, CIN
The Reds’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2018 took a real step backward in 2019. Why?
Tahnaj Thomas, RHP, PIT
Can you dream of great things? There are times looking at a pitching prospect where you can see greatness in his future, but it’s a future that is far into the distance, with many obstacles in the way.
Travis Swaggerty, OF, PIT
Another Pirates outfield prospect. What does Travis bring to the table?
Jared Oliva, OF, PIT
Jared Oliva sure looked good in the Arizona Fall League (.312/.413/.473 in 109 PA). Is he as good as all that? Was that a true picture of his talents?
Brennen Davis, OF, CHC
After an injury-filled 2018, look what Davis did in 2019.
Nolan Gorman, 3B, STL
What do you look for in a power-hitting corner infielder?
Oneil Cruz, SS, PIT
When you are this tall, you shouldn’t be playing SS, and yet…
Jonathan India, 3B, CIN
Scouts are not as high on Jonathan India as they were. Why?
Nico Hoerner, SS, CHC
I ran a random number generator three times, and got 14, 8, and 5. I needed to find a prospect with a first name beginning with ‘N’ (the 14th letter of the alphabet), last name beginning with ‘H’ (the 8th letter), and in the Cubs organization (the 5th club, alphabetically). Thus, meet Nico Hoerner!Video courtesy of Cubs BaseballBorn: May 13, 1997B/T: Right/Right5’11”, 200lbSigned by the Chicago Cubs in the 1st round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from Stanford University (Palo A […]
Ivan Herrera, C, STL
Does Ivan Herrera have the skills to become the future for St. Louis at catcher?Video courtesy of Matt PullmanBorn: June 1, 2000B/T: Right/Right6’0″, 180lbSigned by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2016 out of Panama.The NumbersThose are his raw numbers, but let’s aggregate by level and focus on the important numbers for minor leaguers:The good news is that he doesn’t strike out too often, and he knows how to draw a walk and thus get on base.The bad news is that his power is more ra […]
Ethan Small, LHP, MIL
Less than a year after he was the 1st-round pick by the Brewers, 23-year-old Ethan Small proved to be anything but small on the pitcher’s mound, but he did it in only 21 IP. Naturally the scouts want to see more than just a college graduate beating up on low level batters. With that proviso in mind, let’s look at his skills, shall we?Born: February 14, 1997B/T: Left/Left6’3″, 214-lbsDrafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 1st round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Mississippi State […]
Liover Peguero, SS, PIT
Welcome to the Pirates, Liover Peguero. Pirates fans, what can we expect of this new addition to your organization?Video courtesy of FanGraphsBorn: December 31, 2000B/T: Right/Right6’1″, 160lbSigned by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017 as an international free agent our of the Dominican Republic. Traded to the Pirates in the Starlin Marte trade.The NumbersThose are his raw numbers, but let’s aggregate by level and focus on the important numbers for minor leaguers:When you are 6’1 […]