The latest updated Top 30 list from BA with Yainer Diaz, Chayce McDermott, Spencer Arrighetti, Justin Dirden, David Hensley and Misael Tamarez all continuing to move up and Wilyer Abreu finally showing up. Alimber Santa shows up for the first time as well but with no explanation of the injury that limited him to just the one appearance back in April.
RHP Hunter Brown (1)
C Yainer Diaz (6)
OF/SS Pedro Leon (3)
C Korey Lee (2)
3B Joe Perez (5)
RHP Chayce McDermott (9)
RHP Spencer Arrighetti (14)
RHP Jaime Melendez (10)
OF Tyler Whitaker (7)
OF Justin Dirden (20)
RHP Alex Santos (4)
2B/3B Enmanuel Valdez (22)
RHP Forrest Whitley (12)
3B David Hensley (16)
OF Colin Barber (15)
RHP Misael Tamarez (21)
RHP Peter Solomon (8)
SS/3B Grae Kessinger (11)
2B/3B Will Wagner (13)
1B JJ Matijevic (17)
OF Wilyer Abreu (NR)
RHP Alimber Santa (NR)
SS Christian Gonzalez (18)
OF Jordan Brewer (19)
RHP Adrian Chaidez (23)
RHP Jimmy Endersby (24)
OF Matthew Barefoot (25)
OF Alex McKenna (26)
RHP JP France (NR)
LHP Julio Robaina (NR)
Dropped off the BA list: 27. RHP Seth Martinez (graduated) 28. LHP Jonathan Bermudez (relative underperformance) 29. RHP Brett Conine (relative underperformance) 30. OF Zach Daniels (relative underperformance)
Numbers in bold are where they were on the previous BA ranking
Hunter Brown had a bit of a rough outing tonight after entering the Futures Game in the 2nd inningâŠ
4-pitch walk, single (104 EV), FO to center, 3-pitch K, 104 EV rocket to deep center that still should have been caught for third out but dropped for 2-run error, walk. Was then removed from game.
0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R (unearned), 2 BB, 1 K.
ETA:
There was another base hit in there somewhere so corrected line:
While looking for something else, i ran across Tyler Brownâs story (#3rd round draft choice, 2020 draft) and havenât been able to get it out of my mind.
(From 2020 Draft Thread)
Imagine the challenge of being a father of a special needs daughter while in the minor leagues.
Hope someone encouraged him to bank his bonus.
The milb game log revealed that during April & May he pitched in 8 games, 5 as a starter and 3 in relief. His WHIP was 1.63 in April & 2.52 in May.
Per BA game log, he threw 88, 78, 82, 79, & 92 pitches starting and 45, 60, & 55 in relief; averaging 60% strikes.
Two names on the Baseball America Hot Sheet this weekâŠ
Hunter Brown came in at #13 with BA posting this nugget:
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And there are few pitchers in the minors who can come close to matching Brownâs stuff. Brownâs slider this year has sat at 91-92 mph. Itâs hard for a slider that hard to not be effective. The only big leaguers whose sliders sit 90-plus mph this year are Emmanuel Clase, Edwin Diaz, Zack Wheeler, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Fulmer. Thatâs a great group of sliders to be compared with.
At #19 is CC righthander Adrian Chaidez. Hereâs what they said about the ex UCLA pitcher with significant control issues:
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âŠhas some of the best stuff in the Astros system with a four-seam fastball that sits 93-94 mph with ride, touching 97 mph at peak. He has two distinctive breaking ball shapes and a changeup that he can land for strikes and generate chases with.
The 6â6" former 26th rounder has started 15 games at 1B, 17 games at 2B, 23 games at 3B, 27 games at SS and 6 games in LF this season. According to Baseball America Hensley was not among the top 40 prospects in the org prior to the season but was at #11 in their most recent update issued today.
Yes â He is an interesting and unexpected development. He was mostly used in the OF at San Diego State (with some time at 3B) before switching to full-time SS his senior year. At Quad City in 2018, he played more or less equally at 2B/3B/SS and struggled some at the plate (.209/.300/.325; 4 HR & 79 K IN 268 PA). In 2019 he returned to QC, mostly at 1B & 3B, before an August promotion to Fayetteville, where he mostly appeared at 3B. Combined, he slashed .260/.319/.379 with 6 hR & 95 K in 429 PA, but he did seem to become more patient (albeit with less HR power) at the end of the season â .826 OPS; 0 HR, 11 BB & 23 K in 111 PA at Fayetteville. This might have been the point at which he turned the corner. In 2021 at Corpus Christi he slashed .293/.369/.439 with 9 HR, 46 BB & 104 K in 445 PA while playing every IF position. As noted above, his versatility continues this year at Sugar Land, and he has also continued to develop both his power and plate discipline, slashing .288/.409/.471 with 10 HR, 70 BB & 96 K in 418 PA. He has also stolen a career-high 18 bases (72% success rate). He is always going to strike out, but with his versatility and apparent growth as a hitter, he will likely see a Diaz/Dubon type role somewhere in MLB.
Itâs been an horrendous season for him but August has been kinder for Shay Whitcomb and he made the recent MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week. .325/.400/.600 in 11 games this monthâŠ