Prospect Hot Sheet Chat (5/9/18)

Image credit: Juan Soto (Getty Images)

Josh Norris: Hey, y’all. I’m a few minutes late, but let’s get this thing going!

Noel (Portland):

Are the hot sheet chats now happening on Thursday instead of Friday?

Josh Norris: No. They’re usually going to be on Tuesdays, but we ran into some technical difficulties yesterday so we had to push it to today, which I believe is a Wednesday. Sorry for the mix-up.

Jo-Nathan (Toronto):

What happened to the weekend updates?

Josh Norris: I’m not sure what this is referring to?

Brian (Wichita):

Do you know what Bukauskas is on the DL for?

Josh Norris: From what I’m hearing, it was listed as a strained oblique.

Juan Soto (2018 BA POY?):

How impressive is it that I’ve actually gotten better since being promoted to HiA. Am I on track to have a Ronald Acuna like rise this year? Do you think I’ll be in AA by July? Should I expect to be a top 10 prospect by midseason re-rankings?

Josh Norris: If you keep hitting like you are, then, yes, I do see you in lovely Harrisburg by July. Also, in re your “location,” I think you do have a really good shot at BA POY if you keep doing what you’re doing.

Casey (Morgantown):

Who’d you rather have right now from the A’s system (AJ Puk or Jesus Luzardo)?

Josh Norris: Right now? I’d obviously rather have Luzardo because Puk is on the shelf for the foreseeable future. If they both were healthy I might take Luzardo too simply because scouts have been drooling over him.

Ilya (NY):

Who the hell is Garrett Whitlock and is he a guy to watch? And what about Trevor Stephan, real deal prospect?

Josh Norris: Garrett Whitlock was the Yankees’ 18th-round pick out of UAB. He’s dominating at low Class A in part because he gets a ton of grounders. I’ll wait till he gets out of low-A to gauge his status as a prospect more clearly, but it’s a great start for sure.

Alex (Bay Area):

Thanks for chatting with us today! Are scouts concerned at all about how hard the Rangers have pushed Leody Taveras ever since bringing him over as a 17 year old? His BB/K indicate he’s not overmatched at HiA. However, he’s also produced roughly league average production at both LoA and HiA. Who is the better prospect now…Tavares or Pache?

Josh Norris: Gun to my head, I’d rather have Pache. From everything I’ve heard, he’s going to be an elite-level defender with offensive upside. That’s tantalizing.

Christopher (Houston):

What are you hearing about Corbin Martin this year?

Josh Norris: I actually saw Corbin Martin in person this year with Buies Creek, and he was very intriguing. Easy mid-90s gas with the makings of two potential swing-and-miss offspeed pitches. He’s had a pretty good year, disaster outing notwithstanding in his Double-A debut.

Jeff (Connecticut):

I am in a dynasty league and have been building an outfielder for the future. With Mazara, Conforto, and Haniger in my lineup currently, what three prospects would you keep on the roster for the future of Bradley Zimmer, Austin Meadows, Dustin Fowler, and Juan Soto? Thanks!

Josh Norris: We don’t consider Zimmer a prospect anymore, so I’ll go with Soto, then Fowler, then Meadows.

Ryan (Abingdon, MD):

I was going to ask if the start by Juan Soto is unprecedented, but you know what? The starts by Vladito and Eloy have been mighty impressive, too. Do you remember any similar collections of young hitters stampeding their way thru the minors together?

Josh Norris: To quote a terrible rapper: “What a time to be alive.” Soto is tearing it up. Eloy is tearing it up. Vlad Jr. is tearing it up. Acuna and Torres and Ohtani are making an impact in the majors. Everything is sunny all the time always. To answer the second part of the question: Trout, Harper and Machado all came up around the same time, and they’re pretty good.

NameLeftBlank (New York):

Estevan Florial? Struggling at High A. Still striking out a ton. Stock down?

Josh Norris: This was always the big wart with Florial. He showed vulnerability to chasing breaking pitches in the Fall League last year and it was going to be a concern coming into this year. Is his stock down, sure, a little bit, but I still like to bet on tools like he has.

Norm C. (Connecticut):

Any word on Brusdar Graterol’s injury?

Josh Norris: Lower back spasms.

Dylan cease (Chicago):

What do I need to do to get promoted?

Josh Norris: I understand your concern, but I think it might be a while. Remember, the inn was so crowded at Double-A that Dane Dunning had to start back at high Class A with you. So you might want to settle in and enjoy Winston-Salem for a bi

Jim (New York):

Why no prospects Stats updates on the weekends?

Josh Norris: Directly from co-executive editor JJ Cooper: “Going forth we’ll only be doing BAPR on the weekdays, because I need a break.” Sorry, y’all.

Matt (Ohio):

Thanks for the chat Josh! I’m gonna cheat with a 2-parter First quick question, why don’t we get BAPRs on the weekends? More important question: The Vlad Jr. hype couldn’t be bigger. How does he stack up against previous greats to come through the minors? Could he be as good/better than Trout??? I guess that’s not a fair comparison because Trout is a 5 tool guy and Vladdy just mashes.

Josh Norris: I said this on Twitter and I’ll say it again here: The hype and love from scouts on Vladdy Jr. is insane. 80 hit and 80 power are thrown around fairly often. Scouts who have decades in the game are saying that Vladdy is among the best prospects they’ve ever seen. Comparing Vladdy and Trout doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but names like Miguel Cabrera, Manny Ramirez and Frank Thomas have come up as far as his offensive potential. So, yeah, he’s going to be really freaking good.

Mel Kiper (ESPN Studios):

Better catcher prospect: Georgia Tech’s Joey Bart or Midland’s Sean Murphy?

Josh Norris: First of all, Mel, shouldn’t you be doing some research on Justin Herbert and why he’s going to win the Heisman this year and go No. 1 overall in the NFL draft. Second: We like Joey Bart for his overall package of offense and defense, but I like this question a lot. Two dudes who should have major league careers.

Scutchy (Madison Wisconsin):

If you had to pick one of these players which player do you think would reach 500 Homeruns first assuming one of them does in his career? Eloy Jiminez Vlad Guerrero jr Ronald Acuna

Josh Norris: Vladdy, then Eloy, then Acuna.

R (NJ):

With Torres and Andujar losing prospect status soon. Where does the Yankees farm system rank?

Josh Norris: It’ll probably take a pretty good hit when those two dudes graduate. That’s two top 100 guys lost to the land of the major leagues, plus slow starts and/or injuies for pretty much everyone else in their Top 10.

Sven (Fresno, CA):

Should we be worried about Heliot Ramos’ slow start at the dish?

Josh Norris: Not really. He’s 18 and in the South Atlantic League. I wouldn’t be concerned about that at all.

accudart (Vermont):

Toussaint, De La Cruz and Paddack all #1 or #2 SP ceiling? Thanks

Josh Norris: As an Oregonian, I’m going to rain on this parade and say none of those guys has that ceiling.

Greg (Chicago, IL):

Who are some under the radar prospects in the White Sox System?

Josh Norris: I guess it depends on the strength of your radar, but Seby Zavala is crushing it at Double-A and could move up their rankings once midseason hits. Side note, since we’re talking about the White Sox, I feel so bad for Jake Burger. By all accounts a great dude who tore his Achilles again today.

Mike (Nashville TN):

Could Juan Soto feasibly be the #1 prospect in baseball once Ohtani, Acuna and Vlad graduate?

Josh Norris: Yes, yes he could. We adore Soto in this office.

Joe (CA):

Seems that Jorge Guzman is off to a slow start. Do you see him as anything more than a mid rotation starter or do you u see a back end bullpen guy

Josh Norris: I’m not particularly worried about him. 1) It’s three starts. 2) His numbers are pretty good outside of the walks. 3) He was the hardest thrower in baseball last year, so I’m going to give that guy a lot of slack. He’s still a rotation piece in my eyes.

Keith (Farmington, CT):

Thanks Josh. Am I wrong to be blown away by Jeisson Rosario having a .458 on-base percentage and 21 percent walk rate through 119 plate appearances as an 18-year-old in the Midwest League? How high do you put his ceiling?

Josh Norris: You should be very impressed. An 18-year-old getting to low A at that age is awesome enough. Producing at that level (in a typically cold-weather league) is pretty darn excellent.

Dave (Washington):

Juan Soto has been beyond impressive so far. Washington has no reason to rush him, but if he continues to hit…can we see him in Washingon next September (or earlier)?

Josh Norris: If he continues to hit like this, absolutely we’ll see him before next September. He’s a stud.

Huckleberry (California):

I’m a little unsure what to make of Brusdal Graterol so far this season: two starts, 8+innings, 11k, 0bb, 2hbp, 1wp. And then today’s he gets placed on the DL. I guess that’s not a question. How about: has anything about his 2018 start changed your opinion on him?

Josh Norris: As a general rule of thumb, two starts for any pitcher isn’t going to change my opinion of them.

DH (Pittsburgh):

Where would you put Casey Mize on the top 100 list right now?

Josh Norris: I could see him being in the top half of the Top 100 somewhere.

Josh Norris: That’s all for me, guys. Thanks for the questions.