National League Central Prospect Notebook For July

Third Pitch Gives Pirates’ Mike Burrows Tools For Success

At the end of the 2021 season, righthander Mike Burrows felt like he had “mastered two really good pitches,” while coming a really long way to add a third pitch to his mix.

The combination of his four-seam fastball and curveball led to a breakout season for Burrows last year at High-A Greensboro. Both pitches are high-spin offerings that tunnel off each other.

Burrows made progress with his changeup last year to give him a third offering. That progress continued this season to the point where he has mastered a third pitch.

“I think I’ve checked a box there,” Burrows said. “I’m very happy with where the pitch usage is and how everything feels. All three of them have been really good for me.”

The 22-year-old Burrows gets good movement on his changeup, allowing him to pull the string on both lefthanded and righthanded hitters expecting his fastball.

He can throw his changeup for strikes, slowing down hitters, before speeding them up with a fastball that can hit upper 90s.

The refined three-pitch mix allowed Burrows to speed through Double-A Altoona this year, with a 2.94 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 52 innings.

The Pirates promoted Burrows, an 11th-round pick in 2018 out of Waterford (Conn.) High, to Triple-A Indianapolis on June 19. He is moving beyond focusing on pitches and mechanics, and just learning how to consistently stay with his approach.

“It’s really just kind of not letting your mind get away from your mindset,” said Burrows. “If it does stray away, that’s when damage happens.”

Burrows was hit early, but his 7.31 ERA through four starts did not indicate how well his stuff played. He had 15 strikeouts and one walk through 16 innings.

Rather than focusing on when he will be in the big leagues, Burrows is focusing on a bigger goal.

“I hope there’s going to be a day where I don’t come back to the minor leagues,” Burrows said.

—Tim Williams

Cubs’ Matt Mervis Does Damage In Breakout Season

The Cubs found an undrafted free agent in 2020 who has exceeded expectations, while providing production greater than their picks in that Covid-shortened, five-round draft.

Former Duke first baseman Matt Mervis has emerged as a bona fide offensive prospect after a modest 2021 season.

“We love when hitters do damage,” Cubs vice president of player development Jared Banner said. “That’s one of the things we’re in search of, and he’s been doing a lot of it.”

After hitting nine home runs and slugging .367 in 73 games a year ago, the 24-year-old Mervis had hit 20 homers and slugged .629 through that same number of games in 2022.

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Mervis moved from High-A South Bend to Double-A Tennessee on May 18.

“Matt’s always had power,” Banner said. “He’s a strong guy, with great bat speed. It’s more his approach and just getting accustomed to the professional game.”

Mervis hit three home runs in his shortened 16-game senior season at Duke. But the Cubs had an extra set of eyes on him during the previous summer. Mike Roberts, a Cubs baserunning consultant, was Mervis’ manager with Cotuit in the Cape Cod League and was familiar with his potential.

In addition, Cubs director of hitting Justin Stone and minor league hitting coordinator Justin Kelly were among the staffers who worked with his fixing his swing path.

“He’s always been a very talented guy,” Banner said. “We just wanted to hone in his approach a bit, when to make sure he’s slowing things down at the plate, taking his time, not rushing things, not trying to do too much.

“And he’s really listened, and his natural ability has taken over.”

In his Double-A time, Mervis had walked about 7% of the time and struck out at a 21% rate.

“He’s making very good swing decisions,” Banner said. “He works on that on a daily basis. He’s a very diligent worker.”

—Mark Gonzales

Reds’ Joe Boyle Begins To Find A Handle On Elite Stuff

When the Reds drafted 6-foot-7 righthander Joe Boyle in the fifth round in 2020, the scouting report said that he had elite stuff—up to 100 mph—but his control was about as bad as it gets.

He had walked 48 batters in 36 innings and had a 6.00 ERA during his three seasons at Notre Dame out of the bullpen.

After missing much of 2021 with a shoulder injury that limited him to just 19.2 innings, Boyle was enjoying one of the most dominating seasons in minors this year.

Through 14 starts for High-A Dayton he had recorded a 1.87 ERA while allowing just 18 hits and striking out 101 in 62.2 innings.

The control issues Boyle experienced in college still show up at the professional level. He had walked 47 batters—or 6.8 per nine innings—but the improvements in his control can be seen.

“He’s done a good job with his coaches, with (Dayton pitching coach Brian) Garman, coordinators and other folks in the last year,” Reds vice president of player development Shawn Pender said, “and in his body control and his ability to repeat his delivery.

“That’s really allowed him to find his release point on all three of his pitches, and I think it’s created a more consistent angle that allows him to get the ball where he wants more.”

Boyle had held batters to a .092 average, and they had managed four three extra-base hits.

“He has what could be three plus pitches,” Pender said. “His stuff has always been there, but now his ability to repeat, throw more strikes, and get the ball where he wants is really setting him up for success.”

His ability to throw more strikes will need to continue to improve, but Boyle has taken big steps forward in that area this season and the results on the mound have followed to an extreme degree.

—Doug Gray

Brewers’ Joey Wiemer Meets The Challenge Of Double-A

Outfielder Joey Wiemer’s production remained steady as he climbed the minor league ladder.

Through 73 games for Double-A Biloxi, Wiemer hit .247/.322/.460 with 15 home runs and 23 stolen bases. A year ago he was the Brewers’ minor league player of the year after tearing up two Class A levels.

Throw in 11 outfield assists this year, and the 23-year-old Wiemer had shown a well-rounded set of skills.

“He’s had a great year, and he’s done it all—offensively, defensively,” said Eduardo Brizuela, the Brewers’ vice president of player development and special assistant to the general manager. “And he continues to improve his approach at the plate.

“He’s done a really good job.”

The Brewers drafted Wiemer out of the University of Cincinnati in the fourth round in 2020.

After losing that season to the pandemic, Wiemer burst on the scene in 2021 with a 27-homer, 30-steal season in 2021.

At the suggestion of roommate and fellow 2020 draftee Zavier Warren during their time with Low-A Carolina, Wiemer abandoned the big leg kick in favor of a toe tap while also starting a little lower in his stance.

The production ramped up from there, and Wiemer carried it over to 2022, though his strikeout rate had crept to 30%.

“He’s becoming a very complete hitter,” Brizuela said. “He’s gained a lot of confidence over the last couple years and an understanding of how his approach can work.

“And now he’s taking it to the plate on a daily basis.”

—Todd Rosiak

Cardinals’ Michael McGreevy Applies Early Lessons In First Full Year

Righthander Michael McGreevy’s first brush with professional baseball was limited by design, but a lengthy introduction off the field gave him a clear view of what he would face once he got a longer look.

“Definitely matured a little bit, (because) coming in you’re humbled a bit,” McGreevy said this spring. “Everybody is good. They want to get to the big leagues, too, and now overall, in professional baseball, everyone has that same kind of work ethic.”

McGreevy, drafted 18th overall out of UC Santa Barbara in 2021, is the latest in a line of college pitchers drafted in the first round by the Cardinals. 

The 21-year-old reached Double-A Springfield on May 26 of his first full season. Through 16 starts at two levels he had posted a 3.12 ERA while striking out 82 and walking 17 in 89.1 innings.

McGreevy was a shortstop in high school when his team needed a starter due to injury. A coach asked if he could pitch. He’d figure it out.

“That’s how my pitching career started,” he said. “It made me sad because I had to leave shortstop behind, but I think it worked out OK.”

In college, McGreevy debuted as a fastball/slider pitcher. As he moved into the rotation and saw hitters three or four times, he had to outfit his options with a changeup and curveball. 

After a pair of Florida Complex League outings in his 2021 pro debut, McGreevy spent the offseason sharpening those two pitches and honing his ability to get outs in the strike zone. 

He reached spring training with a newfound sense of confidence that can only gain from being around like-minded peers.

That’s when a pitcher shows they belong.

“Only good things can happen from here,” McGreevy said. “Just be yourself and good things (will) happen.”

—Derrick Goold

AROUND THE NL CENTRAL

— The Pirates called up top prospect Oneil Cruz on June 20. Through 20 games he hit .213/.241/.440 with four home runs. A 34% strikeout rate shows that Cruz might be too aggressive early in his career. The shortstop hit.232/.336/.422 with nine homers for Triple-A Indianapolis this year.

— The Pirates drafted righthander/shortstop Bubba Chandler in the third round last year out of North Oconee High in Georgia and signed him away from a Clemson commit for $3 million. He had been successful on both sides of the ball early in the Florida Complex League season. Through 15.1 innings he had allowed no runs while striking out 27. At the plate, he hit .231/.444/.654 with three home runs, all while appearing in the lineup as DH.

— Reds outfielder Rece Hinds suffered a broken left hamate with High-A Dayton, adding to another unfortunate injury in his career that will cost him significant time away from the field. He missed all but three games in 2019 after suffering a quad injury and then missed more than two months last season after a knee injury.

— Brewers outfielder Garrett Mitchell, the club’s 2020 first-round pick, had been on the Double-A Biloxi injured list since May 14 with an oblique strain as he continued to fight the injury bug. In 30 games this season, Mitchell hit .224/.331/.346 with two home runs and six stolen bases.

— Brewers shortstop Freddy Zamora‘s season is over after 24 games for Double-A Biloxi following surgery for a subluxation of his left shoulder suffered on a swing. He is expected to return to full strength for 2023, but for a player who has already endured an ACL reconstruction in his knee, it’s a disappointing way to finish the season.

— As the all-star break approached, Triple-A Memphis outfielder Alec Burleson led the International League with a .336 average and 98 hits. He had 16 home runs and 64 RBIs through 73 games while hitting .336/.379/.558.

— A seven-inning, one-hit start on July 4 brought the spotlight to rising Cardinals righthander Inohan Paniagua at Low-A Palm Beach. At the time he was named Florida State League pitcher of the week in early July, the 22-year-old led the league with six wins, a 2.15 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 88 innings.