Baseball America Prospects Chat

Tom (Phoenix): If Alec Hansen continues his dominance in Low A where does slot in 2017 top prospect lists? Top 50? Top 100?
J.J. Cooper: Hey everyone. I apologize. We got in a meeting and poof it’s 3 p.m. No excuse. Let’s jump right in. Hansen’s dominance is very encouraging. After his significant control troubles in college, Hansen has been much better early on in his pro career. That being said, the scouts I’ve talked to who have seen him in pro ball say his control has improved but his command still has a ways to go. I don’t see Hansen likely being a Top 100 guy next year. He needs to have a little more track record against higher level competition before he can allay those concerns.

Tom (Phoenix): What is the ceiling of something called Sixto Sanchez?
J.J. Cooper: Ideally I’d like to say he’s a 60 BA Grade with his name, and that’s not crazy. He’s very talented with advanced control/command for his age to go with excellent stuff. He’s in rookie ball, so there are a lot of hurdles ahead and a lot of development but he’s a very, very legit prospect.

Tom (Phoenix): Better MLB career Mitch Keller or Jack Flaherty?
J.J. Cooper: Keller. Throws a lot harder than Flaherty with better overall stuff and much of the same feel/control that Flaherty has.

Bednarz42 (Bloomfield, Nj): Is Eloy Jimenez in the discussion for minor league player of the year? Top 10 prospect going into next year?
J.J. Cooper: Yes. He is definitely in the discussion for Minor League POY. That’s a great year for a teenager in the Midwest League. I don’t think that makes him a Top 10 prospect just yet. He is a corner outfielder, very possibly a left fielder, with a promising bat. Usually that profile doesn’t crack the Top 10 until you’ve done it at higher levels.

Ricky M (CT): Is Dom Smith finally going to get the prospect hype he deserves this offseason? .304/.367/.468 as a 21 year old in AA. Will he finally begin to be recognized as a top 40 prospect?
J.J. Cooper: He’s having a very good year and it’s an outstanding August. He’s a very solid first base prospect, but there’s still nothing about his year that separates him statistically from his Double-A first base contemporaries Rowdy Tellez or Jake Bauers. We think Smith is a very solid first base prospect. He was a back of the top 100 guy last year. I do think he will move up from there, but I don’t know if that means he’ll crack the top 40.

Ryan (dc): Max Shrock just continues to hit even with his promotion to High A. Can he be an upper division regular and when might be his ETA if he keeps hitting like this?
J.J. Cooper: He’s had a great season. He has very good barrel control and has played a solid second base. That said, he’s an SEC player playing in Class A. You’d expect him to hit. Upper division regular still seems rich, but he’s got a pretty solid chance to be a big leaguer.

ben (tenafly): How many mets prospects make the top 100 this offseason? By my estimation, Rosario, Smith and Szapucki are locks. Dunn, Cecchini, NImmo and Lindsay seem to be in the iffy range. What do you think?
J.J. Cooper: I would say Rosario and Smith are locks. Dunn has a much better shot of cracking the Top 100 than Szapucki. Nothing against Szapucki but Dunn has a significantly longer track record.

Brad (Philly): Should we be concerned about Jake Thompson's rough start, or is this to be expected with rookie pitchers (see, Berrios)? What do you expect out of him longterm?
J.J. Cooper: Thompson is the kind of pitcher where I’m not surprised that there are growing pains. He doesn’t have really a dominant pitch to rely on. He’s more of a solid innings eater than a front-of-the-rotation guy, so there is less margin for error if he’s struggling to hit his spots.

Ben (Miamisburg, OH): Do you think the Reds push Nick Senzel to AA to start the 2017 season after raking in Low A right after being drafted?
J.J. Cooper: Whether he starts 2017 in high Class A or Double-A, I would expect he’d be there very soon after the 2017 season begins. Look at the timetable for last year’s top college bats. Dansby Swanson and Andrew Benintendi started the year in high Class A. Alex Bregman started the year in Double-A. But both Swanson and Benintendi were in Double-A by mid-May.

Ash (Ny): In 2017, Aaron Judge will be worth __ WAR and Gary Sanchez will be worth __ WAR.
J.J. Cooper: 2.5 and 2.5. Could exceed that, but both should be very solid regulars. Judge carries more risk than Sanchez, but both have legit power obviously. What Sanchez has done in his callup is a little beyond his normal ability, but then what he’s doing so far in the big leagues is beyond most anyone’s ability.

Freddy (Queens): Am I the only one who thinks Nimmo is more than a 4th outfielder?
J.J. Cooper: He’s right on that line. Nimmo fits to me the second-division regular profile. He could be a starter, but on a championship team he’s more likely to be a part-time player/fourth outfielder.

Steve (Colfax, WI): Willy Adames and Jake Bauers are both 20 in AA, which has a better big league career and why?
J.J. Cooper: Willy Adames is a shortstop who has a decent chance to stick at the position. His bat has as much promise as Bauers and he has a lot more defensive value (although Bauers is a very solid first baseman), so Adames by a significant amount.

Tj (New jersey): Longtime reader, first time asker on these chats...in your opinion what is a realistic ceiling for Chance Adams? Will he be in consideration for a top 100 spot this offseason?
J.J. Cooper: Chance Adams has a chance to be a No. 3 starter. He’s got a shot to crack next year’s Top 100. As Hudson Belinsky just said “he’s pretty freaking good.”

Jose De Leon (Tornado Alley): Hi, what do I have to do? I know the Dodgers have 150 players on their 40 man, but surely there is some way to bring me to Chavez? Patient in OKC
J.J. Cooper: You summed it up. That is a problem for him as Brock Stewart was hot at the right time, made it to the big leagues for a callup and now is on the 40-man roster. De Leon’s velo has varied from start to start but he is dominating lately and is ready to help if the Dodgers can find someone to put on the 60-day DL. They already have eight guys (!!!) on the 60-day DL and they already are going to have to jettison someone from the 40-man if Clayton Kershaw returns.

Twitter Stalker (Online): I'm made my way over from Twitter to ask: what's the deal with Tom Murphy? Hitting over .450 since July 1. Insane! Always been a very solid hitter. What can we expect as a pro?
J.J. Cooper: I am going to stun you by informing you that Murphy is not a .450 hitter. He’s not really a .300 hitter, but Murphy hits enough to be an everyday regular at catcher. I expected it would be at some point this year, but it looks like now it’s going to be next year.

Richard (Nor Cal): Moncada ... Looking real good at third already, lots of rumors he may be called up soon. Do you think he gets the call and with Shaw struggling, does he play everyday if he does ?
J.J. Cooper: Looking real good at third base already is a little bit of a stretch in that he’s just learning the position. He’s made some good plays in the early going and still has some work to do. Moncada has had a great year, but what’s notable is he still has a ton of further potential he could reach. I don’t think he’s as ready to help as Benintendi was, but his long-term ceiling is massive.

Ryan (Abingdon, MD): There are always a number of pop up pitching prospects each year. Who stands out to you as the most likely to be a mirage and most likely to be a real breakout? If that is too open ended for this format, names that come to my mind include Fernando Romero, Daniel Mengden and Brandon Woodruff.
J.J. Cooper: Woodruff is the one I am highest on. It took a while for him to put it together but he’s a legit middle-of-the-rotation starter prospect.

Thomas (Boston): Did Matt Strahm have a viable 3rd pitch in the minors that would allow him the opportunity to start in the majors?
J.J. Cooper: Yes. His changeup has improved. It was too hard and it was up in the zone too often last year and early this year but it got better in the minors before his promotion. I see him as a starter long-term, not a reliever, although obviously his relief work has been excellent.

Scott (Los Angeles): Can you say something nice about Matt Thaiss or Jahmai Jones?
J.J. Cooper: Matt Thaiss is a very polished hitter. His chance of making a big league impact depends on how much power he ends up producing–since he’s a first baseman, that’s a concern. Jahmai Jones is a very toolsy player performing in short-season ball. It’s a great year for him, but we also need to see how he handles full-season ball. So those are nice things and some caveats.

Jack (San Jose): Any strong candidates for the Braves at 1-1 right now?
J.J. Cooper: Not sure yet it will be the Braves picking 1-1, but whoever picks 1-1, Hunter Greene is a great candidate for 1-1. There are also a number of college arms that fit as 1-1 candidates. Bad news if it’s the Braves’ picking 1-1 since they have lots of pitchers and less bats is the college bats are not as impressive in next year’s draft class.

Rick (SC): Was it premature for the Braves to call up Swanson last week?
J.J. Cooper: No. This is all about getting acclimated for 2017. It’s not about how well he produces in 2016.

michael (Dayton): At this point, would you rate Aquino or Ervin as a better prospect? thanks!
J.J. Cooper: Aquino. Tools are better and both are corner outfielders–hard to find scouts who see Ervin as a center fielder. Aquino has prototypical right field tools.

Scott (Kansas): Hey JJ, what's your take on Yadier Alvarez so far? Think he can be a fast mover through the system? Also, what kind of ceiling does he have?
J.J. Cooper: Not really a fast mover. Acclimating from Cuba to the U.S. is trying in a lot of different ways. And in the Dodgers system there is no need for him to move all that fast–this is an org that could have Walker Buehler, Mitchell White, Alvarez and sleeper prospect Dennis Santana in the HiA rotation next year. And that’s pitching behind Julio Urias, Jose De Leon, Brock Stewart, Trevor Oaks, Josh Sborz and Chase De Jong at higher levels.

Adam (WI): Feel the need to mention this and use it for a question: Sanchez just homered AGAIN. Best MLB debut of the year?
J.J. Cooper: This is insane. Great start. He’s not this good. But no one is this good.

Philip (San Diego): Any Padres sleepers you or scouts you've talked to like?
J.J. Cooper: Mike Kelly and Walker Lockett are two RHPs who both are getting some positive reviews from scouts.

Ben (Miamisburg, OH): Thoughts on Delino Deshields very publicly calling out Robert Stephenson in the press after his continued control problems?
J.J. Cooper: I feel like we’re all experiencing the Homer Bailey development track all over again. Stephenson’s control is not where it needs to be to succeed at the big league level, but there is nothing glaring that appears to be unfixable. Bailey reached the majors in 2007 and didn’t really settle in as a solid MLB starter until 2011. Stephenson reached Double-A in 2013 and has struggled for four years to take that next step. If he’s on the Bailey timetable it may still take a while longer.

Jose (DC): Pick the better prospect: Ona or a healthy Kyle Lewis
J.J. Cooper: Lewis by a significant margin. But obviously he has a lot of rehab to do to get healthy.

J.J. Cooper: Thanks everyone for coming out. My apologies for being late. Ben Badler will be here on Friday chatting about the Hot Sheet.