Baseball America Prospects Chat

Ben Badler: Thanks for all the questions in here already. Let’s get started.

Michael (Florida): Is there a logical reason for the Nationals to keep Trea Turner in AAA? Espinosa just isn't cutting it and frankly I don't understand why they thought he ever would be anything more than a band aid.
Ben Badler: They’re keeping him in the minors to delay his service clock and gain an extra year of team control over him. Turner had 45 days of service time at the end of last season, so to get that additional year of team control, they’re going to have to wait roughly another month to call him up.

Riley (Ft. Worth, Texas): If you had the option between Alex Reyes and Sean Newcomb, who would you prefer? Do you think Newcomb can figure out his control issues?
Ben Badler: Reyes. Better stuff, younger, more likely to be able to throw more strikes. Newcomb COULD figure out how to throw more strikes, in which case he can become a frontline starter, but it’s a high risk, high reward profile.

Frank (Chicago): At this point, would Benintendi be one of the top 10 prospects in baseball in your opinion? Are his days in Salem numbered?
Ben Badler: I had him at No. 12 on my personal Top 50 list in the Prospect Handbook coming into the season, so I’m probably the high man on Benintendi, but he’s in there now for me. I don’t see much left for him to prove in Salem, have to think a promotion is imminent.

Kyle (Los Angeles, CA): What a great AAA debut for Jose De Leon last night. What does he project as to you, a frontline or mid-rotation SP?
Ben Badler: Could develop into a No. 2 or 3 starter.

JP (Owasso): Does Reynaldo Lopez stick as a starter? I watched some of his start yesterday and the fastball was great, of course.. Curve looked pretty solid.. but his profile just seems like RP all the way.. Could he become one of the more dominant closers in the game?
Ben Badler: I’d continue to develop him as a starter, but the pitchability and delivery need to improve for him to avoid a move to the bullpen. I don’t see him being a elite-level closer, but he should be an effective high-leverage reliever if he gets moved to a relief role.

Hansford (Mansfield, Tx): Given the recent improvements in Vladimir Gutierrez's stuff, has Gutierrez moved ahead of Norge Ruiz or do you still like Ruiz better?
Ben Badler: It’s close. Gutierrez has a better fastball and curveball, with more room to project on his fastball picking up another tick or two, whereas Ruiz has a wider repertoire of average to plus pitches and better feel for pitching. I’d probably stick with Ruiz for now based on history, but that might change quickly.

Kyle (Texas): Who gets to the bigs first: Giolito or Glasnow? Any idea when, without assuming injury?
Ben Badler: Glasnow. Giolito looked like he could be fast-tracked coming into the year, but he hasn’t looked quite right the past month. I’d like to see Glasnow improve his fastball command before he comes up, but he can help the Pirates quickly, probably at some point in the next month or two.

Viktor (Baltimore): Is Andy Ibanez truly this good?
Ben Badler: No. But he is a good prospect with a chance to be a steady everyday MLB second baseman, which is why we ran him into our Rangers Top 10 list coming into the season. But he needs to be challenged by something better than Low-A pitching.

Zach Mayer (Chicago): Should I be this excited about the young Reds arms? Who has the better MLB career - Reed or Stephenson?
Ben Badler: Yes, pitching is definitely the strength of the system right now for the Reds. I might be in the minority opinion on this one, but going back to what they have done and how they have looked since the start of the 2015 season, I’d take Cody Reed over Robert Stephenson.

dan (lexington): Hopefully, the Braves front office won't rush Ozzy and Dansby and waste a year of service time on a lost season. Does it make sense to let them cut their teeth in ATL this season?
Ben Badler: I wouldn’t even consider burning any service time on either one of them this year. The bigger picture is much more important than falling into the trap of making an emotional/PR decision to bring them up this year. They’ll regret it in the long term if they do that. But with Albies already in Triple-A, it wouldn’t surprise me if we saw him in Atlanta later this season.

John (Chicago): Heard anything on Eddy Julio Martinez? Rust is expected, but are the tools still there?
Ben Badler: Tools are still solid, nothing spectacular, but the pitch recognition and free-swinging tendencies have been problematic. Given his layoff, I think it’s fair to wait to see how he does in the second half, but the plate discipline is worrisome.

Evan (NY, NY): Where do you see Victor Robles topping out on your prospect list before he's eventually recalled?
Ben Badler: He could be a top 10 prospect in baseball at some point. Heck, I don’t think he’s far from there right now.

Kyle (Chicago): As a Sox fan how worried should I be about the current play of Fulmer and Anderson?
Ben Badler: Of the two, I’m more worried about Anderson. It’s hard for any hitter who swings at that many pitches to have success at the highest levels. It worked for him last year in Double-A, but I’m still skeptical of the approach translating higher up.

Danny (Brooklyn, NY): Any thoughts on J. Mateo so far in terms of development? Do his 3 HR so far show he's growing into the averagish power as predicted or nothing we can take from the first month yet?
Ben Badler: Wouldn’t take too much away from a few home runs, but he does have the raw power to be a 15 HR guy. He only hit a couple last year, but when you see the strength in his wrists and forearms, the hand speed he produces and the way the ball jumps off his bat in BP, you can see the power is in there, it’s just a matter of his hitting approach maturing to be able to show it more in games.

Jonathan (Dallas, TX): Who's your top off-the-radar prospect for the Rangers?
Ben Badler: It was Pedro Payano, until Vince put him on everyone’s radar. Israel Cruz could take a big step forward this summer though. Anderson Tejeda and Pedro Ogando are two deep sleepers worth keeping tabs on.

Corey (Seattle): Has Brendan Rodgers answered some questions in April or is this what we should have been expecting?
Ben Badler: I’d say he’s living up to expectations from our pre-draft reports on him. Excellent bat speed, compact swing and with a chance for plus power too. It’s awesome to see him, Swanson and Bregman all kicking ass early on.

Keith (Lexington, KY): Do you think A.J. Reed will spend the season in AAA, or will he be called up sooner if the Astros keep struggling offensively?
Ben Badler: He’s too good of a hitter to stay in Triple-A all season. He should force his way into the picture by midseason, even if the Astros are still scuffling.

Bucky (Dallas): At what point do we start to think Ryan Cordell might be more than a 4th OF? .345 .385 .678 in AA, and making spectacular catches in the OF.
Ben Badler: He’s certainly raised his stock after falling flat when he got to Double-A last year. The tools and physicality are all there for him to be an everyday player, even if it’s not at the same position every day. One of the more impressive improvements from a prospect this year.

Brian (Atlanta): Any specifics on the Braves' international plans this year, other than they're going to spend a lot? Any rumored targets besides Maitan and Gutierrez?
Ben Badler: Lots of international/July 2 questions in here. We’re going to have a TON of July 2 coverage coming up soon, with all the details on the plans for every team and scouting reports on the top players. I tend to be more meticulous with our July 2 player reports than any other players we cover, so it takes a little longer to put together, but I promise we will have all the info on the spending sprees for the Braves, Padres and every other team’s international plans this year up soon.

Mike (Baltimore): Gaaaah! Another setback for Hunter Harvey! What is the O's coaching staff DOING to him? Or is he just plain injury prone?
Ben Badler: He’s having sports hernia surgery. I don’t see how we can pin that one on the organization.

Ben (Miamisburg, OH): How much of a AA track record should we expect from Amir Garrett before he could be promoted to AAA? Seems like the logical promotion at this point whenever Stephenson is up with the big team for good.
Ben Badler: He’s been outstanding. He’s someone I’d love to see in the Futures Game, which is around the time when a lot of players like him get bumped up a level.

Kyle Steen (Chicago): Which prospect has shown the most improvement and which has been the most disappointing so far?
Ben Badler: Cordell, Ronald Guzman, Amed Rosario are three that jump to mind quickly for improvement. Not many pitchers have had worse starts than Jesus Tinoco or Franklyn Kilome. And Daz Cameron has played some great defense but his swing-and-miss rate has been alarming.

Rob (MS): Who will be the better left handed starting pitcher? Snell, Conley, Rodon.
Ben Badler: Blake Snell

J (Boston): Top international prospect not named Otani? Any rumblings on when he may become available?
Ben Badler: Alfredo Despaigne. Given the way things have gone lately, MLB teams would be smart to scout him closely this season in Japan.

Trey (Miami): What's the biggest difference between the offensive profiles of Rafael Devers and Jomar Reyes?
Ben Badler: They’re different physically—Devers is around 6 feet, Reyes is closer to 6-foot-4—and the raw power is comparable, but Devers is a better pure hitter with a better swing.

Alex (St. Louis): What's the ceiling for a guy like Alex Reyes and as far as his stuff goes, who does he compare to?
Ben Badler: He can be an ace, which isn’t a label I throw around much. He sits mid-90s, reaches 100 mph and has one of the best curveballs in the minors, with a changeup that has a chance to be plus as well. He has to throw more strikes, but the athleticism and delivery all indicate that he should be able to do that.

Mike Rizzo (Washington, D.C): Ben - What do I do about Victor Robles? Do I keep him in Hagerstown the entire year or should I move him up if he continues that level of production for another month?
Ben Badler: He’s an 18-year-old (albeit a super talented one) who’s just finishing his first month of full-season ball. It’s rare to see anyone in that situation get moved up a level all that quickly. When Byron Buxton was destroying Low-A his first full season, the Twins moved him up to High-A at the end of June. So if the Nationals want to be aggressive with Robles, I could see a similar timeline for him.

Jobu (Dallas): How long until we get to see Urias? Seems like he's done with AAA--another 6 IP, 0 hits, 0 walks, 6 Ks today.
Ben Badler: It sounds ridiculous to say about a 19-year-old, but he’s ready now, in terms of the stuff and pitchability. The problem is what the Dodgers do about his workload, both on the macro level in terms of how they want to manage his innings increase from last year when he threw just 80 innings and more immediately on the micro level of whether they will allow him to go more than 5-6 innings into a start, which over a full major league season puts additional stress on their bullpen when you’re counting on relievers for four innings every time he pitches.

Fonz (Milwaukee): Is there any buzz about unsigned Cubans that you can share with us (like Ona and Morejon to the Padres)?
Ben Badler: The Padres are still likely to sign Morejon and Ona. The latest buzz I’ve heard on Morejon is that his stuff continues to trend in the right direction, with his fastball reaching 95 mph.

Aaron (Fort Worth(TX)): Thoughts on Buxton? I own him in my farm system on a dynasty league. Does he figure it out at the plate or should I be concerned?
Ben Badler: I didn’t think his MLB time would go this rough this year, but there are still a lot of reasons to be high on Buxton. We’re talking about a 22-year-old player who has 59 games at Double-A and 22 games in Triple-A. We’ve seen some phenoms race to the majors that quickly and take off with no problems, but those players tend to be the exceptions. There’s still high offensive upside with Buxton to go with already stellar defense and speed at a premium position. It’s fair to have some concerns but I’m still very, very high on Buxton.

Chris (Boston): In two years Do you see Espinoza being were Urias is now. ie. Being the top left handed prospect in the game?
Ben Badler: I could see him becoming the top pitching prospect in baseball, but if he starts pitching with his left arm, that would really be something.

Gunther Pickles (EL Paso TX): Tell me about Yusniel Diaz of LA and his upside compared to guys like Vic Robles and Julio-Martinez Cubs. Love the chat, keep up the good work
Ben Badler: Good combination of athleticism and hitting ability. There’s length to the swing but he has the hand-eye coordination to find the barrel with a line-drive stroke and power that’s improved since he left Cuba, with the speed to play center field. Much better prospect than Eddy Julio Martinez. Not in the Robles class (not many are) but he has the upside to develop into a Top 100 prospect at some point.

Henry (LA): With Erisbel Arrubarenna now suspended for the rest of the year, what lessons can we learn from him to the Cuban market?
Ben Badler: I’m not sure there are too many lessons to take away from one player, other than to make sure you’re scouting a player as thoroughly as possible and gathering as much information as you can on him for years before you make a major investment. You could say don’t put big money into Cuban players who don’t hit, but then there’s Jose Iglesias and even Adeiny Hechavarria. You could say stay away from bad makeup guys (and man, he’s pissed off just about everyone from the front office to the coaches to his teammates), but the Dodgers and Reds both got team-friendly deals from Puig and Chapman. Teams make enormous mistakes with major league free agent contracts all the time too. Obviously there are differences in the way teams have to sign Cuban players, but getting as many looks and as much information on these players before they leave Cuba and having good talent evaluators in place to make those judgments remains critical in that market.

Evan (Los Angeles): Who has the best chance of becoming a perennial all star one day? Benintendi, Robles, or Swanson?
Ben Badler: All three can do it. Benintendi is probably the safest bet because of the confidence I have in his bat.

Mike (Elliott City): Have you seen Leodys Taveras? Do you have any good word on what kind of player he can be?
Ben Badler: I have seen him. Looooooooooong ways away, but it’s exciting speed and athleticism in center field to go with a sweet swing and promising physical projection to grow into more power.

Jay (Georgia): Are there any Braves pitching prospects you see that can be a future #1 or #2? There seem to be many good pitching prospects in the system, but many have MOR as realistic upside.
Ben Badler: Sean Newcomb, Kolby Allard, Touki Toussaint, those three all have frontline starter upside. They’re all just very risky prospects, whether it’s Newcomb’s control, Allard’s health and being so far away, or Touki’s pitchability and still being in Low-A. The Braves have a ton of promising pitching prospects in the farm system, but it’s filled with high-risk arms.

Jimmy (Newburgh): Do you think there will be an international draft next year and if no do you expect the Yankees to go over there budget
Ben Badler: It’s hard to say. Even the best connected people in the game I talk to are split on whether they think an international draft is coming. Whatever happens, I do think there will be a more restrictive system in place than we have now to allow owners to clamp down on signing bonuses and control their costs. If there isn’t, well, yeah, you can bank on the Yankees and Red Sox going bananas with their spending again.

Amy (Long Island): Who makes a bigger impact this year Giolitto or Turner? Should I use a roster spot or wait until more buzz happens?
Ben Badler: Strictly fort 2016, Turner.

Kyle (Boston): Is something wrong with Rafael Devers; the year has started off crappy.
Ben Badler: More bad luck than anything. He’s making a lot of contact, he’s hitting the ball hard, he’s using the whole field, he’s walking at a higher clip than he’s ever done since he got to the US, but he’s just not getting the hits to fall. Tough month, but not a player I’m worried about at all.

Ben Badler: Always enjoy talking prospects, but I’ve got to get going now. I should be back here chatting again next Wednesday, possibly a little earlier than the usual 2 pm ET slot, just as a heads up. Thanks for all the questions.