Baseball America Prospects Chat

Ben Badler: I see plenty of questions in the queue already, so let’s get started.

Niel (Dallas): What are the chances Mazara is in the big leagues for good? Could you see a scenario where Choo returns, Desmond takes over as the everyday CF, and Mazara slides over to LF?
Ben Badler: I don’t think the Rangers would swallow that outfield alignment, but if Mazara is still clobbering the ball at the major league level when Choo returns, I can’t see them sending him back to Triple-A. They could see end up shifting Desmond into a utility role or use him as a trade chip. I also think Joey Gallo is going to force the issue by midseason with a big season at Triple-A, so they’ve got some interesting decisions ahead.

Roger (Greenville, SC): I know it's too early to really change opinions, but which guys have shown you enough to say, "I need to pay more attention to this guy"?
Ben Badler: Like you said, can’t say much has changed after one week of games, but given that we’ve always ranked Raul Mondesi high based on his tools despite the lack of any outstanding game performance, I’m at least encouraged that he’s hitting and showing power early in the season.

WBG (Philippines): Hello Ben. Can you give your thoughts about the Augusta GreenJackets roster?
Ben Badler: That’s the team to watch in the Giants organization. Exciting athleticism up the middle with Lucius Fox, Jalen Miller and Manuel Geraldo. Kelvin Beltre is my sleeper to watch from that team. He has breakout potential if he can stay off the disabled list.

Frank (Savannah): Give me the year the Braves will compete for a playoff berth again. Please. I'm begging you.
Ben Badler: 2018. In the mean time, the farm will be at least be fun to watch.

patrick (san diego): How would you compare David Paulino and Domingo Acevedo in terms of tools, future role, and proximity to the big leagues?
Ben Badler: Acevedo has the better fastball and changeup, but Paulino gets a huge edge on his breaking ball, which is key for a RHP. They’re both gigantic human beings who won’t be too comfortable in an airplane seat, but Paulino also has better body control to keeps his delivery together and throws more strikes. Paulino’s closer to the big leagues and we have him with a higher BA grade in the Prospect Handbook, but there’s also considerable medical risk with him too given his track record.

Dan (Ohio): Last year BA had an article on the best Cuban players and Victor Mesa an OF was mentioned. What ever happened to him?
Ben Badler: He’s still in Cuba. He missed the first half of the season coming back from an elbow injury, but he’s still one of their most exciting young prospects.

greg b (NY): Who will be the better player Ahmed Rosario or Jorge Mateo.
Ben Badler: Mateo.

David (Loganville): What the heck do you even do about Kyle Zimmer at this point...
Ben Badler: ¯\_(?)_/¯ I love his stuff, it’s just so frustrating when a player’s health is what gets in the way of him realizing his potential. I don’t see any future for him as a starter, but I still think he can be a wipeout reliever at the back of a bullpen.

Nick (Pittsburgh): I really enjoyed reading the top VSL/DSL prospect article you wrote. If forced to pick, who is your favorite/highest ranked player(s) on the top 20 VSL/DSL prospect list?
Ben Badler: Thank you. I always appreciate the feedback I get on those reports every year. The player I think has the best chance at a breakout season is Rays OF Jesus Sanchez. Our reports have always been positive on his hitting ability, then he went out and showed it in games last year, with a more well-rounded skill set than expected when he signed. In terms of a ceiling, hard to go against Yankees CF Estevan Florial based on the present tools and athleticism he brings, especially at a premium position.

Larry (Macon): As a big Braves fan, I see a lot of pitching and a lot of contact/speed hitters in the minors. I can't think of a single player that could even have above average power besides Braxton Davidson, and he has a ton of questions to answer before he can make it up. Am I overanalyzing by being negative about this rebuild?
Ben Badler: Austin Riley has pretty huge power. On the whole, their rebuild has centered around pitching rather than bats, which adds an extra layer of risk that teams like the Royals, Cubs and Astros didn’t have in their rebuild, but this is still clearly one of the best farm systems in the game.

Proswagonist (Liberl): Daz Cameron - overmatched or just off to a slow start?
Ben Badler: April in the Midwest League is not very kind to teenagers from warm weather climates. Granted, Kyle Tucker isn’t having any issues so far, but Tucker’s also much more of a pure hitter than Cameron. I’m not too worried about Cameron.

Aaron (Duncanville, TX): Joey Gallo 6 Ks in only 6 games, does he look more improved at the plate or too early to tell?
Ben Badler: Too early, but I am confident he will cut down on his strikeout rate this year. He has a track record of being able to make those adjustments and the Rangers have done an excellent job with getting other minor league hitters to improve their swing and miss rates.

Frank (San Diego): Who would you guess Lazarito ends up signing with?
Ben Badler: My sense is the Padres are the favorites for Lazaro Armenteros. But not the overwhelming favorites like they are to get Jorge Ona and Adrian Morejon.

Gabe (Wisconsin): When do you see the Brewers calling up Orlando Arcia? Also, what are your thoughts on Josh Hader who continues to have strong outings in AA?
Ben Badler: Arcia should be up around June/July after Super 2 has passed. Hader has been a pleasant surprise. Our reports on him since the end of last season and when he pitched in the AFL were much improved from what he showed in the first half.

Grant (NYC): Did anyone at your office predict such a Story for Trevor? Can he possibly keep this up for long?
Ben Badler: No, safe to say nobody predicted he’d average a home run per game through the first week of the season. Story has always had power, but he’s always been a streaky hitter because of his approach and swing and miss tendencies, which are still there. When he stays balanced and keeps his head locked in throughout his swing, he’s able to track pitches better and barrel them up with authority. When he doesn’t, you see a lot more empty swings. That’s going to be a key for him going forward.

Nick (North Carolina): What is the future for Andy Ibanez?
Ben Badler: I can’t imagine much more of his near future will be in Hickory. Before he signed, I said he was ready for High-A or possibly a Double-A assignment, so I was a bit surprised that the Rangers of all teams who are normally pushing their prospects hard sent him to Low-A. I could see them skipping him over High Desert and pushing him straight to Double-A Frisco quickly. He’s shown pretty much what we were expecting; good hitter, sound approach at the plate, but nothing else flashy that’s going to grab your attention. He’s blocked at second base in Texas with Rougned Odor locked in there, but he’d be interesting trade bait, especially since there were quite a few teams that liked him before he signed but just weren’t in a position to sign him because of their bonus pool restrictions.

Proswagonist (Liberl): Which teams are in the lead to sign Vladimir Gutierrez?
Ben Badler: I’m not sure there is an obvious frontrunner at this point, but I think it will be one of the teams that’s already over their bonus pool or that’s committed to going over for 2016. A team going over just to sign Gutierrez would surprise me. Sounds like he’ll probably have another showcase soon to get more eyeballs on him after the buzz he generated from his last workout that JJ Cooper wrote about.

Jeff (MD): Can you compare the ceilings of Noah Syndergaard to Jose Fernandez?
Ben Badler: They’re both No. 1 starters right now who should be perennial Cy Young candidates as long as they’re healthy.

Roger (Greenville, SC): What kind of potential does Roniel Raudes have?
Ben Badler: Probably a back-end starter, but one who could move quickly because he’s a natural strike-thrower. The fastball is still on the lighter side, but he’s young enough that there might be more coming, and the breaking ball is already an out pitch for him.

Ben (Miamisburg, OH): Talk about an international draft seems to have quieted a bit, is it still something MLB will pursue in the next CBA?
Ben Badler: Yes. They tried pulling it off last time around and just weren’t able to execute it. Whether it’s a draft or a far more restrictive free agent signing system with regards to what teams are allowed to spend, there will be significant changes to the international rules (even before accounting for what to do with Cuban players) because the owners want to limit their spending and the union doesn’t fight for players who aren’t on 40-man rosters, so they won’t stand in the way.

West (Florida): What are your thoughts on Albert Abreu? What is his ceiling? Was he close to being in the Top 100 this year?
Ben Badler: He wasn’t quite in the Top 100 mix coming into the year, but our reports from scouts who saw him in his US debut last year were very positive and I could see him jumping on to the list after the season. Four-pitch guy with a big fastball, swing-and-miss secondaries and a pretty solid strike-thrower given his experience level.

David (Vicenza, Italy): Ben, what can you tell us about Luis Robert?
Ben Badler: He’s one of my favorite players still in Cuba. Some swing-and-miss concerns, but physicality, athleticism, power and speed are all exciting.

Dan (Washington, DC): Who would you rather have: Giolito or Syndergaard?
Ben Badler: I love Giolito, but Syndergaard is in the discussion for best pitcher in MLB right now. It’s freakish stuff (100 mph sinkers and a mid-90s slider!?) to miss bats and keep the ball on the ground, he commands it, he’s built for durability and the medical record is fairly clean. He’s a straight up mutant.

Ben (Japan): Hello. I'm going to ask about draft prospects. Who do you think from 101 down of the top 100 list will soar just before draft time and improve their stock?
Ben Badler: I’m fortunate to work with some of the best MLB draft analysts in the game. Those guys cover the draft better than anyone, so I don’t have any involvement in our draft coverage, which allows me to drill deeper into our minor league prospect and international coverage. Which I’m thankful for, especially with the rapid growth of how much there is to stay on top of in the international arena.

Kevin (Kansas City): Do you foresee Andrew Benintendi's game translating well to MLB? Not too many CFs with his size show pop in the big leagues.
Ben Badler: I think he’s going to be a terrific big leaguer. He’s not tall, but he he does have power that comes from his bat speed and the strength in his wrists and forearms. More than anything, I just love his hitting ability; the swing, the innate feel for the barrel, the ability to track and recognize offspeed stuff and the approach to stay within the strike zone. I think he can be an exceptional hitter who could move quickly if the Red Sox want to push him.

Rick (TN): The Timber Rattlers have a stacked team it seems. Who do you like more as a prospect, Isan Diaz or Monte Harrison? Do you see a little Rougned in Diaz?
Ben Badler: Diaz, who has more natural feel for hitting. Not many I’d put in the Odor category though; Diaz is 20 next month, and when Odor was 20, he was already in Texas. He’s special. But I do like Diaz’s chances to become an offensive-oriented second baseman who can hit and get on base with some surprising pop.

Ken (WV): Anderson Espinoza had a pretty good first start! Do you expect him to stay in Greenville all season?
Ben Badler: He should be there most of the year, maybe with a promotion the last month of the season if he’s overwhelming hitters. He’s still the same age as the high school seniors in this year’s draft, so he’s already well ahead of the curve, but it’s harder to make timetable estimates on players who break the conventional developmental template like Espinoza or Julio Urias.

Jeff (MD): What is Kobly Allard's Ceiling?
Ben Badler: He can be a frontline starter. There’s risk because of how far away he is and the back problems, but that fastball/curveball combination is lethal and his feel for pitching is fairly polished for his age.

Jackson (NJ): Any news on the Gourriel brothers possibly signing this summer ?
Ben Badler: Lourdes Gurriel won’t sign until October, because that’s when he turns 23 and will become exempt from the international bonus pools. I do think there’s more of a chance that MLB could expedite Yulieski’s timetable and make him a free agent a little earlier than initially expected and give him a chance to get his career started in the second half this season, but the decision making coming from the commissioner’s office regarding Cuban players and international matters in general has always been bizarre, to put it one way.

Martha (Greenwich): Who has impressed you since the last prospect rankings to the point where you think they are now a shoe in for the mid season top 50?
Ben Badler: Wouldn’t say it’s so much that anything has significantly changed since our Top 100 came out in February, but Brett Phillips, Kyle Tucker and Ozzie Albies are three players who weren’t in our top 50 prospects who I expect to be there soon.

Jim (Jackson, MS): What kind of season do you expect for Yoan Moncada?
Ben Badler: He could have a Minor League POY type season. He’s got mutant tools and athleticism with pretty refined baseball skills and instincts to go with it, especially at the plate and stealing bases, which he showed more in the second half once he shook off the rust and got acclimated to playing in games again.

j (Philly): How long before we worry about our favorite prospects striking out a third of the time?
Ben Badler: I don’t have a specific number of plate appearances because each player and their context is different. The Dodgers have Omar Estevez, who has spent nearly his whole life in Cuba and is now the youngest player in the Midwest League, where he’s getting used to playing in competitive games after a layoff and in temperatures he’s never faced before. You have to evaluate him and his performance differently than you would a 22-year-old draft pick out of Vanderbilt in A-ball, or a two-sport athlete out of high school who’s just starting to focus on baseball. I really liked Vince’s story the other day on Sandy Alcantara talking about how he could barely feel his hands when he was pitching, because that context is always important to keep in mind. (Or if you just want a shorter answer, at least give ’em a month or so.)

Ben Badler: Thanks for all the questions, good to have prospects back playing games to talk about again and the first regular season Prospect Hot Sheet of the year coming out on Friday. Enjoy the rest of the day.