Baseball America Prospects Chat

Ben Badler: So, how many more home runs will Gary Sanchez hit before this chat ends?

Mike (Atlanta): I'm a Braves fan, but what am I missing on the Swanson call up? His numbers in Double A are good but not great. This team won't be competitive next year, and it starts his clock. What's the point of this? Wouldn't it be better to let him finish the year in Double A, open next year in Triple A and bring him up after you gain an extra year of control?
Ben Badler: As much as I like the Braves’ effort to troll the Diamondbacks when they play them next week, it’s an obvious mistake to bring up Swanson now. Starting his service clock in a lost season—especially when he hasn’t even been dominating Double-A—is a short-sighted decision.

Benjamin (Chicago): Alec Hansen has started his pro career out better than anyone could have imagined. What does the future hold for him? Is he anything more than an 4 or 5 starter when he finally lands in Chicago?
Ben Badler: There’s a wide range of outcomes for Hansen, but that’s one of the most encouraging pitcher debuts for a 2016 draft pick. Matt Eddy drew a parallel the other day between Hansen and Garrett Richards, another pitcher who had terrific stuff with poor results in college, and I think it’s a smart one. It’s frontline starter stuff, and if he can continue to throw strikes the way he is now, wow, the White Sox could end up with a steal.

Brian (Boston): Kopech top 25 next year?
Ben Badler: No. Too wild for that class, still questions on whether he’s a starter or reliever.

Nicholas (Arizona): Has the start to Senzel's pro career made you think his ceiling is higher than it seemed on draft day?
Ben Badler: The upside hasn’t changed—that was already high—but it’s helped reinforced the certainty of the evaluation and the likelihood that he should move through the system quickly. The three top college bats (Swanson, Bregman and Benintendi) are in the big leagues now; it wouldn’t surprise me if Senzel ended up on a similar timetable, or at least pushed the issue by the end of next season.

Jesse (Lansing): Does Yadier Alvarez have the highest ceiling of any Dodger minor-league pitcher?
Ben Badler: On pure upside, yes. Electric arm speed, stuff to miss bats at a high clip and he does it all with a lot of ease to the operation.

James (Atlanta): Were you aware of the existence of a man named Kade Scivicque before last night? What is he to Atlanta?
Ben Badler: Longshot type. Modest bat, might not stick behind the plate. Basically what you’d expect to get back for a shortstop who can’t hit with below-average defense.

Javier Guerra (Lake Elsinore): How would you handle a pressing minor league player that could use a mental break in-season?
Ben Badler: It would depend on the individual and his circumstances. If truly the best thing for a player is time off in the middle of the season (such as a medical issue), then I would just give him the time off. But in most cases, playing baseball is the best way to get better at baseball.

Mike C (Austin, TX): Any chance we see Brady Aiken in the upcoming Arizona Fall League?
Ben Badler: He’s given up more than a run per inning against rookie ball and short-season hitters. I don’t think that would be wise. Probably just instructs and then get ready for 2017.

Lou (San Pascual): Luis Sardinas was just picked up by the Padres and is now on his 4th team before his age 24 season. Is this a case where the player is just not very good or are there makeup issues as well?
Ben Badler: It’s not a makeup issue. It’s more about the organizations he’s been in before (the Rangers had a surplus of middle infield prospects when they traded him), his skill set (he looks like a utility man and has been a poor hitter during his MLB time and in Triple-A this year) and also how quickly teams have to burn through options when they sign a kid on July 2 at 16 years old and then have to put him on the 40-man roster four years later to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.

Mike (Miami): What is the ceiling on Adrian Morejon? How is he comparable to Anderson Espinoza?
Ben Badler: He’s still 17. I don’t think we know the ceiling yet, but he’s a different type of pitcher than Espinoza. They both have easy deliveries and good pitchability for their age, but, aside from the handedness difference, Espinoza is more of a power pitcher.

Adam (Pierre): Gilbert Lara is hitting .240 this year. Is there any concern for him, as he was a major hitting prospect?
Ben Badler: Yes. Fielding has been better than expected since he signed, but the offensive struggles are a major concern.

Steve (Horicon, WI): Not a prospect anymore but what does the future hold for Henry Owens?
Ben Badler: Having the body control to repeat his mechanics and get those long arms and legs all working in harmony has been a problem for him for a while, and it’s the key for him to be able to command his fastball and cut down on his walk rate. He’s still 24, so there’s at least hope he can put that together and become a back-end starter.

El Comandante (Havana, Cuba): Why hasn't Jose Miguel Fernandez signed? You had him as the 3rd best player in Cuba and yet no one wants to take a flyer on a guy with .400+ OBP, why? Is it his capitalist agent or his lack of speed and power?
Ben Badler: Part of it is the lack of loud tools (including the defense, which is below-average at best), but there aren’t a lot of teams in win-now mode in the market for a second baseman. I think teams would like to have him at the right price, but, speaking generally, a lot of people who are handling Cuban players right now are asking for prices well beyond what teams are willing to pay.

Dermis Garcia (Batting under 200): Am I a legit prospect just needing to adjust or is there too much of a hole in my swing?
Ben Badler: Both. Can’t ignore the obvious with the power potential. Can’t ignore the risk with the swing and pitch recognition issues either, which are a lot to overcome.

Adam (Waterloo, WI): More of an opinion but who has a better big league career at the plate: Judge or Renfroe? And why?
Ben Badler: Judge. Renfroe’s swing and overall hitting approach are still red flags when he makes the jump to MLB.

NYJM (New York, NY): Hi Ben. Any concern with Estevan Florial hitting only around .230 or are scouts still super high on him as he's so young?
Ben Badler: Tools are still there—and they’re loud—but the pure hitting ability needs work. Not to the level of Dermis Garcia kind of work (and Florial is also skipping a level), but there are holes he’s going to have to tighten up.

John (Oregon): Has Nick Williams' stock fallen this year? He's struggled mightily as of late and the strikeout/walk rates aren't great
Ben Badler: Yes. I still like Williams because of the hand speed, raw power and athleticism, but the regression of his plate discipline has been disappointing.

John (Philadelphia): What can you tell me about Sixto Sanchez?
Ben Badler: One of the better pitching prospects in the GCL. Smaller sized RHP the Phillies signed relatively cheap when he was touching 92, now his fastball’s blown up and he’s regularly getting into the mid-90s and filling up the strike zone.

Benjamin Chase (South Dakota): Dominican Summer League video and scouting is incredibly difficult to get ahold of. Who do you hear/know of that's making noise down there other than stat lines?
Ben Badler: It’s Jonathan Guzman’s 17th birthday today. He’s definitely a guy to watch. Super skinny kid the Phillies picked up for $60K last year but has quickly become one of their more exciting prospects. Projects to stick at shortstop, good hand-eye coordination with innate feel for the barrel, even if there isn’t much present strength to impact the ball at this point.

Pat (St. Louis): How concerned are you about Joey Gallo's hit tool and strikeout rate? Do you believe he's going to be able to hit in the majors next year and beyond? Thanks.
Ben Badler: It’s a concern, but I see a guy with 80 raw power who’s cut down on his strikeout rate and is drawing more walks than he did at the same level a year ago, and who’s still 22 years old. There are prospects his age a level or two behind him people are exciting about, but because Gallo has been up in the big leagues and hasn’t stuck there, some of the shininess has worn off. He does have adjustments to make, and I don’t know if he’s necessarily going to make them by next year, but I do think at some point it will click for him and he ends up developing into an offensive force.

Jerry (NY): When do you start getting ready for the next July 2 period? Anyone on your radar?
Ben Badler: Yeah, that’s already begun. At least a dozen or so guys for next year already have deals, trainers have been pushing their 2017 guys since the beginning of the year, a couple of big 15U tournaments in Panama and Japan are done and there’s some big showcases coming up next month in the DR.

Sam (Philly): Next Big prospect nobody is talking about?
Ben Badler: As soon as I answer the question, wouldn’t it immediately become the wrong answer?

John (California): Any word of an adjustment by Travis Demeritte? He started off slowly in Carolina, but he has 12BB to 7Ks in the last week.
Ben Badler: Big power, but still a lot of concerns from scouts on the chase tendencies and even missing hittable fastballs in the strike zone.

Dave (DC): What's a reasonable expectation for Dansby for the rest of the year? .250/.320/.420 with sound baserunning and defense at short?
Ben Badler: I’d take the under on the offensive line, with the caveat we’re trying to predict small sample size outcomes, although I would expect at least a few highlight defensive gems in there. He’s made some fantastic plays in the minors this year.

Jeff (MD): If you had to start a franchise today and had to choose between Kris Bryant and Mookie Betts, who would you choose and why?
Ben Badler: Setting aside when they become free agents, I’d build around Mookie. They’re both superstars and should continue to play at this level for a while, but you get more positional flexibility with Betts and can put him in the middle of the diamond.

connor (honolulu): do you think braves will promote albies soon to play second and give the future double play combo a chance to test themselves for rest of reason?
Ben Badler: They shouldn’t. They would be wasting his service time this year, and Albies already scuffled when he got to Triple-A. But will they. . . .

JEFF (OHIO): Who you like better erick mejia or willie castro
Ben Badler: Not big on either of them.

Alan (MS): Ben, can you give me an under-the-radar Braves prospect that I should be excited about?
Ben Badler: Jacob Webb, their 18th-round pick in 2014, has struck out 30 of the 49 batters he’s faced this year (nice little 23 K/9) and just got promoted to Low-A Rome.

Warren (New London): Anderson Tejeda has gone from the DSL to the AZL to the Northwest League this season, and has 3 homers in 8 games since his last promotion. Is he the next outstanding Rangers middle infield prospect?
Ben Badler: He’s a good prospect. Not at the Profar/Odor level when those guys came through that league, but he does have natural feel for hitting and he’s definitely elevated his stock this season.

Ben Badler: Thanks for the questions. My chat will next week most likely be on Friday, but we should have someone else from BA pinch-hitting for me in our regular Wednesday chat slot as well. Enjoy the rest of the week.