Baseball America Prospects Chat

Ben Badler: Welcome! Let’s get started.

Todd (San Diego): I was having a conversation with a friend and he told me I was wrong for wanting the Padres to lose as many games as possible to get the number 1 pick. What's your take on lost seasons?
Ben Badler: Every team that’s near the bottom of the standings should be tanking the rest of the season. The rules incentivize losing to get better draft picks, more overall draft bonus pool money and more international bonus pool money. Losing more games gives you access to better talent, and you pay that talent a fraction of its open market value. If the goal is to increase the probability of a team winning a championship, tanking is the right strategy.

Zoey (Columbia, SC): Now that he's throwing strikes, could Touki Toussaint move quickly through A and AA ball?
Ben Badler: Wouldn’t expect him to be a fast mover, but the fact that his location has been much improved the last two months of the season gives a lot greater confidence that he can reach his upside as a front-end starter. The pure stuff certainly hasn’t been in question.

Bednarz42 (Bloomfield Nj): Why would the cardinals opt to have Weaver start over Reyes? They can't rate weaver higher can they?
Ben Badler: It’s not about who’s the better prospect, it’s about who’s in better position to help them in a starting role right now. Reyes is the better pitching prospect long-term, but even Triple-A hitters have been tagging him pretty hard in large part because of his control problems. I think eventually he will figure that out, but right now, Weaver’s the more polished pitcher with better fastball command, and it’s not like stuff is bad either.

Eric (Boston, MA): Do you believe Benintendi is up to stay? I'd take him over Chris Young anyday.
Ben Badler: Yes. Even if he slumps the next few weeks—which I don’t expect—they would just keep him up for September anyway.

Jerry (NY): Who would you prefer: Zimmer or Frazier?
Ben Badler: Clint Frazier. Better probability to hit.

Jason (San Diego): Hello Ben, Any update on Yanio Perez or Vlad Gutierrez? Wouldn't it make more sense signing the two of them than going after Lourdes in Oct.?
Ben Badler: Lourdes Gurriel and Vladimir Gutierrez are well above Yanio Perez for me.

Will (Savannah, TN): If teams would've known TJ Friedl was eligible for the draft, where do you think he would've been drafted? Also, what's a good ETA for him in the majors?
Ben Badler: Our draft folks at BA ranked him on our Nevada state list for the 2016 draft, so it wasn’t an unknown that he was eligible for the 2016 draft, but his stock increased significantly this summer. JJ Cooper just wrote about what happened the other day.

Ben (Miamisburg, OH): Any word on Alfredo Rodriguez's VISA issues? I have to imagine the Reds want to get him playing stateside.
Ben Badler: If Rodriguez stays in the Dominican Republic all season, he saves a ton of dough in taxes. It’s more advantageous for him to stay there, get acclimated at the academy, then come over to the States.

Dusty (Fargo, ND): What's do you think about Alex Bregman's early struggles? I know it's a SSS, but is there anything he's shown against MLB pitching that is a concern?
Ben Badler: Not particularly. Swing is short, simple and stays through the hitting zone, his plate discipline is outstanding, he uses the whole field and the power is in there and more than expected coming into the year. Everything points to him becoming a great player.

Bert (Georgia): What's wrong with Byron Buxton.
Ben Badler: He’s expanding the strike zone a lot more than he did in the minors, chasing bad pitches off the plate and leading to weak contact when he does put the bat to the ball. He hasn’t played well in his major league stint, but some people are going way, waayyyyy overboard crushing a 22-year-old who was pushed quickly to the majors, has hit well at every level of the minors and still has electric tools with elite speed and defense at a premium position. A couple of years ago, I was getting grief for being so high on Jackie Bradley when he was having an awful season, and he was already 24 then. Now he’s one of the best outfielders in baseball. There’s always the chance things might never click for Buxton, but there’s still an immense upside and a lot of reasons to believe he will be able to put it all together to become a valuable player.

Claudio (Sardinia (Italy)): What do you think of Dustin Peterson? He is showing steady progress both at the plate and in the outfield, even if over the fence power is still lagging behind other results. Can he be a starting corner outfield guy in the majors?
Ben Badler: Improvement from a year ago is good to see, but still looks fringy. Don’t see enough offense to be an everyday guy in left field.

Ben (The Bronx Empire): As it stands now, what is the opinion amongst you and your baseball writer brethren regarding an international draft being implemented In the upcoming CBA? If the owners and MLBPA do not add an international draft, have you heard whether NYY will implement a spending tactic similar to the one from 2014?
Ben Badler: No idea what other writers think, I just talk to people who work in the game. I don’t think anyone knows for sure what’s going to happen—though lately more of the sentiment has been that we won’t see a draft next year, at least—but I have to think the new system will have much stronger international spending limits in place because the owners want to keep more of their money. Otherwise, yes, teams like the Yankees and Red Sox are going to spend big again next year.

Jay (Canada): What do you make of Ryan McMahon's turnaround?
Ben Badler: Been a big Ryan McMahon fan for a while—offensively and defensively—though I think it’s more just a hot month for him than any major progress. I still like him quite a bit, but he needs to cut down on the swing-and-miss to take that next step.

Jim (Frisco): Devers finally turning it on (.320 .365 .555 in his past 30); still 19 in A+. He went from #18 pre-season to #41 midseason. Do you expect he's back in the teens next spring?
Ben Badler: I do, or at least somewhere in the top 25. I’m probably one of the higher guys on Devers and have been for a while, but the poor surface-level numbers early in the season didn’t do much to concern me. All the attributes of a good hitter—the bat speed, swing path, high contact frequency, using the whole field and the power—were all still in tact. Mostly I just think he ran into some bad luck early on, and with the improvement in his defense, he’s a better prospect now than he was coming into the year.

Mike (New jersey): What are some sleepers in low a ball that nobody Is talking About ?
Ben Badler: He’s in High-A now, but I’m a fan of Nationals 2B Max Schrock. Smaller build second baseman with quick bat speed, a knack for making contact and a good hitting approach, even if the tools don’t jump out at you. Fits the mold of a typically under-appreciated player.

Steve (New York): Anthony Alford has looked amazing over his last 20-30 games after a disastrous unfortunate start to the season. Is there anything to take away from his season in terms of development? His overall numbers obviously don't tell the story. Thanks.
Ben Badler: Maybe confirmation bias from me, but I’m more inclined to think what Alford has done in the second half is more indicative of his true talent level than his disaster of a start to the season. I’d like to see what he can do with a full healthy season, but all the tools and athleticism are still there, and I think it just took him a little (or maybe a lot) longer to get his rhythm and timing back at the plate.

Jake Lackey (Arizona): Thoughts on Kyle tucker and his development? What's the ceiling for this guy and can he reach it?
Ben Badler: Very high on Tucker. Once he gets stronger and the power starts to show up more in games, he’s going to take off. I love the swing path, barrel control and overall hitting aptitude.

Sam (Myrtle Beach): We got to see Happ kill it with my local Pelicans here in MB. Seems to be producing at AA now. When does he debut in Chicago? Does he make the MLB team out of spring training?
Ben Badler: I like Happ’s offensive upside, but he’s probably either starting back in Double-A next year or going to Triple-A. Could see him up in MLB at some point in 2017, but I would be very surprised if he was there on Opening Day.

Adam (Wisconsin): As a brewer fan and prospect watcher I was thrilled to see the Crew get Nottingham last year. His numbers this year have been pretty disappointing. Any idea what's changed for him and do you think he can rebuild his stock?
Ben Badler: He’s hit a wall this year and shown a lot of the concerns scouts had coming into the season now that he’s out of the lower minors and out of the Cal League. It’s an uphill swing with a pull-heavy approach, so there are a lot of holes that have become magnified against Double-A pitching, plus he’s not doing himself any favors when he chases out of the strike zone either. He’s a better hitter than what he’s shown this year, but his stock is definitely down.

Mac (Seattle): IF you was a bettin' man, how would you bet the futures on DJ Peterson and Alex Jackson in the Mariners' system?
Ben Badler: Not optimistic about either. I don’t see Peterson having enough impact in his bat to be an everyday first baseman. Jackson has more time to come around, but he’s just not as good of a hitter as I thought after his first year out of the draft.

Brian Cashman (NY): Do you second guess any of the players I got in return? Any guys I might've over looked?
Ben Badler: I don’t think any team did a better job in trades this season than the Yankees.

Luis (Miami): Is Luis Castillo, the pitcher caught up in the Padres/Marlins fiasco, a good prospect?
Ben Badler: Not Top 100 prospect level, but he’s a good prospect, and one of the better ones in a barren Marlins system. Triple-digits arm strength and he puts it over the plate. Would like to see more out of the rest of the arsenal though.

James (Yonkers): Can you share your thoughts on Isan Diaz in the Brewers system? He's had a very nice year in the Midwest League. What is his future ceiling if he keeps progressing positively?
Ben Badler: I think he has a chance to jump into the Top 100. Good hitting instincts, a fairly patient approach, uses the middle of the field and makes a lot of hard contact with the power to go deep to any part of the park. Sometimes he can try to sell out for power too much at the expense of barrel accuracy, but I think he’ll develop a nice balance of pure hitting ability and power over the next few years.

Tony (Bama): How much coverage comes out of fall instructs? Will we see any footage of J2 guys like Maitan?
Ben Badler: Some, but for me I don’t get much value out of instructs, other than if it’s getting a first preliminary look on someone I’ve never seen before. Even then, it’s a very brief window looking at players in non-competitive environments. For the July 2 kids coming over, they almost universally get overmatched at instructs going up against more advanced pitchers and getting acclimated to the US for the first time for the majority of them who do come over.

Mark (LA): Is Yadier Alvarez a future bullpen guy in your opinion or does he have a chance as a front-line guy?
Ben Badler: It’s a starter delivery, it should be a starter’s repertoire and his ability to throw strikes has improved immensely over the past year or two. Durability is a big part of being a starter and we still need to see how much of a workload he can carry since he’s only at 38 pro innings due to the way the Dodgers have managed him, but if he can handle that, I don’t see any reason right now why he shouldn’t be a starter.

Araubince (Colorado Springs): What's your take on the Tim Tebow situation?
Ben Badler: I think it’s great that Tim Tebow wants to play baseball. I do not understand the amount of vitriol people are throwing his way for wanting to do a workout for MLB teams. We have a prominent, high-level athlete from another sport who wants to pursue a dream and try baseball. We should want more of that. There are plenty of players—some older than Tebow—who work out for MLB teams. If he does sign, it’s not like anyone is signing him to be on their major league roster. It’s an extreme long shot that Tebow would ever even reach the major leagues, but I can not understand the people who want to mock and berate someone for pursuing a passion.

Doug (Atlanta): David Dahl is on fire right now. Is this an accurate reflection of what he can do, or is he playing over his head? What's his value next year?
Ben Badler: He’s not 1.000 OPS good, but he is a potential star talent. The biggest problem he had in the minors was just staying healthy, which made him tricky to evaluate. He was one of my favorite players to watch in the minors because his pure talent was obvious. The swing is smooth, there’s 60s all over the scouting card and he’s a good athlete who does things easily. As long as he stays healthy, he can be an impact guy.

Ben Badler: I have to get back to some scout calls now, but thank you for all the questions. Same time next week!