Hot Sheet Chat (5/24/22)

Josh Norris answered questions regarding today’s Hot Sheet from 1-2 p.m. ET. You can read the transcript below.

Josh Norris: It is chat time. Let us celebrate by chatting.

Sylvain (Granby, QC):

 Is Luis Matos injured (not listed IL on his player page) or simply benched?

Josh Norris: He is indeed. He is recovering from a strained quad (unsure why he wasn’t ever placed on the IL) and playing in rehab games in ExST. Should be back within a week.

Ben H. (Columbus, Ohio):

 How high is the ceiling for Evan Carter? Does he have top 25 prospect potential or even more?

Josh Norris: Very high. Scouts love Evan Carter, who is going to take a healthy jump up the Rangers’ updated 30, which drops later this week. He would have been higher on the version in the PHB if he’d played more than 16 games. In short, he’s got an outstanding combination of tools and polished not often seen in a player that young who flew so far under the radar as an amateur.

Brad (NJ):

 Josh, Was Ken Waldichuk on oversight this week? Or is the just one start an issue. He was just promoted to AAA 5.1 IP 9 K 3H 1ER on a HR, and 2 BB. Overall season line 4-0 1.32 ERA, 34IP 55K 0.91 WHIP and he is a 6’4″ lefty. Sounds like Pettitte 2.0 a fair comp? low 4ERA, on the best team in baseball so 16-18 wins is a fair range, with good enough K potential for fantasy teams.

Josh Norris: It wasn’t so much an oversight as it was just a function of the list only going 20 spots deep and there being well more than 20 good weeks every Hot Sheet Period. I don’t do comparisons, but I will say that the adjustments he’s made this season have upped his profile to someone who looks like he can definitely fit in the back-ish part of a rotation.

Patrick Pane (El Cajon):

 if the season ended today, who would you rank as top 5 pitching prospects in minor leagues? who are a few players knocking on the door to join this list?

Josh Norris: I don’t even want to think about WHY the season might be ending today, but …. Grayson Rodriguez Daniel Espino Kyle Harrison Eury Perez Taj Bradley/DL Hall Those are the guys I’m riding with. My colleagues’ opinions may vary.

Jeremy (Philly):

 Zac Veen or Robert Hassell and why?

Josh Norris: Hassell for me. One of the purest hitters in the minors. Could be a potential 70 bat. People loooove him.

Matthew (Boston):

 What kind of ceiling are you putting on Antoine Kelley? Am I wrong in thinking he “resembles” David Price?

Josh Norris: Man, I saw Kelly last year and thought “Holy crap this dude is good” … Uneventful first inning and then his left arm became a filth cannon for the remainder of his outing. He needs to sharpen his control and command, but at the very least he has a ceiling as an impact reliever, if not a closer.

Bill B (Glen Allen, va):

 A few years ago, Adell, Pearson, And Kiriloff looked like can’t miss players… on teams that had open spots for them to fill and big needs. All three have had issues… do you think the luster has worn off on all three or is more patience needed by each of their teams? Thanks

Josh Norris: That’s the prospect game, man. These dudes will break your heart. Can’t misses will miss. Dudes will get hurt. The big leagues continues to be really difficult. Long story: I wouldn’t write them off all the way, but they certainly have lost some of their shine. It’s unfortunate, but that’s how this game goes a lot of the time.

Corbin Carroll (The next #1 overall prospect?):

 I didn’t hit for enough power this past week to make it into the hot sheet consideration but still had 4 multi hit games which have become the norm. With 12 HR and 13 SB for the year while slashing .328/.462./.694, am I poised to be the next Baseball America #1 overall prospect when rankings are updated midseason?

Josh Norris: That depends on who graduates from Prospect Land by then, but I think you have a great chance of being at least in the Top 3. If Adley has graduated, you’d have my vote for No. 2 overall. If Riley Greene has graduated by season’s end, you’d have my vote for No. 1 overall for the inaugural 2023 list.

Elliot (Youngstown OH):

 Bo Naylor must have been in consideration for the list but more importantly he seems to have his offense back in gear in his return to AA. I especially like his much improved BB/K totals. Do you think he’ll be up to AAA this summer? Might he edge back into the top 100?

Josh Norris: Yes, I am definitely heartened by Naylor’s improved strike-zone discipline and was willing to give him more of a pass than most because he was soooo young at the level last year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get to Columbus at some point, though I’d bet the Guardians would like him to get a big of a taste of success as possible before moving him.

Zak (Boston):

 Any love for Wilmer Flores, who looked great in his AA debut? Has his projection changed, considering how dominant he has been this year?

Josh Norris: I am very intrigued by Mr. Flores, and the reviews from inside and outside the org have been excellent. He’s gone from interesting prospect to one of their best prospects overall.

Derek (California):

 Why is Grant Mccray starting to blow up? I see a 21 year old in Low A that has 44 strikeouts in 120 AB’s. Is this mini Jo Adell type profile? And do you see him entering your top 100 lists sometime soon? Thanks!

Josh Norris: McCray is blowing up because he’s starting to actualize the loud tools he had entering pro ball. Scouts who’ve seen him in the Cal League gush over tremendous upside he possesses, and say his overall ceiling could be right there with Luciano. Yes, there are absolutely the questions about the swing and miss right now and some scouts have questions about what he’ll do against better breaking balls, but right now he looks like at least a four-tool player if not a five-tool player.

Buzz (Lightyear):

 Ever see a teenager make a seem less transition into full season ball like Jackson Brayan Chourio? Does he remind you of any teenagers you may have seen before?

Josh Norris: I sure have. Just last year, Eury Perez and Jordan Walker took the league formerly known as the Low-A Southeast by storm and have continued their blitzkrieg on the upper levels this year. I certainly have not personally witnessed anything like I saw from Chourio in that first series (I audibly gasped when he took his first swing), and the reviews from scouts have been loud even though he has cooled down a bit in the two series since then. He has a chance to be a special player.

Robert (Durham):

 Crow-Armstrong and Harris, both guys who made the list this week, who do you think ultimately has the higher upside? And, have they both done enough to move up the top 100 in the next update?

Josh Norris: Wow. That’s a fun one. I might take Harris by a nose right now because of the simple fact that he’s doing it at the higher level right now and outside evaluators are very, very excited by what they’ve seen. Also, don’t sleep on Evan Carter being part of this mix too.

Biff (Las Vegas):

 Is Jasson Dominguez gonna be a ML regular? More?

Josh Norris: I’ll close today’s chat with this: In the initial version of the Yankees re-rank, I had Dominguez a couple ticks lower than where he is now. By happenstance, I ran into a scout who had seen a lot of the Yankees this year and said that I might not be so quick to ding him that hard. The tools are still there, but the swing decisions were poor. In other words, he wasn’t having problems recognizing pitches as he was swinging at pitchers’ pitches more than he should. Now that the swing decisions have improved, so have Dominguez’s results. Is he going to be a generational superstar as he was hyped? Doesn’t seem likely, but there’s still room there for a good major league career.

Josh Norris: Thank you for the questions. Until next time.