Josh Norris MLB Prospects Chat (8/31/21)

Image credit: Quinn Priester (Photo by Mike Janes/Four Seam)

Josh Norris: Let’s chat.

Dylan (Toronto):

 Has the “quality of baseball” increased (especially in the lower levels) as the season has gone on?

Josh Norris: Yes, and I don’t think it was particularly bad to begin with outside of a couple of notable teams. That said, when I go to games, I am neither looking for nor expecting quality baseball when I go to games. I am there to watch prospects, pure and simple. If the game is good, fine. If the game is plodding and poorly played, fine. It’s all the same to me. Were it not for Covid, I would have hit up the FCL/ACL and maybe the DSL this year, and the quality of those leagues’ baseball is never aesthetically pleasing, but I’ll take a group of high-upside players and wild cards engaging in an extended goat rodeo over a crisply played game between teams of 4A guys any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Gunnar Henderson (Bowie):

 Are my swing and miss issues in High A any cause for concern are are they more a product of me being young for the league? Also, is it any clearer on whether I can be a SS long-term or not?

Josh Norris: The general reviews are that you are going to be a very good hitter. Scouts who have seen him at High-A are still high on him despite the numbers not being great, but the consensus is that he will be a third baseman in the big leagues instead of a shortstop.

Emily (cleveland):

 Every year, seemingly one or two high rising huge upside guys come out of the dsl, or rookie league or even low A. Guys like Luciano, Marte, FAlvarez that look like potential stars, not just MLB regulars. Do any of these pop up prospects show that type of upside…Artaega, Elly De La Cruz, Gabriel Gonzalez, Hedbert Perez, Preciado, Salas, Alex Ramirez (Mets version)? Or is it just too early to get a read? Thx.

Josh Norris: I wouldn’t call any of those guys pop-up prospects outside of Elly De La Cruz. All of those guys came in with pretty decent hype, and all have high upsides. Gut instinct would be a guy like Hedbert having the highest upside of the bunch, but none of them is a slouch.

Help Wanted (Washington DC):

 Are you concerned about the lack of pitching development system-wide, coinciding with Chris Holt taking on an expanded Director of Pitching role overseeing all pitching in the majors and minors, or can it be explained away even in part by the lost year of 2020?

Josh Norris: I assume this is about the Orioles, but no I am not. I’m sad DL Hall went down with his injury, but GrayRod is obviously a good starting point, and Kyle Bradish has opened eyes in Norfolk/Bowie. Felix Bautista has been a hot name as well. As far as the lost year part: It’s been insanely difficult to know what’s real, what’s not and what kind of performances to trust after the lost year. If anything, it’s pointed to which organizations got the most out of their remote work.

Dan (Lansing):

 Tyler Soderstrom is my favorite prospect with graduation of Wander. Could you tell me how serious is the collarbone injury long term and fo you think this incentivizes the A’s to move him off C? Also what type of power do you see from him? Are we talking 20ish HR potential or is there real 30 HR upside? Thanks in advance!

Josh Norris: I don’t have an answer for you in re: the collarbone, but I can say that we believe his power is very real and that Soderstrom should be an excellent offensive force no matter where he winds up on the diamond. I do think the A’s will give him every chance to remain at catcher going forth.

Brian (KC):

 What kind of upside are we talking about with Vinnie Pasquantino?

Josh Norris: Pasquantino is really interesting, and his performance this season has been overshadowed by guys like Bobby Witt Jr, Nick Pratto and MJ Melendez tearing the hell off the ball. Even so, VP has put his name on the map. As JJ Cooper points out, Pasquantino could finish the year with more extra-base hits (he currently leads the minors in that category) which is a special kind of crazy. Point is: Keep an eye on him.

Jason Leftkowitz (Newburgh, NY):

 What was the thought process behind leaving Donny Sands off the Yankees top 30? Do you think they will protect him on the 40-man roster at the end of the year?

Josh Norris: Donny Sands is currently No. 24 on the Yankees 30.

Elliot (Youngstown OH):

 Obviously you can’t have too many shortstops but how do see the Guardians handling Rosario, Giminez, Arias, Freeman and Rocchio who all should be in the majors by 2023?

Josh Norris: The same way many teams handle gluts of prospects at the same position: Let them all continue to develop and try to figure out which ones are worth keeping and which ones might be more useful trading or moving to other positions.

John Giardino (Staten Island):

 Will Elijah Dunham be in the top 100? Looks like he could be a 20/20 player.

Josh Norris: He is not currently in NYY’s Top 30, so he will not be in the Top 100.

Carlos Manuel (Johnstown, PA):

 What is Hoy Park’s ceiling? Did not seem like he got a lot of prospect love before being traded.

Josh Norris: I don’t believe his ceiling is particularly high at all. Maybe an up-down type of player. The reaction on social media to his inclusion in the Clay Holmes deal was puzzling. Was he having a nice year? Yes. But he was also outrighted off the 40-man before the trade, and no team claimed him. Teams make mistakes, but that should have been a pretty clear sign toward how the league viewed him.

Josh Norris: That’s it for this week. Thanks, all.