Kyle Glaser MLB Prospects Chat (5/25/21)

Image credit: Jo Adell (Photo by Stephen Smith/Four Seam)

Kyle Glaser: Hey everybody, sorry I’m a few minutes late. Was working on the preview for the Americas Qualifier that starts next week. Hope you’re all having a good week so far. Let’s get started.

Nicta (Glendale, AZ):

 Kyle, what are your thoughts about either Jesus Sanchez or Vidal Contreras being called up before All-Star break? I can handle the truth. Thank you!

Kyle Glaser: I assume you mean Vidal Brujan. Sanchez certainly has a good chance with the Marlins needing offense and Corey Dickerson and Garrett Cooper hitting ok but not great in the corner outfield spots. Brujan probably needs an injury to happen in front of him to get called up. Brandon Lowe and Kevin Kiermaier aren’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball right now (Brujan has six starts in CF and five at 2B this year), but it’s going to take a trade or injury for Brujan to get the call.

Blake (Colorado):

 Any sense on what direction the Rockies are leaning? Any specific names? If you were their GM who would you go with?

Kyle Glaser: Not at this point. I personally think the Rockies would do well to hire someone from outside the organization with previous GM experience. Michael Hill and Josh Byrnes are two executives who fit that bill. I think Billy Owens and Moises Rodriguez would be great hires as well, even though they haven’t been GMs yet.

Doug (Chicago):

 Ezequiel Tovar is running a 132 wRC+ as a 19 year old in Low-A (.304/.351/.507, 12 K%), so it seems like he might be raising his offensive ceiling. Any word on him? Sounds like he could be a breakout guy if his offense comes around given his defensive chops at SS.

Kyle Glaser: Not a whole lot of buzz yet because it’s still so early in the season, but I’m going to see him tonight with Fresno. He’s on our radar as a Rockies Top 30 prospect each of the last two years, so I’m intrigued to see him for myself.

Old Timer (Raleigh):

 Taylor Trammell. What do you make of his Jekyll and Hyde routine between MLB and AAA? Is he doing anything fundamentally different at AAA or is this a classic case of “MLB is really hard.” Thanks.

Kyle Glaser: MLB is really hard. There is a long list of guys who struggle in their debuts, go back down to work on some things, and come back up better for it. Trammell has things to work on, but I wouldn’t give up on him solely because of how poorly his first taste of the majors went.

Ray (Shippensburg. PA):

 Grayson Rodriquez and DL Hall are the top Orioles pitching prospects, but how close are Michael Baumann(now back from injury) and Kyle Bradish(just promoted to Norfolk) to the two at the top? My guess is all, but Rodriguez could pitch in Baltimore before the summer is over. Your thoughts?

Kyle Glaser: Rodriguez and Hall are still seen as pretty firmly in another tier. Both are two of the top 50 prospects in the game and have front of the rotation potential (Rodriguez more as a 1-2, Hall as a 2-3). Baumann and Bradish are both good pitchers doing some good things—Bradish’s improvement from 2019 to 2021 can’t be understated and is a testament to the O’s pitching development—but both are seen as mid-to-back of the rotation starters. Good prospects, but Rodriguez and Hall are seen as ahead by a good margin. As for Rodriguez’s timeline to the majors, the Orioles aren’t going to jump him from High-A three levels to the majors – that would be true in any season, but it’s especially true this season with teams cautious of pitcher workloads and the O’s not playing for anything but the future. Expect a HiA/AA swing for Rodriguez this year, with a chance he touches Triple-A, and look for a debut sometime during the 2022 season.

Ken (Lakewood CA):

 Hi Kyle and thanks for chatting. Edward Olivares made the Hot Sheet and has been hot from the beginning of this minor league season. Yet the opening line of his write up says he might end up as a 4-A player? I thought he was being considered for a starting OF job with the Royals in Spring Training, but was sent to AAA. He’s hitting .406 with 10 BB & 10 K. I was thinking maybe KC calls him up. Does he have a possible future as a MLB starting OF? If not, what’s your thinking as to why? Thanks.

Kyle Glaser: Olivares has been seen as an up-and-down outfielder for awhile. The consistency of his approach and overall hitting ability are why. He might be able to exceed that and stick as a fourth OF on a bench as opposed to being on the Triple-A to majors shuttle, but that’s seen as his ceiling.

Old Timer (Raleigh):

 Gunnar Henderson. Given his Low A performance so far (yes, small sample), is it possible BA was a bit light on his Baltimore top 30 writeup? Thoughts? thanks

Kyle Glaser: We ranked Henderson a Top 10 prospect in a top 10 farm system, put him in the Top 100 before the season and said he could be an everyday player who hits .270-plus with 25-plus homers while putting an above-average everyday grade on him. Not really sure how that’s being light. If anything, we were aggressive and bullish, and he’s showing why so far this season.

Art (Iowa):

 Do the Cardinals have any minor league players who could help the 2021 parent team in any significant way?

Kyle Glaser: Of course. We’ve seen a lot of guys get called up from Memphis already and help out. Among guys who haven’t made their debuts yet, Tommy Parsons is a guy who could come up and make some spot starts. Zack Thompson and Angel Rondon have struggled so far in Memphis’ rotation, but they both have the stuff to help the Cardinals out of the bullpen if needed later in the year. I wouldn’t expect any of them to come up and start contending for Rookie of the Year or anything, but they certainly have the talent to help out and help the Cardinals hold on in the Central. It’s a long season and every little bit helps, even if it isn’t flashy.

Ken (Lakewood CA):

 Nolan Jones is a top prospect for Cleveland and is #37 on the BA Top 100. He’s blocked at 3B by Jose Ramirez and he’s off to a slow start in AAA. Am I wrong to think his star has dimmed a bit? Are you guys at BA hearing anything about his progress as a hitter? Thanks.

Kyle Glaser: Jones got off to a slow start like a lot of minor leaguers but has started to heat up. He just went 7-for-19 (.368) with a double and a homer in Columbus’ last series against Toledo. I wouldn’t worry about him. As for his long-term spot in Cleveland, many have doubted he’d be a 3B for a long time. With the Indians desperately in need of OF help, he’s going to slide into left field most likely long-term. He’s not really blocked by Jose Ramirez because 3B isn’t where he’s likely to end up.

Justin (Tucson, AZ):

 Prior scouting reports I’ve read stated Brett Baty is more power over hit. This year is the opposite. Is this just the evolution of him being a more complete hitter? Could his hit tool get a 55 while keeping the 60 game power?

Kyle Glaser: Evaluators noted in instructs last year that Baty had shortened his swing and this spring it was noticeable how much he slimmed down to be less of a big, bulky power-hitter type, both of which are good things. A 55 hit is a bit of reach, but he’s certainly looking like he can be more than the .240ish hitter previously predicted. At the same time, that probably comes with a tradeoff of some power production, not necessarily keeping the same power. We’ll see how he grows over the course of the year though. With so many of these guys having changed in the last 20 months and still getting their feet under them, it’s wise to be open-minded and just let these guys play a little bit and see what happens.

Theo (Brooklyn):

 Was Oswald Peraza’s home run streak a red herring? Haven’t heard much recently, wondering if he’s still making hard contact or generally doing stuff that makes the power gains seem like they’ll stick.

Kyle Glaser: I mean, he wasn’t going to keep averaging a home run a day. He’s hitting the ball hard, driving it for extra base hits and showing all the same tools that made him one of the Yankees top prospects. I wouldn’t worry about him.

Jimmy (New York):

 Just how excited should Met fans get about Francisco Alvarez, Ronnie Mauricio, Brett Baty and Pete Crowe-Armstrong?

Kyle Glaser: Francisco Alvarez is very, very exciting. He’s a catcher and you have to always be cautious with catchers, but he shows everything you could possibly want at his age. The rest all have a chance to be good players in different ways, but Alvarez is the one to get excited about.

Mark (New Jersey):

 Big BA fan, big fantasy fan, and Mets fan. I’ll refrain from the “When’s Wander getting called up?!” question since he’s o my dynasty team. Instead, with all the Mets injuries this month, is there a prospect who could stick if he plays well? I don’t even recognize most of the new names in the lineup of late. Khalil Lee doesn’t seem like he’s ready to make the jump; any chance we see Baty? Sorry, that’s more than one question!

Kyle Glaser: The Mets run of injuries really has been stunning. Lee and Fargas (who just got hurt himself) are decent complementary players but neither projects to be an everyday player in the major leagues. The Mets don’t really have an upper-level prospect who projects to stick. That’s why you see them make moves like the Cameron Maybin trade, and they’re going to have to make more deals like that. It’s more just hoping the guys they have can play well enough to tide things over until Conforto, Nimmo, etc. get back. As for Baty, he is in High-A and has played 14 games above short-season. He’s a promising prospect but he’s not going to get close to the majors this season. He’ll probably finish the year in Double-A and has an outside shot to finish in Triple-A, but that’s best-case scenario.

Ben (Tulum):

 With Carlos Santana hovering around a .400 on base percentage and locked up for 2 years, what does the timeline look like for Nick Pratto? How good does he have to hit for the Royals to consider bringing him up. Possibly DHing Santana or moving Pratto to another position. Do you see that as a possibility later in the year?

Kyle Glaser: Pratto has looked really good going back to spring training, but it’s going to take a lot more than a few good weeks at Double-A before we start talking about a callup. He needs to continue doing what he’s doing for an extended stretch, make the jump to Triple-A and perform there, and then we can start talking about a callup. The nice thing about Santana being locked up for two years is the Royals don’t have to rush it.

Joe (Georgia):

 Picked up Poteet, Hauver, Marsh, Carter and Eder. Which of these do you see continuing to take a step forward?

Kyle Glaser: Alec Marsh is going to be very, very good (assuming you’re talking about him rather than Brandon). That’s the guy who could really pay off in a big way.

Corbin Carroll (Before I get injuried…):

 For scouts who saw me the first week, how impressed were they with the contact I was making? My hit tool and speed are both known commodities, it was my power that was starting to develop. Are scouts more confident after seeing me briefly this spring that I might even be a 70 hit/55 power guy at full maturity? is minor league Andrew Benintendi now the best comp?

Kyle Glaser: Scouts and front office officials were already very, very high on Carroll, and his early performance justified that optimism rather than altered it. 70 hit/50 power is still seen as the best-case scenario outcome (many of his home runs, even at instructs last year, have been inside the park homers that he’s able to get on account of his speed) but that’s still a damn good player. As our D-backs correspondent Nick Piecoro wrote in the Prospect Handbook, the comps on Carroll range from Benintendi to Adam Eaton to Johnny Damon. He’s smaller than Damon, but his skill level is so high he could get to a similar performance.

Ms Fan (Seattle):

 Thanks for chatting with us today. I’ve been really impressed with how Taylor Trammell has handled this demotion. He seemed to really take it in stride and used it as motivation to work on everything he needs to in order to get another shot. Does he get recalled the next time an OF spot opens up with the Mariners?

Kyle Glaser: Yes. Trammell is next in line for a promotion as soon as a spot opens up. As for the way he’s handled it, this is where plus-plus makeup comes in and is so important. There are lots of ups and downs in baseball and not everyone handles it well. That’s something that separates a lot of players and is a point in Trammell’s favor in terms of him potentially becoming a successful major leaguer.

Tyler Soderstrom (LoA):

 After my time at the As alternate site and instructs last summer/fall, everyone seemed convicted that my bat was elite. However, not everyone was sold that I can stay behind the plate. What are scouts impressions of my bat and glove so far this season? Should there be any concerns that I have yet to hit a HR or is that just more to do with trying to make good contact and the HRs will come?

Kyle Glaser: It’s been three weeks for a guy who has never played a pro game before and jumped straight to full-season ball. Scouts aren’t making decisive judgements on lower-level players right now because of the circumstances of the lost 2020 season. It’s more see where they are and keep it in your back pocket to see how they progress as the season goes on. I’m going to see Soderstrom this week at Rancho Cucamonga, and I’m intrigued to see where he is on both sides of the ball. I would not be concerned in the least that he hasn’t hit a home run yet.

Michael (SK):

 Thanks for all your hard work! So glad the prospect hot sheet is back in our lives. Gage Workman might have the best name in baseball. Can you tell us about him as a prospect and does he have a future as an every day starter for the tigers?

Kyle Glaser: My pleasure, glad you’re enjoying having the Hot Sheet back. Workman is really interesting and a lot of people felt the Tigers got a steal getting him in the fourth round last year. He’s young, he’s athletic, he’s powerful…there is a lot to like. He has a chance to be the Tigers everyday third baseman of the future as someone who plays great defense and provides real power in the middle of the lineup. There is a long way to go and it’s always wise not to go crazy over college guys raking in Low-A (especially now with Low-A now being essentially equivalent to what the Appy and Pio Leagues used to be in terms of quality of play) but he’s a promising talent who is certainly worth watching.

Kretin (sacramento, ca):

 What does Kyren Paris need to do to get on the hot list?

Kyle Glaser: Paris been really good recently. I was actually surprised when I ran the weekly stats that he didn’t pop up among most of the week’s stat leaders (a lot of players had a really good week). But Paris has pretty quickly separated himself as the most promising prospect on Inland Empire and, in the eyes of some opposing scouts, the most promising prospect the Angels have in the lower levels. It’s a great approach, he’s making hard contact, he makes all the plays defensively and he can absolutely fly. He’s a good player.

Buff (Colorado):

 Luis Matos, future star or solid regular?

Kyle Glaser: There are people who believe future star. Most see above-average regular, but there is star potential. He’s really good.

Fred (Altuna):

 Canaan Smith-Njigba really seems to be taking off – what does his future look like?

Kyle Glaser: Smith-Njigba has always been able to hit. The concern has been where is he going to play defensively. (He’s a below-average defender in left with a fringy arm). But again, if you can hit, someone will find a spot for you. Most see him as more of bench/contributor type rather than an everyday starter with his defensive limitations, but that’s been said about a lot of players who hit their way into everyday roles (see: Ty France).

Zak (Boston):

 Not necessary a hot sheet worthy performance, but Jarren Duran might had the best game of the week on Saturday, going 5-5 w/ 2 HRs. With power added with his new swing, does he now project as a everyday OF in the big leagues?

Kyle Glaser: Duran projects to be an everyday player who is a threat to go 20/30. The main thing I’m going to be curious to see is how much Duran has improved defensively in the outfield. I saw him at Salem and in the Fall League in 2019 and he was a liability out there just because he was so new to the outfield and didn’t really know how to play it yet. (That was true both in CF and in RF). But it’s been two years since then and I would imagine he’s taken thousands of reps in the interim, so I’m going to be really curious to see what his defense looks like in Florida next week during the Americas Qualifier. If his defense has progressed, then we can start talking about an everyday center fielder with 20 HR/30+ SB potential, which obviously would be a standout player.

Buff (Colorado):

 What do you see in Mickey Moniak’s future?

Kyle Glaser: A fourth outfielder who fills in at all three positions and makes some contact from the left side.

Chuck@AngelsWin.com (Seattle, WA):

 Hi Kyle, I love your stuff at Baseball America and on Twitter. Question regarding a couple of Angels prospects. What are your thoughts on Kyren Paris. He’s looking good with a .423 OBP and 10 stolen bases, but he’s also in double digits in errors through 16 games. I had thought his defense was one of his strongest suits. What say you? I had seen some reports that Reid Detmers is hitting mid 90’s with his fastball and has touched 97 MPH. Wouldn’t the tick up in fastball velo indicate that Detmers could potentially slot into a #2 starter since he possesses solid secondary pitches & above average command? I thought the only knock on Detmers was that his velo was in the low-90’s. Thank you!

Kyle Glaser: Thanks Chuck. The games I’ve been at Paris has made all the plays with his glove and has one throwing error. It’s weird. He seems to make all his errors the games I haven’t been at, so I can’t speak to what’s going on defensively. I have not heard that about Detmers, but I haven’t dug in him yet (been busy working on other stuff). I’m going to defer comment until I can verify if that velo bump is accurate.

Hustle Loyalty Respect (Dynasty Heaven):

 James Wood – Any updates on where he stands after a tough start to the year? Is he still in the elite tier of the HS class?

Kyle Glaser: The elite tier of the HS class is Jordan Lawlar and Marcelo Mayer. Wood was never in that tier. He’s struggled this year, but the HS OF class as a whole has struggled. He’s seen as one of a group of about eight different high school outfielders who can go anywhere from 25-50, in any order.

Michael Smith (Lake Louise):

 Hey Kyle Otto Lopez has hit extremely well at every level he has played at any chance he could become a top 100 prospect? What do you think of him?

Kyle Glaser: Lopez can legitimately hit. The bat is real. He’s got a few Blue Jays prospects ahead of him on the pecking order for the Top 100, but honestly, guys who can just plain hit often outperform a lot of guys who spend time on the Top 100 who have big tools but never figure out the most important one. Lopez doesn’t really have much power, but there is always room for a guy who can hit for average, drive some balls into the gap for doubles, steal bases and play the middle infield on a major league roster.

Jesus Sanchez (When do I get a call up?):

 I have been obliterating AAA pitching all season. When do I get promoted back to join the Marlins? Is the team taking an ultra conservative approach after my pre-mature call up last year to ensure I’m up for good the next time I get the call?

Kyle Glaser: It’s only a matter of time. And yes, making doubly sure a guy is really, really ready for the majors is always a good call.

Steve (NJ):

 Seems to be some pretty dominant pitching performances so far. How much of that is the talent/growth of the individual pitcher vs hitters having a year off and needing time to catch up?

Kyle Glaser: It’s hitters not having their timing back after being away for a year. There are a lot of long, late swings in the minors right now, especially at the lower levels. It was a lot easier for pitchers to maintain their development than hitters in remote settings. This is what was to be expected.

Noel (Portland):

 Will Adley make it all the way to Baltimore this year?

Kyle Glaser: He’s talented enough to. I don’t think the Orioles will do it.

Baby Bird (Baltimore, MD):

 Do you think Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg could both get promoted to High-A Aberdeen before midseason? Could they possibly end the year in Bowie or is that too aggressive?

Kyle Glaser: It’s possible. We see guys go from Low-A to High-A to Double-A in a year fairly often. Both of them are very talented and finishing in Bowie isn’t out of the question if they keep it up.

Adam (Brandon):

 Ranking catchers and the gap between them. Adley, Alvarez, Moreno, soderstrom. I’m worried about Adley’s hit tool while those other three seem like pitchers can’t get them out.

Kyle Glaser: Adley is in Double-A while Alvarez and Sodestrom have yet to face anyone above Low-A. The gap in the quality of pitching Adley is facing compared to them is enormous. He’d be hitting .315-.400 too against Low-A arms. It’s not an equal comparison. Moreno is the interesting one here. The gap between him and a lot of the catchers on the Top 100 isn’t significant to begin with and it’s shrinking. There are evaluators out there who think he is already one of the 75 best prospects in baseball, and he’s showing he might be top 50.

Korol (The Kove):

 When do the J2 players start to play in the minors? And what do you expect from Wilman Diaz, Cristian Hernandez and Carlos Colmenarez?

Kyle Glaser: GCL and AZL start on June 28. Some of the J2 guys will be there, although I would imagine most will be in the DSL. The change in the timing of the international signing period this year throws everything off a bit. As for those three, it’s more just seeing how they handle the jump rather than having any concrete expectations. I’m more just curious to see guys play.

Plumber Steve (Souris):

 Any players to be excited about in the upcoming draft? I feel like there’s no comparison in them to the recent number 1 picks.

Kyle Glaser: The top of the draft is not as strong as it was in recent years, unquestionably. The last couple No. 1 picks (Mize, Adley, Tork) would all be the No. 1 selection in this draft too. I will say I’ve been big on Marcelo Mayer for a long time and think he’s worth getting very excited about. I’ve been wondering for months why he wasn’t considered a candidate to go 1-1. I hadn’t seen Lawlar so I wasn’t able to make a direct comparison, but Mayer has everything you could possibly want a player his age to have. Now it seems like things have caught up and he’s getting the 1-1 type of buzz he deserves. He plays a beautiful shortstop, it’s a smooth, balanced swing, he’s going to hit for average and power from the left side and he plays a polished, mature game. Whoever gets him should be very, very excited.

Edwin Weatherly (Florence, South Carolina):

 Zac Veen is viewed as a power hitter with average speed yet he has TWELVE SBs already. Has his speed been undervalued by prospect experts or is this just a fluke?

Kyle Glaser: I’m going to see him tonight and will let you know. I will say it’s important to note that stolen bases are WAY up this year in Low-A with the rule that pitchers are limited to two pickoff attempts (a third attempt has to be successful or a pitcher is called for a balk). The Low-A West — which, side note, really is such a dumb name and should just be called the California League. All the leagues should really just have their former names. MLB’s new naming conventions are just pointless and dumb – also implemented pitch clocks this year, so young pitchers aren’t really doing as great a job of holding runners because they feel rushed to get the sign and get the next pitch off in time.

Joey (CT):

 If you were re-ranking the top 100 today, would Jarren Duran’s added power move him up/how high would he be on the list?

Kyle Glaser: We’re going to have a Top 100 update on June 1, so that question will be answered shortly.

Warren (New London):

 Do you think Cornelius Randolph could still be a useful major league player? As was pointed out on the Hot Sheet, he is still only 23, and his opposite field approach could be effective if he can also learn to pull the ball occasionally.

Kyle Glaser: It’s hard to say without seeing for myself in person how he looks this year. In past years the answer was a hard no, but guys changed so much in the past 20 months, I don’t want to discount the possibility that he made a big jump and his improvement is real and sustainable. It’s going to take more than 15 games before we know how real it is, but it’s certainly interesting to see what he’s done so far.

Kennedy (Souris):

 What is the ceiling for Manoah?

Kyle Glaser: Most have generally see a mid-rotation starter as Manoah’s ceiling because he doesn’t have the command most frontline starters have. There have also been questions about if he’d be able to navigate a lineup a third time through (something else that separates frontline starters from the rest) because of questions about his third pitch and concerns about his conditioning and how his body will hold up long-term. That all said, he’s looked the part of a frontline pitcher in limited stints this year going back to spring training. He’s someone to watch and a candidate to exceed those previously-held expectations.

Trevor B. (Michigan):

 Kyle do you know the name of the scout John Manuel said he would basically put his career on the line for Jesse Winker eventually being good?

Kyle Glaser: I do not. I hadn’t actually heard that story.

Zak (Boston):

 As always, thanks for the chat. I know it’s hard for a 1 start pitcher to make the hot sheet, but any thoughts/considerations on Caleb Kilian? I’ve heard that he’s looked great so far this year and looks like he got promoted to AA now.

Kyle Glaser: My pleasure. Yes, Kilian was one of many players in consideration. He is about to be challenged more at Double-A (he was a 24-year-old in High-A) but there is enough stuff there to project some sort of major league future.

Diane (Boston):

 What type of offensive ceiling does Gabriel Moreno possess?

Kyle Glaser: He has a chance to be an above-average hitter (and possibly more) who hits 14-17 HR a year. He’s very, very good.

Bob (Orange County, CA):

 How has Matt Thaiss looked behind the plate defensively? He’s slashing .311/.466/.932 in AAA, so if he’s average at the backstop spot I wonder if the Angels will give him a shot at the big league level this season to pair up with Max Stassi.

Kyle Glaser: He’s made three errors in seven games. Thaiss hasn’t caught in five years and was considered unlikely to be a catcher even in college (thus, the Angels moving him out from behind the plate immediately when they drafted him). It’s going to take years and years of reps for Thaiss to be an average, major league-caliber backstop, and most don’t believe he will get there. The hope is he can simply get to playable, which will give him a better avenue for major league at-bats in Anaheim than he has now or enhance his trade value.

Tim (SLC):

 Are you surprised by Nick Allen participating on Team USA qualifier? He’s a guy I would’ve thought had an outside shot at helping the major league club this year.

Kyle Glaser: Maybe a little bit, but it’s a big jump from Double-A to the majors and the A’s are hanging in ok as is, so it’s not a huge shocker. Jarren Duran is the one who actually surprised me more given the Red Sox’s outfield situation.

J (VA):

 How excited should Met fans be about Francisco Alvarez or is his performance a small sample size?

Kyle Glaser: I mean, of course .417/.567/.646 is small sample size and not something he’s going to do over the course of the season. At the same time, this is a really good player worth getting excited about, albeit with all the caveats about young catchers.

Steve (Kansas):

 Roansy Contreras and Tahnaj Thomas, Pirates who are looking good right now. Any chance we see them in 2021 and what roles do you see in the future. Some see Thomas as a closer, you?

Kyle Glaser: Contreras has a shot to be in Pittsburgh later in the season. Thomas is in High-A, so no. As for future roles, most see Thomas in the bullpen. I have not had a good enough look at him myself yet to form my own opinion, but the industry consensus is he ends up in relief.

Harris Levine (Peach State):

 Nick Plummer is actually hitting in AA for the Cardinals. Is anything different with him or is this just SSS? He has to be better than Justin Williams, no?

Kyle Glaser: We need to wait more than 15 games before making any substantive judgments on Plummer. As for him vs. Williams, no, Plummer is not better than Justin Williams, and I say that as someone who has not thought much of Justin Williams’ offensive potential since his days in Durham.

Jake Harris Levine (Atlanta, GA):

 Glenn Otto’s numbers are eye-popping, but has his ceiling changed at all?

Kyle Glaser: Again, it’s going to take more than three starts before we make that judgement. I will say Otto has a good arm and is someone I’ve liked since his days on the 2017 USA Collegiate National Team. I do think there is a big league arm there, but we need to see if these early control improvements hold over a longer stretch before making any sweeping judgements.

Eric (Seattle):

 Have you laid eyes on Macko and Dollard for the M’s. Thoughts?

Kyle Glaser: I have not, unfortunately. I did see Dollard in college and think there is something there, but we need to see how his stuff plays against more appropriate competition in High-A.

Cruncher (Ontario):

 Joe Ryan. I’m pulling for the guy. What’s his ceiling?

Kyle Glaser: That’s going to depend a lot on how Ryan’s secondary pitches progress. You won’t succeed as a starter with one pitch in the major leagues, no matter how dominant that pitch is. If he can get even just one of his secondaries to at least average consistently, then we can talk about a back-of-the-rotation starter. I’m not saying he can’t do it, we just need to see him do it.

Patton (Chicago):

 What do you make of Robert Puason’s slow start. He seems completely over-matched at the plate. Did the A’s make a mistake jumping him to lower A?

Kyle Glaser: A lot of the international players who had no previous experience in the DSL, as well as the high school kids who didn’t get a chance to play in the AZL and have no previous professional experience, are getting worked right now in the Cal League (I’ve decided I refuse to call it Low-A West) and very visibly aren’t ready for the level. I’m going to see Puason this week so I’ll get a better sense of where he’s at, but on paper it looks like he’s right with all the other teenagers with no previous professional experience who just aren’t ready to be at the level.

Chamaco (Texas):

 You mentioned before that the level of play this year in Low-A is equivalent to the Appalachian or Pioneer leagues of prior years. Could you give us comps for High A, AA, and AAA as well? Interested in your impressions of how minor league contraction has changed the quality of play at all levels. Are there any other factors that BA staff has noticed so far resulting from contraction?

Kyle Glaser: Just in speaking with evaluators who are traveling around the country seeing everything, there is a pretty universal sense Low-A is now the quality of play we used to see in the Pioneer and Appalachian Leagues and High-A is now the quality we used to see at Low-A. The quality of Double-A and Triple-A seems to have remained the same so far, although some scouts have different opinions. But the lower levels, it’s universal that the quality of play has dropped. (It is very, very visible). That’s the biggest change so far, which is what was expected.

Travis (Omak, Wa):

 How impressed have you been by Noelvi Marte so far this season and so you expect him to be a large jump up in the top 100? Also do you have a player comp for him?

Kyle Glaser: Very, very, very impressed. I do expect to see him take a large jump up the Top 100, and soon. I’m going to stay away from a comp right now because seeing how opponents adjust to him the second time through the league, and how he adjusts back, will be very important, but at first glance, he has everything you could want in a young player.

Kyle Glaser: All right everyone, that will do it for today. Thanks for coming out to chat, and have a great rest of your week.