Northwest League Top 20 Prospects Chat

Josh Norris: Hello, Northwest League chat fans. Let’s chat about the Northwest League.

Tiffythetitan (Oakland, CA): The Giants had a pretty good showing for this 8 team league...was the league down (and impacted by those ineligible) or did these guys just impress enough people overall? Is Reynolds on the fast track? Explain how refusing to expand your zone help or hurt in the future. Thank you!
Josh Norris: The league was undeniably down this year, and was certainly affected by quality of dudes who missed the cut: Quantrill, Lauer, Potts, Tatis, Garrett Williams, so yeah, the league was lighter than in 2015. As to Reynolds being on the fast track, I would assume he has the chance to move quickly because of his college pedigree. Refusing to swing at pitches just outside the zone may up his strikeouts because MiLB umps will expand that zone for you at times.

J.P. (Springfield, IL): What does Bryan Hudson project as to you? Did he make a case for your list?
Josh Norris: He was a bit disappointing. Managers in the league saw a guy who had a hard time repeating his mechanics and stuff that ticked down a bit from extended spring training. He didn’t really get close to this list.

Warren (New London): First, I'm happy to see Anderson Tejeda at 4 on your list; I thought he was way too low on the AZL list. My question is about his teammate Leody Taveras. Your description of him sounds to a Phillies fan quite a bit like Carlos Tocci. Can you reassure me that he's better than that?
Josh Norris: First, you’re talking to the president of the Carlos Tocci fan club. His problem has always been his inhuman metabolism and inability to keep any sort of weight on his frame. If you assume Taveras has a normal ability to turn food into good weight, then you’ll see him develop the power that should come along.

Bob (IL): Does Dylan Cease have a legitimate shot to be the Cubs first elite pitching prospect under Epstein?
Josh Norris: He does. He’s got absolutely electric stuff, for certain. If he harnesses it and learns how to command and control the ball, then he could very well be a top of the rotation type of pitcher. There’s a long way to go, though.

Dave (Brooklyn): Hey, Josh! Thanks for the great writeups and Chat time! Any love for Kentucky's Kyle Cody?
Josh Norris: He was at the back end of this list before changes were made. He shows excellent stuff at times but has some mitigating factors. I actually saw him in person during my trip to the Northwest this season and I was stunned to see that a guy throwing 95-96 was getting spanked as hard as he was. But he short-arms the ball a little, which mitigates that velocity. The slider flashes above-average or better, but that’s not consistent either. Short version: Stuff is good in bursts, and mechanical tweaks could lead to more consistency.

Dave (Brooklyn): What, other than baserunning speed, differentiates Missouri's Ryan Howard (not Phillies' Ryan Howard!) from Garrett Hampson? Any areas where Howard outperformed Hampson?
Josh Norris: Evaluators didn’t see much in the way of a standout tool from Howard, and there were questions about his range at shortstop as well. He’s a steady player, but didn’t light up evaluators the way you might like for a T20 list.

Rocco (RI): Nick Zammarelli and Eric Filia of Aquasox were top 5 in almost every offensive category in NWL yet not in your top 20. Does season performance factor in rankings?
Josh Norris: It does and it doesn’t. It’s a factor, but there are other factors as well. For example, Filia was 24 years old in that league. Every evaluator noted his professional approach at the plate but had trouble seeing a defensive home for him. A lot of guys saw him as a player who might top at the upper levels of the minors. Zammarelli was in a similar boat. There weren’t a lot of guys who bought him as a third baseman, and there were mechanical things with this swing that they believed would hurt him at the upper levels. Additionally, Everett is an extreme hitter’s environment. Zammarelli, for example, slugged nearly 200 points better at home than on the road.

Josh (Texas): As stated in the article, the Padres had four players that didn't qualify. If they had, where would they have placed? I am particularly interested in Quantrill and Lauer.
Josh Norris: Quantrill and Lauer would have been very high, and Quantrill might have been No. 1 overall. People loved him unanimously and thought the Padres had found themselves a rotation piece. Lauer also projected in scouts’ minds as a backend guy in a rotation.

Dave (New York): Hi Josh, thanks for the chat I was surprsied Krook was sitting there in the 4th rd as a local pick for SF. are scouts still concerned about his command issues or health which apparently lowered hi draft stock ? appreciate your input
Josh Norris: Yes, there are definite command issues and concerns there. His command went in the tank in college as a result of the injuries, a loss of confidence and other factors, and it’s still an issue in pro ball. Even so, his stuff is still electric. The fastball has well above-average life to it, and the curveball is a swing-and-miss pitch for sure. If he can find himself again, he has a chance to be very good. He was, after all, a first-rounder out of high school.

Jeff (Brooklyn): Was hoping for a better showing out of DJ Wilson. But he did turn it around somewhat in the second half. What do you see his upside being?
Josh Norris: His upside is a slash-and-burn type of hitter with the ability to play in center field. I also got to see him play in person this summer and was very impressed with him. One of the games I saw was a one-run affair, and he made a game-saving play. Shaded to his right, he ranged over quickly enough to cut a ball in the right-center gap and hold the hitter to a single and keep a run from scoring. It’s not a play you see often at the lower levels of the minor leagues. One thing evaluators would like to see from him is a more all-fields approach. He’s gotten better at it, but he was a little pull heavy this season.

Roger (Washington DC): One of the guys on Ben Badler's spring list of interesting DSL prospects coming stateside was Volcanoes' SS/3b Manuel Geraldo. After some pretty challenging assignments to, first, the Sally and then the NWL,is Geraldo still a guy to keep an eye on?
Josh Norris: Yes, he had some fans, but mostly in a utility-type of role.

Steve (Arizon): Hi Josh, love the chats on prospects ! I know he was drafted a round earlier, but what makes B Reynolds a better Giants prospect than H Quinn ? is switch hitting a factor ? many thanks
Josh Norris: Switch-hitting was a factor, yes, and a chance to stick in center field.

DH (Pittsburgh): If you were picking your favorite guy for your team, would you choose Quantrill, or any of the others who didn't qualify, ahead of even Taveras?
Josh Norris: If I had a favorite team I could see taking Quantrill over Taveras. The reports were, as I mentioned earlier, very strong.

Josh Norris: That’s all for today. I’ll be back for Eastern League chat sometime in the coming weeks. In the meanwhile: Peace, party people, haha, see ya later. (Big points if you can name that classic rap quote, both artist and song, without googling (or Bing-ing, JJ))