Indians Prospect Countdown: #61-56
.jpg) |
| Photo Credit: Al Ciammaichella |
61. Alex Monsalve, C
DOB: 4/22/1992
Height/Weight: 6-2/225
lb.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Acquired: International
free agent in 2009
2012 Stats:
.256/.311/.373 with 8 HR and 42 RBI in 107 games between Lake County and
Carolina
Scouting Report:
Monsalve was signed as an international free agent out of Venezuela back in
2009, and worked his way stateside in 2010 to play in 43 games with the Rookie
League Arizona Indians. He put up a .557 OPS in the desert, and the Indians
moved him up to Lake County for the 2011 season. Monsalve was Midwest League
All Star in 2011, and hit .264/.313/.356 with 5 HR and 44 RBI for the Captains
as a 19 year old that season. He began 2012 back in Lake County, and after
putting up a .730 OPS in 73 games in the Midwest League he was promoted to
Carolina. He appeared in 34 games with the Mudcats, hitting just .233/.280/.293
with one HR and 6 RBI.
Monsalve is a big,
strong kid behind the plate. He hasn’t put up elite numbers at the dish, but
has been young for the levels that he’s been playing at the past two years. He
has decent power projection, although his current hit tool is well below
average. Monsalve made strides in his pitch recognition and selection last
year, striking out 52 times after whiffing 96 times in 2011. He didn’t really
improve his walk rate though, and that’s the next step Monsalve has to improve
at the dish.
Monsalve has the raw
tools to catch, as he’s a good athlete with a strong arm. I’ve been unimpressed
with his performance on defense though, as he can sometimes come across as
lackadaisical behind the plate and has only thrown out 27% of basestealers in
his minor league career. He just doesn’t project as a catcher for me, and if he
can’t catch than his bat is very ordinary. He sometime struggles to communicate
with pitchers, and doesn’t have the leadership qualities of some of the other
catchers in the organization.
Monsalve will probably
start off the 2013 season back in Carolina, and I’ll be looking to see if he
can continue to make strides with his approach and defense. He’ll still be just
21 years old, and there’s a lot of time for him to identify his weaknesses and
make some improvements. The Indians developmental staff is concentrating on
improving Monsalve’s actions behind the plate, and I’m looking forward to
seeing the changes he’s made in Goodyear later this month.
Glass half-full: Monsalve
sticks behind the plate and makes it to The Show as a backup
Glass half-empty:
Monsalve moves out from behind the plate and can’t crack a major league roster
+(2).jpg) |
| Photo Credit: Al Ciammaichella |
60. Mike Rayl, LHP
DOB: 11/1/1988
Height/Weight: 6-5/180
lb.
Bats/Throws: Left/Left
Acquired: 15th round
pick in the 2009 MLB draft
2012 Stats: 10-10, 4.49
ERA with 95 K and 59 BB in 152 1/3 IP between Carolina and Akron
Scouting Report: Rayl
was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 41st round of
the 2009 draft, but the Nationals were unable to come to terms with the young
lefthander and he decided to attend Palm Beach Community College. The Indians
snatched him up in the 15th round the very next season, and he
made his debut in the Arizona Rookie League later that summer. After an
outstanding 2010 in which Rayl posted a 2.81 ERA in 14 starts with Mahoning
Valley, Rayl was bumped up to Lake County in 2011. He spend the first half of
the season with the Captains, going 5-5 with a 2.83 ERA before being called up
to Kinston for eight starts at the end of the year. Rayl continued his steady
rise through the organization in 2012, going 10-9 with high-A Carolina with a
4.28 ERA.
Rayl throws a fastball,
curveball and changeup. His fastball sits in the high 80’s, and has touched 92.
It’s not a pitch that he can use to blow away hitters, and needs to locate it
effectively in the zone in order to be effective. The curveball is a better
pitch than his changeup, and he feels comfortable throwing it at any time in
any count. He has a clean, easily repeatable delivery and feels comfortable
challenging hitters. He doesn’t have a true plus offering, and needs to have
elite command and control in order to succeed.
Rayl ran into trouble
last year due to an abnormally high walk rate. After issuing just 26 free passes
in 123 2/3 innings of work in 2011, Rayl walked 59 hitters in 152 1/3 innings
last year. His walk rate jumped from 1.9 BB/9 to 3.5 BB/9, a ratio that is
untenable if Rayl hopes to succeed at the upper levels of the Indians system.
He also allowed 14 HR in 2012 after giving up 9 in 2011, getting hit hard when
he fell behind in the count and was forced to be more predictable later in
hitter’s counts. When he’s getting ahead with his fastball and attacking
hitters with his secondary stuff, he can be successful. If he gives the
opposing team free baserunners, they’re going to make him pay.
Rayl is on track to
pitch in AA Akron this year as a 24-year old, and will have to improve on his
walk rate from last season if he expects to find success in AA. It’s going to
get tougher and tougher for Rayl to succeed the higher he climbs on the
organizational ladder; if his command isn’t there, he doesn’t have the velocity
to fall back on. He’s kind of like a lefthanded Paul Byrd, and we all remember
how Byrd could get rocked when his fastball was up in the zone.
Glass half-full: A back
of the rotation starter
Glass half-empty: His
command isn’t good enough for him to advance to The Show
.JPG) |
| Photo Credit: Al Ciammaichella |
59. Preston
Guilmet, RHP
DOB: 07/27/1987
Height/Weight: 6-2/200
lb.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Acquired: 9th round
pick in the 2009 MLB draft
2012 Stats: 2-2, 24
Saves with a 2.39 ERA, 51 K and 13 BB in 52 2/3 IP
Scouting Report: After
starting 15 games for Mahoning Valley after he was drafted in 2009, the former
Arizona Wildcat was shifted to a bullpen role. He became the closer for Lake
County midway through the 2010 season, and filled that same role for Kinston in
2011 and Akron in 2012. He’s racked up 70 saves in the past three seasons, and
has posted a 2.26 ERA since leaving the starting rotation. In addition to the
solid ERA, he’s posted an extremely impressive WHIP of 0.938 as a reliever.
Guilmet throws from a
unique arm angle, coming at hitters from straight over the top with a very high
release point. He’s primarily a two-pitch pitcher, working off of his
fastball/splitter combination. His fastball sits in the high 80’s, and tops out
at around 91. He commands it extremely well within the zone, and does a nice
job spotting the pitch to get ahead in the count. His out pitch is his
splitter, a pitch that has excellent action down through the zone that is
accentuated by his arm angle. The pitch generates most of Guilmet’s strikeouts,
and when hitters do make contact with it a ground ball is generally the result.
Every once in a while, he’ll slip up and the pitch will hang in the zone, and
that’s when he can get hit hard. Guilmet also throws a slider to give him a pitch
with some horizontal movement, but pitches mostly off the fastball/splitter
combo.
Guilmet is one of those
guys who’s results outpace his scouting reports. Looking solely at his raw
numbers, you see a guy who looks like a dominant minor league closer. But when
you see him pitch, you see a guy who succeeds based on fastball command and a
deceptive delivery. He’s not unlike former Indians minor league reliever Cory
Burns. Burns has put up even better numbers than Guilmet in his minor league
career, but was roughed up pretty badly in his lone cup of coffee in The Show.
Guilmet has already seen both his strikeout and groundball rates drop after his
promotion to AA, and as he continues to climb the organizational ladder he will
find it tougher and tougher to get by on command and deception alone. It’s
tough to be an effective reliever without at least an above-average fastball,
but the Indians are hoping Guilmet can continue to buck the trend at AAA
Columbus this season.
Glass half-full: A solid
backend reliever
Glass half-empty:
Guilmet’s lack of velocity catches up to him, and he tops out at AAA
.JPG) |
| Photo Credit: Al Ciammaichella |
58. Robel Garcia,
2B
DOB: 3/28/1993
Height/Weight: 6-0/168
lb.
Bats/Throws:
Switch/Right
Acquired: International
free agent in 2010
2012 Stats:
.217/.304/.302 with 3 HR and 39 RBI in 119 games between Lake County and
Mahoning Valley
Scouting Report: Garcia
was a member of the Indians Rookie affiliate in Arizona during 2010 and 2011,
and had a breakout season in 2011. In Garcia’s 2nd season
stateside, he hit a robust .284/.374/.544 with 6 HR and 24 RBI in 45 games in
the desert, prompting Indians brass to assign him straight to Lake County in
2012. It was an aggressive assignment for the young infielder, and he was just
never able to get untracked in Lake County. He hit .210/.312/.293 in 56 games
as a Captain, prompting a move to the New York-Penn League when the Mahoning
Valley Scrappers opened play in June. He was a little better with the
Scrappers, hitting .210/.298/.309 with 3 HR and 23 RBI in 63 NYPL contests. Still,
it was a disappointing season for the athletic young 2B who many (myself
included) were expecting big things from in 2012.
Garcia was an
international signing out of the Dominican Republic in 2010, and has quick,
strong hands at the plate. He projects to have at least average power at full
maturity, although his current power tool is below average. He has a decent
approach at the plate, as despite 112 K’s last year he did manage to draw 50
walks. Like many young international signings, he still struggles with breaking
pitches, particularly sliders down and out of the strike zone. He needs to
improve his pitch recognition and selection, but that’s to be expected for a
player with his experience. He’s a switch hitter, but for his career is better
as a lefthanded hitter (.803 OPS) than righthanded hitter (.658 OPS).
Defensively, has
appeared in games at 2B, 3B and SS as a pro. He’s primarily been a second
baseman, but is athletic enough to handle other positions as well. He made 7
errors in 37 games at 2B, and committed 6 miscues in just 19 games at short.
His arm is above-average, and he needs to work on his footwork and actions in
the field. He has all of the tools to be at least an average 2B, he just needs
some additional reps in the field.
After putting up a .613
OPS in Arizona in 2010, Garcia bounced back with a .915 OPS in the same circuit
in 2011. That’s a sign that he could have a rebound year in his 2nd tour
of the Midwest League in 2013. Garcia should open as the Captains opening day
2B, and will definitely be a guy that I have my eye on this season. He’s a
prime rebound candidate this season, and is a guy who could find himself back
in the top half of this list come 2014. He’s still just 19 years old, and has a
lot of maturing to do before he’s a finished product.
Glass half-full: A 1st division
starter at 2B
Glass half-empty: A
solid AA 2B
+(800x787).jpg) |
| Photo Credit: Al Ciammaichella |
57. Jake Sisco, RHP
DOB: 12/9/1991
Height/Weight: 6-3/185
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Acquired: 3rd round
pick in the 2011 MLB draft
2012 Stats: 1-6 with a
5.03 ERA, 45 K and 30 BB in 77 IP with Mahoning Valley
Scouting Report: The
2011 draft saw the Indians pay overslot bonuses to their first two picks,
shortstop Francisco Lindor and high school pitcher Dillon Howard. Their third
pick was more of a signability selection, righthanded pitcher Jake Sisco out of
Merced College in California. Sisco signed well before either Lindor or Howard,
and made 12 appearances with the Rookie League Arizona Indians in 2011, going
2-4 with a 5.24 ERA. He was held in extended spring training last year until
the short season New York-Penn League started up in June, and made 15 starts
for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Sisco had a rough campaign with the
Scrappers, going 1-6 with a 5.03 ERA. He struck out just 45 hitters in 77 IP,
walking 30 and allowing 81 base hits. For a college pitcher drafted in the 3rd round
pitching in the NYPL, that season has to be considered a disappointment.
Sisco throws a fastball,
curveball, slider and changeup. The fastball sits between 91-94 MPH, and is an
above-average pitch when he’s locating it effectively. The curveball is his
best secondary offering, but rarely flashes more than above-average. Both the
slider and change project to be average pitches, but not much more than that.
It’s a starter’s arsenal in terms of pitch variations, but Sisco is going to
have to make strides in improving at least one of his offspeed pitches to help
him attack hitters more effectively. As of right now, the only pitch he’s
really comfortable throwing when he’s behind in the count is his fastball, and
that’s what was getting him into trouble in the NYPL last season.
Sisco should open 2013
in the rotation for Lake County, and the 21-year old will need to make
significant strides in both his scouting reports and his stuff in order to
solidify and improve his prospect standing. If you catch a Lake County game
where Sisco is pitching, pay attention to more than just the radar gun
readings; Sisco’s development will be governed much more by his location and
improvements in secondary stuff than by how hard he throws in 2013.
Glass half-full:
Improvements in his offspeed stuff allow Sisco to develop as a back of the
rotation starter
Glass half-empty: Sisco
continues to rely on his fastball and is shifted to a bullpen role
56. Tyler
Sturdevant, RHP
DOB: 12/20/1985
Height/Weight: 6-1/190
lb.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Acquired: 27th round
pick in the 2009 MLB draft
2012 Stats: 1-3 with a
4.42 ERA, 28 K and 14 BB in 36 2/3 IP between Carolina, Akron and Columbus
Scouting Report: Sturdevant
was a 27th round pick out of New Mexico State in 2009. He was a
starter in college, but the Indians immediately converted him to a relief role
and Sturdevant has never started a game as a professional. He put up some
impressive strikeout totals in his first three seasons as a professional,
racking up 215 K’s in just 175 1/3 innings of work. Sturdevant was injured to
begin the 2012 season though, and didn’t debut until June with the Carolina
Mudcats. After 7 innings in Carolina and 9 2/3 innings in Akron, Sturdevant was
promoted to AAA Columbus for the rest of the season. In 20 innings with the
Clippers, he put up a 6.30 ERA with 15 K and 9 BB in 20 IP. It wasn’t the
season that anyone had envisioned for Sturdevant, as the injury and
ineffectiveness resulted in a disappointing campaign for the power righty.
Sturdevant has an
above-average fastball that sits consistently in the 92-94 MPH range and can
touch 97. He compliments the fastball with an excellent cutter, which is
probably his best offering. It’s a true out pitch, and he does a nice job
setting hitters up with the heat and then attacking them with the cutter. It’s
an especially tough pitch on righties, and in 2011 he struck out nearly 30% of
the righthanded hitters that he faced between all three minor league levels. He
also throws a curveball and changeup, but he pretty much sticks to his
two-pitch mix of the fastball and cutter out of the bullpen. In short stints,
he really doesn’t need much more than those two offerings as long as he’s
locating them effectively.
Sturdevant is 27 years
old, and is getting to an age where he’s really no longer a prospect. He should
start the season healthy and back in AAA Columbus, and this is really a make or
break season for the reliever. He’s only thrown 23 2/3 innings at the AAA
level, and his ERA as a Clipper is over 6.00. If he can be as effective in
Columbus as he’s been in Kinston and Akron, then Sturdevant could be a major
league option as early as 2013. But if his stuff won’t translate to the
International League, than he can never really be expected to get American
League hitters out either.
Glass half-full: A solid
middle relief option
Glass half-empty: He
flames out at the AAA level
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment