The Kernels program lists five outfielders, at least four of whom would logically be players the organization wants to see get substancial playing time.
All five started at least once in the two games I saw on this trip, with probably the top two -- Trevor Larnach and Akil Baddoo -- starting both games, in right field and centerfield respectively. Trey Cabbage and Gabriel Maciel each started a game in left, and Jacob Pearson was the DH in one game.
A few observations:
Larnach, the Twins' first-round draft pick (20th overall) this year, has split this initial pro season almost evenly between Cedar Rapids and Elizabethton. Neither level should be a great challenge for a college star from a big-time program. Larnach went 0-for-8 in the two games with a walk and a stolen base. He did have three hard-hit outs over the two games to left field. At 21, he is the oldest of the group of five, and the one with the least professional experience.
Baddoo's stat line is intriguing. He's hitting about .240, which isn't impressive, but his on-base percentage is around .350 and his slugging percentage is over .400. He hit leadoff in both games, and like Larnach went hitless (0-for-8 with a walk and two steals). He's quite fast and made a nice catch at the wall Wednesday night. He's also just 19, quite young for the league.
Pearson came to the Twins from the Angels last offseason when Anaheim was scraping up all the international pool money it could for the Shohei Ohtani derby. His skill set appears to be akin to Baddoo, but my sense -- and the stat line supports this -- is that the tools are pitched at a lower level than Baddoo's. He went 1-for-2 in his one start with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
Cabbage was taken in the fourth round of the 2015 draft as a third baseman. He's now splitting time between left field, right field and first base. He's gotten more playing time this season than in the previous three, and he's hit a little better, but probably not enough to merit being taken serious as a prospect. This is also the first season in which he hasn't been notably young for the level of competition. He went 1-for-4 in the game I saw him play with a double and a run scored.
Maciel was part of the return from Arizona for Eduardo Escobar last month. He really impressed me Wednesday night. He went 3-for-4, which is nice, but what struck me was how he went 3-for-4. First at-bat, hitting left-handed, he pulled a solid single. Second at-bat, still hitting left-handed, he laid down a perfect bunt. Third trip, hitting right-handed against a lefty reliever and facing a sharp shift with a man on second, he was clearly trying to go to right and, after fouling several pitches off to the first base side, grounded one through the vacancy. It was a key piece of a four-run inning that put the Kernels ahead to stay. (He struck out in his final trip.)
Like Baddoo, he's 19. Unlike the other four, who all hit left handed, he's a switch hitter. He made a nice running catch in left, and appears to be fast enough to play center. He hasn't hit for much power in the Midwest League (he played for Kane County before the trade), but that can come.
This is, of course, low-A ball. None of them are on the cusp of the majors, although Larnach may be on a fast track. They have genuine tools. The challenge is learning to use them.
Showing posts with label Gabriel Maciel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gabriel Maciel. Show all posts
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Monday, July 30, 2018
The trades and the prospects
OK, let's talk the Escobar and Pressly trades.
Three outfielders, two pitchers. Unstated in Berardino's tweet: Alcala has reached Double A. Celestino was in the short-season A level NY-Penn League, a level for which the Twins have no direct equivalent; he may well be assigned to Elizabethton in the Appy League, a half-step down.
A couple broad points: None of the five must go on the 40-man roster this winter. This is a contrast to the Jamie Garcia dump trade of last summer, in which the Twins landed two Rule 5-eligible players (one of whom has since been outrighted). None of the five are particularly close to the majors.
The consensus is that four of the five go directly into the team's top-30 prospects list but none go into the top 10.
MLBpipeline.com puts Alcala as Minnesota's No. 11 prospect. His deal is velocity; he's hit 101 at times as a starting pitcher, but his secondary offerings are inconsistent. Baseball America's report on Alcala suggests that he's most likely destined for a bullpen role. He just turned 23.
Celestino is 19 and was putting up good numbers in the NY Penn League. MLBpipeline makes him the Twins No. 14 prospect. He's a centerfielder now, but the BA scouting report suggests that he may not stick there. (MLBpipeline ranks four or five outfielders ahead of him, depending on whether you regard Brant Rooker as an outfielder or a first baseman.) Good arm, good bat speed, appears to have good pitch recognition.
Marcel, also 19 and a centerfielder but a level ahead of Celestino, is a switch-hitter out of Brazil. Celestinto appears to have a broader set of quality tools; Marcel is a burner without much power. MLBpipeline makes him No. 17 on the Twins list.
Duran, 20, is a raw RHP. He projects as a mid-rotation starter, assuming he puts everything together. Mid-90s velocity with the makings of usable breaking ball and change, but he's inconsistent with command and quality of everything. MLBpipeline puts him at No. 22.
The Twins assigned De La Trinidad, who had been in the Midwest League, to Fort Myers in the higher Florida State League. He's a 22-year-old left-handed outfielder who is the one drafted player in this haul (19th round out of UNLV). Good numbers in the Midwest League, but a bit old for the level.
I haven't (yet) made my annual jaunt to Cedar Rapids, but it appears that at least three of the five will be with the Kernels the remainder of the summer, depending on what they do with Celestino.
Sources: The Twins are getting RHP Jhoan Duran, OF Ernie De La Trinidad and OF Gabriel Maciel from the Diamondbacks for Eduardo Escobar. All three are at Class A Kane County.— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2018
#mntwins acquired 2 of HOU’s top 15 prospects for Pressly: RHP Jorge Alcala and OF Gilberto Celestino.— Mike Berardino (@MikeBerardino) July 28, 2018
Three outfielders, two pitchers. Unstated in Berardino's tweet: Alcala has reached Double A. Celestino was in the short-season A level NY-Penn League, a level for which the Twins have no direct equivalent; he may well be assigned to Elizabethton in the Appy League, a half-step down.
A couple broad points: None of the five must go on the 40-man roster this winter. This is a contrast to the Jamie Garcia dump trade of last summer, in which the Twins landed two Rule 5-eligible players (one of whom has since been outrighted). None of the five are particularly close to the majors.
The consensus is that four of the five go directly into the team's top-30 prospects list but none go into the top 10.
MLBpipeline.com puts Alcala as Minnesota's No. 11 prospect. His deal is velocity; he's hit 101 at times as a starting pitcher, but his secondary offerings are inconsistent. Baseball America's report on Alcala suggests that he's most likely destined for a bullpen role. He just turned 23.
Celestino is 19 and was putting up good numbers in the NY Penn League. MLBpipeline makes him the Twins No. 14 prospect. He's a centerfielder now, but the BA scouting report suggests that he may not stick there. (MLBpipeline ranks four or five outfielders ahead of him, depending on whether you regard Brant Rooker as an outfielder or a first baseman.) Good arm, good bat speed, appears to have good pitch recognition.
Marcel, also 19 and a centerfielder but a level ahead of Celestino, is a switch-hitter out of Brazil. Celestinto appears to have a broader set of quality tools; Marcel is a burner without much power. MLBpipeline makes him No. 17 on the Twins list.
Duran, 20, is a raw RHP. He projects as a mid-rotation starter, assuming he puts everything together. Mid-90s velocity with the makings of usable breaking ball and change, but he's inconsistent with command and quality of everything. MLBpipeline puts him at No. 22.
The Twins assigned De La Trinidad, who had been in the Midwest League, to Fort Myers in the higher Florida State League. He's a 22-year-old left-handed outfielder who is the one drafted player in this haul (19th round out of UNLV). Good numbers in the Midwest League, but a bit old for the level.
I haven't (yet) made my annual jaunt to Cedar Rapids, but it appears that at least three of the five will be with the Kernels the remainder of the summer, depending on what they do with Celestino.
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