Minor League Previews: International League North
By Jay Blue
Mar 12, 2014; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Marcus Stroman (54) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
With the minor league season one week away, we, at Grading on the Curve, are going to take a look at who is likely to start the season where in the different minor leagues. For you minor league baseball fans, check back with us frequently to find the league and division that’s closest to you.
We start with the International League North Division. This is the division that I’m most acquainted with, mainly because of the fact that I see the Buffalo Bisons an awful lot and that means that I see the other division members a lot too. It’s going to be an exciting division with several high level prospect to keep an eye on. Going alphabetically, we’ll start with those Bisons.
Buffalo Bisons
Parent Club: Toronto Blue Jays
Unlike 2013, when the Bisons had a very veteran group with few actual prospects, the 2014 edition is much more exciting. The Blue Jays are parking two of their top pitching prospects in Buffalo to start the season while a few other interesting arms will be in the rotation and bullpen. While the infield is anticipated to be filled with a number of minor league veterans, the outfield has a few future major leaguers.
Pitchers
This is where the Blue Jays have a lot of the depth that they didn’t have last year. Headlining the prospect ranks is Marcus Stroman who dominated Double-A last year, threw well in the Arizona Fall League and has come out as the consensus #2 Blue Jays prospect. Stroman, despite his short stature, will only be in Triple-A as long as it takes him to learn to remain focused and not leave his impressive pitches up in the strike zone.
Lefty Sean Nolin had a taste of the majors last year but also needs to make sure to keep his pitches down and to locate them better. While Nolin had three Triple-A starts at the end of the season (and a few more in the Dominican Republic), he’s going to need to keep hitters off balance. A projected back-end arm, Nolin could very well be in the majors by mid-way through the season.
John Stilson, Rob Rasmussen and (former first-round pick) Deck McGuire will also be in Buffalo. Stilson and Rasmussen will come out of the bullpen while it’s still unknown what the Jays are going to do with McGuire.
Hitters
The catchers and infielders are all veterans but in the outfield, the Bisons are going to have a trio of Anthony Gose, Kevin Pillar and Brad Glenn. Gose and Pillar both have ML experience and Gose has tools to dream on despite more modest big league success. Pillar was somewhat overwhelmed in his first ML exposure in 2013 but has made some progress through spring training and could be back this year. Glenn is a real dark horse. A big, power-hitting right-handed hitter, Glenn impressed all throughout spring training, impressing both in both major and minor league camps and could very well end up in the bigs as a solid, corner outfielder with a modest ceiling.
Mar 16, 2014; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (74) bats in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a spring training exhibition at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs
Parent Club: Philadelphia Phillies
All isn’t fantastic for the Philadelphia Phillies’ farm club in 2014 and Triple-A will not be their strongest team, that said, there are a couple of players who will likely make the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs an exciting club to watch.
Pitchers
You can expect to see Jesse Biddle in Lehigh Valley, mainly because the Phillies aren’t ready to let him into the starting rotation considering his lack of control last year in Double-A. He definitely has big league stuff but needs to harness it better to succeed at the major league level.
Hitters
There are going to be a couple of hitters that highlight the Top Prospects list for the Phillies in Lehigh Valley in 2014. Maikel Franco is probably the biggest name. Franco didn’t demonstrate his power in major league spring training, going 7-38 with all of his hits going for singles. That said, Franco will get a chance to mash the ball for at least half a season in the International League.
Also assigned to Lehigh Valley is catcher Cameron Rupp. Rupp had an excellent spring training with the big club with nine hits in 26 at bats including a double and a home run. Rupp has posted solid minor league numbers and could be a candidate to replace any major leaguers in case of injury.
Mar 8, 2014; Sarasota, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Henry Owens (76) pitches during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Pawtucket Red Sox
Parent Club: Boston Red Sox
Wow. If you leave near Pawtucket or will see the Paw Sox on a regular basis I have serious Prospect Envy. The Triple-A version of the Red Sox is going to dynamite and is loaded with near-major-league ready players, especially on the pitching side.
Pitchers
Where to start? There are a trio of sure major leaguers in this bunch with Allen Webster, Matt Barnes and Henry Owens. With a fairly stacked rotation in the big leagues, all three will start the season in Triple-A and are the Sox’ first line of defense in case of injury. Owens, 21, may not start in Triple-A as he only pitched 30 1/3 innings in Double-A last year and could end up starting in Portland. Webster, 24, is more advanced with his control and Barnes, after striking out 135 in 108 innings in Double-A has nothing left to prove at that level.
Another arm who will return to Pawtucket is Anthony Ranaudo who was successful in six Triple-A appearances in 2013. With the lowest ceiling of the bunch, Ranaudo is probably going to be a major leaguer and has an outstanding minor league resume to date.
Hitters
Again, there’s a lot to love here. If you like watching catchers behind the plate, the Paw Sox will feature one of the best in baseball in Christian Vazquez. Vazquez’s pop time (quickness in getting the ball off to second base when a runner is stealing) made for a “did you see that?” moment in the New Hampshire press box last year, absolutely stunning scouts and media-types in attendance. The nice thing is that he’s shown that he can hit a little bit and, with a decent year with the stick in 2014, could be considered a solid-hitting, great-glove catcher for the Red Sox.
Third baseman Garin Cecchini is also projected to start the season in Triple-A. While his tools don’t scream out, he’s very solid across the board and has one of the best approaches in the minor leagues. The 22 year old has consistently posted OBPs in the .400 (and above) area at every level of the minor leagues. He gets comparisons to Kevin Youkilis but hasn’t shown as much power yet.
The outfield also looks to have some older prospects who could be big league contributors in Bryce Brentz and Alex Hassan. Hassan hasn’t had a great spring but Brentz has dominated, hitting .360 with three home runs in 25 at bats.
Nov 2, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Alex Meyer against the East during the Fall Stars Game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Rochester Red Wings
Parent Club: Minnesota Twins
With one of the best minor league systems in baseball, the Twins look to have an exciting team in Rochester this season. That said, with Miguel Sano requiring Tommy John surgery during spring training, the highest rated prospect who would have been with Rochester probably won’t play in 2014. Most of the club’s better prospects are likely going to be further down in the system and if they reach Rochester, it won’t be until later in the season.
Pitchers
Top pitching prospect Alex Meyer is expected to see Rochester some time this season. With 70 innings in 2013 in Double-A New Britain, hard-throwing Meyer is looking at at least half a season in Triple-A before ascending to the majors. The Twins will likely take their time with him, mainly due to the fact that they signed several free agent pitchers this offseason.
Another highly-thought-of prospect, Trevor May will likely end up in Rochester, thanks to a strong season in New Hampshire in 2013 that saw him strike out over a batter per inning. Lefty Sean Gilmartin, who has a lower ceiling, already has Triple-A experience with the Braves organization but struggled somewhat and, at 23 years old, isn’t too old to take a step back if the Twins think he needs more time.
Hitters
The hitting side of things is further crippled thanks to the suspension of Eddie Rosario. He’ll miss the first 50 games of the season thanks to testing positive a second time for a drug of abuse. When he returns, he’ll be an exciting player for the Red Wings. Byron Buxton could make it to Rochester but will likely start the season in New Britain after tearing up A-ball in 2013. With excellent speed and solid contact ability, infielder Danny Santana is likely one of guys to watch coming into the season. Hitting almost .300 last year with New Britain, Santana also stole 30 bases and will be a cornerstone of the Red Wings’ left side of the infield to start 2014.
Feb 25, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees catcher John Ryan Murphy (66) hits a RBI double in foruth inning against the Florida State Seminoles at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders
Parent Club: New York Yankees
The Yankees don’t have a particularly deep farm system but will likely have have some good young position players to go with a few younger, mostly relief pitchers.
Pitchers
Sitting mostly in the 10-20 range of the Yankees prospects, righties Jose Ramirez, Bryan Mitchell and Mark Montgomery are all slated to begin the season in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Ramirez made eight starts with the Rail Riders in 2013 but struggled, walking 21 batters in 31 1/3 innings. Mitchell accumulated over 145 innings in 2013 but only 18 2/3 of them were in Double-A. He’s been optioned to Triple-A, however, and looks to start the season with the Rail Riders. He’s shown some decent control and added a cutter and is probably going to rack up fewer strikeouts by pitching to contact. Montgomery is a reliever and had a lot of success in Triple-A last year, striking out 49 in just 40 innings but also walked 25. He’s only 23 and if he can stay healthy, he’ll be in New York sooner rather than later.
Hitters
By keeping Francisco Cervelli on the big league club, J.R. Murphy will grace Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, hoping to carve out a job in the majors somewhere, especially considering that he has Brian McCann in front of him and Gary Sanchez coming up behind him. Murhpy is a good defensive catcher but has also shown the ability to hit pretty much everywhere, posting a .347 OBP between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with 12 home runs.
Outfielder Slade Heathcott is also coming through the organization and is slated to start the season in SWB. He had a very solid season in Trenton but doesn’t stand out in any one area. With 37 extra-base hits and 15 stolen bases, he has a wide enough variety of skills to be able to be effective. Tyler Austin could end up in Triple-A but, at the moment, he’s slated to start in Double-A. He profiles to be a similar type of player as Heathcott but without the threat of a stolen base every time he’s on the bases.
Mar 3, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop Zach Walters (4) bats in the second inning as they play the New York Yankees in a spring training exhibition game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Syracuse Chiefs
Parent Club: Washington Nationals
At first glance, the Syracuse Chiefs are looking like they’re going to start the season without a lot of prospects. Most of the top-ranked young players for the Nats are going to start 2014 in Double-A Harrisburg (including A.J. Cole, Brian Goodwin, Sammy Solis and Matt Purke). If you’re a prospect hunter, I might wait until June before heading to Syracuse to get a look at the most exciting bats and arms.
Pitchers
One of the few pitchers that might start the season with the Chiefs is Aaron Barrett who had a great season in Harrisburg last year, saving 26 games. No other pitcher listed on the Chiefs website is under 26.
Hitters
Things are a little more rosy on the position player side of things with 24-year-old Zach Walters scheduled to start the season in Syracuse. Walters blasted 29 home runs in Syracuse last year as the shortstop but is stuck on the depth chart behind Ian Desmond at shortstop and Ryan Zimmerman at third base. Walters also struck out 134 times and took just 20 walks and will need to provide more than a .286 OBP to make the cut.
Two outfielders are also looking interesting. Eury Perez is a 23-year-old Dominican who has already had some success at the Triple-A level with a .300/.336/.422 line in Syracuse last year. Steven Souza is looking to take the next step at age 24 after a couple of lost years in his minor league career that set him back. With a very strong season in Double-A Harrisburg last year (that featured a .300/.396/.557 slash line with 15 home runs in 273 at bats), Souza is looking like a legitimate, well-rounded player.