Beck's Minor League Threecap: 4/22/24

Beck breaks down three major things you need to know from yesterday's MiLB action.

Good morning, all. It’s Monday which means back to the grindstone. I’m tapping this out while the plumber tries to figure out why our basement flooded and it’s looking like I’ll be out about a grand when all is said and done. At least I’ll be able to safely flush the toilet!

So it goes. There aren’t any games on today, not even a make up for a rainout, so maybe a good opportunity to watch some old film and get a feel for these guys yourself. Away we go!

Welcome to Spencer’s, the Weirdest Store in the Mall.

Spencer number one making appearance number two on the Threecap is Spencer Horwitz (TOR), who has continued to hit at Triple-A. This isn’t new from him – he carried a .945 OPS at the level in 2023 – and the larger question is whether it’ll translate at the big league level. As I’ve written previously about Horwitz, it’s entirely possible that he’s a league-average bat, perhaps even better, but it’s difficult to make room for a 26-year-old first base-only defensive profile which is only exacerbated by the existence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Justin Turner. In any event, Horwitz had a spectacular day at the dish on Sunday, finishing 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles, three RBIs, and two runs scored.

Spencer number two (number one in our hearts), Spencer Jones (NYY), is making his first Threecap appearance of the year. He has a good excuse, though! He missed the first week or so of games with a bizarre bout of neck soreness that the team hasn’t elaborated on. He’s been back in game action since the 13th with seemingly no ill effects, so perhaps the injury timeline was simply an abundance of caution. He’s laid waste to Double-A since returning, running a .381/.458/.571 slash with a 20.8% strikeout rate, and he added his first home run in yesterday’s bout with the Hartford Yard Goats. He also stole two bases in a 3-for-4 day.

Fettuccine Alfredo Duno (CIN) was a record-setting international signee for the Reds as they doled out $3.1M to secure his services in January of 2023. He was largely overshadowed by Ethan Salas as the latter progressed all the way to Double-A in his first year as a professional (whether it was advisable or warranted is another story), but Duno had a great year in the DSL and he shouldn’t be overlooked. The Reds assigned him directly to Single-A Daytona to open 2024, skipping him over the complex entirely, and he’s come out strong with 11 hits in 10 games, five of which are of the extra-base variety. He launched his first home run of the year yesterday in a 2-for-4 game that included three RBIs.

Colby Shade (MIA) is a 6-foot-1 right-handed outfielder out of Wyoming playing his first year of professional ball after being selected in the ninth round of last summer’s draft. He was a three-year player (two-year starter) at Oregon and had a pretty solid draft year campaign with six home runs and 14 stolen bases (20 attempts) and a .336/.422/.523 line. It’s only been 11 games, but much of what he’s producing on the field corroborates the draft reports that he may not ever be an average power hitter. He’s running a .419 OBP (good!) but a .294 slugging percentage (hit the weight room!) which combine for a very strange total line. He was 3-for-3 with three runs scored, three stolen bases, and, you guessed it, three singles on Sunday.

I’m going to be transparent and lead with the fact that I don’t think there is any real fantasy intrigue with Javier Rivas (PIT). He’s in his fourth year as a professional and has a career .577 OPS, and there isn’t really a park or age adjustment to be made that paints his performance in a rosier light. He’s with Single-A Bradenton and is scuffling early with a .122/.173/.245 slash. This blurb is for all of you out there scouring box scores and figuring out whether you’ve found gold or pyrite – Rivas had a fantastic night on Sunday, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two doubles, but there’s not much to see here (outside of the fact that he’s 6-foot-6 and plays a middle infield position, which is wild).

In a Pinch? He’s Yorman.

There’s an almost never-ending supply of interesting arms popping up in Milwaukee early this year and Yorman Galindez (MIL) is the latest. He was a $10,000 bonus signee in the Brewers’ 2022 international class and has progressed to Single-A Carolina as a 21-year-old. He got a promotion to the level from the Arizona Complex in August of 2023 despite sporting a 5.02 ERA and 1.70 WHIP, which caused a lot of folks to ask “what are we missing here”? We may have seen why on Sunday as Galindez fired 4.0 scoreless innings with seven Ks and just one baserunner allowed on a walk. He was operating at 93 - 95 mph on his fastball and has a new slider that is generating tremendous results. He had 27 CS+W in the outing and is running a 43.2% K-rate through 9.1 innings this year.

Caden Dana (LAA) was not part of the Angels’ unprecedented 2021 class in which they used all 20 of their draft selections on pitchers, but he was part of the 2022 class that featured 10 arms taken and is the most promising starting pitching prospect from that class by a wide margin. He featured on the April 17th rundown, which should tell you two things: (1) he’s been very, very good, and (2) he’s on a normal five-day cadence. The second point there is important as it would mean he’s on schedule to slot right into the Angels’ rotation when needed. He’s only at Double-A, but we’ve seen orgs shy away from subjecting promising pitchers to the PCL. He went 7.0 scoreless and struck out eight on just 78 pitches on Sunday.

My head turned a little when watching Jose Rodriguez (LAD) for the first time yesterday. He’s a 6-foot-6, gangly hurler with an unusual windup that requires him to turn his back entirely to the batter, which may aid in deception but really hinder repeatability and strike-throwing. It wasn’t an issue on Sunday as he tossed 4.2 innings in relief and struck out 11 while employing a sinker that sat 93 mph and touched mid-90’s, changeup with nice fading action, and a slider. He’s on my watch list as a physical specimen in a good development org.

The Phillies took Mavis Graves (PHI) with their sixth round pick in 2022 as a prep righty out of South Carolina. He was a Clemson commit before signing and stood 6-foot-4 on draft day, but now measures 6-foot-6. He doesn’t possess blow-away stuff, but a lefty that tall is a unique look for Single-A hitters. He went 5.0 innings on 75 pitches and struck out nine without allowing a run on Sunday.

Gearing up for Tomorrow.

No games today (boo!) but plenty on TV for you to devour tomorrow. We’re a day out so some of this is subject to change, but here’s what I’m looking forward to watching:

• AJ Blubaugh in his third start for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys at 2:05 ET

• Nolan McLean in his third start for the Brooklyn Cyclones at 7:00 ET

• Brock Porter in his third start for the Hickory Crawdads at 7:00 ET

• Logan Evans in his fourth start for the Arkansas Travelers at 7:05 ET

• David Festa in his fifth start for the St. Paul Saints at 7:35 ET (I’ll be in the house!)