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

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

Hey folks! Today’s Threecap is coming out a little later as I comb through the film I got at the St. Paul Saints vs. Rochester Red Wings game last night. David Festa was on the hill for the Saints and Jackson Rutledge started for Rochester.

James Wood is a sight to behold. Let’s dive in!

Clubbin’ Cubbies.

I last wrote about Kevin Alcantara (CHC) on the April 19th edition of the Threecap as he was just emerging from a 0-26 slump to open the year with Double-A Tennessee. What a difference seven days can make! He’s now got hits in each of his last six games, four of which were of the multi-hit variety, and five extra-base hits in that time. I noted in his last blurb that he’s prone to streakiness, and the first few weeks of 2024 have really exemplified that. He finished Tuesday’s game with three hits in five at-bats, including two home runs. All five of his batted balls were over 100 mph (per Aram Leighton – @aramleighton8 on X).

I had a lovely conversation on James Anderson’s Rotowire Prospect podcast a little over a week ago. He had flagged that James Triantos (CHC) was a guy who anticipated a jump in batted ball impact from this year as he made his way to the Majors. I can only imagine he went to bed with a grin on his face last night after seeing Triantos go yard twice in a 3-for-5 effort that also included a double. Between Alcantara and Triantos there were about a quarter mile of home runs for the Smokies on Tuesday night. Triantos has a slugging percentage that begins with a five after it finished at .417 last year.

Lenyn Sosa (CHW) had been a mainstay in the lineup on the South side as he logged 40 plate appearances for the White Sox between April 6th and April 21st. That didn’t go particularly well – he had finished with a -1 OPS+ and -0.6 WAR in 12 games – and he finds himself back in Charlotte for the time being. His first game down on the farm was a banger as he racked up four hits in five at-bats including a pair of homers. Based on the big league sample we have he’s probably just a Quad-A guy moving forward.

We got news that Hunter Goodman (COL) was recalled from Triple-A and will join the big league club for Thursday’s game against the Padres. He is not in the lineup Wednesday, which is a shame because he’s been one of the hottest hitters at any level in the sport. He’s racked up 11 hits in his last six games (including Tuesday), nine of which were for extra-bases (six home runs and three doubles). He’s carried a .379/.400/1.103 line in that time. His last game before being called up was a 4-for-6 evening with a home run and a pair of doubles.

Did you forget about Deyvison De Los Santos (ARI)? Cleveland snapped him up in the Rule 5 draft after he swatted 20 home runs and 16 doubles in 113 games at Double-A, but designated him for assignment after a challenging spring. It’s pretty safe to say he’s enjoying the homecoming in Amarillo, as he’s produced a .371/.418/.677 line through 15 games. It’s been a lot of what you expect from him thus far: big time power manifesting in five home runs and major hit tool concerns in the form of a 26.9% K-rate. He was 4-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs, and three runs scored on Tuesday.

It’s All About the Mets.

This is the third Threecap appearance for Christian Scott (NYM), which should feel like a lot of appearances given he’s made just four starts. A 75% hit rate ain’t half bad (it’s actually three-quarters good). He tossed 85 pitches over 6.1 innings on Tuesday while surrendering just two earned runs and striking out eight. He’s averaging 86.5 pitches per outing thus far, which signals to me that he’s sufficiently stretched out. His performance warrants a promotion, and given that he only threw 87.2 innings in total last year, his remaining bullets are probably best spent at the big-league level.

Jack Wenninger (NYM) is actually a Jonathan who shortens his name to Jack, which is a bit of nominative sleight of hand that has never quite made sense to me. He was the Mets’ sixth-round selection last summer out of the University of Illinois, where he started 46 games and had a career 5.03 ERA. Early returns as a professional have been promising on a very small sample – seven earned runs in 20.1 innings for a 3.10 ERA – and could have further upside in the tank. He’s already 6-foot-4, but long legs and a high waist might mean he’s not done, and there is obvious room for him to add velocity. He went 6.0 scoreless with ten strikeouts and just one baserunner on a lone single on Tuesday. He’s a watchlist candidate early on.

I’m not willing to do the legwork to verify at this hour, but I believe Trevor Martin (TBR) is the only other arm to join Christian Scott in the three-time Threecap club. He had one blow-up that resulted in five earned runs over five innings, but outside of that he’s been stellar. His three other outings have totaled 17.2 innings, 24 strikeouts, and two earned runs. The big revelation year-over-year appears to be his ability to throw strikes, which has ticked up 7% early this year. It’s a back-end start profile at present but I have a soft spot for him because he’s enormous and fun to watch.

I don’t know much about Riley Bauman (LAA), a fact for which I’m going to grant myself some grace as he was a 13th-round pick last summer out of Abilene Christian University, where he threw precisely 4.1 innings in totality. He popped in instructs last year when he hit 98 mph on his fastball, and the stuff has carried over into this year and he has 24 strikeouts in 13.0 innings. His outing on Tuesday was his best yet as he completed 6.0 innings, sat down 11 batters by strikeout, and allowed one earned run.

Saints and Red Wings Breakdown.

You’ll have to peruse probable starters yourself because I’m choosing to prioritize bringing you some film and notes from my live looks last night. It was a chilly night in Saint Paul despite the thermometer reading 50 degrees. The wind had a lot of bite and the players were visibly cold, but the teams combined for 24 runs in spite of the weather.

David Festa (MIN) was locked in. He looked much better than his line (3.1 IP, 1 ER, 5 Ks, 1 BB) would suggest. He was throwing strikes (59% strikes through his first four outings, 70% on Tuesday) and had his breaking ball really working. He definitely could have gone longer, but given that he was waiting for a long time between each inning and had a healthy lead, the Saints decided to play it safe with him. Here’s a clip of him freezing James Wood on a backdoor bender:

James Wood (WSH) is just an impossibly fluid and fast athlete at his size. He sticks out like a sore thumb on the field. He had pretty whatever day at the plate while getting squeezed a little in his first few at bats, ultimately finishing 1-for-4 with two strikeouts, two walks, and a double off of Jhoan Duran. Here’s the double: