Beck's Minor League Threecap: 4/8/24

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

Welcome back to the Threecap! Opening weekend for Double-A, High-A, and Single-A has come and gone. There are no minor league games on Mondays (except for a weird makeup game between Worcester and Syracuse), so in lieu of tomorrow’s article I will be putting together a long Twitter thread recapping the last week – I encourage you to check it out! Here’s all the action from Sunday’s slate.

Sunday’s MILB Standouts

Early Hitting Breakouts?

Seattle’s Aidan Smith (SEA) went a little under the radar in last summer’s draft, largely because the Mariners took three preps ahead of him (Emerson, Farmelo, Peete) and that there was another Aidan (Miller, PHI) who went in the first round. He was a popular breakout pick coming into the year and may have arrived earlier than anticipated. He went 3-6 on Sunday against Stockton with a pair of home runs, three RBIs, and two runs. Smith was lauded as the best offensive talent among the Texas prep ranks but lacked showcase exposure, leading him to fall to the fourth round where he signed for $1.2M.

The Dodgers traded Michael Busch and Yency Almonte to the Cubs on January 11th, and received Jackson Ferris and Zyhir Hope (LAD) in return. Hope is a tremendous athlete and an 80-grade runner but had questions about his future impact and present bat-to-ball at draft time. He’s come out of the game extremely hot for Rancho Cucamonga, amassing a .417/.533/1.250 line through three games with three home runs and a stolen base. He could be a significant riser early in the season.

Cristofer Torin (ARI) signed with the Diamondbacks in 2022 and spent the next two seasons progressing from the DSL, to the Complex, to Low-A Visalia. He’s returning to the level in 2024 and had one of the best nights of his professional career on Sunday. He finished the day 4-5 with three singles and a double, five RBIs, and a walk. He did not strike out. He’s a hit-over-power prospect at present and doesn’t project for much more power as he fills out given his diminutive stature, but he is a good runner with above average plate discipline.

Yankees backstop Agustin Ramirez made yesterday’s Threecap (covering Saturday’s games) for starting his season with a home run in each contest. He continued that streak on Sunday with his third homer in as many games and is running a 1.214 OPS so far at the level. Ramirez has already shown EVs that grade his underlying power as firmly plus.

Luis Baez (HOU) is one of my favorite prospects from the 2022 international class. He’s reportedly up to 6-foot-3 at just 20 years old and has easy power with a natural feel for loft. It’s a classic Astros swing plane designed to lift and separate, and boy did he do so on Sunday. He launched his second home run in his second 3-5 performance of the young season and finished the evening with two RBIs and seven total bases.

Toronto Blue Jays 2023 first rounder Arjun Nimmala (TOR) had a pedestrian night at the plate outside of hitting his first pro home run. It traveled 376 feet off of a rehabbing Sawyer Gipson-Long and was a flash of the potential scouts across the industry are bullish on. He has premier bat speed, an ideal frame (6-foot-1, 170 lbs), and standout athleticism. Bat-to-ball has been an issue in the early going as he’s K’d six times in 13 plate appearances, but there’s plenty to dream on here.

This town ain’t big enough for the two of us! At least that’s how I would imagine a conversation between Dodgers’ Max Muncy and Max Muncy (OAK). The younger Muncy had a big night for the Las Vegas Aviators, tallying eight total bases in a 3-5 effort that included two doubles and a home run. He’s getting his first taste of Triple-A and is performing well, but it’s also coming in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. His prior track record doesn’t stand out much, but it’s possible he’s a late bloomer and worth betting on his first-round pedigree. I will not be making any sudden movements to ensure I roster him.

Opening Weekend Had Some Dazzling Pitching Performances.

And they continued on Sunday. Jonah Tong (NYM) dazzled in his season debut for St. Lucie, going 4.1 shutout innings with 11 strikeouts while allowing just two hits and two walks. He’s had a track record of putting up huge strikeout numbers in very small samples (21.0 innings in ‘23, 11.2 innings in ‘22), and may ultimately be a reliever, but his huge stuff was on full display. His fastball regularly touched 21+ inches of induced vertical break, his curveball registered a 53% CSW, and he mixed in both a cutter and a changeup.

Mets fans should be pleased with how things went down on the farm because Calvin Ziegler (NYM) was shoving too. He went four perfect innings with nine strikeouts (75% K%) for Brooklyn on Sunday. He’s been derailed by injury since being selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, tossing just 47.2 innings combined in 2022 and 2022. His 2023 was ended almost immediately by a torn right quad. When he’s right, Ziegler fires a plus fastball in the mid-90’s with great shape, a power curveball in the low-80’s, a slider, and a changeup.

Landen Maroudis (TOR) has been an industry darling in the young season. He was a two-way player at Calvary Christian High School in Florida whose best tools flashed on the mound; he was up to 96 mph in his final year as a prep with excellent carry, showed a changeup with the potential to blossom into a plus offering, and threw a frisbee slider in the low-80’s. His season debut exceeded expectations as he tossed four perfect innings with five strikeouts on Sunday.

Reds lefty Adam Serwinowski (CIN) was a 15th rounder in 2022 as a prep and has thrown just 28.1 innings entering 2024. He was sitting low-90’s when he entered the organization but has shown a considerable leap in stuff since. His fastball was sitting 94 mph (topped at 96 mph) on Saturday and he showed off a low-80’s slider with intense two-plane break. He finished his season debut in Daytona with four scoreless innings under his belt, having allowed just one hit while fanning nine batsmen. He had a 38% whiff rate and a matching 38% CSW on the day. He’s firmly on the watch list as a potential breakout arm.

Even when I’m not writing about Norfolk, I’m writing about Norfolk. Cade Povich (BAL) had a second straight fantastic outing at Triple-A, going five innings and allowing just one run on two hits and three walks while striking out nine. He threw 86 pitches and is ostensibly fully stretched out should Baltimore require his services. I believe he’s leaped Chayce McDermott for the first chance at their rotation.

Planning for Tomorrow.

Here’s what to watch for when MiLB action returns on Tuesday:

• Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) in his season debut for the Altoona Curve at 6:00 ET

• Connor Phillips (CIN) in his second start for the Louisville Bats at 6:05 ET

• Hayden Birdsong (SFG) in his season debut for the Flying Squirrels at 6:35 ET

• Brandon Sproat (NYM) in his season debut for the Cyclones at 7:00 ET

As it’s only Monday morning, there are plenty of TBAs on the calendar. I strongly recommend monitoring the MiLB app for scheduled starters.