Beck's Minor League Threecap: 6/18/2024

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

Good evening friends. Your assigned reading is short and sweet tonight with only the DSL and Complexes going yesterday. Back to your regularly scheduled programming tomorrow!

Out of My Depth.

I’m always going to shoot straight with you all. I am not the premier source for DSL information and evaluation. I don’t have the requisite patience to roster them, I find projecting them very difficult, and there is very little data to back up the eye test when you can get your hands on video. All of that duly considered, Daiber De Los Santos (MIN) is lighting it up. He was MLB.com’s #8 international prospect in the 2024 crop and the Twins paid him as such, inking him to a lucrative $1.9M deal. He was lauded for his physical tools and projection on both sides of the ball. He’s put together a .321/.412/.607 slash with two doubles and two home runs through his first nine Dominican Summer League games, and it’s encouraging to see his raw power show up in games early. On the other hand, he’s struck out in 11 of 34 plate appearances. It’s all small sample, but we’re starting to see a little of how it could all come together. He was 3-for-4 with a home run on Monday.

It feels like I’m writing about Felnin Celesten (SEA) every Tuesday, but he’s really good, y’all. He’s carrying a .328/.410/.936 slash through 134 plate appearances and has been in the top 20 of a number of major offensive categories in the ACL for the entirety of the season. He was 5-for-6 with a double and a home run on Monday. Here’s what I had to say last time:

Felnin Celesten signed for a club-record $4.7M bonus in January of 2023 but missed the entirety of the DSL season with a grade two hamstring strain. The game action he’s seen in the ACL thus far has been his only professional experience and he’s handling it with aplomb. He started his professional career with a 10-game hitting streak and currently sports a .309/.398/.485 slash with two home runs and four stolen bases through 25 contests. That performance has led to speculation – or outright expectation –  from Seattle-area outlets that he’ll be promoted to Single-A Modesto in the near future. He was regarded as having one of the highest ceilings of the past few international classes at the time of signing and has added 10-15 pounds of muscle since. His swing is pretty from both sides, more powerful from the right than the left at present, and the small concern over his plate approach hasn’t materialized yet.

Emiliano Galan (TBR) is a new name for me. He signed for $250K in January and is getting his first taste of professional ball in the DSL. Scouting reports around the signing period billed him as a power hitting corner outfielder and he’s already collected a home run and a double in his first 27 plate appearances, both of which came in a 3-for-4 effort on Monday. It’s a tiny sample (you know how numbers work sequentially) and his BABIP has been quite low (.250), but the results outside of those two extra-base hits haven’t been there thus far. He’s the owner of a .231/.259/.385 slash at present.

ICYMI.

I have some readership here that isn’t following me and/or isn’t on Twitter, so I thought I’d pass along some pitching breakdowns that went up over there the last few days in lieu of talking about DSL/CPX pitchers.

I broke down Zebby Matthews (MIN) on Monday night and Caden Dana (LAA) earlier this evening. If there’s enough demand for it I might make it part of my regular routine. Enjoy!

Out of Office. 

No table today because there is no viewing guide for Mondays. We’re (say it with me) stocking the pond again. Here’s what to watch for on Wednesday – I strongly recommend tuning into Caden Dana vs. Jacob Misiorowski for one of the better head-to-head pitching matchups in the last few weeks:

• Yilber Diaz (8.31 ERA) for the Renos Aces (ARI) at 2:05 ET

• Carson Whisenhunt (5.24 ERA) for the Sacramento River Cats (SFG) at 3:05 ET

• Carson Palmquist (3.02 ERA) for the Hartford Yard Goats (COL) at 6:30 ET

• Joander Suarez (4.76 ERA) for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (NYM) at 6:35 ET

• Will Warren (7.01 ERA) for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (NYY) at 6:35 ET

• Chayce McDermott (3.62 ERA) for the Norfolk Tides (BAL) at 7:05 ET

• Caden Dana (2.31 ERA) for the Rocket City Trash Pandas (LAA) at 7:35 ET

• Jacob Misiorowski (3.88 ERA) for the Biloxi Shuckers (MIL) at 7:35 ET

• Spencer Giesting (0.00 ERA) for the Amarillo Sod Poodles (ARI) at 8:05 ET