Beck's Minor League Threecap: 7/29/2024
A bat-first catcher, getting fanned in Spokane, and a sack of sliders
It’s getting a little trickier to do the Threecap with so many prospects on the move! We’ve seen a number of skipped starts already as both George Klassen and Dylan Lesko have had cross-country moves over the last few days. That’s obviously going to continue for the next couple of days. Nevertheless we persist.
Desirable Taits.
Eduardo Tait (PHI) was one of the youngest players in the 2023 IFA class and is currently competing in full-season ball at just 17 years old following his promotion to Clearwater on July 23rd. He had a stellar DSL campaign last year that included 23 extra-base hits in 52 games. In many ways his performance this year has been even more impressive as his offensive game has translated stateside, which is far from a given for any international player let alone one as young as he is. He’s physically impressive with a gorgeous left-handed swing already, and while his defensive acumen behind the plate might hold him back a smidge in real-life rankings, his potential as a hitter is evident. He’s posting exit velocities just a stone’s throw away from the MLB average already. He collected a double and his first home run at Single-A in a 2-for-2 day on Sunday.
The Red Sox opted for Mikey Romero (BOS) with the 34th pick in the 2022 draft as an impressive prep with a long resume of performance in the California high school ranks. He showed up well in just under 20 games following the draft but struggled with injury and appeared in just 34 contests in 2023, and the results when he did play were lackluster. He’s got a pretty swing and a knack for contact but has yet to demonstrate real pop. This year has been a rebound, for certain, but I’m still skeptical about his future as an impact big leaguer given the likelihood he has to move off of shortstop and the questions still outstanding about his ability as a hitter. He was 4-for-5 with two home runs and a double on Sunday, marking his second two-homer game in seven days.
This is Sparta… Err, Troy.
I’ve written about Sean Sullivan (COL) so many times this year that there isn’t really much left to say. He’s dismissed 31.5% of batters via strikeout and walked just 2.5%. He’s registered a 33.1% CSW and 19.7% swinging strike rate. Here’s what I had to say about him following his last start on July 23rd:
“Sullivan just keeps chugging along in one of the most hitter-friendly parks in the minors in Spokane. He went 5.0 scoreless innings and struck out 10 on Tuesday, lowering his ERA to a miniscule 2.30 and notching his third start of the year with at least 10 punchouts. Zebby Matthews gets a lot of praise for his ability to limit walks (1.9%), but Sullivan is right on his heels with just one more base on balls through a very similar inning count (2.3%). He’s thriving despite a pretty high flyball rate (43.7%) and benefitting from a low HR/FB (8.1% where league average typically hovers around 10%), but even his xFIP, which normalizes flyball luck, still sits at 2.79. He doesn’t have overwhelming stuff and it’s tough to see how it’ll translate at the big league level, though he offers a fair bit of deception that is difficult to quantify and surely enough to stymie High-A competition.”
This season hasn’t been the utter dominance I was hoping for out of Troy Melton (DET), but it hasn’t been uninspiring, either. He’s pitched his way to a 4.29 ERA through 79.2 innings and struck out 26.7% of hitters, a figure that has actually ticked up at Double-A despite concerns that his heater and slider might be better handled by hitters with more seasoning than the typical low-minors competition. He might ultimately be a reliever, but not necessarily for traditional reasons; he has above-average control and big stuff that can hold over multiple innings, but might actually be even better in a high-leverage role. The Tigers have given no indication that they intend to shift him to the pen – and why should they, he hasn’t stumbled in any regard as a starter – but it’s something I’m monitoring closely. Part of his run-suppression regression has to do with an unfortunate 19.4% HR/FB rate, but he’s also yielding far more fly balls than grounders. He went 6.0 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts on Sunday.
Sliders, But Not That Kind.
If I’m to carry forward the extended food/table-related metaphor, this would be the equivalent of a meal at White Castle. Sure, there’s a lot of it, but it isn't very good. Multiple guys got tagged with six or more earned runs, a few didn’t make it beyond the three-inning threshold, and we had an injury. We don’t normally eat like this, but once in a while it happens.
Sorry for the small serving size. There’s not much to watch on Tuesday, but none of you will be tuning in anyway as the trade deadline wraps up, so it’s really a non-issue. Should you choose to tune in, I’d recommend getting eyes on Gary Gill Hill.
Gary Gill Hill (2.69 ERA) for the Charleston RiverDogs (TBR) at 6:30 ET
Mick Abel (6.53 ERA) for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (PHI) at 7:05 ET
Robby Snelling (6.01 ERA) for the San Antonio Missions (SDP) at 8:05 ET
Landon Knack (3.54 ERA) for the Oklahoma City Baseball Club (LAD) at 8:35 ET