Minor League Baseball Weekend Recap: Top 15 Dominant Performances (Week 16)

At the beginning of each week, I will provide a comprehensive breakdown of everything that happened across the landscape of Minor League Baseball. It might be a little overkill as I wrote far too much on the players that stood out on the weekend, but I hope it helps you better understand why a player performed as they did.

This report, each Monday, will feature the top 15-20 standouts beyond just the box score. I will dive into non-public pitch data and hitters’ statcast data as well. The goal is to help you find prospects that are breaking out early that you should be getting in on in your dynasty leagues.

Minor League Baseball Weekend Recap(Week 16)

Spencer Jones, OF, New York Yankees, 24, AAA

The title of hottest hitter in baseball right now belongs to Jones as he continues to hit the cover off the ball every game. This weekend saw him mash four home runs, including two on Sunday, to pair with four-hit efforts on both Saturday and Sunday. 

The homers yesterday left the bat at 110 mph and 103.7 mph. The power is nothing new and is evident when you watch Jones play. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Jones has a 90th percentile exit velocity of 110 mph with a max north of 115 mph.

Jones is also an exceptional athlete for his size. He runs well and plays a strong centerfield defense, showing good reads and jumps while having plus foot speed over space. The star potential is there, but he lags in the contact department, having some of the worst contact rates in the minors.

Sources tell me that Jones unlocked something this weekend while working on his swing. He struck out just once in 11 trips to the plate between Saturday and Sunday while having an 86 percent zone-contact rate. Small samples, but those are encouraging signs. 

Johnny King, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays, 18, A

King continues his ascent up prospect rankings for good reason. After bumping to Single-A from the complex in late June, King has shown an inconsistent feel for command, but hasn’t let that affect his results. On Sunday, he dominated again, tossing four scoreless innings with just one hit allowed and nine strikeouts. Sure, the four walks are an issue, but the whiff rate stood at an impressive 46 percent, and the arsenal was strong.

King took a step forward in velocity this season and has topped around 97 mph, and has averaged 94-95 mph. He creates upwards of 17 inches of IVB from a 5’6” release height and gets good horizontal movement as well.

The curveball is a hammer of a pitch, having 10-12 inches of glove-side movement and up to negative 13 inches of IVB, showing strong depth. It works around 80 mph, and misses bats at a high clip.

King rounds out the arsenal with an upper-80s changeup that has strong arm-side fade. It ranges from 13-20 inches of fade, and while showing some inconsistencies in movement, it is a solid pitch.

T.J. Nichols, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays, 22, A+

Nichols was one of the better arms in the minors until he hit a rough patch at the end of May. The dominance continues, and Nichols should get the promotion to Double-A soon. On Saturday, Nichols punched out ten batters and walked just two across six scoreless innings. 

The arsenal is good as Nichols leads with a fastball that works 95-97 mph and can touch 99 mph. It does not have a standout shape but does have a decent sinking action. Nichols’ secondaries are where it is at, though, as his slider has a nice two-plane break working 84-87 mph. The changeup has nice depth and fade, working 86-88 mph.

It is a strong arsenal with strong command and control. Nichols has a 68 percent strike rate on the year. Among qualified full-season affiliate pitchers, Nichols ranks fifth in strikeout minus walk rate at 25 percent.

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