The Dynasty Digest: April 19, 2024
Chris Clegg breaks down everything you need to know from yesterday's Minor League action.
It was a slow day for MLB with just five games, so we will just cover Minor League action today, but there was plenty to talk about, so let’s dive in on 15 names that stood out in MiLB yesterday and how we are valuing them moving forward.
MiLB Hitter Standouts
Carson Williams, SS, TB, 20, AA
Williams continues to put on a show in Double-A and after a two home run performance on Thursday, he now has three on the year with a .442/.489/.791 slash. He has swiped four bases and just been caught once and his strikeout rate looks much improved at 19.1 percent.
This should not come as a shock as Williams has always been an excellent athlete that had plenty of projection and present power. Hitting 19 home runs in 2022 in Single-A Charleston, Williams mashed 23 this year, spending time between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, combining 115 games played. Williams also posted strong exit velocities, having a 90th percentile exit velocity right around 107 mph, which is firmly plus power, and there is still more room to add strength to his frame.
The contact has been the biggest question as Williams mashes fastballs and becomes very susceptible to swing and miss against breaking ball, even in the zone, leading to a contact rate around 68 percent in 2023. The contact rate is up which is great, but I want a larger sample against breaking balls to show me the changes are legit.
Maybe I was a year too early when I ranked him as a top-25 prospect heading into 2023.
Cam Collier, 3B, CIN, 19, A+
Collier is on some kind of heater right now as he had a two home run game on Thursday pushed his total to five in 11 games and his slash up to .340/.354/.681. It is important to remember that Collier reclassified and was drafted a year early, meaning he is the age of most players who were drafted last summer.
The underlying data in 2023 showed a mixed bag of results as Collier showed plenty of chase out of the zone, running a 32 percent chase rate. Despite the higher chase rate, Collier did exhibit the ability to make plenty of contact on pitches in the zone, posting a zone contact rate north of 87 percent and an overall contact rate of 77 percent.
The power metrics all looked good as well, especially considering his age. Collier posted an average exit velocity near 90 mph and a 90th percentile exit velocity above 105 mph. The issue is that Collier put the ball on the ground 53 percent of the time, not allowing the hard-hit balls to do any damage.
The ground ball rate currently sits at 46 percent on the year, so there are minor improvements, but it is something to keep a close eye on. Regardless, Collier is hitting the cover off the ball, having exit velocities of 107 and 108 mph on his home runs on Thursday.
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