The Dynasty Digest: June 28, 2024

Chris Clegg breaks down more live looks plus all the action from the the DSL to Triple-A.

Cover Photo with image of David Sandlin by Greenville Drive

Where has the month of June gone? It feels like we blinked and over half of the Minor League season is gone. Anyways, it is time to talk top performers from yesterday. With more live looks from Greenville and Asheville. We had an incredible pitchers dual which was much more fun than the 28 combined runs scored in the first two games of the series.

Live Looks

David Sandlin, RHP, BOS, 23, A+

I won’t lie to you, after pounding the table on Sandlin all offseason, I have been a bit worried. Injuries have played a big factor as Sandlin was returning from an oblique injury last year and suffered a forearm injury that caused him to miss six weeks in May and June.

With several of the Red Sox higher-ups in attendance and nearly ten scouts in the stands, things looked like they could go sideways for Sandlin fast. The game started like this: first-pitch double off the wall for Cam Cauley, poor throw by Sandlin on a pickoff, allowing Cauley to third, and then a nine-pitch walk to Yeison Morrobel.

He then made Sebastian Walcott look silly on three pitches with two 98 mph fastballs and an 86 mph sweeper. From there, he never looked back. Sandlin retired nine of the last ten hitters he faced, with the only hit being allowed being an infield single.

Sandlin showed nice poise and intensity on the mound, generating 17 whiffs in three innings, quite an impressive mark. He struck out seven and allowed just one walk, while throwing strikes on 34 of his 47 pitches. It was one of those games where you wish he was not coming off an injury because it could have been a masterful six-inning start.

The arsenal and pitch sequencing were what I have hoped to have seen all year. The fastball sat between 97 and 99 mph, generating six of his 17 whiffs. He showed a true five-pitch mix with five separate velocity bands. The slider was his second most used pitch, sitting in the mid-80s with a sweeper variation. Sandlin also mixed a harder, shorter, cutter sitting 89-90 mph.

The splitter reached 94 and sat between 92-93 all night, yes you read that right. 94 mph splitter that resembled a splitter/splinker of one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. Sandlin rounded out the arsenal with an 80 mph curve that generated several whiffs.

At the end of the day, you can see the arm talent is there. Sandlin has a starters frame with a big upper half and broad shoulders. The arsenal has the potential to be one of a high-end starting pitcher. He is very good, we just need to see consistency.

Mitch Bratt, LHP, TEX, 20, A+

Bratt pitched one of the most efficient games you will see, even though the final line won’t show that. Through seven innings of work, the only damage on the card for Bratt was a solo home run from Jhostynxon Garcia. He had thrown just 64 pitches to complete seven innings, with 55 of those being strikes. It was an insanely dominant performance.

Bratt came out for the eighth inning where he started it with an 11-pitch walk. That one at-bat featured more pitches than any singular inning did all day. An infield single on a nine-pitch at-bat then put runners on first and third. Bratt was pulled and charged for the winning run, coming across on an Ahbram Liendo sacrifice fly.

This is the fifth time seeing Bratt live between the Minors and the AFL and this was the highest his fastball velocity has been. He lived in the 93 mph range all night and touched 95. He threw a slider and changeup in the mid-80s and a curveball in the upper-70s.

Over his last six starts, Bratt has a 1.80 ERA across 35 innings with 29 strikeouts and eight walks. While the overall line was just okay yesterday, it was one of those where you had to be there to understand how well he pitched.

Jedixson Paez, RHP, BOS, 20, A+

Paez piggybacked Sandlin which has been his usual role this year and pitched extremely well. His three inning outing last week in Rome was far from ideal allowing three earned run but Paez bounced back in a strong way on Thursday.

He tossed four no-hit innings, allowing just one walk. He landed 41 of his 60 pitches for strikes while generating 12 whiffs. He added nine more called strikes, good for a 35 percent CSW.

Paez won’t overpower anyone, with his fastball sitting 90-92 mph, but he locates it well and misses bats with the pitch. His slider sits in the low-80s, touching 84, and pairs it with a mid-80s changeup used against left-handed batters.

The season long numbers look great for Paez who has a 2.87 ERA across 53 innings with 67 strikeouts to seven walks. At the moment, I don’t see a MLB starter in the profile, but if the fastball ticks up and he develops a true third pitch, things could get interesting.

Jhostynxon Garcia, OF, BOS, 21, A+

Another day, another home run from Garcia. He left the yard for the third time in four games and the ninth time in 22 games since joining the Drive. He is up to 14 home runs on the year in 46 games to pair with a .310/.376/.679 slash. The strikeout rate sits at a strong 21.5 percent.

Garcia has easy power and controls the barrel well. He lifts the ball with ease and rarely puts the ball on the ground. The contact rates are average, and he handles fastballs extremely well. He has quite a filled-out frame, and I wonder if he will be able to handle the outfield long-term. With Miguel Bleis in Greenville, Garcia has moved to a corner or DH’d.

The profile is a lot of fun and the power outburst this year has been a welcomed sight after he hit just four last year. The home run last night left the bat at 105 mph, after a 108 mph shot on Wednesday, showing the real juice he has.

That is everything you need to know from the live looks section today. We will be back tomorrow with a Joseph Montalvo start and then Alejandro Rosario on Saturday night. Go ahead and hit the subscribe button as I continue to bring you more in-depth live looks as any out there, plus provide you to the tools to win in dynasty.