Rejoice fellow prospectors for Michael Wacha has been slayed and disposed of on the DL with a shoulder injury. Good riddance Wacha, may the rookie nookieing begin. In the immediate aftermath Cards top prospect and K aficionado extraordinaire Alex Reyes was promoted. The early assumption was he’d fill Wacha’s roster spot. That was until he wasn’t. Shortly there after, it broke that he would be used out of the pen rather than take Wacha’s spot. Then Luke Weaver was called up. This made me excited, one because I’m nutty about prospects, two because I own Weaver in a whole shizz ton of leagues, and three because he fits the profile of the rookie starters that have been successful so far this season. What’s that profile Ralph? Control, command, and low walk rates. It’s the love, peace, and chicken grease of pitcher prospecting. Think about it Taillon, Maeda, and most recently Musgrove; the players letting up the least amount of free passes are having the greatest initial success out of the gate. It’s not a coincidence, because talented major league hitters will sit on junk pitches all day, and force you to throw strikes. That’s what Luke Weaver does Gentlemen and five ladies. He throws strikes…. lots of’em. He had 12 total walks in 83 innings at AA and AAA this season. He’s not some Phil Hughes boring control artist either, he brings with him a 10.0 K/9. Weaver keeps the ball in the ballpark too. In fact, he’s only allowed 7 homers across 197 minor league innings. All this to say you should pick him up. Whether you start him on Saturday vs the Cubs is up to your discretion, but there will be other matchups, better matchups. You’ll want him for those.
Weaver was taken with the 27th overall pick back in 2014 after leading the rotation for Florida State. He’s had universal success no matter the level, this claim is backed up by his career 1.78 ERA in the minor leagues. He mixes a four pitch repertoire led by his plus fastball that sits somewhere in 93-96 range. He tends to pitch off his fastball and mix in an above average change with an average curveball, and a slider. He throws all four pitches for strikes, and pounds the strike zone. He frequently gets Tim Hudson comps, but due mostly to his size and smaller frame. He’s a flyball pitcher by nature, but as I previously stated he’s had little to no trouble with the long ball.
As for Reyes, we should all know what he’s capable of. HUGE k upside with some control issues. There’s always been some pen risk with him but his dynamic stuff makes him mix league relevant even as a middle relief arm. I’d own Reyes in all RCL style formats. Here’s what I wrote about Reyes back in February when I reviewed the Cardinals system. “Reyes possesses ace level stuff. A grade 80 fastball that tops out at 100, paired with a plus plus 12-6 hammer curve, and a plus change in the high 80’s makes Reyes’ arsenal quite frankly duuuuurty. Seriously it’s so filthy I removed the i and replaced it with multiple u’s. The one knock is the control can be lacking, but that’s common with young hard throwers. He’ll still pile up K’s and force grounders at a better than 50% rate, and that my friends is the perfect prospect pitching makeup. He should be up late this season if all goes well.” See! I can predict the future, control problems, and late call ups!!! Here’s a scouting video from a few years back but you can see what kind of stuff Reyes is working with.
Minor League Quick Hits
- Last night conquering hi-A hero Francisco Mejia extended his hit streak to 48 games. It’s now the 7th longest in minor league history and just 6 games away from tying DiMaggio’s major league record. FYI the longest hit streak in minor league history belongs to the infamous Joe Wilhoit of 69 games! This means Mejia has a long way to go. Over the course of the streak, which BTW started back on May 27th the 20 year old backstop has hit .389/.415/.601 with 8 homers 41 RBI’s, and 75 hits to 27 strikeouts. If you’re more of an advanced metrics guy or girl, over the course of the streak he’s had a wOBA of .456 and a wRC+ of 188. For what’s it’s worth those number are significantly higher than the Jose Altuve’s the MLB leader in both those categories.
- Hey! If you didn’t know Aaron Judge is back. Since returning last Tuesday he’s slashed .320/.393/.520 with a serious homer off Reynaldo Lopez. My guess is we see Mr. Judge in the Bronx some time between A-Rod’s retirement and Monday. Then again I waited on Trea Turner for about 3 months. So I could be wrong…..But not likely.
- Andrew Benintendi……I had to type his name….I see you J-FOH :)
- It’s been a month since Josh Bell was promoted, went a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate with a grand slam, and was subsequently demoted. Since that time he’s been pretty mediocre at AAA, slashing .247/.351/.321. It’s like he used all of his power to hit that slam and has yet to see it replenish. Truthfully he’s probably pissed, why isn’t he in the majors? He’s nearly 24 and has done all he can do. It’s not like John “Haight” Jaso is the future. Bring up the kid let him play!
- I mentioned Brandon Woodruff a few Sundays back in my Minor League Update, and he’s done nothing but continued to pitch well. On Monday he went 7 strong for the Brewers AA affiliate Biloxi allowing no runs on 5 hits, with no walks and 6 K’s. Since July began he’s 5-1 with an ERA of .41, a K/9 of 10.72, and a Bb/9 of 1.03.
- Billy Beane’s move to trade away a blistered Rich Hill and soon to be free agent Josh Reddick to the Dodgers for three of their top pitching specs is already paying dividends. If only due to Jharel Cotton. Last night the 24 year old righty got within one out of a perfect game, striking out 12 in the process.
- Tom Murphy is going absolutely bananas with the Rockies AAA affiliate Alburquerque. Since July 1st he’s slashed .500/.542/.977. He’s gone 44 for 88 over that span, and connected for 8 homers and 22 extra base hits. His ISO is .477, let’s check his urine please….
Follow Ralph on Twitter @RalphLifshitzBb and check out the Razzball Prospect Podcast with Michael Halpern now on iTunes!!!
