Brewers 1B Tyler Black has always produced, posting on base percentages around .400 or better every step of the way since he was drafted 33rd overall out of Wright State in 2021. He also hit 18 home runs and stole 55 bases in 123 games across two levels in 2023. With Rhys Hoskins at first base, Black figures to get in where he fits in when he can, probably at designated hitter as often as not. In other words, defense is not Black’s most colorful attribute, but that won’t matter much for our purposes as long he’s in the lineup. He picked up two hits in four at bats in his debut, and new manager Pat Murphy has demonstrated skill in spreading opportunities among everyone on his roster and rewarding anyone who’s hitting. Gotta think Heston Kjerstad or Jose Fermin would not ride the pine for a week if promoted to Murphy’s care.
Like Black, Rockies OF Jordan Beck collected a couple hits in his debut Tuesday night. The Rockies continue to play Charlie Blackmon, so Beck needed Nolan Jones to become sore from head to toe like a loser, baby, but we can’t just kill him yet for fantasy purposes no matter how many rosters he’s sinking across our game. Jones will return at some point, but lower back strains are never good news and are incredibly tricky to navigate, especially for aging keyboard people like myself. I can’t remember how it feels to have a sore back as a 25-year-old, but I’m betting it’s not great then, either. Beck was slashing .307/.405/.594 with five homers and five steals in 25 Triple-A games and should definitely be in the lineup as long as he’s competitive, but this is Colorado, so we’ll always be waiting for Bud Black to wake up screaming and kick Beck down a well.
Tigers OF Wenceel Perez is a switch-hitter who came up as a shortstop before switching to outfield this season. He’s played center and right field so far, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him popping up all over the field for these cats and kittens if he keeps hitting. Through 15 games, he’s slashing .302/.375/.628 with three home runs and two steals. At the moment, there’s no need to Perez him back on the dirt as Parker Meadows is lost in a valley, leaving Perez free to be an everyday player since April 19. He has batted mostly second and third in the order and might keep his spot even if he encounters an extended slump at some point.
In a face-off against Blue Jays RHP Alek Manoah on Tuesday night, Pirates RHP Paul Skenes threw six shutout innings with seven strikeouts. His longest professional outing had been 4.1 innings his last time out. Even in the shallowest of shallow mixers, Skenes is probably not available, but Manoah sure might be. He allowed two hits, two walks and one run in his six innings, recording 12 strikeouts along the way. Most encouragingly to me, he had excellent command of his slider and threw it in any count. With Blue Jays RHP Yariel Rodriguez on the injured list, the door is wide open for Manoah to reclaim a rotation spot.
Here’s what I wrote about Cubs RHP Cade Horton in Prospect News: Stash List Volume 1: Skenes The Mountain:
“The club is slow-playing the 7th overall pick in the 2022 draft to some extent. He’s started just three games and thrown just 11.1 innings at a level that’s a notch below where he should probably be, but they can’t love the idea of burning up too many more innings in the minors. They’ve had good fortune with Javier Assad and Jameson Taillon looking like solid starters and Ben Brown commanding the zone, but with Kyle Hendriks looking cooked, Horton’s time is coming.”
Fast forward four days, and the club has made it official that Horton will make his next start at Triple-A. His final Double-A outing covered five shutout innings. Can’t be long now.
White Sox 3B Brooks Baldwin (23, AA) refuses to make outs, slashing .406/.454/.566 with one home run and three steals. He reminds me a little of Brewers hit machine Mike Boeve in that he’s from a smallish school (UNC Wilmington) and might not offer much power or speed, but his hit tool is still seeking its level. One difference here is Baldwin plays for the White Sox and might not garner a Boeve-ian level of intrigue around the echo chamber.
Since April 14, Rangers SS Sebastian Walcott (18, A+) is slashing .275/.408/.475 with two home runs and an 18.4-to-24.5 percent walk-to-strikeout rate. It’s just 11 games, but I’m extremely impressed at the quick bounceback from a difficult first week in a league where he’s 4.2 years younger than the average age.
I don’t typically empty the free agent budget for Low-A pitchers, but Guardians LHP Matt Wilkinson (21, A) recorded 15 strikeouts over six hitless innings on April 25, bringing his season-long total to 41 strikeouts across 20.2 innings. His ERA is 0.44. His WHIP is 0.58. His K-BB rate is 47.9 percent. At 6’1” 270 lbs, Wilkinson does not fit a typical profile and appears to have fallen through the cracks to the 10th round in 2023 via Central Arizona College.
Thanks for reading!