Prospect News: The Big Misiorowski or Weekend At Bernal’s

Promotions are flying fast and furious like Vin Diesel behind the wheel, so we’ll discuss a few key ones before drifting around the bend toward some happenings throughout the minor leagues. 

Big news first though of course you’ve seen it by now: Red Sox OF Roman Anthony is on the march. An interesting piece is Alex Cora suggesting OF Wilyer Abreu will require the minimum ten-day stay on the injured list. We’ll finally get to see how they plan to juggle the hitters. Should’ve been doing it earlier and giving guys days off, but hindsight and whatnot. 

Brewers RHP Jacob Misiorowski is slated to take the hill Thursday, which you love to see. Even though the team is flush with options, its developmental arm has deemed Le Miz ready to roll, so roll he shall. Can probably count the orgs willing to do that on one hand. I’ve been writing about him all year, so I don’t have a ton more to say for the moment. Milwaukee makes its living developing dynamite pitchers, and Misiorowski has as much talent as any one they’ve had. 

Rockies OF Sterlin Thompson (23, AAA) is going full Silver Surfer mode in Triple-A, slashing .369/.485/.714 with a 15.5%-to-11.7% strikeout-to-walk rate since my good friend Todd’s birthday. That’s May 7th, in case anyone wants to send him a card. He’s hit six home runs and stolen seven bases without getting caught over those 23 games. How Sad does Colorado’s player development have to become for everyone to go “meh” when a Rockies’ first-round pick goes nuclear? 2025 levels of Sad, I guess. Small potatoes, in context, considering . . . (gestures toward snapshots of fascism spreading its tentacles). Thing is, unlike the fascism, you’re often right if you just ignore the Rockies, so guys like Thompson are easy to acquire and easy to cut. Still, I think now’s the time to add him where it makes sense and let that spot simmer for a few weeks. 

It’s not easy to see how Cardinals C Leonardo Bernal (21, AA) fits into the long-term picture behind the plate, but he’s setting himself up to be a valuable deadline trade chip if the team chooses to go that route. The 6’0” 245 lb switch hitter is slashing .301/.383/.542 with nine home runs, four stolen bases, and a 25-to-21 strikeout-to-walk rate through 41 games against a level that’s 3.1 years older than him on average. Helps that he’s so big, age-to-level wise, but there’s a lot more than that in play here. Bernal has excellent hands and natural lift. Nice target for a rebuilding team with a piece the Cards could use. 

Signed out of Colombia in 2022, Rangers RHP David Davalillo (22, A+) has dominated his way to High-A in a short few years and has a 1.09 ERA and 0.75 WHIP and 68 strikeouts through 49.1 innings at the level this season. I’d be surprised if he makes more than another couple starts there. Looks like four solid pitches with a potential knockout weapon in the splitter. Command is the key here though. If he can get even more consistent in spotting pitches like he has this season, Davalillo has a chance at Kirby-esque outcomes. 

For what it’s Wuertz, I’m thinking all of the featured players this week should be rostered in most leagues, including Red Sox 1B Freili Encarnacion (20, A+), who’s starting to get some traction in some leagues I’m playing. He was promoted to High-A last week on the strength of a 153 wRC+ in Low-A, and the new level doesn’t seem to be a problem. Through six games, the 6’2” 181 lb righty is slashing .300/.364/.700 with two home runs. Reminds me a little of when the password started breaking out. 

Speaking of breakouts, Reds C Alfredo Duno (19, A) is fully locked in at Low-A, walking 20 times against 12 strikeouts in his last 15 games while slashing .383/.574/.574 with two homers and two steals. An extreme athlete with every tool in the store, Duno’s primary problem had been a free-swinging style that left him exposed to breaking pitches. Tough to say anything’s fixed or changed for good because of a few weeks in the lower minors, but it’s pretty great news for investors with a Duno-heavy portfolio. 

I might be a little late to the party in this space, but take a look around for Dodgers OF Ching-Hsien Ko (18, CPX) in your leagues. A left-handed center-field prospect at 6’3” 215 lbs, Ko’s slashing .419/.517/.624 with a 15.5-to-13.8 strikeout-to-walk rate through 27 games. Can’t do much better than that making a stateside debut. Looks like an amateur steal and a nice windfall from the club’s scouting in Taiwan. 

Thanks for reading!