Since we have worked our way through Triple-A and Double-A prospects, let’s shift our gaze now to the full-season advanced High-A leagues looking for future talent.
To begin the journey, which is often rich with potential, we will go to the Carolina League for the first stop. Remember though, it is not uncommon for a young player to assemble some serious numbers at High-A only to hit a speed bump at the real testing ground, Double-A. This is not to say there aren’t solid young players worthy of attention at the A level, but rather the greatest number of players who will struggle trying to make it to the Show will be those who did succeed at A, but then stumbled with the promotion.
Ryan Mountcastle (3B, Orioles): Let’s lead off with another of the hitters I saw at the Fall League, but just did not have room to cover. Yet. But here we are, and I did see four of Mountcastle’s at-bats, two of which were lined doubles. A 2015 first-round selection out of Hagerty High School in Florida, Mountcastle had enough game to spend his first full pro season at Delmarva, going .281-10-51. That earned him a start at Frederick for 2017, where the 20-year-old went .315-14-57 over 88 games before that tough jump to AA (.239-3-15) where Mountcastle should get the hang and move toward Camden.
Luis La O (2B, Rangers): At 25, La O seems like a generation older than many of his counterparts, but the Rangers infielder is a Cuban import, meaning a slightly different timeline. Signed in January of this year, La O went .292-8-53 with 11 steals (however, 10 caught). As it was, I saw the infielder play at the AFL as well, and he went 0-for-4 while nursing a .196-2-7 line, but as we know, the Cubans seem to adjust to our way of play as well if not better than any other culture, so by virtue of that, La deserves some tracking, and it will indeed be “make or break” for him at AA next year.
Triston McKenzie (P, Indians): A compensation pick in 2015, McKenzie is a 6-foot-5 right-hander who managed to lead his circuit in strikeouts in 2017 with 186 over 143 innings, upon which a 12-6, 3.46 season was built. With a total of 307 strikeouts over 238.3 innings, to go with a 0.99 WHIP (70 walks, 167 hits), there is every reason to expect Triston to continue to dominate. Add in the fact that he is just 20 and weighs just 165, the potential for growth, velocity, and dominance to fall in place seems pretty good.
Jordan Yamamoto (P, Brewers): A native Hawaiian with a name that represents the absolute best of multiculturalism, Yamamoto whiffed 113 over 111 innings, going 9-4, 2.51 for Carolina. With just a 1.09 WHIP (91 hits, 30 BB), the 2014 12th rounder has moved up a level a year to get to A. His 346 strikeouts over 329 minor league innings — and major control improvements that past two seasons — show that the 21-year old is ready to move up a level next year.
Kodi Medeiros (P, Brewers): Yamamoto’s Mudcats teammate also happens to be a 21-year native of the Islands, although Medeiros was a first-round selection in 2014 from Hilo. The Southpaw had a tougher time than did his mate, posting an 8-9, 4.98 mark over 129.3 innings with 121 strikeouts. With 169 overall walks over 324.3 innings in the minors, control is the issue that will prevent further advancement, but the 305 strikeouts are worth watching this season.
Josh Morgan (SS, Rangers): It is amazing how adept the Rangers are at digging up these middle infield nuggets, but add Morgan, a third-round pick in 2014 to the list. Morgan went .270-6-45, scoring 57 runs last year at Down East. At 22 just this past week, Morgan is a bit older than a lot of players at this level, but he still has some time — and tools worth watching — to add something to his good game and move up.
Dane Dunning (P, White Sox): A first-round pick out of Florida by the Nationals in 2016, Dunning went to the Windy City along with Luis Giolito as part of the Adam Eaton deal. The right-hander spent 26 innings at Kanapolis (2-0, 0.35) before advancing to Winston-Salem, where the 22-year-old was 6-8, 3.51 making for an 8-8, 2.91 season with 168 strikeouts over 144 innings with a 1.15 WHIP.
Ademar Rifaela (OF, Orioles): Like Hensley Muelens, Rifaela hails from the island of Curacao. Signed when he was 17, Rifaela has similarly moved up his system’s chain, advancing two levels in 2015 (New York-Penn League to the Sally League) and again in 2016 (Sally League to the Carolina). At Frederick last year the outfielder hit .284-24-78, although he could increase his contact rate which is highlighted by 124 strikeouts to 41 walks.
Remember to tune into the Tout Wars Hour on the FNTSY network, hosted by me, with Justin Mason and featuring Lord Z every Thursday night at 9 PM ET.
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