Hot Sheet 2018

[Nate Colbert]

Astros (and former Astros) dominate the BA list for the week ending 6/24 with Tucker at #1, Alvarez at #5, Cesar at #18 and Beer at #19. Re Cesar:

"...is leading the Astros’ system with a .354 average and 90 hits this year. He’s got above-average raw power, too, and could hit his way into a bench role in the major leagues."

Exes Daz Cameron (Verlander trade) and Jorge Guzman (McCann trade) are also on the list, with the former having recently gotten promoted to AA.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-62518/

[Nate Colbert]

Re Cesar:

"...is leading the Astros’ system with a .354 average and 90 hits this year. He’s got above-average raw power, too, and could hit his way into a bench role in the major leagues."

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-62518/

Echoed by FanGraphs' recent blurb on him:

"Cesar is hitting .350/.390/.540 at Double-A, and such performance merits examination and re-evaluation. There are some signs that a portion of this is a mirage; chief among them is Cesar’s .438 BABIP and relatively impatient approach. But Cesar can hit and has the athleticism to play several defensive positions. He profiles as a bench bat at the four corner spots, perhaps even second base."

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/daily-prospect-notes-7-5/

[Nate Colbert]

Celestino was #13 on the BA Hot Sheet this week:

"Celestino is either the best center field prospect in the Astros organization or the second best, depending on one's opinions about whether Myles Straw is a center fielder long-term."

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-7918/

Also made the MLB Pipeline prospect team of the week:

"Celestino has drawn Albert Almora Jr. comparisons since the Astros signed him for $2.5 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2015, and like Almora, he's enjoying his best offensive season. Still just 19, Celestino homered three times last week after going deep just six times in his first 134 pro games."

https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/bobby-dalbec-leads-pipeline-team-of-the-week/c-284971828

(That BA comment above is a bit head-scratching)

[Nate Colbert]

A couple of Astros' mentions in this week's Hot Sheet:

17. Trent Thornton, RHP, Astros
"The Astros do an excellent job developing their minor league pitchers and Thornton, a durable, reliable back-of-the-rotation starting candidate is one of the examples. It’s hard to see where he fits into the Astros stacked rotation this year, but Houston has a pair of starting pitchers hitting free agency after this season (Charlie Morton and Dallas Keuchel) so there may be a spot for Thornton to compete for in 2019."

HELIUM
Patrick Sandoval, LHP, Astros
"His fastball ranges from 88-94 mph, and his changeup is an advanced offering that draws swings and misses and earns plus grades from evaluators. He also has a big mid-70s curveball that’s above-average when he nails it, and a short and tight slider in the low 80s that also flashes average to above-average potential. With an out-pitch changeup, two potential above-average breaking balls and a fastball he can ramp up and down, Sandoval has put himself on the prospect map with both his stuff and his streak."

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-72318/

[Nate Colbert]

Despite last night's less than stellar outing, Corbin Martin was #13 on this week's Hot Sheet.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-8618/

And OF Alex McKenna was named to the MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week.

https://www.mlb.com/news/prospect-team-of-the-week-led-by-rays-duo/c-289125880?tid=151437456

[Nate Colbert]

K. Tucker and Ronnie Dawson at #13 and #14.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-81318/

Tucker was also on the MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week.

https://www.mlb.com/news/prospect-team-of-the-week-led-by-vlad-jr/c-290141106?tid=151437456

[Nate Colbert]

Bukauskas #12 this week.

"In his most recent gem, he showed a 93-95 mph fastball with cutting movement, as well as a putaway slider. He used primarily that combination, with a changeup mixed in, to stymie the prospect-laden Winston-Salem club..."

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/top-mlb-prospects-hot-sheet-82018/

[MusicMan]

Tucker comes in at #1 this week.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[toddthebod]

That was a glowing report on Tucker. 

I can't wait to see him starting in LF next opening day. 

[chuck]

It's simultaneously amazing and unsurprising that Tucker would be abusing AAA and totally lost in the majors. It just goes to show yet again what a huge jump it is.

[Mr. Happy]

It's simultaneously amazing and unsurprising that Tucker would be abusing AAA and totally lost in the majors. It just goes to show yet again what a huge jump it is.

You've lurched upon the truth. The difference between AAA and the Show is a chasm that many can't cross.

[MusicMan]

Tucker struggled with approach.

He also knocked the hell out of a bunch of balls that turned into outs.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[juliogotay]

Tucker struggled with approach.

I would be interested in what this means, precisely? And can it be remedied at AAA by changing some things they sent him back with?

[doyce7]

While there's no doubt that tuckers results in the majors were not good. The underlying stats show he was kind of unlucky. His exit velo average is 90mph which is a little over league average. His xba(expected batting average) is .282. Hard hit percentage is 46% which isn't bad and his chase rate is only 16%, again not bad. Swing and contact rate on balls in the zone is around 80%.

So he's mostly swinging at strikes, isn't missing them at a high rate and hits a decent amount of them hard, just wasnt getting results. He'll be fine, I think.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[MusicMan]

Tucker struggled with approach.

I would be interested in what this means, precisely? And can it be remedied at AAA by changing some things they sent him back with?

Too passive in pitch selection.

Biggest example - in one particular AB with bases loaded, nobody out, down 1 run, he took two strikes after 2-1 to strike out. You can’t wait for a perfect pitch to drive; you MUST put the ball in play. Even a DP grounder is preferable to the strikeout, because the strikeout puts in the possibility that actually followed - a GIDP means you score nothing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jbm]

I agree that his lack of aggression has hurt him on the big club, but I haven’t seen enough of him in the minors. Is he more aggressive in the minors?

At any rate, I’m still a believer, cause why the hell not.

[juliogotay]

Too passive in pitch selection.

Biggest example - in one particular AB with bases loaded, nobody out, down 1 run, he took two strikes after 2-1 to strike out. You can’t wait for a perfect pitch to drive; you MUST put the ball in play. Even a DP grounder is preferable to the strikeout, because the strikeout puts in the possibility that actually followed - a GIDP means you score nothing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gotcha. Thanks.

[Nate Colbert]

Tucker 9th on this week's Hot Sheet.

Ex Patrick Sandoval was #18:

"Sandoval broke out with a 32-inning scoreless streak this summer as a member of the Astros organization, got traded to the Angels for Martin Maldonado at the deadline, and promptly embarked on a 21.2 inning scoreless streak with his new organization. Sandoval capped off his breakout 2018 with one final exceptional outing. He struck out five of his first nine at Pensacola on Aug. 28, and rode that hot start to four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. It was a fitting end for Sandoval, who rose from low Class A to high Class A to Double-A and finished the year 11-1, 2.07 overall with 139 strikeouts and 27 walks in 117.1 innings."