Down On The Farm: Prospects Off To A Hot Start At AA Birmingham
Some people consider AA to be the level where the most talent is. This creates a lot of opportunities to have prospects go from AA straight to the major leagues. If a player is performing well at this level, that is a good sign for their development. Here are some of the players that are off to a hot start and some that are off to a slow start.
Off To A Hot Start
One of my favorite prospects on this list, Yoelqui Céspedes has been off to one of the best starts of all the prospects in the minors. In nine games he has hit .245 with two home runs, nine RBIs, with nine walks. This equates to a .463 OBP and a .980 OPS. This is an amazing start and makes up for the average on the lower end.
I for one felt that Cespedes should have been in conversation for the fourth outfielder position in Spring Training, as he is arguably the most toolsy player that the Sox have in the farm system. He can field, he has a great arm, he steals bases, and he has a lot of power in the bat. Hitting for average and his strikeouts may be an issue but I believe that at worst he is an above-average fourth outfielder.
If he keeps this up, I can see him moving up to AAA at some point this year. There is a crowded outfield there, but I would imagine the Sox would like to get him some playing time over some veterans.
Another bat that has started off hot is Sox #21 prospect Luis Mieses. So far he has 11 hits and five RBIs to go along with 11 hits in just nine games. This is a great start for Mieses, as he was promoted to AA late last year. To start off this hot is great news.
He has a great arm to go along with some decent power, as he hit 15 home runs in back years. If he can stay hot this year I can see him getting promoted to AAA as he is 23. If he can display more tools, we could see him in Chicago in 2 years.
A pitcher off to a good start is reliever Alejandro Mateo, who has given up no runs in 6.1 innings to go along with 12 strikeouts. That is about two strikeouts an inning, which is elite stuff.
Mateo is not on many prospect lists for the White Sox, so this is a nice development. He is 29, so he is significantly older than the people he is facing, which would explain the dominance. I would imagine he gets promoted to AAA shortly and if he does well there, he could join the struggling bullpen in Chicago.
Slow Start Out Of The Gate
Unfortunately, Jose Rodriguez has not been off to a great start this year. He is currently hitting .226 with two home runs and two RBIs. For the Sox 6th best prospect, this is not the start he was looking to have.
From the video, you can tell he still is very talented. He is only 21 and still has a lot of promise, so we should not look too much into this start. Coming off a season where he hit .280 with 11 home runs and 68 RBIs with 40 stolen bases, I am sure the front office wanted him to come out of the gate hot.
Once he gets going, I think he will make his way to AAA. Since he is so young, the Sox may view him as the long-term solution at second base, or at least competing for the job next year. I expect him to turn it around soon and hit for a higher average.
Most of the pitching at the AA level has not been off to a great start either. They have the worst ERA as a team in the International League. They have given up 63 earned runs, and the next worst is 38. That is not ideal for the Barons.
Clearly those numbers will not stay that high for the whole season, so we will see who can help right the ship. Hopefully, it is soon and some top guys separate themselves, as the Sox are in heavy need of pitching.