Last week, I described how the Reds might muck about with Elly De La Cruz’s service time – if they chose to do so. Instead, they promptly promoted him. It’s always a relief to see deserving prospects promoted in a timely manner.
To date, De La Cruz is batting .364/.481/.636 in 27 plate appearances with a home run and three steals. His 37 percent strikeout rate is the lone blemish. Like the rookie version of Fernando Tatis Jr., De La Cruz has the capacity to perform despite a high strikeout rate.
Five Big Hype Prospects
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, 23, 1B/3B, CIN (AAA)
199 PA, 17 HR, .362/.427/.734
Next up in the Reds developmental pipeline is Encarnacion-Strand. Known as CES to those who like to write about him without using 28 characters, the powerful corner infielder has punished opposing pitchers to the tune of .542/.633/1.042 (1.675 OPS) in his last six games. He hit seven singles, three doubles, and three home runs over the span.
There are aspects of his game that can temper enthusiasm. There’s a risk his plate approach and high swinging strike rates could lead to high strikeout rates. At this point, he’s utterly eviscerated Triple-A. It’s time to see if those concerns are warranted. The Reds have a minor issue to resolve when it comes to selecting CES’s promotion date. Joey Votto’s rehab will end in about 12 days. His recovery in Triple-A is progressing at a slow pace. Fitting all three of CES, Votto, and Spencer Steer in the regular lineup could prove challenging – and would cost Tyler Stephenson playing time too. Such impediments shouldn’t block Encarnacion-Strand for much longer.
Jordan Lawlar, 20, SS, ARI (AA)
215 PA, 8 HR, 15 SB, .238/.335/.443
Considered one of the top athletes in the minors, Lawlar’s time in Double-A hasn’t been all that impressive. However, in the last week, he’s hitting .407/.429/.704 in 28 plate appearances. He has a 1.029 OPS over his last 73 plate appearances. It would seem he’s made an adjustment. Reports from public sources note concerns about his hit tool. Every other aspect of his game is expected to be above average. Lawlar is the penthouse apartment of prospects – he has a high floor and higher ceiling. Presently, he is on pace to debut in 2024.
Eury Perez, 20, SP, MIA (MLB)
29 IP, 9.31 K/9, 4.03 BB/9, 2.17 ERA
Perez is a big part of the Marlins recent success. Already 3-1 in just six starts, Perez hasn’t missed a beat since skipping from Double-A to the Majors in mid-May. His only truly sub-par outing occurred at Coors Field. While ERA-estimators (4.34 FIP, 4.68 xFIP) suggest he’s had some luck with run prevention, this is still an impressive performance from a young 20-year-old (he has a mid-April birthday).
A peek under the hood suggests Perez still has a thing or two to learn about using his repertoire. He’s regularly using all four of his pitches. Hitters have performed well against his 97.5-mph heater, but they’ve struggled versus the offspeed stuff. Perez features a “big” fastball. It shouldn’t perform as a below-average offering. It’s possible he’s trying to make pitches that would work in Double-A but not the Majors. As he acclimates, I expect his fastball to grade out better.
Jackson Merrill, 20, SS, SDP (A+)
206 PA, 4 HR, 8 SB, .257/.296/.387
The third-highest ranked “Jackson” on most prospect lists, Merrill was a contender for Top 10 prospect status over the offseason. He’s backed up a bit in the early going. The Midwest League happens to be one of the more difficult hitting environments in the minors. While the above triple-slash probably looks bad, it’s only six percent below the league average. Merrill is a hit-over-power prospect who produces high-quality, low-angle contact. The left-handed hitter draws a Michael Brantley comp from the folks at FanGraphs. Though injuries have reduced his developmental opportunities, he remains on pace to debut by his age 22 season.
Adael Amador, 20, 2B, COL (A+)
228 PA, 8 HR, 12 SB, .306/.392/.510
Last season, Amador profiled as a flexible utility fielder. While there’s never been any question about his feel for contact, the quality of that contact often raised eyebrows in a bad way. Amador looks “small” on the field, and that likely colored scouting reports. He’s strengthened over the last year to the point where he’s no longer seen as an ideal utility candidate. He’ll likely plant at second base for the long haul – especially with defensively adept Ezequiel Tovar ahead of him at shortstop. The switch-hitting Amador still has adjustments to make if he’s to make full use of spacious Coors Field. He taps most of his contact on the ground, though the quality of said contact has continually improved over time. Amador has more walks than strikeouts in his professional career and is running a 4.4 percent swinging strike rate this season. He should reach Double-A before much longer.
Three More
Andrew Painter, PHI (20): Painter was on pace to debut as a 19-year-old when a sprained UCL ended his Spring Training bid. He threw a 20-pitch bullpen on Saturday. The coming weeks mark an important step in his recovery.
Marcelo Mayer, BOS (20): Mayer’s time in Double-A isn’t going so hot. The shortstop is batting .154/.227/.333 in 45 plate appearances. A recent report on FanGraphs noted a mechanical shortcoming similar to Jarred Kelenic and Spencer Torkelson – namely, an issue with lifting balls low in the zone.
Connor Norby, BAL (23): There’s no question the Orioles have a lot of infield depth. I’m often asked whom I believe they’ll trade from that depth. Norby is my answer. The short right-handed hitter doesn’t have the utility of others in the system. He’s Major League adjacent and primed for a regular role within the next year. However, he profiles more like a core performer than a high-ceiling star.
Did I miss a detail or nuance? DM me on Twitter @BaseballATeam to suggest corrections.
Encarnacion needs to develop a better attitude and level of citizenship if he wants to discover his true potential. The bat is getting him noticed, but without the other side of life and an approach closer to Dale Murphy the time in the show won’t last long.
Strange that you pick someone like Dale Murphy rather than Mookie Betts or Nolan Arenado. Role models come in a full range of colors.
By the way, how about that Marlins GM who signed Jorge Soler on the cheap and traded for Luis Arraez?
Would you have made that same comment if he had said Mookie Betts? Maybe Dale Murphy was a role model to him. Don’t have to check all the boxes everytime you speak…
Read his past misogynistic posts – I’m seeing a trend.
Strange that you pick someone like Dale Murphy rather than Mookie Betts or Nolan Arenado. Role models come in a full range of colors.”
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Strange that you pick someone like Mookie Betts or Nolan Arenado rather than Hideki Matsui.. Role models come in a full range of colors.
I picked current players. But Matsui has been associated with tons of charity work both here and abroad, so kudos to him.
They also dissed Jim Eisenreich. Role models come in different diseases…
I’m just a gold level citizen, and that cost me 30,000 social credits. What level does he need?
Don’t even say tungsten, because that’s just dumb.
Adael Amador takes a great
Baseball Reference picture!
Lol I had to go check it out and I have to agree.
Looks like a yearbook photo if that yearbook had a baseball theme haha
The Phillies, sans a true #5 staring pitcher, lost another bullpen game last night. Don’t know why Dombro is waiting to address this problem. There has to be a marginal SP available who can outperform the no-names and retreads we trot out there for these bullpen games.
Chris Archer is still a FA, as is Bumgarner. Can’t do any worse than Dylan Covey, he of the 6.00+ career ERA.
Heck, Jeff Hoffman, a former #1 draft pick by the Blue Jays and the supposed big return in the Tulo trade, is now toiling in our bullpen. Why not give him a shot at starting, if only to see if there’s any of that first round pedigree left to untap?
Hoffman… rockies, not bluejays
Hoffman was the Jays #1 pick (9th overall) in 2014. A year later, the Jays traded Hoffman and others to the Rockies for Tulo and LaTroy Hawkins,
The trade didn’t work out well for either side. Hoffman, no doubt adversely affected by pitching half his games in the Colorado thin air, never achieved success once envisioned for him. Bounced from the Rockies to the Reds to the Twins and is now with the Phillies.
Tulo, whose numbers with the Jays fell far short of what they were in Colorado, was also beset with injuries.. He’s just one more example of how the offensive numbers for ex-Rockies take a big hit after they leave Coors.
For his part, Hoffman’s numbers working in relief have been decent. Still, given their few quality alternatives, it might behoove the Phillies to give him a shot as their #5 starter to see, as I pointed out previously, if that first round draft pick pedigree can be unearthed.
Zach Plesac was RIGHT THERE.
I know some fans are impatient for them to call up Encarnation-Strand, but I think the team proved from the call ups of Abbott and De La Cruz and their big league performance after, that they are good at picking the right time.
Yes, I actually said something positive about the front office to the shock of most of you.
Besides, Encarnacion-Strand needs a place to play every day with the Reds. Steer is solid both offensively and defensively at 1B plus Joey Votto will be back to DH about any day now.
Reds will be forced to open a few roster spots over the coming weeks.
I think there will be several traded, sent down, or released when those guys come off the DL or get called up.
Why are we even considering votto. His days are over. He’s a bench player until he proves otherwise. And he’s the past. The future is and should be on the field. Good riddance.
Agreed. Votto shouldn’t be blocking anyone at this point, especially while injured.
In theory Votto’s left-handed bat would be a great complement to their right-handed-heavy 1B/DH options (Steer, Stephenson, CES). In practice it’s tough to expect a 39 year-old coming off major surgery to perform anywhere close to vintage Joey Votto.
$$$$$$$$$
If you paid $1 for a burger and didn’t like it you might throw it out.
If you paid $25 you might force yourself to take more bites. Now multiply by 1 million.
Norby, Mayo, Prieto, Bencosme and on and on and on. There’s only so many paths available to the infield dirt at OPACY. Guys like Westburg, Ortiz, Holliday and utility man Vavra seem to have the inside track to teaming up with Gunnar in future seasons? Somethings gotta give in Birdland.
Maybe trade from the excess for a MLB starting pitcher.
Timing prospect promotions is more than looking at stats against inferior competition. It is common for some to lack plate discipline and chase breaking stuff low/away all day. Guess what they’ll see until proven otherwise? Some slack on defense thinking only offense matters, some feel entitled. So many variables outside the common reflex of claiming club manipulation. It is about teaching and developing good habits in the minors since it is harder to do it on the fly vs the best.
The Reds have an embarrassment of riches currently. They will need to trade one of their prospects for pitching. I wouldn’t trade CES though, I would trade Marte if the price is right.
Have you seen Marte? If you watched him live, you would not want to trade him for anyone. India is the odd man out and I love him but that’s what will get you a return.
Reds did a hell of a job rebuilding their org. Flew under the radar doing so as well. Impressive work
Orioles Kjerstad best hitting prospect in minors , now promoted to AAA.
Will be batting behind Henderson and Adley soon.
Not really the “best hitting prospect in the minors” though
You are correct, no such thing as “ best” anyways , but if the O’s are buyers this is the kid I’m asking for in a trade.
Mayer has only been in AA for two weeks.