Cantillo Delivers the Ks -Baseball Prospectus

Picture credit score: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports activities

Welcome to the Minor League Update. Every single day, we inform you the most recent about what occurred to the prospects you care about, and perhaps just a few extra it’s best to. Right here’s who made waves final night time:

Hitter of the Day:

Marcelo Mayer, SS, Boston Pink Sox (Excessive-A Greenville): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI.
Mayer started the season in a little bit of a swoon, however currently the previous fourth-overall decide has reverted again to his monitor file so far as the hit instrument is worried. I had an in-person take a look at Mayer lately, and whereas the general visage of his recreation isn’t overwhelming in comparison with his popularity, it’s clear that he has a talent set crafted with above-average and plus instruments. He ought to have the ability to stick at shortstop long run, and I sensed that he was making an effort to faucet into his energy potential. He’ll most likely simply preserve producing till, at some point, you lookup and he’s close to the highest of a big-league lineup. 

Pitcher of the Day:

Joey Cantillo, LHP, Cleveland Guardians (Double-A Akron): 5 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 13 Ok.
Cantillo throws within the low-90s and has missed a number of time over the previous couple of years, however the 23-year-old has a file of robust efficiency and is off to a wonderful begin this spring. Wednesday was his first five-inning effort this season, and he almost tripled his earlier excessive in strikeouts. The changeup is the elite pitch for him, and he additionally mixes in a pair of breakers. There are sturdiness points, and he’ll want to maximise pitchability as a result of the stuff isn’t overwhelming. If requested to select a corporation who could be trusted to make it possible for this set of traits turns into an enormous league starter, the one he pitches for wouldn’t be a nasty shout.

Drew Gilbert, OF, Houston Astros (Excessive-A Asheville): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 R, 4 RBI.
It’s starting to appear to be the Astros obtained a late first-round steal after they took Gilbert twenty eighth general in final yr’s draft (it all the time sort of did, if I’m being trustworthy). The lefty swinger is an efficient athlete who can deal with heart or proper, and his enormous bat pace is paired with a swing airplane that’s crafted to maximise in-game energy manufacturing. Oh, and he makes a number of high-quality contact. Evidently the key deficiency right here is that he’s of below-average top. That appears to be much less of a difficulty within the trade nowadays, and with good purpose.  

Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals (Excessive-A Peoria): 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 Ok.
The twenty second general decide in final yr’s draft, Hjerpe had been knocked round a bit in his earlier begins this season. The key query on him is whether or not his distinctive stuff profile will work as effectively in opposition to skilled hitters because it did in opposition to faculty competitors–-his fastball is just low-90s however it has traditionally performed up because of an distinctive vertical strategy angle out of a really low arm slot. Throw in a sweeper and a change and also you’ve obtained a starter’s repertoire, in idea. We’ll see if Hjerpe can construct off this begin and get rolling.

Erick Peña, OF, Kansas Metropolis Royals (Low-A Columbia): 3-4, 2 HR, BB, 3 R, 4 RBI, SB.
Peña is a former enormous bonus IFA whose glowing instruments made him extraordinarily buzzy for a minute there, virtually proper up till he made his full-season debut final season and hit (or didn’t hit) his manner out of any form of prospect dialog. He’s repeating the extent this yr and is as soon as once more struggling immensely, however the recreation he had for the Fireflies final night time is a reminder of the latent expertise nonetheless in his possession. He’s nonetheless solely 20, and undoubtedly doing higher than most of us had been at that age. 

Carlos Rodriguez, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Biloxi): 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 10 Ok.
Rodriguez popped huge time after he was promoted to Excessive-A final season, and continued development for the 21-year-old could be a boon to a system that has lagged a bit lately. The 2021 sixth-rounder has had a dominant early spring, dicing up older bats with good fastball traits, a nasty changeup, and promising breaking stuff. 

Jackson Rutledge, RHP, Washington Nationals (Double-A Harrisburg): 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 7 Ok.
Is it Jackson Rutledge comeback season? The previous first-rounder made his full-season debut manner again in 2019, however it’s been an odyssey of accidents and disappointing efficiency ever since. He’s been stable to this point in 2023, and his mid/upper-90s fastball and plus slider nonetheless present huge league potential (even when it manifests out of the bullpen). 

Others of Observe

Blake Adams, RHP, Colorado Rockies (Low-A Fresno): 6 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 9 Ok.
Wuilfredo Antunez, OF, Cleveland Guardians (Low-A Lynchburg): 3-4, 2B, 3B, BB, 3 R, 3 

RBI, SB.
Devonte Brown, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (Excessive-A Vancouver): 3-5, 2B, R, 6 RBI, SB.
Ryan Cusick, RHP, Oakland Athletics (Double-A Midland): 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 5 Ok.
Chad Dallas, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (Excessive-A Vancouver): 6 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 9 Ok.
Hunter Goodman, C/1B/LF, Colorado Rockies (Double-A Hartford): 2-2, 2 HR, BB, 2 R, 5 RBI.
Alejandro Hidalgo, RHP, Minnesota Twins (Excessive-A Cedar Rapids): 5.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 

9K.
Tatem Levins, C, Seattle Mariners (Low-A Modesto Nuts): 4-5, 3B, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI.
Shane Murphy, LHP, Chicago White Sox (Low-A Kannapolis): 5 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 7 Ok.
Drew Rom, LHP, Baltimore Orioles (Triple-A Norfolk): 6 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 11 Ok.
Dionmy Salon, C, Kansas Metropolis Royals (Low-A Columbia): 4-4, 2B, BB, 2 R, RBI.
Aaron Schunk, IF, Colorado Rockies (Triple-A Albuquerque): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 BB, 4 R, 5 RBI.
Jared Serna, IF, New York Yankees (Low-A Tampa): 3-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, SB.
Creed Willems, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles (Low-A Delmarva): 3-3, 2B, HR, BB, R, 3 RBI.