Minor League Notes, June 2nd, 2011
**Florida Marlins third base prospect Matt Dominguez is in a 1-for-17 funk for Triple-A New Orleans, and has hit just .191/.283/.319 overall in 13 games since being assigned to New Orleans in mid-May. He fractured his left elbow in spring training, but returned to action rapidly, though so far ineffectively. Dominguez is an excellent defensive third baseman, capable of winning Gold Gloves if he plays regularly, due to superior range, soft hands, and a strong arm. The question is his bat. He has raw power, but struggles with pitch recognition and has problems keeping his swing mechanics in gear. He hit .252/.333/.411 with 14 homers in Double-A last year, not exactly impressive, though he's still just 21 and has time to improve. A full year of Triple-A will definitely be needed.
**All eyes will be on Oklahoma high school pitcher Dylan Bundy soon, as the top high school pitcher in the upcoming 2011 draft. There are strong rumors that the Baltimore Orioles, picking fourth, will select Bundy, and part of the reason is that they already have his older brother in the system. Bobby Bundy was drafted in the eighth round in 2008 out of high school in Sperry, Oklahoma (Dylan attends school in Owasso). Bobby isn't the same prospect as his younger brother, but he's still a good one: he has a hard 90 MPH sinker and mixes in a promising curve, slider, and changeup combination. He's off to a fine start for High-A Frederick this year: 5-3, 2.91 in 10 starts with a 52/11 K/BB in 56 innings, 53 hits allowed, and a 1.60 GO/AO ratio. While Dylan projects as a future number one starter, Bobby is more of a future number three type. His control has improved dramatically this year, and he's in the midst of a breakout season after struggling with his command in the past.
**New York Mets lefty Darin Gorski has had two excellent starts in a row for High-A St. Lucie, fanning 13 in seven innings and allowing three hits and a walk on May 26th, then throwing seven shutout innings with three strikeouts on June 1st. Overall, the southpaw has a 1.85 ERA with a 66/13 K/BB in 49 innings with 43 hits allowed. Gorski was a seventh round draft pick in 2009 from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. Although he's a big guy at 6-4, 215, his velocity was mediocre until this year, usually in the 85-87 range. This year he's hitting 88-91 MPH, and the increase in fastball oomph combined with his already-solid secondary pitches has led to big success. Let's see if he can maintain it in Double-A.
**Another Florida State League pitcher having an excellent season is Nestor Molina of the Dunedin Blue Jays. The 22 year old right-hander from Venezuela has a 2.75 ERA with a spectacular 62/5 K/BB ratio in 52 innings, with 46 hits allowed and a 1.76 GO/AO. Originally an infielder, he converted to pitching in 2008 and was originally a reliever before moving to the rotation this spring. Molina has a good splitter and cutter, and has boosted his velocity his spring, reportedly into the 92-94 range. The results are undeniable, but with all the right-handed pitching the Jays have collected in their system of late, his long-term destination may still be the bullpen.
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