Minor League Prospect Notes, June 27, 2012
**Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Taylor Guerrieri has looked excellent in his first two starts for the Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York-Penn League, throwing ten innings total with one run allowed, seven hits and one walk, while fanning 12 and collecting a bunch of grounders (3.00 GO/AO). The 2011 first-round pick is showing an excellent curve and strong changeup to go with his mid-90s velocity, and his command has been sharp thus far.
Take a good look at the Bullpen Banter video linked above. What do you think about his mechanics? It seems like a consistent delivery and obviously there have been no problems with his performance to this point, but I'm not sure what I think about the whippy action.
**Keep an eye on San Francisco Giants prospect Adalberto Mejia. He threw six shutout innings for Low-A Augusta on Sunday, and while his overall line doesn't look so hot (4.95 ERA, 35/16 K/BB, 51 hits in 44 innings), he's been pitching very well of late, posting a 1.82 ERA with a 26/7 K/BB in his last 30 frames. A 6-3, 195 pound lefty, he was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011 and was one of the best pitchers in the Latin American summer leagues last year. He's skipped rookie ball, moving directly to Low-A in 2012. That's not easy, but he is handling it well after a rough start.
**Given the success of Jurickson Profar, it is easy to forget about Texas Rangers second base prospect Rougned Odor, but the Venezuelan is holding his own in the South Atlantic League at the tender age of 18, hitting .288/.346/.488 with 14 walks and 33 strikeouts in 215 at-bats for Hickory. He's also providing impressive defense at second base, and many organizations would probably be playing him at shortstop. The main glitch this year was a shoulder separation that cost him two weeks of playing time, but he was reactivated on June 21st and has shown no ill effects. He's not a walker, but he makes contact and has boosted his power production this year, adding 100 points of Isolated Power.
**The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted Alex Santana in the second round last year out of high school in Cape Coral, Florida. A strapping 6-4, 200 pounder with bat speed and power, he's 10-for-34 (.294) with five doubles and a homer, giving him a .529 SLG, in his first eight games for Ogden in the Pioneer League. On the negative side, he's got serious contact and plate discipline issues, with zero walks and 12 strikeouts thus far, plus he remains very raw defensively at third base. The stats match the scouting reports exactly: there is talent here, but it is unrefined. Santana does have good bloodlines, being the son of former major league shortstop Rafael Santana, and he is still just 18 years old, so there is lots of time for him to improve.
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