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Minor League Prospect Notes, June 27, 2012



Minor League Prospect Notes, June 27, 2025

**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.

Star-divide

**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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Thanks, John. I appreciate the kind words

Bullpen Banter's Top 100 Prospects for 2012!
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You can find my musings at Bullpen Banter
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Twitter:@JDSussman

by JD Sussman on Jun 27, 2025 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

reading that write up I couldn't get past thinking about current Rays starter James Shields

combining the command with the stuff, obviously Shields has one of the better change-ups in the game but how would you compare the two? (either of you or anyone else for that matter)

by Dbullsfan on Jun 27, 2025 6:19 PM EDT up reply actions  

Not JD, but Guerrieri has a much better fastball.

Completely different pitchers, just from reports I have read. One is a finesse guy, the other is power.

JD, how advanced would you say his command is in comparison to any other HS prospect in his first season? What current/future grades would you put on it?

Also, I heard he was using a nasty cutter in his first start. Is that the slider, or is it a different pitch?

by mr. maniac on Jun 27, 2025 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions  

I can't off the top of my head think of one recent Rays pitcher to consistantly use a slider

yet nearly every starter has been taught a cutter, so it wouldn’t shock me at all if they are transitioning the pitch from one to another.

by Dbullsfan on Jun 27, 2025 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions  

* David Price is probably the one

and even he now, rarely uses it anymore and it was considered a plus pitch out of college wasn’t it?

by Dbullsfan on Jun 27, 2025 8:07 PM EDT up reply actions  

He used it heavily his first full season

It wasn’t very effective then anyway. He seems to have transitioned to the cutter now.

by nixa37 on Jun 27, 2025 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions  

Not that it was effective

But Kazmir probably.

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by Brickhaus on Jun 28, 2025 2:45 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions  

Was just thinking that he reminded me of Harden,

as much because of his build and ability to locate. Guerrieri looked longer in the back than I remember from his senior season, but I went back and looked and he actually seems about the same. Shows the ball to the 1B but still maintains a decent arm circle and brings the arm through quickly from a good slot. Looks really, really good.

by charles wallace on Jun 27, 2025 10:52 PM EDT up reply actions  


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