I am currently in Burlington, Iowa, watching the Beloit Snappers (Minnesota Twins) against the Burlington Bees (Oakland Athletics). I will have a full scouting report and some photos for you early next week, but here are some preliminary impressions of players you may be interested in.
Twins third base prospect Miguel Sano is a beast. He has terrific bat speed. He also has obvious contact problems, particularly on outside fastballs that he tries too hard to pull. However, he also showed willingness to lay off breaking stuff yesterday. He has some things to work through but I think the flaws in his approach are correctable. Defensively, he shows quick reactions and moves quite well for a big guy. Strong arm, too. I haven't looked at his defensive numbers but watching him play I think he will be a fine defender at third with experience.
Eddie Rosario doesn't have Sano's physical strength, but he has a very quick bat and a better feel for the strike zone. His running speed is just a tick above average, but he's an aggressive and skilled runner. I don't think he will be a huge stolen base threat, but he's very good at taking extra bases and pressuring the defense. I didn't get much of a read on his glove at second base but will look at that more tonight.
A.J. Cole for Burlington was throwing 90-94 last night. His breaking ball was pretty weak in the first innings but improved as the game progressed. One thing I noticed was that there was a really big difference in his delivery when using a full windup and when pitching from the stretch. His stretch delivery looks like it puts more stress on his elbow and shoulder than his regular delivery does...it is certainly more high effort, and his stuff seems to flatten out from the stretch too. I would love to know what his splits look like with runners on base.
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