MLB Prospect Watch: 15 National League minor-leaguers to watch in 2023, including Druw Jones

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By Webdesk


CF Druw Jones: We are excited to see Jones play again. The son of Andruw and the No. 2 draft last summer tore his labrum while on his first batting practice as a member of the Diamondbacks organization, delaying his pro debut. He recently singled out Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani at a spring training game, giving us a glimpse into a matchup that could happen later, whether it’s in a regular season game or, if we’re a little dreamy, an All-Star Game. And yes, a completely healthy Jones has that kind of potential. R.H.P. Spencer Schillenbach: Speaking of first-round selections making their professional debuts. Formerly a two-way player at Nebraska, Schwellenbach underwent Tommy John surgery after being selected in the second round of the 2021 draft. He’s returned to the backfields this spring and fires off offenses with a good fastball-slider combination . He has yet to make his official debut, but that will change soon enough. Expect him to climb the prospect lists this year. 1B Matt Mervis: The Cubs signed two first basemen this offseason, giving Trey Mancini a two-year contract and Eric Hosmer a one-year contract. Nevertheless, we think Mervis has a chance to spend some serious time in the majors this season. He finished with a .977 OPS in 57 Triple-A games last year, demonstrating above-average strength and propensity to hit right-handers. Even if Mervis excels as a platoon player, he will have been a scouting and development win considering he joined the Cubs as an undrafted free agent. SS Elly De La Cruz: De La Cruz is a fascinating player. He’s fast and strong and he has the chance to stick with a shortstop despite being on the six-foot list. However, he struck out in over 30% of his at bats last season due to an underpowered and swinging approach. It speaks to his ability to influence baseball that he was still able to put in an above-average production. De La Cruz thinks he will spend most of this year in Triple-A, where he will try to amplify that weakness. There is star potential here if he can progress. BY Zac Veen: Veen, the ninth pick in the 2020 draft, garnered Jayson Werth comparisons for his frame and skills. He’s coming off a rough introduction to Double-A, where he posted a .496 OPS and struck out 42 times in a 34-game sample. He did better in the Arizona Fall League, but sputtered again in the big league camp this spring. Veen just turned 21 in December, so there’s no point in stopping. We would like to see him able to utilize the natural hitting ability that has made him an acclaimed prep player. R. H. P. Gavin Stone: Stone, the penultimate roster in the 2020 trimmed-down, has a shot at making it to the majors this spring. His arsenal includes one of the best substitutions in the minors, and last year he dominated in six Triple-A starts, posting a 1.16 ERA and a 4.13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Dodgers have a plethora of young arms to start if needed, including fellow changeup maestro Ryan Pepiot, but we’re confident Stone will find his way. SS Yiddi Cappe: The Marlins signed the lanky, well-rounded Cappe for nearly $3 million in early 2021, but he didn’t make his United States debut until last year. In 67 total games, he hit .290/.328/.438 in the complex league and Low-A. Unfortunately, most of that damage occurred prior to his promotion, as he posted a .679 OPS after moving to Jupiter. Cappe won’t be celebrating his 21st birthday until September, so we’re pleased to see what he can do on his second tour there. RHP Jacob Misiorowski: Misiorowski, the Brewers’ second-round pick last summer, is a six-foot right-hander with loud stuff and a tainted command. He walked 45 batters in 76 innings last season at Crowder College (that’s in Missouri, for those wondering), and then issued seven free passes to the 14 batters he faced in two professional assignments. Can the Brewers help him find the zone, or will his throws prove too much? We’re not sure, but Milwaukee’s investment in the second round indicates they believe they can make him score. Should that prove to be the case, they may have found a future big league-starter. RHP Dominicus Hamel: Hamel appealed to analytic front office types coming out of Dallas Baptist for his good Trackman readings. The Mets managed to beat him in the third round of the 2021 draft and he did well to reach High-A in his first pro season. He last pitched for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Hamel has an above-average fastball-slider combination, and he could theoretically put himself in the mix to debut with a strong performance in Double-A late this season or early next season. R.H.P. Griff McGarry: It was easy to lose track of McGarry in favor of the other great pitchers in the Phillies system, in Andrew Painter and Mick Abel. The former’s injury means McGarry may be the first of the trio to reach the majors. He’s got big stuff, including an almost elite fastball-slider combination, but he struggles with his command. He has walked more than five per nine innings in 35 professional appearances to date. Sloppy geography could land McGarry in a replacement role. For now, we hope he learns to throw enough strikes to hold a rotation spot. RHP Luis Ortiz: Not to be confused with the former Orioles and Rangers left wing of the same name, this Luis Ortiz made four starts for Pittsburgh’s big league club on the stretch. He showed off a 90s fastball and slider that commanded a 47% sniff rate. Still, the Pirates relegated him this winter to open the season with Vince Velasquez in their big league rotation. Ortiz will almost certainly take that (or another) spot soon. We want to see if he can apply the lessons he learned last year and this spring to his game, and become a better pitcher along the way. C. Ethan Salas: Salas is by far the youngest player to be featured in both parts of this series. He was born in 2006 (yikes) and he hasn’t played in an official minor league-game yet. What he’s done is show up in a big league spring training game, showing off more polished defensive skills than his age would suggest. He’s a long way from the majors, but he could eventually compete for the title of the game’s top catching prospect. That journey begins this year. LHP Carson Whisenhunt: Whisenhunt did not pitch for ECU last season after failing a performance-enhancing drug test. That mistake cost him, as he finally slipped to the Giants in the second round. We thought he was one of the best arms in the draft heading into spring, and we think he’ll prove it in the years to come, provided he stays healthy. The result here, for those wondering, is a strike-throwing lefty with a solid mix of three pitches, including a good change. The Giants have a solid track record of getting even more than expected from pitchers. Who knows, maybe Whisenhunt will rise. LHP Matthew Liberatore: It feels like people have been waiting for Liberatore to claim a spot in the Cardinals rotation forever. It wasn’t that long ago, but St. Louis acquired him as part of the trade that sent outfielder Randy Arozarena to Tampa Bay in early 2020 — just before the global pandemic hit and disrupted all sense of time — and he’s spent the last two seasons in Triple-A. There were some rumors this spring that he fixed his fastball spin. Reportedly, he also threw the ball harder. Color us intrigued. RHP Jarlin Susana: We end this piece and this series with Susana, who went from relatively unknown to hot commodity at last year’s trade deadline. He was identified, if you recall, as one of the most important parts of the trade that Juan Soto shipped to San Diego thanks to his arsenal of power and advantage. Susana just turned 19 at the end of March, but he’s already listed at six feet, 235 pounds, and has crossed the 100 mph mark in the past. The Nationals had him throw 10 innings over the complex last season, and we’re intrigued to see how he fares with a heavier workload in A-ball this round.





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