This will be a Friday publishing of great minor leaguers to invest in. Information will be drawn from BA's weekly Prospect Hot Sheet.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/prospect-hot-sheet-aug-4
Gavin Lux, SS, Dodgers (19)
Low Class A Great Lakes
Wisconsin prep shortstops aren't a particularly heavily mined genre in the draft, but the Dodgers liked Lux enough to pop him with their first-round pick last June. He's had a rough season overall, but he slugged three home runs this week and to nearly double his season total.
Monogrande's Take
Okay, I know that Corey Seager looks like he's going to be the perennial all-star shortstop for the Dodgers for years to come. But when a 19 year old plays this well defensively in the hot spot, it's hard to deny that he's at least going to challenge Seager and perhaps be the insurance the Dodgers need when Justin Turner moves on or retires. He's a few years away, but that also means his stuff is CHEAP. Get them now, lock it away for a few years.
Brent Honeywell, RHP, Rays (22)
Triple-A Durham
Honeywell, who is second in the minors in strikeouts with 149, keeps knocking on the door to the big leagues. Armed with five pitches that can all flash above-average or better, Honeywell can carve hitters up in many different ways. Once he finds consistent command of his arsenal and learns to pace himself better, he'll be in Tampa Bay.
Monogrande's Take
Brent Honeywell has always been a good pitcher, and it's actually surprising that the Rays haven't called him up. He's better than guys like Odorizzi and Colome, in my opinion, and he deserves a shot. Expect a September call up, because he has nothing left to prove in the minors.
Nick Senzel, 3B, Reds (22)
Double-A Pensacola
One of the purest hitting prospects in last year's draft class continues to prove evaluators correct. The Tennessee alum got promoted to Double-A in late June hasn't stopped hitting since the move. With the Blue Wahoos, Senzel has more multi-hit games (12) than hitless games (8).
Monogrande's Take
Ah. August. The month that matters to the minor leaguers. If you get hot in August, you'll likely get called up in September, and Senzel has done nothing to damage his stellar reputation as a hitter. He hits for the average, which means he might not be the next coming of Aaron Judge, but he'll kill you with the doubles. Think Manny Machado type of hitting. The question is whether his defense will catch up to his offense.
Peter Alonso, 1b, Mets (22)
High Class A St. Lucie
The other Florida alum with St. Lucie, Alonso built on an impressive July in which he hit .336/.394/.603 with eight home runs by going 4-for-8 in his first two games in August. He missed a month and a half to open the season and yet is still just three home runs off the Florida State League lead. His .527 slugging percentage would pace the circuit if he qualified.
Monogrande's Take
Peter Alonso is 22. He's also an impressive hitter. But then again, he's in the A league. I'd like to see him moved to the AA or AAA next year and see if he an grind it out against stiffer competition. The reason I'm including him here? He hits like Bellinger did when he was in the minors. Tight swing, smart, and he's halfway decent at 1B.
That's it! I hope you enjoyed this week's content!
Last week, I was high on Lucas Sims.. Lucas debuted this week and put on a show. He's primed to be the no.2 or 3 starter next year, but I'm glad he's getting big league experience that he deserves now.
Check out my more focused prospectus here: Alex Verdugo, Mickey Moniak, Michael Chavis, Starling Heredia, Reynaldo Lopez.
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