By Seth Lakso, Charlotte Observer Correspondent
Each season the International League produces some of the
best young players in baseball. Last year’s crop of prospects to break into the
majors includes Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, Tampa Bay outfielder
Will Myers, Pirates flamethrower Gerrit Cole, White Sox outfielder Avisail
Garcia and Cincinnati speedster Billy Hamilton to name just a few.
Here’s a look at this year’s top International League
prospects scheduled to play the Knights in Uptown Charlotte this season
*Prospects are listed based on the order they’re scheduled
to appear in Charlotte.
Norfolk Tides (April 11-13, May 20-21, July 4-5): Kevin
Gausman, RHP – ESPN’s Keith Law ranks the 6-foot-3-inch Gausman as the No. 23
prospect in all of baseball (Baseball America has him at No. 20). The
23-year-old righthander, who was the first pitcher off the board in the 2012
draft, struggled in his promotion to the majors in 2013, going 3-5 with a 5.66
ERA in 47.2 innings with the Orioles, but still managed to punch out 9.25
batters per nine innings pitched. Gausman’s fastball can touch 100 in shorter
stints, but it’s his changeup that makes him special.
Durham Bulls (April 14-15, 22-25): Hak-Ju Lee, SS – It’s
weird to look at the Tampa Bay system and not find a guy ranked in Baseball
America’s current top 100 prospects (No. 67 Jake Odorizzi broke camp with the
Rays). However, had Lee not suffered a knee injury that prematurely ended his
2013 season, he could easily have cracked the list. The 6-foot-2-inch
23-year-old South Korea native hit .422 in 15 games in Durham last season,
while showing a glove more than ready for the majors. He was the key piece the Rays got back from the Cubs
in the Matt Garza trade. *He might not be ready to play in the first series at
BB&T Ballpark, but should be good to go by the end of the month.
Gwinnett Braves (April 16-18, June 30-July 1): Christian
Bethancourt, C: Keith Law calls Bethancourt’s defense “possibly the best in the
minors right now…and good enough to challenge Yadier Molina’s for best in the
MLB when the time comes.” That alone should be worth the price of admission when
the Braves come to town. The 21-year-old’s Achilles heel is his free-swinging
ways at the plate (he has just 78 walks in 1,824 career plate appearances). Second baseman Tommy La Stella is also a guy to watch. He's Dan Uggla's heir apparent in Atlanta.
Lehigh Iron Pigs (May 5-8): Maikel Franco, 3B/1B – As a
20-year-old, Franco hit .320 with 31 home runs in 134 games split between
Single-A and Double-A last season. He entered this year No. 63 on Keith Law’s
Top 100 prospects list. With just 70 Ks in 600 professional plate appearances,
Franco’s plus hand-eye coordination makes up for his pour pitch recognition
skills.
*LHP Jesse Biddle, who has begun the season at the Double-A
level is a pretty good comp for what a young Andy Pettitte looked like when he
was first starting out. MLB.com's No. 53 prospect is a solid candidate to make
the jump to Lehigh at some point this season.
Buffalo Bisons (May 9-12): Marcus Stroman, RHP – Stroman was
drafted as a position player out of high school by the Nationals, but instead
chose to attend Duke. After three successful collegiate seasons Stroman was
drafted in the first round of the 2012 draft as a pitcher by the Blue Jays.
According to Law, who ranks the 22-year-old as the No. 58 prospect in baseball,
Stroman’s “either a top-tier reliever, up in the Craig Kimbrel / Aroldis
Chapman stratosphere, or a midrotation starter” if he can keep his home run
numbers down.
*Aaron Sanchez, MLB.com's No. 9 pitching prospect entering
2014, will begin the season in Double-A, but could be a guy who sees
significant time in Buffalo. His fastball sits comfortably in the mid- to upper
90's and in complimented by a plus curveball.
Indianapolis Indians (May 22-25): Gregory Polanco, CF –
Somehow the Pirates have a third outfielder in the mold of Starling Marte and
Andrew McCutchen on the way in the 22-year-old, 6-foot-4-inch Polanco. Baseball
America ranks Polanco, who is a true five-tool guy, as the No. 10 prospect in
the game. Polanco is a guy you’ll want to catch early this season because
there’s every chance he could claim a starting job in Pittsburg’s outfield by
the All-Star break.
Rochester Red Wings (June 3-6): Alex Meyer, RHP – The Twins
have three players in Law’s Top 50, including Baseball’s current No. 1prospect
Byron Buxton. However, as of right now they’re all at least a call-up away from
Rochester. That said, Meyer – who stands an intimidating 6-foot-9-inches tall,
is a solid prospect in his own right. He touches 97 seemingly with ease and
posted a 2.99 ERA with 100Ks in 78.1 innings in Double-A last season.
Columbus Clippers (June 7-10): Trevor Bauer, RHP – Bauer was
the Opening Day starter for Columbus this season, an honor for your average
prospect, but a disappointment for one with his stuff. Bauer, 23, was the Indian’s
top pitching prospect heading into 2013, but mechanical issues led to lost
velocity and control issues for much of the season. According to the prospect,
all that’s behind him this season. “My stuff is back to where I’m used to
having it,” he told the Columbus Dispatch. “My fastball velocity is back to
where I’m used to having it (94-96 mph, topping out near 100 mph). So it should
be a good year.”
* Francisco Lindor is a 20-year-old shortstop to keep an eye
on. He's starting the season in Double-A, but has been on the fast track to the
majors since being drafted No. 8 overall in 2011.
Toledo Mud Hens (June 20-23): Robbie Ray, LHP – When Miguel
Cabrera moved back to first base (because of the Prince Fielder trade) it
opened the door for 21-year-old third baseman Nick Castellanos to make the big
league club and cut into Detroit’s depth in the minors. Ray – who was “the key
to the deal” that saw the Tigers ship Doug Fister to the Nationals, according
to Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski -- is a 6-foot-2-inch southpaw who went 11-5 with
a 3.36 ERA and had 160 strikeouts in 142 innings for high-A Potomac and
Double-A Harrisburg last season.
Louisville Bats (June 24-27): Chien-Ming Wang, RHP – When
Louisville’s Billy Hamilton made the Reds opening day roster this spring, the
International League lost a potential 100-base stealer. Right now, the higher
ceiling talent in the Reds organization is all too young to have advanced to
Triple-A. The guys worth coming out to see are Wang (a two-time 19-game winner
in the Majors with the New York Yankees) and Jeff Francis, who won at least 13
games a season from 2005-07 with the Rockies). Both are trying to get their
once-promising careers back on track.
*Robert Stephenson, who the Reds took in the first round of
the 2011 draft is a guy who may be in Louisville by the time the Bats come to
town. Ranked as the No. 19 prospect in baseball by MLB.com, Stephenson, 21, has
lit up the radar guns in his brief pro career, touching 100 mph on several
occasions.
Syracuse Chiefs (July 10-13): Brian Goodwin, OF – Goodwin is
an outfielder with all five tools. Last season he hit .252 with a .355 OBP, 10
home runs and 19 stolen bases in Double-A, which actually led to Law dropping
him from the No. 44 prospect in baseball entering 2013 to No. 83 entering this
season. At 23-year-old, Goodwin could be in for a breakout season.
The 6-foot-3-inch California native has shown
flashes of the low-to-mid 90’s fastball and wipeout slider that gave the White
Sox some much reason for optimism during a five-start audition he made in the
big leagues last season; however, he’s not been able to build on those small
successes.
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