Beck's Minor League Threecap: 4/5/24

The last Threecap before all full season levels are kicked off – we’ve made it! If you are reading this and are not already leveraging milbtracker.com to keep a pulse on the prospects you roster, now seems like a good time to get yourself acquainted. Strap in, here we go!

Thursday’s MILB Standouts

Triple-A faded into the Night.

On the eve of opening day for all other full-season levels, just one Triple-A team achieved double-digit scoring after a runs barrage the previous evening. Across all 16 games, batters hit .236 with 310 strikeouts!

The only team to crest the two-digit threshold was Round Rock who defeated El Paso 10-2. They got over-the-fence contributions from Davis Wendzel (98.0 EV, 388 ft), Blaine Crim (104.0 EV, 423 ft), and Sandro Fabian (112.4 EV, 404 ft). They had a ramping-up Michael Lorenzen on the bump who was… fine, going four innings, striking out four, walking two, and ultimately surrendering just one earned run. He signed on March 21 and will have to build up before joining the big league team.

You’d Think a Quiet Night Would Mean Great Pitching.

It didn’t really, but there were a few standouts worth noting.

Darius Vines isn’t a fella I’m particularly interested in for fantasy purposes, especially after seeing him up close in the AFL, but he had a great night on Thursday. I have had concerns about his fastball being well below average in the past, but his secondary offerings and command are big league ready.

Vines’ final line was seven innings pitched, two earned runs on two hits and two walks, and seven strikeouts. He led all of the minor leagues in whiffs (23) and the star of the show was his firmly plus changeup that had a 55% (!!) whiff rate on 29 swings. He finished with a 34% CSW.

Save some first names for the rest of us, Christian Scott! Reactions to his 2024 debut on Twitter likened it to that of a rehabbing big leaguer – very complimentary. He’s one of my favorite pitching prospects with an outlier heater and a very good slider to go with excellent command, the only question is innings. 

He went four innings on Thursday, which probably isn’t the length you’d hoped for, but he did toss 82 total pitches that could be enough for a couple more outs on a more efficient night. He allowed three earned runs on five hits, two of which left the yard, but struck out nine on the back of 20 whiffs. I expect to see him in the Mets rotation over the summer if not sooner.

Jhonathan Diaz strung together his second straight solid start (yeah, I reworked that line a few times to cram in some extra ‘S’ words). He’s a 27-year-old journeyman with stints in the Red Sox and Angels systems and 35.1 MLB innings under his belt. Seattle has gotten their hands on him and may have unlocked another gear.

Diaz tossed a scoreless six innings on Thursday while striking out 10, extending his scoreless streak to 11 innings to open the year. He’s a kitchen sink guy with a below average fastball that sat 89.2 mph, but he generated 17 whiffs on the day and finished with a 38% CSW.

What I’m Paying Attention to Today.

As all other levels sans Complex and DSL kick off, I’ll be giving extra attention to some of the starters we’re seeing for the first time. Here’s a quick breakdown of what to watch for:

• Ricky Tiedemann in his second outing for the Buffalo Bisons at 3:35 ET

• Rhett Lowder in his professional debut for the Dayton Dragons at 7:05 ET

• AJ Smith Shawver in his 2024 debut for the Gwinnett Stripers at 7:05 ET

• Paul Skenes is appointment television for the Indianapolis Indians at 7:05 ET

• Bubba Chandler in his 2024 debut for the Altoona Curve at 7:05 ET

• Josh Knoth in his professional debut for the Carolina Mudcats at 7:05 ET

• David Festa in his second outing for the St. Paul Saints at 7:35 ET

• Jacob Misiorowski in his 2024 debut for the Biloxi Shuckers at 7:35 ET

• Adam Mazur in his 2024 debut for the San Antonio Missions at 8:05 ET

• Logan Evans in his 2024 debut for the Arkansas Travelers at 8:05 ET

I’m going to need a few more screens.