Beck's Minor League Threecap: 5/21/24

Today’s a Minicap for two reasons: 1) only the Complexes played yesterday and 2) I’m very sick today. You’ll have to forgive my brevity. I hope you enjoy nonetheless!

He Hits It a Bit, He Hits It a Ton, He Hits It Para Tí.

The title is an attempt on wordplay based on Eric Bitonti (MIL)’s last name. I’m very sorry, I’m sick and my brain is not working. What is working is his swing, which has produced one of the most impressive stat lines through two weeks of play in either complex. He’s leading the level in home runs with four and is carrying a 1.027 OPS over 59 plate appearances. Bitonti was one of the many picks the Brewers made in last year’s draft that made me giddy (see Pratt, Boeve). A number of sites had a second-round grade on the 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter but he ultimately went 87th (third round) and pulled down a signing bonus about a million dollars over the slot value. It’s a firm power over hit profile, which is really being reinforced by his 28.8% thus far. I’ll be monitoring that closely because he clearly has the damage on contact to be a very productive hitter.

Eduardo Quintero (LAD) originally signed for $300K as a catcher, but his double-plus wheels didn’t make sense parked behind home plate. He shifted to the outfield and showed off big time athleticism and impressive plate skills en route to a 1.089 OPS in his first season as a professional. Now stateside, Quintero is off to a hot start in the Arizona Complex, where he’s a year and a half younger than the average competition. He’s got three home runs in his last four games, almost eclipsing the five he had in the DSL last summer over a 212 plate appearance sample, and hits in eight of the 12 games he’s appeared in. He’s a true center fielder with the potential to get to plus hit and above-average power. He’s one of my favorites in the Complex. 

For Your Attention.

I don’t have a topic that I want to go on a breathy rant about today. We’re getting enough of a sample for me to make sense of what’s happening, who has shown real skill gains, and who is likely overmatched at the level they’re playing at. That said, I’m comfortable getting started on a prospect rank update!

In case you missed it on Twitter/X, the top 10 is likely to shake out like this:

1. Wyatt Langford, OF, TEX

2. Junior Caminero, 3B, TBR

3. Jackson Holliday, SS, BAL

4. James Wood, OF, WSH

5. Paul Skenes, RHP, PIT

6. Coby Mayo, 1B, BAL

7. Dylan Crews, OF, WSH

8. Jasson Dominguez, OF, NYY

9. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, MIN

10. Jordan Lawlar, SS, ARI

Had I started the update two weeks ago, Jackson Chourio and Jared Jones would have slotted in at #4 and #7, respectively. This is a very weak top 25, which is inflating the values of guys like Dominguez, Rodriguez, and Lawlar. A scout told me this week that the state of the top 100 is likely the weakest he’s seen since he started work in pro evaluation.

Wishing for Wednesday. 

No table because, you know, there were no recommended arms to spectate on Monday. Instead, here’s what to watch for on Wednesday:

Wednesday’s viewing guide:

• Brock Selvidge (3.00 ERA) for the Somerset Patriots (NYY) at 11:05 ET

• Hayden Birdsong (2.08 ERA) for the Richmond Flying Squirrels (SFG) at 11:05 ET

• Chayce McDermott (3.55 ERA) for the Norfolk Tides (BAL) at 6:05 ET

• Shane Baz (7.88 ERA) for the Durham Bulls (TBR) at 6:35 ET

• Nolan McLean (2.57 ERA) for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (NYM) at 6:45 ET

• Santiago Suarez (4.72 ERA) for the Charleston RiverDogs (TBR) at 7:05 ET

• Samuel Aldegheri (1.69 ERA) for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws (PHI) at 7:05 ET

• Jack Leiter (2.84 ERA) for the Round Rock Express (TEX) at 7:35 ET

• AJ Blubaugh (3.66 ERA) for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (HOU) at 7:35 ET

• Cristian Mena (3.80 ERA) for the Reno Aces (ARI) at 8:05 ET