Welcome to the July 11th installment of The Daily Farm Report! We rake the news for each organization’s top prospects and give you a digest with some commentary for you greedy prospectors to enjoy. Here’s some recent news and highlights:
Christin StewartSTATS and RANKINGS
Tigers #5 by MLB Pipeline
#Tigers No. 5 prospect Christin Stewart is back to doing Christin Stewart things. He's gone deep in his second rehab game in the GCL. Stewart has been out of Toledo lineup since June 26 with a calf injury. https://t.co/N6Q6ob1WBs
— Sam Dykstra (@SamDykstraMiLB) July 10, 2018
It sounds like Stewart’s calf injury isn’t bothering him much. He likely won’t be on a rehab assignment for much longer before he returns to AAA Toledo. If he continues raking at Toledo like he has earlier this season (15 HR, 137 wRC+), we would expect Detroit to give him a cup of coffee in September. Stewart’s bat looks legit, but he will need it as his defense is terrible.
James MarinanSTATS and RANKINGS
Reds #17 by MLB Pipeline
James Marinan scheduled to make his Cincinnati #Reds organizational debut tonight in Billings, updates on a few injured pitchers, and a few other notes for your afternoon readinghttps://t.co/7w1QuwhI7O pic.twitter.com/yuNg5voyLt
— Doug Gray (@dougdirt24) July 10, 2018
Marinan, 19, was a 4th round pick of the Dodgers in the 2017 draft. He was swapped to Reds in exchange for Dylan Floro, Zach Neal, and international pool space. Marinan is a big (6’5″, 220) right-handed sinkerballer with a 4-pitch mix which could play as a 4th or 5th starter if everything develops, according to Fangraphs Eric Longenhagen.
Kyle FunkhouserSTATS and RANKINGS
Tigers #7 by MLB Pipeline
Tigers announce they’ve promoted RHP Kyle Funkhouser from @erie_seawolves to @MudHens. Matt Hall also promoted.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) July 10, 2018
This makes a lot of sense as Funkhouser was performing relatively well at AA (recent Prospect of the Week winner), and he’s 24 years-old. He needed a push up the ladder to see if his skills will play up to the International League. His fastball, slider, and change all have the potential to be plus pitches, with his 4-seam fastball currently his best weapon (consistently mid-90s, touches as high as 98).
Matt HallSTATS and RANKINGS
Tigers #23 by MLB Pipeline
Baseball Farm Roto #28 Overall
Former Missouri State star pitcher Matt Hall was promoted to Triple-A Toledo today in the Detroit Tigers organization.
— Wyatt Wheeler (@WyattWheeler_NL) July 10, 2018
Hall joins Funkhouser in the Toledo rotation. Hall was used as a reliever earlier in the season, but the Tigers decided to stretch him out into a starting role recently, with excellent results. He’s the #28 overall pitcher in 2018 according to our weighted roto scoring method.
Alfred GutierrezSTATS and RANKINGS
Unranked by MLB Pipeline
Baseball Farm Roto #57
#Tigers RHP Alfred Gutierrez promoted from @LkdFlyingTigers to AA @erie_seawolves. Gutierrez, 23, appeared in 21 games, starting 9, compiling a 2.44 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, .188 BA against and 69 Ks in 62.2 IP at Lakeland.
— Zeke Jennings (@ZekeJennings) July 10, 2018
This is in line with the news on Funkhouser and Hall. A great day in a great season for Detroit Tigers pitching prospects. Gutierrez has been excellent, posting a 2.87 FIP and 9.91 K/9 rate for A-Advanced Lakeland this season. He just turned 23, so AA is the proper placement for him at this time.
Heath QuinnSTATS and RANKINGS
Giants #10 by MLB Pipeline
Baseball Farm Roto #70 Overall
#SFGiants prospect Heath Quinn (@HeathQuinn9) back to being himself on rebound from season lost to injury, slump via @BobbyDeMuro @BaseballCensus https://t.co/MMtZtOy5Ws
— Ballengee Group (@BallengeeGroup) July 10, 2018
Quinn, 23, has been excellent this season, currently sitting as the #70 overall prospect using our weighted roto scoring method. He’s slashing .324/.390/.532 with 8 HR and 15 2B. The 15 doubles and .207 ISO this season suggest to us that he might have a little more hidden power hanging out in his profile. He just turned 23, but the Giants should (and likely will) advance him up to AA ball this summer to see if his offensive production holds up. He also should be considered a health risk, with 4 separate DL stints in the last 2 seasons. But if he can stay healthy, he’s a name to consider in dynasty formats where he isn’t currently owned.
Micker AdolfoSTATS and RANKINGS
WhiteSox #10 by MLB Pipeline
And…another injury. Micker Adolfo, Tommy John surgery. We've known about the elbow issue since spring training, but the Sox thought they'd be able to avoid surgery. #WhiteSox https://t.co/HsTEVg46iZ
— Kevin Powell (@kpowell720) July 10, 2018
So Adolfo will miss the remainder of the 2018 season but is hopefully in line to return to action for the start of the MiLB season next April. The team was playing around with this possibility all season, but I actually think they made the right choice in letting Micker try to play this year. If they would have performed the surgery back in April he would have definitely missed an entire year of development time. He was having a nice season as a 21 year-old at A-Advanced ball, slashing .283/.368/.466 with 11 HR and 18 2B as a regular DH. He’s another prospect who has seen a lot of MiLB DL time in his career.
Josh FlemingSTATS and RANKINGS
Unranked by MLB Pipeline
Baseball Farm Roto #64 Overall
Congrats to former Webster All-American pitcher Josh Fleming on his being promoted to the @StoneCrabs in the Florida State League. He will start tonight's game against @stluciemets. #StudSouthpaw
— Webster U. Athletics (@GorlokSports) July 10, 2018
Left-handed control artist (1.50 BB/9 rate at A-Full Season ball this year) who is going to be tested in the Florida State League. Was 6-1 with a 1.20 (!) ERA in 10 starts this year, but his xFIP (3.38) isn’t as convinced of his dominance. We will see if his pitch-to-contact profile holds up as he works his way up the ladder.
Adam PlutkoSTATS and RANKINGS
Unranked by MLB Pipeline
Baseball Farm Roto #74 Overall
Cleveland Indians place Josh Tomlin on 10-day DL, recall Adam Plutko from Triple-A Columbus https://t.co/gpzheMeZKN pic.twitter.com/XGw6hWCYpv
— WKYC Channel 3 News (@wkyc) July 11, 2018
While Tomlin is on the 10-day DL, he’s dealing with a hamstring injury and it could be a lingering issue. Plutko’s been riding the AAAA bus this season, (10 starts at AAA, 6 starts at MLB), but this could be the opportunity he needs to get an extended run in the Cleveland rotation. He’s been killed by the long ball so far in his young MLB career (2.21 HR/9) and has ridden an unsustainable BABIP (.171) to his AAA breakout this year, so we’re not sold that he’s a future MLB-level rotation piece. His ERA-xFIP split at AAA (1.94-3.73) tells you to proceed with caution.
