The Carolina League All-Star Game is Tuesday and I will be in attendance to see some of the league’s best prospects. Let’s take a look at the rosters, beginning with the Northern Division:
Pitchers:
Michael Baumann – Frederick
Kutter Crawford – Salem
Juan Hillman – Lynchburg
Steven Klimek - Frederick
Jackson Kowar – Wilmington
David Lebron - Frederick
Tad Ratliff - Wilmington
Adam Scott - Lynchburg
Cody Sedlock – Frederick
Tyler Zuber - Wilmington
Robert Broom - Lynchburg
Andrew Lee - Potomac
Daniel Lynch – Wilmington
Catchers:
Jakson Reetz - Potomac
M.J. Melendez – Wilmington
Infielders:
Pedro Castellanos - Salem
Ryan Fitzgerald - Salem
Cole Freeman - Potomac
Nolan Jones – Lynchburg
Willy Yahn - Frederick
Outfielders:
Nick Banks - Potomac
Oscar Gonzalez - Lynchburg
Zach Jarrett - Frederick
Cole Billingsley - Frederick
Designated Hitter:
Aldrem Corredor - Potomac
A couple names stand out, most notably Jackson Kowar, M.J. Melendez, and Nolan Jones. I also saw Michael Baumann throw 6.2 innings of dominant no-hit baseball back in May against Melendez and his Wilmington club. While a starter hasn’t been named, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Baumann get the call considering the game is in Frederick.
The Northern roster includes four of the league’s top strikeout pitchers with Baumann and Kowar being joined by Adam Scott and Kutter Crawford. Of the four, Scott is the only one who isn’t in his organization’s top 30 but that could change with a strong second half. Scott is a 6-foot-4 lefty with three pitches as he supplements his fastball with a slider and a changeup. He has racked up 74 strikeouts in just 57.1 innings of work so far this year.
Nolan Jones is the main attraction among the Northern hitters but a couple under-the-radar guys I am excited to get a closer look at include Oscar Gonzalez and Nick Banks. Gonzalez is hitting .335, good for third in the league in OPS on the year despite having just five walks. Banks was once considered a first round talent out of college. It looks like he is starting to find his power groove as he has eight home runs and 15 doubles on the season.
Now for the Southern Division roster, which initially included Nick Madrigal and Seth Beer prior to their promotions to AA:
Pitchers:
Javier Assad - Myrtle Beach
Jason Bahr - Down East
Rodrigo Benoit - Carolina
Jesus Camargo - Myrtle Beach
Matt Hardy - Carolina
Wil Kincanon - Winston-Salem
Luis Ledo - Winston-Salem
John Parke - Winston-Salem
Paul Richan - Myrtle Beach
Noah Zavolas - Carolina
Joe Barlow - Down East
DeMarcus Evans - Down East
Catchers:
Mario Feliciano - Carolina
Payton Henry - Carolina
Infielders:
Jake Adams - Fayetteville
Ryan Dorow - Down East
Yonny Hernandez - Down East
Zach Remillard - Winston-Salem
Diosbel Arias - Down East
Outfielders:
Corey Julks - Fayetteville
Jacob Meyers - Fayetteville
Leody Taveras - Down East
Jameson Fisher - Winston-Salem
Joantgel Segovia - Carolina
Designated Hitter:
Colton Shaver – Fayetteville
The Southern roster has no shortage of power with the league’s two top home run hitters in Mario Feliciano (14) and Jake Adams (11) anchoring the lineup. Just 20, the Brewers have been aggressive with Feliciano. As a result, he went through growing pains statistically but we could be seeing a future star here as he should reside comfortably inside the organization’s top 10 this offseason. Adams has always been a masher as he led the country in home runs his junior year prior to being drafted by the Astros. In other organizations he would likely be a top 20 prospect but Houston’s system is loaded.
Just 20 years old, Leody Tavares is hitting a career high .296 to go along with 20 stolen bases as it looks like he is starting to mature as a hitter. Some have grown a little fatigued by Tavares but that’s what happens when you start your career at age 17.
The Southern Division pitching staff features the league’s current ERA leader in Jason Bahr, who was part of the Austin Jackson trade last year. Bahr is a lanky project likely profiling as a middle reliever but for now he is having a terrific season for the Mudcats. Rodrigo Benoit is currently third in the Carolina League in saves and he features a plus breaking ball to go along with typical back-end bullpen velocity. He could be in Milwaukee by late next year.
Tomorrow should be a fun game as the Northern pitchers will try and shutdown a solid Southern offense. Be sure to follow me on Twitter (@JasonKamlowsky) as I will be there throughout the evening to give you video and notes on what I see.