Time for another round of Live Looks from the Midwest League. I got out to see a game between the affiliates of the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was the second time in a week seeing the Lugnuts team, so I got a second look at Tyler Soderstrom, Max Muncy, and Denzel Clarke. It was my first time seeing the Loons and my first look at big prospects like Diego Cartaya, Eddys Leonard, and Jorbit Vivas.
Diego Cartaya, C (LAD)
Game Stats: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R
Clearly the two home runs indicate that I saw a really good day from Cartaya. He could’ve gone 0-for-4 and I would still tell you he was the best player on the field. I don’t have to do much convincing with a line like that. But live looks aren’t just about the stat line, so what makes his swing so good?
First things first, look at the tweet below. It’s a gorgeous, even picturesque, swing. His setup is quiet, which sets the stage for his quick hands and compact path. He attacks the ball out front with some natural loft that helps him to crush the ball when he finds the barrel. Cartaya is able to create excellent separation in his swing, which allows him to turn on inside pitches with plenty of juice. The first homerun came on a curveball, the second homerun came on a fastball. He was getting his hands to everything, and he was getting to everything with power. It was a very aggressive and attacking approach at the plate, seeing a total of eight pitches in his four at bats. Reports on him say he can spray the ball, in this look he showed the skills at the plate, but only went to the opposite field once and it was a weak grounder to first base.
What was more impressive still is that despite seeing only a handful of pitches, he was swinging at good pitches and taking bad. He showed very solid zone recognition. Defensively he was athletic behind the plate and should be able to stick behind the dish. There wasn’t a look at his arm in this one game sample. This is a very good catching prospect who looks bat first. He’s got excellent size without giving up mobility. It’s irresponsible to slap grades on a player after just one game, but I’m going to anyway. He has the ceiling of an above average hitter with plus game power.
Jorbit Vivas, 2B (LAD)
Game Stats: 1-for-3, R, BB, SO
I’ll concede that Cartaya was the best prospect in this game, but Vivas was my favorite. It’s easy to watch him and see a future big leaguer. The best asset that Vivas has at the plate is his hands. They standout in a big way. His bat-to-ball skills are great with a quick, compact swing. His barrel stays in the zone for a long time, so he can spray the ball around the yard. He was selective in this short sample, looking for certain pitches that he knew he could drive.
He was having a pedestrian day until his last two at bats when he turned on an inside pitch and drove it right field for a single. Then he lined out to the second baseman. Both were excellent swings with good contact. The issue is what would appear to be a lack of power. His numbers back that up. He can drive the ball with some authority, but that can be attributed to his hands and pitch selection.
A quick evaluation of the swing makes me guess his swing will play very well to the top of the zone. Defensively, he looked comfortable at second, making the routine plays look simple. He’s undersized, but a pesky hitter at the plate who should be able to make good contact at the big league level. While the power development would drive his ceiling, he should still be able to carve out an everyday role because of his hitting ability.
Tyler Soderstrom, C/1B (OAK)
Game Stats: 1-for-3, BB, SO
This was a less statistically impressive day than the last time I saw him. I was sitting a little closer to the action, so I got a better look at his physique. His frame is maxed out with good weight. He’s very strong and it’s particularly prevalent in his lower half.
Not much changed from my original evaluation in terms of what he can provide offensively. He can get to velocity and wait on breaking pitches. His bat stays in the zone for a long time. He was fairly patient at the plate and showed good zone recognition. Even without hitting massive shots, he’s the kind of player who still stands out offensively. He played first base again, the first time in this series. He looks like he could play that position long term if that’s what the organization decides to do. However, he is still getting plenty of reps at catcher.
Soderstrom is still young, just 20 years old, but his bat looks ready for a new challenge. It wouldn’t surprise me if he got a chance in Double-A before the season is over. This is a surefire everyday player with a chance at All-Star seasons.
Max Muncy, SS (OAK)
Game Stats: 0-for-3, BB, SO
Muncy was about a week into his High-A career at the time I got this look. He was still presenting as a guy adjusting to the level. He stood out most defensively, looking very smooth while turning a double play. Beyond that, he showed an energy that gives him that much more of an edge on that side of the ball. He uses a short swing with quick hands at the plate to make contact.
While he didn’t stand out with the bat in this game as much as the last, he still showed the skills that can make him successful. He’s a calm hitter, especially with two strikes. He isn’t afraid to take into two strike counts because he’s calm enough to fight off pitches, put the ball in play, or take pitches off the zone. He did attack early in the count when he recognized fastball in the zone, but three of his four plate appearances ended in results on two-strike counts, including his walk. His game overall is still very raw, but the ingredients for a potential big league contributor are there.
Emmet Sheehan, RHP (LAD)
Game Stats: 4 IP, 2, H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K
If we are talking overall skills, Sheehan looked much better than his line suggests. If we are talking how he looked in this game, the line tells the story perfectly. He seemed to really be nibbling and hunting for swings and misses out of the zone. That’s what led to the walks because the Lugnuts weren’t biting. When he was in the zone, he was very good. His fastball was mostly between 93-95 MPH, topping out at 96 MPH. He also utilized a two-plane slider in the low-80s and a nice changeup with armside fade at 79-82 MPH. He flashed a curveball a couple of times that read out at 75 MPH with more of a 1-7 shape.
His fastball is his crown jewel. It’s backed by data as his best offering. In this look, he utilized his changeup very well. He wasn’t afraid to attack with it while behind in the count, which resulted in whiffs or weak contact. His slider also plays well. He has a smooth operation with a quick arm. Part of the data that helps his fastball play is a low release. Sheehan was able to move all of his pitches east to west, and his fastball plays well up in the zone when he can hit it. His command is still a work in progress, especially when he tries to nibble the corners and misses. Based on this one outing, it’s not impossible to believe he can continue to progress as a potential rotation option for the Dodgers in the future. He has the operation and arsenal to do so.
Joey Estes, RHP (OAK)
Game Stats: 3 IP, 6 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
After this start, I have very mixed feelings about Joey Estes. The talent is quite easy to see, but the overall execution and upside are a little tougher. His fastball was mostly 91-94, and he touched 96 a few times. He featured a big sweeping slider with lots of horizontal movement. He flashed a changeup around 83 MPH, but it wasn’t featured heavily. Despite the big movement on the slider, its sweeping shape can limit its ability to get whiffs, which was seen in this outing.
From this look, I would say the ceiling would max out at 55. His fastball should be an excellent pitch. The velocity is good and he showed the ability to get plenty of whiffs in the zone. He relied heavily on it, which did get some good results. When it wasn’t whiffed on, however, it was squared up and hit a long way. He was more successful with it up in the zone. This is pure speculation because I don’t have the data numbers, but that tells me that he probably has excellent fastball data and a poor plan of execution with it. Likely he has solid spin and IVB that help it play up, but when he falls in love with using it down to help his slider play, it can get smacked.
Similar to Hunter Greene, but without the triple digits. His operation was also very awkward looking because his upper and lower halves looked out of sync. This specifically played out with his arm being very late, which would have to put a lot of strain on his shoulder. It also makes his delivery hard to repeat, which affects command. All that said, there is a potential rotation arm if some things get cleaned up. More than likely, however, I would project him to the bullpen to max out his fastball and slider.
Eddys Leonard, SS (LAD)
Game Stats: 3-for-5, 2B, 2 R, SO
The two things that stuck in my memory about this game from Leonard are that he looked the part out there and he just kept putting good wood on the ball. He just looked like a pure hitter at the dish. From his first at bat on. He led off the game by smoking a ball right back up the middle, and trust me when I say he didn’t just tap the ball. He crushed the single up the middle. His bat was extremely quick.
Eye test says he has some of the fastest, if not the fastest, hands I’ve seen live. Leonard did go up the middle, and he flew out the other way, but it seemed like he was very much looking to pull the ball. That is basically just playing into his strength, though, because with those hands he can pull the ball with authority. He played a fine shortstop, nothing stood out either positively or negatively. His arm should play at the position long term. He wasn’t as smooth as Muncy on the other side, but it was serviceable.
Other Notable Players
Denzel Clarke OF (OAK)
Clarke struck out in three of his four at bats, so there isn’t much new to share about his offense. He’ll swing and miss a lot, which was on display. He also was out on his front foot on offspeed quite a bit again. He shows the ability to fight those offspeed pitches off, which is good. He runs into trouble on the changing of speeds. Defensively he’s wonderful. Great first step, nice reactions and range. Good speed. He is a legitimate centerfielder.
Cole Percival, RHP (LAD)
This is the guy who shut the door at the end of the game. He’s a reliever through and through. He struck out the side, which is always good. It’s his pure stuff that stood out in this one. His fastball was mostly 95-96 MPH, topping out at 98 MPH. He also featured a big slider at 84-85 MPH, as well as a changeup. Straight up, this was big league stuff already. There’s a reason he’s in High-A, I just didn’t get a chance to see it over his one inning of work.