I’m back. We’ve got a number of full reports, some notes from my live looks today, and the table. Thank you so much for your grace and patience as I took a few days off from publishing extensive breakdowns – hopefully the table and viewing guides alone provided some value to you.
Vote for Pedro.
When Eric Bitonti (MIL) isn’t striking out he’s usually hitting the ball a very long way. I last wrote about him just two weeks into the Arizona Complex League season and he’d been lighting it up but also carrying a 28.8% strikeout rate, which was a little disconcerting at the time. He’s a big guy at 6-foot-4, 218-pounds, and is susceptible to the same zone coverage and long-lever concerns we have with Spencer Jones and James Wood (these are NOT comps), albeit to a lesser degree. It’s been a lot of the same since I last checked in; Bitonti is still running a four-digit OPS (1.016) and still striking out a lot (29.2%). He belted his fifth and sixth home runs of the year in a 3-for-3 effort on Saturday.
The Dynasty Dugout is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
There’s some context to cover before we jump fully into Yordany De Los Santos (PIT). I last wrote about him on May 14th and covered his baseball journey thus far:
“De Los Santos was a highly-regarded prospect by many outlets, including MLB Pipeline who had him as the #12 international free agent in the 2022 signing class. He had an underwhelming DSL campaign that summer before reporting to the Florida Complex and receiving a swift promotion to Bradenton after just 17 games. He looked unprepared for the level of competition once in Single-A, and evidently the Pirates agreed, holding him back in extended spring training and ultimately returning him to the FCL to begin the season. Typical disclaimers here (it’s early, he’s young, what-have-you), but he’s off to a good start through seven contests, which isn’t entirely unexpected given his performance in the same place a year younger the previous season. He has six hits in that time, two of which cleared the fence in fair territory, and sports an .868 OPS. He’d posted really strong zone contact and hard-hit rates in 2023 but is running a 34.6% K-rate so far.”
As of the completion of yesterday’s game things are looking much better for him. He’s dropped his strikeout rate to 19.2%, raised his OPS to .935, and looks like he might be ready for the Complex-to-Single-A jump that gave him so much trouble last year. He was 3-for-3 with a home run on Saturday.
Pedro León (HOU) continues to have his best season in half a decade. He’s up to 13 home runs and 18 stolen bases through 69 games (nice) and went 4-for-5 with a double on Saturday. Everything looks alright under the hood; his zone contact rate is a smidge below average, but he’s making solid swing decisions and hitting the ball exceptionally hard. I think you could do worse in terms of a basically free flier who could contribute this year.
Babe, Wake Up…
…George Klassen (PHI) shoved again. This is one of the toughest profiles to fix – a college reliever with significant and severe problems with control – and it looks like the Phillies have figured it out. He has a 9.4% walk rate through 47.0 innings across Single- and High-A, a figure that sat at 17.9% in his platform year at Minnesota. I think it’s about time we start mentioning Philly among the organizations thought of as in the upper echelon for pitching development.
I think Justin Wrobleski (LAD) is one of the more underrated pitching prospects out there. Part of that (I assume) has to do with the surplus of pitching in the Dodgers system – there’s only so many guys on the same team you can buy into – but he’s close to being a contributor at the big league level. He made his Triple-A debut on Saturday and struck out 11 batters over 5.0 innings, but also got a warm welcome to the PCL with a pair of homers constituting all of the damage against him.
I’ve been waiting for this kind of start from Josh Knoth (MIL) for quite some time. His 5.2 scoreless innings on Saturday was the first time he’s stepped on the mound and kept his opponent off the scoreboard since early April and was also the longest outing of his professional career. He’s an extremely talented arm with plus fastball velocity and a demonic slider, he’s just yet to pull it together for an extended period. We saw his potential flash on Saturday.
What I Watched.
There’s no viewing guide on Mondays because full-season levels are off, so instead I’ll be dropping notes from my live looks at the St. Paul Saints vs. Toledo Mud Hens game this afternoon. As far as the table is concerned… meh? I’m over the moon about George Klassen’s five no-hit innings, Josh Knoth had a very nice outing for his first scoreless appearance since April 12th, and Justin Wrobleski struck out nearly a dozen in his first start in the PCL.
In lieu of a viewing guide and as a thank you for your patience, I’ve put together some synthesized notes from my live looks today.
Louie Varland (MIN) had a bad day. His 2.1 innings were perhaps the longest I’ve ever witnessed in person. He served up five homers in the contest – one to Parker Meadows, two to Dillon Dingler, one to Andrew Navigato (who is having a fantastic year at Triple-A), and one to Riley Unroe – and that wasn’t the full extent of the hard contact he allowed. I really think he’s best served in a bullpen role long-term.
I’ve never been a huge Ty Madden (DET) guy. I was pretty candid about my preference for Troy Melton as the number two pitching prospect in the system behind Jackson Jobe, and today’s outing didn’t help Madden’s case. The Mud Hens left him out there for far longer than I would have, especially following a very long sit-down as they scored seven runs in the top of the fourth inning, and you could tell he was taxed. Perhaps most important for all of you – I don’t see how he becomes much more than a fifth starter. His fastball was fine, but all of his breaking stuff was of the get-me-over variety, and there just isn’t a lot to dream on in terms of him making a big jump. Both command and control were an issue and he had several at-bats that were simply non-competitive.
Parker Meadows (DET) looked great. He’s more of a physical specimen than you might be thinking – his frame surprised me at least – and he’s every bit of his listed 6-foot-5, 205-pounds. He was 2-for-5 with a leadoff home run and a double, but also worked some good at-bats and had an RBI hit-by-pitch. I’m considering him as a serious buy-low candidate.
Much to my dismay Brooks Lee (MIN) wasn’t in the lineup. He’s been playing extremely well for the Saints over the last week (.407/.448/.852 in his last six games) and I think the Twins have some decisions to make over the coming weeks. They’ve got a number of players who have similar profiles – Miranda, Julien, Castro, Farmer in the infield and Kirilloff, Larnach, and Wallner in the outfield – and I wouldn’t be surprised if that crop gets thinned at the trade deadline. Kyle Farmer and Manuel Margot are DFA candidates, which should relieve the roster crunch at the big league level.
Dillon Dingler (DET) has been a bit of a forgotten man over the last few years. He played well at Single- and Double-A last year and finished the season with 109 plate appearances as a Mud Hen that didn’t go particularly well, but he’s swinging it better this year. He collected his 9th and 10th home runs in today’s game, both of which were tanks off of Louie Varland, and now has an .858 OPS through 50 games. Everything in his offensive profile looks fine; he’s making about league-average zone contact, he’s chasing a touch more than you might prefer, and his 90th percentile exit velocity is a smidge above the major league average. He might not be a bad option in two catcher leagues.
The Dynasty Dugout is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
