Top Prospect Watch

#1: Kyle Harrison

This Week (AAA): 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP – 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 HR, 1 BB, 6 SO

Season (AAA): 3.40 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, .167 Avg – 13 G, 13 GS, 42.1 IP, 25 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 4 HR, 35 BB, 72 SO

Harrison’s successful 2023 continued, as he just kept doing the right stuff on his season.  He’s really begun doing better with his control, which has been his most difficult task this season.  Hopefully it’s going to continue.

#2: Marco Luciano 

This Week (AA): .350/.480/.850 – 7-20, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 5 BB, 3 SO, 2-2 SB-SBA

Season (AA): .191/.309/.452 – 22-115, 6 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 21 BB, 41 SO, 4-4 SB-SBA

This was without a doubt Luciano’s best week of the season, as he had three home runs in two games over the weekend.  Luciano still is under the Mendoza Line, but the momentum finally looks like it’s swinging in his favor.

#3: Casey Schmitt

This Week (MLB): .176/.222/.294 – 3-17, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 0 BB, 2 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (AAA): .313/.352/.410 – 42-134, 10 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 8 BB, 28 SO, 3-3 SB-SBA

Season (MLB): .277/.287/.411 – 31-112, 9 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 1 BB, 22 SO, 2-3 SB-SBA

Well, the honeymoon is over, so it’s time to look at Schmitt in the majors and say what really needs to be said: he’s overaggressive, and pitchers are taking advantage of him in a big way.  With 1 walks against 22 strikeouts in 112 at-bats, Schmitt badly needs to make adjustments, and maybe back at Triple-A.

#4: Grant McCray

This Week (High-A): .182/.308/.273 – 4-22, 0 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 4 BB, 9 SO, 3-3 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .230/.341/.410 – 50-217, 7 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 33 BB, 77 SO, 24-29 SB-SBA

It was back to a rough week for McCray, who finished the week with three hitless games.  McCray’s speed and defense are unquestioned.  But he needs to prove that he can get hits and get on base consistently.

#5: Carson Whisenhunt

This Week (AA): 0.00 ERA, 0.80 WHIP – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 7 SO

Season (Low-A): 3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, .231 Avg – 4 G, 4 GS, 13.2 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 HR, 4 BB, 20 SO

Season (High-A): 1.42 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, .107 Avg – 6 G, 6 GS, 25.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 HR, 8 BB, 36 SO

Season (AA): 0.00 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, .125 Avg – 1 G, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 7 SO

This week was Whisenhunt’s Double-A debut, and he just kept doing the crazy good stuff he’s been doing most of the season.  His velocity reportedly was not the best this week either.  We’ll have to see if he can keep this up at the level, and he’ll be the #2 pitching prospect in the system without question.

#6: Vaun Brown

This Week (AA): .105/.150/.211 – 2-19, 0 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1-1 SB-SBA

Season (Low-A): .412/.500/.529 – 7-17, 2 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 5 SO, 3-3 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .300/.391/.550 – 6-20, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 5 SO, 2-2 SB-SBA

Season (AA): .286/.365/.518 – 16-56, 3 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 5 BB, 22 SO, 2-2 SB-SBA

It was a rough week for Vaun Brown, who has begun ramping up his games played, and technically played three days in a row for the first time at Double-A since coming back, but the third game was just a pinch-running appearance late in the game.

#7: Luis Matos

This Week (AAA): .393/.433/.964 – 11-28, 1 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO, 2-2 SB-SBA

Season (AA): .304/.398/.443 – 35-115, 7 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 17 BB, 12 SO, 9-13 SB-SBA

Season (AAA): .396/.434/.660 – 42-106, 6 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 7 BB, 8 SO, 6-7 SB-SBA

Yeah…I think Luis Matos might be getting called up soon, as soon as there’s an opening for him.

#8: Aeverson Arteaga

This Week (High-A): .211/.250/.211 – 4-19, 0 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1-1 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .209/.302/.374 – 43-206, 10 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 25 BB, 60 SO, 5-7 SB-SBA

Like McCray, Arteaga is back to having some struggles at High-A.  At this point, it’s just more and more hitting that he needs to do to earn his way out of Eugene.

#9: Cole Waites

This Week (AAA): 15.43 ERA, 2.14 WHIP – 2.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 3 SO

Season (AAA): 6.10 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, .250 Avg – 22 G, 3 GS, 20.2 IP, 20 H, 14 R, 14 ER, 1 HR, 18 BB, 19 SO

Season (MLB): 15.43 ERA, 3.43 WHIP, .462 Avg – 3 G, 0 GS, 2.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO

Waites has been very consistent since he was last sent down to Triple-A, but this week he had his first blowup, and first runs allowed (a lot) in one game since.  His numbers are rough overall, but the more recent numbers look a lot better.

#10: Mason Black

This Week (AA): 0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP – 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 0 BB, 6 SO

Season (AA): 5.31 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, .232 Avg – 11 G, 11 GS, 40.2 IP, 36 H, 26 R, 24 ER, 7 HR, 15 BB, 51 SO

This was easily Black’s best week in some time, as the hyped prospect has spent much of the first half struggling to impress.  Now, can he string a few starts like this together?

System Risers

Tyler Fitzgerald

This Week (AAA): .269/.321/.385 – 7-26, 0 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 6 SO, 1-2 SB-SBA

Season (AA): .324/.410/.588 – 22-68, 6 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 9 BB, 22 SO, 3-3 SB-SBA

Season (AAA): .295/.375/.464 – 33-113, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 15 BB, 26 SO, 12-13 SB-SBA

Fitzgerald has had a pretty good run at Triple-A, even though this week was a bit of the down week.  But Fitzgerald doesn’t need to set the world on fire when he can play several positions defensively and hold his own at the plate.

Wade Meckler

This Week (AA): .250/.400/.375 – 2-8, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .456/.494/.633 – 36-79, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 9 SO, 2-3 SB-SBA

Season (AA): .313/.405/.344 – 10-32, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 5 BB, 4 SO, 1-1 SB-SBA

After missing a couple of weeks with an oblique injury, Meckler made his return over the weekend and got into a pair of games.  There’s not much to analyze here, but he’s back, and that’s the important thing.

Patrick Bailey

This Week (MLB): .500/.583/1.000 – 5-10, 3 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 2 BB, 2 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Season (AA): .333/.400/.481 – 18-54, 2 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 6 BB, 13 SO, 2-2 SB-SBA

Season (AAA): .216/.317/.353 – 11-51, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 7 BB, 15 SO, 1-1 SB-SBA

Season (MLB): .317/.349/.550 – 19-60, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 3 BB, 19 SO, 0-0 SB-SBA

Bailey’s successful run in the big leagues continues, and he’s even hitting left-handed pitching better than right-handed pitching, so the unexpected hitting splits continue.  Consistency is going to be the question.

Carter Howell

This Week (High-A): .053/.182/.158 – 1-19, 0 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 3 BB, 7 SO, 1-1 SB-SBA

Season (Low-A): .337/.398/.500 – 60-178, 9 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 17 BB, 39 SO, 8-11 SB-SBA

Season (High-A): .279/.354/.395 – 12-43, 1 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 5 BB, 10 SO, 2-3 SB-SBA

Howell’s High-A honeymoon has come to a screeching halt, as he got only one hit all week (albeit a triple).  Hopefully he can make the adjustments he needs to even this ship out.

Hayden Birdsong

This Week (Low-A): 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP – 8.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 HR, 2 BB, 11 SO

Season (Low-A): 2.16 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, .218 Avg – 12 G, 10 GS, 41.2 IP, 34 H, 12 R, 10 ER, 0 HR, 22 BB, 70 SO

Birdsong had two starts this week and was awesome, not allowing a single run.  We have since learned that Birdsong has earned a much-deserved promotion to Eugene, so things are progressing ideally for him!