In my last post, I wrote about Five Under the Radar Hitting Prospects who’s 2016 performances demand attention. This time, I will do the same with five pitching prospects.
The parameters will remain the same: none of these players have appeared on a top 100 prospects list, a top 10 by position list, or a team’s individual top ten prospects list. For one reason or another, these pitchers have gone almost completely unnoticed, even by fans familiar with the minor leagues.
Once again, the list is in no particular order, and I will provide the player’s handedness, team, minor league level, age, organizational rank, select stats, and a player description.
RHP Jimmie Sherfy, ARZ, AA, Age 24, Organization Rank: 30
2-0, 27 G, 0 Starts, 31.0 IP, 17 Saves, 50 K, 10 BB, 0.29 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, .110 BAA
Sherfy may be a closer at the Double-A level, but with a minuscule 0.29 ERA, he deserves a mention. His fastball sits in the 96-97 mph range with good movement, and he pairs that with an above average slider to keep hitters off-balance. By improving his control with the aforementioned pitches, Sherfy has now accumulated 50 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 31 innings pitched. Facing more patient and advanced hitters in the triple-A and MLB levels may expose some of Sherfy’s control problems, but his strikeout numbers should remain high, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him pitching out of Arizona’s bullpen by season’s end.
LHP Matt Hall, DET, A adv, Age 22, Organization Rank: 30
9-1, 14 GS, 77.2 IP, 83 K, 23 BB, 1.62 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .220 BAA
The Tigers have been more than satisfied with the recent emergence of Michael Fulmer, and they are looking for similar success from Daniel Norris when he earns a recall. The next building block for Detroit’s youngster-laden rotation might be Hall, as early as mid-2017 if he can continue his development. Pitching across two levels so far in 2016, Hall doesn’t necessarily have overtly dominant stuff (his best pitch is the curve), but he does a nice job controlling a four pitch arsenal, keeping hitters off balance. After moving up to advanced-A ball, Hall has experienced a little bit of difficulty. How he adjusts to these challenges at a higher level should be a good indicator of how he can develop as a pitcher.
RHP Brady Rodgers, HOU, AAA, Age 25, Organization Rank: 27
7-3, 13 GS, 82.2 IP, 80 K, 10 BB, 2.83 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .242 BAA
With all of the prospects that have made their way through Houston’s ranks in the past couple of years, Brady Rogers is one of the lesser known, but he could have significant impact. Like Hall, Rodgers doesn’t necessarily have a dominating pitch, but he does utilize all of his pitches well, showing good control with his fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider (his best pitch). The ceiling may not be all that high, but with an 8:1 K/BB rate at the triple-A level, Rogers certainly has the skills to contribute to Houston’s rotation this season. Look for him to make an impact sometime after the All-Star break.
RHP Brock Stewart, LAD, MLB, Age 24, Organization Rank: 26
Numbers across 3 MiLB levels: 8-3, 14 GS, 86.0 IP, 99 K, 14 BB, 1.47 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, .186 BAA
While preparing this article, Brock Stewart was called upon to make his MLB debut, a feat that, in and of itself, is impressive. Stewart managed to move all the way from Advanced A ball to the MLB in just the span of a few months. Across each level of the minors, he exhibited good command with both versions of his fastball (four-seamer and sinking two-seamer) as well as with an improved change-up, resulting in an impressive 99 strikeouts in 86 innings. Still, for Stewart to make a serious impact as a major league starter, he will need to continue to refine his slider. Even if he cannot do that though, Stewart projects to be a valuable bullpen middle-reliever.
RHP Felix Jorge, MIN, A Adv, Age 22, Organization Rank: 24
8-3, 13 GS, 86.0 IP, 74 K, 11 BB, 1.67 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, .224 BAA
Jorge holds the highest organizational rank on this list, and he may well also be the pitcher with the highest ceiling. At 6’2” and 170 pounds, Jorge still has some filling out to do, which should result in increased fastball velocity, a pitch with which he already exhibits good command. His 11 walks may be a bit of an allusion, as A-ball hitters are known to be a bit more swing-happy than in the upper levels of the minors, but the fact that Jorge is working on a fringy slider to go with his fastball and already effective changeup bodes well for his future. It shouldn’t be long before the jump to Double-A.
Statistics courtesy of MLB.com and FanGraphs.com. Header photo courtesy of GoDucks.com
-Alex Vacca
