Wed. 7/22: Wande, Matinee Style

[Jim Goulart]

This thread will be utilized for any minor league news Wednesday.

Organizational Scoreboard 

Audio Links

MiLB TV (Subscribers)

***

Wednesday's Birthdays:

None

[MilwaukeeBeers]

Can someone tell me why Josiah Hartshorn has gotten so much helium this year and Braylon Payne has not gotten nearly as much? Payne is only 6 months older and outside of his decently worse hit tool everything else Payne has is way louder than Hartshorn. Just feel like they are closer than any ranks have them. 

[biedergb]

42 minutes ago, MilwaukeeBeers said:

Can someone tell me why Josiah Hartshorn has gotten so much helium this year and Braylon Payne has not gotten nearly as much? Payne is only 6 months older and outside of his decently worse hit tool everything else Payne has is way louder than Hartshorn. Just feel like they are closer than any ranks have them. 

I would imagine one of two reasons

1. with a deep system it's easy for guys to get overlooked, and minor league evaluators also need to spread out the love since they have to "sell" to all 30 teams.

2. i don't know much about hartshorn, but payne strikes out a bunch, and also may not be "helium" since he was a highly regarded prospect to begin with.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

1 hour ago, biedergb said:

I would imagine one of two reasons

1. with a deep system it's easy for guys to get overlooked, and minor league evaluators also need to spread out the love since they have to "sell" to all 30 teams.

2. i don't know much about hartshorn, but payne strikes out a bunch, and also may not be "helium" since he was a highly regarded prospect to begin with.

Yeah, Payne has a 30-grade hit tool right now. The Z-Contact just isn't nearly high enough. If he had even a halfway decent hit tool, he’d easily be a top-10 prospect in the game. Right now, he’s down in the 90s or floating just off top-100 lists. Meanwhile, Hartshorn has steamed all the way up into the top 30, which really highlights how the industry and models are weighting tools right now.

There’s obviously a total premium on the hit tool based on recent drafts, but I still think there’s more than one way to be a high-value player. Auxiliary tools still matter a ton, especially when they’re plus-plus. The gap in how evaluators rank these two feels massive, and I'm not sure I fully agree with that logic.

Great point on spreading the love, though lol got to generate clicks from all 30 fanbases! I’m definitely not complaining about having 10% of a top-100 list, just throwing the question out there for a good debate. It still is hard to believe just how young Payne still is everytime I see his age. 

[Ro Mueller]

LHP Wande Torres starts on 4 days’ rest (3 IP, 5 R, 4 Ks; 70 pitches on Friday) as High-A Wisconsin seeks to snap a 4-game skid and even this week’s series at South Bend. DH Marco Dinges (.863 OPS in 262 PAs) is back in the lineup after resting for 2 games. 

[wiguy94]

2 hours ago, MilwaukeeBeers said:

Can someone tell me why Josiah Hartshorn has gotten so much helium this year and Braylon Payne has not gotten nearly as much? Payne is only 6 months older and outside of his decently worse hit tool everything else Payne has is way louder than Hartshorn. Just feel like they are closer than any ranks have them. 

Hartshorn has way less swing and miss than Payne.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

6 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Hartshorn has way less swing and miss than Payne.

Yes that is true he also is a switch hitter, but in comparison his tools elsewhere are average otherwise. Payne has plus plus run, plus glove, plus power potential. It was just an interesting thought experiement on the weight the modern industry puts on hit tool. 

[wiguy94]

3 minutes ago, MilwaukeeBeers said:

Yes that is true he also is a switch hitter, but in comparison his tools elsewhere are average otherwise. Payne has plus plus run, plus glove, plus power potential. It was just an interesting thought experiement on the weight the modern industry puts on hit tool. 

Looks like Hartshorn makes way better swing decisions than Payne as well. The fact Payne has any Top 100 hype with how bad his hit tool is impressive in its own right. His speed and raw power are impressing enough for people to overlook what is currently a very poor hit tool.

[wiguy94]

Also with Payne he’s obviously very athletic and twitchy but I’ve always thought he’s looked very tightly wound and a bit stiff. I wonder if scouts see something like that as well and view it as a negative. 

[Joseph Zarr]

4 hours ago, wiguy94 said:

Also with Payne he’s obviously very athletic and twitchy but I’ve always thought he’s looked very tightly wound and a bit stiff. I wonder if scouts see something like that as well and view it as a negative. 

I have said the same since very early in his time as a Brewer. As he's added some strength and mass it becomes even more visible - just watch him round those bases after a long ball. He has always come across, to me, as a straight line very fast guy but with stiffer hips and a more upright posture. He just doesn't seem all that loose when he moves. This being said, he is 100x more athletic than I ever was.😅

[Ro Mueller]

RHP Travis Smith also gets the call on 4 days’ rest (4 IP, 1 R, 1 K; 62 pitches on Friday), with AA Biloxi aiming to grab a 2-0 series lead at Chattanooga. DH Mike Boeve (.795 OPS in 337 PAs) is back in the lineup after missing 4 games.

[MilwaukeeBeers]

Beautiful piece of inside out hitting by Frias on that RBI hustle double!

[jay87shot]

Josiah Ragsdale 2/3 with nuke and steal. Crazy good year

Mayorquin with another solid 5 innings, definitely building some juice.

 

[Ro Mueller]

18-year old RHP Diustin Mayorquin got to make his first Low-A start (after 3 scoreless innings of relief 11 days ago), as Low-A Wilson was aiming to take a 2-0 series lead at Charleston. SS Brady Ebel entered with a 1.024 OPS in 58 July plate appearances.

[Ro Mueller]

After some MLB relief appearances, RHP Garrett Stallings makes his first start since June 24, as AAA Nashville seek revenge in Sugar Land after an extra inning defeat on Tuesday. 3B David Hamilton is back for his second rehab appearance.