Rank the DSL prospects/graduates

[cragi]

In recent years the DSL has turned into the Brewers' lifeblood, most recently with the wave of Lara/Made/Pena.

Now we are seeing some of the newer guys getting buzz (Frias, Martinez, Matos) but dont really have the same background evaluation as the draftees.

To the board gurus, how would you rank, say as a draft pick round, the top 6-7 prospects coming out of the DSL, starting with Frias/Martinez and working down to the DSL?

[Spencer Michaelis]

If I'm reading this right, you're basically asking "where would these recent DSL guys likely get drafted if they were eligible?"

I'll answer it that way either way lol

Alexander Frias: 1st round grade (Potential for plus hit and plus power, with a cannon in RF and good athleticism for his height, only turned 18 in March)

Ricki Moneys: 2nd round grade (Potential for plus power, EVs up to 111 MPH with wood already, really good athlete, contact concerns keep him off of a 1st round grade)

Diego Frontado: 2-3 round grade (Reminds me a bit of Trey Ebel honestly, just very solid in a lot of respects, but will need to add a standout tool at some point as he develops, EVs are better than average for his age, but nothing crazy special)

Brailyn Antunez: 2-3 round grade (huge raw power from a simple swing, very athletic, playing solid defense, a lot of whiff, but players of his talent are still day 1 grades as HS players)

Leanders Matos: 3rd round grade (The data is solid but unspectacular, will need to add pop still, but it's further along than Luis Pena was in the DSL, very good contact skills, solid athlete, decent defense)

Moises Salazar: 3-4 round grade (defense at catcher is really strong, it's hard to catch DSL pitching but he looks the part and could have a legit plus-plus arm, still 16 and a switch-hitter with a 119 wRC+, think he's the most underrated DSL guy this year)

José Rodríguez: 3-4 round grade (defense at short is supposed to be quite good, none of the offensive data stands out in a major way, but he has hit much better than I expected, solid athlete but nothing crazy, probably depends how good the defense actually is, which is hard for me to say based on what I have and haven't seen)

Kenny Fenelon: 4-5 round grade (pretty big power himself, I'd say a half grade worse across the board compared to Antunez, other than maybe defensively)

Juan Martinez: Mid-Day 2 grade (lack of power hurts him, and though he's a good defensive 2B, I think that's probably the one spot he can handle with his arm strength)

Other draftable grades:

Osiris Ramirez (big power, more swing-and-miss than the others in his game, and doesn't have the speed the others have)

Alexander Mercedes (lefty who has touched 95 MPH already and has a nice-looking curve to go with it. Mostly a 2-pitch guy with command concerns, which would hurt his draft grade.)

Angeni Fernandez (really undersized, likely would be a "let's see how he looks after college" type player in a real class, but the talent is real and he packs more punch than you'd guess)

[cragi]

awesome and yes!

[cragi]

To add, the new MLB Pipeline sheds some light but probably is slow to add anyone still in the DSL:
12 Frias (A)
19 Moneys (R)
21 Frontado (R)
27 Atunez (R)
28 Encarnacion (A)

[Spencer Michaelis]

3 minutes ago, cragi said:

To add, the new MLB Pipeline sheds some light but probably is slow to add anyone still in the DSL:
12 Frias (A)
19 Moneys (R)
21 Frontado (R)
27 Atunez (R)
28 Encarnacion (A)

Ah yeah, Handelfry is the one I missed, I knew I was missing someone. He'd be in that 3rd round-ish grade for me too. There's legit power and solid bat-to-ball and swing decisions. Likely a corner OF with a fine, but not great arm and not overly fast. Bat is pretty legit though.

[biedergb]

25 minutes ago, Spencer Michaelis said:

If I'm reading this right, you're basically asking "where would these recent DSL guys likely get drafted if they were eligible?"

I'll answer it that way either way lol

Alexander Frias: 1st round grade (Potential for plus hit and plus power, with a cannon in RF and good athleticism for his height, only turned 18 in March)

Ricki Moneys: 2nd round grade (Potential for plus power, EVs up to 111 MPH with wood already, really good athlete, contact concerns keep him off of a 1st round grade)

Diego Frontado: 2-3 round grade (Reminds me a bit of Trey Ebel honestly, just very solid in a lot of respects, but will need to add a standout tool at some point as he develops, EVs are better than average for his age, but nothing crazy special)

Brailyn Antunez: 2-3 round grade (huge raw power from a simple swing, very athletic, playing solid defense, a lot of whiff, but players of his talent are still day 1 grades as HS players)

Leanders Matos: 3rd round grade (The data is solid but unspectacular, will need to add pop still, but it's further along than Luis Pena was in the DSL, very good contact skills, solid athlete, decent defense)

Moises Salazar: 3-4 round grade (defense at catcher is really strong, it's hard to catch DSL pitching but he looks the part and could have a legit plus-plus arm, still 16 and a switch-hitter with a 119 wRC+, think he's the most underrated DSL guy this year)

José Rodríguez: 3-4 round grade (defense at short is supposed to be quite good, none of the offensive data stands out in a major way, but he has hit much better than I expected, solid athlete but nothing crazy, probably depends how good the defense actually is, which is hard for me to say based on what I have and haven't seen)

Kenny Fenelon: 4-5 round grade (pretty big power himself, I'd say a half grade worse across the board compared to Antunez, other than maybe defensively)

Juan Martinez: Mid-Day 2 grade (lack of power hurts him, and though he's a good defensive 2B, I think that's probably the one spot he can handle with his arm strength)

Other draftable grades:

Osiris Ramirez (big power, more swing-and-miss than the others in his game, and doesn't have the speed the others have)

Alexander Mercedes (lefty who has touched 95 MPH already and has a nice-looking curve to go with it. Mostly a 2-pitch guy with command concerns, which would hurt his draft grade.)

Angeni Fernandez (really undersized, likely would be a "let's see how he looks after college" type player in a real class, but the talent is real and he packs more punch than you'd guess)

Great insight as always, Spencer. I've been going deep on the DSL pitching staff lately so figured I'd add that layer since you covered the position players so well — fair warning, I'm no prospect guru, just a guy who's been staring at stat lines.

Using your draft round framework as a guide:

Alexander Mercedes (DSL Blue, L/L, 6'5", Age 17) — 5th-8th Round. Think Dorchies/Tobias/Vucinovich.
You already flagged him. The stats back up the scouting — 13.0 K/9 but 7.5 BB/9, which feels right for a 17-year-old lefty at 6'5" still learning. Command is the project but the frame and stuff are hard to ignore.

Santiago Martinez (DSL Gold, Age 17) — 7th-10th Round, IF Healthy
On the 60-day IL so big asterisk here. But 0.77 ERA, 14.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 in 11 innings at 17 is a line that's hard to ignore. The 5'11" frame probably makes him a risk long-term but the stuff sounds good. And if he matures/grows that could be someone to watch. But an injury that has wiped out most of this year, although according to ARobs no surgery yet, is a big asterisk.  

Paul Hoff (DSL Gold, 6'5", Age 19) — 9th-11th Round
2.45 ERA and 9.5 K/9 in 25+ innings. Older than the other names so the ceiling is more depth starter than front-end projection, but the frame and consistency are both there. Could be save money “day 2” pick or an early “day 3” selection with upside.

Justin Lugo (DSL Blue, 6'3") and Raymond Sarmiento (DSL Gold, 6'1", Age 18) — 12th-18th Round
Lugo is a pure reliever with a 15.5 K/9 that plays anywhere if the command cleans up. Sarmiento is the quieter name I keep coming back to — most innings of any Gold starter, sub-3.00 ERA, 2.40 K/BB at 18. Consistent, repeatable, smart. Again like college arms/senior picks in “day 3”. Both seem safer bets to come stateside.

Carlos Galindo (DSL Blue, 6'1", Age 18) — 15th-20th Round, late flier
38.1 innings in 5 starts at 18 is the whole scouting report. Modest K rate but the durability and strike-throwing are real organizational values at this level.

The "Go to College" Tier — But Worth Watching
Jordy Brache (DSL Blue, 6'4", Age 16) has a rough ERA and 15.4 BB/9, but he's 16 with a 6'4" frame and an 11.0 K/9 in pro ball. Check back in 2028. Luis Aguayo (DSL Blue, 5'10", Age 18) has the best command on the Blue staff (2.2 BB/9 in 9 starts) — the frame limits the ceiling but that kind of feel for pitching at 18 in the DSL is worth keeping an eye on. And given his age he could grow (his height may not be updated) and that could improve his ceiling, but again like a freshman going to college he could show up in 1-2 years  

Again just me looking throw stats and using AI to help me analyze the data. Obviously no real scouting info other than what I read here.  

[Spencer Michaelis]

12 minutes ago, biedergb said:

Santiago Martinez (DSL Gold, Age 17) — 7th-10th Round, IF Healthy
On the 60-day IL so big asterisk here. But 0.77 ERA, 14.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9 in 11 innings at 17 is a line that's hard to ignore. The 5'11" frame probably makes him a risk long-term but the stuff sounds good. And if he matures/grows that could be someone to watch. But an injury that has wiped out most of this year, although according to ARobs no surgery yet, is a big asterisk.  

Martinez is definitely one I should have included. I came away super impressed with his stuff in the game I watched, and the results were legit too. Definitely hoping he can avoid surgery.