I don't claim to know what I'm looking at, but that doesn't seem like a 30% K swing. Pretty short and tight. Wilbur's note on pitch recognition and discipline seems like it'll be the make-or-break to his profile.
Probably not much to make of it, but the Mariners DFA'd LH hitting OF Cade Marlowe yesterday. From a brief look, strong defensively, and stole 43 of 50 bases in the AAA Pacific Coast league in 2024. Too many OF's in the Mariner's system, and they do not collect them like the Pirates collect MI's. I am lighting candles for Jack, but with the ++ SB tool, Marlowe could be a very useful backup in RF if Jack does not do well in ST. Marlowe also had 13 HR about 1 for every 26 AB in AAA.
It's another late inning weapon if he is on the bench. It looks like Jack, Palacios, or Cook in RF who was 9 of 10 in SB's with the Pirates I think I am talking myself into Billy Cook as the 1st in the RF depth chart with Jack 2nd.
Do not know much about PO, but Richard Ramirez and Estuar Suero are future stars if we have the Organizational Developmental Quality it takes to develop GOOD HITTERS.
Suero - 6'5" 180, FCL as a 18/19 year old he had a .625 OPS. God has blessed this kid with natural physicality. A switch hitter that should be a 700+ OPS guy at A Ball as a 19/20 year old. He needs to make better contact and get good reads on pitches. We can think about power when he gets to A+ and gets all of the other hitting qualifications polished at A.
Richard Ramirez - 6'0" 160 (?) - Another 18/19 year old last year in the FCL, but he posted some very strong numbers at 288/374/464/838 OPS with 8 doubles 2 triples, 5 HR in only 153 AB. His K of 56 to BB of 18 is 3+/1 and needs to be 2+/1 at worst. Catchers cannot give away outs and hitters with higher than 3/1 rates better be hitting 20+ HR - otherwise that's unacceptable. See the ball, put the ball in play. With the runners he has thrown out, he has strong pop times and a strong and accurate arm. Those are more natural gifts - blocking and framing are hard work 7 days a week - ST will help him a lot because the Pirates have a collection of hard working Catcher athletes all the way up the line.
I saw Chen pitch in Richmond (I actually think it was the game in that video) and was really impressed. That being said, I was also super impressed the one time I saw Roansy Contreras pitch there, so just another example of pitching prospects being really hard to gauge as a casual baseball fan.
Roansy had those qualities about him - was not much middle ground - he either did well or did poorly which is why the Yankees, Pirates, and still other MLB teams are willing to take the risk with him.
Popup arm during COVID, big velo gains. Enough helium to be the headliner in the Taillon deal. He lost 2 mph on his heater from his debut to when the Pirates DFA's him.
Bingo, just never held those velo gains. Curveball wasn't tight enough to fool big leaguers and never developed much of a change, so the slider was easy to sit on.
Grichuk is off the table. Resigned with Arizona
Bunch more NRIs announced. Neat group:
Alfonso
Barco
Borucki
Brannigan
Bubba
Gorski
Griffin
Harrington
Termarr
Aaron McKeithan (MiL R5 C)
Ryder Ryan
Solo
DJ Stewart
Sullivan
Wetting my appetite for March 14 prospects game vs Phillies.
Looking forward to that. Looking forward even more knowing I'll be at the game too
I thought Chen maybe, so bummer.
You gambled wrong!!! At least with me. I don't know Anthony's 3 yet lol
Love that Richard Ramirez read.
I don't claim to know what I'm looking at, but that doesn't seem like a 30% K swing. Pretty short and tight. Wilbur's note on pitch recognition and discipline seems like it'll be the make-or-break to his profile.
He's gonna be sooo much fun to watch. He already has been on poor (but at least we have it) complex league streams
He could be a bit frustrating to watch. He’d look really sound mostly, then chase a couple times. He IS still a teenager, so . . . .
Probably not much to make of it, but the Mariners DFA'd LH hitting OF Cade Marlowe yesterday. From a brief look, strong defensively, and stole 43 of 50 bases in the AAA Pacific Coast league in 2024. Too many OF's in the Mariner's system, and they do not collect them like the Pirates collect MI's. I am lighting candles for Jack, but with the ++ SB tool, Marlowe could be a very useful backup in RF if Jack does not do well in ST. Marlowe also had 13 HR about 1 for every 26 AB in AAA.
I don't know anything about Marlowe, but do know the Pirates benefited by a stolen base guy in March/April 2023 when the Pirates were in first place.
It's another late inning weapon if he is on the bench. It looks like Jack, Palacios, or Cook in RF who was 9 of 10 in SB's with the Pirates I think I am talking myself into Billy Cook as the 1st in the RF depth chart with Jack 2nd.
Do not know much about PO, but Richard Ramirez and Estuar Suero are future stars if we have the Organizational Developmental Quality it takes to develop GOOD HITTERS.
Suero - 6'5" 180, FCL as a 18/19 year old he had a .625 OPS. God has blessed this kid with natural physicality. A switch hitter that should be a 700+ OPS guy at A Ball as a 19/20 year old. He needs to make better contact and get good reads on pitches. We can think about power when he gets to A+ and gets all of the other hitting qualifications polished at A.
Richard Ramirez - 6'0" 160 (?) - Another 18/19 year old last year in the FCL, but he posted some very strong numbers at 288/374/464/838 OPS with 8 doubles 2 triples, 5 HR in only 153 AB. His K of 56 to BB of 18 is 3+/1 and needs to be 2+/1 at worst. Catchers cannot give away outs and hitters with higher than 3/1 rates better be hitting 20+ HR - otherwise that's unacceptable. See the ball, put the ball in play. With the runners he has thrown out, he has strong pop times and a strong and accurate arm. Those are more natural gifts - blocking and framing are hard work 7 days a week - ST will help him a lot because the Pirates have a collection of hard working Catcher athletes all the way up the line.
I saw Chen pitch in Richmond (I actually think it was the game in that video) and was really impressed. That being said, I was also super impressed the one time I saw Roansy Contreras pitch there, so just another example of pitching prospects being really hard to gauge as a casual baseball fan.
Roansy had those qualities about him - was not much middle ground - he either did well or did poorly which is why the Yankees, Pirates, and still other MLB teams are willing to take the risk with him.
Popup arm during COVID, big velo gains. Enough helium to be the headliner in the Taillon deal. He lost 2 mph on his heater from his debut to when the Pirates DFA's him.
Don't sell Yajure short in his hype during that deal! lol
You think eggs were bad, just look at Prospect Inflation!
*spitting out water while laughing gif*
Bingo, just never held those velo gains. Curveball wasn't tight enough to fool big leaguers and never developed much of a change, so the slider was easy to sit on.
And he struggled to consistently locate his pitches.