Minor League Barometer: Summer Prospecting

The MLB Draft is in the books, and a fresh set of prospects will soon make their way to the minors. While the Minor League Barometer takes note of all high-upside prospects from the draft that will eventually grace the pages of this article, for now we will stick to those hurlers and ball-strikers already honing their craft in the professional ranks. Let's take our weekly glimpse into the prospect landscape…

UPGRADE

Bo Bichette, SS, TOR – Teammate Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. gets the publicity at Low-A, and rightly so. Guerrero has been billed as a generational-type talent. However, all Bichette has done is hit nearly .400 through 56 games. Technically, the 19-year-old is hitting .396/.463/.639 over that span. Bichette has seven home runs, 45 RBI and nine steals. He may end up at third base like his older brother. Bichette's bat will play anywhere, though, and assuming he is patient enough at the higher levels, Bichette could end up forming quite a tag-team of next-generation MLB talent with the younger Vlad.

Adonis Medina, P, PHI – Medina has fanned 21 batters in his last two starts, which includes a dominant 12-strikeout performance in his last outing. Medina has three double-digit strikeout contests over his last nine starts for Low-A Lakewood. As a result, the 20-year-old righty out of the Dominican Republic now boasts a 75:23 K:BB in 60 innings at this level. Medina's fastball command has been much-improved, as have his off-speed pitches, most notably his slider. Opposing batters are hitting just .215 against him, while Medina is also inducing a bevy of ground balls. He's keeping the ball down, throwing strikes, and making batters swing and miss. All in all, that has led to a breakout season for Medina.

T.J. Friedl, OF, CIN – An undrafted free agent, Friedl boasts exceptional speed along with the ability to handle the bat. The Reds have been rewarded with a player who looks the part of an everyday centerfielder. Friedl hit .284/.378/.472 with five home runs, 25 RBI and 14 stolen bases through 66 games for Low-A Dayton. Friedl has shown an improved power stroke, and his plate discipline has not suffered as a result. He still has 30-steal potential on the base paths as well. Friedl could end up being a huge steal for the Reds, though the lefty won't hit the bigs for at least a couple more seasons. However, he just earned a promotion to High-A.

Mike Soroka, P, ATL – Soroka has been featured on the Barometer before, but he continues to pitch exceptionally for Double-A Mississippi. The 19-year-old hurler has not allowed an earned run in three-straight outings, a span of 22 innings. During that time period, Soroka has an 18:1 K:BB. Overall, Soroka has a minuscule 2.23 ERA in 2017. Of current, eligible starting pitchers in the Southern League, only Cincinnati Reds' prospect Tyler Mahle has a lower ERA. Soroka has also shown standout control along with the ability to miss bats. Opposing hitters are batting just .198 against him. Teammate Kolby Allard may have slightly more upside than Soroka, but the Braves have to be stoked about the slew of elite arms coming through their system, including the recently drafted Kyle Wright as well as last year's first rounder Ian Anderson.

CHECK STATUS

Edwin Rios, 3B, LAD – The 23-year-old with the left-handed power stroke has been crushing Double-A pitching in 2017, hitting .320/.361/.534 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI through 63 games. However, his plate discipline remains a red flag, as Rios has fanned 58 times over that span while drawing just 13 walks. As a result, if Rios slumps with the bat, his value takes a huge nosedive as he will be unable to contribute as much by at least making contact or drawing walks. Still, it is difficult to argue with his production thus far in 2017. Rios may be better suited for first base, though the Dodgers do have a guy named Cody Bellinger who could eventually take over instead. Rios has tremendous pop, but possible contact issues at the higher levels are disconcerting.

Matt Hall, P, DET – Hall hasn't allowed a run in four of his last five starts. Unfortunately, sandwiched in the middle of those starts was an outing in which he surrendered a ghastly eight earned runs. Still, Hall has been striking out the opposition with increased frequency in 2017. Hall has a 70:23 K:BB in 58.2 innings for High-A Lakewood. The southpaw hurler is inducing a plethora of grounders to the tune of a 1.85 GO:AO. His lack of a truly dominant pitch may come back to haunt him as he ascends to the higher levels, but Hall knows how to use his arsenal effectively. A decrease in walks and an increase in ground balls will certainly aid his cause moving forward.

Myles Straw, OF, HOU – The Straw Man is batting a crisp .450 over his last 10 games for High-A Buies Creek. Perhaps even more impressively, Straw has tallied more walks (8) than strikeouts (5) over that span. The speedy 22-year-old also swiped five bags during that time period, bringing his season total to 17 stolen bases in 61 games. Overall, Straw is slashing .329 with a .431 On-Base Percentage through those 61 contests. However, Straw will be limited by the fact that he possesses almost no power. He has zero home runs this season, and has just one dinger since being drafted in the 12th round in 2015. As such, the lack of home run clout limits his upside, but Straw has shown an extremely polished approach at the dish.

Garrett Hampson, SS, COL – Hampson has been overshadowed by teammate Brendan Rodgers, but he has been taking full advantage of his friendly environment at High-A. Hampson is hitting .318/.384/.433 with three home runs, 35 RBI and 19 stolen bases through 63 games for High-A Lancaster. Unlike Rodgers, speed is Hampson's best asset. He's second in the California League in steals behind teammate Wes Rogers. Power is not really a part of his game, though Hampson's skill set is not completely devoid of this asset. He has 13 doubles and four triples to go along with his three home runs. It also remains to be seen whether he will remain at shortstop with players like Rodgers and Trevor Story ahead of him. Still, the third-round selection from a season ago out of Long Beach State has a polished bat, stellar speed and the ability to handle the shortstop position if necessary.

DOWNGRADE

Gleyber Torres, SS/3B, NYY – Torres suffered what was initially diagnosed as a hyper-extended elbow sliding into home plate for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Unfortunately, it has now been determined that Torres tore his ulnar collateral ligament, and will undergo Tommy John surgery. While the surgery is less severe for a position player as opposed to a pitcher, Torres will certainly miss all of this season, and perhaps the beginning of 2018 as well, depending on how his rehabilitation progresses. This is a tough break for both Torres as well as the Bronx Bombers, as it appeared Torres was close to taking over at third base for the inconsistent Chase Headley at the big-league level. Instead, the Yankees may now be forced to trade for some help at the hot corner.

Kyle Lewis, OF, SEA – 2017 has been nothing short of a nightmare for Lewis, the No. 11 overall pick from a season ago. He has been in the batter's box just four times (for High-A Modesto), and finds himself back on the Disabled List due to soreness in his surgically repaired knee. Lewis tore his ACL in late summer last year, and had slowly worked his way back to apparent health. However, the Mariners will almost certainly proceed extra-cautiously with their prized phenom, and he could even be shut down for the remainder of the 2017 campaign as well. Lewis still has loads of upside, but he's going to have to prove he's healthy before rising up the organizational ranks for the M's.

Josh Lowe, OF, TB – Lowe is having a rough go in 2017, though this is perhaps not unusual for a player who also pitched in high school and is learning a new position in the field as well. Lowe played third base mostly in high school, but has been placed in the outfield this season at Low-A Bowling Green. He's got above-average speed and a solid arm, but his hitting approach remains raw. Lowe should eventually hit for some power, but for now has just three home runs in 56 games. In addition, the 19-year-old is batting just .235/.290/.353. Lowe has fanned 71 times while drawing just 17 walks, further demonstrating his lack of polish at the dish. Lowe does have 11 stolen bases, and in time he could develop into a toolsy corner outfielder. He has a lot of work ahead of him to make that happen, though.

Braxton Garrett, P, MIA – The Fish have one of the worst farm systems in all of baseball, and Garrett perhaps having to undergo Tommy John surgery will only further serve this notion. He's battled elbow problems of late and is receiving a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews. One physician has already diagnosed Garrett with a partially torn UCL. Arguably the top prospect for the Marlins, Garrett pitched in just four games at Low-A before succumbing to an elbow ailment. Should the 19-year-old hurler go under the knife, he would miss all of 2017 and possible all of 2018. All of a sudden, Garrett could then be 21 years of age and not have pitched more than 20 innings in the minors. To add insult to injury, Miami's first-round selection from 2015, Tyler Kolek, underwent Tommy John last year as well.