Alas, it’s SSDL as it’s the same three guys that were on the BA counterpart: Dylan Crews, Travis Sykora, and Jarlin Susana.
Crews is ranked #4 in what should be his final appearance, given that he’s justbarelyunder the rookie thresholds and will likely exceed those by the time MLB publishes its post-preseason Top 100 (or is that the pre-midseason?).
Sykora is ranked #70, which I suppose may get some undergarments bundled, but this is your semi-regular reminder that these lists are mostly for generating clicks and views for…
…the ads. Like BA, the MLB evaluators are concerned that Sykora may struggle to get hitters out at High-A the way he did at Low-A (chasing pitches out of the zone), which, of course, is true for all pitchers.
Susana comes in at #79, which is 12 spots lower than BA, if that matters to you (is this your cat?). MLB is more bullish on Susana’s chances of remaining a starter, but also mentions the same concerns that LHBs aren’t fazed by his substandard changeup, citing the sizable gap in OPS (.751 OPS vs. .516).
NATS SIGN IFA NOT FROM THE AMERICAS
Though it’s pretty clear the signing of LHP Shinnosuke Ogasawara is more related to the big club than “our guys,” it’s always possible that he could spend some time in Rochester. One effect it will definitely have is making it harder for the likes of Brad Lord and Tyler Stuart to get the call, never mind Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz remaining in the rotation as both have options remaining.
For those wondering, the scouting report on Ogsawara is control-over-velocity (a.k.a. a pitcher, not a thrower) that lefties are allowed to be. He won’t pile up the K’s and his fastball barely cracks 90mph, but has a deep arsenal of pitches (CH, SPL, CV, SL) that range from the low 70s to the low-80s [insert obligatory golf joke here].
Can someone check on Will? He may have fainted after reading this.