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Minors  | General  | 12/6/2023

PG Down on the Farm: NL Central

David Rawnsley     
PG DOWN ON THE FARM
 
It’s the time of the year again (i.e. the off-season) for the annual PG Down on the Farm feature.  We identify a top prospect in each of the 30 Major League organizations with as much Perfect Game background as possible and delve into that PG history for some insight into his development as a prospect.  Some of them might be high profile, high draft pick, ex-PG All-American talents who fans have been long familiar with.  Others might be more obscure prospects who have significantly improved either in college or as professionals.

The idea isn’t to necessarily pick the best PG background prospect in each organization but the one who might be closest to the big leagues.  Sometimes that is the same player, other times not.



And there is plenty of variation among organizations in their quantity and quality of prospects, whether it be those with PG backgrounds or not.  There are multiple Baltimore Orioles prospects that would be easy choices to profile this year.  The annual struggle to identify a Houston Astros prospect is just that.  We’ve listed the last two year’s profile choices, along with a quick summary of how last year’s prospect performed in 2023.  We’re proud to note that both of last year’s ROY picks, the Diamondbacks Corbin Carroll and the Orioles Gunner Henderson, were profiled in 2022 and 2021 respectively.

The profiles will be organized by League/Division and run on the following schedule.

American League East  (November 27)
American League Central  (November 29)
American League West  (December 1)
National League East  (December 4)
National League Central  (December 6)
National League West  (December  8)



National League Central

 

Cincinnati Reds  --  RHP Connor Phillips

High School:  Magnolia West HS, Magnolia, Texas
College:  McLennan CC
Travel Team:  Premier Baseball
Final PG Class Ranking:  61
Drafted:   2020, 2nd round, Seattle Mariners
Highest 2023 Level:  MLB
2024 Age:  23

Phillips was a regular on the PG travel circuit throughout his high school career, regularly playing up one or two age groups for Premier Baseball after his fastball started touching the upper 80’s as a 15-year old.  Included in his travel resume was three separate trips to Jupiter for the WWBA World Championship.  His best event was the 2018 PG West MLK Championships, where he struck out 25 hitters in 9 innings over two games, somehow losing a game where he struck out 16 hitters in 6 innings.

Phillips pitched at the 2018 National Showcase, topping out at 94 mph with an upper 70s curveball.  His report from that event read: 

Connor Phillips is a 2019 RHP/OF with a 6-2 180 lb. frame from Magnolia, TX who attends Magnolia West HS. Medium athletic build with plenty of room to get stronger. Very fast arm, gets over his front side well and really gets downhill on his pitches, some effort at release. Low 90's fastball, topped out at 94 mph, gets outstanding sinking life down in the zone, commands his fastball well. Flashes tight spin on his slider, not consistent with it yet but spin is there. High ceiling arm as he continues to get stronger and refine his breaking ball. Good student, verbal commitment to Louisiana State.

Phillips went 12-3, 1.13 with 125 strikeouts in 92 innings as a senior at Magnolia West High School and was picked in the 35th round by the Blue Jays in the 2019 draft.  Originally a Louisiana State signee, Phillips decided to attend McLennan CC in order to stay eligible for the 2020 draft.  He quickly emerged in the fall as the top JC arm in class that fall and was able to make six starts in 2020 before the season was canceled.  The Mariners grabbed Phillips with the 64th overall pick and first spent on a junior college player and signed Phillips to a $1,050,300 signing bonus.

A strong debut season in 2021 that included 111 strikeouts in 76 innings over the two A levels strengthened Phillips prospect status.  Dealing from a depth of young pitching prospects, the Mariners traded Phillips, along with LHP Brandon Williamson, RHP Justin Dunn and OF Jake Fraley to the Reds for 3B Eugenio Suarez and OF Jesse Winker.  History may not treat that trade very kindly from the Mariners perspective, especially after Phillips and Williamson pitched themselves to the Majors in 2023.


2022 Featured PG Player:  SS Edwin Arroyo

2022 Update:   Arroyo had a solid year as a 19-year old in High A, hitting .252-13-60 with 29 steals and receiving a late season call-up to AA.  The Reds incredible infield talent above Arroyo make him a potential trade chip for the second time in his young career.

2021 Featured PG Player:  RHP Graham Ashcraft



Chicago Cubs  --  OF Pete Crow-Armstrong

High School:  Harvard-Westlake HS, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Final PG Class Ranking:  15
Drafted:   2020, 1st round, New York Mets, 19th overall
Highest 2023 Level:  MLB
2024 Age:  22

Pete Crow-Armstrong played in the 2019 PG National Showcase and the 2019 PG All-American Classic.  He was a constant in the outfield for USA Baseball even before his high school years, first appearing on a national team as a member of the 12U National Team.  Crow-Armstrong also dominated the SoCal baseball scene for Harvard-Westlake, including being named the Player of the Year in 2019 as a junior by the Los Angeles Times.

If Crow-Armstrong’s talent on the baseball field wasn’t enough, he was also born into the Hollywood set, with actress Ashley Crow and actor Matthew John Armstrong as parents.

Crow-Armstrong played the game easily, as the top Southern California players seem to, and especially stood out on defense from a young age.  His 6.51 speed in the sixty seemed to sell his range in centerfield short and this scout, who spent a lot of time watching him play at USA Baseball events, cannot recall his ever not making an accurate throw.  His report from the PG National read:

Pete Crow-Armstrong is a 2020 OF/LHP with a 6-1 175 lb. frame from Sherman Oaks, CA who attends Harvard-Westlake. Lean athletic build, unlikely to ever bulk up but plenty of room to get stronger. 6.51 runner, has easy gliding actions in the outfield, fields the ball cleanly with a quick release, makes very accurate throws due to advanced fundamentals and athleticism, plenty of raw arm strength, chance to be an elite level centerfielder. Left-handed hitter, hits from a slightly open stance, loose and easy swing with low effort bat speed, middle to opposite field approach but has the ability to turn on balls and drive them with plus pop that he has shown in games. Very projectable in all areas and plays the game easy and is able to slow it down. Probably the most polished all-around player in the 2020 class. Verbal commitment to Vanderbilt. Named to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

The Mets picked Crow-Armstrong with the 19th overall pick in the 2020 draft and signed him out of a Vanderbilt scholarship for a $3,359,000 signing bonus.  But Crow-Armstrong only ended up playing in six games in A ball with the Mets, as he underwent right shoulder surgery in May, 2021 and missed the rest of that season.  At the July 30 trade deadline, he was traded to the Cubs for SS Javier Baez and RHP Trevor Williams.

Crow-Armstrong has enjoyed two outstanding seasons in the Cubs system, hitting .312-16-61/.896 OPS with 32 steals in 2022 in A ball and splitting 2023 between AA and AAA as a 21-year old and hitting .283-20-82/.876 OPS with 37 steals.  From a scouting perspective, Crow-Armstrong’s power production, which has included plenty of doubles and triples as well, has been especially impressive, as he’d only flash that power potential as a teenager.

The Cubs are sure to be very active in the 2023-24 off-season, with centerfield being an obvious hole with potentially Cody Bellinger leaving via free agency.  They could do a whole lot worse than staying at home and starting a potential Gold Glove level centerfielder with some left-handed pop in Crow-Armstrong.
 

2022 Featured PG Player:  1B Matt Mervis

2023 Update:   Mervais was given a month-long audition at first base in Chicago after leading the minors in home runs in 2022, hitting .167-3-11/.531 OPS in 27 games before being returned to AAA.

2021 Featured PG Player:  OF Brennen Davis

 

Milwaukee Brewers  --  RHP Jacob Misiorowski

High School:  Grain Valley HS, Grain Valley, Mo.
College:  Crowder College
Travel Team:  Mac-N-Seitz
Final PG Class Ranking:  500
Drafted:   2022, 2nd round, Milwaukee Brewers
Highest 2023 Level:  AA
2024 Age:  22

Misiorowski is one of the hardest throwers in minor league baseball today, with a fastball that regularly reaches triple digits.  He still has command problems, as evidenced by his 49 walks, 19 hit by pitches and 13 wild pitches in 71 innings over three levels in 2023.  But the 6-foot-7 Missouri native also allowed only 43 hits, two home runs and struck out 113 batters, including 36 in 21 innings in AA.

What Misioroski wasn’t in high school was a top prospect.  He had hamstring problems during his junior year in 2019 that kept him from the summer circuit and his senior year, 2020, was of course the pandemic spring. 

The only Perfect Game events that Misiorowski participated in were a couple of tournaments for Mac-N-Seitz in 2016 and 2017 and the 2017 and the 2017 Midwest Underclass Showcase.  Misiorowski, who was listed at 6-foot-5, 160-pounds going into his sophomore season, threw well, working 81-84 mph with his fastball to go with a 71 mph curveball and throwing strikes.  He also threw 89 from the outfield and ran a 7.26 sixty, both very respectable for an athlete that young and tall.

Misiorowski was originally committed to attend Oklahoma State but ended up at Crowder Community College instead.  He missed most of the 2021 season with knee issues but was finally fully healthy in 2022.  He made 15 starts for Crowder, going a perfect 10-0, 2.72 and striking out 136 hitters in 76 innings while showing a plus slider to go with his mid to upper 90’s fastball.

The scouting community, most of whom probably didn’t have Misiorowski on anything but a light follow list beforehand, adjusted quickly and the then Louisiana State commit was drafted in the second round by the Brewers with the 63rd overall pick.  He was the second overall junior college pick behind the Reds Cam Collier (Chipola College, 18th overall) and signed for a $2,350,000 bonus.


2022 Featured PG Player:  IF Brice Turang

2023 Update:  Turang spent most of the year as the Brewers starting second baseman, posting a 1.6 bWAR largely on the basis of his outstanding defense.  His .218-6-34/.585 batting line was almost totally devoid of the power he’s showed in 2022, although he was 26 for 30 on stolen bases.

2021 Featured PG Player:  OF Joe Gray Jr.



Pittsburgh Pirates  --  RHP Jared Jones

High School:  La Mirada HS, Whittier, Calif.
Travel Team:  BPA
Final PG Class Ranking:  20
Drafted:   2020, 2nd round, Pittsburgh Pirates
Highest 2023 Level:  AAA
2024 Age:  22

The Class of 2020 high school pitching class was mediocre at best.  Only seven pitchers were ranked in the top 20 in the final PG rankings, with Jared Kelley and Mick Abel leading the way in the fifth and sixth slots.  And then factor in the 2020 pandemic, when high school baseball was canceled by early March, and few high school pitchers were even drafted in the abbreviated five-round 2020 draft.

Aside from the Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison, a PG All-American like Jones, Jones has been easily the most successful and promising prep pitcher in the class.  Given that Jones was more a two-way player in high school, that makes his ascension a bit of a surprise.

Jones was one of the top prep players, regardless of class, in Southern California as early as his sophomore year, when he hit .431-3-30 as an outfielder and went 7-2, 0.80 on the mound with 99 strikeouts in 69 innings.  He basically duplicated those numbers as a junior.

Jones was throwing in the low 80s as a 13-year old, so he came into his arm strength early.  His best tournament with the bat came at the 2017 WWBA National Championships, where he hit .615-1-9 with four walks and didn’t even take the mound, although he had the week before at the WWBA 16U National Championships and struck out 14 hitters in 11 innings over two appearances.

Jones played at the 2019 PG National and made a splash by tying the Perfect Game record from the outfield with a 100 mph throw.  Still, it was obvious at that point that his future was on the mound.  His report from that event read:

Jared Jones is a 2020 RHP/OF with a 6-2 175 lb. frame from Whittier, CA who attends La Mirada. Lean athletic build with lots of room to get stronger. High level two-way prospect whose future is on the mound. Good rhythm and tempo to his delivery, not much effort in generating velocity, gets tall over the rubber with a high leg lift and works downhill from there, extremely fast arm from a 3/4's arm slot. Fastball topped out at 96 mph, has thrown harder in the past and has a history of maintaining his elite velocity through whole games, gets riding life up in the zone and sink down in the zone. Has feel for his breaking ball and will add and subtract from the pitch, best breaking balls are the harder sliders he throws with conviction and full arm speed. Has a feel for firm change up that mimics his fastball well, change up topped out at 90 mph. 6.75 runner, has elite arm strength from the outfield with on line accuracy, just fun to watch throw the ball during drills, doesn't sell out for 100 mph. Right-handed hitter, gets to his front side early, has quick hands from a deep hand load, pretty simple swing approach, swings hard with some late lower half use, power projects. Good student, verbal commitment to Southern California. Named to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.

Jones’ senior season was canceled after eight games, including three trips to the mound where Jones struck out 28 in 17 innings.  With his long track record in front of Southern California scouts and on the summer circuit, including time with USA baseball, Jones was better positioned in the 2020 draft than most of his peers.  The Pirates selected him with the 44th overall pick and signed him away from his Texas scholarship for a $2,200,000 bonus.

Jones pitched in A ball in 2021 and High A in 2022, posting big strike out numbers but finding lots of barrels as well.  He quickly passed his AA debut as a 21-year old to start the season in 2023, graduating to AAA after only 10 starts and made 15 starts in AAA to complete the year.  Armed with a consistent upper 90’s fastball, a sweeping slider and a firm change up, Jones went 5-9, 3.85 with 146 strikeouts, 50 walks and only 106 hits allowed over the course of the 2023 season.

The Pirates are loaded with pitching prospects, MLB.com lists 12 of their top 15 prospects as pitchers, including 2023 top pick Paul Skenes, but Jones is right near the top of the list and could easily get a shot at a spot in the Pirates rotation sometime in 2024.


2022 Featured PG Player:  C Henry Davis

2023 Update:  Davis dominated AA/AAA for the first half of the season, hitting a combined .306-12-32/1.015 OPS in 55 games and then at the big league level hit .213-7-24/.653.  He also played almost exclusively in right field, a new position for him, due to the Pirates depth at catcher.

2021 Featured PG Player:  RHP Quinn Priester



St. Louis Cardinals  --  RHP Adam Kloffenstein

High School:  Magnolia HS, Magnolia, Texas
Travel Team:  Premier Baseball
Final PG Class Ranking:  29
Drafted:   2018, 3rd round, Toronto Blue Jays
Highest 2023 Level:  AAA
2024 Age:  23

One of the reasons that some teams place more value on signing young players than others is that they value the long developmental runway they have when they sign a 17-year old, or even young 19-year old high school prospect.  That was the case when the Blue Jays signed then 17-year old Adam Kloffenstein as a third round pick in 2018 and signed him to a well over slot $2,450,000 bonus.

The Blue Jays won’t benefit from their almost six years of developing the 6-foot-5, 245-pound right hander, having included him in the mid-2023 trade with the Cardinals in exchange for reliever Jordan Hicks.  But what the Cardinals got was a power arm with a six-year minor league veteran arm with no injury history (341 innings 2021-2023) who has nine starts already in AAA (2-1, 3.00) and will pitch almost all of 2024 at 23-years old.

By comparison, a normal 23-year old minor league pitcher who went to three years of college and was drafted in 2021 likely has just over one year of minor league training, probably 90-120 innings and may be seeing his first extended AA time in 2024.

Kloffenstein was a very active Perfect Game athlete at Magnolia High School in the Houston area and PG scouts saw him throw close to 20 times during his teen days and even before.  His best pitch was a very heavy low 90’s fastball that he consistently powered down in the zone and he supplemented that with a low 80’s breaking that he showed plenty of feel for spotting.  His report from the 2017 PG National Showcase read:

Big and strong athletic build, very young for the class and still has lots of projection. High 3/4's arm stroke with good extension out front, uses his lower half well, medium length arm stroke, generates plane to the plate. Low 90's fastball that topped out at 93 mph, occasional cutting action. Shows very good feel for spinning the ball, can add and subtract and vary the break, true curveball is more advanced at present but both pitches will be assets in the future. Firm change up with feel. Can mix and match and work hitters. Strong performance and there is more to come. Good student, verbal commitment to TCU.

Kloffenstein is on the Cardinals 40-man roster and it would be hard to find a better scenario for him than with the Cardinals, whose starting pitching was among the worst in baseball in 2023 and who have made improving that aspect of their team their off-season priority.  If he improves his strike throwing ability in 2024, he stands a good chance of making his big league debut.


2022 Featured PG Player:  OF-3B Jordan Walker

2023 Update: Cardinals disappointing season, covered up what a good debut season the 21-year old Walker had at the plate, where he hit .276-16-51/.787 OPS in 117 games.

2021 Featured PG Player:  IF Nolan Gorman
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