Minor League Barometer: Mining for Prospect Gold

Perhaps no batter has been hotter of late than Cleveland's Francisco Mejia. The switch-hitting backstopper has been a machine for the Indians' organization and has proven that his mammoth hitting streak from a season ago was no fluke. Over his last 10 games at Double-A, Mejia is hitting a robust .463 with 12 RBI. He's crushed five home runs in his last five games, including back-to-back multi-homer outputs just last week. If his power surge continues, Mejia will emerge as one of the truly elite prospects in baseball. He's already arguably the top catching phenom; he has hit at least .333 at every level since the start of the 2016 campaign. Mejia leads the Eastern League in batting at 21 years old, and it isn't even close.

Need to mine a little deeper for some prospect gold? Let's take a look at some less talked about neophytes in this week's Minor League Barometer…

UPGRADE

Yordan Alvarez, 1B, HOU – A left-handed swinger from Cuba, Alvarez was held back to start the season but has been raking since his assignment to Low-A. The 19-year-old is slashing .356/.450/.589 with five home runs and 22 RBI through 25 games. He's even flashed a bit of speed, swiping two bags over that span. At 6-foot-5, 225-lbs, Alvarez still has room to mature and refine his power stroke. Furthermore, the Astros likely will not care too much about his strikeout concerns, as long as he can draw the occasional walk and hit the ball out of the ballpark. It certainly appears Alvarez has latched on with the right organization in that regard.

Yanio Perez, OF, TEX – Another Cuban talent, Perez has made a fine adjustment to the rigors of full season ball in the United States. The 21-year-old is hitting .322/.392/.533 with nine home runs, 30 RBI and three steals at Low-A. Working in Perez's favor is the fact that he is not quite the free swinger that countryman Yasiel Puig is, for example. Perez has 34 strikeouts as compared to 18 walks in 49 games. That type of plate discipline will serve him well as he ascends to the higher levels. Perez played third base in Cuba but has shifted to the outfield since being signed by the Rangers. It appears Perez has more pop than expected, and could even still some bases as well.

Beau Burrows, P, DET – At just 20 years of age, Burrows dominated High-A in 11 starts. The 6-foot-2, 200-lb righty posted a 1.23 ERA and 62:11 K:BB in 58.2 innings. Opposing batters hit just .221 against him. Burrows has since been promoted to Double-A Erie, where he won his first start at that level. His strikeouts are up and his walks are down from a season ago. As long as Burrows can keep his prior control problems at bay, he could be back on track to becoming a mainstay in the Detroit Tigers rotation of the future.

Merandy Gonzalez, P, NYM – The Mets have been patient with Gonzalez since he was signed out of the Dominican Republic back in 2013. However, the 21-year-old righty has emerged at Low-A as a prospect to watch. Gonzalez and rotation mate Jordan Humphreys form a potent 1-2 punch for the Columbia Fireflies. Gonzalez is 8-1 with a 1.56 ERA through 10 starts. He has a 61:11 K:BB in 63.1 innings, showing standout control. In addition, opposing batters are hitting just .203 against the 6-foot-1 righty. With a mid-90's fastball, filthy curveball and developing changeup, Gonzalez is one of the top pitching prospects for the Mets. In fact, Gonzalez, Humphreys and Justin Dunn could be forming the next generation of phenoms.

CHECK STATUS

Ronald Herrera, P, NYY – As if the Yankees needed any more young firepower with Chance Adams and Domingo Acevedo coming into their own, Herrera has had a stellar 2017 season is his own right. While not large in stature or overpowering, Herrera has still mowed down the competition at Double-A. After missing the first month of the season with a shoulder injury, Herrera has compiled a minuscule 1.07 ERA in eight starts. In addition, Herrera's control has been excellent, posting a 41:9 K:BB in 50.1 innings. Herrera doesn't have the "wow" factor of the aforementioned hurlers, but the statistics speak for themselves.

Trevor Clifton, P, CHC – The Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the Cubbies in 2016, Clifton has been good but not spectacular in 2017. While his ERA is still splendid at 2.52 through 60.1 innings at Double-A, his peripheral numbers raise some red flags. Clifton's strikeouts are down, and he's already issued 25 free passes this year. By contrast, Clifton walked 41 batters in double the amount of innings in 2016. Clifton has managed to limit the damage overall thus far, but those additional walks will almost certainly come back to haunt him at the higher levels.

Freddy Peralta, P, MIL – Peralta struggled in eight outings at High-A in 2016, but the 21-year-old has turned things around this year. Through 51.1 innings at High-A Carolina, Peralta has fanned a staggering 73 batters. Opposing batters are hitting a putrid .196 against him. It remains to be seen whether Peralta will be a starter or reliever, but he's been dominant in 4-6 innings stretches in 2017. Acquired from the Seattle Mariners prior to the 2016 season, Peralta could end up being a huge steal if his body can handle a starter's workload.

Luis Urias, 2B, SD – Urias has hit a bit of a wall of late, batting just .162 over his last 10 games for Double-A San Antonio. However, Urias still has more walks (7) than strikeouts (6) over that span. In fact, Urias just turned 20 years of age on June 3, yet has shown plate discipline well beyond his years. Urias has 39 walks as compared to 33 strikeouts overall in 2017. Even despite the recent cold spell, Urias is still batting .315 with a .413 On-Base Percentage this season. His proficiency at the dish is one of the main reasons scouts remain high on Urias, as he does not have much size or speed. Urias has just two home runs and five steals in 60 games in 2017. Nevertheless, the advanced approach at the dish for Urias at such a young age is remarkable. Think Jose Altuve.

DOWNGRADE

Mitchell White, P, LAD – A broken toe will sideline White for at least the next month in the midst of a breakout 2017 campaign. White had a 3.72 ERA and 49:16 K:BB in 38.2 innings at High-A Rancho Cucamonga. White's numbers are all the more impressive when taking into account that he is pitching in the extremely hitter-friendly confines of the California League. Already 22 years of age, White's progress has already been halted by having to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2014. His current injury won't require surgery, but White isn't going to see the field again before Independence Day.

Roman Quinn, OF, PHI – Quinn sustained an injury to the UCL in his non-throwing shoulder. While the injury occurred to his non-dominant arm and he is not a pitcher, recovery from possible Tommy John surgery would still knock Quinn out until the next calendar year. The 24-year-old speedster appeared close to carving out some playing time for himself at the big-league level, providing a switch-hitting approach at the dish with speed to boot. Unfortunately, Quinn's career has been riddled with injuries, having never played more than 88 games in any one season. As a result, it remains to be seen if Quinn can be trusted to stay healthy even upon return from his most recent injury.

Riley Pint, P, COL – The 1-7 record does not matter as much as the K:BB for Pint. He has walked 25 batters while fanning just 28 in 40.2 innings for Low-A Asheville. True, Pint is a 19-year-old hurler fresh out of high school and only just scratching the surface of his potential. That being said, he's also been surprisingly hittable, as opposing batters are hitting .275 against him. Pint appears to be finding out the hard way that professional batters can hit a fastball, no matter how hard it's thrown. The development of his third pitch, a changeup, will be crucial, and Pint also needs to find consistency with his breaking ball. Pint remains a work in progress with oodles of upside, but at this time he is struggling to maintain both his command and control.

Jose De Leon, P, TB – What do the Rays have in De Leon? At this juncture it appears De Leon is a hurler with massive strikeout potential that can't stay on the field. De Leon has made yet another trip to the Disabled List, this time after straining his lat muscle. While the injury is not considered serious, this is yet another ailment for the 24-year-old righty, who has made at least two trips to the Disabled List in each of the last three seasons. There's no denying De Leon's strikeout stuff, but it remains to be seen if the right-hander can shake the injury bug long enough to contribute on a consistent basis. He'll turn 25 years of age in August, yet has only thrown over 100 innings in a season once in his professional career.