Thoughts for A Thursday - How's It Going In the Minors

Here are some early thoughts about our minor league players:

1. Joe Lampe can hit.  In fact, I expect him in Akron real soon as he appears to have way too much bat control and hitting acumen for high A pitchers.  He hasn't really shown any power yet but time will tell as to whether and how fast that develops.

2. Juan Brito is beginning to hit this year.  I thought he would have a good year but in order for him to have a chance to play in the majors before his option years run out, he needs to have a 2022 Jhonkensy Noel-like season.  That is, he needs to do well at Lake County and Akron and make it to Columbus by the end of the year.  He should be able to do that if he hits like he has the last week or so.

3. Gavin Williams can really pitch.  Like Lampe, though, he probably needs to be challanged with a promotion soon.  Looking at how Bibee is competing at AAA and how Williams is dominating AA, it seems like Williams could handle AAA batters.

4. Nate Furman can hit low A pitching.  In fact, he should have probably never been in low A and needs to be promoted to high A.

5. Parker Messick is not dominating low A like he should.  Too many base runners and it does not appear that he has a dominant put away pitch.

6. Comparing Will Dion last year and Austin Peterson this year, the latter can't put younger hitters away whereas Dion was able to do that with ease last year.  Maybe it could be time to look at Peterson in shorter stints.

7. The 2021 draft is the gift that keeps on giving.  Besides Dion, Hunter Stanley, Reid Johnston and Jack Leftwich are dominating early.

8. Doug Nikhazy, Aaron Davenport and Adam Scott are really struggling with their control.  Tommy Mace isdoing OK. 

9. Tanner Burns still doesn't look like he is throwing that hard but a repeat of AA is producing decent results.

10. Keep an eye on our minor league pitchers this year.  There is a school of thought that says we are losing so many pitching gurus from our minor league system that we are not having as many glorious success stories as we have had in past years.  Time will tell if this thinking is over-reacting.