WEBVTT - 512 | Just Baseball's Top 100 Prospects: Biggest Risers 0:00:01.720 --> 0:00:14.920 Any switch said, high deep, under standing, up deep to 0:00:15.000 --> 0:00:17.880 shut her feel and it's coming. 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:22.599 Wow, his first big league swing, He's gonna be a 0:00:22.760 --> 0:00:24.119 gland slam. 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:25.439 Home run swing. 0:00:25.640 --> 0:00:29.080 Good time to Welcome. 0:00:28.760 --> 0:00:34.319 To the show. Welcome back to the Call Up, your 0:00:34.479 --> 0:00:37.080 go to podcast on the future stars of Major League Baseball, 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:42.240 and we continue this week of Top one hundred Prospect episodes. 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:44.680 It's gonna be the theme for this week and next 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.680 week as well. We are doing the biggest risers today, 0:00:47.800 --> 0:00:50.560 it's arm Light and Jack McMullen to break it down, 0:00:50.800 --> 0:00:53.760 and then we'll do another episode coming up on the 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:57.680 other newcomers. Then plenty more going into next week on 0:00:57.880 --> 0:01:00.360 the top prospects in the entire list, and twenty more 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:02.560 to discuss as it pertains to the list and breaking 0:01:02.600 --> 0:01:04.480 it all down. We're also going to talk about a 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:07.839 very dynamic and unique Rockies prospect making his big league debut. 0:01:08.280 --> 0:01:10.600 But Jack, this is the first Top one hundred episode 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:14.080 with you since the update. Really excited to talk risers 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:17.280 as well, because with this first update we always get 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:20.760 some major movers, including one of the biggest, actually the 0:01:20.880 --> 0:01:24.400 biggest riser in the history of US ranking Top one 0:01:24.440 --> 0:01:25.760 hundred prospects here just baseball. 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:28.800 Yeah, so you've got a guy that went from one 0:01:28.920 --> 0:01:34.400 hundred to nine. I will save I guess I'll save 0:01:34.520 --> 0:01:37.080 the actual name for the tail end of the episode 0:01:37.080 --> 0:01:40.040 when we do that, because we're gonna work from lowest 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.000 on the top one hundred to highest on the top 0:01:42.080 --> 0:01:44.000 one hundred. But I don't think I've ever seen you 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:47.280 go one hundred to nine with someone before. But this 0:01:47.560 --> 0:01:49.480 was a guy that was out top twenty at one 0:01:49.560 --> 0:01:52.760 point too. He was top five for some outlets way 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.840 back when. So it's just amazing to see the process. 0:01:55.880 --> 0:01:57.600 And if you're reading the tea leaves, chances are you 0:01:57.680 --> 0:01:58.280 figure it out. 0:01:58.360 --> 0:01:59.520 But it's so. 0:01:59.760 --> 0:02:06.160 Cool, especially in this pre CBA expiration year and where 0:02:06.320 --> 0:02:10.959 like prospect promotion is so heavily incentivized. You're seeing more 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:13.040 and more guys get up, and you're seeing more and 0:02:13.160 --> 0:02:16.120 more guys get paid, like Bradon Montgomery just got up 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:18.240 and Luis Laura just got paid in the last forty 0:02:18.280 --> 0:02:20.919 eight hours, which is awesome. Yeah, so like we're seeing 0:02:21.040 --> 0:02:22.799 more and more of this. You will see more and 0:02:22.880 --> 0:02:26.000 more graduations and now with the league just skewing a 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:28.519 little bit younger and more exciting, you have that many 0:02:28.560 --> 0:02:31.360 more prospects to rank, So heck of a job again, dude, 0:02:31.480 --> 0:02:34.480 on this It's available obviously in the episode description and 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:37.120 then on Just Baseball dot com. It is such a 0:02:37.320 --> 0:02:40.240 fun article to read every single time it is updated. 0:02:40.800 --> 0:02:43.880 I appreciate it, man. And it's been really fun with 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:46.000 this grouping because we talked about it in the last episode. 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:48.680 So many new faces, so many players that we haven't 0:02:48.680 --> 0:02:50.280 been able to discuss too much because it's a twenty 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:52.720 five draft or maybe that emerged out of nowhere or 0:02:52.760 --> 0:02:55.440 a little bit of both. And with the Max exodus 0:02:55.520 --> 0:02:58.560 that we had a lot of refreshing, you know, new 0:02:58.720 --> 0:03:01.240 faces here on the and we're going to talk about 0:03:01.720 --> 0:03:03.359 more of the risers. So these aren't going to be 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:05.000 as many of the new faces, but these are gonna 0:03:05.000 --> 0:03:08.160 be guys that really improve their stock since the start 0:03:08.240 --> 0:03:10.400 of the year. But before we get into that, guy 0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:12.840 that has improved his stock as well, and it's probably 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:15.919 within an arms reach of top one hundred prospect status 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.680 is called Carrig and he got called up for the Rockies. 0:03:19.080 --> 0:03:23.360 He in his first big league game tripled. That's kind 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:25.919 of the name of his game. He is I think 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:28.799 Warren Schaeffer said it in himself, the Rockies manager. He 0:03:28.840 --> 0:03:31.120 plays with his hair on fire. It's exactly what you 0:03:31.240 --> 0:03:33.720 kind of feel when you watch this cop B pick 0:03:33.840 --> 0:03:37.600 from twenty twenty three. Colt Carrig switch hitter that can 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:40.520 play all over the diamond. He caught some games in 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:43.840 the first days of his professional career that quickly were like, 0:03:43.880 --> 0:03:45.800 you're way too athletic to be in the squad. We're 0:03:45.800 --> 0:03:47.880 not going to do that anymore. And he was playing 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:51.320 shortstop and center field. Then over the last couple of 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:53.960 years a lot more just center field, but then this 0:03:54.160 --> 0:03:56.760 year a little bit more shortstop again. So I think 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:59.400 Carrig projects best in the outfield where he's played all 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:02.480 three spots. His speed can absolutely play in center, but 0:04:02.600 --> 0:04:04.200 it's an asset to have a guy that you can, 0:04:04.400 --> 0:04:06.840 you know, late game replacements wise, or you're subbing and 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:08.600 moving things around to be able to move a guy 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:10.680 into the dirt or spot start into the dirt. So 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:13.000 it's been fun to see the Rockies lean back into 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:15.920 that side of things. And then with Carrig, I mean, yes, 0:04:16.200 --> 0:04:19.320 playing in some hitter friendly environments of course, hitting in 0:04:19.600 --> 0:04:22.200 in Albuquerque there, but that's what we have WRC plus 0:04:22.279 --> 0:04:24.080 four and you know hit this slash line will play 0:04:24.080 --> 0:04:27.440 anywhere three thirty eight, four, fourteen, five, twenty nine good 0:04:27.480 --> 0:04:30.320 for a one to twenty nine WRC plus thirty bags 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:33.440 in fifty seven games for Keragin six homers as well. 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:37.680 He can sneak, He's got some sneaky pop. He's absolutely 0:04:37.839 --> 0:04:40.080 one of the faster guys that you're gonna see and 0:04:40.240 --> 0:04:42.560 immediately like probably the fastest guy on this Rocky scene. 0:04:43.240 --> 0:04:45.440 And then also just the ability to impact the ball 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:47.520 a little bit from both sides of the plate. At worst, 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:50.760 this is a very dynamic super utility player. But I 0:04:50.800 --> 0:04:52.960 think at cores where it's gonna hedge some of the 0:04:53.000 --> 0:04:55.880 swing and miss that he's already hedged himself. His skill set, 0:04:55.960 --> 0:04:58.280 his athleticism. This is a very fun player for the 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:00.360 Rockies to bring up in a year where, look, they're 0:05:00.360 --> 0:05:01.600 not gonna hit the playoffs, but they're better. 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:04.440 And I don't think this is somebody that goes down 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:08.400 to Albuquerque when that decimated outfield becomes healthy again. Like 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:10.440 I think this is a guy that you're comfortable having 0:05:10.520 --> 0:05:13.760 on your bench. And you mentioned the late game defensive situation, 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:16.479 the pinch running situation. If he keeps hitting, he's gonna 0:05:16.480 --> 0:05:20.040 get some pinch hit situations too. Troy Johnston's not going anywhere. 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:22.200 That guy has been one of these surprises offensively in 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:24.880 Major League Baseball. But Jake McCarthy has been a heck 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:27.240 of a lot better than I was ever anticipating. Jake 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:29.520 McCarthy would be, to be honest with you. And then 0:05:29.520 --> 0:05:31.440 they've got some other guys that they are committed to 0:05:31.560 --> 0:05:33.880 that are on the IL right now, right Mickey Moniac. 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:36.640 He's on the IL with an ankle sprain. Tyler Freeman 0:05:36.760 --> 0:05:39.240 just hit the IL. That's why Carig got up. Brenton 0:05:39.279 --> 0:05:42.080 Doyle is on the IL with an oblique issue. Jordan 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:44.240 Beck is on the IL with a hamstring strain. So 0:05:44.640 --> 0:05:48.440 you've got four outfielders that are on the shelf and 0:05:48.680 --> 0:05:51.480 Carig is up. Carig is going to play pretty much 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:53.480 every day while Freeman is out and while the rest 0:05:53.520 --> 0:05:56.760 of the outfielders are out. But when those guys get healthy, 0:05:56.920 --> 0:06:00.120 Carriig is somebody that can fill in for Tovar, who's 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:02.400 been brutal so far this year. He's somebody that can 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:05.120 fill in in all three outfield spots. You mentioned the 0:06:05.200 --> 0:06:08.040 shortened center thing. He played like six games and left 0:06:08.120 --> 0:06:11.480 in six games and right in twenty twenty five in Hartford, 0:06:11.880 --> 0:06:14.560 but this year was back to shortened center. That's a 0:06:14.760 --> 0:06:17.360 super valuable piece. Oh yeah, and if you can play 0:06:17.400 --> 0:06:20.480 shortened center, I automatically call you like a super utility 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:22.920 guy that can play absolutely anywhere on the diamond. 0:06:23.279 --> 0:06:26.320 And then the switch hitting, the speed, the stolen base ability, Like, 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:28.480 this guy's gonna have a spot on a roster whether 0:06:28.560 --> 0:06:31.560 he reaches his offensive potential or not for a very 0:06:31.680 --> 0:06:34.320 long time. But the exciting part is he's reaching closer 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:35.440 to that offensive potential. 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:38.400 Yeah, I'm gonna start calling this guy, what do you need? Guy? 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:40.240 Like he can just go up to the manager and 0:06:40.279 --> 0:06:41.640 be like, what do you need? I got you you need? 0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:43.920 So yeah, cole Kerrig is a what do you need guy? 0:06:44.440 --> 0:06:47.800 It's kind of Willie castrosh except better athlete, right, Like 0:06:47.839 --> 0:06:49.680 you're gonna get a gether actually like making it and 0:06:49.760 --> 0:06:51.520 obviously he's got to make some strides to hit like 0:06:51.600 --> 0:06:53.000 castro Is hitt in stronger seasons. 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:56.280 But best what do you need guy? In baseball? Mauricio Dubon, 0:06:56.400 --> 0:06:58.200 what do you need? I got you? So? 0:06:58.600 --> 0:07:01.840 Yeah, it's freaking all and that probably fits the bill 0:07:01.920 --> 0:07:03.920 even more with the defensive value that you get there. 0:07:04.040 --> 0:07:07.160 Last thing, I'll mention twelve percent cut in the strikeout 0:07:07.279 --> 0:07:10.760 rate this year at TRIPLEA compared to double A last year. 0:07:10.960 --> 0:07:14.240 That's really exciting there for Carrig. Hopefully it gets a 0:07:14.280 --> 0:07:16.000 long look here, and I agree I think he will 0:07:16.520 --> 0:07:19.600 with the Rockies. Let's get into the biggest risers here, 0:07:19.760 --> 0:07:24.360 where we've got again some masitive jumped record amounts of spots, 0:07:24.480 --> 0:07:27.720 but plenty of others that I'm excited to highlight here. Again, 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:30.840 as always, the link for the list is in the 0:07:30.880 --> 0:07:31.680 episode description. 0:07:32.840 --> 0:07:35.680 So I want to start us off with Kendree Chorio, 0:07:35.800 --> 0:07:39.040 the pitching prospect for the Kansas City Royals. Because Chorio 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:42.680 was at ninety six on the preseason update. He's up 0:07:42.720 --> 0:07:46.160 to seventy three now. Kendree Chorio again of the Kansas 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:49.520 City Royals, a teenage pitching prospect. Why do you love 0:07:49.600 --> 0:07:50.080 him this much? 0:07:50.800 --> 0:07:54.680 Yeah? Chorio? Man, just just the numbers. Look at this guy. 0:07:55.200 --> 0:07:57.720 Every single time you check in. He just has not 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:00.640 slowed down, and he's so ahead of his year. I mean, 0:08:00.680 --> 0:08:03.520 we're looking at a eighteen year old, by the way, 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:07.520 doesn't turn nineteen years old until October first of this year, 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:12.960 who already has success at Lowe under his belt. He 0:08:13.160 --> 0:08:16.720 was okay at the end of our shirt Lowa in 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:20.840 his age aged seventeen season, which the fact that he's 0:08:20.880 --> 0:08:23.960 even there is remarkable. And then this year in his 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:27.040 age eighteen season, forty two innings, he's pitched to a 0:08:27.160 --> 0:08:30.760 one seven to one el for low A Columbia, forty strikeouts, 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:35.160 eight walks. To be doing what he is doing is ridiculous, 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:38.319 and you might think, oh, well, is this another like pitchability, 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:40.719 you know, teenager, Like, what's it going to look like 0:08:40.800 --> 0:08:45.000 against more challenging competition. He throws ninety six and look, 0:08:45.120 --> 0:08:47.120 the shape could be better. So I think there is 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:50.000 like aspects of that rhetorical that I just asked that 0:08:50.120 --> 0:08:52.880 are maybe valid, but they would rear their heads until 0:08:52.960 --> 0:08:55.559 like double A and triple A and maybe by then 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.120 he's throwing ninety nine. Who knows, like, this is a 0:08:58.160 --> 0:09:00.840 guy that with a smooth, easy delivery, six feet one 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:04.319 hundred and sixty five pounds is sitting ninety six and 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:07.319 touching ninety eight plus. Yeah, the shape could be a 0:09:07.360 --> 0:09:09.920 little bit better, but you look at the pitch mix 0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:13.520 man and yeah, it's three above average offerings that I 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:16.400 think will develop into plus with what looks like plus command. 0:09:17.080 --> 0:09:19.319 I can very soundly knowing that this guy's going to 0:09:19.480 --> 0:09:21.199 at worst eight innings as a back end of the 0:09:21.280 --> 0:09:23.640 rotation starter. But you figure there's a lot of time 0:09:23.760 --> 0:09:26.120 for Chorio. Now, Hukui is a great field to throw 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:28.240 the baseball and just a good field to spin it 0:09:28.640 --> 0:09:33.199 to develop as just a more well rounded arsenal, Like 0:09:33.280 --> 0:09:36.400 why can't Chorio find that cutter or or that slider 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:39.880 or that sinker and really just develop, you know, a 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:41.680 more well rounded pitch mix. 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:44.760 You bet on the guys that throw like a twenty 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:47.440 four year old when they're eighteen or nineteen years old, 0:09:47.520 --> 0:09:50.280 Like there are very very few guys in the DSL 0:09:50.400 --> 0:09:53.240 or at the complex or even in low A before 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:56.680 twenty years old that actually don't look nineteen years old, 0:09:56.840 --> 0:09:59.760 like Kendrick Chorio. It seems like from what you're laying 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:02.520 out is a guy that throws like a college kid 0:10:02.640 --> 0:10:05.280 that happens to be eighteen that's throwing up the complex 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:07.480 right now, which is fun and more room to grow. 0:10:07.960 --> 0:10:12.400 Another guy college kid staying in the al Central. Kaylan 0:10:12.520 --> 0:10:16.080 Culpeper was a first round pick of the Minnesota Twins 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:19.319 back in twenty four out of Kansas State, and all 0:10:19.480 --> 0:10:22.520 Kaylan Culpeper has done in the Upper Miners, mind you, 0:10:22.559 --> 0:10:25.760 over the last year and a half is mash Kaylan 0:10:25.840 --> 0:10:29.040 Culpeper last year between high end Double A one hundred 0:10:29.040 --> 0:10:32.040 and thirteen games, hit two ninety with twenty homers, twenty 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:34.800 five bags in twenty nine attempts, and an eight forty 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:39.000 four ops. He's been better this year fifty seven games 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:42.319 with Triple A Saint Paul, fourteen homers, forty driven in 0:10:42.480 --> 0:10:45.480 thirteen for fifteen in the stolen based department, keeping the 0:10:45.559 --> 0:10:49.079 k rate in check and opsing eight seventy. You have 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:52.760 Culpeper up to sixty one. Kaylan Culpeper was previously at 0:10:52.800 --> 0:10:54.120 eighty four on your list. 0:10:54.600 --> 0:10:55.760 Yeah, I think a big part of that is that 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:58.640 Culpeper is just held serf and if, like you mentioned, 0:10:58.760 --> 0:11:01.840 if anything's gotten a little bit better at a higher level, 0:11:02.240 --> 0:11:04.760 and all the other guys ahead of him have graduated, 0:11:05.080 --> 0:11:07.600 and you also have a lot of times these players 0:11:07.640 --> 0:11:10.520 don't maybe repeat or completely match what they did and 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:13.319 they're kind of coming out party season. That's exactly what 0:11:13.400 --> 0:11:17.240 Colepepper is doing again this year. If anything, it's just 0:11:17.320 --> 0:11:20.160 slightly better across the board. I think the biggest thing 0:11:20.280 --> 0:11:22.679 though that stands out to me is Colepepper sitting the 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:25.760 ball a lot harder. And that was the aspect where 0:11:26.200 --> 0:11:28.199 Colepepper's a very much as some of his parts. Guy 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:32.040 not a clear plus tool, but you look at above 0:11:32.040 --> 0:11:35.240 average field to hit at least average power because of 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:36.599 the way that he's able to drive it in the 0:11:36.640 --> 0:11:40.280 air consistently, he air poles and just again I think 0:11:40.440 --> 0:11:44.280 is able to maximize what he's got. The approach has 0:11:44.320 --> 0:11:47.240 always been fine, I think, or at least that's probably 0:11:47.280 --> 0:11:50.160 the area where he needs to get better. He can 0:11:50.880 --> 0:11:54.040 struggle at recognizing spin sometimes that's gotten a little bit 0:11:54.080 --> 0:11:55.600 better this year. He's got the chase rate by five 0:11:55.640 --> 0:11:57.959 percent and then again the hard hit rates up like 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:00.760 fourteen percent. He can play shortstop. Is it going to 0:12:00.800 --> 0:12:04.400 be off the charts? No, But I always forecasted him 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:07.400 as an average to slightly above average every day shortstop, 0:12:07.600 --> 0:12:09.280 and he just continues to look more and more like 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:13.200 that at a higher level. So he's basically just solidifying 0:12:13.280 --> 0:12:16.079 his floor in his foundation more and more. Well, just 0:12:16.360 --> 0:12:19.920 ever so slightly improving that ceiling. So the biggest thing 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:22.800 for me though, is seeing how much more consistently he's 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:24.840 finding the barrel. And when you see that hard hit 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:28.120 ray jump by fourteen percent, I mean, that's obviously going 0:12:28.200 --> 0:12:30.800 to come with a lot more excitement around him to 0:12:30.880 --> 0:12:32.520 be a pair of that. With a few percentage points 0:12:32.520 --> 0:12:34.600 better in the bats of ball department and five percentage 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:36.559 points better in the chase department, you've got a really 0:12:36.600 --> 0:12:39.400 good player here. Nothing is quite going to be that 0:12:39.640 --> 0:12:42.160 eye catching aspect for him, but he's a gamer that 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:44.840 just does everything pretty well. And the last little thing 0:12:44.880 --> 0:12:47.679 to monitor here, which has already gotten better, is the 0:12:47.760 --> 0:12:50.200 swing decisions against spin. Last year it was a forty 0:12:50.240 --> 0:12:53.800 percent chase rate against secondaries, actually forty against breaking balls, 0:12:54.120 --> 0:12:57.839 forty two against secondaries. This year it's about thirty five 0:12:57.920 --> 0:13:01.720 percent against breaking balls and thirty two overall against secondary 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:03.520 So it could get a little bit better, but that 0:13:03.600 --> 0:13:06.600 that is much more into the range of reasonability, especially 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:09.040 with how selective he is fastball wise in terms of 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:11.000 not expanding the zone and attacking the pitches that he 0:13:11.040 --> 0:13:12.920 wants to hit within it. And when you have the 0:13:13.000 --> 0:13:15.719 uptick in quality of contact, I mean there's a world 0:13:15.760 --> 0:13:17.719 where maybe you can dream on above average pop here 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:19.640 as well. With how much harder he said, He's hitting 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:21.320 the ball to pair with the angles that have always 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:21.679 been there. 0:13:22.280 --> 0:13:25.320 Exciting stuff for Kaylin Culpepper. Back to the mound, Let's 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:28.559 talk about Jack Weninger with the New York Mets. Weninger, 0:13:28.960 --> 0:13:30.800 by the way, just click for me went to Kerry 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:34.000 Grove High School, two years younger than Quinn Priester. You'd 0:13:34.040 --> 0:13:36.720 have to assume that they were teammates at Carrie Grove, 0:13:36.840 --> 0:13:39.599 so Wenener and Quinn Priester might have been sharing a 0:13:39.720 --> 0:13:42.559 rotation in the Chicago Land suburbs, which is kind of 0:13:42.559 --> 0:13:45.679 fun in high school. But Weninger is up from eighty 0:13:45.800 --> 0:13:48.719 seven to fifty six on the top one hundred list. 0:13:49.120 --> 0:13:51.440 Twenty four year old young twenty four year old taken 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:54.480 out a u OFI in twenty twenty three. But Weenener 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:56.840 so far this year, after a great showing with double 0:13:56.880 --> 0:13:58.960 a Binghamton last year, has been better. 0:13:59.040 --> 0:13:59.640 In Syracuse. 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:03.240 The third innings at a two seven era, He's punched 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:08.400 out forty nine. He's walking five hitters fifty like that's 0:14:08.480 --> 0:14:11.200 the problem. But he still rose about thirty spots for you. 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:14.679 Yeah, this was a little bit of like a combination 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:19.240 of okay, guy that is benefited from the graduations ahead 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:22.640 of him, but at the same time the newcomers. I'm 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:26.640 Wheningers walking guys a little bit more this year is 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:30.800 not enough for me to, i think, relegate him behind 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.720 some of these newcomers. And that's just where I'm at here. 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:37.360 It hasn't quite been the year that I think you 0:14:37.400 --> 0:14:39.160 want to see. But to your point, he's been better 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:41.400 still from an era perspective, which I think does say 0:14:41.400 --> 0:14:43.360 a lot about just his ability to get whiffs when 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.440 he needs to, get the week contact when he needs to, 0:14:45.520 --> 0:14:48.960 and maintain composure and poys. I have been surprised to 0:14:49.000 --> 0:14:50.640 see the command back up the way that it has, 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:53.520 because I mean, this is guy that initially projected us 0:14:53.600 --> 0:14:56.360 with above average command. But I think there's been some 0:14:56.400 --> 0:14:58.240 adjustment to that triple A ball that we see with 0:14:58.360 --> 0:15:00.920 so many guys that just kind of getting used to 0:15:01.000 --> 0:15:04.360 this slick aspect of it and just the different feel 0:15:04.440 --> 0:15:07.040 to it that I think is happening here with Wenninger. 0:15:07.280 --> 0:15:09.760 But the fact that he has still been as solid 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:13.760 at preventing runs as he has been despite the command backup, 0:15:13.840 --> 0:15:16.440 I think is extremely encouraging. And if you look at 0:15:16.480 --> 0:15:19.280 the last you know, handful of starts. Overall, there's been 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:21.080 a couple of duds in there. There's been a couple 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:24.680 dominant outings. He had a stretch of sixteen and two 0:15:24.800 --> 0:15:28.720 thirds consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. So it's 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:31.160 just trying to string together the consistency here. But for me, 0:15:31.280 --> 0:15:34.800 it was more of him holding his spot despite new 0:15:34.920 --> 0:15:37.520 names kind of creeping up behind him and names ahead 0:15:37.520 --> 0:15:39.680 of him graduating. But this is one of the few 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:41.040 that we'll talk about where it's like it's not like 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:45.040 he's doing something tangibly better than he was doing last year. 0:15:45.640 --> 0:15:48.000 Yeah, not a new name to the list, but a 0:15:48.120 --> 0:15:51.040 high riser is an eighteen year old in the Guardian 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:56.240 system by the name of Junaker Casceras Cassara's you have 0:15:56.600 --> 0:16:00.680 rising from eighty six to forty four, and it's because 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.760 this guy has been awesome as a Hill City howler 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:07.880 in his age eighteen season. He's eighteen until August fifteenth, 0:16:08.080 --> 0:16:12.320 and Cassara's in twenty nine games, hitting three ten, walking 0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:15.360 more than he's punched out, and hit five homers. In 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:18.120 the state of Virginia. It's kind of humid in Virginia. 0:16:18.840 --> 0:16:22.040 Yeah, this guy's really fun man, and I think he's 0:16:22.200 --> 0:16:25.360 just scraping the surface of what he can be. We're 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:31.120 talking about an eighteen year old at low Way that 0:16:32.080 --> 0:16:36.520 is keeping a strikeout right below ten percent, is starting 0:16:36.560 --> 0:16:39.880 to get into that power as you mentioned, and also 0:16:40.080 --> 0:16:43.200 running extremely low chase rates. I just to be and 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:45.160 also I'm looking at I've talked about him in like 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:47.480 his operation, and I always felt like he was a 0:16:47.480 --> 0:16:48.920 guy he kind of stepped he was stepping in the 0:16:48.960 --> 0:16:51.640 bucket previously, kind of flying open a little bit and 0:16:51.800 --> 0:16:54.160 still having the success bat to ball wise and production 0:16:54.240 --> 0:16:56.520 wise that he was having. He seems to have made 0:16:56.560 --> 0:16:58.720 some improvements there where you seem kind of coiling and 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:00.800 has this rhythmic load in to his backside. He can 0:17:00.880 --> 0:17:03.320 still leak out a little bit, but it's already getting better. 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.200 And you're seeing an eighteen year old clean up his 0:17:05.320 --> 0:17:09.560 mechanics after already having success at low A last year 0:17:09.880 --> 0:17:13.280 and dominating the complex. So now have success this year 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:15.119 at low Way and still be making these tweaks and 0:17:15.160 --> 0:17:17.520 getting better is so so exciting. But when you look 0:17:17.520 --> 0:17:19.680 at some of the underlying numbers. It's only a ninety 0:17:19.760 --> 0:17:22.560 one percent in zone contact rate and an eighty nine 0:17:22.680 --> 0:17:27.439 percent contact rate, So the overall contact rate's only two 0:17:27.520 --> 0:17:29.600 percent lower than the zone contact rate. That just shows 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:31.320 you how good the feel for the barrel is. It's 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:34.320 an eighty five percent out of zone contact rates. So 0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.280 you have a guy that doesn't chase, and when he 0:17:37.359 --> 0:17:41.760 does chase will immediately spoil and or drive it still, 0:17:42.280 --> 0:17:43.880 and then you can't beat him in the zone either. 0:17:44.359 --> 0:17:46.680 That's how a guy at eighteen years old at low 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:49.080 A strikes out less than ten percent of the time. 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:52.160 You pair that with above average batspeed, and this guy 0:17:52.280 --> 0:17:54.240 is a rocket ship dude. I really think by the 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:56.480 end of this year he's going to be a consensus 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:58.920 tough fifteen. I can't believe he's not on every top 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:01.639 one hundred list right now. I get it because it's early, 0:18:01.800 --> 0:18:04.359 and you know, but we we've seen as an industry 0:18:04.400 --> 0:18:06.960 now like on out, ones are very eager to throw 0:18:07.000 --> 0:18:08.800 a complex get on there or DSL get on there. 0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:09.639 And I don't blame him. 0:18:09.640 --> 0:18:11.600 He's already off the complex. He's already in low A. 0:18:12.400 --> 0:18:14.680 That's my thing. So I don't know where the lag 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:19.679 is here. With Cassras because the underlying's great, the surface 0:18:19.760 --> 0:18:22.600 levels good. He's still extremely young, and I think there's 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:23.760 a lot more to dream onto. 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:26.600 Interesting. All right, next guy that we got to talk 0:18:26.640 --> 0:18:30.639 about here is a big leaguer, Logan Henderson, who has 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:34.840 yet to fully graduate. Henderson just id fifty innings unfortunately 0:18:34.880 --> 0:18:37.480 on the IL right now, seventeen and two thirds with 0:18:37.520 --> 0:18:39.399 Triple A Nashville this year at a one point oh 0:18:39.480 --> 0:18:43.160 two ERA off of five starts. Last year in Milwaukee 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:45.560 had a one seven eight ERA five more starts at 0:18:45.560 --> 0:18:48.160 a two seven this year, punched out thirty and walked 0:18:48.240 --> 0:18:51.080 six in twenty three innings of work. So in ten 0:18:51.200 --> 0:18:53.240 major league starts he's five and one with a two 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:56.920 to two three ERA, punching out sixty three guys and 0:18:57.000 --> 0:18:59.560 walking fourteen and forty eight and a third and a 0:18:59.640 --> 0:19:01.840 career minor league e RA of three point one one. 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:04.240 We've talked a lot about Logan Henderson, but at the 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:06.840 end of the day, there might be nothing new with him. 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:09.040 It's just a whole bunch of pitches, really good command, 0:19:09.119 --> 0:19:10.840 and he's a good major league pitcher at this point 0:19:10.840 --> 0:19:11.320 when healthy. 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:13.840 Yeah, this is like I'm ranking a big leaguer compared 0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:16.600 to these these other minor league guys, and it's just bizarre. 0:19:16.800 --> 0:19:19.240 But you know, he's just so good in the in 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:21.520