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After the dregs of the Peoria Javelinas, things are looking much better as we move over to the Salt River Rafters, home to prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Mets, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Washington Nationals. Sure, this isn’t the deepest team in the league, but it certainly has a leg up on the Javelinas.
Here are some of the players to be watching this fall with the Rafters.
Top Prospects Of The Rafters
Rowdy Tellez, First Base, Toronto Blue Jays
With that name, one should be a power-hitting monster at first base, and that is just what Tellez is. The 20-year-old first baseman started the year with the Midwest League’s Lansing Lugnuts in Low-A before a promotion at the All-Star Break to the High-A Florida State League’s Dunedin Blue Jays. Between the two levels, Tellez hit .289 with 14 home runs, 77 RBI, and 53 runs scored, with 24 doubles teasing the power to come. It would be nice if Tellez could cut down on the strikeouts – 84 in just 401 at-bats – but he did post a respectable .347 on-base percentage, and his .454 slugging percentage is nothing to sneeze at.
Dominic Smith, First Base, New York Mets
The Mets’ first round selection in the 2013 draft, Smith is coming off of a season in the Florida State League so good that he finished the year as the league’s MVP. Over 118 games, Smith hit .305 with six home runs, 79 RBI, 58 runs scored, a .354 on-base percentage, and a .417 slugging percentage. Smith’s 33 doubles definitely hint at more power to come, and there is much for the Mets to be pleased with in his development.
Kyle Freeland, Starting Pitcher, Colorado Rockies
Will the Rockies ever be able to develop in-house quality pitching? They certainly hope that is the case in the form of Freeland, their first round pick (and eighth overall selection) in the 2014 draft. Drafted out of the University of Evansville, Freeland made just nine appearances in 2015, two with the Pioneer League and seven with the High-A Modesto Nuts in the California League. Unfortunately, he lost time to a shoulder injury and minor surgery to remove bone spurs.
In those nine starts, Freeland went 3-2 with a 4.76 ERA. He had just 19 strikeouts and eight walks in 39 2/3 innings. He’s already made his first appearance in the AFL, and he was hammered, allowing five hits, two walks, and six earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning. Two of those hits left the yard. Ranked as the 60th-best prospect by both Baseball America and MLB.com this past offseason, Freeland is likely to drop way down the list unless he dramatically turns things around in the remainder of his time in the AFL.
Raimel Tapia, Outfielder, Colorado Rockies
Now, offensive-minded outfielders, that’s something that the Rockies can definitely develop. Spending the entire season in Modesto, Tapia hit .305 with 12 home runs, 34 doubles, 71 RBI, 74 runs scored, and 26 stolen bases in 36 attempts. The biggest knock on Tapia is that he needs to work on his patience at the plate, as his walk total of just 24 is rather disappointing. His .467 slugging can make one forget about that, especially since Tapia is still just 21. A strong AFL season could have Tapia’s quick rise through the system even further accelerated, with 2017 theoretically possible for his debut.
Gavin Cecchini, Shortstop, New York Mets
Writing about his inclusion in their top ten Mets’ prospects back in December, Baseball America's Matt Eddy wrote, “Gavin Cecchini doesn’t have a carrying tool, but the 20-year-old shortstop also has no glaring weakness.” There’s not one obvious thing that sticks out about Cecchini, other than that he’s just all-around good.
Spending the 2015 season with the Binghamton Mets in the Double-A Eastern League, Cecchini hit .317 with seven home runs, 51 RBI, and 64 runs scored in 109 games. Cecchini has walked almost as many times as he struck out, and those walks brought his on-base percentage up to a very solid .377, while the seven homers and 26 doubles helped give him a slugging percentage of .442. Will he be pushing Ruben Tejada in spring training? Probably not, but at some point in 2016, the Mets are going to have to make a decision on who is going to be their shortstop moving forward.
Gabby Guerrero, Outfielder, Arizona Diamondback
Even if there wasn’t anything impressive about his skills, I’d still highlight Gabby simply for the fact that his uncle will be a first-vote Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2017. Oh, and Wilton Guerrero is his uncle too. So, is he more Wilton or Vladimir? The Diamondbacks, who acquired him in the Mark Trumbo trade, certainly hope it’s the latter, and scouts love his power potential. Between the Mariners’ and Diamondbacks’ organizations, Guerrero hit .222 with seven homers, 22 doubles, 47 RBI, and 51 runs scored in 460 at-bats over 126 games at Double-A. Guerrero won’t turn 22 until December, so these numbers look much better when you consider his age. Oh, and he kicked things off at the AFL with a homer in his first game.
That’s it for the Rafters – next up, the Scottsdale Scorpions!
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