April has come and gone, and so has hopefully the bizarre weather we saw practically the whole month. One full month of minor league ball is in the books and now is a good time to take a break from the position breakdowns and tell you who’s off to a quick start and who has struggled out of the gate about across Triple-A.

 

International League

Who’s Hot

Austin Meadows (OF PIT) – This time last year Meadows was on the cold side of this list after being a name to watch to start the year. In 18 games thus far he’s slashing .319/.382/.449 with one homer, 12 runs, eight RBI, and five steals. Meadows only had five total homers and 11 steals in 81 games overall last year and 19 in 82 the year prior. If he stays healthy and his bat keeps at this pace, Meadows will see Pittsburgh later this season.

Willy Adames (SS TB) – Adames was the key piece in the David Price deal with Detroit and he is continuing to add to his stat lines this year. His start, in 22 games, this year is much better than his start in the same span last year. Adames is slashing .315/.411/.507 with two home runs, 15 RBI, 14 runs, and two steals (caught three times). All of the numbers in the slash line are almost 100 points higher than his April last year. His current pace over a 130-game season would produce 12 homers, 90 RBI, 84 RBI, and 12 steals. He should see Tampa later this season in say August.

Mike Soroka (SP ATL) – You have heard me mention the depth of the Braves pitching prospects multiple times and Soroka is tops among them. He made his MLB debut on Tuesday night against the Mets, but before that he was on fire to start the year for Gwinnett. The 20-year-old righty made four starts (22.2 innings) and posted a 2-0 record with a 1.99 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 0.97 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and five walks in that span. There is uncertainty as to whether he will stick in the rotation for the Braves now or if it was simply a spot start for him. Either way, he clearly has the goods to be at least a number-three starter in the bigs.

Michael Kopech (SP CWS) – Sent to Chicago in the Chris Sale deal, Kopech leads a stacked White Sox farm system as arguably the best prospect in the ranks. The 22-year-old righty reached Triple-A Charlotte for the first time at the end of last year and has started 2018 there. In five starts for the Knights this season, he’s 0-1 with a 2.67 ERA, 2.34 FIP, 35 Ks and nine walks over 27 innings pitched. The best known pitch from Kopech is his near triple-digits fastball with late life; however, his slider is the real knock out pitch and his change works to keep batters off-balance. He’s already thrown 134 innings a year ago, so expect a jump to around 150 this year.

 

Who’s Cold

Francisco Mejia (C CLE) – The backstop who was battling for a spot on the 25-man roster in spring training has not stated his case well heading back down to the farm. Known for his high average bat, Mejia is hitting just .187/.229/.286 in 21 games this April. Compare that to his start at Double-A last year, in 17 games, of .333/.370/.515 and you quickly see why he’s in this section. He does still have two homers, 10 RBI, and seven runs scored this year, which isn’t bad for a struggling bat. Mejia is expected to be in Triple-A pretty much all year unless an injury crops up in Cleveland.

Chance Adams (SP NYY)– The sixth-best prospect in the Yankees system and a pitcher thought to be able to make the jump to the majors this year, hasn’t shown that just yet this season. In 21 starts (115.1 IP) at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, he went 11-5 with a 2.89 ERA and 1.08 WHIP compared to his five-game start there this year with his 0-2 record and 5.11 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. The BAA mark has gone from .194 in 2017 to .258 so far this year with a BABIP of .236 compared to .318 most recently. Adams has the stuff to turn it around quickly but this was certainly not the start he wanted to put forth.

Anthony Banda (LHP TB) – Banda was a name that was bandied about in Arizona quite a bit last year as the expected next good pitcher in the rotation, or for a time as a closing candidate, however it was a rough year for Banda riding the Reno-Phoenix shuttle. A trade to Tampa this offseason and the certainty of being at Triple-A all year was thought to be a recipe for success for the 24-year-old lefty. Over five starts this season, Banda has tallied a 4.38 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP and a .293 average against. He does have 36 strikeouts to just nine walks and a 3-2 record. His 2018 numbers very similar to his 2017 numbers, despite the switch from the PCL to the IL and going to a far better pitcher’s park in Durham than Reno. He will need to work on control inside the zone if he wants to progress in his development as a starter.

 

Pacific Coast League

Who’s Hot

Ryan O’Hearn (1B KC) –Expected to be the next starting first baseman for the Royals after Lucas Duda ’s contract runs out after this season, he’s off to a good start at Triple-A Omaha. In 23 games, O’Hearn has hit .311/.393/.459 with one homer, 15 RBI, and six runs. He has spent most of his time (19 of the 24 games) hitting fourth, which is the kind of bat he profiles to be in the long-run. O’Hearn’s power will need to show up more this year, following three-straight 22+ homer campaigns, if he hopes to get the call this season.

Dustin Fowler (OF OAK) – The former Yankees prospect who tore up his knee in his MLB debut, is showing that he has rebounded nicely in his rehab. Now in Oakland following the Sonny Gray trade, his April filled up the stat line in 23 games. A slash of .317/.346/.465 is nice enough but add two homers, 13 RBI, 12 runs, and six steals and that’s an all-around outfielder. Clearly over the effects of the knee injury, it’s simply a matter of time before the 23-year-old lefty bat is in Oakland full-time patrolling center field and adding to that burgeoning explosive offense.

Jack Flaherty (RHP STL) – Flaherty got off to a quick start this season before getting the call-up to the bigs for a start, before heading back to Triple-A Memphis. In three starts, 20 innings, he is 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and a 22:3 K:BB ratio. Flaherty and Luke Weaver have been the talk of the early season as prognosticators try and figure out where each fit in the scheme of Cardinals pitching. Flaherty is the odd man out at the moment, and maybe the rest of the year if the plans for Álex Reyes to work as a starter hold. The 22-year-old righty has time to mature yet and he still has to get over the 150-inning mark for the first time too.

 

Who’s Cold

Jorge Mateo (SS OAK) – Fellow Oakland farmhand (and former Yankee as well), Mateo is sporting the fifth-worst batting average in the International League so far. In 22 games for Triple-A Nashville in April, he slashed .172/.215/.241 with 10 runs, four RBI, and four steals. He did start slowly last year, though not this cold but still put up better counting stats in the same timeframe. His 2017 campaign by the end was a solid one (across three teams and two levels) with a .267/.322/.459 slash in 129 games with 12 homers, 90 runs, 57 RBI, and 52 steals. He is speedy and has been working at short, second, and even some outfield for Oakland, long-term however he likely sticks at short and is a 15 homer/40+ steals bat. Oakland has guys in the middle infield at the moment so it could be 2019 before he really makes an impact.

Willie Calhoun (OF TEX) – Calhoun made noise in 2017 for his season-long stats and for being included in the Yu Darvish trade between Texas and L.A. He was talked about being the starting left fielder in Texas to start this season, but has been at Triple-A Round Rock since spring training ended. In 25 games in April, Calhoun hit .229/.308/.365 with three homers, 16 runs, and eight RBI. Batting third and only tallying eight RBI is not a great start to the season as is the .229 avg. Last April’s line for Oklahoma City saw his slash line nearly 100 points higher in each ratio than this April’s was. If he wants to give help to a struggling Rangers club, he will need to turn it around in May.

Yohander Mendez (LHP TEX) – The number seven prospect for the Rangers, Mendez has finished each of the last two seasons in the majors for a combined 15.1 innings in the show. In 2016 he went from 31.1 innings in Triple-A to the majors, while 2017 he jumped from Double-A Frisco to MLB. In 2018 he’s at Triple-A Round Rock, but things aren’t going well with a 6.66 ERA (7.13 FIP), 1.77 WHIP, 0-3 record, and a 15:14 K:BB ratio in five starts and 24.1 innings. The last two season have seen him produce 113:41 and 124:43 marks in the K:BB ratio aspect so the lack of control is a bit out of character.  Mendez has also been far too hittable with a .302 BAA as well. Texas may need rotation help this year, but it’s not coming from this guy anytime soon.

Corbin Burnes (RHP MIL) –If you take a look back at my names to watch pieces from early April, you’ll see Burnes on there as a guy that could help the backend of the Brewers rotation this year; that was before he started to pitch at Triple-A Colorado Springs. Sporting an unseemly 5.47 ERA and 1.54 WHIP and .292 BAA thus far over 24.2 innings and five starts he will have some work to do to help the Brew Crew. Now while it is the case that the 8.500 feet of elevation that park sits at doesn’t help pitching stats, the largeness of the playing field helps to keep the ball in the park, left and right field lines are 350 feet and center is 410. He still has the stuff to help out Milwaukee this year; he will simply have to work on keeping batters off-balance and keeping the pitches down, where they can’t turn into line drives to the gaps.