Notes from the Field: Remarks on the Prominent Position in the Water and Angel System

I made it to Everett a few times last week, drawn by the opportunity to watch three of our top 100 prospects and a few other notable farmhands. My thoughts on the seven standouts are below.

Tyler Bremner, RHP, Angels
Bremner was advertised. He is a loose athlete who swings an unusual front leg as he begins his lateral movement, a clean and simple delivery. He put up all the numbers on the bunt from 93-98 mph, flashed an above-average slider, and most importantly, missed twenty-two at-bats with his 70-FV changeup. On the night, he struck out four, walked three, allowed one hit, and one or two hit balls. That’s what a first-round pick should do against a respectable High-A roster.

If we’re going to pick up the mother, I won’t focus too much on walking, as Bremner was fighting a muddy hill on a cold night. He plays slow and likes to bait hitters at the plate. He does this in the changeup especially, and it’s worth wondering if the big hitters will bite in the same college and the junior hitters so far. Despite the velo, he missed only two at-bats with the fastball and none with the slider, raising questions about where he’ll open on days when hitters aren’t chasing the cambio. Ultimately, I have no long-term concerns. He still projects as the no. 3 or 4 starter, but the night emphasized the importance of continuing to improve his command of his slider and fastball. Whether that’s a job well done at this level or a rung up is beyond my pay grade.

Jonny Farmelo, CF, Mariners
Farmelo put together two solid at-bats against Bremner. He didn’t get on base, but he was able to swing an upper-90s fastball up and in and line it to right in his first trip up, then hit a hard line drive to left in his second plate appearance. He got out in front of fastballs a few times this week and showed enough barrel deception to stay competitive in pitch ups, even with his long bat approach. Perhaps most inspiring is a player who has dealt with so many injuries as a champion, still looks like a 70-something runner, and is doing well to learn and jump to catch a wall in the middle.

Felnin Celesten, SS, Mariners
Celesten reports a difficult report, a case where athleticism and attractive tools interfere with unheated skills and the occasional dangerous car. He steps out of the box a little, almost to the point of being flashy at times, and it cost him at least one hit. He also ran the bases and covered a few balls in the infield. In most cases, where all of the above is true, you can expect this player to be on their heels and be tested a bit defensively. Celesten is not like that. At shortstop you’re locked in and loaded every pitch, and while that sounds like a small requirement, there are plenty of guys who aren’t. His bat reading is quick and generally accurate, his footwork around the bag looks good, and while his hands aren’t great, he gets them in the right spot and has a feel for when and when to hit. It’s a strange combination. While I’d love to see him hustle outside the box, I’m not over his overall effort level.

His setup at the plate is a bit of a hit. His hands are loud and trembling all over his load as the ball enters. He has happy feet, which makes all his work feel caffeinated. His swing was always steep and he was hit a few times on fastballs; we’ll see how he adapts to that platform over the course of the year. Even when things don’t go well, it’s important to remember that this is a moving and athletic kid with bat speed and excellent pitch recognition. It’s good to be patient here even if you take his lumps early. On both sides of the ball, I suspect he’s a player we’ll be scouting a few times this summer.

Chase Shores, RHP, Angels
Shore is long with good body control and a short, quick arm stroke, all good things for a guy who stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 245 pounds. On a cold night, he overwhelmed Everett with his three-part medley. Working in the low slot, if not the lowest release position, he sat 95-96 mph over the first couple of innings, hitting 97. That lead dropped to 93-95 in the third, which was still a lot of missed at-bats in the top lane. The slider is his best pitch, a solid sweeper at 83-84 with about 18 inches of break on average. It’s much better, and he had his best touch when he made the pitch on the glove side of the plate. Shores didn’t use his changeup much in college but he flashed it a lot on Tuesday. Inconsistent and slow, but he threw a few good ones, including a dandy that Farmelo missed by three meters on his front foot.

While he only walked one, Shores’ sense of the place looked dirty. He missed the fastball a few times, usually on the arm side. Even when he was in position, it was usually not the other side of the plate where his catcher was pitching. In analyzing the Angels farm system, I wrote that it makes sense to develop Shores as a starter in hopes that his command takes a big step forward and allows his stuff to play a role at length. As a good athlete with limited experience at the top level, he has the characteristics of a late bloomer, so he’s worth a shot. More should go right, though, and I went in thinking he’d still end up in relief, when he had a late inning surge.

Luke Stevenson, C, Mariners
An early return to Stevenson’s bat as a pro is certainly good. He’s a patient hitter looking for something to drive, and while he’s taken a few early hit pitches, he makes heavy contact when he pulls the trigger. He can cover up and down and kills pitches on the inside. He missed a few changes from Bremner, which, he and everyone else. Still, he seems to be well aware of the offspeed that comes out of hand. Defensively, his control of the run game remains a question mark. In this look and another in last week’s video, his pop times were fine, but his second throws were often scattered. Overall, though, he’s played very well so far and is tracking like a guy who could make our Top 100 list mid-season.

Quick Hits

• Capri Ortiz appears to have stopped hitting and is now fully fit. Unexpected: Unlike a lot of guys who do this, Ortiz didn’t have a huge team split and actually hit better than righties the last two years. The maintenance of the front door circulation will be interesting to monitor. It was a mixed bag this look, some swings on front door sweepers and chasing breakers at the plate, but also a few decent takes. Regardless, he has a chance with his glove, combined with shortstop. Ortiz, who was ranked 24th on our Angels list back in January, also had his first career hit this week.

• Brock Moore got off to a good start, with 11 strikeouts in four scoreless innings and, most importantly, no walks. He went 28 innings in 18 innings last year, so while it’s still early, this is a significant departure from form. A 25-year-old righty in the Mariners system, he touches 99 mph and flashes a plus slider, so if he can maintain that and control 40, he’s a real prospect.