Minor League Barometer: Sano Picks Up the Pace

Two 2014 draftees who have really helped their stock in 2015 are Sean Newcomb of the Angels and Bradley Zimmer of the Indians. Newcomb struggled in four starts at Low-A to end the 2014 campaign, but carved up opposing hitters at the same level to begin 2015. In seven starts this year, Newcomb posted a 1.83 ERA and 45:19 K:BB ratio in 34.1 innings. Newcomb parlayed that rousing success into a promotion to High-A, and he does not appear to be destined to stay long at this level either. In two outings, Newcomb has allowed just one run while posting an 11:4 K:BB ratio. The 21-year-old could be in Double-A by the summer.

Meanwhile, Zimmer was the third outfielder taken in the first round, after teenager Alex Jackson and Oregon State product Michael Conforto. Zimmer has outperformed both players thus far during their brief professional careers. Through 44 games at High-A, Zimmer is slashing .319/.419/.528 with eight home runs, 23 RBI and 19 stolen bases. While Jackson was drafted on upside, Conforto is the same age as Zimmer and has fewer home runs and zero stolen bases at High-A for the Mets. The sample sizes are small, and Conforto has considerable upside in his own right. However, as of right now, Zimmer has zoomed past him in terms of future potential.

Let's take a look at the rest of the risers and fallers in this week's Minor League Barometer.

UPGRADE

Brent Honeywell, P, TB - Honeywell actually throws a screwball. Refined by Mike Marshall and picked up by Honeywell's father in the mid-80's, it's practically a family tradition at this point. Of course, having a fastball that can reach the upper 90's as well as an excellent changeup also has helped turn the younger Honeywell into a legitimate prospect. But there's something magical about the little-used screwball dancing away from opposing batters. Regardless of what he throws, though, Honeywell has been befuddling hitters in 2015. The 20-year-old has a 2.09 ERA and 50:7 K;BB ratio through 43 innings for Low-A Bowling Green. Opposing batters are hitting just .185 against him. Honeywell tossed seven no-hit innings on May 17. The sample size is still a bit small since he was drafted No. 72 overall last year, but Honeywell has been virtually unhittable since becoming a professional.

Miguel Sano, 3B, MIN - After a slow start, the powerful Sano has begun to pick up the pace at Double-A. Over his last 10 games, Sano is batting .341 with three home runs and 12 RBI. This most recent hot stretch has brought his slash line up to .248/.348/.503. Sano has tallied nine home runs and 29 RBI in 42 games. While Sano has fanned 46 times over that span, he has also drawn 24 walks. Likewise, the strikeouts are less of a concern due to his mammoth power. Sano appears to be hitting his stride after missing all of the 2014 campaign following Tommy John surgery. A 2015 debut at the big-league level is not outside the realm of possibilities.

Mac Williamson, OF, SF - Another Tommy John recipient, Williamson played just 23 games at High-A in 2014 before going under the knife. Though nowhere near the caliber of prospect as Sano, Williamson still clubbed 25 home runs in 136 games in 2013 en route to a slash line of .292/.375/.504. Now at Double-A, the 24-year-old is batting .316/.372/.468 with four home runs and 26 RBI through 40 games. Strikeouts remain a concern, though, as he has been punched out 36 times over that span. Still, while the surgery delayed his progress a bit, Williamson has shown some pop as well as the ability to hit for average and take a walk. He's not a top-tier prospect, but Williamson appears to have the tools to make it in the bigs.

Casey Meisner, P, NYM - The Mets have been striking gold with developing pitching prospects over the last few seasons. Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, Jacob deGrom and Zack Wheeler are all 26 years of age or younger, giving the Mets an extremely bright future in terms of the starting rotation. Could Meisner be next in line? The 6-foot-7 righty has shown surprisingly good control, posting a 41:12 K:BB ratio in 42 innings. As has previously been mentioned in this column, oftentimes taller pitchers have more trouble with mechanics, as deliveries and release points become harder to repeat. Meisner has had little difficulty in this area, though, while also showing strikeout potential. He fanned 10 batters in his last contest for Low-A Savannah. The 20-year-old is still several years away from making an impact at the MLB level, but looks like yet another promising arm for the Metsies. His ERA currently sits at 1.93 through seven starts.

CHECK STATUS

Francisco Lindor, SS, CLE - Lindor has been analyzed quite a bit by the Barometer in recent years, and the refrain remains the same: he will likely be a better actual baseball player than fantasy player. Known for his dexterity with the glove, the 21-year-old Lindor is batting .253/.324/.358 with one home run, 18 RBI and seven stolen bases through 41 games at Triple-A Columbus. On the plus side, Lindor is at a weak fantasy position, and he is still the future shortstop for the Indians. He posted career-highs of 11 home runs and 28 stolen bases in 2014, but it remains to be seen if he will be able to sustain a .275-plus batting average at the MLB level. The lack of power hurts his value, but at shortstop that is less troublesome. He should premiere in Cleveland before 2015 is through, but his play may not jump off the charts, at least not from a fantasy perspective.

Rob Refsnyder, 2B, NYY - Hitting has never been the concern for Refsnyder, who has collected two home runs, six RBI and two steals over his last 10 games for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He hit .364 in spring training as well. However, Refsnyder has been passed over in recent weeks by Jose Pirela due to continued fielding concerns. Refsnyder made six errors in the spring and has 11 through 37 games in 2015. However, he has been better in the field of late, and current starter Stephen Drew continues to hit below the Mendoza line at the big-league level. The Yankees appear content with the gloves of Drew and shortstop Didi Gregorius, but their lack of hitting prowess could force the hand of the Bronx Bombers at some point. If Refsnyder surges with the bat, he will end up in the majors sooner rather than later.

Jon Gray, P, COL - After a horrific start to his 2015 campaign, Gray appears to have righted the ship. He has allowed three runs or fewer in each of the four starts at Triple-A Albuquerque, bringing his ERA down from 10.70 to 6.47. Over those last four starts, Gray has fanned 14 batters while walking just four. In his last outing, Gray tossed six scoreless innings in what was by far his best outing of the season. The hard-throwing righty was hit exceptionally hard to begin the season, allowing five long balls over the first month of the season, a span of less than 40 innings. By contrast, Gray surrendering 10 home runs all of last season, and zero in 37.1 innings in 2013. Still, he appears to be making the necessary adjustments, and while his overall numbers are still ugly, the Rockies still have high hopes for Gray. If the current trend continues, his debut for Colorado will come this summer.

Ryan O'Hearn, 1B, KC - O'Hearn has made a rather seamless transition from college ball to the pro level. After being drafted in the eighth round out of Sam Houston State last season, he destroyed the Pioneer League in 64 games, hitting .361 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI. From a power perspective, his 2015 campaign has been equally impressive. O'Hearn has notched 12 home runs and 24 RBI through 42 games at Low-A Lexington. As with most power bats, he strikes out too much, but his average sits at a respectable .268, and he has drawn 19 walks already this season. It remains to be seen if O'Hearn will hit for average at the higher levels, as he benefitted from an unsustainable BABIP last season. However, a promotion appears to be in short order, and his power potential alone makes him a prospect to watch for the Royals.

DOWNGRADE

Braden Shipley, P, AZ - Shipley has been rocked in his last two starts for Double-A Mobile. The 23-year-old righty has allowed 13 earned runs on 18 hits in just 8.1 innings. He has also walked seven batters over that span, while striking out just five. As a result, his ERA has ballooned from a respectable 3.03 to a bloated 5.11. Control remains the biggest bugaboo for Shipley, who has walked 25 batters in 44 innings on the year. He has also been slightly more hittable in 2015 than he was in 2014, resulting in entirely too many baserunners. Shipley still has the potential to be a frontline starter, but he must keep his control problems at bay.

Steven Moya, OF, DET - Moya was one of the breakout stars of the 2014 campaign, bashing 35 home runs and knocking in 105 runs at Double-A. He was named the Eastern League MVP. Moya also swiped 16 bases, parlaying that success into a brief cup of coffee with the Tigers late in the season. The warning signs were on the wall, though; Moya fanned 161 times in 133 games at Double-A, while drawing just 23 walks. Moya sputtered in spring training, batting just 4-for-32, which resulted in a start at Triple-A Toledo to begin the 2015 season. In 27 games at Triple-A, Moya is hitting just .216 with two home runs and 10 RBI. He has fanned 35 times while drawing just six walks over that time period. The Tigers have a crowded outfield, and Moya certainly isn't helping his cause with his current struggles.

Nick Howard, P, CIN - A first-round selection out of the University of Virginia in 2014, Howard has been shuttled back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen. Of course, he was treated similarly during his time in college; however, he has had far less success during his brief tenure in the minors. Through nine outings with High-A Dayton, Howard has a 5.48 ERA and 19:26 K:BB ratio through 23 innings. The plethora of walks obviously jumps off the page, as opposing batters are still hitting just .207 against the 22-year-old righty. Since allowing no earned runs over his first 10 innings this season, Howard has yielded 14 earns runs in the last 13 innings. The Reds wanted Howard to become a starter, but he may simply not have the control to cut it in the rotation. The sample size is small, but the results have not been promising thus far for Howard, who is currently working out the kinks in the bullpen.

Dominic Smith, 1B, NYM - While the standout young pitchers of the Mets were profiled above it's been more of a mixed bag for their young hitters. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo is currently on the Disabled List, and Smith has been one of the bigger disappointments since being selected in the first round in 2013. While the sweet-swinging lefty did hit .271 at Low-A last season, he smacked just one home run while driving in just 44 runs in 126 games. He started off the 2015 campaign very slowly; he is currently slashing .233/.287/.308, and that is after a 10-game stretch of hitting .318. Not surprisingly, Smith has yet to hit a home run in 32 games. He has also fanned 28 times while drawing just nine walks over that span; his plate discipline was far better in 2014. The caveat here is that Smith is one of the younger players at High-A at just 19 years of age, he was drafted straight out of high school and was not expected to make a big-league impact for several years. However, the total lack of a power stroke is a bit disconcerting.