Here are little blurbs on some of the new guys on the list.
Richie Martin and Drew Jackson – see my Rule 5 Preference List
JC Escarra – athletic 1B, above average defense there, probably could handle the COF positions as well. Very old for the level in 2018, but shows an efficient, leveraged swing and good feel for the barrel with above average power. Will have to see how he handles advanced pitching and there isn’t much margin for error for 1B without huge power.
Robert Neustrom – COF, chance to be an average defender, plus LH raw power, will need to tighten up the swing to hit advanced pitching and get to the power in-game.
Ryan Conroy – Was 90-92 as a starter at Elon, not sure what his velocity is in relief, but it plays, misses bats on the plate. Live arm, athletic guy, some projection left in the body. Slider is the best pitch, it flashes, could be plus eventually.
Jake Zebron – HS guy, up to 95-96 with the FB, projectable frame, also throws a curveball and throws strikes. Not sure the quality of the CB or if there are other offspeed pitches, but there’s enough for a speculative 35.
Mason McCoy – The more I watch him, the defense stands out, he’s not a toolsy defender, doesn’t make the spectacular play, but can make the tough play consistently at 2B and SS. The bat is pretty light, but I could see a Steve Wilkerson who can handle SS eventually and that would be a useful player.
Martin Cervenka – has been slow to develop, the Indians gave up on him, but didn’t have much competition as an amateur so it makes sense that he’d develop late. Shed the org player label in 2018. The old player development regime really liked him. He adjusted his swing and approach this year and started getting to his above average raw power in game by pulling the ball more and getting it into the air. The big question is whether the hit tool is capable of making the jump to MLB, or if it’s just a AAA bat.
