TOP NL UTR PITCHING PERFORMANCE RHP Colin Holderman (LoA Columbia – New York Mets) 21 years old 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, Win 1-0
- Move over Tim Tebow, the Fireflies have another player that might be stealing headlines. Colin Holderman sets a franchise record last night in recording 11 strikeouts over 6 innings. He’s got UTR written all over him as a 9th round draft pick last June out of Heartland Community College (IL). Standing on the hill at 6′ 5″ 215 lbs, the right-hander comes equipped with a 3-pitch mix led by low 90’s fastball with run and sink. He also has receievd some decent comps, Metsminors.net reports that his frame resembles that of Cardinal pitcher Adam Wainwright and amazinavenue.com mentions the solid frame and a leg kick “reminiscent of Bronson Arroyo“. Holderman got roughed-up in his pro debut season at Appy League Kingsport making 12 relief appearances.
- Holderman holds-off Atkinson from today’s top honor. Atkinson was signed out of the Frontier independent league back on July 2, 2016. He put up OK numbers over two rookie levels in making 7 appearances with 6 starts.
- Diplan and Freddy Peralta almost combined to pull off, what would have been the second no-hitter in the first two weeks of the minor leagues. Roman Collins rapped a base hit off of Peralta in the eight inning to break the no-no. Collins recieved consideration as one of the Royals 2016 UTR-OAS but was nudged by Cal Jones. Diplan has quickly rocketed up the Brewers prospect rankings, currently #10 heading into this season.
- Leftwich gets back on track after being dismantled by Dundin (Toronto) last Friday. He allowed 5 of the 7 batters he faced to score in only lasting 0.2 of an inning of relief. The 7th round pick did rank within my 2016 UTR-OAS for the Phillies, based on a strong performance through mid-season. He faltered somewhat after his promotion to HiA Clearwater in late June. I wrote that his stuff may be best suited from the bullpen and thats where he finds himself to start 2017.
TOP AL UTR PITCHING PERFORMANCE LHP Nick Wells (LoA Clinton – Seattle) 21 years old 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 1.59 ERA
- Wells was Toronto’s 3rd round pick in 2014. He was a trade piece at the July 2016 deadline, sending him to Seattle for Mark Lowe. The projectable framed (6’5″ 185 lbs) lefty has a ceiling of a #2 or #3 starter. He possesses a 93 mph fastball and is still developing his secondary offerings. We should see a slight increase in velocity once he adds some bulk.
- The Athletics 1st round pick from 2016 make his full season debut with the Stockton Ports. Considered the #1 prospect from that draft, Puk debut at short-season Vermont (NY-Penn League) and skips over LoA Beloit with a 2017 HiA assignment.
- Quiala was signed out of Cuba in 2015 and spent last season in the DSL. The Astros brought him state-side in 2016 and placed him directly into LoA Quad Cities. He posted pedestrian numbers with the River Bandits, but reports state that he has an advanced arm with 4 pitches and should be pushed the system.
Under The Radar Minors 