Ranger Prospects News and Reviews

Cal Mitchell, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates (Double-A Altoona)

I know why we got off Mitchell as a Top 101 prospect after ranking him 97th two years ago. There’s significant pressure on the offensive profile as a corner outfield bat, and he scuffled a bit in Bradenton in 2019—admittedly a rough place to hit. You really have to believe in a plus hit/power combination to get this type of player into the OFP 60 tier. So yes, I understand why he didn’t make the last two iterations of our national list, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to make the 2022 version. Dunkin’ Donuts Park in Hartford is a lefty hitter’s paradise, but Mitchell’s power will play wherever you place a right field fence. He showed obvious plus raw power in batting practice and then crushed a couple home runs in my look last week. These were not Hartford specials, this was a thunderous sound. Mitchell has one of those sweet left-handed swings that he moves well around the zone, and is very comfortable going the other way when worked away or he finds himself behind in the count. In short, he showed everything I’d want to see for a plus hit and power projection.

Full Vogelsong Pitcher of the Month: Zach Thompson, Miami

For the second month in a row, an overlooked Marlins starting pitcher performed well. You are excused if you’re not well-versed in Zach Thompson. He didn’t exactly come out of nowhere—he was born in Burleson, Texas, and went to the University of Texas at Arlington—but he’s never made the Annual, much less a top-anything list. He had a 4.71 ERA (5.54 RA9) in college. He had a 4.11 ERA (5.08 RA9) in the minors. And he was down there a while: six seasons in the White Sox organization after being drafted in the fifth round in 2014. The Marlins signed him as a minor league free agent last November.

He ironically earned his callup when May’s Full Vogelsong Pitcher of the Month, Cody Poteet, landed on the IL with a sprained medial collateral ligament. His first start, June 7 in Boston, didn’t go well. In three innings, he allowed two singles, two doubles, two runs, a walk, and a strikeout. But then he hit his stride:

June 12: Five innings at home against Atlanta. Three singles, a double, no walks, no runs, six strikeouts

June 20: Four innings (lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth) on the road against the Cubs. No hits, three walks, seven strikeouts. He allowed one unearned run on a two-out, two-base throwing error followed by a passed ball.

June 27: Six innings at home against Washington. Three singles, a double, two walks, and eleven strikeouts. He allowed two runs, one earned.

He finished the month with a 1.50 ERA and 1.72 FIP. He struck out 34 percent of the batters he faced and didn’t allow a homer. He was credited with two of the team’s ten June wins and should have gotten a third in the Cubs game, a 2-0 Chicago win. He relies primarily on his cutter, generating foul balls or whiffs on nearly three-quarters of swings, and also has a four-seam fastball and a curve, mixing in an occasional two-seamer and change.

The Marlins’ rotation is up for grabs beyond Sandy Alcantara, Pablo López, and Rookie of the Year candidate Trevor Rogers. Among the other seven pitchers to start games for Miami so far this year, Thompson’s case for staying in the rotation is, to date, the strongest. He won’t finish the year with a 1.50 ERA and no homers allowed, but his performance is backed up by a non-helium-aided .300 BABIP and 75 percent strand rate.

Alejo Lopez Takes A Big Step Forward

By Doug Gray on July 8, 2021

When Alejo Lopez began the 2021 season he was a career. 297 hitter who had found success at the Rookie and Class A levels.

The 25-year-old second baseman had little trouble adapting to Double-A this season. He hit .362/.437/.448 in 25 games for Chattanooga before being promoted to Triple-A Louisville.

“Hitting is just something I’ve always done well,” said Lopez, the Reds' 27th-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Phoenix. “I’ve always felt comfortable at the plate.”

The switch-hitter continued his outstanding season at Triple-A that quickly turned into a callup to Cincinnati on June 28.

On top of hitting for a high average, Lopez was also showing a much better approach at the plate and piling up extra-base hits. His previous high for doubles in a season was 17, which he tallied in 2019 at High-A Daytona in 124 games.

In 2021, Lopez surpassed that total in his 43rd game of the season.

Spending time in big league spring training this year was beneficial for Lopez.

“There’s a lot of things that are important in this game that you learn from people talking about them, and then you get to experience them on the field.”

It wasn’t just being around big leaguers that has helped Lopez take a step forward.

“There were a lot of meetings that had to do with the swing, and we got to learn a lot about what the Reds are trying to do on the field right now," Lopez said.

Being around big leaguers, learning from coaches and having more experience all have helped him improve in 2021.

“I just know how to hit better now,” Lopez said. “I know situations better. I know my swing better. I know myself as a player better. I’ve developed to be who I am today.

2019 minors: 5.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K
2021 minors: 6-3, 2.26 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 91 2/3 IP, 44 BB, 136 K