The Sugar Land Space Cowboys (HOU) traveled west to face off with the Albuquerque Isotopes (COL). Both teams are limited in terms of high-end prospects, but offensive talent never fails to perform in Albuquerque. I attended both Wednesday’s 10-5 Isotopes win and Thursday’s 5-2 Sugar Land win.
Elehuris Montero - 3B | Stats: 4-9, HR, 2B, 1 BB, 4 K
Perhaps the hitter with the highest floor in Colorado’s system, Elehuris Montero shined on Wednesday night before coming back to earth Thursday. In game one, he started off with a shift-beating soft single, then proceeded to crush two balls to left field; one of which was just a couple feet short of clearing the wall and the other a towering no-doubter. With a cycle in view, he drew a walk, showing off quality pitch recognition and a proclivity to see pitches on the outer edge. Montero has come a long way from the overly aggressive version of himself we saw before the pandemic and he’s now likely to draw walks around an average rate.
These games showed that Montero has a premium feel for the barrel, especially against fastballs, and has no trouble getting his hands around to catch up with velocity. Teams are aware of this as between the two games, Montero saw only a couple of pitches on the inner half, with the Space Cowboys pitching staff working him away. With a prototypical power-hitting frame, Montero can wreak havoc against pitchers who rely on their heater. The only concern with Montero’s hitting profile is that he lags behind against breaking balls, especially those working on the horizontal plane. Between Wednesday and Thursday’s affairs, Montero racked up five whiffs against sliders, leaving him vulnerable to chase swings against right-handers.
Though he lacks dynamic athleticism, Montero showed potentially fringe-average speed around the bases and was even set in motion on a hit and run play. His defensive actions at 3B aren’t sharp and Montero is likely better suited at 1B though his arm strength is noticeably above average.
Pedro Leon – OF/SS | Stats: 3-7, HR, 2B, 2 K, CS
One of the Astro’s most intriguing high-ceiling prospects, Pedro Leon has loud tools that were on display with Leon adequately roaming an expansive center field and hitting three balls over 105 mph across the two games. While Leon has struck out over 30% of the time in his young career, he deploys a somewhat patient approach and seemed to take measured swings to avoid whiffs. However, Leon noticeably laid off pitches above the belt, doing all his damage to pitches on the lower and outer halves. If he can maintain his approach and attack more pitches to his liking, Leon might undo some of the swing-and-miss concerns associated with his profile, though this could turn into an exploitable pattern if he doesn’t hold his own against elevated pitches. Still, his contact is extremely loud and shows the potential for plus in-game power – giving Leon premium offensive upside.
On the base paths, Leon’s speed is average out of the box but he can find another gear once he gets going. This suggests he might not be a reliable base stealer in the big leagues, as was the case when he was thrown out at second base trying to steal. Leon didn’t bother sliding because he was gunned out by multiple steps, despite an acceptable jump. Still, Leon looks to be average or better in center field as he made multiple rangy plays and flashed a good first step. Leon has spent significantly more time at shortstop in his pro career and it’s unclear where he profiles best. The Cuban prospect’s arm receives some double-plus and elite grades but unfortunately, I couldn’t catch a glimpse outside of between-inning warmups.
JJ Matijevic - OF/1B | Stats: 3-7, 2 HR, 2 K
With some MLB playing time already under his belt, Matijevic is firmly on the Astros’ radar and could be in line for playing time later this year. On Wednesday and Thursday, Matijevic hit his 7th and 8th home runs of the season, respectively, to go along with the massive jump he’s made as a hitter this season. Matijevic is working with career-best walk and strikeout rates, showing a higher level of comfort compared to the rough approach he possessed early in his career. The Isotopes tried attacking Matijevic away, but any time they caught too much of the plate, damage was done. Matijevic doesn’t have huge raw power but his swing is optimized to create loft and backspin, allowing him to make the most of his hard contact. It looks like Matijevic has, at best, fringe-average speed and is probably best suited for 1B defensively but considering Minute Maid Park is one of MLB’s smallest fields, the versatility may hold true.
Korey Lee – C | Stats: 0-8, 4 K
Lee has had a difficult transition into the upper minors, between the second half of last season and the early going in 2022. If Wednesday and Thursday’s games were any true indicator of why it’s because Lee has a tendency to expand the zone. Additionally, his hand speed doesn’t appear to do him any favors as Lee seemed a tick behind on several pitches. Given the lackluster hit tool, it will be difficult for Lee’s plus raw power to consistently show up against high-level pitching.
While Albuquerque didn’t give him a chance to make a throw against a baserunner, it was clear that Lee has easy plus to double-plus arm strength. He’s also a nimble receiver behind the plate, giving him a big-league future but a murky outlook beyond a backup catcher projection. The Astros just traded his catching tandem partner Michael Papierski to the Giants, eliminating some competition and the 70/30 time share Lee has spent between catching and DHing.
Ryan Vilade - OF | Stats: 1-6, 2 BB, 2 K
The last Isotopes game I attended, Ryan Vilade looked extremely confident as he soaked up five hits and appeared set to breakout. Unfortunately, he looked out of his element against the Space Cowboys. Vilade’s plate discipline is above average, giving his overall hit tool a chance at being average but, as of now, he’s stuck hitting too many ground balls. He did manage to elevate a line drive in the second game but that was accompanied by three weakly hit ground balls and a lazy fly ball. Hard hit balls have eluded Vilade and it’s well past time to start questioning if he even has fringe-average power, despite strength being his carrying tool as a draftee.
As was the case last I saw him, Vilade was aggressive on the base paths and showed average speed, though that led to him being called out at second trying to extend a single. Vilade continues to look comfortable in the outfield after starting his career on the left-side of the infield but between Colorado’s crowded defensive corner situation and Vilade’s lackluster performance, there isn’t a path to MLB playing time.
Shawn Dubin - RHP | Stats: 2.0 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 0 K
Dubin came into Wednesday’s contest having struck out 18 batters in his first 10.2 innings on the season. Unfortunately, as the Space Cowboys’ starter, he kept missing over the plate with secondary offerings and was chased before the third. Key to note, Dubin only allowed two of the seven hits against his fastball which sat in the high-90s with some carry. Somewhat concerning, the fastball sat 97-99 in the first inning and just 95-97 in the second, alluding to a lower likelihood of sticking in the rotation unless he can hold his velocity past 20-30 pitches. Dubin’s slider and cutter combo both had good shape, with the slider featuring heavy drop, but those two pitches were contacted hard due to inconsistent command.
Physically, Dubin still has some developmental potential as he stands at 6’1” and just 170 pounds. It’s unclear how much weight he’ll seamlessly be able to add at 26, but if he transitions into an MLB pen role, Dubin might be able to routinely sit 100 and possibly higher should he add mass.
Peter Solomon - RHP | Stats: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 K
In relief of Dubin, Solomon didn’t feature exciting stuff as he primarily utilized his fastballs (4-seamer and cutter), sparingly using his breaking balls and changeup. Solomon’s 4-seamer sat between 90-92 and was not commanded well, as he landed it for a strike just about half the time. Solomon’s cutter was very effective as he racked up four whiffs and mostly avoided damage aside from the Elehuris Montero home run. Though he only threw it a handful of times, Solomon’s curveball ranges between 11-5 and a true 12-6 and figures to be his go-to action pitch. It’s reasonable to think his current minor league assignment is to refine the use of his fastball offerings. Due to his deeper arsenal, Solomon has a shot at developing into an MLB starter, though patience is required as he missed most of 2019, all of 2020, and the start of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Jake Bird - RHP | Stats: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K
Once again, Bird was electric. He’s a consistent strike thrower and doesn’t sacrifice quality stuff while he fills up the zone. The one mistake Bird made was leaving a slider middle-middle to Corey Julks. Otherwise, this was a flawless multi-inning appearance. His sinker sat 93-95 and consistently landed for strikes to start off counts. Last I saw him, his slider was his go-to pitch to put hitters away and while the 88-90 mph breaker was good, it was his curveball that was great. Three of Bird’s four strikeouts came via the curveball. The low-80s offering was less knee-buckling and more precisely located. Still, the presence of a usable third pitch for Bird gives him stronger odds of sticking in an MLB bullpen.