With the Major League All-Star Break having recently taken place we officially move into the 2nd half of the season so I thought it would be a great idea to go over some of the best players from each Midwest League team in the West and I also just recently wrote an article that covers the players from the West. I’ve gotten a chance to see most of these players play in person or on MiLB.TV this season, and I got a chance to see all of the teams in the Midwest League this year. Here’s an in-depth review of the Midwest League’s West Division team’s players that stood out in the first half. With that being said, the first half was dominated primarily by pitchers as is usually the case due to cold weather being tougher on hitters, also the weather can be rainy and dip into the 40’s at night.
There were still plenty of talented hitters in the Midwest League that stood out even if their stats weren’t the greatest. High A is generally still viewed as a developmental league and so here are some names of the younger players that stood out that I’m sure we’ll be hearing about over the next few seasons as well as some of the draft picks from 2021 that have had solid starts to their first full season.
SOUTH BEND CUBS
The South Bend Cubs were the deepest team in the west division with plenty of the Chicago Cubs top prospects. South Bend is home to the Chicago Cubs #1 prospect left-handed hitting center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
CF Pete Crow-Armstrong is one of the most gifted athletes in the Midwest League as he has all the tools to be a superstar in the near future, he’s a plus if not double plus runner that has only gotten stronger since his prep days which has recently allowed him to start to show a feel for power that could result in 20-25 home runs annually. He also looks like a potential gold glove caliber center fielder with the ability to hit over .300.
RF Owen Caissie was one of the youngest players in the Midwest League in the first half and he impressed in holding his own as a middle of the lineup masher at just 19 years old. Caissie is easily one of the players you would look at the stats and his size and know it’ll be interesting to see how the power progresses as he continues to mature. He does an excellent job of barreling balls that sometimes go for long fly outs or lineouts and know there’s definitely more there.
LF Yohendrick Pinango is the statistical leader in almost every offensive category (R, H, 2B, HR, RBI) and he too is an impressive left-handed hitter that has done an excellent job of making consistent contact.
RF Alexander Canario needed only 24 games after hitting .281/.360/.584 to earn a promotion to AA this season after having seen some time in the Midwest League last year, he’s an all or nothing type of hitter that has tons of power but will need to make more consistent contact in order to get to that power consistently at the upper levels.
LHP Jordan Wicks was the Chicago Cubs 1st rounder in 2021 and he’s actually moved a little slower than his talent would suggest as the Cubs are trying to have him work on improving his breaking balls, a slider that sits about 82-86 and a curveball that sits around 78-80. Wicks has a solid fastball that sits 92-94 and arguably the best changeup from the 2021 draft class. He’s an advanced strike thrower but it’ll be Wicks's ability to spin the ball that’ll determine how successful he can be at the upper levels.
LHP DJ Herz, who was an 8th-round pick of the Cubs in 2019 out of high school in North Carolina, has been a pleasant surprise and has been one of the best left-handed pitchers in the Midwest League posting a 14 K/9 this season. Herz uses a mid-90s fastball that has only gotten better since he signed with the Cubs and he’ll also feature a plus or better changeup to go along with a solid curveball which should give him a 3rd average or better pitch in time. He will have to show that he can last deeper into games and perhaps in order to possibly make it as a starting pitcher as he currently profiles best as a high leverage lefty out of the bullpen.
RHP Daniel Palencia has been another impressive arm for South Bend as his fastball touches the upper 90s with regularity and he’ll also incorporate a slider that gives him another solid pitch while being a very good competitor. Palencia will need to improve his overall control and command but he could be another solid bullpen arm for the Cubs in time.
C Pablo Aliendo, SS Fabian Pertuz, 3B Luis Verdugo are some other hitters that have shown flashes of being solid players as well.
PEORIA CHIEFS
The Chiefs were home to Futures Game Starting Shortstop Masyn Winn and a few of the St. Louis Cardinals’ top draft picks from 2021.
SS Masyn Winn had earned a promotion to High A in 2021 and returned to start the season off there before hitting .349/.404/.566 over 33 games to earn a promotion to AA. During his time in the Midwest League Winn was easily one of the most exciting everyday players thanks to his arm which in my opinion is the best in all of the minor leagues. Winn was originally a 2-way talent, but he has impressed at shortstop which is where his future home is while also showing an impressive combination of both speed and athleticism. He has shown some feel for power but is primarily a gap to gap hitter that could someday approach 10-15 home runs while being a defensive wizard at shortstop.
RHP Gordon Graceffo was one of the best pitchers in the Midwest League in the first half, actually outperforming the St. Louis Cardinals 1st round pick RHP Michael McGreevy. Graceffo posted a 0.99 ERA over 8 starts (45.2 IP) in earning a promotion to Double-A after showing off a fastball that sat in the mid to upper 90s and actually topped out at 99 at the start I saw him pitch. He has a bulldog mentality and is an ultra competitor who gets stronger as the game goes on, with most hitters making generally weak contact which allows for plenty of ground ball outs. He’ll incorporate an 82-85 mph changeup which is his best secondary pitch as well as showing good feel for a mid 80’s slider and 78-81 mph curveball.
RHP Michael McGreevy the St. Louis Cardinals 1st rounder from 2021 performed well also earning himself a promotion to AA after just 8 starts although he was less dominant than Graceffo he showed good feel for 4 pitches that grade as average or better but it’s the fact that he’s an advanced strike thrower. There are some questions as to whether or not he can put hitters away at the upper levels consistently with his slightly better than average stuff but he’s done well at AA thus far. His fastball sat 88-93, curveball was 75-78, slider 81-85, and changeup 83-85.
QUAD CITIES RIVER BANDITS*
Quad Cities is home to one of the nicest ballparks in the Midwest League and also the home of the 2021 Midwest League Champs. This year’s River Bandits squad isn’t as loaded but it still does feature some up-the-middle talent that’s stood out so far this season.
C Luca Tresh who was the Kansas City Royals 17th round pick in 2021 has impressed in his first full season putting up a slash line of .276/.356/.457 with 10 home runs in 67 games while splitting time between catcher and designated hitter. Tresh has shown a good approach at the plate and the ability to drive the ball hard consistently while displaying average or better defense.
2B Peyton Wilson has struggled to hit consistently in the 1st half but has looked good when he’s hitting thanks to him being a plus runner. He’s seen time at both 2nd base and center field adding to his versatility as a switch hitter, he looks like a solid future bench player with even more upside if he can prove he can hit.
CF Diego Hernandez has performed well in the first half however there are some swing and miss concerns, but at times the young left handed hitter has also shown an ability to hit hard line drives to all fields while also displaying plus speed in both the outfield and on the basepaths. Hernandez still has room to add strength so there might be some more power there in time if he can improve his overall ability to make contact.
CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS
The Kernels are one of the quieter, less prospect-heavy teams, but that didn’t stop them from putting up the best record in the Midwest League in the first half. They are one of the older teams with most of their players being college age or older however their best prospect on the team made his first full season debut with Cedar Rapids and earned a mid-season promotion to AA after putting up loud numbers.
3B Christian Encarnacion-Strand the Minnesota Twins 4th Round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2021 hit .296/.370/.599 with 20 home runs and 68 RBI in just 74 games before being promoted to AA where he has put up even better numbers since. Encarnacion-Strand is a player that’s only gotten better every year and one that seems to enjoy the challenge of playing with and against better competition, he has an all or nothing type of swing that works for him as well as plus or better power while also having a chance to stick at third base thanks to a strong, accurate arm.
LHP Cade Povich, the Twins 3rd round pick in 2021 out of Nebraska has also performed well in the Midwest League. Povich has 3 solid pitches in his mid to low 90’s fastball, curveball, and changeup.
WISCONSIN TIMBERRATTLERS
The Timberrattlers were home to many of the Milwaukee Brewers’ early round picks from the 2021 MLB Draft as well as a few interesting arms.
CF Sal Frelick opened the season at High A Wisconsin and performed well enough to earn a promotion to AA in early may after hitting .284/.391/.446 in April. Frelick displayed above-average speed as well as solid bat to ball skills while showing a knack for getting on base consistently and his number have been even better at the AA level giving the Brewers hope that he might possibly make it to the majors before the end of the 2023 season.
2B Tyler Black the Brewers other 1st round pick from 2021 has also looked good when healthy at High A displaying an incredible eye at the plate while also showing the athleticism to play 2nd base, 3rd base, and center field. Black has more walks than strikeouts and more hits than games played and in time could prove to be one of the better college hitters from last year’s draft class.
LHP Antoine Kelly who had battled with thoracic outlet syndrome in 2020 has proven to be healthy this season while displaying a plus slider that sits around 81-84 to go along with an above average fastball that’s topped out at 98 and steadily improving changeup. Kelly’s stuff was good enough to help him earn a trip to the Futures Game at Dodger Stadium. The biggest question with Antoine Kelly at this point is if he will develop enough control to become a starting pitcher in time, either way he looks to be a quality arm and the Milwaukee Brewers have done an excellent job as of late of developing pitchers like Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta to help give fans hope that Kelly will be the next great arm to come out of the Brewers system.
BELOIT SKY CARP
The newest team name in the Midwest League (they had formerly been named the snappers) recently got a new ballpark which is among the nicer parks in the Midwest League and along with the new park they got a new name, the Sky Carp. The team hasn’t had very many stars but it does have some players with upside that might not be superstars but solid major league players.
LHP Dax Fulton is the top pitcher for the Sky Carp and he has one of the highest ceilings among all pitchers in the Midwest League, he has plenty of swing and miss and averaged 12 K/9 thanks to excellent feel for his changeup and curveball to go along with a fastball that sits in the low to mid 90s but has topped out at 96 in the past. Fulton will need to continue to improve both his control and command but has shown flashes of greatness at times like he did in one start in which he struck out 9 straight South Bend Cubs Hitters in a row to start a game. This is Fulton’s first full season being healthy so learning how his 6’7” body works better in time should help him improve his control and command.
CF Victor Mesa Jr. is a young left handed hitter that similar to his older brother Victor Victor has shown an ability to be a plus defender in centerfield while showing athleticism despite being one of the younger players in the league at 20, he still will need to show more with the bat as he’s yet to show an ability to hit for power or steal bases.
SS Nasim Nunez is a switch-hitting shortstop that has improved as a hitter this season but he is mostly known more for his defensive ability which would rank him among the best in the Midwest League. Nunez stole 46 bases in his first 80 games this season giving him the chance to make a difference on the bases as well.