Minor League Update - Lexington Legends

The mustachioed Legends of Lexington have started 9-10 to start the 2014 season. The club currently sits sixth in the seven-team South Atlantic League’s Southern Division, trailing first place Savannah (SF) by 2.5 games.

As a team, the Legends are hitting .249/.299/.350 with a league low 36 walks. The pitching staff has recorded a solid 3.31 ERA, ranking in the top half of the league. The staff has a league-high two shutouts this season.

Individual Hitting

 

MiLB.com/lexingtonlegends.com (Mary Lay)

Who’s Hot:

Outfielder and Missouri native Fred Ford leads the South Atlantic League with 17 RBI and ranks second with seven doubles. The 22-year old, who has also spent some time at first base is hitting .283/.338/.500 across 64 plate appearances in 18 games.

He and third baseman Michael Antonio each have two of the club’s eight total home runs. Antonio and outfielder Dominique Taylor have nine RBI, trailing only Ford on the Lexington roster.

Who’s Not:

Prospect Elier Hernandez is off to a slow start, hitting .206/.242/.222 in 16 games with only one RBI to this point.

Shortstop Humberto Arteaga may be turning the corner with seven hits in his last four ballgames, but his line is less than stellar at .239/.239/.254 – which of course means he has yet to draw a walk in 67 plate appearances out of the two-hole. Arteaga has collected hits in 13 of 16 games, but has scored only twice and driven in only two runs.

Individual Pitching

Who’s Hot:

Andrew Edwards ranks second in the league among qualified starters with a 1.06 ERA over 17 innings. Teammate Andrew Matt Tenuta falls just behind him with a 1.09 ERA in 24.2 innings and has allowed only 24 base runners thus far.

Luis Santos is 1-0 with a save as a tandem starter. In 14.1 innings, the right hander has allowed 13 hits and only one walk. He has struck out 13.

Who’s Not:

Andrew Fairchild was dominant in his first start of the season, tossing six no-hit innings April 8. He walked three and struck out seven in the outing and allowed one unearned run. However, in his next start, the 20-year old lefty surrendered nine earned runs in just 1.1 innings. He walked six and allowed two hits. To this point, Fairchild is 0-2 with an 11.05 ERA with four wild pitches.

Lefty Luis Rico’s three losses are tied for most in the league. He has allowed three earned runs or more in three of four starts this season, and has posted a 9.00 ERA to this point.

Prospect Countdown: #8 Elier Hernandez

8. Elier Hernandez Outfielder

chukarsextra.com

Age: 19
Position: OF
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 200
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as a non-drafted FA in 2011
From: San Cristobal, Dominican Republic

2013 Rank: 13

2012 Rank: 8

Landon Adams (8): I had the privilege of watching the Royals prized 2011 international signing on first hand in the Pioneer League in 2012. While the numbers didn't add up to even a mediocre season for the young Dominican, I was impressed with the raw tools that he displayed. In the few games that I was able to watch Hernandez, I was impressed by excellent bat speed, a strong arm, and a runner who moved quick around the base paths thanks to long graceful strides.

Despite making a return trip to the Pioneer League for 2014, Elier Hernandez rated as the 8th youngest prospect on the circuit. In his encore, Hernandez ranked second in the league with a 25.8% LD%. When you consider that league average at the Pioneer League level is 18.3% and that Hernandez regularly faced players four and five years older than him you realize how impressive he was in 2013. Hernandez will have the opportunity to follow up his strong 2013 performance in the South Atlantic League in 2014.

Paden Bennett (9): I was really excited when the Royals signed Elier Hernandez out of the Dominican in 2011. Obviously, he was a guy that Baseball America thought was one of the top players in his signing class. Unfortunately, Hernandez failed to impress in 2012. Despite that I still loved the upside of the outfield prospect. Prior to last year I predicted that his results would be much better in 2013, and I was right. It will be interesting to see if he can carry his success into full season ball in 2014.

Joe Cox (8): Elier Hernandez was just 18 last season while repeating the rookie level in the Pioneer League.  It looks like he was able to figure out the league a little, showing improvements across the board after a less than stellar 2012 (but at just 17 years old!).   Hernandez is a big kid, standing at 6-3/200, and has the abilities to be a true five tool player.  The right fielder has still yet to flash his power potential, but did manage a slash line of .301/.350/.439 over 289 AB’s.  

The numbers really don’t matter yet for Hernandez, but the fact that he did cut down on K’s and show his skills as one of the younger players in the league is promising.  His skills earned him a $3 million signing bonus in 2011, so the expectations are relatively high.  Reading his scouting reports he reminds me somewhat of current Pirates prospect Gregory Polanco, who struggled quite a bit as a younger player before displaying his potential.  I would imagine the Royals will want to test Hernandez over the course of a full season this year, and he could be a high riser amongst all prospects in baseball if everything pans out.  

Dan Ware (8):  Unlike Landon, Joe, and Nicholas, I did not have the pleasure of being able to watch the 18 year old OF in Idaho Falls. I wish I had.  After a very successful 2nd year in the Pioneer League, Hernandez moves back up to #8 on our countdown, courtesy of a much improved line of .301/.350/.439 with 23 XBH, eight of which were triples.

His second stint with the Chukars obviously showed that he made adjustments to Pioneer League pitching, as his LD% went up 10 points to 25.8%, FB rate also increased to 25.8%, and his GB rate decreased 13 points (42.1%). While being known as an average runner, he added 9 SB in 11 attempts, proving he can steal a bag when the time is right.

Elier already has tremendous size for his age, along with his athleticism and strong arm, he has the makeup to be a solid OF.  Last year's numbers should be good enough for a promotion to Lexington to start 2014.  I don't see him pairing up with OF Bubba Starling, as he is most likely heading to Wilmington.

Nicholas Ian Allen: (--): A second season in Idaho Falls certainly did a lot of good for Elier Hernandez. He played every day for the Chukars, and put together one of the most impressive offensive performances in the league. 

Hernandez got stronger as the season went on, which is a fantastic sign for someone so young. He compiled a .336/.373/.445 line in the second half, and hit .360 in August with 20 RBIs. In all, he had a 25.8 LD% and eight triples, which is impressive in any league, and did so for a short-season club. Nine stolen bases are nothing to sneeze at either, and both are quite surprising given Hernandez is not particularly fast.  While he will likely grow out of that a bit as he matures, it is a great sign of athleticism.

I am excited for the future of Hernandez, and look forward to strong season in Low-A Lexington in 2014. While he will certainly face some stiff competition in his own system, if everything goes well, we could see Hernandez in the mix for the Top 100 prospects in baseball soon. 

Total Points: 91

Prospect Countdown: #13 Elier Hernandez

13. Elier Hernandez Outfielder

Age: 18
Position: OF 
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 200
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent in 2011
From: San Cristobal, Dominican Republic




Paden Bennett (12):  I love Elier Hernandez.  There I said it.  The kid is 18 years old and stands at 6'3" and 200 pounds already.  Although Hernandez struggled in Idaho Falls last season to the tune of a .208 average, I really think this kid is going to get it.  Hernandez is a big kid with great bat speed and has the opportunity to be a plus in both average and power.  Really excited about this kid.

Joe Cox (19): Elier Hernandez makes the list at 13^th based solely on upside.  Based on numbers alone the 18 year old outfielder from the Dominican Republic has not impressed, but almost any player will struggle in their first year of professional ball as a 17 year old.  Hernandez will be watched closely by Royals fans after being signed for $3.05 million in 2011, the third highest total for any international amateur player.  Hernandez already has a major league type body and should catch up to rookie ball soon.  Hernandez could very well be a budding star, but considering he has still yet to hit his first professional home run, it’s hard to gauge a player as young as Elier. 

Damion Mandalas (18): I had the privilege of watching Hernandez play on a few occasions this summer and while his results weren't overwhelming, the potential is obviously there. I remember one moment specifically, when Hernandez turned on an inside fastball and blasted the ball thirty feet over the left field fence. Unfortunately, the ball was also ten feet left of the foul pole. The body is obviously Major League ready and the bat speed is awesome. His poor results are very likely the result of playing competition that was on average four or five years older than him.

Defensively, Hernandez had a flair for the dramatic. Let me rephrase that, he really liked to make plays in a dramatic fashion. Several times over the course of one three game series he dove for balls. None of those times was a dive necessary and in only three of the instances did Hernandez make the play. The failed attempt led to an error and a big inning for the opposition. Nonetheless, there are a lot of things to like about Hernandez and with a strong season he should shoot up Kansas City's top prospects lists. 

Dan Ware (19):  I'll tell you straight up: keep an eye on this kid all season.  Elier, at 18, has the frame of a Major League player, standing at 6'3" and weighing 200 lbs, he has the potential of hitting above average for both contact and power as he progresses.  Hernandez can also run with good speed and has excellent quickness, which are vital attributes in the outfield.  Still a teenager, there is still no reason to rush him through the system, so it would be no surprise at all if Elier is back in Idaho Falls to start off 2013.

Total Points: 56

Seeing a Selman Start

Tonight I had the privilege of watching the Idaho Falls Chukars, and I was definitely pleased that I had the opportunity to watch 2012 first round pick Sam Selman on the hill. Selman, a lefty, entered the draft as a projectable arm but whose numbers didn't match up with the pure stuff. He was said to have an electric fastball as well as a slider that at times also was a plus pitch. Tonight, he didn't disappoint.

One thing I noticed immediately about Selman is that he has a bit of a hitch on the back end. If you are familiar with the whipping action that Aaron Crow has, imagine that on a lanky lefty. It isn't quite as pronounced, but it is noticeable. The lefty also clearly has a dynamite fastball and it didn't take opposing hitters long to take notice; the first hitter of the game saw three fastballs on the corners and never even took the bat off his shoulders.

Throughout the first three innings, Selman was lights out. He threw 39 pitches, and 26 of them were strikes. However, in the fourth Selman seemingly lost his command. He began the inning by throwing six straight balls, but thanks to a double play he was able to get out of a jam only allowing one run. Had Elier Hernandez not missed on a diving attempt at a shallow fly ball, Selman likely would have escaped the inning totally unscathed despite throwing 11 balls out of 17 pitches.

It was from there on that I was really impressed by Selman. Rather than fumbling around for the next couple of innings, Selman regathered himself and proved to be just as dominate over the last two frames as he was the first three. There are no radar readings in Kindrick, but I heard that Selman was sitting in the low 90s.

He struck out several batters on a very nice slider, but at times he failed to get on top of the ball and would cause the catcher to reach high or wide to prevent it from going to the backstop. Quite frankly, Selman's fastball command was so good that he could've gotten through the evening on the fastball alone. It is for this reason that I believe he needs to be at a higher level than he is currently playing. He has been well seasoned by the SEC and he needs opposing hitters to challenge his fastball more than they are capable at the Rookie level.

Selman finished the night with 6 ip, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, and 10 strikeouts.

*I have notes on several other players and will be watching Idaho Falls all weekend, so be sure to check back for some more insights.

Prospect Countdown: #8 Elier Hernandez

#8 Elier Hernandez


Age: 17
Position: OF
Height: 6-3
Weight: 200
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Signed as International Free Agent in 2011
From: San Cristobal, Dominican Republic

The Royals made a huge splash in the Latin American market last July, when they signed top prospect Elier Hernandez to a $3.05 million bonus. According to Baseball America, Hernandez possesses some of the best bat speed that has been seen of a player his age in recent years. Thanks to this awesome bat speed, Elier projects to hit for above average power and contact abilities.

Despite being just seventeen years old, Hernandez already has a man's build at 6-3, 210. Even with this size, Hernandez runs with average speed and excellent quickness. Early in his development he could receive time in center, but eventually he should win up in right, where his plus arm should play up.

Hernandez will open 2012, in extended Spring Training. When the Arizona League begins, he should be playing for the AZL Royals. Although, it is possible that if the Royals are extremely impressed, he could get an opportunity at a more advanced Rookie League stop.

An Illustration of the Royals Fan Mind

The Royals fell tonight 9-0 against the Colorado Rockies and have now lost 4 games in a row. But tonight is a perfect illustration for why Royals fans are truly excited for the future of this franchise.

It began with Mike Montgomery on his twenty-second birthday pitching an absolute gem. He went 6.2 shutout innings and recorded 7 strikeouts to just 3 walks. He gave up only two hits and both were singles.

After being skipped in his last start, Mike Montgomery quite simply reminded all of us to take a chill pill and relax. He cruised to his best start of the year and we were reminded of his ACE potential.

But the night had only begun. Just a couple hours after Montgomery exited the game the Royals got the International signing period kicked off with a bang with the signing of this year's top International prospect to a $3.05 million signing bonus.

The bonus falls just short of Miguel Angel Sano's international free agent hitter bonus of $3.15 and it figures to be the largest bonus handed out in this year's class.

It is said that Hernandez's bat isn't the most advanced out of Latin America, but he has a mature body that fits the mold of a Major League right now. He is 6-4, 200 pounds and has tremendous bat speed with quick wrists.

Scouts project above average power with above average contact ability. He will find a spot as a corner outfielder and won't ever have the range to play center, but his arm will be more than strong enough to handle a corner.

Like Bubba Starling, Elier has mind blowing upside but will not come without a big amount of risk. Along with Starling (assuming he is signed) the Royals have now really built up that outfield depth throughout the organization. Not to mention they have just added another potential superstar to the organization.

Rumors are the Royals are only getting started and that they are also hot and heavy on shortstop prospect Aldaberto Mondesi, son of former big leaguer Raul Mondesi. Aldaberto is one of the younger players and won't be eligible to sign until he turns 16 on July 27. The shortstop prospect should stick at the position and the rumor is the Royals could offer seven figures.

Despite the current struggles of the big league team. The snowball of future excitement only continues to grow as we roll down the mountain toward contention.