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: #29 Michael Antonio

#29 Michael Antonio


Age: 20
Position: SS
Height: 6-2
Weight: 190
B/T: R/R
Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2010 Amateur Draft
From: New York, New York




When the Royals selected Michael Antonio in the third round of the 2010 draft, some viewed the selection as a bit of an overdraft. It was a time when Royals fans had grown accustomed to the over slot selection and high profile pick, but instead the Royals grabbed a guy that was considered by most to be the top hitting prospect in New York City.

Antonio was drafted as a shortstop, but it was his bat that really peaked the Royals interest. According to one source Antonio has the potential to hit around .300 with solid average power. At first glance, Antonio's line in 2011 would seem to take off some of that luster, but upon further review it's easy to see why the Royals are still in love with his bat.

Despite being just 19 years old in the Appy League Antonio posted some great power numbers, while coming in just above the league average batting average of .261 (a number that could have been much higher if not for his .253 BABIP). Particularly of note was Antonio's HR/FB percentage which came in at 15.4%, or 5.7% above the league average mark. To slug with such power in the Appy League as a teenager gives me optimism that the Royals 2010 third round selection could develop into a strong prospect.

But as with most teenage prospects there are concerns as well. At this point Antonio has already outgrown the shortstop position, meaning the Royals will likely shift him to third for 2012. This hurts his value a little, but if Antonio can hit like some scouts expect, his bat should still play at the hot corner.

What Antonio really needs to improve on is his plate discipline. In 225 plate appearances in the Appy League Antonio swung at over 28% of the pitches he saw outside the zone. This number was about 4% higher than the league average. However, after receiving 35 plate appearances in Idaho Falls, Antonio swung at 64% of pitches outside the strike zone.

Of course 35 plate appearances is an extremely small sample size when it comes to measuring such things, but as Antonio advanced he will need to continue to develop his approach. In Burlington, Antonio was well above average when it came to making contact with pitches outside the strike zone. Oddly enough, because of this skill Antonio will need to be more conscious in his pitch selection. Otherwise more advanced pitchers will be able to translate his aggression and contact ability into weak outs.

With Cheslor Cuthebert ahead of him, and Mike Moustakas solidifying the third base position in Kansas City there is no rush with Antonio. I expect him to open 2012 as Kane County's starting third baseman.

Picture Credit: Milb.com