MLB Pipeline<\/a>.<\/p>\nNominees on the current ballot:<\/p>\n
Eduarniel Nunez, RHP<\/p>\n
Expected level: Triple-A\/Majors | Age: 26<\/p>\n
2025 stats (AA\/AAA):\u00a02.51 ERA, 39 appearances, 46 2\/3 IP, 71 K, 25 BB, 2 HR, 2.90 FIP<\/p>\n
2025 stats (Majors):\u00a07.11 ERA, 10 appearances, 12 2\/3 IP, 11 K, 11 BB, 2 HR, 6.77 FIP<\/p>\n
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:<\/p>\n
Scouting grades:\u00a0Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 70 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40<\/p>\n
N\u00fa\u00f1ez has an electric fastball that sits 97-99 mph and reached up to 101 last year, though the movement is somewhat lacking as hitters are able to see it a little longer. His upper-80s slider is his best pitch. It\u2019s at least a plus offering that gets good depth and has posted high whiff and chase rates in the Minors. He occasionally throws a curveball, but that is a distant third pitch in his arsenal, leaving him with drastic handedness splits.<\/p>\n
N\u00fa\u00f1ez is inconsistent in his delivery at times, and that was evident with his inability to consistently throw strikes in his short time with the A\u2019s last year. The arm talent is there to carve out a role for himself in a Major League bullpen, perhaps as a quality late-inning weapon, though he will always come with some volatility given his challenges with locating pitches.<\/p>\n
A.J. Causey, RHP<\/p>\n
Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23<\/p>\n
2025 stats (A+\/AA):\u00a01.72 ERA, 48 appearances, 73 1\/3 IP, 75 K, 18 BB, 0 HR, 2.28 FIP<\/p>\n
Causey thrives with a fastball that hovers around 90 mph, but that\u2019s because he has a funky sidearm delivery that helps him get crazy movement and deception with his arsenal. Causey excelled in his first full pro season, posting a 1.72 ERA across High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He\u2019s a fast mover with a different look that could add to the Royals\u2019 bullpen in the coming years.<\/p>\n
Causey began the year with a sinker, changeup and sweeper, but he added a four-seam fastball this season to help him at the top of the zone. After years of working on adding a cutter, Causey finally found something that works with the four-seamer.<\/p>\n
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Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP<\/p>\n
Expected level: Double-A | Age: 25<\/p>\n
2025 stats (AA): 4.08 ERA, 26 starts (28 appearances), 145 2\/3 IP, 145 K, 35 BB, 22 HR, 4.19 FIP<\/p>\n
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:<\/p>\n
Scouting grades:\u00a0Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 40<\/p>\n
Zhuang leans heavily on his four-seam fastball that he can change speeds quite a bit with, throwing heaters that range anywhere from 86-96 mph, though it generally sits in the low-90s. His low-80s changeup has emerged as his best secondary pitch. He also brings a mid-70s curveball, low-80s slider and mixes in a low-80s splitter, providing a decent starter repertoire.<\/p>\n
Zhuang, nicknamed \u2018Z-Man\u2019 within the organization, did a good job of staying healthy last season to silence some previous injury concerns. But while he has above-average command and enough pitches to remain a starter in the Minors, questions still remain about the effectiveness of his offspeed stuff, especially against higher competition, which could eventually lead to him switching to a bullpen role where his fastball can play up in shorter stints.<\/p>\n
Gavin Turley,\u00a0OF<\/p>\n
Expected level: A+ | Age: 22<\/p>\n
2025 stats (A): 125 PA, .243\/.336\/.430, 8 doubles, 0 triples, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 14 BB, 34 K, 0 SB<\/p>\n
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:<\/p>\n
Scouting grades:\u00a0Hit: 45 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40<\/p>\n
Turley falls in line with similar A\u2019s draft picks in recent years \u2014\u00a0like Denzel Clarke and Rodney Green Jr. \u2014 as a toolsy outfielder with some concerns about his ability to make consistent contact. He\u2019s got big power and is able to drive the ball out to all fields with great bat speed, but his strikeout rates throughout his career with the Beavers were somewhat alarming. The question over whether he can hit enough to tap into that raw power is something he\u2019ll have to prove early in his pro career. He has a tendency to chase breaking stuff often, though he mitigates that issue somewhat with his strong ability to draw walks.<\/p>\n
A big knock on Turley coming out of college was poor defense, but the A\u2019s believe he is plenty athletic and speedy enough to improve and envision that happening as he grows into his 6-foot-1 frame. His body type and look in the box remind some within the organization of Mark Canha, and he\u2019ll look to move through the system as a power-hitting corner outfielder.<\/p>\n
Ryan Lasko, OF<\/p>\n
Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23<\/p>\n
2025 stats (ROK\/A\/AAA): 375 PA, .244\/.355\/.343, 9 doubles, 2 triples, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 46 BB, 86 K, 14 SB<\/p>\n
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:<\/p>\n
Scouting grades:\u00a0Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 60 | Overall: 40<\/p>\n
Lasko is still trying to learn his craft from an offensive standpoint. He brings good plate discipline and bat speed, but pitch recognition is something he\u2019s still working to improve. The A\u2019s have also worked with him to rein in his high intensity during games. The power element he showed in college has also yet to show up much in pro ball.<\/p>\n
Defense is Lasko\u2019s calling card. He\u2019s a plus defender in the outfield with a great arm and plays center field fearlessly with high energy. His speed is evident in his range, as well as on the basepaths. He\u2019s another talented center fielder in the A\u2019s system who could one day provide stellar defense in the Majors, but the hit tool is something he\u2019ll have to continue improving to become anything more than a fourth outfielder at the highest level.<\/p>\n
* * *<\/p>\n
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Programming Note:\u00a0Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don\u2019t delay\u00a0in making your<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"*In an effort to make the\u00a0nomination voting\u00a0easier for everyone, I will comment, \u201cNOMINATIONS\u201d, and you may reply to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2391],"tags":[145,537,5,14905,79054,1655,4850,43042,79053,4,3226,72492,1949,72499],"class_list":{"0":"post-608142","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athletics","8":"tag-arsenal","9":"tag-athletics","10":"tag-baseball","11":"tag-denzel-clarke","12":"tag-fourth-outfielder","13":"tag-gunnar-hoglund","14":"tag-mark-canha","15":"tag-mason-barnett","16":"tag-mesa-solar-sox","17":"tag-mlb","18":"tag-mlb-athletics","19":"tag-ryan-lasko","20":"tag-the-athletics","21":"tag-yunior-tur"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116177881339058279","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}