MLB Pipeline<\/a>.<\/p>\nNominees on the current ballot:<\/p>\n
Expected level: Low-A | Age: 18<\/p>\n
2025 stats (ROK): 210 PA, .359\/.395\/.490, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HR, 46 RBI, 14 BB, 20 K, 5 SB<\/p>\n
MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:<\/p>\n
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40<\/p>\n
Guedez has a knack for hitting. His swing is smooth through the zone with good barrel control and impressive hand-eye coordination that allows him to get to pitches both inside and outside of the zone. He does tend to chase at a high rate, though that is not uncommon for a teenager. There isn\u2019t much power to his game at this point, and the A\u2019s are unsure how much will come even as he fills out his 5-foot-11 frame.<\/p>\n
Guedez\u2019s defense is considered average with an average arm, which likely limits him to a corner outfield spot. He was one of the more fun players to watch for the A\u2019s player development staff down in the Dominican Republic this past summer, but with his no standout defensive attribute and underwhelming power, he will have to rely on his strong hit tool to carry him through the system.<\/p>\n
Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23<\/p>\n
2025 stats (A+\/AA): 1.72 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
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: Fastball: 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
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: Hit: 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 — like Denzel Clarke and Rodney Green Jr. — 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
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: Hit: 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
Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don\u2019t delay in making your vote!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"*In an effort to make the nomination voting easier for everyone, I will comment, \u201cNOMINATIONS\u201d, and you may…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2391],"tags":[537,79047,69541,5,4,3226],"class_list":["post-611955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-athletics","tag-athletics","tag-athletics-community-prospect-lists","tag-athletics-prospects","tag-baseball","tag-mlb","tag-mlb-athletics"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116189025201234765","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611955","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=611955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}