Minor League Baseball Weekly Ten-Pack, Week 17–2023 Draftees
The 2024 Major League Baseball draft took place last week, and the selections are beginning to sign their bonuses, which will lead to multiple players joining the minor leagues over the next few weeks. Thinking of the draft, it’s a good time to check on players who were drafted early in the 2023 draft and see how they’re doing this season, so let’s take a look at the top picks that I haven’t covered in one of my weekly articles yet this year.
Let’s dig into this week’s highlighted players:
Hitters
Walker Jenkins, OF, Minnesota Twins
Stats: 165 PA, .300/.436/.439, 2 HR, 7 SB, 33/18 BB/K
North Carolina prepster Walker Jenkins was one of two elite prep players in the 2023 draft with Max Clark. The Twins benefitted from the draft lottery and were able to snag Jenkins with the fifth overall selection.
Jenkins then showed out in his pro debut, slashing .362/.417/.571 over 26 games and 115 plate appearances with five doubles, four triples, three home runs, and six steals, all while posting a 9/14 BB/K and reaching full-season ball.
A hamstring injury in the first game of the season put Jenkins on the shelf for a month and a half, but he responded with strong play once he returned, though the Twins have had him splitting time roughly 50/50 between center field and designated hitter.
Jenkins’ power numbers this season have not been what they should be, but for a teenager to have nearly double the walks as he has strikeouts on the season is a tremendous sign of the elite eye that Jenkins possesses. He’s a legit plus power/plus speed raw tools guy who should be an elite fantasy performer down the road as well. He’s certainly athletic enough to stick in center, and if he has to move to right, his plus arm should allow him to be an elite defensive right fielder if he does need to move.
Blake Mitchell, C, Kansas City Royals
Stats: 336 PA, .257/.393/.467, 12 HR, 20 SB, 56/103 BB/K
An incredibly athletic young player, Mitchell was the highest-ranked prep catcher and one of the top prep hitters available in the 2023 draft out of high school in Texas. Even though he was highly-regarded, it surprised many that the Royals plucked Mitchell with the eighth overall pick.
His stats in Arizona in complex ball didn’t impress, unless you looked under the baseline stats as he hit .147/.423/.177 with one extra-base hit and a steal. However, Mitchell showed a balanced approach from at-bat to at-bat, and he finished with a 17/14 BB/K ratio over 52 plate appearances. He got high marks for his defensive work at the complex.
This season, he came out of the gate strong in full-season ball, but he struggled in May and June before really getting back on track in July so far. He’s flashed his raw power and athleticism, though he has struggled with a bit of passivity in his plate approach, walking or striking out in nearly 50% of his plate appearances.
He’s been receiving tremendous grades for his defensive chops this season, with consistency in handling the run game his biggest area of work behind the plate. It could be interesting to see how Kansas City handles his progression, and whether he’ll continue catching as he advances up the chain.
Enrique Bradfield, Jr., OF, Baltimore Orioles
Stats: 283 PA, .281/.351/.378, 3 HR, 48 SB, 26/47 BB/K
After going undrafted out of high school in Florida in the COVID five-round 2020 draft, Bradfield headed to Vanderbilt, where he was one of the most disruptive players in college baseball for three seasons, stealing 130 bases and hitting .311 over 191 college games for Vandy. The Orioles made Bradfield the 17th overall selection last summer.
His pro debut went well, as Bradfield played across three levels, finishing the season with High-A Aberdeen. He combined to hit .291/.473/.329 over 25 games with 25 stolen bases in 25 games. He also put up an impressive 26/16 BB/K ratio.
The Orioles sent Bradfield back to Aberdeen and he struggled in his first month of the year as he came back from an injury. Since May 1, he has hit his stride, posting a .292/.358/.387 line with 39 steals in 51 games.
Bradfield’s elite speed on offense and defense should allow him to have a future MLB role. The power is below-average for Enrique, but if he can make consistent contact, he could have a future career akin to Juan Pierre.
Brock Wilken, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers
Stats: 294 PA, .229/.330/.415, 12 HR, 36/72 BB/K
Wilken went to Wake Forest after going undrafted as a Florida prep hitter. He did nothing but hit over three years for the Demon Deacons, hitting .299/.419/.679 with 71 homers over 173 games at Wake Forest. His mixed results in two summers at the Cape Cod had some wondering how his bat would translate to pro ball, leading to Wilken falling to the 18th overall pick.
Wilken made an impression in his pro debut, working all the way up to Double-A Biloxi, hitting .285/.414/.473 with 17 extra-base hits in 47 games with a 33/47 BB/K ratio. He also played all of his time at third despite some concerns about his defense at the hot corner.
This year, he’s played around some injuries, spending most of his time with Biloxi. He has struggled with consistent contact, with a strikeout rate around 25% on the season, but he’s gone long stretches where he’s posted 40%+ rates mixed in with better stretches.
At third, Wilken is passable, but he’s likely never going to win any awards at the position. His arm is average to above-average, but his instincts have covered so far. Most likely he’s a future first baseman, which will put more pressure on the bat.
Arjun Nimmala, SS, Toronto Blue Jays
Stats: 222 PA, .210/.329/.452, 8 HR, 5 SB, 30/72 BB/K
One of the youngest players in the entire 2023 class, Nimmala had high marks for his raw tools coming out of Strawberry Crest High School in Dover, Florida. The Blue Jays selected Nimmala with the 20th overall pick.
Nimmala showed some of the raw-ness to his profile in his debut, with a 14/8 BB/K ratio over nine complex games, but only a .200 batting average.
This season, Nimmala struggled out of the gate in all facets, hitting .167/.280/.306 with 43 strikeouts over 125 plate appearances before he was demoted back to complex ball in mid-May. He also had a half-dozen errors, though he received a number of friendly calls on balls that likely should have been additional errors.
He worked on a more consistent approach while down in the complex, both on offense and on defense. Since returning to Dunedin on June 27, Nimmala has hit .283/.365/.660 with 11 extra-base hits in 15 games. The strikeout rate is still high, but he’s been playing more consistent defense.
Nimmala is not a guy you should expect to move quickly. He’ll likely be a guy who slowly moves up level by level over the next few years, but he’s still one of the youngest players in full-season ball, so he’s got time to develop.
Pitchers
Ty Floyd, RHP, Cincinnati Reds
Stats: None
Floyd was considered one of the top high school arms in the 2020 draft out of Georgia, but he chose to attend Louisiana State when he wasn’t selected in that draft. He was draft-eligible as a sophomore but struggles moving into the LSU rotation with consistency left him in a tough spot for teams to commit to, sending him back to the eventual national champions for the 2023 season.
Floyd struck out 120 over 91 innings in 2023 as he went 7–0 and helped LSU win a national title. He was held out to allow his arm to rest post-draft.
However, injury popped up as Floyd attempted to ramp up, and eventually it was announced that he had surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024 season.
When healthy, Floyd works with an impressive fastball that peaks at 98 MPH and has elite plane at the top of the zone. His slider and curve developed into average pitches in 2023, and he flashed a potential average change. If he can return with feel for all three secondaries as average pitches, he could use his strong fastball movement to be a mid-rotation arm.
Grant Taylor, RHP, Chicago White Sox
Stats: 19 1/3 IP, 2.33 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 32/2 K/BB
Despite already showing mid-90s velocity in high school in Alabama, Taylor went undrafted in 2021 and made his way to Louisiana State. He had control issues as a freshman in a swingman role, but he dominated in the Cape Cod League that summer, with a 30/2 K/BB over 21 innings.
Unfortunately, that was the end of his collegiate showing, as he had an elbow injury while getting prepared for the 2023 season and underwent Tommy John surgery.
His stuff was still impressive enough that the White Sox drafted him in the second round that summer. He did not pitch until this spring.
Returning to the mound this year, Taylor has already flashed more of the impressive stuff that dominated the Cape. His stuff is led by a mid-90s fastball that has touched 98–99 with excellent life up in the zone. He accents the heater with a trio of secondary offerings, throwing a curve, slider, and cutter that all have shown at least average grades.
Taylor has the sort of size (6'3", 230 pounds) that you’d want from a mid-rotation sort of arm, but his delivery includes a bit of a long arm path that could lead to an eventual move to the bullpen.
Alex Clemmey, LHP, Cleveland Guardians
Stats: 64 2/3 IP, 4.87 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 90/45 K/BB
Clemmey was the rare highly-regarded prospect coming out of high school in Rhode Island. While the big (6'6") lefty was desired by many clubs, he immediately jumped into the eyes of many fantasy owners when Cleveland selected him in the second round with the 58th overall selection and paid him $2.3 million to sign him away from a commitment to Vanderbilt.
Cleveland immediately sent him to the complex to work with team staff, but did not have Clemmey make his professional debut until this season. He opened the year with Single-A Lynchburg. His season stats look mediocre, but he had a horrific April and has been near-dominant since.
From May 1 to current, he’s posted a 2.17 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and a 33% strikeout rate. The biggest weakness in Clemmey’s game since May 1 has been a 15% walk rate. He has at least one walk in every one of his 17 starts this season so far.
Clemmey has an elite fastball that sits mid-90s and can touch 98–99 with excellent extension from his long limbs and plenty of life up in the zone. His primary secondary offering is a cement mixer slider that has received double-plus grades from some evaluators. The change and control in general is a work in progress, but the stuff is incredibly elite. Clemmey was one of the youngest arms in the 2023 draft, having just turned 19 last week, so he has time to continue developing his impressive stuff.
Drue Hackenberg, RHP, Atlanta Braves
Stats: 80 1/3 IP, 3.59 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 95/39 K/BB
A cold weather arm from Pennsylvania, Hackenberg comes from a family of impressive athletes, with brothers who have been drafted by the NFL, MLS, and MLB. He impressed as a freshman with Virginia Tech, posting a 3.30 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 92 2/3 innings, but he struggled notably in his draft-eligible sophomore year with the Hokies, posting a 5.80 ERA and 1.63 WHIP.
Regardless of the struggles, the Braves saw something in his profile and selected Hackenberg in the second round, signing him for a bonus just shy of $2 million. He then pitched 6 1/3 innings last year in his pro debut, with a 1.42 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, posting a 13/6 K/BB ratio.
Hackenberg was solid, albeit not spectacular for High-A Rome before he was promoted to Double-A Mississippi and has recently had a huge game in his most recent start at the level.
There’s nothing that really stands out about Hackenberg, but Braves fans will recognize his approach as very similar to Bryce Elder, a pitcher who is at his best when he’s coaxing hitters into groundballs and attacking the zone to move quickly through starts. His fastball is a low-90s sinker that he pairs with a heavy slider. He was generating a 61% groundball rate with Rome before his promotion, and that’s how he’ll need to succeed.
Alonzo Tredwell, RHP, Houston Astros
Stats: 57 IP, 5.37 ERA, 1.60 WHIP, 67/38 K/BB
There’s big…and then there’s Tredwell, who checks in at 6'8" and 250ish pounds. Considered one of the top prep arms in his class in 2021, he had Tommy John surgery in high school and missed most of his last two years of high school, which led to him not being drafted and making it to UCLA. He showed very well in his two years for the Bruins, posting a 2.83 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over 92 1/3 innings with a 113/18 K/BB ratio.
The Astros took a chance on the big righty in the second round, signing the 61st overall selection for a bonus just short of $1.5 million. He then spent his post-draft time working at the Houston complex.
Tredwell has been with Single-A Fayetteville in the Carolina League all season this year, and he struggled over the first two months. However, since June 1, he’s been excellent, posting a 2.33 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 27 innings with a 32/18 K/BB ratio the biggest yellow flag.
Back and elbow injuries have been an issue with Tredwell in the past, and he’s recently worked out of the bullpen after having some back issues that kept him from starting. When healthy, he works from 92–94 with excellent extension and carry on his fastball and works in a looping 12-to-6 curve with a potential above-average slider. The change is a work in progress.
There’s a potential backend starter here if he can remain healthy with as much chance that injuries prevent him fulfilling his potential as production issues.
Next week, we’ll note a month of complex leagues by highlighting some of the top performers at the Florida and Arizona complexes as well as the Dominican Summer League.
