Logan Warmoth was the highest-rated shortstop among Northwest League prospects according to Baseball America.
Four members of the 2017 Northwest League champion Vancouver Canadians were recognized by Baseball America in October 20-November 3 issue. Shortstop Logan Warmoth, catcher Riley Adams, shortstop Kevin Vicuna and center fielder Reggie Pruitt all landed spots on the publication’s Top 20 Prospects list for the NWL.
Warmoth was ranked the highest among the four at number six after hitting .306/.356/.419 with 11 doubles, two triples and a home run. The 22 year-old right-handed hitter drove in 20 runs and stole five bases in seven attempts. The Orlando native also had a home run in the postseason during the Division final versus the Spokane Indians and drove in the championship-winning run against the Eugene Emeralds in Game 4 of the league final.
Riley Adams was the second-highest rated catcher among Northwest League prospects.
Adams just missed joining Warmoth in the top 10 as he was slotted in at number 11. The 21 year-old right-handed hitter from Encinitas, California led the C’s in hitting with a .305 batting average that placed him in the Northwest League’s top 10. His on-base percentage of .374 and slugging percentage of .438 were also top 10 numbers.
On BaseballAmerica.com, Michael Lananna hosted a Northwest League Top 20 Prospects chat and was asked one question about Adams.
Kingsley (Toronto, Canada): How is Riley Adams's receiving game coming along? I read some scouting report that it was his weakness in his defense.
Michael Lananna: I got good reports on his receiving. That was a question for him heading into the draft, and it’s still something he’ll need to continue to work on, but from everyone I talked to, his receiving has taken strides forward.
Kevin Vicuna was the second Vancouver shortstop that was ranked by Baseball America in its Northwest League prospects list.
Vicuna and Pruitt rounded out the top 20 by ranking 19th and 20th respectively. The 19 year-old Vicuna began the year in Dunedin and ended it in Lansing but in between, the right-handed hitter from Puerto La Cruz, Venezula batted .280/.333/.307 with three doubles, one triple, 17 runs driven in and 14 stolen bases in 21 attempts.
Reggie Pruitt rounded out Baseball America’s Top 20 prospects list in the Northwest League.
The 20 year-old right-handed hitting Pruitt batted .229/.295/.295 overall but that masked a much-improved second half that saw him hit .270 in July and .250 in August. The Kennesaw, Georgia native collected nine doubles, two triples and two home runs. He really made his mark on the basepaths with 28 stolen bases in 36 tries and in the outfield with several dazzling defensive plays.
Nate Pearson was a few innings shy of qualifying for the Northwest League top prospects list from Baseball America.
The one notable omission from the NWL Top 20 list was right-handed pitcher Nate Pearson as he did not pitch enough innings to qualify according to BA guidelines.
In seven starts, Pearson posted a strikeout/walk total of 24-5 in 19 innings with an earned run average of 0.95. He allowed just one run over eight innings in the playoffs while striking out 14 and walking six.
To qualify for a Minor League Top 20 Prospects list, a position player must have one plate appearance per team game, a starting pitcher must have one-third of an inning per team game and a reliever must have 20 relief appearances.
With the C’s 76-game schedule, Pearson pitched 19 innings for the club and that falls short of the 25-1/3 inning threshold. However, the 2017 first round pick of the Central College of Florida was a hot topic of discussion during the prospects chat.
Roger (Greenville, SC): How high is Nate Pearson's upside, and what are the odds he can remain a starter?
Michael Lananna: Lots of questions about Pearson, and rightfully so. He was dominant this summer and drew rave reviews from everyone who saw him. He likely would’ve ranked in the top 3, certainly the top 5. Pearson’s upside is extremely high given his arm strength and ability to already dial up his fastball to triple-digits. He also (has) the chance for a plus changeup. Whether he sticks as a starter is going to be dependent on the development of his breaking ball. It’s in there; he just needs to find more consistency with it.
Pearson turned out to a popular topic on the chat.
Michael Lananna: Any more questions about players not named Nate Pearson? (No offense, Nate.)
There’s no question 2017 was a successful year for the Vancouver Canadians, even for players not named Nate.
C’s Notes
A couple of stories for your consideration…
- InsideHalton.com has a story on C’s infielder Mattingly Romanin.
- JaysFromTheCouch.com has an interview with 2014-2015 C’s lefty Ryan Borucki.
C’s Fast Forward
Some clues as to what the Vancouver Canadians 2018 schedule will look like have been provided by the Everett AquaSox and the Tri-City Dust Devils.
According to the AquaSox schedule, Everett will visit Nat Bailey Stadium June 20-22 and August 29-31 before hosting the C’s July 4-6 and July 24-26. The games at Everett Memorial Stadium are at 7:05 pm except for the 26th which starts at 11:05 am.
The Dust Devils slate has Tri-City playing north of the border on June 26-28 and August 14-16. The C’s will spend July 16-18 and August 20-22 in Pasco, Washington. The games at Gesa Stadium will begin at 7:15 pm.
The 2018 Northwest League regular season starts June 15 and ends September 3. The best-of-three Divison finals are set for September 5-7 and the best-of-five championship final is scheduled for September 8-12.
Only 245 more days until the C’s begin their defence of the Northwest League title.
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