With the 2022 Minor League Baseball season already upon us, several MiLB Pack Pros are continuing their push to climb through the ranks and become MLB Pack Pros. Among them, six former Wolfpack players are ranked among the top 30 prospects in their respective organizations. Let’s take a look at what lies ahead for these aspiring major leaguers.
Patrick Bailey, catcher, San Francisco Giants
With Joey Bart generating a lot of hubbub with the spring he’s had, it can be easy to forget that the Giants have not just one but two catchers among the top 10 prospects in their organization with Patrick Bailey in the mix. While Bart looks like the immediate successor to long-time San Fran backstop Buster Posey, Bailey still carries a lot of upside with him heading into the 2022 season.
In his first pro season, Bailey excelled with the Single-A San Jose Giants but struggled in the jump to the Eugene Emeralds in High-A ball. The switch-hitter saw his on-base percentage drop by .125 between San Jose and Eugene while nearly matching his strikeout total in 52 fewer plate appearances. For a prospect whose offensive calling card is his plate discipline, Bailey will have to make significant progress at the plate to stay on track for his journey to the show.
Still, there’s no reason to be concerned about Bailey’s development. The Giants have a reputation of developing good catchers in their organization (see Bart), and Bailey has the defensive tools and leadership to succeed behind the plate. As the No. 8 prospect in the San Francisco system, a rough patch in his rookie campaign won’t derail that all at once.
Tyler McDonough, outfielder/second baseman, Boston Red Sox
سيتذكر مشجعو البيسبول في ولاية نورث كارولاينا أن تايلر ماكدونو هو لاعب الوسط لفريق 2021 الذي وصل إلى سلسلة الكليات العالمية ، ولكن يبدو أن محاذاة ماكدونو الدفاعية ستكون أكثر مرونة على المستوى الاحترافي. يشبه إلى حد كبير Brock Holt المفضل لدى مشجعي Red Sox ، تبرز
McDonough كمدافع مفيد في القاعدة الثانية وكذلك في الوسط.
On the offensive side, McDonough is also switching to a more power-based approach at the plate. Although the switch-hitter tied for the most home runs on that 2021 Wolfpack squad, McDonough’s power numbers primarily came from his ability to drive the ball into the gap and leg out extra base hits, as exemplified by his team-leading 21 doubles for NC State in his final season. At the pro level, McDonough has put on some muscle to increase his raw power at the dish, taking away a smidgen of his speed.
With only half a season of minor league baseball under his belt, McDonough won’t be playing at Fenway Park until around 2024, but his promisingly smooth transmission into the professional ranks makes him a big piece of Boston’s farm system, good enough for No. 19 in the organization.
نيك سويني ، إبريق أعسر ، سان فرانسيسكو جاينتس
For a guy that missed over two months of his first pro season with a concussion, Nick Swiney had a really good 2021.
As in, “0.84 ERA in 12 starts” good.
من المؤكد أن سويني كان لديه عبء عمل خفيف أثناء إعادة تأهيل إصابته. لم يصل أبدًا إلى خمس جولات كاملة في بداية واحدة في كرة الصاعد أو في Single-A مع San Jose Giants ، لكن السماح بثلاث أشواط مكتسبة فقط في 32.1 أدوار لا يمكن الاستهزاء به. بالإضافة إلى 0 جولات منزلية مسموح بها في عام 2021 ، فإن أرقام سويني تمنح العمالقة الكثير من الإثارة.
The southpaw’s success, both past and future, hinges on his two best pitches: a wicked upper-70s curveball and a changeup with a little more oomph. While both carry immense swing and miss