Random Prospect Musings: Zack and Zach and all that Jazz.

I was bored and was looking through statistics, and there were three real standouts amongst position players, that I don’t think are getting attention or enough attention.

First off, let’s look at Zack Shannon. Shannon is a 22 year old first baseman drafted in the 15th round of the 2018 draft. In 50 games, Shannon leads the Pioneer league in home runs (13) slugging(.682) and OPS (1.118), is second in on base percentage (,437), and is third in batting average (.352) and sports an absurd .330 ISO. Just for reference, at the same age and in the same league, Paul Goldschmidt had a .303 ISO and 1.045 OPS.

There’s another Zac on the Osprey, Zachery Almond, who’s been just as much of an offensive force. Almond is a catcher who was drafted in the 1042 overall in the 35th round of the 2017 draft. Almond leads the Pioneer League in batting average(.361), is second in slugging (1.034), second in home runs at 12, and sports a still robust .277 ISO, a 151 wRC+. and a.437 wOBA The one big red flag for Almond is the 4.9% walk rate, and the potential need to move to a different position.

Jasrado Chisholm is finally healthy and is showing the potential that scouts have said he’s had since before we signed him as an international free agent. After a solid showing in Class A Kane County, where Chisholm hit .244/.311/.472 good for a .352 wOBA and 119 wRC+, he’s taken it to another level in Visalia. In 108 at bats, Chisholm is hitting .324/360/.565 good for a .401 wOBA and a .147 wRC+. Bare in mind that, at 20 years old, Chisholm is head shoulders the youngest player on a team where the average age is 22. Also noteworthy is Chisholm’s power. He had a .228 ISO with Kane County, and a .241 ISO in Visalia. Along with his age, where he is doing it, and his position, I think Chisholm might just have made himself the Dbacks best position playing prospect. There are small sample size caveats, possible .Babip regression of course, but I think there’s a strong argument that he’s legit.

What prospect do you think have had stand out performances this year and deserve some attention? Leave a comment and discuss below.