2019 Cedar Rapids Kernels Preliminary Roster Preview

This should be a pretty decent pitching staff.

 

I am also interested in Yunior Severino.  He has the distinction of being a highly sought after / highly paid prospect by not one but two teams.  It will be intriguing to see if the "fuss" was warranted.

 

And it will be nice to track if Jordan Balazovic can develop.

 

Thanks for the article!

Severino will be one to watch. As you pointed out, he got two seven-figure signing bonuses before he turned 19. He's very much talented, and he plays with a lot of flair and confidence. It will be interesting to see how he pans out. Already pretty much moved to second base, but he'll probably hit. 

Balazovic really took a big step forward in 2018 on and off the field. He's very smart, and he listens well. I'm sure he's a little disappointed to start in CR, but it makes sense. It'll be his first Opening Day with an affiliate. But he certainly is a guy who could move up fairly quickly. 

Trey Cabbage and Jean Carlos Arias are a couple of names I expected to see much further along by now. This appears to be the fifth year in the system for both although there are many older on the roster. I assume the coaches see a future for them or they wouldn't still be here. Hopefully better instruction will be bring out the talent.

I think the key for Cabbage is making contact, and I believe that has been a focus of his offseason this year, and something that was improved through spring training. If he can do that, man, he has so much potential. Dude is big, strong and has elite power potential. Personally, I would just have a hard time giving up on that kind of talent

Arias spent about 3 months in CR last year but ended the season in E-Town. I think he's talented... and of course, his first year as a pro was in the DSL, so it's not apples to apples. And, he spent two seasons in the GCL, which is also not unusual. Built similarly to Celestino, and a good outfielder, good speed. He should have some rope too. 

Heading down May 3-5 ... I hope Wander Javier is unleashed by then.

I'll be surprised if he isn't there by then.

On my list I had Leach likely starting and Villalobos as a catcher but I guess the Twins must think they are not quite ready or have things to work on.

 

I also had Enlow and Balazovic in high A.  Enlow wasn't lights out in A ball last year so I can see that it makes sense to give him more time but Jordon dominated so not sure why the need to keep him down there.  Do they see something they didn't like this spring?

 

All in all It's a nice group of guys.  Will be a fun team to watch again this year.

Leach is listed on the DL in the spring training work groups. I saw a couple of his bullpens and he looked good, threw hard, looked strong. 

As for Balazovic, he only pitched in 12 games (60ish innings) for Cedar Rapids last year, didn't get up there until June and ended the year early. Nothing wrong with giving him 6-12 more starts at the level. He's young and has plenty to work on yet. 

Also, very important to remember that teams simply do not want to lose too many near-MLB caliber guys early in the season so it is normal that a few guys start a level lower than many think that they should. But it's mostly about getting the work in. That all plays itself out with injuries and performance and there is the trickle down. But, with a guy with Balazovic's talent level, they're simply going to put him where they believe it is best for development. 

He's a little under the radar but he was sent to Arizona last fall so I'm surprised Jacob Pearson is still in CR.

What was he sent to Arizona for last fall?

Pearson was called up to Cedar Rapids on Memorial Day weekend last year, so no surprise he's sticking with the Kernels to start. He got quite a bit of playing time with the big league club this spring too. Solid player, a good prospect. 

I follow the milb system about as close as I can. And I know most of these names, but I can't even pretend to know as much as Seth and others do. The "problem" with a roster like this at A- is age and development at EST along with injury. Then factor in decisions from the foreign leagues and rookie leagues and how do you build a roster that seems right? Glad I'm not in charge! Lol

While familiar with names, reports, the handbook, etc, I will not play expert. But I see good and bad with this roster.

There is some potential at catcher. That's a good thing! We've gone from nothing to some actual depth in the system for the future. But a guy I am curious about is Chris Williams. He was drafted as a senior and signed for next to nothing. But he WAS a catcher before injury prevented him from playing that his senior year. He has a powerful bat with swing and miss. Can he still catch? Or is he really just a bat?

I can only say this at this time, so take it for what it's worth and I'll see what more I can find out. When I was in Ft. Myers (admittedly just a week), I did see Chris Williams with catcher's gear on once or twice that week, but mostly at 1B. Same with Michael Davis (except mostly SS).