Two pitching prospects are chilling like villains in the DMO farm system. This includes the BBA's No. 5 overall prospect, the 22-year-old New Yorker SP José Gonzáles (10/6/7 POT), who is in his first full season at Class AA Providence, which is 56-38, a Plus 4 in PYTH (last season they were Minus 8). Gonzáles is 6-6 4.50 (ERA+ 100) and 1.11 WHIP in 19 starts and 106 innings.
Gonzáles will probably finish the year out with the Bees, who are tied with Winston-Salem (CPF) in the DNL Wild Card race. He is projected to finish with 142 innings pitched in the regular season. Next season, although it's folly to plan in advance in detail, we expect to see him at Class AAA El Paso.
And it's in "The Pass" (EL Paso) that we encounter No. 65 overall prospect, Cipriano Díaz (11/6/8 POT), 24-year-old RP*, who has an 11-rated fastball, slider, and cutter. At his current pace he will appear in 70 games, with 23 saves. His OVR has moved to 40, but with two true rookie relievers (20-y.o. Trevino and 21-y.o. Arteaga) already at Des Moines, and another one (20-y.o. Enrique Flores) who already got his feet wet this season at the ML level, Cipriano will also likely finish the year without a promotion.
In other pitching news, RP Dien Hoang (9/5/4 POT), after posting a 1.48 ERA in his second season at Class A has been moved up to El Paso. Lorenzo Souza (2063, 94th overall) has logged a 2.27 ERA (ERA+ 198) in 47 2/3 innings; if he finishes out at Providence, he is projected to throw 71 innings from the pen. He's on the cusp of moving to El Paso.
In the RL, this season's first-round pick Dave Heyer is 4-2, and Ricardo Chacón (newly 9/5/5 POT) is 5-2 1.29. Devarcaka Tikoo (8/5/5 POT) is also getting work there.