While we discussed in Saturday's Minor Keys how Noah Schultz might be the most divisive prospect in the White Sox farm system, Norge Vera might not be far behind.
Vera made his Double-A debut as part of Project Birmingham on Saturday night, and he posted a very Vera line, throwing a scoreless 2⅔ innings despite three walks. One start in, his Double-A line fits right in with the rest:
| Level | G | IP | H | HR | BB | K | ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 8 | 24 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 35 | 1.88 |
| A+ | 2 | 3.1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8.10 |
| AA | 1 | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Total | 11 | 30 | 15 | 1 | 22 | 44 | 2.40 |
His season was delayed by a lat strain, and then it was interrupted by shoulder stiffness. If he's limited to 50ish pitches a start from here on out, he'll be lucky to reach 40 innings this year, and it's not like he's throwing harder in shorter stints (Birmingham's broadcast had his fastball at 91-94).
Yet his start on Saturday was yet another outing where he just didn't get hit. He had success with the fastball at the top of the zone even despite the average velocity. If he's tough to square up in a physically compromised state, then it allows for the possibility of a higher ceiling at full strength. But then you also have the question of whether he's going to be physically compromised too often to make the most of what he has, if he has it.
FutureSox's recent midseason rankings put him fourth. as did Baseball America. He was two spots lower on MLB Pipeline's list.
Birmingham 5, Mississippi 0
- Duke Ellis went 1-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts and two stolen bases.
- Oscar Colás, 2-for-5 with his 11th homer and a strikeout.
- Yoelqui Céspedes went 1-for-4 with a K.
- DJ Gladney, 2-for-3 with a walk.
- Wes Kath was 2-for-4 with a double.
- Adam Hackenberg went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Norge Vera: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 WIp, 30 of 49 pitches for strikes.
Highlights:
*Colás homer came on an 0-2 hanger:
Asheville 11, Winston-Salem 3
- Colby Smelley went 1-for-4 wtih a strikeout.
Kannapolis 11, Carolina 4
- Jordan Sprinkle went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Brooks Baldwin was 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Jacob Burke singled, got plunked and struck out thrice.
- Shane Murphy's High-A debut: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K
- Manuel Veloz: 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR
