Baseball America – July 02, 2019

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He has met those expectations and then
some, showing a great feel to pitch and
keep batters guessing.
On a strict pitch limit at Rookie-level
Grand Junction last season, Rolison threw
29 innings in nine starts while recording a
1.86 ERA with eight walks and 34 strikeouts.
Rolison began this season at low Class
A Asheville and went 2-1, 0.63 in three
starts with two walks and 14 strikeouts in
14.2 innings. He moved up to high Class A
Lancaster and went 2-0, 1.52 through five
starts with six walks and 31 strikeouts in
29.2 innings.
Unlike his starts at Asheville, the 21-year-
old Rolison had to battle through a few
innings at hitter-friendly Lancaster, and has
done so with success.
Rolison has strong command and gets
ahead of hitters regularly. He throws a 90-94
mph fastball that sits in the low 90s. His
curveball varies between a 75-77 mph with
a big 11-to-5 break and a shorter 78-81 mph
offering that is more of a slurve.
Referring to the curve’s varied shapes,
farm director Zach Wilson said, “He can
front-back it a little bit, but he can throw it
for strikes whenever he wants. And he’s also
able to bury it for a swing-and-miss pitch.”
Rolison has been focused on his 77-78
mph changeup, not just developing it but
throwing it in different counts, including
intently working on it as a first pitch to
righthanded batters. He has used his chan-
geup in situations where it may not be his
best pitch, Wilson said, but because it will
hasten his development.
“He’s not pitching to get outs right now,”
Wilson said. “He’s pitching to get better.
And as a young pitcher, his first (full) year in,
that’s always great to see, because a lot of
times they’re not as focused on that. But he
is, and that’s one of the things that is going
to make him very successful in the future.”
—JACK ETKIN

LOS ANGELES
DODGERS
Since he was drafted by the Dodgers in
the second round in 2016, Mitchell White’s
potential has kept him among the team’s
top pitching prospects.
Injuries—a broken toe on his left foot,
a back ailment and other minor prob-
lems—have kept that potential hidden at
times and led to an unimpressive stat line
at Double-A Tulsa last season, when he
finished 6-7, 4.53 with a 1.41 WHIP in 22
starts. Over 95.2 innings during his first two
seasons as a pro, White dominated hitters,
holding them to a batting average below
.200.
Last season, however, Texas League
hitters hit .273 against him. And that might
be the thing that is unlocking his potential

in 2019.

“I think last year even though... it was

somewhat disappointing, I think in retro-

spect it turned out to be a great thing for

him,” director of player development Will

Rhymes said. “It forced him to learn with

stuff that was down a little bit—just due to

not having a full offseason before to kind of

build up his strength.

“So I think taking a step back, forcing

him to pitch without his best stuff and focus

more on the routine and preparation, and

then just a sense of urgency because of last

season into the offseason—he just dominat-

ed his offseason and put himself in a great

place, physically and mentally.”

White, 24, has reverted back to dominat-

ing hitters this season. In seven starts with

Double-A Tulsa, White had a 2.10 ERA with

37 strikeouts and only 18 hits allowed in 30

innings. That earned him a promotion to

Triple-A for the first time in mid-May.

“He’s throwing a lot of strikes and he’s

missing a lot of bats,” Rhymes said. “The

fastball velocity has recovered and is even a

tick above where it was a couple years ago.

.. I think he has a 25 percent miss rate (with
his fastball), which is the highest it’s been.
And he’s in the zone more frequently with
it. I think with the fastball and his ability to
command it in the zone—the pitch has a lot
of life to it—he’s getting swings and misses
on it, and that sets up all the secondary
pitches that he has.”
—BILL PLUNKETT

MIAMI

MARLINS

Jerar Encarnacion is a secret no more.

The 21-year-old Dominican is a strapping

6-foot-4, 220-pound right fielder who had

recorded six assists through 32 games at

low Class A Clinton this year.

“He has a cannon strapped to his right

arm,” said Mike Jacobs, who coached

Encarnacion last year at short-season

Batavia and is his manager again this season

in the Midwest League.

Encarnacion’s offense has developed

more slowly, but the righthanded batter

had hit .333/.397/.538 with a career-high six

home runs through mid-May.

With a natural power stroke to right-cen-

ter field, Encarnacion has gotten better

at pulling the ball as pitchers have been

pounding him inside, trying to negate his

desired swing path.

Jacobs said Encarnacion, who signed as

an international free agent in September

2015, would have received more attention

last year had he not been injured. He got off

to an incredible start in the New York-Penn

League, hitting .479 through 11 games,

before sitting out 13 days and struggling

with his timing upon his return.

Encarnacion hit .215 in 32 games after

returning to the Batavia lineup, and he

fared even worse—4-for-54 (.074)—when

the Marlins pushed him to low Class A in

mid-August.

This year, though, there have been no

issues.

“There’s nothing not to like,” Jacobs said.

“For a big guy, he plays the outfield well.

You wouldn’t think he can cover as much

ground as he does, but he seems to come

out of nowhere to make catches. He’s really

quick, and he gets good reads. And with his

arm, you hope people try to run on him.

“Offensively, he has power to all fields.

What has surprised a lot of people is how

good a two-strike hitter he is... as long as

he doesn’t chase.”

With his hot start, Encarnacion has thrust

himself onto the Marlins’ prospect radar.

“He’s fun to watch,” Jacobs said.

—WALTER VILLA

MILWAUKEE

BREWERS

Of all of the players in the Brewers’ sys-

tem to take big leaps forward in the early

stages of the 2019 season, Max Lazar stood

out for many reasons.

For one thing, the 19-year-old

righthander was pitching in the very chilly

early-spring environment of the low Class

A Midwest League in Wisconsin, which

isn’t exactly the climate he grew up in back

home in Coral Springs, Fla. But even more

impressive was that Lazar was dominating

hitters with good command of his fastball,

changeup and curveball.

Through his first seven outings (four

starts), the 2017 11th-round pick was 2-1,

1.61 with just eight walks and a whopping

43 strikeouts in 28 innings. He has been

particularly tough on righthanded hitters,

holding them to a .134 opponent average.

“For a young pitcher, Max really has

show great composure on the mound, and

he really competes,” farm director Tom

Flanagan said. “He’s only 19 and he is doing

very well in a challenging league.”

After pitching just 13.2 innings in the

Rookie-level Arizona League following the

2017 draft, Lazar was assigned to Rookie-

level Helena in 2018. The Brewers liked that

he took the ball every time it was his turn,

making 14 starts and going 3-3, 4.37 with 15

walks and 55 strikeouts in 68 innings. Lazar

led the Pioneer League with a 1.31 WHIP

and ranked among the league leaders in

many other categories as well.

At 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Lazar figures to

get stronger as he matures, and the Brewers

believe his velocity will continue to increase.

In the meantime, they couldn’t be happier

with the progress Lazar has already made in

the early stages of his career, especially for a

player not currently ranked among their top

prospects.

“Max has shown good command since

we drafted him, as you can see by his

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 58

Marlins outfielder Jerar Encarnacion turned heads with his all-fields power and cannon arm at low Class A Clinton.