ORGANIZATION REPORTS National League
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
When the season began, the Astros hoped that 22-year-old righthander J.B. Bukauskas could reach Triple-A and serve as major league depth.
That plan changed course at the trade deadline when Houston, who had drafted Bukauskas 15th overall out of North Carolina in 2017, traded him to the Diamondbacks as part of the four-prospect package for Zack Greinke.
Bukauskas changed organizations on the heels of a disappointing run at Double-A Corpus Christi. Through 20 games (14 starts) he recorded a 5.25 ERA in 85.2 innings with 98 strikeouts and 54 walks.
Prolonged problems with fastball command, timing in his delivery and varying his arsenal against familiar opponents has made both scenarios far fetched.
“The thing is, my stuff feels great,” Bukauskas said at the Futures Game in Cleveland. “Physically, I feel great. My stuff feels really good. I’m just not executing at a high enough rate right now to be successful. Hopefully when I can get back to that, you’ll see some better numbers.”
Some of Bukauskas’ shaky fastball command stems from inexperience elevating his four-seamer, which is a concept he picked up this spring. He had found that not elevating high enough can be disastrous.
Without his fastball command, Bukauskas’ wicked slider and sneaky changeup are muted. Often, he’s in no advantage count to throw them. He was seeing hitters take both pitches early in counts, because they know his fastball command is spotty.
“This entire year has been a learning process,” Bukauskas said. “From the beginning of spring training until now, it’s been crazy. It’s been up and down, but from everything I’ve heard and everybody I’ve talked to, they just said that’s a part of the thing. Learning how to deal with failure and adjust from it.”
Bukauskas looked sharper in four post-Futures Game starts, going 2-0, 2.08 with 26 strikeouts and 12 walks in 21.2 innings.
Arizona also acquired 23-year-old righthander Corbin Martin in the Greinke deal. He made five big league starts for the Astros before having Tommy John surgery in July. He and Bukauskas will soon vie for roles on the D-backs’ pitching staff.
—CHANDLER ROME
ATLANTA BRAVES
As Braves pitchers continue graduating from one of baseball’s best farm systems, it always seems another is around the corner. Tucker Davidson is the latest riser.
Davidson, who had yet to rapidly ascend prospect rankings like many before him, could soon start registering on the radar. The 23-year-old lefthander pitched eight shutout innings, striking out nine and not issuing a walk in his start for Double-A Mississippi on July 18. The outing exhibited every reason to be optimistic about Davidson’s future.
The lefty’s repertoire features a fastball sitting in the low-to-mid-90s and a trio of complementary offspeed pitches, including a curveball that boasts potential but for now remains unpredictable. Davidson’s command will set his ceiling, and how he hones those pitches will determine if he’s a starter or reliever long term.
Davidson was a 19th-round pick in 2016 out of Midland (Texas) JC. This level of progression wasn’t expected from a player overshadowed by the batch of high-level
