ORGANIZATION REPORTS
National League
• A young D-backs outfielder shows off newfound pop PAGE 44
• An athletic Dodgers pitcher follows a well-worn development path in the organization PAGE 45
• The ball just sounds different coming off the bat of this young Mets power hitter PAGE 46
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Jake McCarthy isn’t trying to swing harder or hit more balls in the air, but after a summer spent gaining strength and retooling his swing, the outfielder enjoyed a successful stint in instructional league in which he showed off his newfound pop.
“It seems like when everything in my swing is moving accordingly, I can do what I want without getting out of my comfort zone,” the 23-year-old said.
McCarthy chose his words carefully. He knows he still has to improve as a hitter and that the fall represented a tiny sample of at-bats compared to a normal season.
But he is encouraged by his results and feels good about the time he spent during what would have been a normal season. He was not invited to the alternate training site, so he had all of the summer to work.
In addition to gaining 20 pounds of muscle, he said he added more “fluidity” to his swing, doing so in part by analyzing the metrics derived from a Blast Motion sensor. He said having the data available allowed him to do some trial-and-error experimenting to see which changes seemed to correlate with better bat speed.
McCarthy, who is 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, was among the best performers at instructs, driving balls with authority in a way officials had never seen from him before.
“He really took a big step forward,” D-backs assistant general manager Amiel Sawdaye said. “He looked more athletic, looser and was really hitting the ball hard all over the field.”
The 2018 supplemental first-rounder from Virginia was coming off a rough 2019 season in which he had two stints on the injured list and hit .277/.341/.405 for high Class A Visalia.
He called instructional league a “six-week preview” of next season and is hoping the momentum from the fall can carry over. If it does, McCarthy, who has always been able to hit, run and play center field, will have elevated his prospect ceiling with his improved power potential.
“I don’t want to come off as though I’ve figured it out,” he said, “but I think I’m definitely heading the right direction.”
—NICK PIECORO
ATLANTA BRAVES
The Braves added hard-throwing lefthander Kyle Muller to their 40-man roster, and if he improves his command it’s possible in 2021 that the 23-year-old becomes the team’s next heralded prospect to make his big league debut.
Muller has generated buzz over the past few seasons. Physically, it’s easy to see why. He’s listed at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds and throws in the mid-to-upper 90s. His fastball and curveball grade out as the best in the Braves’ system.
The Braves drafted Muller in the, who went third overall in the same draft.
