Unusual Suspects: 9/11/23

A five-pack of intriguing, under the radar, fringe prospects

Unusual Suspects, introduced last month, seeks to find and/or monitor intriguing prospects who are not in the proverbial spotlight.

While each week presents an opportunity for new players to enter the fold, a new week does not guarantee a new crop of players. However, there’s been significant change to both the list and the author’s own thinking about the construction of said over the last week.¹

Henceforth, Single- and High-A players will not be considered for inclusion. The most immediate and practical reason for this change is that these leagues have concluded or will soon be concluding their regular season play. The more lasting and discretionary reason is that this author finds the exercise more compelling when the players featured are closer to the big leagues.

The criteria for Unusual Suspects remains otherwise unchanged—the player(s) in question must maintain rookie eligibility, must not be on a 26-man roster, and must not be a Top 100 prospect. For a fuller accounting of the criteria, I implore you to consult the Original Text.

Since last week’s edition, the Carolina, Northwest, and South Atlantic Leagues have all seen their regular seasons come to a close, and so to have Jaison Chourio, Sam Carlson, and Wen Hui Pan (we thank you for your service). Further, Drew Thorpe has been added to the live Top 100 lists at MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, taking him out of consideration (Godspeed, Mr. Thorpe).

Now, on to this week’s Unusual Suspects—presented in order of import to the author.

Franco Aleman, RHP, Cleveland

Would you believe it? Another former Gator has found his way to Unusual Suspects. Aleman, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, has not allowed an earned run since June 24, his penultimate appearance with High-A Lake County before being promoted to Double-A Akron. In fact, his lone run surrendered as a Rubber Duck came this past Wednesday when, in the 10th inning of a tie ballgame, he fielded a bunt and threw the ball into right field, allowing the extra-inning zombie runner to score from second.

In 18 appearances with Double-A Akron, Aleman has allowed just six hits (five singles and one double) and posted a 37:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 23.2 innings.

Justice Bigbie, 1B/OF, Detroit

Bigbie, much like Dunn, raked in High-A to start the season (161 wRC+), then hit even better after his promotion to Double-A (169 wRC+). A 19th round selection by the Tigers in 2021, Bigbie came into the season with little pedigree of which to speak.² But it’s hard to blame anyone for missing him after he posted a 103 wRC+ with a .258 / .339 / .358 slash line last year in Single-A

The 24-year-old Western Carolina product is in the midst of a breakout season, tapping into his raw power (18 HR in 2023, 3 HR in 2022), and cutting his strikeout rate from 26.3% to 16.2%. Also, he’s one of just three players to homer off former Unusual Suspect, Drew Thorpe.

Jhonkensy Noel, 1B/3B/OF, Cleveland

This author is showing his regional bias by featuring another Cleveland prospect, but Noel, much like the previously-featured Ivan Melendez, is a certified Bopper. Take a moment to savor this line from the preseason report on him at FanGraphs:

It’s amazing how he can generate god-like thunder with such a simplistic swing.