What To Watch For In 2022 Field Of Dreams Game
Image credit: Luca Tresh (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
DYERSVILLE, Iowa – Is this heaven? Actually, for fans of the minor leagues … it might be.
Tonight at 6 p.m. CT, the Quad City River Bandits will face the Cedar Rapids Kernels at the Field of Dreams movie site. This will be the kickoff event for this year’s festivities, ahead of the major league matchup later this week between the Cubs and the Reds.
The game between the Royals and Twins High-A affiliates is the first minor league game at the site after MLB held the inaugural event at the field last year.
The Kernels and the Bandits will sport retro nicknames and jerseys, playing tribute to former teams. Cedar Rapids will be the Bunnies, honoring that city’s team from 1904-32. In honor of teams that played in the Davenport area between 1913-37, Quad City will rep the Blue Sox nickname and threads.
If you can’t make it out to the cornfields, the game will be broadcast on MLB Network beginning at 6 p.m.
Multiple prospects from each team’s Top 30 Prospects will take the field Tuesday night. The excerpts below are scouting reports which will be reflected in the latest update.
Quad City River Bandits (Royals High-A Affiliate)
(19) Luca Tresh, C
Tresh was drafted last year in the 17th round, signing just before the deadline for an over-slot $423,000 bonus. He’s gotten off to a strong start at High-A Quad Cities in his first full season and has been one of the team’s strongest hitters, in addition to catching more than half its games.
(24) Beck Way, RHP
Way was the Yankees’ fourth-rounder from the shortened 2020 draft, out of Northwest Florida State JC. He works with a three-pitch mix fronted by a heavy sinker and sweepy slider in the low-to-mid 90s. His changeup still needs further development, as do his overall consistency and command. Way also got stronger over the offseason, which has helped his repertoire tick up year over year. He’s likely a reliever in the long run, but if he can make improvements to his deficiencies he can fit toward the back of a bullpen and get important outs. He was traded with Chandler Champlain and TJ Sikkema as part of the deal to get Andrew Benintendi to New York.
(28) Peyton Wilson, 2B
Kansas City’s second-round pick from Alabama in 2021 projects as a super utility player capable of playing up the middle in both the infield and outfield, and perhaps even filling in behind the plate having had catching experience in his freshman year with the Crimson Tide. He’s got twitchy athleticism and plus speed, with average raw power from both sides of the plate.
Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins High-A Affiliate)
(7) David Festa, RHP
In our most recent top 30 update, the righty jumped up six spots to become the seventh overall prospect in the organization. Festa earned a promotion to High-A Cedar Rapids after dominating younger hitters in a five-start stint with Low-A Fort Myers. It’s fair to say that Festa was too advanced for Low-A hitters, as he posted a 2.00 ERA as a starter for Seton Hall in 2021. But the quality of his arsenal is worth a second look. Festa is sitting 95-96 mph and touching 98-99. He also throws a plus slider and changeup that will be more tested in the Midwest League.
(27) Aaron Sabato,1B
Sabato set North Carolina’s freshman home run record (18) in 2019 and showed some of the best raw power in the 2020 class as a draft-eligible sophomore. The Twins signed him for $2.75 million with the 27th overall pick. As a right-right, first base-only defensive profile, almost all of Sabato’s value is riding on his bat and massive raw power. Early this season with Low-A Fort Myers, Sabato was extremely passive and looked overmatched by fastballs north of 93 mph. He struggled to get to pitches on the inner half and in general seemed out of sync and off time. He was promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids in late August and the fresh start seemed good for him, as he managed a 1.015 OPS with eight home runs and a heavier pull approach. Sabato has a keen eye at the plate—his 92 walks ranked second in the minors only to org mate Edouard Julien—rarely expands the zone and does plenty of damage on contact, but will need to find a way to lower his 32% strikeout rate. He’s a bottom-of-the-scale runner limited to first base defensively.
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