The Boston Red Sox were victorious 69 times in 2012. To find a season where they won fewer than 42.6% of their games, you’d have to go all the way back to 1960 when they won 42.2% of the time en route to a  65-89 record. Fortunately for Red Sox nation, last season is quickly becoming a distant memory. Fenway Park is once again the home of a first place team and the organization’s early success is not limited to the major league level. Each of Boston’s top five prospects find themselves included on most Top-100 prospect lists and as a collective group they have impressed early on – in the minor leagues at least.

Boston draws nearer for Xander as his development continues. (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

#1: SS – Xander Bogaerts (20)

Portland (AA): 0.298/.365/.471, 4 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 3 SB, 11 BB and 29 SO in 116 PA

At the start of the season Bogaerts was the second youngest player in the Eastern League and third youngest in Double-A behind Baltimore RHP Dylan Bundy and Texas SS Hanser Alberto. His slash stats on the season are solid but he’s been far more impressive of late. 14 of his 29 strikeouts came in his first nine games of the year and during that stretch he hit 0.171 (7-41). Since April 16th he’s notched a hit in all but one of his last 15 games hitting 0.381 in the process.

#2: OF – Jackie Bradley (23)

Boston (MLB): 0.097/.263/.129, 1 2B, 1 SB, 6 BB and 12 SO in 38 PA
Pawtucket (AAA): 0.302/.400/.349, 2 2B, 1 SB, 7 BB and 13 SO in 51 PA

2012 was Bradley’s first full season as a professional and he used it to advance through the California League in just 67 games before hitting 0.271/.373/.437 in 61 games with Portland. With terrific defense, plate discipline, on-base skills and baserunning instincts he didn’t figure to stay in the minors long. Never-the-less, he arrived in Boston well ahead of schedule by making the team’s Opening Day roster on the back of the jaw dropping 0.419/.507/.613 slash line he produced in 28 spring training games.

He drew three walks in his major league debut and then hit in each of the next three games (3-12) before slipping into a 0-17 funk that resulted in his assignment to Pawtucket. While in Triple-A he’s been a bit streaky as he’s twice grouped 6 hits in a three game span with hitless stretches in between. After hitting 42 doubles in 2012, Bradley’s extra-base power hasn’t manifested itself yet but he’s otherwise been solid. His Grapefruit League performance created a lot of unnecessary hype and expectation while accelerating his time table slightly but there is little doubt that he should be back in Boston, hopefully for good, later in the year. That is assuming he gets healthy. On May 6th Bradley was placed on the 7-day disabled list with tendinitis in his right biceps but the injury is considered minor and shouldn’t keep him off the field for long.

#3: RHP – Matt Barnes (22)

Portland (AA): 5.19 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 32 H, 9 BB and 31 SO in 26.0 IP (6 GS)

Of the five players on this list, Barnes is having the roughest season of the group so far but recently he’s shown signs of changing that. His last two starts – both wins over Reading – have been his best of the young season with 8 H, 1 ER, 3 BB and 14 SO in 12.1 IP. Compared to his 2012 stats he’s giving up more hits and walks per nine innings but he continues to strike batters out at an impressive rate (10.7 SO/9). All in all he’s pitched three gems and three clunkers.

#4: RHP – Allen Webster (23)

Pawtucket (AAA): 2.70 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 12 H, 6 BB and 26 SO in 20.0 IP (4 GS)
Boston (MAJ): 11.73 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 11 H, 4 BB and 7 SO in 7.2 IP (2 GS)

Webster opened the season in Triple-A and, as you can see above, has pitched extremely well for Pawtucket. He was also solid (6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) in his major league debut on April 21st when he started the second game of a double header against the Royals. The only real blemish in that start was the fact that he served up two long balls to a Kansas City squad that has hit only 19 on the season (tied for dead last in MLB with Miami). The gopher ball plagued Webster again yesterday in his second major league start. The Minnesota Twins went deep twice and chased him from the game in the second inning. When the dust had settled he had allowed 6 H, 8 ER and 3 BB with 2 SO in 1.2 innings of work which obviously skews his stat line something awful. The Twins, it should be noted, are 27th in MLB with 24 HR on the season.

Giving up home runs has never been a problem at any stop in the minors – he’s allowed just 20 in 514.0 minor league innings – so at this point it’s safe to classify 4 HR allowed in 7.2 major league innings as an aberration. Of course big league hitters are also sending a clear message to Webster and the Red Sox that he needs to spend more time pitching in Triple-A.

#5: LHP – Henry Owens (20)

Salem (A+): 2.25 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 17 H, 11 BB and 40 SO in 32.0 IP (6 GS)

In terms of early 2013 performance for this Top-5, the best has been saved for last. In many ways that shouldn’t be a surprise for two key reasons. First, Owens has more upside and potential than either Barnes or Webster and is ranked behind them primarily because he’s further away from the major leagues right now. Second he’s pitching against High-A competition in the pitcher friendly Carolina League. However, that second point shouldn’t take away from Owens who is several years younger than Webster and Barnes. Not only has the talented young lefty had the best statistical production of Boston’s upper crust of prospects, he’s also been the most consistent. Owens has made six starts thus far in 2013 and he hasn’t allowed more than 2 runs or 4 hits in any of them. Aside from his first start of the year where he struck out 4 in 5.0 innings of work he’s also whiffed at least a batter per inning in each of his starts.

Since the start of the 2012 season the Baltimore Orioles have put together a 112-82 record and last year they were one of baseball’s biggest surprises. While there were more than a few (including myself) who questioned their ability to continue their winning ways in 2013, they’re putting the skeptics in their place thus far. 32 games in, Baltimore appears to have the necessary staying power to contend for the AL East title once again. Their minor league system is ranked in the middle of the pack, but some of their top prospects are ready or nearly ready to step up and contribute in the majors leagues if they are called upon.

#1: RHP – Dylan Bundy (20)

Injured – Has not pitched yet in 2013

Bundy allowed just 1 earned run in 8.0 spring training innings. Despite issuing 6 walks to go with 5 strikeouts it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he’d spend much of his second professional season in the major leagues. Then came the news before Opening Day that he was dealing with elbow tightness and would hold off on throwing for a few days. Those days turned into weeks. An MRI came up clean but Bundy requested to see Dr. James Andrews at the end of April. The result of that consultation was an injection of platelet rich plasma to help accelerate the healing process in the elbow of the Orioles’ top prospect. Now classified as an elbow strain, Dr Andrews has recommended six weeks of rest. It will no doubt be six anxiety filled weeks for the organization and prospect fans everywhere.

With Bundy nursing his elbow injury, Gausman must carry the O’s prospect banner. (Photo Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports)

#2: RHP – Kevin Gausman (22)

Bowie (AA): 3.53 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 37 H, 1 BB and 32 SO in 35.2 IP (6 GS)

Bundy’s 2013 season may have been delayed, but Gausman, the 4th pick overall in last June’s draft, is doing his part to carry forth. He threw just 15 innings after signing last summer but that didn’t stop the Orioles from dropping him in Double-A to start his first full season. Of course Bowie isn’t a foreign location for the young right hander since he pitched in the Eastern League playoffs last fall. Gausman has been a little up and down in the early going but the overall numbers are strong and the 32-1 SO-to-BB is flat out ridiculous. In his last two starts (4/28 and 5/5) he’s tossed a combined 14.2 innings with 11 H, 3 ER and 0 BB and 11 SO.

#3: 2B – Jonathan Schoop (21)

Norfolk (AAA): 0.250/.333/.344, 6 2B, 1 HR, 1 SB, 9 BB and 18 SO in 108 PA

Schoop played 2B and SS last year with his time at the latter increasing after Manny Machado was called up to the majors. With 16 games at SS and 11 at 2B in the early going he continues to see significant time at both middle infield spots. Schoop is getting his first taste of Triple-A competition and he’s held his own in the early going. Despite the jump in level, he’s kept his K% steady and his BB% has taken only a slight downturn while getting at least one hit in 14 of his last 16 games played. Not far from the major leagues at this point, Schoop should make his major league debut this summer if he stays on track. Big league playing time this year will likely come in a bench role – barring injury – but he has a future as an everyday player, perhaps as soon as 2014.

#4: INF – Nick Delmonico (20)

Frederick (A+): 0.325/.471/.600, 5 2B, 2 HR, 11 BB and 11 SO in 51 PA

Baltimore’s 6th round pick in the 2011 draft, Delmonico spent the 2012 season (his first as a professional) playing 1B and 2B. This season the hot corner has been his home and many regard 3B as his best position in the long term. His bat will be his calling card regardless of his position and it was speaking loudly in the early going with at least one hit in 9 of his first 11 games. Unfortunately he suffered a concussion sliding into second base on April 18th and was placed on the 7-day disabled list the following day. No stranger to the DL, Delmonico missed a decent chunk of his 2012 season with a knee injury and he’s already been out longer than anticipated this time around.

#5: LHP – Eduardo Rodriguez (20)

Frederick (A+): 3.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 27 H, 8 BB and 28 SO in 30.o IP (5 GS)

As a 19-year old pitching in the SAL, Rodriguez took a big step forward last year. The Venezuelan lefty looks to be doing it again in 2013. He’s maintained his already strong walk rate (2.4 BB/9), cut his WHIP and most importantly has started to miss more bats. In 2012 he finished with a 6.1 SO/9 but through 5 starts this season he’s upped that to 8.4 SO/9. His start on May 1st (7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO) was his best of the year though his start on 4/21 was nearly identical. Sandwiched between those two 7.0 inning gems, was his worst start of the year during which he issued five of his eight walks on the year. Rodriguez already elevated his stock based on what he did last season which makes what’s he’s done in the early stages of 2013 all the more intriguing.

The Arizona Diamondbacks boast two legitimate #1 starter prospects at the top of their rankings. There is a notable drop off beyond their top two but that’s more a statement on how good those two are. This is a legitimate top-10 system with a balanced stockpile of pitchers and position players – many of which have a very real chance of carving out long careers as major league regulars. In fact you could easily argue that the Diamondbacks prospects ranked 6-10 are better than the Braves top-5.

*Stat lines do not include today’s (5/5) games, but those stats are addressed in the write-ups where applicable.

2013 has been a mixed bag for Skaggs thus far. (Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

#1: LHP – Tyler Skaggs (21)

Reno (AAA): 6.15 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 29 H, 12 BB and 24 SO in 26.1 IP (5 GS)

Skaggs got 2013 moving in the right direction with a 6.0 inning, 4-hit shutout to open his season. In terms of Game Score (66) it remains his best start of the season though he’s also turned in a pair of starts that resulted in Game Scores of 63 and 62 GSc.

His second start – a 2.1 inning, 8 hit, 9 run effort – fell on the other end of the spectrum registering a GSc of just 5. We all know (at least we should) that if a pitcher logs enough innings, at some point they’re inevitably going to wind up with a few unsightly starts on their resume. Even though he’s immensely talented and has a very bright future ahead of him Skaggs is subject to such outings just like everyone else. Let’s also not forget that Reno is a very difficult environment to pitch in and this particular young lefty is more than five years younger than the average age of his PCL pitching peers.

Speaking of Reno, and entering today’s action, Skaggs had a 10.29 ERA and 2.07 WHIP in 14.0 IP at home and a 1.46 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 12.1 IP on the road. The small sample size disclaimer certainly applies here and the home/road splits got closer to one another a few hours ago, but it’s fun to note when things are so skewed. Pitching on the road in Tacoma today, Skaggs allowed 6 hits, 6 runs and 2 walks in 5.0 innings of work. He did however add 8 strikeouts to his total giving him 32 in 31.1 IP in the early going.

#2: RHP – Archie Bradley (20)

Visalia (A+): 1.26 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 22 H, 10 BB and 43 SO in 28.2 IP (5 GS)
Mobile (AA): 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 4 H, 2 BB and 7 SO in 6.0 IP (1 GS)

Skaggs hasn’t been as brilliant as expected in the early going, but Archie Bradley’s first six starts have gone a long way toward distracting Arizona fans. The organization’s other prospect to crack the Top-25 on most Top-100 prospect lists, Bradley needed just five starts to push through the California League. In those five he never allowed more than two earned runs, went at least 5.0 innings and struck out at least eight. He allowed more hits than innings pitched in just one high-A start and even then turned in a quality 6.0 inning effort.

On May 2nd, Bradley made his Southern League debut and was once again fantastic. Some sources, including Baseball America and MLB.com, had Skaggs ranked higher than Bradley in their top-100s. This was in no small part based on each pitcher’s perceived proximity to the major leagues as Bradley finished 2012 in the Midwest League while Skaggs made his way from Mobile to Reno and on to his major league debut with Arizona. Of course other sites, like this one, ranked Bradley higher in the preseason rankings. Regardless of placement on various lists, one thing all the sources seem to agree on is that Archie Bradley has the most electric arm in the system. So far in 2013 he’s proving that every time he takes the mound.

#3: OF – Adam Eaton (24)

Reno (AAA): 0.200/.200/.300, 1 2B, 3 SO in 10 PA

Eaton was projected to be Arizona’s Opening Day CF but a spring training elbow strain landed him on the 15-day disabled list instead. He started his rehab assignment on Friday and has gone 1-5 in each of his first two games with the Aces. He did however go 0-4 today so you can adjust his slash stats accordingly. The 2-14 start is not surprising given the time he’s missed and it’s just good to see him out on the field once again.

#4: 3B – Matt Davidson (22)

Reno (AAA): 0.267/.328/.419, 5 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 10 BB and 37 SO in 116 PA

Like most power-based bats, Davidson is going to log his share of strikeouts but what he did in 2012 was very encouraging. Despite moving up from the Visalia – where he spent the entire 2011 season – to Mobile in 2012, he trimmed his strikeout rate from 24.3% to 21.9% and bumped his walk rate from 8.6% to 12.0% and both are significant gains. He left the California League and that resulted in a drop in his BA from 0.277 to 0.261 but his OBP and SLG improved in the process and that’s not a statement you can make about many players.

Davidson hit 3 HR in his first 10 games with Reno but has since gone 17 games without clearing the fences. That does not mean, however, that he’s struggling at the plate. In the 9 games prior to today’s 0-4, 2 SO performance, Davidson was 12-38 with four doubles and a triple. He is striking out in 32.5% of his plate appearances thus far, but that will improve as he accumulates more AAA experience.

#5: SS – Didi Gregorius (23)

Reno (AAA): 0.387/.424/.645, 2 2B, 2 HR, 1 SB, 2 BB and 1 SO in 33 PA
Arizona (MAJ): 0.407/.448/.778, 4 2B, 2 HR, 1 BB and 8 SO in 30 PA

The prize of the Trevor Bauer trade, Gregorius has provided Arizona with an immediate return on the deal. In my estimation he had been somewhat under-appreciated and over-looked prior to this season, but that’s not surprising. Defense first shortstops with questionable bats quite often flame out.

Like Davidson above, Didi improved his BB% over the previous season despite moving up a level. Regarded as being overly aggressive he’s only struck out in 12.4% of his 2,082 minor league plate appearances. While he’s certainly not going to keep hitting over 0.400 in the majors (he went 2-3 again today) it’s not unreasonable to believe that he can capably occupy a spot toward the top of a major league lineup while providing his team with fantastic defense.

We start things off with the Atlanta Braves, an organization that is top-heavy in pitching with seven of their ten best prospects hailing from the mound. The Braves system current ranks in the bottom third among the 30 organizations and lacks upper echelon talent (beyond the enigma wrapped in a mystery that is their top prospect). However given the state of the major league roster it’s certainly something fans can live with.

The talent is there but will Teheran ever live up to the expectations? (Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports)

#1: RHP – Julio Teheran (22)

Atlanta: 5.08 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 39 H, 8 BB and 2o SO in 28.1 IP (5 GS)

Teheran stood out during spring training with a 1.04 ERA, 0.62 WHIP and fantastic 35-9 SO-to-BB in 26.0 innings. His first five starts in the regular season have been a much different story and anyone who has been on the Teheran roller-coaster shouldn’t be surprised.

He’s getting knocked around more now than he has at any point in his career carrying a bloated 12.4 H/9 and 1.6 HR/9 in the early going. Opponents currently have a 0.904 OPS when facing Teheran and each of the four offerings in his arsenal (fastball, slider, curveball, changeup) have been below average.

In his last two starts combined he’s gone 12.1 innings with 8 strikeouts, 1 walk and 3 runs allowed and while those are encouraging numbers they are offset by the 18 hits he allowed in that same span. Despite the rocky start it’s easy to give Teheran a pass. He’s still just 22 with only 54.1 innings on his major league resume after all.

#2: RHP – J.R. Graham (23)

Mississippi (AA): 3.45 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 30 H, 8 BB and 25 SO in 28.2 IP (6 GS)

Graham reached Double-A last season and made 9 starts in the Southern League that resulted in a 3.18 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 42-17 SO-to-BB over 45.1 IP. There was some expectation that the Braves would bump him up to Triple-A to start things off in 2013 but giving him more time in Mississippi’s rotation was probably the prudent thing to do. In each of his last two starts he’s thrown 5.1 innings with 3 ER while allowing a combined 19 baserunners (15 H, 4 BB). To be fair his third and fourth starts resulted in a stat line of 13.1 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, and 9 SO.

#3: C – Christian Bethancourt (21)

Mississippi (AA): 0.341/.356/.500, 4 2B, 1 HR, 3 SB, 1 BB and 6 SO in 46 PA

Entering the 2012 season, Bethancourt had cracked Baseball America’s Top-100 at #91 but then struggled to make the jump to Double-A. In 71 games with Mississippi last year he hit a meager 0.243/.275/.291 in 288 PA. It was a season marred not only by his lack of production at the plate but by injuries (strained hamstring and a broken hand) as well. Back in the Southern League to kick off 2013, Bethancourt came out of the gates quickly and managed at least one hit in all but one of his first 11 starts. Unfortunately he hasn’t played since April 20th thanks to another hamstring injury. On Wednesday he was placed on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to April 25th.

#4: LHP – Sean Gilmartin (22 – turns 23 in 4 days)

Gwinnett (AAA): 2.70 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 34 H, 15 BB and 20 SO in 36.2 IP (6 GS)

The Braves 1st round pick (28th overall) in 2011, Gilmartin needed just 26 professional starts before he found himself pitching in Triple-A. Once there he made seven starts that led to a 4.78 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 1.92 SO/BB in 2012. There’s no question the International League batters have slowed his ascension and that’s not surprising given that he fits the mold of a finesse lefty. Gilmartin has been rather effective in four of his six starts to start off 2013 but his walk rate is elevated and his strikeout rate, which wasn’t strong to begin with, has slipped. The 2.70 ERA is great and all but a 1.33 SO/BB in Triple-A does not suggest a pitcher that is ready to pitch in the majors just yet.

#5: RHP – Lucas Sims (18 – turns 19 in 6 days)

Rome (A): 5.02 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 8 H, 12 BB and 10 SO in 14.1 IP (7 relief appearances)

Setting the results aside, the Braves are doing right by their 2012 1st round pick thus far. After he signed last summer, Atlanta protected his arm and limited his innings (34 IP in 11 GS). This year they aggressively started him out in full season ball but did so by slotting him in the bullpen where he can more readily acclimate to A ball and continue to control his workload with less pressure placed on his shoulders. It’s the perfect sink or swim situation. If he swims, the organization can let him keep pitching in the SAL for the remainder of the season and slide him into the rotation when they feel he’s ready. If he sinks, they can bide their time with him until the Appalachian League starts up in June and then send him down to work as a starter with Danville. While the overall numbers may not suggest as much, the young man appears to be swimming thus far in 2013. In his first appearance of the season he allowed 4 runs on 2 hits and 4 walks in 1.2 innings of work. Take away that first outing and his stat line is a more attention grabbing with a 2.84 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. Sims has also continued to improve allowing just 2 hits and no earned runs in his last 5.0 innings pitched.

Several years removed from his college days pitching for the Sooners, Smith is putting together a solid pro resume. (Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitcher of the Day: SD – Burch Smith, San Antonio Missions (AA): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

Drafted not once (Indians 49th round, 2009), not twice (Indians 20th round, 2010) but thrice (Padres 14th round, 2011), Smith appears to have been worth the wait. His 2012 campaign with Lake Elsinore was his first full season in the minors. In 26 starts he put together a 3.85 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 137-27 SO-to-BB in 128.2 IP which is more impressive when factoring in that those stats came while pitching in the California League. It appears he’s taken another step forward as he’s yet to allow an earned run in his first 11.0 innings over two starts with San Antonio.

Hitter of the Day: COL – Rosell Herrera, Asheville Tourists (A): 3-3, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB

The Rockies signed Herrera out of the Dominican Republic on July 2nd, 2009 and entering his 4th season in the minors there’s already a large divergence in opinion about his standing as a prospect. Prior to this season MLB.com ranked Herrera at #12 in their Rockies Top-20, however he didn’t crack Colorado’s Top-30 according to Baseball America. As a result the 20-year old SS is now at a place in his career where the on field results need to start matching the projections. He started out in Asheville last season but hit a woeful 0.202/.271/.272 in 63 games before he was reassigned to Tri-City in the Northwest League (A-). After he was dropped a level, his performance rebounded and he went on to hit 0.284/.332/.351 in 47 games. Still not an exciting performances but certainly an improvement. Based on the results of his return to the South Atlantic League this month, it’s hard to argue with how the Rockies have handled him. In his first 10 games (counting Saturday’s action) he’s hitting 0.375/.457/.775 with 4 2B and 4 HR and 5 multi-hit games.

Honorable Mentions from the Mound:

COL – Tyler Chatwood, Colorado Springs Sky Sox (AAA): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

CWS – Erik Johnson, Birmingham Barons (AA): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

DET – Duane Below, Toledo Mud Hens (AAA): 6.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

KC – Kyle Zimmer, Wilmington Blue Rocks (A+): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

LAA – Kramer Sneed, Inland Empire 66ers (A+): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

PHI – Seth Rosin, Reading Fightin’ Phils (AA): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

SD – Max Fried, Fort Wayne TinCaps (A): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

SF – Chris Stratton, Augusta Greenjackets (A): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

TB – Dylan Floro, Bowling Green Hot Rods (A): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

WSH – Brett Mooneyham, Hagerstown Suns (A): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO

Honorable Mentions from the Plate:

ATL – Tyler Pastornicky, Gwinnett Braves (AAA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, SO

CLE – Jerrud Sabourin, Carolina Mudcats (A+): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, SO

LAD – Chris O’Brien, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A+): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, RBI, SO

LAD – Paul Hoenecke, Great Lakes Loons (A): 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB

NYM – Travis Taijeron, St. Lucie Mets (A+): 4-5, R, 2B, 3B, BB

OAK – Michael Taylor, Sacramento River Cats (AAA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, BB

OAK – Chad Oberacker, Midland Rockhounds (AA): 4-6, R, 2 2B, RBI

SEA – Brad Miller, Jackson Generals (AA): 3-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI

TOR – Kenny Wilson, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB

General view of Safeco Field outfield stands and new LCD scoreboard screen (Photo Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitcher of the Day: SF – Joan Gregorio, Augusta Greenjackets (A): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

Entering the 2012 season Gregorio had two strong rookie ball campaigns on his resume. Of course evaluating any player based on their performance in the Arizona and Dominican Summer Leagues would be foolish but there were a lot of reasons to be hopeful about the 6’7″, 185 lb righty’s chances to grab some attention. His 16 starts with Salem-Keizer (A-) last year certainly dampened hopes a bit, but Gregario remains an intriguing prospect and though he got hit around (85 H in 76.1 IP) he improved his BB and K rates. Now 21, he is more than capable of pitching his way into the Giants long term plans and early returns are good that he’s starting to resolve some of his mechanical kinks. He’s pitched 11.0 innings through two starts this season having allowed just 6 hits and 1 run to go with a 13-1 SO-to-BB. Two outings does not a season make but all his rate stats have improved and this could be just the beginning of a huge breakout season.

Hitter of the Day: SEA – Ji-Man Choi, High Desert Mavericks (A+): 4-5, 3 R, 3 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, SO

Seattle signed Choi out of Korea in 2009 for $425,000. Since making his professional debut in the AZL as a 19-year old, he’s displayed a great deal of offensive prowess. At least he has when he’s been on the field anyway. Choi missed the 2011 season thanks to a shoulder problem and that hasn’t been his only encounter with the injury bug since he signed. He’s hit 0.321/.426/.495 with a 13.5 BB% and 17.8 K% in 152 minor league games and by all accounts his bat is legit and good enough to carry him to the majors. Choi’s track record, bat speed and discipline will likely result in an impressive stat line at the end of the season considering he’s in the California League. Yes, High Desert will inflate his numbers, but as long as he can stay healthy I have little doubt he will make it to Seattle.

Honorable Mentions from the Mound:

BAL – Kevin Gausman, Bowie Baysox (AA): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

CIN – Greg Reynolds, Louisville Bats (AAA): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

MIL – Brooks Hall, Brevard County Manatees (A+): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

SD – Matthew Wisler, Lake Elsinore Storm (A+): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

SD – Joseph Ross, Fort Wayne TinCaps (A): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

TB – Alex Colome, Durham Bulls (AAA): 6.o IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

TEX – Brad Mills, Round Rock Express (AAA): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

TEX – Luke Jackson, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (A+): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

TOR – Deck McGuire, New Hampshire Fisher Cats (AA): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

TOR – Aaron Sanchez, Dunedin Blue Jays (A+): 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Honorable Mentions from the Plate:

BOS – Kolbrin Vitek, Portland Sea Dogs (AA): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 SB

HOU – Austin Wates, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA): 3-4, 2 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, BB

LAA – Chris Snyder, Salt Lake Bees (AAA): 4-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI

LAA – Matt Long, Arkansas Travelers (AA): 2-2, R, HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB

NYY – Slade Heathcott, Trenton Thunder (AA): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, SB

PHI – Maikel Franco, Clearwater Threshers (A+): 3-5, 2 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI

PIT – Josh Bell, West Virginia Power (A): 4-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, SO

STL – James Ramsey, Palm Beach Cardinals (A+): 2-3, 3 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Barring significant injury or trade, Bradley’s has many of innings on the mound at Chase Field in his future. What is uncertain is how soon will that future arrive. (Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Pitcher of the Day: ARZ – Archie Bradley, Visalia Rawhide (A+): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO

The Diamondbacks 2011 1st round pick, Bradley is obviously a well known name in prospect circles ranked as a top-25 player by both MLB.com and Baseball America prior to each of the last two seasons. Bradley performed well as a 19-year old in the Midwest League holding the opposition to 5.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 158 in 136.0 innings overall. His control was the singular blemish in his first full season as he allowed 84 walks, hit 15 batters and uncorked 17 wild pitches. Bradley has hit two batters already this season but outside of that he’s been very impressive while dealing with the rigors of the California League for the first time. He has yet to allow a run in 11.2 innings and has walked only 3 batters while striking out 19. He was tabbed as a future number one starter prior to being drafted and he’s done nothing to alter that perception. The stuff is electric and he’s shown significant improvement with his control and command in a very short span of time. Arizona has no shortage of upper echelon pitching and can bring Bradley along slowly but he may push his way to Mobile much sooner than intended.

Hitter of the Day: MIN – Reynaldo Rodriguez, New Britain Rock Cats (AA): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI

The 27-year old’s first hits of the season led the Rock Cats in their 17 run, 17 hit dismantling of the Harrisburg pitching staff. However, Rodriguez will need to do a lot more to merit a look in the majors. Boston gave him his first taste of Triple-A action last season but he was unable to make the most of his 12 game stint in Pawtucket managing just 8 hits in 49 plate appearances with a 0.186/.265/.256 stat line. Even though he is a career 0.289/.361/.509 hitter the stats are a bit misleading as the vast majority of his success has come while playing in the Dominican Summer League (2007) and the Independent Golden Baseball League (2009).

Honorable Mentions from the Mound:

BOS – Drake Britton, Portland Sea Dogs (AA): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO – A nice bounce-back start after a disastrous season debut.

HOU – Jarred Cosart, Oklahoma City RedHawks (AAA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO

LAD – Zach Lee, Chattanooga Lookouts (AA): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

MIL – Jimmy Nelson, Huntsville Stars (AA): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

SF – Clayton Blackburn, San Jose Giants (A+): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

STL – John Gast, Memphis Redbirds (AAA): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

STL – Kyle Hald, Palm Beach Cardinals (A+): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

WAS – Blake Schwartz, Hagerstown Suns (A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO  - Rosemount, MN native and 2012 17th round pick is off to a good start after compiling a 3.64 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 53-12 SO-to-BB in 54.1 IP last season.

Honorable Mentions from the Plate:

ARZ – Nick Evans, Mobile BayBears (AA): 4-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 3 RBI

BOS – David Renfroe, Salem Red Sox (A+): 4-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI

CLE – Bryson Myles, Carolina Mudcats (A+): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, SB

DET – Jeff Holm, West Michigan Whitecaps (A): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, SB – Managed just six extra-base hits in 46 games last season, but already has three (2 2B, 1 HR) in 2013.

HOU – Nolan Fontana, Lancaster Jethawks (A+): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, SO – After a rough debut season, the team’s 2012 2nd round selection is off to a blistering 0.476/.586/1.000 start with as many total bases as at bats (21).

LAD – Ryan Mount, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A+): 3-5, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI

NYM – Kevin Plawecki, Savannah Sand Gnats (A): 3-5, R, 3 2B, RBI – The 22-year old catcher has hit in 6 of the 7 games he’s played this season and has an impressive 0.444/.500/.704 stat line as a result.

PHI – Maikel Franco, Clearwater Threshers (A+): 2-7, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI

SEA – Carlos Peguero, Tacoma Rainiers (AAA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB

TB – Jason Bourgeois, Durham Bulls (AAA): 3-3, R, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB

TB – Leslie Anderson, Durham Bulls (AAA): 3-4, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB

Chafin, the former Kent State hurler, put the Cal League on notice yesterday that he’s taking things up a notch in 2013. (Photo Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitcher of the Day: ARZ – Andrew Chafin, Visalia Rawhide (A+): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO

Selected 43rd overall out of Kent State in the 2011 Draft, Chafin is a Top-10 prospect in the Diamondbacks system looking to pitch his way out of the California League. Last season he compiled a 4.93 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with Visalia and finished with a 150-69 SO-to-BB in 122.1 IP. Once Arizona moves him up to Mobile, which is where he probably should have opened the season, look for his “traditional” numbers to improve and for his visibility as a prospect to ascend as well.

Hitter of the Day: PIT – Andrew Lambo, Altoona Curve (AA): 4-6, 4 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, SO

Prior to the 2009 season, Lambo was a top-50 prospect but injuries and difficulty adjusting have slowed his ascension. He did hit 0.312/.401/.504 last season but he only played in 35 games and the bulk of those (26) were in AA while the others were in the GCL. 2013 finds Lambo once again in Double-A, where he’s primarily been since 2008, but he’s still only 24-years old and he’s off to a fast start. In addition to hitting for the cycle on Tuesday, Lambo is hitting 0.417/.533/.833 through 6 games this year.

Honorable Mentions from the Mound:

ARZ – Jesse Darrah, South Bend Silver Hawks (A): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

CIN – Tony Cingrani, Louisville Bats (AAA): 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO – Another outing resulting in another stellar start for the young lefty. After striking out 14 batters without allowing a hit on Opening Day, his effort yesterday is actually a step back. None-the-less he’s now thrown 12.1 shutout innings thus far with a 21-2 SO-to-BB and just 3 hits allowed. Since his Pioneer League debut in 2011, the Reds third round selection has a 1.63 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 209.2 minor league innings. The 2.6 BB/9 and 11.7 SO/9 on his resume also stand out from his peers and let’s not forget he was effective in 5.0 major league innings at the end of last year.

COL – Eddie Butler, Asheville Tourists (A): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 7 SO

HOU – Bobby Doran, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

KC – Sam Selman, Wilmington Blue Rocks (A+): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

MIN – D.J. Baxendale, Fort Myers Miracle (A+): 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

NYM – Rafael Montero, Binghamton Mets (AA): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

NYM – Luis Mateo, St. Lucie Mets (A+): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO

OAK – Raul Alcantara, Beloit Snappers (A): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

Honorable Mentions from the Plate:

ARZ – Matt Davidson, Reno Aces (AAA): 2-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB

HOU – Domingo Santana, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA): 3-4, R, 3 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SO

HOU – Zachary Johnson, Lancaster Jethawks (A+): 5-5, R, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI

MIA – Viosergy Rosa, Greensboro Grasshoppers (A): 2-3, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB

NYY – Carmen Angelini, Tampa Yankees (A+): 2-3, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI

PHI – Cameron Perkins, Clearwater Threshers (A+): 3-5, R, 2B, 3B, RBI

SD – Rico Noel, San Antonio Missions (AA): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 SB

TB – Brandon Guyer, Durham Bulls (AAA): 2-4, 3 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, SO

WAS – Jason Martinson, Potomac Nationals (A+): 1-2, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SO

Romak saw some action at 1B in Spring Training for the Cardinals this year. (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitcher of the Day: CLE – Toru Murata, Akron Aeros (AA): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO

Murata, a right-handed Japanese import signed with the Indians back in December of 2010. So far he’s logged 131.1 innings in Cleveland’s system with an impressive 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 133-32 SO-to-BB. Of course some level of dominance is to be expected since he’s more than three years older – and more experienced – than the batters he’s facing. The Tribe gave him two starts in Columbus last season and the results were far from encouraging (8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB and 5 SO in 7.2 IP), but Triple-A is where Murata should be pitching at this point.

Hitter of the Day: STL – Jamie Romak, Memphis Redbirds (AAA): 3-5, 3 R, 3 HR, 6 RBI, SO

Atlanta drafted Romak in the 4th round of the 2003 draft and after 11 seasons in the minors he’s still looking to make his major league debut. The Ontario native has spent time with four organizations with a resume that includes stints with the Pirates and Royals sandwiched between the Braves and Cardinals. Romak is a career 0.250/.346/.444 hitter with his best season coming back in 2010 with the Royals. That year he hit 0.296/.388/.458 between Wilmington (A+) and Northwest Arkansas (AA). Even though he only hit 10 HR in 2012, he has three 20-HR seasons on his resume (2007, 2008 and 2011) proving that his three homer day on Monday is not a complete aberration.

Honorable Mentions from the Mound:

ARZ – Andrew Barbosa, Visalia Rawhide (A+): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 11 SO

ARZ – Cody Wheeler, South Bend Silver Hawks (A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

BAL – Josh Hader, Delmarva Shorebirds (A): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

CWS – Matt Zaleski, Charlotte Knights (AAA): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

MIL – Eulogio De La Cruz, Nashville Sounds (AAA): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

OAK – Arnold Leon, Midland Rockhounds (AA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

TB – Jake Odorizzi, Durham Bulls (AAA): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

TB – Jacob Thompson, Montgomery Biscuits (AA): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

Honorable Mentions from the Plate:

COL – Derek Jones, Asheville Tourists (A): 3-4, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, SO

CWS – Jim Gallagher, Charlotte Knights (AAA): 4-6, 3 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 SO

HOU – Jesse Wierzbicki, Quad Cities River Bandits (A): 2-4, R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI

KC – Daniel Mateo, Wilmington Blue Rocks (A+): 2-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI

PHI – Edgar Duran, Reading Fightin’ Phils (AA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB, BB, SO

SD – Tommy Medica, San Antonio Missions (AA): 2-3, R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, SO

SF – Jarrett Parker, Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI

TEX – Chris McGuiness, Round Rock Express (AAA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI

Turing our attention to the pitching we nearly had the same problem with a slew of similar starts that were good but not great. Thankfully Tyler Duffey turned in one of the best outings of the young season. Duffy, Minnesota’s 5th round pick in the 2012 draft, was the key cog in a trio of Cedar Rapids hurlers that combined to pitch a no hitter against the Beloit Snappers. In that same game the Kernals offense was bolstered by the Twins top pick in the 2012 draft. Byron Buxton went 4-5 with a double and triple giving him his third multi-hit game out of the four he’s played. He’s now hitting 0.563/.611/.938 on the season.

Thomas was the “best of the good” at the plate on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitcher of the Day: MIN – Tyler Duffey, Cedar Rapids Kernals (A): 7.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

Hitter of the Day: MIN – Clete Thomas, Rochester Red Wings (AAA): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI

Honorable Mentions from the Mound:

ARZ – Tyler Skaggs, Reno Aces (AAA): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

BAL – Eddie Gamboa, Bowie Baysox (AA): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

BOS – Terry Doyle, Pawtucket Red Sox (AAA): 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 SO

BOS – Kyle Stroup, Salem Red Sox (A+): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

CHC – P.J. Francescon, Daytona Cubs (A+): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

LAD – Ross Stripling, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (A+): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

NYM – Rainy Lara, Savannah Sand Gnats (A): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

SD – Matthew Andriese, San Antonio Missions (AA): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

SEA – Chance Ruffin, Jackson Generals (AA): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Honorable Mentions from the Plate:

ATL – Robby Hefflinger, Lynchburg Hillcats (A+): 2-4, 3 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB, 2 SO

BOS – Michael Almanzar, Portland Sea Dogs (AA): 2-3, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB

CWS – Rangel Ravelo, Kannapolis Intimidators (A): 3-3, R, 2 2B, 4 RBI

HOU – Enrique Hernandez, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA): 3-4, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI

LAD – Joc Pederson, Chattanooga Lookouts (AA): 3-7, 3 R, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, SO (over two games)

MIN – Byron Buxton, Cedar Rapids Kernals (A): 4-5, R, 2B, 3B

OAK – Stephen Vogt, Sacramento River Cats (AAA): 3-4, R, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI

OAK – Maxwell Muncy, Stockton Ports (A+): 2-3, 3 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB

PIT – Jacob Stallings, Bradenton Marauders (A+): 3-4, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SO – Pittsburgh’s 2012 7th round selection has reached base 8 times in his first 12 plate appearances of the season with 14 total bases.

On the pitching side of the coin it was Ben Alsup, the Rockies 18th round pick from the 2011 draft class, that stole the show. He struck out more batters than any other pitcher on the day and did it without surrendering a run or a walk over seven innings.

There were many fine performances at the plate on Saturday, but none better than the one turned in by Jeremy Baltz. (Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitcher of the Day: COL – Ben Alsup, Modesto Nuts (A+): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO

Hitter of the Day: SD – Jeremy Baltz, Fort Wayne Tin Caps (A): 3-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI

Honorable Mentions from the Mound:

BAL – Jair Jurrjens, Norfolk Tides (AAA): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

COL – Drew Pomeranz, Colorado Springs Sky Sox (AAA): 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

HOU – Asher Wojciechowski, Corpus Christi Hooks (AA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

MIA – Adam Conley, Jacksonville Suns (AA): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

PHI – Shane Watson, Lakewood BlueClaws (A): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

SD – Justin Hancock, Fort Wayne Tin Caps (A): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1, BB, 7 SO

TB – Jake Floethe, Charlotte Stone Crabs (A+): 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

WSH – Paul Demny, Harrisburg Senators (AA): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

WSH – Taylor Jordan, Potomac Nationals (A+): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Honorable Mentions from the Plate:

ARZ – Jon Griffin, Mobile BayBears (AA): 3-3, 2 R, 3B, RBI, BB

ATL – David Rohm, Lynchburg Hillcats (A+): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI

DET – Jeff McVaney, Lakeland Flying Tigers (A+): 4-5, R, 2B, RBI

HOU – Carlos Correa, Quad Cities River Bandits (A): 4-7, R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, SO, SB

OAK – Michael Fabiaschi, Stockton Ports (A+): 2-3, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI

PIT – Andrew Lambo, Altoona Curve (AA): 3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB

SD – Tommy Medica, San Antonio Missions (AA): 2-4, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, SO

SF – Roger Kieschnick, Fresno Grizzlies (AAA): 4-5, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI

TEX – Nick Williams, Hickory Crawdads (A): 4-8, 3 R, 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 SO (over two games)

TOR – Andy LaRoche, Buffalo Bisons (AAA): 4-6, 3 R, HR, 3 RBI, SB

Will the added bulk aid or hinder Ventura’s march toward Kansas City? (Photo Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

Brian Henry, a staffer on Kings of Kauffman, noted that Yordano Ventura’s stock could increase simply as a result of adding some weight over the offseason. I agree with the assessment that additional bulk could help his durability and increase his chances of making it to the majors as a starter. However the speculation that he will wind up in the bullpen by many sources goes beyond just his height and weight. Delivery, pitch angle and mechanics all play a role in the projections and I remain skeptical about Ventura’s chances to have a lasting, or even short-lived, impact as a starter in Kansas City. We also can’t just dismiss that packing some pounds could detract from what makes him so special and intriguing as a prospect.

This offseason the Phillies renamed their Eastern League franchise and switched from the “ho-hum” Reading Phillies to their new name, the Reading Fightin’ Phils. Their logo features an ostrich, which is fun, but the team is taking things a step further by bringing in two of the birds to have on hand at the stadium.

Quick Hits:

Over on Rising Apple, Michael Lecolant published season previews for two of the Mets affiliates - the Las Vegas 51′s (PCL) and Binghamton (EL).

Mike Newman sheds some light on three Diamondbacks prospects that stand out as a result of their power.

Bullpen Banter continues to release the Top-125 prospect lists. On Thursday it was Jeff Reese’s turn to share and on Friday it was Al Skorupa’s turn to publish his personal rankings.

Wrapping up the last of our link based notes for the day, MiLB.com recently selected the best rotations and lineups in each of the full season leagues.

Neither Grube, 31 and on his third organization, or Aliotti, 25, cracked their respective organization’s Top-30 prospect list (according to Baseball America). However, on April 5th they were the best the minor leagues had to offer.

It’s only been two days, but Midland’s Aliotti still hasn’t been retired. (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Pitcher of the Day: LAA – Jarrett Grube, Arkansas Travelers (AA): 6.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

Hitter of the Day: OAK – Anthony Aliotti, Midland Rockhounds (AA): 4-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB

Pitching:

MIL – Hiram Burgos, Nashville Sounds (AAA): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO

PHI – Perci Garner, Clearwater Threshers (A+): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

SEA – Roenis Elias, Jackson Generals (AA): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

SF – Jack Snodgrass, Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

SF – Edwin Escobar, San Jose Giants (A+): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO – “Esky” matched up with Visalia’s Archie Bradley and the two combined to pitch 10.2 innings of shutout baseball. Bradley had the edge in strikeouts with nine but also allowed nine runners to reach base.

SF – Martin Agosta, Augusta Greenjackets (A): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO

TOR – Taylor Cole, Lansing Lugnuts (A): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

WAS – Tanner Roark, Syracuse Chiefs (AAA): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

Hitting:

BAL – Xavier Avery, Bowie Baysox (AA): 5-7, 3 R, 2B, 2 RBI

BAL – Brenden Webb, Frederick Keys (A+): 4-5, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, SB

CHC – Zeke DeVoss, Daytona Cubs (A+): 3-5, R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, SB

CIN – Mike Hessman, Louisville Bats (AAA): 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, BB, SO – Seven at bats in his first two games of 2013 have resulted in 4 hits – all of them home runs – with 4 RBI and 4 runs. He may be 35-years old with a 0.231/.312/.463 slash line over 18 minor league seasons but that’s an impressive start no matter how far removed Hessman may be from “prospect” status.

COL – Nolan Arenado, Colorado Springs Sky Sox (AAA): 3-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, RBI

CWS – Micah Johnson, Kannapolis Intimidators (A): 4-5, R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 SB, SO

SD – Cory Spangenberg, Lake Elsinore Storm (A+): 3-4, R, 2B, RBI, 4 SB, BB

*Dependent on available time and volume of noteworthy links.

Cardinals right fielder Oscar Taveras makes a running catch during a spring training tilt with Atlanta. (Photo Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports)

Prospect Lists:

Over on Baseball Prospect Nation, Mark Anderson published his Top-150 prospect list. He tabbed Oscar Taveras as the #1 prospect in baseball with Jurickson Profar slotted at #2. Personally this is an fantastic list at the top and Mark linked to the scouting reports he did on each player which is a wonderfully convenient touch. I think Miguel Sano is woefully under-ranked at #18, but as a Royals/Twins fan I’m admittedly biased and some sources have him pushed even further down in the rankings.

The last few days, Bullpen Banter has been revealing their individual Top-125 lists that were used to create the sites overall Top-100. Among those recently posted are lists from Conor Dowley, Chris Blessing and JD Sussman.

Recently the guys over on Baseball Instinct have been very busy rolling out the rest of their team-based Top-21 prospect lists. Thomas Belmont handled the Phildelphia Phillies while George Utter tackled the Oakland Athletics and Milwaukee Brewers.

Yesterday’s Content:

David Laurila published a Q&A he did with D-Backs prospect Archie Bradley on FanGraphs.

John Sickels posted Part Two of his Sleeper Prospects for 2013 with 3B Patrick Leonard – who was a part of the package the Royals surrendered for James Shields and Wade Davis – making an appearance. That trade still makes me sick to my stomach.

If you are a fan of the Big Ten and/or a fan of the MLB Draft, you will no doubt enjoy reading Rob Ozga’s 2013 MLB Draft Conference Preview.

Now with the Indians Whitenack will look to make the Cubs regret letting him go. (Photo Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

Of course his impressive 2011 campaign came to a premature end due to an elbow injury and subsequent Tommy John surgery. Before we get to that, however, let’s rewind to the beginning of his career as a professional.

The Cubs selected Whitenack in the 8th round of the 2009 draft out of the State University of New York at Old Westbury. At the time the 6’5″ righty was throwing his fastball in the upper 80s with a decent changeup and slider combo, but it was his knuckle-curve that was far and away his best pitch rating as at least plus. He signed for $125,000 shortly after the draft and was assigned to short-season ball.

With Boise he logged 54.1 innings finishing with a 4.80 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 1.65 SO/BB. The following season he started out with Peoria (A) displaying a similar 5.5 SO/9 and elevated 4.96 ERA. However he significantly dropped his H/9 from 10.9 to 8.9 and also trimmed his BB/9 from 3.3 to 2.6. After 20 starts and 103.1 innings the Cubs promoted him to Daytona (A+) and his stock picked up a decent dose of helium.

He made seven starts in the FSL at the tail end of that season and in that stretch turned in the best stat line of his young career. In 39.2 innings he finished with a 2.04 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 7.3 H/9, 2.3 BB/9 and 6.4 SO/9. As he added weight to his slender 185 lb frame, his velocity picked up. Heading into the 2011 season he was consistently throwing 92-94 and capable of hitting 96. The increase in velocity didn’t take away from his movement and it set the stage for his 2011 campaign.

The Cubs started him back in Daytona but he was quickly promoted after dominating the FSL. In four starts and 23.0 innings he allowed 11 hits, 3 earned runs and a staggering 25-1 SO-to-BB. After reaching Double-A Tennessee his strikeouts dropped off and his walk rate increased but he still pitched well enough to hold a 2.39 ERA and 1.20 WHIP after seven starts. He was on the fast track and in the midst of a significant statement season, but the season came to an end in May when he injured his elbow. Despite missing the rest of the 2011 season, Baseball America still tabbed him as the Cubs #19 prospect during the offseason.

Following rehab Whitenack returned to the mound and made his 2012 debut with Daytona in May. Predictably he had his struggles and wound up with a 5.96 ERA in 15 starts. In his 51.1 innings of work he allowed 70 hits and a 31-27 SO-to-BB. His stuff, and most notably his velocity, were slow to return as was his control.

Undeterred the Cubs added him to their 40-man roster this offseason and even though he continued to struggle with his control in spring training (5 BB in 3.0 IP) he struck out 3 and was still just 20 months removed from surgery. To see Chicago designate a player with the potential upside of a mid-rotation starter was more than a little surprising.

What is not surprising is the fact that Whitenack was available for less than 48 hours before the Indians claimed him off waivers. He’s a gamble, and there is no guarantee that he can fully recapture the stuff and velocity he displayed early in the 2011 season. However, it’s a low risk gamble with the potential to provide a significant return.

Ortiz made the Rangers Opening Day roster and then made his MLB debut (Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports)

They’d also be completely wrong.

There was plenty of inexperience in the Astros lineup, to be sure, but they all saw at least some action in the bigs last season. When you think about it more, that makes perfect sense. After all GM Jeff Luhnow pulled the trigger on a whole host of trades in recent seasons to restock a rather downtrodden farm system and with so much veteran talent shipped elsewhere, plenty of prospects and other younger players have already taken the field for the Astros.

It was instead a relatively unknown, and small of stature Rangers lefty, that broke through to appear in a MLB game for the first time. The script for 5’7″ 22-year old Joe Ortiz was surely far from the one he had hoped for however.

Ortiz took the mound to start the bottom of the eighth inning. His Rangers were already down 7-2 at the time so there was little pressure on him to make anything happen. In his inning of work he threw 15 pitches, 12 of them strikes, to a total of five batters. He struck out Carlos Pena and Rick Ankiel to start and end his outing respectively, but surrendered a line drive triple to Justin Maxwell and a line drive single up the middle to Matt Dominguez that scored Maxwell. The other out he recorded, a ground ball to 2B, came off the bat of Jason Castro. Ortiz threw 7 sliders and 7 two-seam fastballs in his appearance with his two-seamer rating above average according to the pitch type linear weights data. His other pitch was a four-seam fastball that was actually clocked slower (92.2 mph) than his two-seam FB averaged (92.7 mph). The slider peaked at 86.2 mph and averaged 84.6 mph on the night.

As mentioned above, Ortiz is hardly a known commodity as a prospect. Twice the Rangers have left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft. After his 2012 season which included a 1.97 ERA and 23-3 SO-to-BB in 32.0 innings after being promoted to Triple-A for the first time, Texas shrewdly added him to their 40-man roster to protect him. Signed by the Rangers out of Venezuela back in August of 2006, he’s put together an impressive statistical season in the minors that includes a 2.28 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 4.48 SO/BB with 278 SO and 62 BB in 276.1 IP. Prior to this season Baseball America ranked him as the 30th best prospect in the system.

Ortiz has a lot of things going for him. His slider wasn’t at its best in his debut on Sunday but it rates as a plus pitch. His two-seam fastball has excellent movement and considering he can pump it into the zone with 92-93 mph velocity from the left side, there’s a lot to like from that pitch as well. He had his share of struggles against right-hander hitters after reaching the PCL (0.303/.333/.424) but he was tough on lefties (0.196/0.196/.446) and at the least he should be able to carve out a role as a left-handed specialist in the big leagues. The biggest drawback to what he offers is that he’s only 5’7″ and very few pitchers as short or shorter have managed to stick around for long in the majors. Of course, Kansas City’s Tim Collins is also just 5’7″ and he’s developed into a major cog in the Royals bullpen since making his debut in 2011.

I’ve been with S2S since it’s launch back in May of 2011 and have served as the site’s Editor, writing daily, for the last five months. Even before I was pressed into action as the Editor following Scott Keltner’s departure (due to his other career) I have functioned as the behind-the-scenes manager of the site so Nathaniel and then Scott could focus all their energy on producing content. To say I have a lot vested in this site would be a selling things short, but the reality is that in terms of my writing, this site has never been perfect fit. Of course at the outset I didn’t think that way but it has been something that was started to wear on me as the recent weeks and months have passed.

I take pride in my work and, from a technical and factual standpoint, what I’ve published on this site (all 340 articles) are largely representative of that aspect of my writing. What has been absent however is a sense of creativity and true passion for the subject matter as well as any sort of real bias or emotion. The former just kind of happened even though I love following prospects, minor league baseball and the MLB draft, while the latter was largely by design. I make no secret that I am a Royals and Twins fan, but in covering prospects for all 30 organizations I didn’t feel it was appropriate to allow my biases to come across (though I’m sure they slipped through on more than one occasion).

In making the move over to our KC Local, I can remove those restrictions from my work and write with my hometown biases freely.When I started with FanSided back in February of 2009 it was as Editor of our Royals site Kings of Kauffman (though it briefly existed under a different name) and while I’ve learned a great deal from my journey across several sites, I look forward to writing about the Royals for FanSided once again. I’m also relishing the chance to spread my wings in terms of topic and go beyond covering baseball. With the freedom to cover any and all teams in the Kansas City market I will get to publish content on the Chiefs, Jayhawks, Tigers, Wildcats, Sporting KC and several other pro teams in lesser known leagues such as the Mavericks (CHL), Comets (MISL), T-Bones (American Association Baseball), UMKC etc. I remain a baseball writer at heart so you can expect plenty of content on the Royals and AL Central (and some prospect coverage too!) but am looking forward to the challenge that these other topics will prove me.

I live in Kansas City, and have since the fall of 2000. It’s where my wife and I chose to settle and start a family after college. I follow all the areas teams to varying degrees and have access to attend or watch all the games for all of the teams on television. It’s going to be a challenging beat, but given the flexibility of topic, accessibility of subject matter and my own heart running out KC Local is an opportunity that I simply can’t pass up.

I hope some of you will take some time every now and then to head on over to my new home and check out my work. The site is currently Fountain City Focus but will we be relaunching and changing it from a .co sit to a .com with a new domain name. I haven’t started writing over there just yet as I wanted to take a break for a week and tie up some loose ends. My debut post on FCF should be up on Thursday if not before.

A hearty thanks goes out to all of you that have supported my work on this site and I hope you will continue to keep S2S in your regular, or semi-regular, rotation of sites you read. Things here will continue on and while we are currently in the process of looking for my replacement (if you’re interested in becoming the next S2S Editor, click here) the rest of the staff continues to craft and publish content.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 18 months and despite all the obvious reasons for me to make the jump to FCF, it was still a difficult decision to leave S2S.

In the end however, change is a constant and my heart is in Kansas City.

Tuesday, October 30th:

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kevin Siegrist pitches during a spring training game (Photo Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE)

Mesa Solar Sox 7 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 5

• 3B – Jonathan Schoop (BAL): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB
• LHP – Mike Belfiore (BAL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• 1B – Hunter Morris (MIL): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R, SO
• LHP – Grant Dayton (MIA): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Scottsdale Scorpions 12 – Peoria Javelinas 2

• CF – Slade Heathcott (NYY): 4-5, 2B, 2 3B, 5 RBI, 2 R, SO – Player of the Day
• RHP – Bobby Cassevah (LAA): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
• DH – Cory Spangenberg (SD): 2-4, RBI, SO
• LHP – Jay Johnson (PHI): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

Surprise Saguaros 3 – Salt River Rafters 4

• DH – Darrell Ceciliani (NYM): 1-3, 2B, R, BB
• LHP – Kevin Siegrist (STL): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO
• RF – Kent Matthes (COL): 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
• RHP – Cory Riordan (COL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Monday, October 29th:

Yankees prospect baseman David Adams makes a play during Spring Training (Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE)

Mesa Solar Sox 2 – Surprise Saguaros 7

• 2B – Rafael Ynoa (LAD): 2-4, RBI, SB
• RHP – Red Patterson (LAD): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• CF – Darrell Ceciliani (NYM): 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SO
• LHP – Chase Huchingson (NYM): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Peoria Javelinas 1 – Scottsdale Scorpions 7

• SS – Jeudy Valdez (SD): 1-3, 2B, RBI, SO
• RHP – Kevin Quackenbush (SD): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• 3B – David Adams (NYY): 2-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB
• RHP – Kyle Kaminska (PIT): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO – Player of the Day

Salt River Rafters 9 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 2

• RF – Kent Matthes (COL): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB
• RHP – Ryan Perry (WSH): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• SS – Hak-Ju Lee (TB): 2-4, R
• RHP – Michael Brady (MIA): 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Saturday, October 27th:

Tyler Bortnick throws to first during the 2012 Triple-A National Championship Game. (Photo Credit: Liz Condo-US PRESSWIRE)

Peoria Javelinas 1 – Surprise Saguaros 4

• 2B – Cory Spangenberg (SD): 2-4, HR, RBI, R, SO
• RHP – Josh Ravin (CIN): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
• DH – Mike O’Neill (STL): 3-3, RBI
• RHP – Chris Martin (BOS): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Salt River Rafters 12 – Mesa Solar Sox 6

• 2B – Tyler Bortnick (ARZ): 4-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, SB – Player of the Day
• RHP – Chase Anderson (ARZ): 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO
• CF – Matt Szczur (CHC): 2-4, 3B, 2 R, BB, SO
• LHP – Chris Petrini (BAL): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Scottsdale Scorpions 8 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 8

• 3B – Adalberto Santos (PIT): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB, SB
• RHP – Mark Montgomery (NYY): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• RF – Josh Prince (MIL): 3-6, 2B, RBI, 2 R
• LHP – C.J. Riefenhauser (TB): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Friday, October 26th:

Singleton gets caught stealing at the 2012 MLB Futures Game (Photo Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE)

Mesa Solar Sox 8 – Scottsdale Scorpions 4

• 1B – Jonathan Singleton (HOU): 2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 R
• RHP – Kevin Rhoderick (CHC): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• RF – Tyler Holt (CLE): 2-5, R, SB
• RHP – Trey Haley (CLE): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Peoria Javelinas 7 – Salt River Rafters 8

• LF – Evan Bigley (MIN): 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB
• RHP – Drew Hayes (CIN): 1.o IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
• RF – Kent Matthes (COL): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R – Player of the Day
• LHP – Santos Rodriguez (CWS): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Phoenix Desert Dogs 1 – Surprise Saguaros 6

• DH – Edward Salcedo (ATL): 1-3, 2B, R, SO
• RHP – Michael Brady (MIA): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
• LF – Brian Fletcher (KC): 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SO
• LHP – Justin Marks (KC): 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Thursday, October 25th:

Luke Putkonen made his major league debut in 2012 and logged 16.0 innings with the Tigers (Photo Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE)

Peoria Javelinas 8 – Mesa Solar Sox 2

• DH – Nate Freiman (SD): 2-4, 2B, 3 R, BB – Has now hit in seven straight and eight out of ten overall
• RHP – Tim Crabbe (CIN): 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
• SS – Javier Baez (CHC): 1-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB, 2 SB
• RHP – Luke Putkonen (DET): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

Phoenix Desert Dogs 3 – Salt River Rafters 6

• RF – Kyle Jensen (MIA): 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB, SO – Now has 30 total bases in 11 games with a 0.422/.469/.667 slash line
• RHP – James Simmons (OAK): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
• CF – Brian Goodwin (WAS): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 R, BB
• RHP – Coty Woods (COL): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Surprise Saguaros 3 – Scottsdale Scorpions 6

• C – Christian Vazquez (BOS): 4-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI – Player of the Day – Talk about bunching hits, Vazquez is 0-16 in five games and 7-8 in his other two.
• RHP – Ryan Rodebaugh (TEX): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• 2B – Ronny Rodriguez (CLE): 2-4, 2B, R, SO
• LHP – Dan Runzler (SF): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Tim Beckham throws to first base during a spring game (Photo Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE)

Wednesday, October 24th:

Phoenix Desert Dogs 15 – Surprise Saguaros 1

• 2B – Tim Beckham (TB): 4-5, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB – Wednesday’s Player of the Day he led the Desert Dogs’ 22-hit barrage of Saguaros pitching.
• LHP – Ryan Buchter (ATL): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• SS – Luis Sardinas (TEX): 2-4, 2B
• RHP – Greg Peavey (NYM): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Salt River Rafters 6 – Peoria Javelinas 7

• RF – Trayce Thompson (CWS): 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB
• RHP – Taylor Thompson (CWS): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• CF – Billy Hamilton (CIN): 1-5, 3B, 3 RBI, R
• RHP – Kevin Quackenbush (SD): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO – After 6 appearances and 6.0 IP, he’s yet to give up a hit in the AFL.

Scottsdale Scorpions 4 – Mesa Solar Sox 3

• DH – Chris Dominguez (SF): 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB, 2 SO – Looking to recover from a dissapointing regular season he’s off to a 0.316/.381/.684 start in 5 AFL games.
• RHP – Mark Montgomery (NYY): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
• SS – Jiovanni Mier (HOU): 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, SO
• RHP – Andres Santiago (LAD): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

While he didn’t finish in the Top-5 this year, Clayton Blackburn was only one of two teenagers to lead a level in Ks with the other being Dodgers lefty Michael Sulbaran who paced the Arizona League. What separates Blackburn, and what is getting him some special attention in the course of this article, is the fact he pulled off the feat pitching with Augusta in A-ball. He did so in the midst of an overall fantastic season that certainly elevated his stock as a prospect.

Just like Blackburn, all five of the pitchers that paced the minors in strikeouts this past season also improved their stock. Let’s take a look at the Top-5, then as a part of the standard format, the leader at each level is included in list format at the end.

It’s time to start believing in Cingrani (Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE)

Top-5 Overall (All Levels)

190 SO – RHP Dan Straily (23), Midland RockHounds and Sacramento River Cats (Oakland)

2.78 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 110 H, 42 BB and 190 SO in 152.0 IP

In the baseball landscape, few players did more to boost their stock with a breakthrough season than Daniel Straily. He was well down the list in the team’s prospect depth chart ranking 9th in BA’s 2012 Prospect Handbook. That’s not 9th in their Top-30, that’s 9th amongst the organization’s right-handed starters.

This wasn’t a case of padding numbers in Double-A before taking a step back upon his promotion either. Straily’s big step forward actually took place after he reached Sacramento. He cut his WHIP from 1.09 to 0.89 and maintained his strikeout rate going from an 11.4 SO/9 with Midland to an 11.1 SO/9 with the River Cats.

190 K’s in a season is an impressive total at any level, or combination of levels, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t also give him credit for his performance once he reached Oakland. In the majors he added another 32 strikeouts in 39.1 IP pushing his total to 222 on the season. While with the A’s, Straily made seven starts finishing with a slightly above league average 103 ERA+ though his performance was uneven with four quality starts and three that were not so good. He proved to be susceptible to the long ball giving up 11 HR (2.5 H/9) in his limited big league workload which is certainly a bit of a red flag. However, with more experience in the majors he should be able to cut that rate given that it is more than four times the 0.6 HR/9 he’s turned in over the course of 519.2 minor league innings.

For an unheralded prospect entering the year it was an eye opening season for the A’s 24th round pick in the 2009 draft. There’s no question he’s worked his way into the rotation mix for 2013 but given the options that Oakland has, he may start the season back in Sacramento.

172 SO – LHP Tony Cingrani (23), Bakersfield Blaze and Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Cincinnati)

1.73 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 98 H, 52 BB and 172 SO in 146.0 IP

Cingrani was outstanding in his first pro season posting an 80-6 SO-to-BB in his time with Billings in 2011. While he couldn’t replicate that absurd 13.3 SO/BB in his second year, he was every bit as exceptional while taking on the California and Southern Leagues considering the jump in level of competition. Despite the difficult environment, Cingrani put up a 1.11 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 71-13 SO-to-BB in his 10 starts with Bakersfield and in doing so he opened the eyes of many who remained skeptical about his future contribution. By the end of the season, he was pitching out of the bullpen for the Reds. Despite the small sample size (5.0 innings), he showed he was far from over-matched allowing just 1 earned run (a solo HR) on 4 hits. He struck out 9 of the 22 batters he faced.

Cingrani could be an immediate asset for the Reds out of the bullpen, but given the level of success he’s had as a starter in his brief minor league career there is little reason to move him out of the rotation at this point. Whether or not he opens the 2013 season in Cincinnati or Louisville will largely depend on the team’s other rotation options, but a stint with Triple-A Louisville would be beneficial to augment his development.

172 SO – RHP Nick Tropeano (22), Lexington Legends and Lancaster Jethawks (Astros)

3.02 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 149 H, 47 BB and 166 SO in 158.0 IP

The Astros 5th round pick in the 2011 draft out of Stony Brook University, Tropeano turned in a strong debut season with short season Tri-City. As you can see from his stat line above, there was no evidence of a Sophomore slump for the young righty in 2012. He needed just 14 starts to advance from Lexington to Lancaster and finished with a SO/BB of 3.73 and 3.29 at the two stops respectively. Tropeano works off an outstanding changeup and spots his low-90s fastball with excellent command making it no surprise that he’s been able to make relatively quick work of batters in the lower levels. That’s not to take anything away from his performance thus far, but the real test will be how he handles Double-A and Triple-A hitters. Fortunately we won’t have to wait long as he should open 2013 with the Corpus Christi Hooks.

169 SO – LHP Adam Morgan (22), Clearwater Threshers and Reading Phillies

3.35 ERA, 1,11 WHIP, 137 H, 39 BB and 169 SO in 158.2 IP

Morgan, a 2011 3rd round pick from the University of Alabama, also had little trouble with the NYPL in his debut season, and like Tropeano above managed to avoid slumping in his second year. The Phillies elected to skip Morgan over low-A Lakewood and he responded to the challenge with a 140-28 SO-to-BB and 1.065 WHIP in 123.0 FSL innings before he was promoted to Reading.

His first of six starts in Double-A was a 7.0 inning, one hit shutout with the starts that followed falling in the categories of decent and mediocre. None-the-less he handled the promotion well and was clearly not overmatched with a 3.53 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 29-11 SO-to-BB in 35.2 IP. Overall it was a impressive year for a pitcher that barely moved the prospect needle last offseason – he ranked #29 in the Phillies Top-30 by Baseball America, was graded as a “C” prospect by John Sickels and missed the cut on our Phillies Team Prospect List. Morgan should return to open 2013 back in Reading but I’d surmise that he will do so with a little more fanfare as far as the prospect rankings go.

168 SO – RHP Matt Magill (22), Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers)

3.75 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 127 H, 61 BB and 168 SO in 146.1 IP

Magill has moved steadily at a one level per season pace since the Dodgers took him in the 31st round of the 2008 draft out of high school. Despite spending the entire 2012 season in Double-A, he turned in the best SO/BB (2.75) and best SO/9 (10.3) of his minor league career. His 7.8 H/9 was the second best mark of his career falling just shy of the 7.4 H/9 he had while pitching for the Ogden Raptors (Rk) back in 2009. It’s notable that he’s the same age as both Tropeano and Morgan even though he’s already logged 513.2 innings as a professional.

Another guy that was unheralded coming into the 2012 season, Magill barely made the Dodgers prospect depth chart in BA’s 2012 Prospect Handbook and was not one of the 1,200+ prospects that Sickels profiled in his book. However, back in February he was tabbed as the Dodgers 6th best SP prospect in our Dodgers Team Prospect List. In that piece, former S2S Editor Nathaniel Stoltz wrote:

“A clear step down from the top five pitchers in the system, Magill heads the next group of prospects. He’s somewhat similar to Webster, as an average-across-the-board stuff guy who threw well in High-A at age 21, but he lacks Webster’s command and is behind developmentally, as he has yet to see Double-A. Magill is a potential fourth or fifth starter or workhorse middle reliever.”

Given Magill’s 2012 performances and his rate of progression, he should find himself pitching in the Albuquerque Isotopes rotation to start the 2013 season, but a strong spring training with the Dodgers might put him in the mix to break camp with the big league club. Of course, that is dependent on the moves that Los Angeles makes in the offseason.

Leaders by League:

• International: 139 SO – RHP Chris Archer (24), Durham Bulls (Rays)
• Pacific Coast: 165 SO – RHP John Ely (26), Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers)
• Eastern: 151 SO – RHP Trevor May (23), Reading Phillies
• Southern: Magill (See Above)
• Texas: 122 SO – RHP Keyvius Sampson (21), San Antonio Missions (Padres)
• California: 153 SO – Anthony Meo (22), Visalia Rawhide and Tyler Matzek (22), Modesto Nuts
• Carolina: 160 SO – RHP Aaron Northcraft (22), Lynchburg Hillcats (Braves)
• Florida State: 151 SO – LHP Jesse Biddle (21), Clearwater Threshers (Phillies)
• Midwest: 167 SO – RHP Drew Granier (23), Burlington Bees (Athletics)
• South Atlantic: 143 SO – RHP Clayton Blackburn (19), Augusta Greenjackets (Giants)
• New York-Penn: 85 SO – RHP Luis Mateo (22), Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets)
• Northwest: 91 SO – RHP Javier Avendano (22), Vancouver Canadians (Blue Jays)
• Appalachian: 69 SO – LHP Todd Kibby (21), Bristol White Sox
• Pioneer: 89 SO – LHP Sam Selman (21), Idaho Falls Chukars (Royals)
• Arizona: 62 SO – LHP Miguel Sulbaran (18), AZL Dodgers
• Gulf Coast: 58 SO – RHP Yorfrank Lopez (21), GCL Tigers
• Dominican Summer: 95 SO – LHP Wander Beras (23), DSL Dodgers
• Venezuelan Summer: 86 SO – RHP Severino Gonzalez (20), VSL Phillies

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For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Jonathan Schoop at the 2012 Eastern League All-Star game (Photo Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE)

Tuesday, October 23rd:

Mesa Solar Sox 7 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 7

• SS – Jonathan Schoop (BAL): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, SB, BB, SO
• RHP – Chia-Jen Lo (HOU): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
• CF – Christian Yelich (MIA): 3-5, 2 2B, R, SB, BB
• RHP – Michael Brady (MIA): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Scottsdale Scorpions 2 – Peoria Javelinas 7

• DH – Ronny Rodriguez (CLE): 2-4, 2B, R
• LHP – Buddy Boshers (LAA): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• CF – Zach Collier (PHI): 3-5, 3B, 3 RBI, R
• RHP – Kyle Gibson (MIN): 3.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Surprise Saguaros – Salt River Rafters

• 2B – Kolten Wong (STL): 3-5, 3 RBI, R
• LHP – Jimmy Reyes (TEX): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• CF – Brian Goodwin (WAS): 3-4, HR, RBI, R, SB, BB, SO
• RHP – Ryan Perry (WAS): 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO – Player of the Day

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For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Monday, October 22nd:

Jeudy Valdez warms up during a Spring Training game against the Angels (Photo Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE)

Surprise Saguaros 0 – Peoria Javelinas 3

• 1B – Chris McGuiness (TEX): 1-2, BB
• RHP – Brock Huntzinger (BOS): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• SS – Jeudy Valdez (SD): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R, SO
• RHP – Kyle Simon (PHI): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Phoenix Desert Dogs 5 – Scottsdale Scorpions 1

• DH – Kyle Jensen (MIA): 3-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R
• RHP – Jimmy Nelson (MIL): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
• SS – Joe Panik (SF): 2-4
• RHP – Brandon Cumpton (PIT): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Mesa Solar Sox 4 – Salt River Rafters 5 (10 innings)

• DH – George Springer (HOU): 1-2, 2B, 2 R, BB, SB
• RHP – Kevin Rhoderick (CHC): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
• 1B – Andy Wilkins (CWS): 3-5, HR, RBI, R, 2 SO
• RHP – Chase Anderson (ARZ): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO – Player of the Day

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For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Saturday, October 20th:

James McCann in Spring Training (Photo Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE)

Mesa Solar Sox 10 – Surprise Saguaros 16

• C – James McCann (DET): 3-5, 2 R, SO
• RHP – Michael Morrison (DET): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• CF – Mike O’Neill (STL): 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R
• RHP – Chris Martin (BOS): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Peoria Javelinas 11 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 12

• LF – Nate Roberts (MIN): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
• RHP – Carson Smith (SEA): 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• CF – Josh Prince (MIL): 3-3, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB – Player of the Day
• RHP – James Simmons (OAK): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Scottsdale Scorpions 5 – Salt River Rafters 3

• SS – Joe Panik (SF): 3-3, RBI, 2 R, SB, BB
• LHP – Chris Gloor (SF): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• LF – Corey Dickerson (COL): 2-4, HR, RBI, R, SB
• RHP – Ian Kadish (TOR): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

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For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Home runs seemed like a logical place to start since “chicks dig the long ball” and the top two finishers this season were former Creighton Blue Jay and a Royals Prospect.

Darin Ruf made the Phillies front office take notice of him with 20 HR in August (Photo Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE)

Top-5 Overall (All Levels)

38 HR – Darin Ruf (26) – 1B/OF – Reading Phillies (AA)

0.317/.408/.620, 32 2B, 1 3B, 38 HR, 2 SB, 65 BB and 102 SO in 584 PA

If you know of anyone that predicted Darin Ruf would lead the minors in home runs in 2012, I suggest you take them to Vegas with you or have them pick some stocks for you to invest in. Or … maybe not since as they say, “lightning doesn’t strike twice.”  The former Creighton 1B (Go Jays!!) has always been a bat first player, and he did hit 0.308/.388/.506 with 43 2B and 17 HR last season in the FSL, but he took his game to an entirely new level in 2012. He set career highs in all three slash stats, finished with an OPS over 1.000, and forced the Phillies to give him a look at the major league level – skipping over Triple-A in the process.

With Philadelphia he hit 0.333/.351/.727 in 37 PA and cracked another three home runs giving him a total of 41 on the year. At 6’3″, 220 lbs he’s not the most athletic player you’ll come across, but he’s actually quite a skilled defensive 1B aside from his limited range. That range holds him back in LF as well but he will catch what he gets to. He’s old for a prospect and he’s coming off a career year – which included a 20 HR month of August – so it may be a bit early to assert with any confidence that he can carve out a career in the majors. That said, as a fellow Creighton alum, I’m certainly pulling for him.

37 HR – OF/3B Wil Myers (21), NW Arkansas Naturals and Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals)

0.314/.387/.600, 26 2B, 6 3B, 37 HR, 6 SB, 61 BB and 140 SO in 591 PA

Unlike Ruf, Myers has been a household name of Royals fans and prospect fans alike for a number of seasons. Baseball America had him ranked as the 28th best prospect in the game entering 2012 and he landed at #16 on Nathaniel’s S2S Top-100. Myers will hold a lofty spot in our 2013 list as well and is one of the early front runners for 2013 AL Rookie of the Year honors.

35 HR – 1B Mike Hessman (34), Oklahoma City RedHawks (Astros)

0.231/.301/.512, 19 2B, 35 HR, 40 BB and 136 SO in 492 PA

The senior citizen of this group, Hessman is well past his prospect days, but he’s long been a presence atop HR leaderboards. His 35 long balls in 2012 were a career high but he’s eclipsed 30 two other times (2007 and 2008). He now has a total of 384 HR – with 254 hit in Triple-A – in his 17 year professional career. The last of his 14 major league homers came back in 2010 with the Mets.

With all the power comes a slew of contact issues and a 0.231/.312/.461 slash line. Despite all the experience his propensity to swing and miss remains and is fully evident in his 28.4 K% over the course of his minor league career.

30  HR – 2B/3B Jedd Gyorko (24), San Antonio Missions and Tuscon Padres

0.311/.373/.547, 28 2B, 30 HR, 5 SB, 51 BB and 95 SO in 557 PA

The Padres grabbed Gyorko in the 2nd Round of the 2010 MLB draft and he became the prize of their class when 1st rounder Karsten Whitson didn’t sign. There was little doubt Jedd would hit but he’s shown better defensive ability and far more in-game power than was expected. He cracked BA’s Top-100 prospect list at #98 but some viewed his 47 2B and 25 HR output in 2011 with more skepticism – in part because he spent 81 of his 140 games in the California League.  He answered a lot of those doubts by surging to hit 0.328/.380/.588 in his time with Tuscon this year.

Now a career 0.319/.385/.529 hitter in three minor league seasons he stands on the cusp of the majors with experience at both 2B and 3B. Barring a significant injury, or some other random and detrimental event, Gyorko should find himself in San Diego’s lineup on Opening Day or shortly thereafter. He didn’t make the cut for the 2012 S2S Top-100 but I promise he has a spot on our 2013 list (coming soon).

30 HR – 3B Adam Duvall (24), San Jose Giants

0.258/.327/.487, 24 2B, 4 3B, 30 HR, 8 SB, 47 BB and 116 SO in 598 PA

Duvall followed up his 22 HR performance in the South Atlantic League with an even 30 in the California League in 2012. On top of the long balls he drove in 100 runs and scored 101 in 134 games with San Jose. If I was writing this in the 1980s, as opposed to today, there would likely be a lot more enthusiasm about his season. But it’s 2012 and we view and evaluate statistics much differently than we used to. While he upped his HR output, all three of his slash stats fell off compared to the 0.285/.385/.527 line he turned in with Augusta in 2011. His OPS dipped from 0.912 to 0.814 despite having the benefit of the Cal League environment on his his in 2012. I didn’t regard him as much of a prospect this past offseason and he did little to change that in 2012.

Leaders by League:

• International: Hessman (see above)
• Pacific Coast: 28 HR – 1B/3B  Dan Johnson (33), Charlotte Knights (White Sox)
• Eastern: Ruf (see above)
• Southern: 28 HR – 1B Hunter Morris (24), Huntsville Stars (Brewers)
• Texas: 28 HR – 3B/1B Mike Olt (24), Frisco Rough Riders (Rangers)
• California: Duvall (see above)
• Carolina: 22 HR – 1B Aaron Baker (25), Frederick (Orioles) and OF Trayce Thompson (21), Winston Salem (White Sox)
• Florida State: 24 HR – OF Marcell Ozuna (21), Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins)
• Midwest: 28 HR – 3B Miguel Sano (19), Beloit Snappers (Twins)
• South Atlantic: 27 HR – 3B Matt Skole (23), Hagerstown Suns (Nationals)
• New York-Penn: 10 HR – 1B Saxon Butler (22) and C Peter O’Brien (22), Staten Island Yankees
• Northwest: 12 HR – 3B Patrick Kivlehan (22) and 1B Taylor Ard (22), Everett AquaSox (Mariners)
• Appalachian: 14 HR – 3B Patrick Leonard (20), Burlington Royals and OF Adam Walker (21), Elizabethton Twins
• Arizona: 18 HR – 3B Joey Gallo (18), Spokane Indians (Rangers)
• Gulf Coast: 8 HR – OF Yeicok Calderon (20), GCL Yankees
• Pioneer: 16 HR – OF Julian Yan (20), Grand Junction Rockies
• Dominican Summer: 11 HR – OF Gabriel Guerrero (18), DSL Mariners
• Venezuelan Summer: 11 HR – 1B Iago Januario (19), VSL Rays

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Friday, October 19th:

Heckathorn pitches in spring training (Photo Credit: Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE)

Mesa Solar Sox 6 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 10

• 1B – Jonathan Singleton (HOU): 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB, SO
• LHP – Chris Petrini (BAL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
• RF – Kyle Jensen (MIA): 4-5, 2B, 3 RBI, SO
• RHP – Kyle Heckathorn (MIL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Salt River Rafters 0 – Scottsdale Scorpions 1

• SS – Ryan Goins (TOR): 1-2, BB
• RHP – Ryan Tepera (TOR): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO
• LF – Gary Brown (SF): 2-4, 2B, 3B, R
• LHP – T.J. House (CLE): 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO – Player of the Day

Surprise Saguaros 2 – Peoria Javelinas 3

• CF – Darrell Ceciliani (NYM): 1-3, RBI, 2 SB, BB, SO
• LHP – Sam Freeman (STL): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
• 1B – Donald Lutz (CIN): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R
• RHP – Drew Hayes (CIN): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Thursday, October 18th:

Cassevah allowed just one hit in four innings on Thursday. (Photo Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE)

Scottsdale Scorpions 8 – Mesa Solar Sox 3

• CF – Travis Witherspoon (LAA): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, R, BB, SO
• RHP – Bobby Cassevah (LAA): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO – Player of the Day
• 3B – Jonathan Schoop (BAL): 2-4, HR, RBI, R, SO
• RHP – Nick Tropeano (HOU): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO (needed just 7 pitches to retire the side)

Phoenix Desert Dogs 2 – Surprise Saguaros 2

• C – Christian Vazquez (BOS): 3-4, 2B, BB, R
• LHP – Kevin Siegrist (STL): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
• CF – Christian Yelich (MIA): 2-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, R, SO
• RHP – Michael Brady (MIA): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Peoria Javelinas 3 – Salt River Rafters 1

• 3B – Cody Asche (PHI): 1-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, SO
• LHP – Robbie Erlin (SD): 2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
• CF – Jake Marisnick (TOR): 2-4, 2B, SB, SO
• RHP – Andre Rienzo (CWS): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Obviously since the season is over and some teams have had two updates, some have only had one and the NL West teams have had zero coverage thus far, this project did not work out as I had planned on many levels. Undeterred I’m going to sally forth and finish off this round of updates and call it good. Next season if I attempt this again I’m going to have to make some major changes to the structure, plan and concept of this series.

Feel free to check out the category archive to read previous installments of the series.

(more…)

Zunino had a good day on Wednesday but Owings was even better (Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE)

Wednesday, October 17th:

Phoenix Desert Dogs 3 – Surprise Saguaros 7

• CF – Kevin Kiermaier (TB): 1-3, 2B, 2 R, SB, BB, SO
• RHP – Lenny Linsky (TB): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO
• DH – Hanser Alberto (TEX): 3-3, 3B, 2 R, SB
• RHP – Seth Blair (STL): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

Salt River Rafters 12 – Peoria Javelinas 9

• SS – Chris Owings (ARZ): 3-5, 3 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R – Player of the Day
• LHP – Isaiah Froneberger (COL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
• C – Mike Zunino (SEA): 2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R, SO
• LHP – Caleb Thielbar (MIN): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Mesa Solar Sox – Scottsdale Scorpions

• CF – Matt Szczur (CHC): 1-3, R, BB, SO
• RHP – Tony Zych (CHC): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
• 1B – Ricky Oropesa (SF): 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB, SO
• RHP – Kyle Kaminska (PIT): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Wong was perfect at the plate on Tuesday (Photo Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE)

Tuesday, October 16th:

Mesa Solar Sox 2 – Peoria Javelinas 4

• LF – Nick Castellanos (DET): 2-4, 2B, 2 R, SO
• RHP – Kevin Rhoderick (CHC): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• 2B – Nick Franklin (SEA): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R
• RHP – Kyle Gibson (MIN): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

Surprise Saguaros 11 – Scottsdale Scorpions 3

• 2B – Kolten Wong (STL): 4-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R – Player of the Day
• RHP – Ryan Pressly (BOS): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• CF – Travis Witherspoon (LAA): 2-3, R, BB
• RHP – Dan Burawa (NYY): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Phoenix Desert Dogs 3 – Salt River Rafters 3

• RF – Kyle Jensen (MIA): 2-4, 2B, SB
• LHP – C.J. Riefenhauser (TB): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• RF – Kent Matthes (COL): 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 BB, SB
• RHP – Sam Dyson (TOR): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Monday, October 15th:

Peoria Javelinas 9 – Mesa Solar Sox 2

• 2B – Jeudy Valdez (SD): 3-5, 2 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 R, SO – Player of the Day
• LHP – James Paxton (SEA): 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO
• CF – Matt Szczur (CHC): 3-4, 2B, RBI, R, SB
• LHP – Eric Eadington (LAD): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Cole Kimball is working to return to the majors after logging 14.0 innings there in 2011 (Photo Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE)

Salt River Rafters 4 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 2

• DH – Matthew Skole (WAS): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SO
• RHP – Cole Kimball (WAS): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• SS – Nick Ahmed (ATL): 1-4, 3B, R
• RHP – Cory Rasmus (ATL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Scottsdale Scorpions 0 – Surprise Saguaros 4

• RF – Tyler Holt (CLE): 2-2, BB
• RHP – Trey Haley (CLE): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• DH – Whit Merrifield (KC): 2-3, R, BB, SB
• LHP – Justin Marks (KC): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Obviously since the season is over and some teams have had two updates, some have only had one and the NL West teams have had zero coverage thus far, this project did not work out as I had planned on many levels. Undeterred I’m going to sally forth and finish off this round of updates and call it good. Next season if I attempt this again I’m going to have to make some major changes to the structure, plan and concept of this series.

Feel free to check out the category archive to read previous installments of the series.

Colorado Rockies (S2S 2012 Rockies Team Prospect List)

C – William Swanner (21) – Rockies 2010 15th Round Pick

Reasoning – Swanner is one of the first players I wrote about for this site, outside of our 2011 MLB Draft coverage. That article was published on July 5th, 2011 and was inspired by his three homer game the night before. I’ve been following him ever since.

As an aside how disappointing is it that the Rockies moved their Pioneer League team from Casper to Grand Junction? Not because of the change in venue, of course, but because they went from one of best team names in all of baseball to another in a long line of uninspired names that borrow from the parent club’s moniker. Moving from the Casper Ghosts to the Grand Junction Rockies is the equivalent of  making $50 per hour one day and minimum wage the next.

2011 – Casper (Rk): 0.264/.357/.553, 14 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 1 SB, 20 BB and 60 SO in 182 PA
2012 – Asheville (A): 0.302/.385/.529, 24 2B, 1 3B, 16 HR, 3 SB, 38 BB and 101 SO in 372 PA

Swanner’s bat is what makes him intriguing as a prospect and he has finished with an OPS north of 0.900 in each of his three minor league seasons. Of course since he’s not a well known name you’d be right to assume that there are some flaws in his game. In fact, for Swanner, there are two red flags holding him back. The first relates to his plate discipline and the other relates to his defensive ability as a catcher.

With respect to the first red flag, he’s struck out 194 times in 149 career games giving him a woeful 30.7 K%. He did however cut his K rate down to 27.2% while playing in full season ball for the first time in 2012, so that’s certainly a sign of progress even though he’s got a long, long way to go in that arena.  In addition to trimming his strikeout rate, while facing more advanced competition, Swanner also largely maintained his BB% which dropped just a tick from 11.0% in 2011 to 10.2% this past season.

Behind the plate is a different matter. While he gets positive marks for his leadership and has above average arm strength, his future as a catcher is sketchy at best. He has not made strides defensively as quickly as the organization hoped and baserunners have been taking advantage of poor throwing mechanics and subpar footwork. In 2012 he threw out just 13 of the 133 runners that attempted to steal a base, meaning he successfully gunned down a runner just 9.8% of the time. That’s not going to get it done at any level and he has other difficulties behind the plate as well.

Clearly the bat is going to have to carry him forward, but that’s okay because it’s good enough to do so. Swanner turned in a fine season offensively in 2012 and if he hadn’t been catching it’s reasonable to expect it would have been even better. He clearly wore down at the end of the year and stumbled to the finish line in a 12-66 slump during August and September. Outside of that stretch he hit better than 0.310 every month and slugged better than 0.600 in three of the first four months as well.

He’s yet to take the field at any other position in his professional career but that will probably need to change in the very near future. While I’d rather see him advance and succeed as a catcher, he’s a good athlete and should be able handle a position switch without too much difficulty. Not only would such a move eliminate one of the weak points of his game, it could also push his offensive production to another level since he would be able to devote more time to honing his approach at the plate.

LHP – Edwar Cabrera (24) – Signed out of the Dominican Republic as a NDFA on March 5th, 2008

Reasoning – When it came to amassing strikeouts in 2011, no one in the minors (at any level) stood above Cabrera who fanned 217 while pitching in the South Atlantic and California Leagues.

2011 – Asheville/Modesto: 3.34 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 155 H, 41 BB and 217 SO in 167.0 IP
2012 – Tulsa (AA): 2.94 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 65 H, 23 BB and 82 SO in 98.0 IP
2012 – Colorado Springs (AAA): 3.41 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 26 H, 12 BB and 39 SO in 31.2 IP
2012 – Colorado (MLB): 11.12 ERA, 2.82 WHIP, 9 H, 7 BB and 5 SO in 5.2 IP

Cabrera’s 2012 performance wasn’t nearly as impressive as the previous season in some respects, but it was enough to get him to the majors. He was bludgeoned in his first start, and major league debut, on June 27th (2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO, 3 HR), and got knocked around to a lesser degree a month later in a second start (3.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO). His big league stylings aside, Cabrera’s ERA, WHIP and H/9 were all better than his 2011 marks but for the first time in his professional career he struck out less than 10.7 batters per nine innings with a rate of “only” 8.4.

His fastball sits in the 88-92 mph range while his curveball is inconsistent and at it’s best will likely never be much more than an average pitch. His changeup, regarded as one of the best in the minors, is a true plus-plus pitch that he throws with excellent command. There is plenty of skepticism about his ability to stick in the rotation at the major league level, but he has succeeded at every stop thus far and he’s spent most of his career pitching in difficult environments.

He battled injuries in 2012 and didn’t appear in a game after August 3rd, but I’ve found nothing to suggest that he won’t be ready for the 2013 season. Cabrera should battle for a spot in the Rockies rotation during spring training and has a bright future as a #4/#5 starter or as a bullpen option. He does have longball tendencies so Colorado may not be the best home for him but if he makes his way to a team with a HR suppressing home ballpark he could turn in some very solid seasons.

OF – Corey Dickerson (23) – Rockies 2010 8th Round Pick

Reasoning – Dickerson finished the 2011 season with 64 extra base hits, but 49 of those – including 26 of his 32 HR – came at home in the bandbox known as McCormick Field. Would he be able to produce at a higher level, playing away from Asheville? That is a question that many, including myself, were wanting answered in 2012.

2011 – Asheville: 0.282/.356/.629, 27 2B, 5 3B, 32 HR, 9 SB, 39 BB and 99 SO in 435 PA
2012 – Modesto: 0.338/.396/.583, 24 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR, 9 SB, 25 BB and 42 SO in 270 PA
2012 – Tulsa: 0.274/.322/.504, 16 2B, 3 3B, 13 HR, 7 SB, 18 BB and 51 SO in 290 PA

Dickerson tore through Modesto before landing in Tulsa where his production, as you would expect, dropped off. However he showed the ability to adjust after getting off to a slow start with the Drillers. After hitting 0.206/.250/.492 in his first 16 Texas League games, he righted things and hit 0.296 with 11 2B, 1 3B and 10 HR in his next 51 games to close out the season. He doesn’t draw a ton of walks but he does a good job of making contact with quick hands and good bat speed. He cut his strikeout rate from 22.8% with Asheville to 15.5% and 17.6% with Modesto and Tulsa respectively which is also a positive.

As a prospect, Dickerson’s below average arm and speed relegate him to LF, and his bat will have to carry him forward. His performance in 2012 proved he was more than simply a product of Asheville’s cozy confines but what his potential role could be if/when he reaches the majors is still up in the air. Dickerson is currently playing with the Salt River Rafters in the AFL.

~~~~~

For more on the Colorado Rockies, check out Rox Pile!

Obviously since the season is over and some teams have had two updates, some have only had one and the NL West teams have had zero coverage thus far, this project did not work out as I had planned on many levels. Undeterred I’m going to sally forth and finish off this round of updates and call it good. Next season if I attempt this again I’m going to have to make some major changes to the structure, plan and concept of this series.

Feel free to check out the category archive to read previous installments of the series.

Los Angeles Dodgers (S2S 2012 Dodgers Team Prospect List)

1B – O’Koyea Dickson (22) – Dodgers 2011 12th Round Pick

Reasoning – Dickson was selected out of Division II Sonoma State and proceeded to pace the Pioneer League in slugging after he signed. There is no shortage of guys who turn in solid-to-great debut performances in rookie ball but Dickson really stood out, and I was anxious to see how he’d handle a full season assignment.

2011 – Ogden (Rk): 0.333/.402/.603, 10 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 1 SB, 19 BB and 44 SO in 215 PA
2012 – Great Lakes (A): 0.272/.366/.479, 27 2B, 1 3B, 17 HR, 11 SB, 46 BB and 65 SO in 451 PA

Dickson didn’t make his Loons debut until May due to a hand injury he suffered in spring training but took little time to get up to speed. He hit 0.333/.441/.595 in his first 24 games and also slugged 0.593 during the month of August. Of course he had his valleys in terms of production hitting just 0.224 in June and July with a SLG below 0.400 both months. Overall, Dickson showed off a sound approach at the plate with a 14.4 K% and 10.2 BB% while flashing more power than expected.

RHP – Garrett Gould (21) – Dodgers 2009 2nd Round Pick

Reasoning – One of the few top-10 prospects to be included in this series, Gould made the cut for two primary reasons. He attended high school in Maize, Kansas and featured an already plus curveball at the time he was drafted.

2011 – Great Lakes: 2.40 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 102 H, 37 BB and 104 SO in 123.2 IP
2012 – Rancho Cucamonga (A+): 5.75 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 140 H, 54 BB and 123 SO in 130.0 IP

Coming off a fantastic season with Great Lakes in 2011, the California League did not exactly agree with Gould. However, there is reason to expect that he will “bounce back” once he makes his way to Double-A and gets away from the thin air that reduced the effectiveness of his best pitch.

After allowing 13 HR in 184.0 innings heading into the season, he surrendered 19 while pitching with the Quakes. Even though he gave up a pile of longballs and finished with a bloated ERA, he improved his strikeout rate from the previous two seasons. With three quality pitches Gould should remain on everyone’s radar despite how his 2012 season played out.

3B – Alex Santana (19) – Dodgers 2011 2nd Round Pick

Reasoning – Santana found his way onto the Fish Watch list thanks to his big league bloodlines and his youth – he was one of the youngest players in the 2011 draft class. Of course the combination of potential plus power and already present plus bat speed didn’t hurt either.

2011 – AZL Dodgers (Rk): 0.238/.298/.339, 10 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 8 SB, 10 BB and 64 SO in 205 PA
2012 – AZL Dodgers (Rk): 0.240/.315/.323, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 SB, 11 BB and 41 SO in 108 PA
2012 – Ogden (Rk): 0.269/.297/.409, 8 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 SB, 4 BB and 29 SO in 102 PA

Just 18 years old when the season started, the Dodgers had him open with Ogden in June and he hit at a decent 0.269 clip but after racking up 29 SO and just 4 BB in 24 games he returned to his 2011 haunt in the AZL. The demotion helped Santana nearly triple his walk rate from 3.9% to 10.2% but his troubles making contact persisted. Against Arizona League pitching he struck out in 38.0% of his plate appearances this season which is an alarming rate regardless of context. Adding more concern to the fire, when he did make contact he didn’t hit the ball with much authority and continued to struggle in the field as well with 24 errors in 48 games at 3B (0.802 FLD%).

Santana just turned 19 in August so he still has youth and time on his side but despite his age the team surely expected more from him than what he’s shown. There’s no need to give up on him, and was very raw coming out of high school, but optimism should be tempered a bit until we see some evidence that he can handle pro ball.

~~~~~

For more on the Los Angeles Dodgers, check out Lasorda’s Lair!

Springer in his college days. (Photo Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE)

Saturday, October 13th:

Peoria Javelinas 7 – Scottsdale Scorpions 2

• DH – Nate Freiman (SD): 2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R
• RHP – Drew Hayes (CIN): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• LF – Chris Dominguez (SF): 2-4, HR, RBI, R, 2 SO
• RHP – Ryan Chaffee (LAA): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Phoenix Desert Dogs 3 – Mesa Solar Sox 8

• 1B – Brock Kjeldgaard (MIL): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, SO
• RHP – Johnny Hellweg (MIL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• LF – George Springer (HOU): 2-2, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB, SB
• RHP – Tyler Clark (DET): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Salt River Rafters 2 – Surprise Saguaros 10

• 1B – Andy Wilkins (CWS): 2-4, 2B, R, SB
• RHP – Sam Dyson (TOR): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• 1B – Chris McGuiness (TEX): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R
• LHP – Kevin Siegrist (STL): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO – Player of the Day

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Dellin Betances (Photo Credit: Michael L. Stein-US PRESSWIRE)

Friday, October 12th:

Peoria Javelinas 3 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 13

• CF – Billy Hamilton (CIN): 3-5, RBI, SB
• RHP – Kevin Quackenbush (SD): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• SS – Nick Ahmed (ATL): 3-3, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB
• LHP – C.J. Riefenhauser (TB): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Surprise Saguaros 6 – Mesa Solar Sox 12

• CF – Darrell Ceciliani (NYM): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB, SO
• LHP – Jon Keck (KC): 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
• DH – George Springer (HOU): 2-3, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, SO – Player of the Day
• RHP – Red Patterson (LAD): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

Salt River Rafters 0 – Scottsdale Scorpions 4

• CF – Jake Marisnick (TOR): 1-3, 2B, 2 SO
• RHP – Andre Rienzo (CWS): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
• 2B – David Adams (NYY): 2-2, 2B, R
• RHP – Dellin Betances (NYY): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Obviously since the season is over and some teams have had two updates, some have only had one and the NL West teams have had zero coverage thus far, this project did not work out as I had planned on many levels. Undeterred I’m going to sally forth and finish off this round of updates and call it good. Next season if I attempt this again I’m going to have to make some major changes to the structure, plan and concept of this series.

Feel free to check out the category archive to read previous installments of the series.

San Francisco Giants (S2S 2012 Giants Team Prospect List)

OF – Shawn Payne (23) – Giants 2011 35th Round Pick

Reasoning – Payne is a player that caught my eye when I was putting together the Giants Team Prospect List back in February. While he didn’t make the cut to be included in that piece, his Northwest League stat line was impressive with intriguing OBP, SB, BB and SO totals. The question was whether or not he could put up a similar line in a full season league.

2011 – Salem-Keizer (A-): 0.306/.431/.394, 8 2B, 3 3B, 21 SB, 29 BB and 32 SO in 195 PA
2012 – Augusta (A): 0.309/.411/.430, 20 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR, 53 SB, 61 BB and 73 SO in 491 PA
2012 – San Jose (A+): 3-9, 2B, 2 SO

As you can tell by the stats, Payne was able to improve upon his debut performance with an excellent year in the SAL. For a guy who struck out more than 20% of the time in his last two years at Georgia Southern (he led his team in Ks both years) he’s shown top-notch discipline as a pro. Last season he finished with a 16.4 K% and 14.9 BB%. With the Greenjackets he cut his strikeout rate down to 14.9% and turned in a still solid 12.4 BB% to go with it. Payne was a consistent presence the entire season hitting 0.300 or better in each month except for May when he dipped to 0.238, but even in that rough stretch he maintained a still healthy 0.360 OBP. Payne’s speed also continued to be a factor in his game. Not only did he swipe 53 bases, he did so while being caught just three times giving him a 94.6% success rate on the season.

Payne turned 23 in July and was just a shade (5 months) older that the median age of players in the SAL so there aren’t any real concerns there. In fact he likely could have handled a promotion to San Jose earlier in the season. The CAL figures to be his landing spot to open 2013 and if he can repeat what he’s done the first two years of his career, he may work his way into the Giants plans as a top-of-the order hitter.

LHP – Adalberto Mejia (19) – Signed out of the Dominican Republic as a NDFA March 18th, 2011

Reasoning – I know it’s not wise to get amped up about stats in rookie ball, especially when you’re talking about the Dominican Summer League, but Mejia made 13 starts in the DSL and walked just 8. Try as I might, I just can’t help but follow a LHP prospect that can pull that off at such a young age.

2011 – DSL Giants (FRk): 1.42 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 58 H, 8 BB and 71 SO in 76.0 IP
2012 – Augusta (A): 3.97 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 122 H, 21 BB and 79 SO in 106.2 IP

Obviously the Giants took notice of his season and thought enough of him to skip him over the Arizona and Northwest Leagues. Not only did Mejia have to adjust to the rigors of full season ball, he had to do so while adapting to life in the US in 2012. Aside from the statistical results, and considering the context, his 2012 season was a rousing success. Listed at 6’3″ and 195, he has a near ideal frame for a starter once he tacks on a few pounds. The potential is there for him to add velocity as he remains very projectable but already possesses a strong changeup and is capable of throwing in the low-90s. As a lefty this is an excellent base from which to build. While his SO/9 fell to 6.7 in 2012 and he gave up more hits than innings pitched, he kept his walk rate down (1.8 BB/9). He was at his best in the second half of the season with a 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 49-7 SO-to-BB in 69.0 innings after the All-Star break. Next up figures to be a move to San Jose where the California League will present an enormous challenge for the 19-year old lefty.

RHP – Seth Rosin (23) – Giants 2010 4th Round Pick

Reasoning – Rosin attended Mounds View High School (where I graduated – go Mustangs!) and then went on to pitch for the University of Minnesota. A big framed guy – 6’6″, 250 lbs – he’s struck out a batter per inning and has shown decent control as well. I wrote the following about him at the end of February: “Primarily a three-pitch guy with a low-90s fastball, curve and changeup he was very impressive coming out of the bullpen in the Arizona Fall League and was touching 97 on the radar guns down there. San Francisco used him in the rotation, as a closer and as a set-up man in 2011 but I believe his true value lies as a starter. Hopefully the Giants give him a full season in that role to see what he can do.”

2011 – Augusta (A): 3.34 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 81 H, 30 BB and 93 SO in 89.0 IP
2012 – San Jose (A+): 4.31 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 49 H, 18 BB and 68 SO in 56.1 IP

2012 – Clearwater (A+): 3.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 7 H, 4 BB and 7 SO in 12.0 IP

I still think his future is brightest as a starter but the Giants clearly had other plans to open the season. Initially he was used out of the bullpen, pitched in a few different relief roles and wound up with 10 saves along the way. On June 28th he made his first of five starts with San Jose and wound up with a 3.75 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 24-5 SO-to BB in 24.0 IP as a member of the rotation.

Rosin then made his way to the Clearwater Threshers thanks to the July 31st trade that brought Hunter Pence to San Francisco. He made 3 FSL starts in August after the trade with his last – on August 24th – consisting of just 1.0 inning. He didn’t pitch after that outing but I couldn’t find any information related to an injury. According to his twitter activity he’s already started conditioning for the 2013 season and I assume he will be ready to open the year with Reading. On the whole his 2012 season was solid and productive, but it wasn’t the breakout I was expecting. Undeterred, I remain a believer in his future as a big league rotation arm.

~~~~~

For more on the San Francisco Giants, check out Around the Foghorn!

Kyle Gibson impressed on Thursday (Photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE)

Thursday October 11th:

Mesa Solar Sox 6 – Surprise Saguaros 5

• 2B – Rafael Ynoa (LAD): 2-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, SB
• RHP – Nick Tropeano (HOU): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• 3B – Dustin Lawley (NYM): 2-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• RHP – Seth Blair (STL): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

Phoenix Desert Dogs 0 – Peoria Javelinas 6

• 1B – Hunter Morris (MIL): 2-4
• LHP – Grant Dayton (MIA): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• 1B – Donald Lutz (CIN): 3-4, 3B, R
• RHP – Kyle Gibson (MIN): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO – Player of the Day

Scottsdale Scorpions 5 – Salt River Rafters 6

• LF – Gary Brown (SF): 3-5, 2 RBI, SB
• RHP – Tyler Waldron (PIT): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO
• 1B – Andy Wilkins (CWS): 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R
• RHP – Coty Woods (COL): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Obviously since the season is over and some teams have had two updates, some have only had one and the NL West teams have had zero coverage thus far, this project did not work out as I had planned on many levels. Undeterred I’m going to sally forth and finish off this round of updates and call it good. Next season if I attempt this again I’m going to have to make some major changes to the structure, plan and concept of this series.

Feel free to check out the category archive to read previous installments of the series.

San Diego Padres (S2S 2012 Padres Team Prospect List)

2B – Jonathan Galvez (21) – Signed out of the Dominican Republic as a NDFA on July 7th, 2007

Reasoning – Galvez is one of the few players I selected for this series that was a part of our 2012 Top-100 (#58) but Nathaniel’s ranking of the young 2B was more bullish than most, if not all. As an underrated middle infield prospect with a good mix of speed and power potential he seemed like a perfect fit for this list.

2011 – Lake Elsinore (A+): 0.291/.355/.465, 36 2B, 5 3B, 13 HR, 37 SB, 41 BB and 123 SO in 545 PA
2012 – San Antonio (AA): 0.292/.364/.426, 20 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 12 SB, 31 BB and 70 SO in 350 PA

Right off the bat you can see that while he moved from the hitter friendly world of the California League to the Texas League – which doesn’t exactly suppress offense in it’s own right – Galvez improved both his BA and OBP. As expected his SLG dropped but not quite as sharply as I would have expected. Along with the bump in OBP he improved his BB% from 7.5% to 8.9% and cut his K% from 22.6 to a flat 20.0%. While neither rate is anything to write home about – and he needs to improve in both areas – these are fairly significant gains since he was making the difficult jump from A+ to AA. His production tailed off after the all-star break and he battled ankle and quad injuries early in the year, but all-in-all it was a successful season for Galvez. He’s steadily advanced through the system advancing one level per year, but he remains young for his level and should open 2013 in Triple-A. There’s a high probability that his major league debut won’t be far behind.

SS – Jace Peterson (22) – Padres 2011 1st Round Pick (58th Overall)

Reasoning – A two-sport athlete while at McNeese State, Peterson showed off his willingness to draw walks and his ability to utilize his speed on the bases in his first pro season. Combine those readily apparent attributes with his projected ability to make contact and a chance to stick at SS and you have a prospect that screams sleeper.

2011 – Eugene (A-): 0.243/.360/.333, 9 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 39 SB, 50 BB and 53 SO in 333 PA
2012 – Fort Wayne (A): 0.286/.378/.392, 23 2B, 9 3B, 2 HR, 51 SB, 62 BB and 63 SO in 521 PA

In his first year in full season ball, Peterson certainly didn’t disappoint. He carried everything positive he did in 2011 with him as he made the jump to the Midwest League. He maintained an excellent walk rate (11.9%) and pushed his strike out rate from merely good (15.9%) to an also excellent 12.1%. Peterson also did a better job of making consistent, solid contact in 2012 upping his BA and SLG by 43 and 59 points respectively. No longer a sleeper, Peterson is solidly on track to be develop into a quality lead-off hitter.

RHP – Cody Hebner (21) – Padres 2011 4th Round Pick

Reasoning – Drafted out of Green River Community College, Hebner entered pro ball with a smaller than ideal frame (5’11″ 175 lbs) and three pitches that could potentially be plus in his fastball, changeup and slider. His inconsistency was the main concern at draft time but he turned in a fine debut season with a strong 6.7 H/9 and 9.3 SO/9.

2011 – Eugene (A-): 3.35 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 28 H, 15 BB and 39 SO in 37.2 IP
2012 – Fort Wayne (A): 5.01 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 108 H, 50 BB and 110 SO in 109.2 IP

By starting off in Eugene and then spending all of 2012 in the Midwest League, Hebner has followed the same developmental path as fellow 2011 draft pick, Jace Peterson. The results have not mirrored his teammate’s however. While Peterson took a big step forward this year, Hebner could not replicate his 2011 numbers and slipped a bit in several areas. However, the overall stat line above masks the fact that he pitched rather well in the first half of the season with a 4.03 ERA, 69-20 SO-to-BB in 67.0 IP before his numbers fell off to a 6.54 ERA and 41-30 SO-to-BB in 42.2 innings after the break. Fatigue may have played a role in his decline but that aside he struck out at least a batter per inning and kept his walk rate from getting out of hand. The stats may not get a lot of attention from the bulk of fans and evaluators alike, but don’t sleep on Hebner in 2013. He’s on the cusp of a breakout season.

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For more on the San Diego Padres, check out Chicken Friars!

Chris Reed at the 2012 All Star Futures Game in Kansas City. (Photo Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE)

Wednesday October 10th:

Peoria Javelinas 4 – Surprise Saguaros 8

• 3B – Cody Asche (PHI): 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, R, BB
• RHP – Curtis Partch (CIN): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• 1B – Chris McGuiness (TEX): 4-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R, SO – Player of the Day
• RHP – Pete Ruiz (BOS): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Salt River Rafters 11 – Mesa Solar Sox 3

• 1B – Matt Skole (WAS): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB, SO
• RHP – Kevin Munson (ARZ): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO
• 1B – Jonathan Singleton (HOU): 2-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, R
• LHP – Chris Reed (LAD): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO

Phoenix Desert Dogs 5 – Scottsdale Scorpions 6

• RF – Brock Kjeldgaard (MIL): 2-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB
• RHP – Kirby Yates (TB): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO
• 2B – Adalberto Santos (PIT): 1-3, 2B, R, SB, 2 BB, SO
• LHP – Matt Packer (CLE): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

Rymer Liriano at the 2012 All Star Futures Game in Kansas City (Photo Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE)

Anyway … following on the heels of our 2012 AFL Delegates series – where we broke down the players each organization was sending to the desert – I wanted to do a brief daily recap of the AFL action from the previous day. You could consider it a “junior” version of what we did this summer with the Prospect Pulse/Standout Sprouts series with a few minor changes. These pieces are meant to be “quick hits” to supplement other content I will publish each day, though I reserve the right to add thoughts on various players from time to time.

Tuesday October 9th:

Scottsdale Scorpions 3 – Phoenix Desert Dogs 4

• C – Austin Romine (NYY): 1-3, 2B, R, BB, SO
• LHP – Chris Gloor (SF): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO
• 2B – Grant Green (OAK): 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB
• RHP – Shawn Haviland (OAK): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Surprise Saguaros 2 – Peoria Javelinas 5

• RF – Bryce Brentz (BOS): 1-4, 3B, R
• LHP – Justin Marks (KC): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
• RF – Rymer Liriano (SD): 2-3, 2B, R, BB
• LHP – James Paxton (SEA): 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Mesa Solar Sox 5 – Salt River Rafters 6

• SS – Javier Baez (CHC): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R, 2 SO – Player of the Day
• RHP – Kevin Rhoderick (CHC): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
• RF – Kent Matthes (COL): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
• RHP – Deck McGuire (TOR): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

~~~~~

For more on all things baseball related, check out Call to the Pen!

The. Total. Package. (Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE)

• #11-20
• #21-30
• #31-40
• #41-50
• #51-60
• #61-70
• #71-80
• #81-90
• #91-100

Eight of this group reached the majors with three of them spending the majority of the season there. Harper and Trout are near locks to win the NL and AL Rookie of the Year Awards and if they stay in their respective leagues both figure to take home a couple MVPs in their careers. Trout of course, might (and should) take home his first MVP this season as he was the best player in all of baseball whether you use basic stats, advanced stats or the good old eye test with a dose of common sense mixed in.

Aside from that talented duo, Moore will be fronting the Rays rotation for many years to come and Turner and Miller should be in the 2013 Opening Day rotations for their respective major league clubs. Taillon is a bit behind those guys but is well on his way to joining that group in a couple years. Profar looks like he will make good on developing into one of the most dynamic shortstops in the game and Rendon showed flashes that he can be a force if he can stay healthy. Only Skaggs and Teheran saw their stock slip, but both remain premium talents.

#1:  Mike Trout – OF – Los Angeles Angels

Profile Published – 1/6/2012
2012 – Salt Lake (AAA): 0.403/.467/.623, 4 2B, 5 3B, 1 HR, 6 SB, 11 BB and 16 SO in 93 PA
2012 – Los Angeles (MLB): 0.326/.399/.564, 27 2B, 8 3B, 30 HR, 49 SB, 67 BB and 139 SO in 639 PA
Best Month – July: 0.392/.455/.804 in 112 PA with Los Angeles
Worst Month – August: 0.284/.366/500 in 134 PA with Los Angeles

Stock Up/Down – Up. He’s going to easily win the AL Rookie of the Year and is the AL MVP in my book as well. Not only that, his Baseball Reference page lists his nickname as the Millville Meteor. He’s a true five-tool talent, turned in one of the best major league seasons ever and he has an awesomely unique nickname.

#2:  Jurickson Profar – SS – Texas Rangers

Profile Published – 1/5/2012
2012 – Frisco (AA): 0.281/.368/.452, 26 2B, 7 3B, 14 HR, 16 SB, 66 BB and 79 SO in 562 PA
2012 – Texas (MLB): 0.176/.176/.471, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 SO in 17 PA
Best Month – May: 0.322/385/.513 in 127 PA with Frisco
Worst Month – April: 0.253/.323/.483 in 96 PA with Frisco

Stock Up/Down – Up. He was everything I expected him to be and more in 2012. He won’t turn 20 until February and may break camp on the Rangers Opening Day roster. SS like this don’t come around very often.

#3:  Bryce Harper – OF – Washington Nationals

Profile Published – 1/4/2012
2012 – Syracuse (AAA): 0.243/.325/.365, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 SB, 9 BB and 14 SO in 84 PA
2012 – Washington (MLB): 0.270/.340/.477, 26 2B, 9 3B, 22 HR, 18 SB, 56 BB and 120 SO in 597 PA
Best Month – September/October: 0.330/.400/.643 in 126 PA with Washington
Worst Month – July: 0.222/.306/.313 in 111 PA with Washington

Stock Up/Down – Up. He won’t turn 20 until next week and led all NL rookies in WAR 4.9. Expanding beyond just rookies he was 7th among NL outfielders in terms of WAR and will likely run away with the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Harper’s been subject to absurd expectations and hype since high school and amazingly he’s lived up to it all every step of the way.

#4:  Matt Moore – LHP – Tampa Bay Rays

Profile Published – 1/3/2012
2012 – Tampa Bay (MLB): 3.81 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 158 H, 81 BB and 175 SO in 177.1 IP
Best Month – August: 37.0 IP, 32 H, 9 ER, 12 BB and 40 SO
Worst Month – April: 25.0 IP, 25 H, 13 ER, 14 BB and 17 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up. Needs to improve his walk rate, but he stayed in the Rays rotation the entire season and made 31 starts for the team. He finished the year with an ERA+ of 100 and struck out nearly a batter per inning. Moore also showed significant improvement in the second half of the season.

#5:  Tyler Skaggs – LHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

Profile Published – 1/2/2012
2012 – Mobile (AA): 2.84 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 63 H, 21 BB and 71 SO in 69.2 IP
2012 – Reno (AAA): 2.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 49 H, 16 BB and 45 SO in 52.2 IP
2012 – Arizona (MLB): 5.83 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 30 H, 13 BB and 21 SO in 29.1 IP
Best Month – May: 23.0 IP, 18 H, 3 ER, 7 BB and 18 SO with Mobile
Worst Month – September: 17.0 IP, 22 H, 15 ER, 6 BB and 12 SO with Arizona

Stock Up/Down – Down. Got knocked around with the D-Backs in September but of greater concern is the sharp drop off in his strikeout rate from 2011 to 2012. Still a fantastic prospect but didn’t do nearly enough to boost his stock.

#6:  Jacob Turner – RHP – Miami Marlins

Profile Published – 1/1/2012
2012 – Lakeland (A+): 1.66 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 17 H, 7 BB and 17 SO in 21.2 IP
2012 – Toledo (AAA): 3.16 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 52 H, 24 BB and 40 SO in 62.2 IP
2012 – New Orleans (AAA): 1.98 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 27 H, 12 BB and 16 SO in 27.1 IP
2012 – Detroit (MLB): 8.03 ERA, 1.95 WHIP, 17 H, 7 BB, 7 SO in 12.1 IP
2012 – Miami (MLB): 3.38 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 33 H, 9 BB and 29 SO in 42.2 IP
Best Month – June: 30.0 IP, 26 H, 3 ER, 15 BB and 16 SO with Toledo and Detroit
Worst Month – May: 34.2 IP, 27 H, 17 ER, 16 BB and 30 SO with Lakeland and Toledo

Stock Up/Down – Up. Once traded to Miami he made seven starts in the majors and finished with a 118 ERA+. He still has a ton of potential to tap into and at just 21 should be in the Marlins 2013 Opening Day rotation. As a fun side note, he set a record for players in our Top-100 by playing for five different teams in 2012.

#7:  Julio Teheran – RHP – Atlanta Braves

Profile Published – 12/31/2011
2012 – Gwinnett (AAA): 5.08 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 146 H, 43 BB and 97 SO in 131.0 IP
2012 – Atlanta (MLB): 5.68 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 5 H, 1 BB and 5 SO in 6.1 IP
Best Month – May: 28.2 IP, 30 H, 11 ER, 11 BB and 24 SO with Gwinnett
Worst Month – July: 22.2 IP, 27 H, 16 ER, 5 BB and 14 SO with Gwinnett

Stock Up/Down – Down. 2012 was the worst season of Teheran’s career aside from six Appalachian League starts in his first season as a professional (2008).

#8:  Shelby Miller – RHP – St. Louis Cardinals [12/30/2011]

Profile Published -
2012 – Memphis (AAA): 4.74 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 138 H, 50 BB and 160 SO in 136.2 IP
2012 – St. Louis (MLB): 1.32 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 9 H, 4 BB and 16 SO in 13.2 IP
Best Month – June: 18.2 IP, 20 H, 14 ER, 10 BB and 23 SO with Memphis
Worst Month – September/October: 13.2 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 4 BB and 16 SO with St. Louis

Stock Up/Down – Up. For most of the season Miller really scuffled, but he erased several months of lackluster results with a strong August in the PCL and an even better September in St. Louis. His one start in the majors on October 3rd was a 6.0 inning, 1 hit gem.

#9:  Jameson Taillon – RHP – Pittsburgh Pirates

Profile Published – 12/29/2011
2012 – Bradenton (A+): 3.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 109 H, 37 BB and 98 SO in 125.0 IP
2012 – Altoona (AA): 1.59 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 11 H, 1 BB and 18 SO in 17.0 IP
Best Month – April: 24.2 IP, 15 H, 4 ER, 4 BB and 28 SO with Bradenton
Worst Month – June: 27.2 IP, 31 H, 18 ER, 7 BB and 23 SO with Bradenton

Stock Up/Down – Up. Was having a decent season in the FSL, but it was his three start stint in Double-A at the end of the year that really boosted his stock.

#10:  Anthony Rendon – 3B – Washington Nationals

Profile Published – 12/28/2011
2012 – GCL Nationals (Rk): 0.364/.500/1.000, 1 2B, 2 HR, 3 BB and 3 SO in 14 PA
2012 – Auburn (A-): 0.259/.375/.444, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB and 6 SO in 32 PA
2012 – Potomac (A+): 0.333/.438/.630, 2 2B, 3 3B, 5 BB and 4 SO in 32 PA
2012 – Harrisburg (AA): 0.162/.305/.368, 3 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 11 BB and 16 SO in 82 PA
Best Month – July: 0.292/.433/.708 in 30 PA with Auburn and the GCL Nationals
Worst Month – August/September: 0.218/.342/.426 in 120 PA with Auburn, Harrisburg and Potomac

Stock Up/Down – Push, primarily due to the fact that the injury bug keeps biting him. Despite missing a large chunk of the season he turned in a solid OBP and SLG in his first action as a professional.

~~~~~

For links to plenty more content on prospects check out, Fantasy Rundown and to keep tabs on all the happenings in the majors, check out Call to the Pen.

Machado lept to the majors and helped push the O’s into the playoffs (Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE)

• #21-30
• #31-40
• #41-50
• #51-60
• #61-70
• #71-80
• #81-90
• #91-100

Since we’re now one step away from the Top-10, you’d expect this group to be very strong and they didn’t disappoint in 2012. Nine of the ten prospects below upped their stock in my book with only Mesoraco slipping. Four of the ten spent time in the majors and three of those (Mesoraco, Machado and Hutchison) exhausted their prospect eligibility in the process.

#11:  Robbie Erlin – LHP – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 12/27/2011
2012 – AZL Padres (Rk): 2.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 7 H, 2 BB and 8 SO in 8.1 IP
2012 – San Antonio (AA): 2.92 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 53 H, 14 BB and 72 SO in 52.1 IP
Best Month – May: 18.0 IP, 18 H, 5 ER, 6 BB and 25 SO with San Antonio
Worst Month – August: 27.0 IP, 22 H, 9 ER, 6 BB and 35 SO with San Antonio and the AZL Padres

Stock Up/Down – Up, based on the 60.2 innings he was on the mound. Turned in an outstanding 5.00 SO/BB and was strong in most every other statistical measure as well.

#12:  Devin Mesoraco – C – Cincinnati Reds

Profile Published – 12/26/2011
2012 – Louisville (AAA): 0.167/.211/.222, 1 2B, 1 BB and 2 SO in 19 PA
2012 – Cincinnati (MLB): 0.212/.288/.352, 8 2B, 5 HR, 1 SB, 17 BB and 33 SO in 184 PA
Best Month – April: 0.300/.389/.433 in 36 PA with Cincinnati
Worst Month – August: 0.150/.186/.200 in 43 PA with Cincinnati and Louisville

Stock Up/Down – Down. Simply failed to live up to the standard he set for himself in 2010 and 2011.

#13:  Manny Machado – SS – Baltimore Orioles

Profile Published – 12/25/2011
2012 – Bowie (AA): 0.266/.352/.438, 26 2B, 5 3B, 11 HR, 13 SB, 48 BB and 70 SO in 459 PA
2012 – Baltimore (MLB): 0.262/.294/.445, 8 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 2 SB, 9 BB and 38 SO in 202 PA
Best Month – June: 0.286/.336/.467 in 113 PA with Bowie
Worst Month – July: 0.214/.320/.393 in 97 PA with Bowie

Stock Up/Down – Up. Reached the majors well ahead of schedule and looks like he’s there to stay.

#14:  Trevor Bauer – RHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

Profile Published – 12/24/2011
2012 – Mobile (AA): 1.68 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 33 H, 26 BB and 60 SO in 48.1 IP
2012 – Reno (AAA): 2.85 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 74 H, 35 BB and 97 SO in 82.0 IP
2012 – Arizona (MLB): 6.06 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 14 H, 13 BB and 17 SO in 16.1 IP
Best Month – April: 28.2 IP, 18 H, 4 ER, 17 BB and 37 SO with Mobile
Worst Month – July: 17.1 IP, 16 H, 11 ER, 13 BB and 18 SO with Reno and Arizona

Stock Up/Down – Up. He had a rough go of things in three out of four starts at the major league level but he was otherwise fantastic and will be just 22 on Opening Day.

#15:  Gerrit Cole – RHP – Pittsburgh Pirates

Profile Published – 12/23/2011
2012 – Bradenton (A+): 2.55 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 53 H, 21 BB and 69 SO in 67.0 IP
2012 – Altoona (AA): 2.90 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 54 H, 23 BB and 60 SO in 59.0 IP
2012 – Indianapolis (AAA): 4.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 6 H, 1 BB and 7 SO in 6.0 IP
Best Month – May: 28.0 IP, 21 H, 5 ER, 8 BB and 21 SO with Bradenton
Worst Month – June: 22.0 IP, 25 H, 10 ER, 6 BB and 27 SO with Bradenton and Altoona

Stock Up/Down – Up. He delivered on the hype and lived up to the expectations in his first pro season.

#16:  Wil Myers – OF – Kansas City Royals

Profile Published – 12/22/2011
2012 – NW Arkansas (AA): 0.343/.414/.731, 11 2B, 1 3B, 13 HR, 4 SB, 16 BB and 42 SO in 152 PA
2012 – Omaha (AAA): 0.304/.378/.554, 15 2B, 5 3B, 24 HR, 2 SB, 45 BB and 98 SO in 439 PA
Best Month – May: 0.337/.415/.760 in 118 PA with NW Arkansas and Omaha
Worst Month – July: 0.274/.355/.558 in 110 PA with Omaha

Stock Up/Down – Up. He was the Minor League Player of the Year after all.

#17:  Gary Sanchez – C – New York Yankees

Profile Published – 12/21/2011
2012 – Charleston (A): 0.297/.353/.517, 19 2B, 13 HR, 11 SB, 22 BB and 65 SO in 289 PA
2012 – Tampa (A+): 0.279/.330/.436, 10 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 4 SB, 10 BB and 41 SO and 185 PA
Best Month – June: 0.324/.381/.595 in 84 PA with Charleston
Worst Month – July: 0.221/.310/.377 in 87 PA with Tampa

Stock Up/Down – Up. Reached the FSL for the first time, cut his K% and improved his OPS a tick from 2011.

#18:  Xander Bogaerts – SS – Boston Red Sox

Profile Published – 12/20/2011
2012 – Salem (A+): 0.302/.378/.505, 27 2B, 3 3B, 15 HR, 4 SB, 43 BB and 85 SO in 435 PA
2012 – Portland (AA): 0.326/.351/.598, 10 2B, 5 HR, 1 SB, 1 BB and 21 SO in 97 PA
Best Month – June: 0.330/.424/.620 in 118 PA with Salem
Worst Month – May: 0.258/.308/.381 in 104 PA with Salem

Stock Up/Down – Up and just turned 20 last week. All signs are very positive except for the 21-1 SO-to-BB he racked up in the Eastern League to close the season.

#19:  Cody Buckel – RHP – Texas Rangers

Profile Published – 12/19/2011
2012 – Myrtle Beach (A+): 1.31 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 49 H, 25 BB and 91 SO in 75.2 IP
2012 – Frisco (AA): 3.78 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 56 H, 23 BB and 68 SO in 69.0 IP
Best Month – May: 33.0 IP, 18 H, 3 ER, 11 BB and 40 SO with Myrtle Beach
Worst Month – July: 27.0 IP, 19 H, 12 ER, 10 BB and 26 SO with Frisco

Stock Up/Down – Up. He’s 20-years old and already in Double-A with a 2.96 SO/BB. What’s not to like?

#20:  Drew Hutchison – RHP – Toronto Blue Jays

Profile Published – 12/18/2011
2012 – New Hampshire (AA): 2.16 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 16 H, 3 BB and 12 SO in 16.2 IP
2012 – Toronto (MLB): 4.60 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 59 H, 20 BB and 49 SO in 58.2 IP
Best Month – June: 14.0 IP, 12 H, 6 ER, 3 BB and 13 SO with Toronto
Worst Month – May: 34.1 IP, 33 H, 17 ER, 13 BB and 30 SO with Toronto

Stock Up/Down – Up. It was a bit surprising that he was in Toronto’s rotation after just three April starts in the Eastern League, but Hutchison handled himself well. A UCL injury in June eventually led to Tommy John surgery in August and he will out for the bulk of (if not the entirety) of 2013.

~~~~~

For links to plenty more content on prospects check out, Fantasy Rundown and to keep tabs on all the happenings in the majors, check out Call to the Pen.

Gose reached Toronto in 2012, he needs to make his presence felt in 2013 (Photo Credit: Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE)

• #31-40
• #41-50
• #51-60
• #61-70
• #71-80
• #81-90
• #91-100

Half of this group of ten played in the majors this season and three of them (Delgado, Gose and Pomeranz) exhausted their prospect eligibility as a result. All told five of the below saw their stock go up, three had their stock go down and two essentially stayed the same.

#21:  Randall Delgado – RHP – Atlanta Braves

Profile Published – 12/17/2011
2012 – Gwinnett (AAA): 4.06 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 47 H, 21 BB and 51 SO in 44.1 IP
2012 – Atlanta (MLB): 4.37 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 89 H, 42 BB and 76 SO in 92.2 IP
Best Month – June: 24.2 IP, 24 H, 12 ER, 10 BB and 22 SO with Atlanta
Worst Month – April: 20.0 IP, 23 H, 14 ER, 12 BB and 21 SO with Atlanta

Stock Up/Down – Down. He failed to build off how he pitched with Gwinnett, and more notably Atlanta, last season.

#22:  Anthony Gose – OF – Toronto Blue Jays

Profile Published – 12/16/2011
2012 – Las Vegas (AAA): 0.286/.366/.419, 21 2B, 10 3B, 5 HR, 34 SB, 49 BB and 101 SO in 482 PA
2012 – Toronto (MLB): 0.223/.303/.319, 7 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 15 SB, 17 BB and 59 SO in 189 PA
Best Month – May: 0.364/.431/.554 in 134 PA with Las Vegas
Worst Month – April: 0.216/.298/.284 in 113 PA with Las Vegas

Stock Up/Down – Up. He improved his slash stats across the board while moving from New Hampshire to Las Vegas, held his BB% just above 10% and dropped his K% by 5%. Struggled in the majors but the gains in the minors offset that.

#23:  Taijuan Walker – RHP – Seattle Mariners

Profile Published – 12/15/2011
2012 – Jackson (AA): 4.69 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 124 H, 50 BB and 118 SO in 126.2 IP
Best Month – April: 22.0 IP, 16 H, 4 ER, 6 BB and 26 SO
Worst Month – June: 20.2 IP, 25 H, 21 ER, 16 BB and 23 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up given the context. He spent the season pitching in Double-A and didn’t turn 20 until mid-August.

#24:  Joe Wieland – RHP – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 12/14/2011
2012 – Tuscon (AAA): 3.52 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 10 H, 2 BB and 11 SO in 7.2 IP
2012 – San Diego (MLB): 4.55 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 26 H, 9 BB and 24 SO in 27.2 IP
Best Month – May: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB and 4 SO with San Diego
Worst Month – April: 29.2 IP, 31 H, 15 ER, 10 BB and 31 SO with San Diego and Tuscon

Stock Up/Down – Up, slightly. He showed some flashes with the Padres but was shut down in early May with an elbow strain that necessitated Tommy John surgery in July. Unlike Banuelos (see below) he should return to the mound toward the end of the 2013 season and has shown he’s capable of pitching in the majors

#25:  Martin Perez – LHP – Texas Rangers

Profile Published – 12/13/2011
2012 – Round Rock (AAA): 4.25 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 122 H, 56 BB and 69 SO in 127.0 IP
2012 – Texas (MLB): 5.45 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 47 H, 15 BB and 25 SO in 38.0 IP
Best Month – July: 16.0 IP, 16 H, 4 ER, 7 BB and 5 SO with Texas and Round Rock
Worst Month – Sept/Oct: 18.0 IP, 25 H, 14 ER, 7 BB and 15 SO with Texas

Stock Up/Down – Down. The strikeout rate continues to tumble and his numbers have never matched the hype. He has a career 3.8 BB/9 in the minors and has shown little improvement in that area since his professional debut with Spokane back in 2008.

#26:  Manny Banuelos – LHP – New York Yankees

Profile Published – 12/12/2011
2012 – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: 4.50 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 29 H, 10 BB and 22 SO in 24.0 IP
Best Month – May: 18.2 IP, 15 H, 6 ER, 3 BB and 20 SO
Worst Month – April: 5.1 IP, 14 H, 6 ER, 7 BB and 2 SO

Stock Up/Down – Down, slightly. Elbow problems limited him to just 6 starts in 2012 and finally had Tommy John Surgery last week. Lost for the entirety of the 2013 season, we will have to wait until 2014 to see if he can overcome this setback.

#27:  Hak-Ju Lee – SS – Tampa Bay Rays

Profile Published – 12/11/2011
2012 – Montgomery (AA): 0.261/.336/.360, 15 2B, 10 3B, 4 HR, 37 SB, 51 BB and 102 SO in 534 PA
Best Month – June: 0.330/.387/.450 in 119 PA
Worst Month – August: 0.118/.211/.265 in 37 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up, even though the offensive numbers don’t jump off the page. Hit much better than he did in a brief stint in Double-A in 2011 and the speed and defense boost his stock.

#28:  Oscar Taveras – OF – St. Louis Cardinals

Profile Published – 12/10/2011
2012 – Springfield (AA): 0.321/.380/.572, 37 2B, 7 3B, 23 HR, 10 SB, 42 BB and 56 SO in 531
Best Month – June: 0.347/.398/.643 in 106 PA
Worst Month – May: 0.287/.364/.489 in 106 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up, and in a big way. When your worst month has you hitting 0.287 with a SLG just shy of 0.500, you know you had a great season.

#29:  Drew Pomeranz – LHP – Colorado Rockies

Profile Published – 12/9/2011
2012 – Tulsa (AA): 0.00 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 4 H, 1 BB and 4 SO in 4.0 IP
2012 – Colorado Springs (AAA): 2.51 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 52 H, 20 BB and 46 SO in 46.2 IP
2012 – Colorado (MLB): 4.93 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 97 H, 46 BB and 83 SO in 96.2 IP
Best Month – June: 29.1 IP, 33 H, 9 ER, 9 BB and 27 SO with Colorado and Colorado Springs
Worst Month – July: 25.2 IP, 24 H, 15 ER, 8 BB and 20 SO with Colorado

Stock Up/Down – Push. You could argue either up or down and have a solid case. For me, the elevated WHIP in both the minors and majors relative to his 2011 numbers gives me pause (and I’ve been a fan of his since his college days). None-the-less he turned in a near league average ERA+ in almost 100 major league innings and that’s a notable accomplishment for a 23 year old starter.

#30:  A.J. Cole – RHP – Oakland Athletics

Profile Published – 12/8/2011
2012 – Burlington (A): 2.07 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 78 H, 19 BB and 102 SO in 95.2 IP
2012 – Stockton (A+): 7.82 ERA, 1.84 WHIP, 60 H, 10 BB and 31 SO in 38.0 IP
Best Month – June: 27.1 IP, 19 H, 5 ER, 3 BB and 30 SO with Burlington
Worst Month – May: 29.1 IP, 51 H, 25 ER, 8 BB and 27 SO with Stockton and Burlington

Stock Up/Down – Push. There’s no question that he crashed and burned with Stockton at the beginning of the season, but I love that he righted the ship after his demotion and went on to dominate the Midwest League.

~~~~~

For links to plenty more content on prospects check out, Fantasy Rundown and to keep tabs on all the happenings in the majors, check out Call to the Pen.

Yasmani Grandal didn’t miss a step once he reached the majors. (Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

• #41-50
• #51-60
• #61-70
• #71-80
• #81-90
• #91-100

All in all this group had a fantastic season collectively. Seven of the ten below prospects improved their stock in 2012 and only one (Peacock) had a disastrous year. Three of these players made their major league debuts with Grandal graduating from the world of prospects all together.

#31:  David Holmberg – LHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

Profile Published – 12/7/2011
2012 – Visalia (A+): 2.99 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 62 H, 14 BB and 86 SO in 78.1 IP
2012 – Mobile (AA): 3.60 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 104 H, 23 BB and 67 SO in 96.0 IP
Best Month – April: 30.1 IP, 25 H, 9 ER, 7 BB and 35 SO with Visalia
Worst Month – June: 32.0 IP, 35 H, 15 ER, 4 BB and 30 SO with Visalia and Mobile

Stock Up/Down – Up slightly.

#32:  Jake Odorizzi – RHP – Kansas City Royals

Profile Published – 12/6/2011
2012 – NW Arkansas (AA): 3.32 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 27 H, 10 BB and 47 SO in 38.0 IP
2012 – Omaha (AAA): 2.93 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 105 H, 40 BB and 88 SO in 107.1 IP
2012 – Kansas City (MLB): 4.91 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 8 H, 4 BB and 4 SO in 7.1 IP
Best Month – May: 31.0 IP, 29 H, 9 ER, 5 BB, 31 SO with NW Arkansas and Omaha
Worst Month – September: 7.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 4 BB and 4 SO with Kansas City

Stock Up/Down – Up. Not only did he perform well at both stops in the minors, and reach Kansas City at the end of the year, he did so without stumbling. That’s something that most of the other starters in the organization have been unable to do.

#33:  Miguel Sano – 3B – Minnesota Twins

Profile Published – 12/5/2011
2012 – Beloit (A): 0.258/.373/.521, 28 2B, 4 3B, 28 HR, 8 SB, 80 BB and 144 SO
Best Month – August: 0.313/.389/.646 in 109 PA
Worst Month – June: 0.216/.343/.409 in 103 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up. He improved his BB% and on-base skills in general and continued to hit for power in the Midwest League and he’s still just 19 years old.

#34:  Trevor May – RHP – Philadelphia Phillies

Profile Published – 12/4/2011
2012 – Reading (AA): 4.87 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 139 H, 78 BB and 151 SO in 149.2 IP
Best Month – April: 30.0 IP, 21 H, 8 ER, 8 BB and 33 SO
Worst Month – May: 24.2 IP, 24 H, 18 ER, 14 BB and 20 SO

Stock Up/Down – Down as his hit rate, walk rate, home run rate and ERA all went up while his strikeout rate went down.

#35:  Travis d’Arnaud – C – Toronto Blue Jays

Profile Published – 12/3/2011
2012 – Las Vegas (AAA): 0.333/.380/.595, 21 2B, 2 3B, 16 HR, 1 SB, 19 BB and 59 SO in 303 PA
Best Month – May: 0.367/.410/.734 in 117 PA
Worst Month – April: 0.282/.354/.424 in 93 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up and was pushing for playing time in the majors before a torn knee ligament (PCL) ended his season in June.

#36:  Yasmani Grandal – C – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 12/2/2011
2012 – Lake Elsinore (A+): 0-7, 1 BB, 3 SO
2012 – Tuscon (AAA): 0.335/.443/.521, 18 2B, 6 HR, 37 BB and 35 SO in 235 PA
2012 – San Diego (MLB): 0.297/.394/.469, 7 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 31 BB and 39 SO in 226 PA
Best Month – April: 0.409/.536/.773 in 28 PA with Tuscon
Worst Month – August: 0.154/.365/.231 in 52 PA with Lake Elsinore and San Diego

Stock Up/Down – Up. He was very productive at the plate in AAA and in the majors and he’s a catcher which makes his season even more impressive.

#37:  Carlos Martinez – RHP – St. Louis Cardinals

Profile Published – 12/1/2011
2012 – Palm Beach (A+): 3.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 29 H, 10 BB and 34 SO in 33.0 IP
2012 – Springfield (AA): 2.90 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 62 H, 22 BB and 58 SO in 71.1 IP
Best Month – June: 11.0 IP, 12 H, 3 ER, 1 BB and 8 SO with Springfield
Worst Month – May: 11.0 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB and 11 SO with Palm Beach

Stock Up/Down – Up, improved his WHIP and walk rate while reaching AA.

#38:  Brad Peacock – RHP – Oakland Athletics

Profile Published – 11/30/2011
2012 – Sacramento (AAA): 6.01 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 147 H, 66 BB and 139 SO in 134.2 IP
Best Month -  August: 25.0 IP, 16 H, 9 ER, 14 BB and 24 SO
Worst Month – June: 19.2 IP, 31 H, 25 ER, 16 BB and 29 SO

Stock Up/Down – Down. After showing vast improvement from 2010 to 2011, he went the other way skipping right over regression and into a full out downward spiral.

#39:  Dylan Bundy – RHP – Baltimore Orioles

Profile Published – 11/29/2011
2012 – Delmarva (A): 0.00 ERA, 0.23 WHIP, 5 H, 2 BB and 40 SO in 30.0 IP
2012 – Frederick (A+): 2.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 48 H, 18 BB and 66 SO in 57.0 IP
2012 – Bowie (AA): 3.24 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 14 H, 8 BB and 13 SO in 16.2 IP
2012 – Baltimore (MLB): 0.00 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 1 H, 1 BB and 0 SO in 1.2 IP
Best Month – April: 17.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB and 25 SO with Delmarva
Worst Month – August: 28.2 IP, 23 H, 10 ER, 12 BB and 28 SO with Frederick and Bowie

Stock Up/Down – Up. Hard to find a better professional debut than this and he’s just 19!

#40:  Jake Marisnick – OF – Toronto Blue Jays

Profile Published – 11/28/2011
2012 – Dunedin (A+): 0.263/.349/.451, 18 2B, 7 3B, 6 HR, 10 SB, 26 BB and 55 SO in 306 PA
2012 – New Hampshire (AA): 0.233/.286/.336, 11 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 14 SB, 11 BB and 45 SO in 247 PA
Best Month – April: 0.281/.369/.521 with Dunedin
Worst Month – July: 0.214/.319/.282 with Dunedin and New Hampshire

Stock Up/Down – Down, not the type of season you’d expect from a Top-50 talent.

~~~~~

For links to plenty more content on prospects check out, Fantasy Rundown and to keep tabs on all the happenings in the majors, check out Call to the Pen.

Montero wasn’t as explosive as predicted but he proved he belonged in 2012. (Photoy Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE)

• #51-60
• #61-70
• #71-80
• #81-90
• #91-100

For this grouping, #41-50, four Mariners prospects led the way with three of them improving their stock this season. The one that didn’t spent the entire year in the majors and while he didn’t really stand out, he held his own. Of the other six prospects included below, two were up while four were down.

#41:  Nick Franklin – 2B/SS – Seattle Mariners

Profile Published – 11/27/2011
2012 – Jackson (AA): 0.322/.394/.502, 17 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 9 SB, 24 BB and 38 SO in 239 PA
2012 – Tacoma (AAA): 0.243/.310/.416, 15 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 3 SB, 24 BB and 68 SO in 296 PA
Best Month – May: 0.394/.457/.648 in 85 PA with Jackson
Worst Month – June: 0.241/.327/.402 in 99 PA with Jackson and Tacoma

Stock Up/Down – Up, based on his performance in Double-A.

#42:  Jesus Montero – C/DH – Seattle Mariners

Profile Published – 11/26/2011
2012 – Seattle (MLB): 0.260/.298/.386, 20 2B, 15 HR, 29 BB and 99 SO in 553 PA
Best Month – July: 0.300/.375/.443 in 80 PA
Worst Month – August: 0.233/.247/.378 in 93 PA

Stock Up/Down – Down. He wasn’t the offensive force many expected, but in fairness it was his first full season in the majors.

#43:  James Paxton – LHP – Seattle Mariners

Profile Published – 11/25/2011
2012 – Jackson (AA): 3.05 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 96 H, 54 BB and 110 SO in 106.1 IP
Best Month – August: 33.2 IP, 33 H, 9 ER, 14 BB and 34 SO
Worst Month – May: 23.0 IP, 18 H, 12 ER, 16 BB and 21 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up. He needs to work on improving his walk rate but all other systems are go.

#44:  Nestor Molina – RHP – Chicago White Sox

Profile Published – 11/24/2011
2012 – Birmingham (AA): 4.26 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 156 H, 26 BB and 84 SO in 122.2 IP
2012 – Charlotte (AAA): 13.50 ERA, 2.50 WHIP, 9 H, 1 BB and 4 SO in 4.0 IP
Best Month – April: 30.1 IP, 38 H, 12 ER, 3 BB and 23 SO with Birmingham
Worst Month – May: 34.0 IP, 51 H, 29 ER, 12 BB and 29 SO with Birmingham and Charlotte

Stock Up/Down – Down. Everything went in the wrong direction and his ERA more than doubled.

#45:  Matt Harvey – RHP – New York Mets

Profile Published – 11/23/2011
2012 – Buffalo (AAA): 3.68 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 97 H, 48 BB and 112 SO in 110.0 IP
2012 – New York (MLB): 2.73 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 42 H, 26 BB and 70 SO in 59.1 IP
Best Month – June: 33.0 IP, 29 H, 9 ER, 14 BB and 40 SO with Buffalo
Worst Month – April: 26.0 IP, 28 H, 14 ER, 11 BB and 24 SO with Buffalo

Stock Up/Down – Up with loads of helium. He looks ready to front the Mets rotation for many years to come.

#46:  Danny Hultzen – LHP – Seattle Mariners

Profile Published – 11/22/2011
2012 – Jackson (AA): 1.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 38 H, 32 BB and 79 SO in 75.1 IP
2012 – Tacoma (AAA): 5.92 ERA, 1.89 WHIP, 49 H, 43 BB and 57 SO in 48.2 IP
Best Month – May: 30.1 IP, 16 H, 4 ER, 15 BB and 31 SO with Jackson
Worst Month – August: 11.2 IP, 10 H, 11 ER, 14 BB and 13 SO with Tacoma

Stock Up/Down – Up. The stint in Triple-A was a bit rough but he was fantastic with the Generals and it was his first professional season.

#47:  Neil Ramirez – RHP – Texas Rangers

Profile Published – 11/21/2011
2012 – Frisco (AA): 4.20 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 47 H, 16 BB and 45 SO in 49.1 IP
2012 – Round Rock (AAA):  7.66 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 78 H, 31 BB and 63 SO in 74.0 IP
Best Month – August: 25.0 IP, 26 H, 11 ER, 7 BB and 21 SO with Frisco
Worst Month – May: 30.1 IP, 34 H, 33 ER, 16 BB and 21 SO with Round Rock

Stock Up/Down – Down and was demoted back to Double-A in June. Hits and home runs allowed were up and strikeouts were down sharply.

#48:  Rymer Liriano – OF – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 11/20/2011
2012 – Lake Elsinore (A+): 0.298/.360/.443, 22 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 22 SB, 21 BB and 69 SO in 314 PA
2012 – San Antonio (AA): 0.251/.335/.377, 10 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 10 SB, 20 BB and 50 SO in 206 PA
Best Month – June: 0.357/.407/.551 in 108 PA with Lake Elsinore and San Antonio
Worst Month – July: 0.176/.250/.308 in 98 PA with San Antonio

Stock Up/Down – Down slightly. Fairness in conversation, I’ve never been a real big fan.

#49:  Miguel De Los Santos – LHP – Texas Rangers

Profile Published – 11/19/2011
2012 – Frisco (AA): 5.22 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 54 H, 34 BB and 70 SO in 58.2 IP
Best Month – July: 18.0 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 13 BB and 22 SO
Worst Month – June: 10.2 IP, 11 H, 10 ER, 5 BB and 13 SO

Stock Up/Down – Down. This marked the second straight season with an ERA north of 5.00. He pitched primarily out of the bullpen in 2012 with the worst SO/BB of his 7 year minor league career.

#50:  Wily Peralta – RHP – Milwaukee Brewers

Profile Published – 11/18/2011
2012 – Nashville (AAA): 4.66 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 154 H, 78 BB and 143 SO in 146.2 IP
2012 – Milwaukee (MLB): 2.48 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 24 H, 11 BB and 23 SO in 29.0 IP
Best Month – September: 28.0 IP, 21 H, 7 ER, 11 BB and 22 SO with Milwaukee
Worst Month – May: 27.2 IP, 40 H, 27 ER, 16 BB and 24 SO with Nashville

Stock Up/Down – Up. The Triple-A numbers aren’t overly impressive in the grand scheme but he pitched better once he reached Milwaukee.

~~~~~

For links to plenty more content on prospects check out, Fantasy Rundown and to keep tabs on all the happenings in the majors, check out Call to the Pen.

Familia made his major league debut in 2012. The goal for 2013 is to prove he belongs there. (Photo Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE)

It’s a case of six up and four down for this section of last year’s Top-100. Two of the below (Milone and Lavarnway) graduated from the world while a pair of Royals farm hands had impressive 2012 showings.

#51:  Zack Wheeler – RHP – New York Mets

Profile Published – 11/17/2011
2012 – Binghamton (AA): 3.26 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 92 H, 43 BB and 117 SO in 116.0 IP
2012 – Buffalo (AAA): 3.27 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 23 H, 16 BB and 31 SO in 33.0 IP
Best Month – May: 27.0 IP, 13 H, 6 ER, 7 BB and 30 SO with Binghamton
Worst Month – June: 32.2 IP, 30 H, 15 ER, 14 BB and 22 SO with Binghamton

Stock Up/Down – Up. It’s full steam ahead for the Mets top prospect.

#52:  Bubba Starling – OF – Kansas City Royals

Profile Published – 11/16/2011
2012 – Burlington (Rk): 0.275/.371/.485, 8 2B, 2 2B, 10 HR, 10 SB, 28 BB and 70 SO in 234 PA
Best Month – July: 0.313/.402/.563 in 109 PA
Worst Month – June: 0.182/.400/.182 in 14 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up. Given his profile, the strikeouts were to be expected. The rest of the tools were present and obvious in his performance from the jump which is an excellent sign for the young CF.

#53:  Ryan Lavarnway – C – Boston Red Sox

Profile Published – 11/15/2011
2012 – Pawtucket (AAA): 0.295/.376/.439, 22 2B, 8 HR, 1 SB, 40 BB and 62 SO in 367 PA
2012 – Boston (MLB): 0.157/.211/.248, 8 2B, 2 HR, 11 BB and 41 SO in 166 PA
Best Month – June: 0.405/.469/.667 in 96 PA with Pawtucket
Worst Month – September/October: 0.138/.180/.255 in 100 PA with Boston

Stock Up/Down – Down and not a surprise given that it was unlikely he could match his production from 2011. What was a surprise was how dreadful he was with Boston late in the season.

#54:  Jeurys Familia – RHP – New York Mets

Profile Published – 11/14/2011
2012 – Buffalo (AAA): 4.73 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 145 H, 73 BB and 128 SO in 137.0 IP
2012 – New York (MLB): 5.84 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 10 H, 8 BB, 10 SO in 12.1 IP
Best Month – August: 33.2 IP, 37 H, 16 ER, 12 BB and 35 SO with Buffalo
Worst Month – April: 21.2 IP, 21 H, 13 ER, 22 BB and 26 SO with Buffalo

Stock Up/Down – Down. He turned in the worst SO/BB and worst H/9 rates of his minor league career and did not look good in his first major league action. Still plenty of reason for optimism here, but it has to be reigned in from where it was a year ago.

#55:  Arodys Vizcaino – RHP – Chicago Cubs

Profile Published – 11/13/2011
2012 – Did Not Pitch (Had Tommy John surgery in March)
Best Month – N/A
Worst Month – N/A

Stock Up/Down – Down. You could certainly argue for a push, but the trade that sent him from Atlanta to Chicago factors in here. I have far less faith in the Cubs ability to develop arms than Atlanta’s and that reduces Vizcaino’s stock slightly in my book.

#56:  Tim Wheeler – OF – Colorado Rockies

Profile Published – 11/12/2011
2012 – Colorado Springs (AAA): 0.303/.357/.412, 27 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 7 SB, 29 BB and 69 SO in 415 PA
Best Month – August: 0.325/.351/.452 in 131 PA
Worst Month – April: 0.200/.375/.280 in 31 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up … or maybe push? His power completely vanished going from 33 HR with Tulsa (AA) in 2011 to just 2 with the SkySox. However he cut his K% by nearly 6%, turned in the best BA of his 4 year career and effectively held serve on his OBP.

#57:  Yordano Ventura – RHP – Kansas City Royals

Profile Published – 11/11/2011
2012 – AZL Royals (Rk): 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 3 H, 1 BB and 7 SO in 3.2 IP
2012 – Wilmington (A+): 3.30 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 66 H, 28 BB and 98 SO in 76.1 IP
2012 – NW Arkansas (AA): 4.60 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 23 H, 13 BB and 25 SO in 29.1 IP
Best Month – May: 29.0 IP, 19 H, 7 ER, 6 BB and 31 SO with Wilmington
Worst Month – July: 21.2 IP, 23 H, 17 ER, 11 BB and 20 SO with Wilmington and NW Arkansas

Stock Up/Down – Up, but can he buck the curse that seems to hound Royals pitching prospects once they reach the majors?

#58:  Jonathan Galvez – 2B/SS – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 11/10/2011
2012 – San Antonio (AA): 0.292/.364/.426, 20 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 12 SB, 31 BB and 70 SO in 350 PA
Best Month – May: 0.341/.449/.537 in 47 PA
Worst Month – August: 0.226/.281/.349 in 113 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up after largely replicating his 2011 California League stats in Double-A this season.

#59:  Vinnie Catricala – 3B/1B/OF – Seattle Mariners

Profile Published – 11/9/2011
2012 – Tacoma (AAA): 0.229/.292/.348, 23 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 4 SB, 37 BB and 88 SO in 507 PA
Best Month – June: 0.256/.343/.400 in 100 PA
Worst Month – April: 0.182/.240/.205 in 93 PA

Stock Up/Down – Down, each of his slash stats dropped by more than 120 points from last season.

#60:  Tommy Milone – LHP – Oakland Athletics

Profile Published – 11/8/2011
2012 – Oakland (MLB): 3.74 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 207 H, 36 BB and 137 SO in 190.0 IP
Best Month – July: 33.0 IP, 37 H, 13 ER, 3 BB and 34 SO
Worst Month – June: 37.0 IP, 40 H, 16 ER, 8 BB and 28 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up as he helped pitch the Athletics into the playoffs.

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For links to plenty more content on prospects check out, Fantasy Rundown and to keep tabs on all the happenings in the majors, check out Call to the Pen.

Lombardozzi is no longer prospect eligible and Nationals fans are happy about that. (Photo Credit: Evan Habeeb-US PRESSWIRE)

Just three of the ten in this section of the Top-100 increased their stock, by my estimation, in 2012. However, those three turned in quite impressive seasons at their respective levels. Two of the below group spent time in the majors and one of those (Lombardozzi) has traded in the mantle of prospect for that of major leaguer.

In a significant departure from the first three articles I’ve done in this review, nearly all of these players spent the entire season at one level with Jackson being the only exception.

#61:  Robbie Grossman – OF – Houston Astros

Profile Published – 11/7/2011
2012 – Altoona (AA-PIT): 0.266/.378/.406, 20 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 9 SB, 59 BB and 78 SO in 417 PA
2012 – Corpus Christi (AA-HOU): 0.267/.371/.422, 8 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 4 SB, 18 BB and 43 SO in 160 PA
Best Month – June: 0.312/.424/.532 in 90 PA with Altoona
Worst Month – April: 0.195/.295/.280 in 95 PA with Altoona

Stock Up/Down – Down, but held his own in moving to Double-A and the trade to Houston gives him a clearer and less cluttered path to the majors.

#62:  Keyvius Sampson – RHP – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 11/6/2011
2012 – San Antonio (AA): 5.00 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 108 H, 57 BB and 122 SO in 122.1 IP
Best Month – July: 29.1 IP, 25 H, 10 ER, 4 BB and 26 SO
Worst Month – June: 21.2 IP, 17 H, 17 ER, 17 BB and 24 SO

Stock Up/Down – Down, but not as much as the numbers alone would suggest. He pitched much better in the second half and the fact that he jumped from Fort Wayne (A) to San Antonio has to be factored in.

#63:  Archie Bradley – RHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

Profile Published – 11/5/2011
2012 – South Bend (A): 3.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 87 H, 84 BB and 152 SO in 136.0 IP
Best Month – April: 26.0 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 14 BB and 30 SO
Worst Month – May: 28.1 IP, 22 H, 19 ER, 17 BB and 22 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up

#64:  Eric Surkamp – LHP – San Francisco Giants

Profile Published – 11/4/2011
2012 – Injured – Did Not Pitch
Best Month – Injured
Worst Month – Injured

Stock Up/Down – Down. Surkamp had an outside chance to make the Giant’s Opening Day roster this year but was lost at the end of March due to an elbow injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery in July and won’t return to the mound until the second half of 2013 at the earliest.

#65:  Jonathan Singleton – 1B – Houston Astros

Profile Published – 11/3/2011
2012 -  Corpus Christi (AA): 0.284/.396/.497, 27 2B, 4 3B, 21 HR, 7 SB, 88 BB and 131 SO in 555 PA
Best Month – April: 0.350/.435/.600 in 102 PA
Worst Month – June: 0.148/.317/.235 in 101 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up, and with a good deal of helium.

#66:  Steve Lombardozzi – 2B – Washington Nationals

Profile Published – 11/2/2011
2012 – Washington (MLB): 0.273/.317/.354, 16 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 5 SB, 19 BB and 46 SO in 416 PA
Best Month – May: 0.348/.392/.435 in 75 PA
Worst Month – June: 0.156/.217/.250 in 69 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up. Established himself as a major league regular in 2012 and didn’t spend any time in the minors in 2012.

#67:  Julio Rodriguez – RHP – Philadelphia Phillies

Profile Published – 11/1/2011
2012 – Reading (AA): 4.23 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 121 H, 76 BB and 136 SO in 134.0 IP
Best Month – May: 32.2 IP, 25 H, 8 ER, 17 BB and 32 SO
Worst Month – July: 26.0 IP, 26 H, 19 ER, 20 BB and 28 SO

Stock Up/Down – Down

#68:  Cheslor Cuthbert – 3B – Kansas City Royals

Profile Published – 10/31/2011
2012 – Wilmington (A+): 0.240/.296/.322, 18 2B, 7 HR, 6 SB, 37 BB and 80 SO in 517 PA
Best Month – August: 0.316/.343/.367 in 102 PA
Worst Month – May: 0.216/.283/.278 in 106 PA

Stock Up/Down – Down, but just slightly as age relative to his level needs to be factored in.

#69:  Brett Jackson – OF – Chicago Cubs

Profile Published – 10/30/2011
2012 – Iowa (AAA): 0.256/.338/.479, 22 2B, 12 3B, 15 HR, 27 SB, 47 BB and 158 SO in 467 PA
2012 – Chicago (MLB): 0.175/.303/.342, 6 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 22 BB and 59 SO in 142 PA
Best Month – June: 0.282/.352/.545 in 121 PA with Iowa
Worst Month – September: 0.116/.240/.140 in 50 PA with Chicago

Stock Up/Down – Down

#70:  Michael Choice – OF – Oakland Athletics

Profile Published – 10/29/2011
2012 - Midland (AA): 0.287/.356/.423, 15 2B, 2 3B, 10 HR, 5 SB, 33 BB and 88 SO in 402 PA
Best Month – July: 0.435/.493/.710 in 67 PA
Worst Month – June: 0.243/.278/.388 in 107 PA

Stock Up/Down – Down, as his SLG dropped off 119 points drop in his SLG. But, it’s not all negative as he was catching fire when he fractured his hand and was lost for the year in July.

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For links to plenty more content on prospects check out, Fantasy Rundown and to keep tabs on all the happenings in the majors, check out Call to the Pen.