Cingrani drew raves in his role as a starter in Cincy. Image: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Now that we’re more than a month in to the 2013 minor league season, it’s a good time to check in on how the top prospects in each of the organizations are faring. It is way too early to get overly excited or overly depressed about anyone’s performance thus far, but it’s never too early to dig into the data and results that each prospect has added to their resume. For the purposes of these check-ins we will be using Baseball America’s rankings unless otherwise noted.

The Cincinnati Reds have built a successful mid-market franchise largely through the development of their own talent. They have used many of those guys (Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier, etc) to create a winning big league roster, but have also used their system wisely by dealing away prospects to fill holes in adding guys like Shin-Soo Choo and Mat Latos in recent seasons.

There are a couple of eye-catching prospects at the top of an otherwise ordinary organization, but the Reds don’t have many pressing needs over the next couple years. While a couple of these guys may make an impact in the Queen City, others may be moved to help supplement the Reds’ roster.

1. CF- Billy Hamilton (22)

Louisville (AAA) .228/.286/.327 6 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 22 SB, 13 BB, 29 K in 175 plate appearances

Hamilton got off to a great start to the 2013 season, collecting eight hits in his first 16 at bats. Unfortunately, that was immediately followed by a prolonged slump which saw him rack up 21 strikeouts over his next 24 games while going just 13-for-105 in that stretch. Of course, Hamilton is far too talented to be that bad at the plate and he’s enjoyed a nice turnaround, hitting .314/.352/.451 over his last 11 games.

The Reds have stayed patient with Hamilton even though they have had to deal with injuries to both Ryan Ludwick and Chris Heisey at the big league level. Instead of rushing the converted shortstop, they’ve promoted guys like Donald Lutz and Derrick Robinson ahead of Hamilton. That patience will most certainly pay off as when Hamilton does arrive in Cincinnati, he’ll be ready to contribute to a contending ball club.

2. RHP- Robert Stephenson (20)

Dayton (A) 4.02 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 42 HA, 4 HRA, 13 BB, 60 K in 47 IP (9 starts)

A sturdy, projectable right hander with an overpowering fastball, Stephenson’s peripherals have far exceeded his results thus far in 2013 as he sports a 2.28 FIP compared to his ERA of 4.02. The 27th overall selection in 2011, Stephenson made his pro debut last season and wound up recording 72 strikeouts versus 23 walks across 65 innings of work at two levels. Getting the Class-A assignment to begin the season this year, Stephenson has picked up right where he left off.

He features a curveball that flashes above average and excellent command for a pitcher with his velocity and youth. His change up needs some work but shows promise. Stephenson is a ways away, obviously, but has the tools to become a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter or better at the major league level if he continues to develop as expected.

3. LHP- Tony Cingrani (23)

Louisville (AAA) 0.00 ERA, 0.35 WHIP, 3 HA. 2 BB. 26 K in 14.1 IP (3 starts)

Cincinnati (MLB) 3.27 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 25 HA, 7 HRA, 9 BB, 41 K in 33 IP (6 starts)

Cingrani was optioned back to Louisville over the weekend after a very successful run in the Reds’ rotation. Armed really with only two pitches, most assumed that the former reliever at Rice would fill the same role upon reaching the big leagues. Instead, Cingrani carried a tremendous start to the season at Triple-A over to a strong run with the Reds.

In his six starts in Cincinnati, Cingrani posted 11.81 striekouts per nine innings and kept his walk rate in check. He was victimized by the longball, however, which is a product not only of the dimensions of Great American Ballpark, but of a hurler taking on big league competition without an effective breaking pitch. The Reds have seen what he can do and are most certainly impressed. The mission as he returns to Louisville is to develop his slider so it becomes a serviceable offering. Without it, he may find himself slotted into a relief role in the future.

4. RHP- Daniel Corcino (22)

Louisville (AAA) 7.20 ERA, 1.91 WHIP, 49 HA, 5 HRA, 18 BB, 27 K in 35 IP (8 G, 7 GS)

There was plenty of buzz surrounding Corcino after a strong 2012 season at Double-A Pensacola, but his first foray into Triple-A competition has been rough. Corcino is a short but solid right hander with three above average pitches, and last season held opponents to a .213 batting average, which was in line with what he had done at the lower levels as well.

As promising as he looked in 2012 and prior, Corcino has looked that bad in 2013. His strikeout rate is down below seven per nine innings and he’s walking better than four-and-a-half at the same time. Meanwhile, he’s not fooling anyone when they do make contact, as the opposition is feasting at the plate to the tune of a .325 batting average against. Corcino got away with middling command in the low minors, but the higher level of competition is making him pay for missing his spots. As long as he makes the needed adjustments, this should just be speed bump on Corcino’s developmental path.

5. RHP- Nick Travieso (19)

Travieso made his professional debut with 21 innings of Rookie League action in 2012 after the Reds made him the 14th overall selection of last June’s draft out of a Florida high school. He features a mid-90s fastball that can reach 97 mph and a sharp slider and at just 19 years old, the Reds figure more velocity may come as his body matures. Cincinnati has elected to keep Travieso in Arizona on extended Spring Training to start the season, as they take a cautious approach with the talented right arm of this young hurler. Expect to see him in Class-A Dayton at some point this season. They will look to develop him as a starter and feel he has the potential to work in the front end of a rotation in the future.

Feb 16, 2013; Goodyear, AZ, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Billy Hamilton poses for a photo during photo day at the Reds Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Coming off a season in which he set a new record for most stolen bases in a single season, Cincinnati Reds prospect Billy Hamilton was assigned to Triple-A Louisville where he is learning a new position and looking to continue his march toward Major League superstardom.

Hamilton has always been a speed demon and that was never more evident than last season. Splitting time between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola, Hamilton smashed Vince Coleman‘s old mark by swiping 155 bags in 132 games played. But it wasn’t just his speed that got Hamilton ranked as highly as he was on the pre-season top prospect lists (we had him at number 24).

Hamilton posted a stellar .311/.410/.420 line last season, which represented a marked improvement in terms of on-base ability, which will obviously be a huge key for a player with such elite speed. At 160 pounds, Hamilton’s power will come almost entirely in terms of doubles and triples; he has just seven professional home runs.

So far in 2013, however, things haven’t gone nearly as smoothly.

Hamilton stole his 15th base of the season during Louisville’s 6-2 home victory over Lehigh Valley on Monday and doubled in four at-bats. That base hit raised Hamilton’s average to a lowly .205 on the season and his on base percentage coming into the game was a paltry .280. Obviously, that’s not getting the job done.

Looking deeper, however, there are reasons to think that Hamilton’s slow start isn’t likely a case of a guy overmatched by a more advanced level of pitching. In all likelihood, in fact, it’s probably a case of a lot of bad luck more than anything else.

Hamilton has always been a guy who collects his fair share of strikeouts which, for someone with his speed, isn’t ideal. You might be able to stomach a high strikeout rate from a guy who’ll bash 30 homers in a season, but the rabbits like Hamilton need to put the ball in play and put pressure on the defense as often as possible. That said, his strikeout rates were a bit high last season at 18.7 percent, but that number was significantly lower than the 21.8 percent of 2011 and his strikeouts have decreased again this season. In the meantime, his walk rate has been very solid at nearly 10 percent for the season, so it would appear, understanding the limitations of a sample of less than 100 plate appearances, that Hamilton’s approach has continued to improve as he has matured.

The biggest difference in the success that Hamilton had last season versus the struggles of the early 2013 campaign may be a simple as finding the holes when he does make contact. Like many faster players, Hamilton is a guy who will typically have a higher-than-average batting average on balls in play. In 2012, Hamilton enjoyed a BABIP of better than .380. Meanwhile, this season his BABIP has languished at a mere .250; well below what an average hitter would expect and about 100 points below where Hamilton should expect to be.

Hamilton may be a guy who made a name for himself based on pure speed last year, but he also showed very real progress in terms of his approach at the plate and correcting contact issues that had previously plagued him. Thus far in 2013 the results haven’t been there, but the approach has remained strong. Given continued health, Hamilton’s luck will turn and his numbers will rebound.

Fernandez hadn’t thrown a pitch above A-ball before making the Marlins Opening Day roster. Image: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not sure there has been a pitcher at any level of professional baseball who has been more impressive than left hander Tony Cingrani. The Cincinnati Reds hurler will make his season debut (and first major league start) this evening when the Reds host the Miami Marlins at Great American Ballpark. If you don’t have MLB.tv, this is a good time to consider investing in it.

Cingrani, who came in at number 63 on our Top-115 Prospects list earlier this year, was darn near perfect on Opening Day and he hasn’t fallen off much, if at all, over his next two starts, either. The former third-round pick (2011) out of Rice, Cingrani has worked a total of 14.1 innings at Triple-A Louisville this year and in that time he’s struck out 26 batters. What might be even more impressive is that he’s allowed a total of five baserunners (three hits, two walks) and zero runs.

As impressive as Cingrani has been, his opposite number is at least as big a story so far. Jose Fernandez was a shocking addition to Miami’s Opening Day roster after being assigned to minor league camp early in Spring Training. Fernandez comes with a boat load of talent and we ranked him as the sixth-best prospect in the game.

Just 20 years old, Fernandez has made a pair of starts for the Fish this season and has yet to factor in a decision. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t pitched well enough to win. He’s worked 11 innings and fanned 13 hitters against just three walks while allowing only five hits and a single earned run (0.82 ERA).

Fernandez was selected in the same draft as Cingrani, but was the 14th overall selection out of a Tampa high school. In his first full professional season in 2012, all he did was make 25 starts and go 14-1 with a sterling 1.75 ERA while striking out 158 batters in 134 innings.

If you like watching guys with pure stuff on the mound, this game is pretty much baseball porn. Don’t expect anything that matches what Felix Hernandez and Max Scherzer did on Wednesday night in Seattle, because neither hurler is anywhere near as refined as those two, but understand that there is more than enough talent taking the mound tonight in Cincinnati that something special could happen.

There is so much that can go wrong in the development of a pitcher that it’s impossible to really project anyone with any great certainty. If things go as well as they could, however, tonight might simply be the first meeting of two of the better pitchers in the National League for years to come.

Cingrani’s wait to get back to the Queen City will be a short one with efforts like he had on Thursday. Image: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Starting the season opener for the Triple-A Louisville Bats, Cingrani turned in what may have been the most impressive pitching performance of the young season, including the near-perfecto tossed by Yu Darvish.

Cingrani, who made his Major League debut in 2012, struck out each of the first seven Toledo Mud Hens and 13 of the first 15 batters he faced. It wasn’t until the sixth inning when Hens first baseman Jordan Lennerton drew a lead-off walk that Toledo managed their first baserunner. Cingrani promptly retired the next three hitters in order, including fanning Quintin Berry for the second time in the game.

It would have been interesting to see what would have happened in this game had it not been Opening Night. As it was, Cingrani was lifted following the sixth, just 84 pitches into his night and with 14 strikeouts under his belt. The walk to Lennerton was the only baserunner he surrendered. Toledo wouldn’t get their first hit until the eighth.

Just to underscore how ridiculous the pitcher win stat is, however, reliever Kevin Whelan inherited a 3-0 lead into the ninth, but surrendered three unearned runs, thanks to a Jason Donald error, to rob Cingrani of the victory. The Bats won the game 4-3 in walk-off fashion when Felix Perez took Luis Marte over the right field wall on the second pitch of the bottom of the frame.

Despite yielding two hits and two walks in his inning of work, Whelan picks up the win for Louisville. Meanwhile all Cingrani gets is a no-decision for his final line, which stood at six innings, zero hits, zero runs, one walk, and 14 strikeouts.

Cingrani came in at number 63 on our pre-season top 115 prospect list, which was significantly higher that Baseball America had him ranked (82). After a Minor League campaign that saw Cingrani post a combined 1.73 ERA across two levels while ranking up 172 striksouts in 146 innings, the lefty made his way to the bullpen with the Reds. He got into three games for Cincinnati and fanned nine batters in just five innings of work.

There have been concerns as to whether his secondary pitches will develop enough that he can stick as a starter, but with the results he’s been getting in the minors, the Reds are wise to allow him to continue to work in that role.

C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer caught up with Reds’ GM Walt Jocketty to discuss the next steps for the Reds and while he didn’t come out and say it, it sure doesn’t sound like Cincinnati’s speedy center field prospect, Billy Hamilton, will be in the mix to replace Ludwick.

Jocketty said Tuesday afternoon that no decision had been made and he was still debating between “two or three guys,” for the spot.

-snip-

One thing that has been decided is that Shin-Soo Choo will stay in center field. Jocketty said there had been no consideration of moving Choo to left field.

Hamilton was the talk of the Futures Game in 2012. Image: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In all likelihood, Dusty Baker‘s bunch will use Chris Heisey in a starting role and probably in left field, though you have to question the logic of that move. Choo had played all of 83 career innings in center field prior to this season and misplayed a ball late in the game in the season opener versus the Angels. I understand wanting to get Choo more acclimated to center field, but the Reds added him for his bat, not his glove. If Ludwick is going to be out til the All-Star break at best, the ballclub would be best served by shifting Choo to left and using Heisey in center.

Because the Reds already have Heisey and Xavier Paul on the roster, whomever they bring up to fill Ludwick’s roster spot is probably looking at reserve duty. For that reason in particular, don’t expect to see Hamilton’s name on the transaction wire when Jocketty’s club announces the roster move prior to the resumption of their series with Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Instead, Rosecrans offered a couple of intriguing names as potential fill-ins; Derrick Robinson and Denis Phipps, who were the final two outfielders cut from the Spring Training roster. Rosecrans notes that neither is on the club’s 40-man, but the Reds’ roster currently sits at 39, so adding a player won’t be an issue. They could also look outside the organization for a player like Casper Wells, who was recently DFA’d by the Seattle Mariners.

Hamilton was ranked as the 24th-best prospect in baseball by this site coming into the year and has been ranked as high as 11th by some major outlets. He made a name for himself in 2012 by setting a new record with 155 stolen bases in a season, and he did so while posting a stellar .311/.410/.420 line across more than 600 plate appearances between Advanced-A and Double-A.

Like Choo, however, Hamilton is only just learning the center field position after having spent his entire professional career as a shortstop prior to this season. He made major strides at the plate in 2012, but there is concern as to whether or not he can handle Triple-A pitching this year, let alone facing big league competition.

If Hamilton can maintain a high contact rate and show a good enough eye to keep his on base percentage high, his speed will more than play in the Show. He’s still just 22 until September and even if his bat is read now, and I don’t think it is, he absolutely needs to learn how to play the outfield before stepping into a big league lineup. If this were September and the Reds needed a guy to pinch-run with expanded rosters, sure, bring Hamilton up and turn him loose. But otherwise, he needs an opportunity to play everyday and the Reds aren’t in a position to carry a player on the roster who isn’t ready to help them compete.

The Choo trade only made sense for the Reds because Hamilton was viewed as being a year away. An injury to their left fielder shouldn’t change that assessment. Choo is a Scott Boras client, an agent notorious for taking his players to free agency and for commanding top dollar during that process, so the likelihood that Choo comes back to the Reds in 2014 is almost nil. Ludwick was given a two-year deal and right fielder Jay Bruce is going to be around a while as well. In other words, the path is clear for Hamilton to play in center field. Just, not until next season.

For the sake of Hamilton’s development and for the sake of Cincinnati’s playoff chances this year, the Reds would do well to wait until then.

Sept 15, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Tony Cingrani (52) reacts during the fifth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

His success in the Cal League led to a promotion to double A, a step that is often considered the most difficult in a minor league player’s development.  Cingrani was unphased by the enhanced competition in the Southern League.  Over the course of 89.1innings at Pensacola, he struck out 101 while sporting a 2.12 ERA and limiting opposing batters to a .192 batting average.

In September of 2012, Cingrani made a brief debut with the Reds out of the bullpen.  In three appearances, Cingrani pitched five innings; allowing four hits and two walks, while striking out nine.  All of this statistical success by a pitcher drafted in 2011, and yet, the hype around Cingrani seems relatively tempered.  Baseball Prospectus ranked Cingrani 91and Baseball America left Cingrani at 82.  “He can thrive in the bullpen with two pitches, but needs a better breaking ball to succeed as a starter.”  (Baseball America, 2013 Prospect Handbook).  John Sickels made a similar point in his 2013 prospect book: “[i]f the slider doesn’t come around, he should still have a long career in the bullpen and could even close games.”  (The Baseball Prospect Book 2013).

In watching Cingrani’s five innings of work for the Reds in September, there were moments where he seemed like a pitcher who could stick as a starter and have some success doing it.  The running and sinking movement he had on his fastball left one hitter walking around the batters box smiling after a swing and a miss.  In addition to the good movement on his two seam fastball, Cingrani displayed the ability to place his low 90’s fastball on the inner and outer edges of the zone helping him strike batters out or induce weak contact.  In these relief appearances for Cincinnati, he went to his fastball almost exclusively.  Also apparent in his debut was Cingrani’s impressive pickoff move to first.  Although he doesn’t throw a cutter, comparisons to Andy Pettitte seem apt.

The most interesting statistical trend about Cingrani, besides his total and utter domination of the California and Southern Leagues in 2012, is his lefty/righty splits in 2012.  Right-handed batters mustered a .186 batting average and two home runs against Cingrani, while Southern League lefties hit .207 and hit five home runs against the southpaw.  In the California League, lefties hit .237 against Cingrani while righties hit .170 and struck out 34.6% of the time.

Cingrani will begin the season pitching in the International League for the Louisville Bats.  Odds are that Cingrani will make significant contributions with the Reds as a starter during the regular season or as a reliever during a likely playoff run.  Cingrani, Aroldis Chapman, and Sean Marshall would make for an awesome left-handed trio in the Reds bullpen come October.

If you want some more insight into the process behind them, be sure to read through our introductory post.

To make it easy for your to look back, here are the rankings we’ve already gone through:

• #101 through #115 (because I couldn’t settle on just 100 names)
• #91 through #100
• #81 through #90
• #71 through #80
• #61 through #70
• #51 through #60
• #41 through #50
• #31 through #40

Now that we’re towards the end (or beginning, depending on which way you look at it) of this year’s list, let’s finish the rankings off as strongly as they started.

Matt Barnes leads a strong group of pitching prospects within the Red Sox organization. (Image Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

#30 – Matt Barnes, right-handed pitcher, Boston Red Sox

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 205

Born: June 17, 1990 (age 22)

2012 Stats (combined between Class-A Greenville and High-A  Salem): 7-5, 2.86 ERA, 25 GS, 119.2 IP, 29 BB (2.2 BB/9), 133 K (10.0 K/9), 1.053 WHIP

Boston has assembled an impressive group of young pitching prospects (along with Allen Webster, Henry Owens, Brandon Workman, and even the oft-injured Anthony Ranaudo), with Barnes easily at the top of the pile. The University of Connecticut product was taken in the 1st Round of the 2011 Draft for a reason and could turn out to be the best homegrown pitcher to join the Sox rotation since Jon Lester arrived.

Bold Prediction: Barnes will spend most of the year at Double-A and could earn an invite to Spring Training a year from now.

#29 – Taylor Guerrieri, right-handed pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays

Height/Weight: 6’3″, 195

Born: December 1, 1992 (age 20)

MLB Stats (with Low-A Hudson Valley): 1-2, 1.04 ERA, 12 GS, 52.0 IP, 5 BB (0.9 BB/9), 45 K (7.8 K/9), 0.769 WHIP

Most team-specific prospect lists have placed Guerrieri second among Tampa Bay’s pitchers, behind Chris Archer, but long term the South Carolina native is likely to be the better prospect.

Bold Prediction: He’ll make the jump to Double-A this year, with some struggles along the way.

#28 – Anthony Rendon, infielder, Washington Nationals

Height/Weight: 6’0″, 195

Born: June 6, 1990

2012 Stats (combined across four levels): .233/.363/.489, 6 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB, 23 BB, 29 SO, 43 G (160 PA)

Rendon entered the 2012 season as a long shot to see time in Washington but those hopes were quickly derailed after he suffered an injury early on in the season. Entering 2013, Rendon appears even more likely to reach D.C. but where he plays remains to be seen. A third baseman by trade, Rendon has been seeing time at second base in the minor leagues as well with the hopes that his defensive versatility could prove useful when he arrives. Plus, with Ryan Zimmerman locked up for the foreseeable future, the Nationals may have to be creative to work Rendon into the lineup.

Bold Prediction: He’ll see Washington before the All Star Break, but won’t be a regular feature of the lineup until next season.

#27 – George Springer, outfielder, Houston Astros

Height/Weight: 6’3″, 200

Born: September 19, 1989 (age 23)

2012 Stats (combined between High-A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi): .302/.383/.526, 24 HR, 87 RBI, 32 SB, 62 BB, 156 SO, 128 G (581 PA)

Selected a few spots ahead of Barnes in the 2011 Draft, Springer helps give UConn one heck of a prospect class. The center fielder has shown all of the tools to suggest that he’ll be able to not only reach the Majors, but have a productive career while sticking in center field. He’s still likely a year away from reaching Houston, as he could use some added minor league seasoning, but once he does he’s likely there to stay.

Bold Prediction: With only 22 games at Double-A under his belt, Spring will likely start the year at the level once again but could move quickly.

#26 – Jonathan Singleton, first baseman, Houston Astros

Height/Weight: 6’2″, 235

Born: September 18, 1991 (age 21)

2012 Stats (with Double-A Corpus Christi): .284/.396/.497, 21 HR, 79 RBI, 7 SB, 88 BB, 131 SO, 131 G (555 PA)

Singleton may have had a realistic shot at seeing significant time in Houston this year if not for a 50 game suspension he’ll now be serving to start the year. While the incident doesn’t affect his status as the game’s top first base prospect, it will delay his arrival to the Astros lineup. I wouldn’t rule out seeing him in Houston before 2013 ends.

Bold Prediction: Singleton will get off to a torrid start when he returns from suspension, will cool down, but will still make his way into an Astros lineup before September.

#25 – Bubba Starling, outfielder, Kansas City Royals

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 180

Born: August 3, 1992 (age 20)

2012 Stats (with Rookie Level Burlington): .275/.371/.485, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 10 SB, 28 BB, 70 SO, 53 G (234 PA)

A local product who turned down the chance to play quarterback at one of the nation’s top collegiate programs, Royals fans have high hopes for Starling. Starling didn’t wow anyone in his first taste of professional baseball, but it’s worth noting that he was just 19 through most of the season and he still has time to grow as a player.

Bold Prediction: Is a jump to Double-A sometime this year too aggressive?

Billy Hamilton electrified fans with his speed on the bases. How that translates to the Majors remains to be seen, however. (Image Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports)

#24 – Billy Hamilton, shortstop/outfielder, Cincinnati Reds

Height/Weight: 6’1″, 160

Born: September 9, 1990 (age 22)

2012 Stats (combined between High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola): .311/.410/.420, 2 HR, 45 RBI, 155 SB, 86 BB, 113 SO, 132 G (605 PA)

Hamilton became a household name as he cruised to a new single season record for stolen bases, eclipsing Vince Coleman’s old mark. He’s set to start the year at Triple-A, but he’s nearly assured of seeing time with the Red this coming season. Perhaps the lone remaining question is whether he sticks at a center fielder or does the team move him back to shortstop.

Bold Prediction: Hamilton will get thrown out in his first stolen base attempt.

#23 – Mike Olt, third baseman, Texas Rangers

Height/Weight: 6’2″, 210

Born: August 27, 1988

2012 Stats (with Double-A Tulsa): .288/.398/.579, 28 HR, 82 RBI, 4 SB, 61 BB, 101 SO, 95 G (421 PA)

MLB Career: .152/.250/.182, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB, 5 BB, 13 SO, 16 G (38 PA)

Olt did nothing but mash the ball in the minor leagues, enough to earn a late season callup but also enough to find himself the subject of trade rumors for much of the winter. Olt is still with Texas but doesn’t project to get much playing time right off the bat for the Rangers, not with Adrian Beltre still entrenched at third and Mitch Moreland/Lance Berkman primed to take most of the at bats at first base/DH. He’ll find his way into the lineup, just not right away.

Bold Prediction: Texas will make a move before the July trade deadline, either to move Olt or make room for him.

#22 – Jameson Taillon, right-handed pitcher, Pittsburgh Pirates

Height/Weight: 6’6″, 225

Born: November 18, 1991 (age 21)

2012 Stats (combined between High-A Bradenton and Double-A Altoona): 9-8, 3.55 ERA, 26 GS, 142.0 IP, 38 BB (2.4 BB/9), 116 K (7.4 K/9), 1.113 WHIP

Somewhat lost in the shadows of organization-mate Gerritt Cole, Taillon still took some significant steps in his development over the past season.

Bold Prediction: Taillon will reach Triple-A this year and is a longshot at a September callup.

#21 – Francisco Lindor, shortstop, Cleveland Indians

Height/Weight: 5’11″, 175

Born: November 14, 1993 (age 19)

2012 Stats (with Class-A Lake County): .257/.352/.355, 6 HR, 42 RBI, 27 SB, 61 BB, 78 SO, 122 G (568 PA)

Lindor has yet to establish himself at the plate, but the defensively-sound shortstop could be the first Indians perennial All Star since Omar Vizquel.

Bold Prediction: He’ll start to find his bat, though not much power, and will earn a mid-season promotion to Double-A.

Right-hander Trevor Bauer will get a fresh start in Cleveland, after the D’backs moved him to land their long coveted shortstop. (Image Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports)

Here’s the breakdown …

Reds get:

> OF Shin-Soo Choo

> INF Jason Donald

Indians get:

> RHP Trevor Bauer

> OF Drew Stubbs

> RHP Bryan Shaw

> RHP Matt Albers

Diamondbacks get:

> SS Didi Gregorius

> LHP Tony Sipp

> OF Lars Anderson

Bauer is easily the prize of the group and a great pickup for the Indians. The former 1st Round pick has quickly fallen out of favor in Arizona, despite being one of their best known prospects and brightest young players. Bauer made four mid-season starts for the D’backs last July, going 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA across 16.1 innings. He’d add 9.4 K/9 but a troubling 7.2 BB/9. Spending most of the season in the minor leagues, Bauer dominated. In 22 starts between Double-A and Triple-A he’d post a 12-2 mark, 2.42 ERA, 10.8 K/9, and 4.2 BB/9 over 130.1 innings of work. Scouts have projected him to be a top of the rotation talent ever since before the 2011 Draft, but questions about his attitude have been made public by the organization and it would appear they were eager to make a move that they felt would upgrade their roster long term.

The nearly 22 year old Bauer is likely MLB-ready and could step into the Indians rotation as soon as this Spring. Early on he’ll be a nice option towards the back end of the rotation, but he could ultimately develop into a pitcher like the aces that they thought Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez were going to be. He’s still under team control for six years as well, giving the organization time to build around him before he potentially prices himself out of the Cleveland market.

Cleveland added three more players in the deal. Stubbs could prove to be a key piece, if the 28 year old can return to form. He hit .255/.329/.444 with 22 HR and 77 RBI during the 2010 season, but has trended downhill since. Stubbs batted just .213/.277/.333 this past year, striking out 166 times in 544 plate appearances. He’s an asset in center field, however, which will be a nice addition for the Indians who’ve lacking flash since they employed a healthy Grady Sizemore out there. Shaw and Albers offer some extra depth for the bullpen at a relatively minimal cost.

Most of the initial public response to the deal has focused on Cincinnati’s acquisition of Choo – a Scott Boras client who is just a year away from free agency. When healthy he’s been one of the more consistent players in the game, batting .291/.384/.471 in 2,745 plate appearances and he averaged 16 HR and 69 RBI a year. He could take a walk, occasionally steal a base, and offered solid defense. He gets on base. But his future in Cleveland has long been an uncertainty. There were rumblings when Choo first reached arbitration a few years ago that the team had interest in signing Choo to a long term deal, but nothing was every worked out between the two sides and it’s widely assumed that next winter he will test the free agent market for the first time.

The Reds are reportedly going to make Choo their center fielder, a position he’s only appeared at in 10 of his 652 career games. By all accounts he should be above average defensively, but the team is willing to compromise considering what they feel he can offer batting leadoff for them. Choo gets on base. With players like Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and Joey Votto following in the lineup a player like Choo could end up scoring a lot of early runs for the Reds. He fits a need for a team that was in the playoffs this past season.

Donald was highly regarded as a shortstop in the Philadelphia Phillies system, but hasn’t quite fulfilled that potential. Acquired by Cleveland as part of the first Cliff Lee trade back in 2009, Donald has seen limited playing time appearing in just 170 games over the past three seasons. He’s hit .257/.309/.362 in 603 plate appearances in that span, striking out four times for every walk. He’s versatile defensively, however, seeing time all across the infield which is where the value comes in as a utility option. He’s still just 28 years old and not yet arbitration eligible.

Didi Gregorius might win a Gold Glove someday, a hope the Diamondbacks are counting on. (Image Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)

Arizona’s prize in the deal is Gregorius, a 22 year old shortstop who many believe is ready for the Major Leagues. He’s a strong defensive player who could someday win a Gold Glove at the position, but he doesn’t overly impress like another shortstop prospect in the Reds system (i.e. Billy Hamilton – who may not need to move to the outfield after all with this deal). Gregorius hit just .265/.324/.393 over 561 plate appearances this past season between Double-A and Triple-A.

He saw a late season callup with the Reds, getting 6 hits in 20 at bats over 8 games at season’s end.

At first word of Gregorius’ inclusion in the deal suggested that Cabrera would be the shortstop moving on to Arizona, but it would seem the D’backs coveted Gregorious more. He’ll likely come to Spring Training as the favorite to win the starting job but the Diamondbacks had already acquired one defensive minded shortstop already this offseason, picking up Cliff Pennington from Oakland for Chris Young, so there are no certainties who’ll receive the bulk of the player time at first. Considering the team has long been asking for a shortstop as the headlining piece of any possible deal with Justin Upton, it would appear as though there no longer is a need to move the right fielder.

Arizona also will receive Sipp, a left-handed reliever who’s made 63+ appearances over the past three seasons for the Indians, with a 3.84 ERA and 8.8 K/9, and a first baseman/outfielder in Anderson who’s failed to live up to the early hype that surrounded his career. The 25 year old former top prospect and power threat spent most of 2012 in Triple-A, batting .250/.353/.396 with just 9 HR.

Overall the deal is tough to grade, as an argument can be made that each party won considering what they were trying to accomplish.

Cleveland dealt an outfielder one year away from free agency who they were unlikely to re-sign and wound up landing one of the game’s top pitching prospects in return. Cincinnati upgraded their outfield offense and found the leadoff hitter they’ve long sought after, but parted with a potentially great defensive shortstop in the process. Arizona found the shortstop they’ve long wanted to build around, though took a chance on an option that many feel is overvalued and paid a steep price to do so because they gave up on a prospect too early.

Only time will dictate how this deal is viewed long term.

Hamilton’s situation was unique. But the situation of having a prospect with sky-high upside but equally high risk happens relatively often. This season, teams with such players are going to crazy lengths to protect them. Why? Because they’re scared that if they don’t, a Hamilton-esque superstar might get away and their fan base may never forgive them.

Michael Ynoa, who turned 21 in September, had a horrific season between Rookie ball and Short Season-A in the Oakland Athletics organization, going just 1-4 with a 6.46 ERA and 25 walks compared to 25 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched. It was his first time pitching above Rookie ball despite signing with the A’s back in 2008. However, he has number one starter upside with a projectable 6’7″, 210 frame, a fastball that touches the mid-90′s, a curveball that is nasty at best, and even a solid changeup that continues to develop. The chances that Ynoa would have been selected in the Rule 5 Draft and pitched well enough in spring training and major leagues to avoid being returned to Oakland were 1 in a million at best- you can’t go from struggling in short season ball to pitching anything near respectably in the big leagues in one season. Yet the A’s protected Ynoa knowing that if somehow he all put it together next season for another team, that would be ripped incessantly as much as the Rays have for letting Hamilton go.

Ynoa wasn’t the only New York-Penn League pitcher added to a 40-man roster on Tuesday. Hansel Robles, who after turning 22 in August still hasn’t pitched at full season ball, did have an unbelievable season at the Mets’ Short Season-A Brooklyn affiliate in 2012, going 6-1 with a 1.11 ERA and a 66-10 strikeout to walk ratio in 12 starts and 72.2 IP. Those are ridiculous numbers, but that doesn’t mean he could manage an ERA under 7.00 in the big leagues next season. And Robles doesn’t even have the highest upside, throwing in the mid-90′s with nice sink but throwing two secondary pitches that are below-average at this point in his changeup and slider. But after such dominance at Short Season-A, the Mets decided not to take any chances.

Two players were also added to 40-man roster by MLB teams out of Low-A franchises, with both teams actually involved in the whole Hamilton situation: Yorman Rodriguez by the Reds and Felipe Rivero by the Rays.

Rodriguez, who turned 20 in August, fits the Hamilton profile but in a many times rawer form, being a 5-tool talent limited by a complete lack of discipline. He started the year at High-A Bakersfield and hit just .156 with a .381 OPS in 94 plate appearances before showing more promise after being sent down to Low-A Dayton, where he had played 2011, posting a .270/.307/.430 line with 17 doubles, 6 homers, and 7 stolen bases in 277 plate appearances, although he did strike out 61 times against just 12 walks. Rodriguez shows outstanding bat speed, prolific power, and even great speed, but immaturity and a stubbornness to improve his game has prevented him from getting anywhere. He’s a free swinger at the plate with zero pitch recognition, and his lack of discipline extends far beyond the plate as he has no drive and never hustles. Baseball America described Rodriguez quite eloquently in their 2011 Prospect Handbook: “But as intriguing as his upside may be, it’s also fair to say that Rodriguez does almost nothing to help a team win at this point in his career.” Who would possibly select Rodriguez in the Rule 5 Draft right now? But the Reds may be scared they’re going to fall into the same trap the Rays did with Hamilton.

Rivero, 21, is somewhat of an exception to the rule- the Rays actually had to consider the possibility of him being a Rule 5 pick if they didn’t protect him on their 40-man roster. Rivero, a slim 6’0″, 151 left-hander, had a nice season at the Rays’ Low-A Bowling Green affiliate, going 8-8 with a 3.41 ERA, a 7.8 K/9, a 2.3 BB/9, and a 0.8 HR/9 in 113.1 innings pitched. He was actually better than that before wilting down the stretch between surpassing his previous career-high in innings by 50 and secondarily, uncomfortableness working out of the bullpen as he managed a 2.86 ERA in 21 starts compared to a 6.16 ERA in 6 relief appearances when the Rays tried to limit his innings at the end of the year. Rivero throws a fastball in the mid-90′s, and he also flashes plus with his curveball to go along with a solid changeup. He pounds the zone with his fastball and can throw his other two pitches for strikes, although he has trouble commanding all his pitches down in the zone. Rivero has work to do getting better movement on his curveball and changeup more consistently, but he has a relatively polished arsenal and has a chance to move quickly through the minor leagues. He could conceivably reach Double-A in the Rays’ system next season. It was still was a stretch to add Rivero, but the Rays must think that it was not worth the risk that they would lose him.

Why did these teams protect these players? The minor league section of the Rule 5 Draft? Absolutely not. You can only select players not on their teams’ reserve lists in the minor league section, and all these players will undoubtedly be on those lists. The main reason teams put these players on 40-man rosters is paranoia that their players may be drafted away from them and blossom into superstars somewhere else. Maybe one of these players will turn out to be a star one day.  But all these teams are doing until the day that materializes is wasting a roster spot on a player they weren’t going to lose anyway. Love him or hate him, the case of Josh Hamilton will continue to resonate throughout baseball. He incited a trepidation over losing high-risk prospects to the Rule 5 Draft that may never go away.

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!

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.

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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.

Dozier (Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE)

Of the ten players listed below five saw their stock increase this season, four saw it drop and one stayed the same due to injury. Four members of this grouping played in the majors with three of them (Hendriks, Segura and Dozier) losing their prospect eligibility along the way.

#71:  Marcell Ozuna – OF – Miami Marlins

Profile Published – 10/28/2011
2012 – Jupiter (A+): 0.266/.328/.476, 27 2B, 2 3B, 24 HR, 8 SB, 44 BB and 116 SO in 539 PA
Best Month – August: 0.365/.421/.673 in 113 PA
Worst Month – July: 0.221/.264/.298 in 110 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up. Ozuna maintained his slash stats while advancing a level in 2012.

#72:  Josh Bell – OF – Pittsburgh Pirates

Profile Published – 10/27/2011
2012 – West Virginia (A): 0.274/.288/.403, 5 2B, 1 HR, 1 SB, 2 BB and 21 SO in 66 PA
Best Month – Only played in April
Worst Month – Only played in April

Stock Up/Down – Push. Limited to just 15 games due to injury it’s hard to adjust any assessments on Bell at this point. However, he will likely move up in our 2013 list as I was more bullish on him as a prospect than Nathaniel was from the beginning.

#73:  Jean Segura – SS – Milwaukee Brewers

Profile Published – 10/26/2011
2012 – Arkansas/Huntsville (AA): 0.304/.358/.413, 13 2B, 5 3B, 7 HR, 37 SB, 27 BB and 61 SO in 451 PA
2012 – Milwaukee (MLB): 0.266/.325/.336, 4 2B, 3 3B, 7 SB, 13 BB and 23 SO in 158 PA (includes 3 PA with the Angels)
Best Month – July: 0.342/.409/.392 in 90 PA with Arkansas and Huntsville (does not include PA with LAA)
Worst Month – April: 0.256/.316/.384 in 95 PA with Arkansas

Stock Up/Down – Up

#74:  Matt Lollis – RHP – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 10/25/2011
2012 – San Antonio (AA): 5.86 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 39 H, 15 BB and 36 SO in 35.1 IP
2012 – Tucson (AAA): 8.10 ERA, 2.10 WHIP, 11 H, 3 BB and 6 SO in 6.2 IP
2012 – Lake Elsinore (A+): 6.83 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 77 H, 29 BB and 50 SO in 58.0 IP
Best Month – May: 13.2 IP, 12 H, 5 ER, 4 BB and 17 SO with San Antonio
Worst Month – June: 15.2 IP, 23 H, 17 ER, 9 BB and 15 SO with San Antonio and Tuscon

Stock Up/Down – Down

#75:  Daniel Corcino – RHP – Cincinnati Reds

Profile Published – 10/24/2011
2012 – Pensacola (AA): 3.01 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 111 H, 65 BB and 126 SO in 143.1 IP
Best Month – August: 32.0 IP, 21 H, 8 ER, 17 BB and 23 SO
Worst Month – May: 29.0 IP, 24 H, 12 ER, 11 BB and 34 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up

#76:  Gary Brown – OF – San Francisco Giants

Profile Published – 10/23/2011
2012 – Richmond (AA): 0.279/.347/.385, 32 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 33 SB, 40 BB and 87 SO in 610 PA
Best Month – July: 0.355/.389/.573 in 129 PA
Worst Month – April: 0.227/.333/.284 in 97 PA

Stock Up/Down – Down

#77:  Brian Dozier – SS – Minnesota Twins

Profile Published – 10/22/2011
2012 – Rochester (AAA): 0.232/.286/.337, 11 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 3 SB, 14 BB and 34 SO in 200 PA
2012 – Minnesota (MLB): 0.234/.271/.332, 11 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 9 SB, 16 BB and 58 SO in 340 PA
Best Month – July: 0.250/.296/.315 in 101 PA with Minnesota
Worst Month – August: 0.154/.202/.288 in 111 PA with Rochester and Minnesota

Stock Up/Down – Down

#78:  Tyler Thornburg – RHP – Milwaukee Brewers

Profile Published – 10/21/2011
2012 – Huntsville (AA): 3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 57 H, 24 BB and 71 SO in 75.0 IP
2012 – Nashville (AAA): 3.58 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 38 H, 13 BB and 42 SO in 37.2 IP
2012 – Milwaukee (MLB): 5.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 20 H, 7 BB and 16 SO in 18.0 IP
Best Month – April: 28.0 IP, 17 H, 6 ER, 7 BB and 32 SO with Huntsville
Worst Month – June: 16.0 IP, 18 H, 8 ER, 2 BB and 13 SO with Huntsville and Milwaukee

Stock Up/Down – Up

#79:  Yorman Rodriguez – OF – Cincinnati Reds

Profile Published – 10/20/2011
2012 – Bakersfield (A+): 0.156/.181/.200, 4 2B, 4 SB, 3 BB and 39 SO in 94 PA
2012 – Dayton (A): 0.271/.307/.430, 17 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 7 SB, 12 BB and 61 SO in 277 PA
Best Month – July: 0.317/.355/.490 in 109 PA with Dayton
Worst Month – April: 0.187/.205/.240 in 78 PA (and an 0-15 stretch in May) with Bakersfield

Stock Up/Down – Down

#80:  Liam Hendriks – RHP – Minnesota Twins

Profile Published – 10/19/2011
2012 – Rochester (AAA): 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 76 H, 28 BB and 82 SO in 106.1 IP
2012 – Minnesota (MLB): 5.59 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 106 H, 26 BB and 50 SO  in 85.1 IP
Best Month – August: 42.0 IP, 27 H, 10 ER, 13 BB and 29 SO between Rochester and Minnesota
Worst Month – April: 15.2 IP, 21 H, 12 ER, 4 BB and 8 SO with Minnesota

Stock Up/Down – Up. Hendriks has proven all he can in Triple-A and while his stat line with the Twins isn’t overly attractive, he has pitched better in the second half.
~~~~~

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.

But before all that happens we have to consider: you can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been.

The exact origins of this long-standing and popular saying/cliche unknown but it can be found in many forms and many variations. You may have come across it in your own life through Buddhist teachings, Greek philosophy or – if you’re a fan of animated cinema – from Mater the Disney-Pixar movie Cars. Regardless of the source, it’s a saying that I hold near and dear and always try to remember the past whenever I’m looking toward the future. I think this practice is a wonderful way to keep things that happen – both bad and good – in perspective.

The Padres Yonder Alonso graduated from prospect to big-league regular in 2012 (Photo Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE)

It’s also very useful when it comes to putting together prospect rankings. After all, perspective and context are two of the building blocks of evaluation. With that in mind I decided to look back at the 2012 S2S Top-100 list Nathaniel compiled last fall and quickly assess how each of those 100 players performed this season and whether their stock has gone up or down.

Behind the scenes, as I work through these assessments, I will be putting together the rough draft of our 2013 list. I hope to have that list finalized by the end of October with our reveal of 2013 prospect #100 hitting the site on November 1st.

Since Nathaniel started at #100 and counted down to #1, I’m going to follow suit in my review but will do this in groups of ten.

In this group, that covers prospects #91-#100, five players boosted their stock in 2012 while another five saw their stock slip. Of the ten players below, three players lost their prospect eligibility (Green, Alonso and Pastornicky) this season and will not be eligible for our 2013 Top-100.

#91:  Chad Bettis – RHP – Colorado Rockies

Profile Published – 10/8/2011
2012 – Did Not Pitch (Shoulder Injury)
Best Month – N/A
Worst Month – N/A

Stock Up/Down – Down. Losing a year of development is never a good thing and shoulder injuries always heighten my concern about a players future.

#92:  Trevor Rosenthal – RHP – St. Louis Cardinals

Profile Published – 10/7/2011
2012 – Springfield (AA): 2.78 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 67 H, 37 BB and 83 SO in 94.0 IP
2012 – Memphis (AAA): 4.20 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 11 H, 5 BB and 21 SO in 15.0 IP
2012 – St. Louis (MLB): 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 14 H, 7 BB and 23 SO in 21.0 IP
Best Month – May: 27.1 IP, 21 H, 5 ER, 11 BB and 21 SO
Worst Month – April: 25.2 IP, 16 H, 11 ER, 17 BB and 24 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up

#93:  Ronald Torreyes – 2B – Chicago Cubs

Profile Published – 10/6/2011
2012 – Daytona (A+): 0.264/.326/.385, 23 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 13 SB, 32 BB and 29 SO in 474 PA
Best Month – June: 0.330/.400/.523 in 97 PA
Worst Month – May: 0.137/.190/.192 in 77 PA

Stock Up/Down – Down. Torreyes was at least 55 points off his career averages in each of his slash stats and those averages include his 2012 season.

#94:  Christian Yelich – OF – Miami Marlins

Profile Published – 10/5/2011
2012 – GCL Marlins (Rk): 1-4
2012 – Jupiter (A+): 0.330/.404/.519, 29 2B, 5 3B, 12 HR, 20 SB, 49 BB and 85 SO in 447 PA
Best Month – June: 0.421/.488/.684 in 43 PA
Worst Month – May: 0.263/.336/.525 in 110 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up, up, up.

#95:  Barret Loux – RHP – Texas Rangers

Profile Published – 11/4/2011
2012 – Frisco (AA): 3.47 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 120 H, 41 BB and 100 SO in 127.0 IP
Best Month – April: 27.2 IP, 27 H, 5 ER, 8 BB and 28 SO
Worst Month – June: 18.0 IP, 21 H, 12 ER, 9 BB and 12 SO

Stock Up/Down – Up. Loux dropped his ERA and held serve on most of his rates while pitching against more advanced competition, in a more offensively biased environment.

#96:  Taylor Green – 3B/2B – Milwaukee Brewers

Profile Published – 10/3/2011
2012 – Nashville (AAA): 0.274/.345/.408, 17 2B, 7 HR, 1 SB, 28 BB and 57 SO in 313 PA
2012 – Milwaukee (MLB): 0.192/.268/.354, 7 2B, 3 HR, 9 BB and 24 SO in 112 PA
Best Month – August: 0.292/.344/.460 in 121 PA with Nashville
Worst Month – June: 0.167/.250/.417 in 40 PA with Milwaukee

Stock Up/Down – Down. It was unreasonable expect a repeat of what he did in 2011 between AA and AAA, but he fell well short of that and his minor league career averages.

#97:  Yonder Alonso – OF – San Diego Padres

Profile Published – 10/2/2011
2012 – San Diego (MLB): 0.277/.352/.396, 37 2B, 9 HR, 3 SB, 61 BB and 99 SO in 603 PA
Best Month – July: 0.290/.368/.505 in 106 PA (there were month’s where Alonso had a better BA and/or OBP but his 0.873 OPS put July over the top).
Worst Month – June: 0.218/.277/.264 in 95 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up. Alonso started and finished the season in the majors and was fairly consistent with only one down month. Overall he turned in above average offensive season with an OPS+ of 111.

#98:  Francisco Lindor – SS – Cleveland Indians

Profile Published – 10/1/2011
2012 – Lake County (A-): 0.257/.352/.355, 24 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 27 SB, 61 BB and 78 SO in 568 PA
Best Month – April: 0.314/.369/.451 in 111 PA
Worst Month – August: 0.226/.328/.292 in 119 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up, based on his performance in his first full season. Way up based on where Nathaniel had him ranked. Lindor will be much further up the list when we start revealing our 2013 Top-100 rankings.

#99:  Henry Rodriguez – 2B – Cincinnati Reds

Profile Published – 9/30/2011
2012 – AZL Reds (Rk): 0.235/.278/.294, 1 2B, 1 BB and 2 SO in 18 PA
2012 – Pensacola (AA): 0.348/.385/.439, 6 2B, 2 HR, 3 SB, 9 BB and 18 SO in 144 PA
2012 – Louisville (AAA): 0.244/.264/.333, 10 2B, 3 HR, 5 SB, 6 BB and 35 SO in 221 PA
2012 – Cincinnati (MLB): 0.231/.333/.308, 1 2B, 2 BB and 2 SO in 15 PA
Best Month – May: 0.419/.471/.452 in 34 PA with Pensacola
Worst Month – August: 0.198/.212/.252 in 114 PA with Louisville

Stock Up/Down – Down, but just slightly. There’s an argument here that his stock stayed the same given his improvement in his time with Pensacola and may have been pushed too agressively.

#100:  Tyler Pastornicky – SS – Atlanta Braves

Profile Published - 9/29/2011
2012 – Gwinnett (AAA): 0.268/.317/.399, 15 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 SB, 11 BB and 21 SO in 167 PA
2012 – Atlanta (MLB): 0.242/.288/.327, 6 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 2 SB, 10 BB and 32 SO in 184 PA
Best Month – July: 0.394/.488/.757 in 42 PA between Atlanta (8) and Gwinnett (34)
Worst Month – May: 0.238/.253/.274 in 90 PA with Atlanta

Stock Up/Down – Down

~~~~~

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.

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.

Cincinnati Reds (S2S 2012 Reds Team Prospect List)

3B – David Vidal (22) – Reds 2010 8th Round Pick

2011 – Dayton (A): 0.280/.350/.498, 37 2B, 1 3B, 20 HR, 3 SB, 44 BB and 111 SO in 514 PA
2012 – Bakersfield (A+): 0.281/.358/.512, 7 2B, 0 3B, 7 HR, 3 SB, 13 BB and 26 SO in 137 PA
2012 – Pensacola (AA): 0.230/.294/.397, 21 2B, 1 3B, 11 HR, 0 SB, 28 BB and 90 SO in 377 PA

Vidal’s time in Bakersfield to start the season was nearly a mirror image to what he did with Dayton in the 2011 with the added bonus that he shaved 2.6% off his strikeout rate and added 0.9% to his walk rate. Obviously the move to the Cal league facilitated his ability to hold serve in terms of his slash stats but regardless he handled the step up with aplomb.

The jump to the Southern League in mid-May proved to be a much stiffer challenge however. Vidal failed to match his Bakersfield slash stats in any single month topping out with a 0.275/.327/.407 line during the month of June. The rest of his time with Pensacola he hit below 0.240 and closed the year in a 3-44 slide.  His walk (7.4%) and strikeout (23.9%) rates both regressed past where they were with Daytona but that’s more of a setback  than a red flag. One thing Vidal did show off in Double-A was his above-average to plus defensive ability.

LHP – Tony Cingrani (23) – Reds 2011 3rd Round Pick

2011 – Billings (Rk): 1.75 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 35 H, 6 BB and 80 SO in 51.1 IP
2012 – Bakersfield (A+): 1.11 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 39 H, 13 BB and 71 SO in 56.2 IP
2012 – Pensacola (AA): 2.12 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 59 H, 39 BB and 101 SO in 89.1 IP
2012 – Cincinnati (MLB): 3.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 1 H, 0 BB and 5 SO in 3.0 IP

Cingrani captured a lot of attention with his standout performance in the Pioneer League last year, but most rightfully viewed his future with a healthy dose of skepticism. There was plenty of concern that he wouldn’t be able to hold up against more advanced competition but Cingrani blew those concerns out of the water by cutting a swath through the ranks of Cal League hitters. Only once in his 10 starts with Bakersfield did he allow more than one earned run and in that particular 5.1 inning outing he gave up just two.

Obviously not challenged enough by what was already an aggressive assignment, the Reds moved him up to Pensacola where his BB/9 jumped to 3.9 but he continued to strike out more than 10 hitters per nine. More impressively he dropped his hit rate from 6.2 in High-A to a 5.9 H/9 with Double-A.

In the end his fantastic minor league season landed him in the Reds bullpen and on September 9th, just 15 months after being drafted out of Rice University, Cingrani made his major league debut. He allowed an earned run in his 3.0 innings of work with Cincinnati but struck out five and allowed just one hit. It was par for the course for the young lefty who turned in a season to remember while making his meteoric rise from rookie ball to the bigs. Oh, and those skeptics? I’d venture to guess they will be much tougher to find heading into 2013.

RHP – James Allen (22) – Reds 2011 7th Round Pick

2011 – Billings (Rk): 1.26 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 21 H, 5 BB and 39 SO in 28.2 IP
2012 – Dayton (A): 3.72 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 99 H, 32 BB and 95 SO in 113.2 IP
2012 – Louisville (AAA): 12.00 ERA, 3.67 WHIP, 8 H, 3 BB and 1 SO in 3.0 IP

Cingrani wasn’t the only standout pitcher last season with the Billings Mustangs. Reliever James Allen was right there with him finishing last season with a fantastic 7.80 SO/BB in 22 appearances. This season, Allen wasn’t pushed quite as aggressively nor did he generate the fantastic results that his former teammate did. However he did pitch to a 3.40 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 3.2 BB/9 and 7.3 SO/9 in his first 50.1 innings on the season in a relief role.

On July 3rd, Allen made the first of 11 starts with the Dragons and remained in that role until he made his one relief appearance with Louisville at the end of the year. As a member of the Dayton rotation he had a 3.98 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 2.0 BB/9 and 7.7 SO/9. While his ERA was slightly more than a half run higher, the rest of his numbers took a positive turn. That improvement comes as a mild surprise as Allen has survived primarily on a fastball-slider combo in a relief role since his days at Kansas State.

It will be interesting to see if the organization decides to keep Allen in the rotation beyond this year, but it wouldn’t be the first time they successfully converted a college closer into a starter. Cingrani himself was a closer in his college days.

~~~~~

For more on the Cincinnati Reds, check out Blog Red Machine!

Let’s break down the players that the Reds will send to the Arizona Fall League, all of whom will play for the Peoria Javelinas, starting with the minors’ stolen base king.

Hamilton is known much more for his speed than anything else, but the Reds hope to see him show improvement in the batter's box and promise in centerfield in the AFL. (Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE)

OF Billy Hamilton

Up until now, Billy Hamilton has been a shortstop. That is about to change. Hamilton has always shown plenty of range defensively at short thanks to his blazing speed, but his actions aren’t fluid and his arm strength is below-average. Rather than spend a while trying to piece Hamilton’s defense together, the Reds decided instead to send him out to center field, where his speed will make him a natural fit and his poor arm strength will not be as much of a problem. Converting Hamilton to the outfield will be a project as Hamilton has never played the outfield as a pro, but with time he has the chance to be a plus defender. Considering the way that Hamilton’s offense is developing, the Reds want to expedite the process of getting his defense to be big league ready, and they’re starting that process in the Arizona Fall League.

This season, Hamilton, 21, has put at staggering numbers between the High-A Bakersfield Blaze and the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, posting a 0.316/.414/.427 line with 21 doubles, 14 triples, 2 homers, 45 RBI, a minor league single-season record 154 stolen bases (while being caught 39 times) and 109 strikeouts versus 83 walks in 128 games and 586 plate appearances. As I discussed just over a week ago, Hamilton has made big strides offensively, specifically with his patience, but he’s still a ways away from being able to handle big league pitchers who will constantly attack him in the zone because of the little power he possesses. The Reds hope that Hamilton will be able to continue getting on base at a good clip moving forward, and if he does, he’ll be off to the races on the basepaths. In addition to his work on converting to center, Hamilton will look to continue improving his offense as he digs in against the pitching of the AFL. He’s the odds-on favorite to win the league’s stolen base crown and by a wide margin.

SS Didi Gregorius

The Reds will be sending a well-regarded shortstop prospect to the AFL even if Hamilton is moving to the outfield. Gregorius, 22, is in an opposite situation to Hamilton as the best part of his game is probably his shortstop defense. Gregorius features nice range, great reflexes, and an excellent arm leading scouts to project him as a plus defender. The rest of his game still needs a ton of work. In 129 games and 561 plate appearances between Pensacola and the Triple-A Louisville Bats, Gregorius posted a .265/.324/.393 line with 21 doubles, 11 triples, 7 homers, 54 RBI, just 3 of 9 stolen bases, and 80 strikeouts versus 41 walks. The root of Gregorius’ problems is that he has great if not Hamilton-esque speed but no idea how to use it. Gregorius has never taken to reading pitchers, leading to embarrassingly low stolen base totals and success rates. He is a pretty good bunter, but he fails to make use of his speed most of the time as he hits too many balls in the air. Gregorius makes a lot of contact, but too much of it comes in the air, preventing him from utilizing his speed except for when he hits balls into the gaps. That especially isn’t a good strategy because Gregorius has below-average power. His plate discipline is also sub-par, not helping matters at all. Gregorius has to be more patient at the plate and hit the ball on the ground more often so he can beat out plays. Being more patient will also allow him to utilize whatever power he does have when he sees mistakes. Gregorius will look to improve his plate discipline and his basestealing instincts in the AFL as he looks to tie his game together. With significant improvement this fall, Didi could challenge for a spot in Cincinnati as soon as the second half of next season.

1B Donald Lutz

The Arizona Fall League will be a very interesting test for Donald Lutz, 23, who was signed by the Reds out of Germany in 2007 and spent three seasons at Rookie ball before finally finding himself at Low-A in 2011. In 2012, Lutz worked his way up from Bakersfield to Pensacola, posting a .269/.333/.526 line with 25 doubles, 6 triples, 22 homers, 70 RBI, 8 of 13 stolen bases, and 106 strikeouts versus 32 walks in 103 games and 441 plate appearances. Lutz did struggle mightily defensively both at left field and first base, but at 6’3″ and 225 pounds, shows nice bat speed with great raw power. He gets into trouble thanks to a lack of plate discipline and trouble with breaking pitches. His offense definitely needs work, but Lutz is heading to the AFL primarily to work on his defense at first base. Lutz has worked very hard the past few years to get his defense up to par without much to show for it and has a .980 fielding percentage in 162 minor league games at the position. Fielding percentage isn’t everything, but that is absolutely horrific (think an .890 fielding percentage for a shortstop). Hopefully Lutz will make strides defensively in addition to working on his patience at the plate, making him profile better at first base. Lutz is blocked in Cincy by Joey Votto even if he breaks out, but he has the ability to be a solid 1B prospect if he can get his defense and patience up to par.

RHP Drew Hayes

Hayes, who turns 25 in September, didn’t get very good results in 2012 but could be the sleeper prospect to watch for the Reds in the AFL. At, 6’1″ and 190 pounds, he was the Reds’ 11th round pick in 2010. In 2012, Hayes went 2-3 with a 3.52 ERA, a 9.1 K/9, a 5.4 BB/9, and a 0.4 HR/9 in 55 relief appearances and 61.1 IP for Pensacola. According to Minor League Central, his groundball rate was a good 46.5%. Hayes throws a solid sinker in the 92-94 MPH range to go along with a sharp slider that has the ability to force swings-and-misses. He struggles to locate both of his pitches, but he keeps them down in the zone pretty well and if he can learn to control them better he could be an interesting middle relief prospect. Every team loves a middle reliever who can come in to a bases loaded jam, strike out a guy, and force an inning-ending double play, and Hayes has a chance to be that type of pitcher. We’ll have to see whether he can begin to get his command up to par in the AFL, and if he does, he could be in the major leagues before very long.

RHP Curtis Partch

Partch, 25, was the Reds’ 26th round pick way back in 2007 and is finally getting a little recognition as a prospect. Partch, 6’5″, 227, did not have a great season between High-A and Double-A in 2012, going 7-4 but with a 4.44 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9 in 79 IP. He’s made 46 relief appearances, with 8 saves, and 4 starts on the year. The cool thing about Partch is that he brings it velocity-wise and as a pitcher who was a starter from 2008 to 2011 – tossing 160.2 innings in 2011 – he can also provide length. He throws in the 93-95 MPH range with his fastball, touching 97, to go along with a halfway-decent curveball that has its moments and a fringe-average changeup. His command, control, and secondary pitches are not really good enough, but with some improvement he has a chance to a long reliever in the big leagues and maybe even a 5th starter. Partch has been a high-velocity organizational player for a while and the Reds are giving him an opportunity to prove that he could be more than that in the AFL.

The Reds still have two more players they can send to the AFL, one full-time player (required) and another taxi-squad player (only eligible to play on Wednesdays and Saturdays) if they would like, but from these five we see a true top prospect, a couple guys a tier below who still have a chance to be big league regulars and maybe more, and two interesting relief options. The Reds are putting these players to the test to see how they stack up against some of the top prospects in baseball and they’re excited for the improvements that all five players have the ability to make over the course of the fall. A great Arizona Fall League could drive these players into a great 2013 minor league season and maybe even some big league time. This coming fall, it will be time to see what these guys can do.

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For more on the Reds, check out Blog Red Machine.

Once Hamilton gets going, good luck stopping him. (Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE)

Thus far in 2012 between the High-A Bakersfield Blaze and Pensacola, Hamilton has posted a .319/.418/.435 line with 21 doubles, 14 triples, 2 homers, 45 RBI, of course the 148 stolen bases while being caught 34 times, and 101 strikeouts versus 80 walks in 122 games and 560 plate appearances. We know that Hamilton is lightning-fast and we see from his 2012 stats that speed is not his entire game. The biggest thing to look at is his patience. The old baseball adage is “you can’t steal 1st” and Hamilton understands that very well. The thing about Hamilton is that big league pitchers are going to attack him a lot more than High-A and Double-A pitchers. A lot of the pitchers at those levels have great stuff, but the vast majority of those prospects don’t have anywhere near the command of big league pitchers. Pitchers are going to throw strikes to Hamilton because they know that if he walks, you might as well score it a double- if you’re lucky. He might steal third base on the next pitch. Hamilton’s great eye will certainly serve him well moving forward. But is he a good enough hitter to make do even when pitchers are attacking him in the zone at-bat after at-bat?

Hamilton’s .319 batting average and .435 slugging percentage look pretty great. Of course, they come with an insane .399 BAbip, but it would not be unexpected for Hamilton to post a BAbip not too far below that because of his speed. Hamilton, though, isn’t just a groundball hitter. According to Minor League Central, so far this season, 15.6% of Hamilton’s batted balls have been line drives, 44.1% have been groundballs, 27.7% flyballs to the outfield,  7.8% pop-ups, and 1.9% bunts. For some perspective, the averages of the two leagues that Hamilton have played in is 15.0% line drives, 43.6% groundballs, 30.6% outfield flyballs, 7.2% pop-ups, and 1.7% bunts. Hamilton’s batted ball ratios are pretty to the average all-around, with a few more line drives, groundballs, and pop-ups, and way less flyballs to the outfield. Hamilton does have a little pop. A bunch of his doubles may have very well been singles for almost anybody else, but you don’t hit 15 triples without any power. But do you even want him to hit the ball in the air? He’s going to have to. Major league pitchers aren’t going to give Hamilton anything but fastballs in the zone until he proves that he can punish them with extra-base hits and good luck drawing walks if the scouting report is to just pound you with fastballs.

Hamilton is a switch-hitter who’s better from the left side of the plate, but he has been great from both sides in 2012, posting a .322/.430/.432 line as a lefty and a .317/.395/.453 line from his natural right side. Hamilton has more power but also less plate discipline as a right-handed batter and puts more balls into play in the air, which isn’t a good thing. Hamilton shows good bat speed from both sides of the plate with a relatively compact swing. Hamilton is never going to be even a 10-homer threat in the major leagues and you don’t want him to try. He has good plate discipline, but it’s not like he’s waiting for a pitch to drive or anything along those lines. Hamilton has to be able to make contact and put strikes into play, especially on the ground. He has to learn to not elevate anything unless he sees a mistake pitch. And then, Hamilton really has to learn to bunt. When you’re as fast as he is, Hamilton is guaranteed 15 or 20 bunt singles a year if he becomes a halfway-decent bunter.

The risk with Hamilton at the plate is that he loses his discipline as pitchers pound the zone becomes a free-swinger, putting too many balls into play in the air and rendering himself unable to take advantage of his speed as often as he would like. The upside with him is that he stays patient and learns to put the ball in play on the ground when pitchers throw him strikes, becomes a good bunter, and shows the ability to hit the ball on a line when pitchers give him mistakes. True, you can’t steal first base, but Hamilton has the ability to use his speed to complement his patience in order to get on base and from there, he’ll be off to the races. If Hamilton gets on base at a good clip, 100 stolen bases annually in the major leagues is within reach for him, maybe more, and catchers will get nightmares the night before they face him every time. At least one 100-steal season in the major leagues seems like almost a certainty for Hamilton someday. But the Reds are hoping for more than that. They hope that he can develop into a hitter who gets on base at a .400 clip and if he does that, he could be the best leadoff hitter in baseball.

So far, we have only discussed Hamilton’s offense. A big part of his remaining development has to do with his defense. Hamilton has as much range defensively at shortstop as anyone in baseball. But his hands are just decent and his arm is below-average for the position and also inaccurate at times. Hamilton still has a chance to be an above-average defender because of all the balls he gets to, but he needs continued work on his actions and his throwing mechanics and the necessary improvement may never happen. A natural fit for Hamilton could be second base, and Hamilton does have some minor league experience there, but with Brandon Phillips locked up in Cincinnati that won’t be happening, so the next option could be centerfield, where Hamilton’s speed would certainly stand out and his below-average arm wouldn’t be as much of a problem. The problem is that Hamilton has never played there in his career and getting him used to reading flyballs off the bat could take some time. Expect Hamilton to begin taking flyballs in centerfield while continuing to work on his defense at shortstop during the Arizona Fall League and spring training of next season. But wherever Hamilton ends up playing, the Reds will find a way to get him into the big league lineup thanks to his incredible basestealing ability.

Billy Hamilton has a chance to be an excellent big league player someday. His unbelievable speed gives him a chance to steal bases like none of us have seen in a very long time, and with his solid bat speed and ability to get on base, he could be one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball. The Reds have themselves a special player in Hamilton, and in a couple years, he could take baseball by storm. Or maybe sooner- Hamilton could serve as a pinch-runner for the Reds in September and give catchers a taste of the horror they will experience when he’s ready to be a full-time player.

To me, there’s a lot to like. A 2004 39th round pick out of St. Petersburg Junior College in Florida, Redmond was a draft-and-follow, which allowed teams to take a longer look at players before signing them (Tommy Hanson would be a more recent example); that process has since been removed from the amateur draft all-together. His 2005 scouting report lauds him for a quality fastball and developing secondary pitches, noting that he had a chance to stay in a rotation if his secondary pitches came along. His 2006 scouting report painted a fairly different picture, noting that he had three solid-average pitches (but no out pitches) and plus command. The latter report very much holds true still today.

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Appalachian League (Rk)

C – Josh Elander, Danville (Atlanta): 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Pioneer League (Rk)

LHP – Ismael Guillon, Billings (Cincinnati): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO

The 20-year old Guillon has improved his hit, walk and strikeout rate in his second season with Billings. He’s now sporting a 2.29 ERA in 51.0 IP with 39 H, 24 BB and 63 SO and looks to be making good on some of the promise he showed when he was one of the top international free agents back in 2008.

RF – Socrates Brito, Missoula (Arizona): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

New York-Penn League (A-)

No Games Scheduled

Northwest League (A-)

RHP – Ben White, Vancouver (Toronto): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

LHP – Rusty Shellhorn, Everett (Seattle): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

Midwest League (A)

LHP – Eswarlin Jimenez, Cedar Rapids (LA Angels): 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

LHP – Matt Tomshaw, Beloit (Minnesota): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

South Atlantic League (A)

DH – Eric Avila, West Virginia (Pittsburgh): 3-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R

California League (A+)

No Games Scheduled

Carolina League (A+)

SS – Ronny Rodriguez, Carolina (Cleveland): 3-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R

RHP – Brooks Pounders, Wilmington (Kansas City): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

Florida State League (A+)

No Games Scheduled

Eastern League (AA)

1B – Darin Ruf, Reading (Philadelphia): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Southern League (AA)

No Games Scheduled

Texas League (AA)

RF – Jamie Romak, Springfield (St. Louis): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, R, 2 BB

International League (AAA)

3B – Henry Rodriguez, Louisville (Cincinnati): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, 3 R

LHP – Hector Santiago, Charlotte (Chicago White Sox): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

CF – Leonys Martin, Round Rock (Texas): 3-5, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

DH – Luis Antonio Jimenez, Tacoma (Seattle): 3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

The 30-year old veteran is having his finest professional season since he hit 0.375/.474/.597 with the Bluefield Orioles back in 2002. In his last 10 games he’s 16-37 with 6 HR and 15 RBI and he’s now pushed his overall season slash line to 0.311/.387/.515.

(more…)

Appalachian League (Rk)

CF – Andrew Toles, Princeton (Tampa Bay): 3-8, 2 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SB

Between the Pulaski and Princeton lineups, there were a total of seven extra-base hits in the 23-inning marathon. Toles accounted for three of them.

3B – Angel Ibanez, Greeneville (Houston): 5-6, 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R

Pioneer League (Rk)

RF – Julian Yan, Colorado Springs (Colorado): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

New York-Penn League (A-)

RHP – Luis DeJesus, Mahoning Valley (Cleveland): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

Northwest League (A-)

RHP – Ben White, Vancouver (Toronto): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Midwest League (A)

C – Abel Baker, Cedar Rapids (LA Angels): 2-2, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB

LHP – Matt Tomshaw, Beloita (Minnesota): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

South Atlantic League (A)

3B – Matthew Skole, Hagerstown (Washington): 2-3, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, R, 2 BB

RHP – Nicholas Kingham, West Virginia (Pittsburgh): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

California League (A+)

3B – Adam Duvall, San Jose (San Francisco): 3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R

CF – Leon Landry, High Desert (Seattle): 4-5, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, SB

In his third game as a member of the Mariners organization, Landry hits for the cycle. Frankly, I still can’t believe the Dodgers traded him away.

Carolina League (A+)

2B – Sean Coyle, Salem (Boston): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

Florida State League (A+)

RHP – Tyler Pill, St. Lucie (NY Mets): 7.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO

3B – Aderlin Rodriguez, St. Lucie (NY Mets): 3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Eastern League (AA)

RHP – Ethan Martin, Reading (Philadelphia): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

CF – Adonis Garcia, Trenton (NY Yankees): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

Southern League (AA)

SS – Jake Lemmerman, Chattanooga (Cincinnati): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Matt Magill, Chattanooga (Cincinnati): 7.1 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 12 SO

Texas League (AA)

RF – Rymer Liriano, San Antonio (San Diego): 3-3, 3 RBI, R, BB

International League (AAA)

LHP – Jeff Locke, Indianapolis (Pittsburgh): 7.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO

RHP – Jeanmar Gomez, Columbus (Cleveland): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

2B – Josh Satin, Buffalo (NY Mets): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

LHP – Tyler Skaggs, Reno (Arizona): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 SO

CF – Jimmy Paredes, Oklahoma City (Houston): 4-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

High Desert’s Leon Landry and Chattanooga’s Matt Magill

Cincinnati Reds CF Denis Phipps (Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Lynchburg’s Cody Martin and Louisville’s Denis Phipps with Billings’ Daniel Pigott getting an honorable mention*.

*Pigott would have won HotD honors outright but his game hadn’t concluded when I was finalizing this article.

Appalachian League (Rk)

LF – Eric Arce, Bluefield (Toronto): 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

CF – C.J. McElroy, Johnson City (St. Louis): 2-3, 2B, 3B, 2 R

Pioneer League (Rk)

CF – Adam Heisler, Great Falls (Chicago White Sox): 2-4, 2B, 3B, R, BB

3B – Steven Graeter, Grand Junction (Colorado): 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R

RHP – Matt Carasiti, Grand Junction (Colorado): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

DH – Daniel Pigott, Billings (Cincinnati): 5-6, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 4 R

New York-Penn League (A-)

LHP – Nicholas Lee, Auburn (Washington): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

LF – Joel Caminero, Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

DH – Joe Sever, Mahoning Valley (Cleveland): 3-3, 2B, RBI, R, BB

DH – Jacob Stallings, State College (Pittsburgh): 4-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Vincent Velasquez, Tri-City (Houston): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

Northwest League (A-)

C – Dan Klein, Vancouver (Toronto): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Midwest League (A)

RF – Max Walla, Wisconsin (Milwaukee): 4-7, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

LF – Taylor Motter, Bowling Green (Tampa Bay): 3-5, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

SS – Sean Jamieson, Burlington (Oakland): 2-3, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB, SB

RHP – Angel Baez, Kane County (Kansas City): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO

RHP – Joseph Zeller, Peoria (Chicago Cubs): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

LF – Jason Krizan, West Michigan (Detroit): 4-5, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R

South Atlantic League (A)

LHP – Zack Dodson, West Virginia (Pittsburgh): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

RHP – Ben Alsup, Asheville (Colorado): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

RHP – Kyle Crick, Augusta (San Francisco): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

LF – Connor Narron, Delmarva (Baltimore): 3-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

California League (A+)

LF – Chris Epps, Lancaster (Houston): 2-3, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB

3B – Travis Mattair, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Matthew Andriese, Lake Elsinore (San Diego): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

Carolina League (A+)

RHP – Jason Adam, Wilmington (Kansas City): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

RHP – Cody Martin, Lynchburg (Atlanta): 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 14 SO

RHP – Yeiper Castillo, Salem (Boston): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

RHP – Justin Collop, Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

Florida State League (A+)

LF – Ramon Flores, Tampa (NY Yankees): 3-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, R

1B – Kyle Roller, Tampa (NY Yankees): 3-3, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB

C – Luis De La Cruz, Palm Beach (St. Louis): 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

RHP – P.J. Francescon, Daytona (Chicago Cubs): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Eastern League (AA)

RHP – Cory Mazzoni, Binghamton (NY Mets): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

1B – Reynaldo Rodriguez, Portland (Boston): 3-4, 2 2B, 3B, RBI, R

RHP – Justin Fitzgerald, Richmond (San Francisco): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

Southern League (AA)

LHP – Tony Cingrani, Pensacola (Cincinnati): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

RF – Alfredo Marte, Mobile (Arizona): 3-3, HR, 2 RBI, R

2B – Logan Watkins, Tennessee (Chicago Cubs): 3-4, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB

Texas League (AA)

LF – Austin Wates, Corpus Christi (Houston): 4-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

2B – Jose Martinez, Corpus Christi (Houston): 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB

CF – Michael Choice, Midland (Oakland): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RF – Paulo Orlando, NW Arkansas (Kansas City): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, R, 2 BB

RHP – Richard Castillo, Springfield (Springfield): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

International League (AAA)

LF – Fred Lewis, Buffalo (NY Mets): 2-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB

CF – Denis Phipps, Louisville (Cincinnati): 5-6, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, BB

1B – Neftali Soto, Louisville (Cincinnati): 2-4, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB

RHP – Jeanmar Gomez, Columbus (Cleveland): 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

LF – Pete Orr, Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia): 2-4, 2 3B, 3 RBI, R

LHP – Pat Misch, Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

DH – Zack Cox, Memphis (St. Louis): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

LHP – Tyler Lyons, Memphis (St. Louis): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

RHP – Daniel Straily, Sacramento (Oakland): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 13 SO

RHP – Shawn Hill, Las Vegas (Toronto): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

RF – Adam Eaton, Reno (Arizona): 3-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SB

LHP – Tyler Skaggs, Reno (Arizona): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Pensacola’s Tony Cingrani and Missoula’s Daniel Pulfer

Appalachian League (Rk)

LF – Romy Jimenez, Elizabethton (Minnesota): 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R

RHP – Angel Mata, Elizabethton (Minnesota): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

RHP – Isliexel Gonzalez, Pulaski (Seattle): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

LF – Edison Sanchez, Danville (Atlanta): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB

RHP – Rafael Briceno, Danville (Atlanta): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0  BB, 9 SO

SS – Brandon Martin, Princeton (Tampa Bay): 2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, R, BB

Pioneer League (Rk)

LHP – Jake Hermsen, Ogden (LA Dodgers): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

SS – Justin Jirschele, Great Falls (Chicago White Sox): 4-5, 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R

2B – Daniel Pulfer, Missoula (Arizona): 4-6, 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 R

1B – Rudy Flores, Missoua (Arizona): 2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB

C – Yosbel Gutierrez, Missoula (Arizona): 3-5, 3B, HR, 5 HR, 2 R, BB

RHP – Jared Ray, Missoula (Arizona): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

New York-Penn League (A-)

1B – Jacob Tanis, Vermont (Oakland): 4-4, 3 RBI

RF – John Wooten, Vermont (Oakland): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

RHP – Mark Blackmar, Aberdeen (Baltimore): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

C – Ryan Hornback, State College (Pittsburgh): 3-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI

RHP – William Cuevas, Lowell (Boston): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

RHP – Pedro Encarnacion, Auburn (Washington): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Northwest League (A-)

RF – Preston Beck, Spokane (Texas): 4-4, R

1B – Balbino Fuenmayor, Vancouver (Toronto): 3-3, 2B, RBI, R, BB

C – Ronnie Freeman, Yakima (Arizona): 4-4, 2B, RBI, R

Midwest League (A)

SS – Eugenio Suarez, West Michigan (Detroit): 3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 R

DH – Lance Durham, West Michigan (Detroit): 3-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R

RHP – Wilsen Palacios, West Michigan (Detroit): 7.2 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

DH – Marc Bourgeois, South Bend (Arizona): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB

SS – Trevor Hairgrove, Cedar Rapids (LA Angels): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

South Atlantic League (A)

RF – Henry Ramos, Greenville (Boston): 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB

RHP – Jason Garcia, Greenville (Boston): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

RF – Jared Simon, Asheville (Colorado): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

3B – Jose Flores, Augusta (NY Mets): 2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

California League (A+)

SS – Casey McElroy, Lake Elsinore (San Diego): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB

3B – Travis Mattair, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, R

2B – Gerson Montilla, Visalia (Arizona): 3-5, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R

DH – Alexis Aguilar, Rancho Cucamonga (LA Dodgers): 4-4, 2 RBI, BB

Carolina League (A+)

DH – Anthony Gallas, Carolina (Cleveland): 2-4, 2B, 3B,R

3B – Christian Villanueva, Myrtle Beach (Texas): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB

RHP – Kyle Hendricks, Myrtle Beach (Texas): 9.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

2B – Rick Hague, Potomac (Washington): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

Florida State League (A+)

LHP – Jed Bradley, Brevard County (Milwaukee): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

CF – Matthew Szczur, Daytona (Chicago Cubs): 3-6, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

DH – Greg Rohan, Daytona (Chicago Cubs): 5-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

LHP – Ryan Sherriff, Palm Beach (St. Louis): 7.1 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

Eastern League (AA)

1B – Matt Curry, Altoona (Pittsburgh): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, R

RHP – Paul Demny, Harrisburg (Washington): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

LF – Josh Barfield, Bowie (Baltimore): 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R

2B – David Adams, Trenton (NY Yankees): 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB

1B – Luke Murton, Trenton (NY Yankees): 3-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

Southern League (AA)

1B – Andy Wilkins, Birmingham (Chicago White Sox): 5-6, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R

RHP – Andre Rienzo, Birmingham (Chicago White Sox): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO

2B – David Nick, Mobile (Arizona): 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

LHP – Tony Cingrani, Pensacola (Cincinnati): 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 15 SO

Texas League (AA)

No Games Scheduled – All-Star Break

International League (AAA)

RF – Val Pascucci, Buffalo (NY Mets): 3-3, 3 2B, 5 RBI, BB

LHP – Chris Seddon, Columbus (Cleveland): 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

SS – Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Rochester (Minnesota): 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, R

3B – Mark Teahen, Syracuse (Washington): 4-5, R

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

C – Dayton Buller, Nashville (Milwaukee): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

SS – Donnie Murphy, New Orleans (Miami): 3-5, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

3B – Brett Wallace, Oklahoma City (Houston): 4-6, 2 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R

1B – Mike Hessman, Oklahoma City (Houston): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RF – Adam Eaton, Reno (Arizona): 3-3, 2 2B, 2 R, BB

RHP – Blake Beavan, Tacoma (Seattle): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

CF – Kole Calhoun, Salt Lake (LA Angels): 2-3, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, R, BB

Danny Valencia has had a forgettable season at the plate but showed a little life for the RedWings on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Seon Gi Kim of the Everett AquaSox and Travis Mattair of the Bakersfield Blaze

Appalachian League (Rk)

1B – Jean Batista, Greeneville (Houston): 4-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R

2B – Joey DeMichele, Bristol (Chicago White Sox): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI

RHP – Ernesto Silva, Danville (Atlanta): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

3B – Travis Harrison, Elizabethton (Minnesota): 3-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

Harrison, a supplemental round pick in the 2011 draft, did his part in the 18-2 beat-down the Twins put on the Burlington Royals. All 10 Elizabethton batters that came to the plate got at least one hit.

LHP – Taylor Rogers, Elizabethton (Minnesota): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

2B – Brock Hebert, Pulaski (Seattle): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R

Pioneer League (Rk)

1B – Carlos Sanchez, Billings (Cincinnati): 4-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R

RHP – Wes Mugarian, Billings (Cincinnati): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

DH – Jacob Lamb, Missoula (Arizona): 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

Not only is this Lamb’s second straight day on the Prospect Pulse, he’s also hitting 0.444/.500/.815 through six games.

C – Jin-Ho Shin, Idaho Falls (Kansas City): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

DH – Ryan Garvey, Grand Junction (Colorado): 3-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

New York-Penn League (A-)

RF – Deshun Dixon, Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay): 4-6, R

DH – Justin O’Conner, Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

LHP – Tim Cooney, Batavia (St. Louis): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

RHP – Rainy Lara, Brooklyn (NY Mets): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

LF – John Wooten, Vermont (Oakland): 3-4, 2B, 4 RBI, R

Wooten has at least one hit in all six games this season (9-24).

Northwest League (A-)

RHP – Seon Gi Kim, Everett (Seattle): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 13 SO

This was easily one of the most dominant outings of the 2012 minor league season and it comes on the heels of a 6.0 inning, 4-hit, 1-run outing.

1B – Balbino Fuenmayor, Vancouver (Toronto): 3-3, HR, 4 RBI, R

Midwest League (A)

1B- Jeff Malm, Bowling Green (Tampa Bay): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

SS – Jack Lopez, Kane County (Kansas City): 2-3, 2B, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB

RHP – Adys Portillo, Fort Wayne (San Diego): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Portillo is in the midst of a breakout season for the Padres after signing out of Venezuela for $2 million back in 2008. He currently has a 1.76 ERA and 66-29 SO-to-BB in 71.2 IP (14 GS).

RHP – Noah Syndergaard, Lansing (Toronto): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

DH – Ben McMahan, Wisconsin (Milwaukee): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

RHP – Tim Shibuya, Beloit (Minnesota): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

South Atlantic League (A)

2B – Alejandro Selen, Hickory (Texas): 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

RHP – Kyle Crick, Augusta (San Francisco): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 8 SO

RHP – Michael Fulmer, Savannah (NY Mets): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO

LF – Will Skinner, Rome (Atlanta): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

CF – Mason Williams, Charleston (NY Yankees): 2-5, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

CF – Brian Goodwin, Hagerstown (Washington): 4-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R

Goodwin is hitting 0.415/.467/.780 with 3 2B and 4 HR in his last 10 games.

California League (A+)

RF – Bobby Borchering, Visalia (Arizona): 1-2, HR, 3 RBI, R, 2 BB

3B – Travis Mattair, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 3-4, HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, SB

DH – Bobby Coyle, Rancho Cucamonga (LA Dodgers): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

On the heels of back-to-back three hit games, Coyle has a 0.423/.444/.558 slash line on the season (52 AB).

Carolina League (A+)

SS – Orlando Calixte, Wilmington (Kansas City): 3-4, 2B, R

20-year old SS has hit in all three games since his promotion from Kane County to the Blue Rocks.

DH – Aaron Baker, Frederick (Baltimore): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

RHP – Dylan Bundy, Frederick (Baltimore): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

C – Christian Vazquez, Salem (Boston): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB

3B – Juan Silverio, Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox): 3-5, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, R

SS – Jason Martinson, Potomac (Washington): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

Florida State League (A+)

RHP – Robert Whitenack, Daytona (Chicago Cubs): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

LF – Travis Taijeron, St. Lucie (NY Mets): 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, SB

Eastern League (AA)

CF – Jackie Bradley, Portland (Boston): 2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 R

3B – Addison Maruszak, Trenton (NY Yankees): 2-4, 2 2B, 4 RBI, R, SB

RHP – Jonathan Pettibone, Reading (Philadelphia): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

3B – Adam Abraham, Akron (Cleveland): 3-4, 3 2B, RBI, R

SS – Brock Holt, Altoona (Pittsburgh): 2-5, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 2 R

1B – Chris Colabello, New Britain (Minnesota): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI 2 R

Southern League (AA)

2B – Logan Watkins, Tennessee (Chicago Cubs): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 R, BB

CF – Donnie Webb, Jacksonville (Miami): 2-5, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, R

2B – Stefen Romero, Jackson (Seattle): 2-4, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, R

LHP – Anthony Fernandez, Jackson (Seattle): 9.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

RHP – Jacob Thompson, Montgomery (Tampa Bay): 6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

Texas League (AA)

RHP – Ariel Pena, Arkansas (LA Angels): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

RHP – Andrew Cashner, San Antonio (San Diego): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 SO

1B – Xavier Scruggs, Springfield (St. Louis): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

RHP – Trevor Rosenthal, Springfield (St. Louis): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

International League (AAA)

SS – Paul Janish, Louisville (Cincinnati): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

3B – Mark Teahen, Syracuse (Washington): 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, SB

RF – Jeff Salazar, Durham (Tampa Bay): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

LF – Brandon Allen, Durham (Tampa Bay): 2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Allen is hitting 0.419/.447/.651 in his last ten games and 13-24 in his last five.

3B – Danny Valencia, Rochester (Minnesota): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

RHP – Steve Hirschfeld, Rochester (Minnesota): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

RHP – Scott Gorgen, Memphis (St. Louis): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

1B – Sean Halton, Nashville (Milwaukee): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

LF – Corey Patterson, Nashville (Milwaukee): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Sean O’Sullivan, Las Vegas (Toronto): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

LF – Brett Pill, Fresno (San Francisco): 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Pensacola’s Daniel Corcino and Lake Elsinore’s Justin Miller

Chicago Cubs 3B prospect Josh Vitters (Photo Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE)

Midwest League

SS – Francisco Lindor, Lake County (Cleveland): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R

Cleveland’s top prospect is hitting 0.353/.569/.441 with 13 BB in his last 10 games.

LF – Todd Hankins, Lake County (Cleveland): 2-5, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

LHP – Justin Nicolino, Lansing (Toronto): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

Now sporting a 1.21 ERA and 48-10 SO-to-BB in 52.0 IP this season.

RF – Zachary Borenstein, Cedar Rapids (LA Angels): 2-3, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, R

LHP – Ryan Carpenter, Bowling Green (Tampa Bay): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

South Atlantic League

SS – Fernando De Los Santos, Rome (Atlanta): 3-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

1B – William Beckwith, Rome (Atlanta): 2-5, 2B, HR, RBI, R

RHP – Jonas Dufek, Lexington (Houston): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

3B – David Renfroe, Greenville (Boston): 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

CF – Christopher Grayson, Hickory (Texas): 2-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, R

California League

RHP – Bobby Doran, Lancaster (Houston): 7.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

1B – Steven Proscia, High Desert (Seattle): 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

3B – Miles Head, Stockton (Oakland): 2-5, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

DH – Justin Miller, Lake Elsinore (San Diego): 4-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

SS – Billy Hamilton, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 2-4, RBI, BB, 2 R, 5 SB

C – Tucker Barnhart, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB

Carolina League

RHP – Cody Martin, Lynchburg (Atlanta): 5.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

1B – Travis Shaw, Salem (Boston): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

SS – Xander Bogaerts, Salem (Boston): 4-4, 2 RBI, R, SB

Bogaerts has picked up his production in June, hitting 0.365/.446/.667 this month.

LF – Brady Shoemaker, Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox): 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB

1B – Dan Black, Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox): 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Florida State League

No Games Scheduled – All-Star Break

Eastern League

LHP – Ramon Garcia, Erie (Detroit): 8.0 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

RHP – John Stilson, New Hampshire (Toronto): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

A successful Double-A debut for Stilson.

3B – Jose Pirela, Trenton (NY Yankees): 4-5, HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, BB

Pirela is hitting 0.402/.462/.576 in 92 AB this season.

2B – David Adams, Trenton (NY Yankees): 4-6, 2 R

LF – Jimmy Van Ostrand, Harrisburg (Washington): 3-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

RF – Evan Chambers, Altoona (Pittsburgh): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Southern League

LHP – Eric Jokisch, Tennessee (Chicago Cubs): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO

RHP – David Hale, Mississippi (Atlanta): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

CF – Nick Buss, Chattanooga (LA Dodgers): 3-5, 2B, 3B, 3 R

RHP – Daniel Corcino, Pensacola (Cincinnati): 8.0 IP, 0 H, 0 H, 3 BB, 9 SO

Wilkin De La Rosa finished off the no hitter for Corcino who went 8 innings for the first time in his young career and 7 for the first time this season.

Texas League

RHP – Jose Cisnero, Corpus Christi (Houston): 9.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

RHP – Josh Geer, San Antonio (San Diego): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

LHP – Edwar Cabrera, Tulsa (Colorado): 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Just 4 hits and 1 unearned run allowed in his last 15.0 innings has dropped his ERA to 2.97 on the season. His 73-22 SO-to-BB rate is augmented a 0.90 WHIP.

International League

RHP – Matt Torra, Durham (Tampa Bay): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

CF – Chris Dickerson, Scranton/WB (NY Yankees): 2-5, 2 2B, 2 R

DH – Russ Canzler, Columbus (Cleveland): 2-4, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, R

RHP – Chris Schwinden, Columbus (Cleveland): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

RHP – Matt Zaleski, Charlotte (Chicago White Sox): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

CF – Ben Guez, Toledo (Detroit): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R, BB

Pacific Coast League

RHP – Tom Koehler, New Orleans (Miami): 7.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 SO

2B – Alex Castellanos, Albuquerque (LA Dodgers): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

3B – Josh Vitters, Iowa (Chicago Cubs): 4-4, 2B, R

RF – Brad Snyder, Oklahoma City (Houston): 2-4, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R

RHP – Eric Hurley, Salt Lake (LA Angels): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

DH – Eric Thames, Las Vegas (Toronto): 2-2, 2B, 3B, R, 3 BB

C – Adam Moore, Tacoma (Seattle): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Midland’s Daniel Straily and Juan Duran of Bakersfield

Martin Perez threw a 1 hit shutout on Friday (Photo Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE)

Midwest League

LF – Kevin Pillar, Lansing (Toronto): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB, 2 SB

DH – Kevin Patterson, Lansing (Toronto): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

3B – Ramon Morla, Clinton (Seattle): 2-4, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R

RHP – Matthew Wisler, Fort Wayne (San Diego): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

RHP – Parker Markel, Bowling Green (Tampa Bay): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

South Atlantic League

DH – Angelo Gumbs, Charleston (NY Yankees): 4-5, RBI, R

RHP – Chris Jensen, Asheville (Colorado): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

LHP – Edwin Escobar, Augusta (San Francisco): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO

California League

LF – Chris Epps, Lancaster (Houston): 3-5, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

RHP – David Martinez, Lancaster (Houston): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

SS – Chris Owings, Visalia (Arizona): 3-5, 2 2B, 2 R, SB

3B – Miles Head, Stockton (Oakland): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

DH – Juan Duran, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

Carolina League

1B – Travis Shaw, Salem (Boston): 4-5, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB

Shaw is now hitting 0.329/.421/.573 in 225 AB on the season.

LF – Brandon Jacobs, Salem (Boston): 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

RHP – Nathan Karns, Potomac (Washington): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO

RHP – Kyle Hendricks, Myrtle Beach (Texas): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Latest start gives Hendricks a 2.72 ERA and 67-8 SO-to-BB in 82.2 IP on the year.

LHP – Spencer Arroyo, Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Florida State League

No Games Scheduled

Eastern League

LHP – Kelvin De La Cruz, Erie (Detroit): 9.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

RF – Juan Carlos Linares, Portland (Boston): 3-3, 2B, RBI, R, BB

DH – Chris Marrero, Harrisburg (Washington): 2-5, 2B, HR, RBI, R

C – Sebastian Valle, Reading (Philadelphia): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

Southern League

RHP – Bryan Evans, Jacksonville (Miami): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

LHP – Luis Avilan, Mississippi (Atlanta): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

RF – Blake Smith, Chattanooga (LA Dodgers): 3-4, 2 2B, 5 RBI, R, BB

DH – Kyle Russell, Chattanooga (LA Dodgers): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB

RF – Chih-Hsien Chiang, Jackson (Seattle): 2-4, 2 2B, 5 RBI, R

Texas League

RHP – Daniel Straily, Midland (Oakland): 8.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 SO

This marks Straily’s third fantastic start in a row. He’s thrown 21.o IP allowing 11 H and 2 ER in that stretch with a 29-1 SO-to-BB.

1B – Xavier Scruggs, Springfield (St. Louis): 2-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

RHP – Parker Frazier, Tulsa (Colorado): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

International League

SS – Tyler Pastornicky, Gwinnett (Atlanta): 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

DH – Xavier Paul, Syracuse (Washington): 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

2B – Kevin Frandsen, Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia): 4-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI

SS – Pedro Ciriaco, Pawtucket (Boston): 4-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

DH – Wilkin Ramirez, Rochester (Minnesota): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

RHP – Cole De Vries, Rochester (Minnesota): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

RHP – Charles Shirek, Charlotte (Chicago White Sox): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

Pacific Coast League

LF – Mark Hamilton, Memphis (St. Louis): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

LHP – Martin Perez, Round Rock (Texas): 7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 5 BB, 5 SO

1B – Brett Pill, Fresno (San Francisco): 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, R

CF – Kole Calhoun, Salt Lake (LA Angels): 2-3, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 R, BB

1B – Matt McBride, Colorado Springs (Colorado): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

DH – Mike Wilson, Tacoma (Seattle): 3-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB

DH – Daric Barton, Sacramento (Oakland): 2-3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB

SS – Brandon Hicks, Sacramento (Oakland): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

CF – Adam Eaton, Reno (Arizona): 2-3, 2B, 3B, 3 R, BB, SB

Travieso played at Archbishop McCarthy High School in Southwest Ranches, FL, with the son of Reds Director of Latin Scouting, Tony Arias.

No doubt the Reds enjoyed keeping a close eye on Travieso for months. But, regardless of the franchise’s familiarity with Travieso, his upper 90′s fastball, above average breaking ball, and excellent changeup warranted a top-20 selection for Mr. Travieso.

Seedling to Star’s own Robbie Knopf had the Reds taking a strong right-handed pitcher in the first round—although he predicted it’d be Marcus Stroman, of Duke University. Stroman was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 22nd pick. To see more of Robbie’s analysis click here.

The Stuff:

Travieso began his high school career pitching out of the bullpen, however, was moved to the starting rotation this year and quickly became the ace of the staff, propelling Archbishop McCarthy High to their division title with a sub-1.00 ERA. 

He stands at 6-2, and weighs in at 215 pounds, eliciting comparisons to stout, power-pitching right-handers like Roger Clemens and San Francisco Giants starter Matt Cain.

Travieso’s father reportedly kept a very close eye on his son’s pitch count, and forbade him from throwing a breaking ball until his junior year in high school (according to a report from Baseball America). Also, his dad didn’t allow him to participate in all of the high school baseball showcases he was eligible for—so Travieso should have plenty of firepower left in the arsenal for years to come.

The Future:

Although Travieso verbally committed to the University of Miami, he openly admitted as soon as he was drafted that he has no intentions of playing college ball, and will sign with Cincinnati right away.

My guess is that he’ll begin with Reds’ rookie team, the Billings Mustangs, of the Pioneer League.

The one thing that concerns me about Travieso is what appears to be an overbearing father. Don’t get me wrong—I’ve never met the man, and he very well could have the humblest intentions. But to see a father have such a close eye on his son’s pitch count and to know he picks and chooses what high school showcases his son participates in is problematic in my eye.

What happens when Travieso has to start a game at one o’clock on a 100-degree afternoon after an 8 hour bus ride down the highway in the middle of the night? His dad won’t be there to monitor the pitch count then.

I’ll predict that Travieso will have a bit of a hard time adjusting to professional baseball, but all in all, Travieso has quite a bit of talent, and if he’s able to buckle down and get used to pro ball in a timely fashion, he’ll slowly climb the ladder in the Reds system.

For more on the Cincinnati Reds, check out Blog Red Machine!

Sulbaran didn’t pitch after signing late in 2008, but perhaps by virtue of his international experience, the Reds assigned him straight to Lo-A, full-season Dayton to start 2009. Being just 19, Sulbaran was extremely young for the level, and for all intents and purposes, held his own. He struck out 9.71 batters per nine innings, a remarkable number for a pitcher debuting in full-season ball. Unfortunately, everything else was somewhat problematic for J.C.: he allowed 19 homers in 92.2 innings (11% HR/Flyball rate was probably bad luck, however), he walked 4.95 batters per nine innings, leading to a WHIP of 1.56, he sported a ground ball percentage of just 34% and he had a fielding independent pitching metric of 6.26 (+1.02 on his ERA). Baseball America also noted a history of blister problems that hampered his development.

Not surprisingly, the Reds sent Sulbaran back to Dayton to start 2010, and he began to show some progress as a 20-year old (still young for the level, relatively speaking). He dropped his HR rate considerably, allowing 6 in 79.2 innings, and he increased his groundball rate from the horrible 34% to the still mediocre 41%. He continued to show a strong strikeout rate (9.42 k/9 this time) but also continued to struggle with command, this time walking 13.2% of the batters he faced, a stunning 5.56 BB/9. He failed to rank in Baseball America’s top 30 prospects after the repeat performance.

(more…)

Today we cover half the players representing the NL Central for the first time. The Cardinals, Pirates and Brewers were included in yesterday’s article. You will find the Fish Watch representatives from the Cubs, Reds and Astros in today’s edition (after the jump). (more…)

The naming of the 2011 S2S Pioneer League All-Stars was originally supposed to take place during the offseason and more specifically over the course of November and December. James’ departure from our staff, however, changed those plans. I had to delay my plans for the Pioneer League to work on the FSL All-Star Team project that James was leaving unfinished*.

Angels infielder Lindsey was just one standout in the Pioneer League last season (Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE)

*If you’re a really dedicated reader then you’re aware I still have two more articles to write up for that series and while those will be even more poorly timed – and basically just for posterity at this point – I do intend to finish them up soon.

No one likes loose ends and when I have too many of them floating around my writing motivation starts to go into stasis. After a very chaotic month of April it’s time for me to tie up some of the loose ends that I can control and naming this team seems like the logical place to start. After all, it is one of the oldest planned projects on my list and I did all the research and preparation for it back in October.

As much as I’d like to dedicate an extensive article to each player selected here, we’re not in the offseason anymore so it seems more prudent to reveal the entire team all at once with the some basic info and stats. This will of course break with the way we handled both the Florida State and South Atlantic All-Star Teams but as we’re all too painfully aware there are only so many hours in each day.

Without further ado – and after a nearly 6 month delay – I’d like to officially reveal the 2011 Seedlings to Stars Pioneer League All-Star Team. Seven of the eight teams in the league are represented with only the Helena Brewers missing out. Orem and Idaho Falls comprise almost half of the 17 player roster with four players from each team getting the nod. (more…)

source: sportslogos.net

The California League is one of the best offensive leagues in minor league baseball. Last season the California League ranked 2^nd in league OPS behind the Pacific Coast League in minor league baseball. A new batch of arms will once again face the trials and tribulations that the league has to offer and a new group of hitters will receive the benefit and also the doubt that comes with having great seasons in the league.

Once again, the sources I will use for the prospect rankings are:

• Seedlings to Stars
• Scout.com
• ESPN
• Baseball America
• Baseball Prospectus
• MLB.com
• John Sickels

Position Players

C Max Stassi, Stockton Ports (Oakland Athletics)

2011 Statistics (A+ Stockton): 139 Plate Appearances .231/.331/.331/.662 8 XBH 16 BB-22 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

Another in a line of professional baseball players in the Stassi family, Max was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft by the Oakland Athletics and was signed to a then record $1.5 million signing bonus. Stassi’s first full season came in 2010 when he hit .229 with a .690 OPS in 465 plate appearances in single-A. However, a shoulder injury hindered Max to just 31 games in high-A in 2011. When he’s going strong, Max projects to have at least average power and has shown good patience at the plate. He’s struggled to hit for contact, though, and can get pull happy at times. Stassi struck out 145 times in 2010 and struck out 22 times in 139 plate appearances in 2011. Defensively, he moves well behind the plate. In 2010, Stassi threw out 34% of attempting base stealers. Max will likely return to the California League in 2012 where he’ll still be age appropriate at age 21.

1B C.J. Cron, Inland Empire 66ers (Los Angeles Angels)

2011 Statistics (Rookie): 159 Plate Appearances .308/.371/.629/1.000 19 XBH 10 BB-34 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

Taken with the 17^th overall pick in the 2011 draft by the Los Angeles Angels, C.J. Cron made his pro debut in the rookie league. Cron overmatched the league as he hit a homerun in nearly every ten plate appearances on average. C.J. is ready for high-A and could rake in the California League in 2012. C.J. was named a first team All-American by nearly every college publication in college in 2011. He batted .434 with a 1.320 OPS for the University of Utah. Cron has very good power and has the ability to hit for average. In terms of a hitting package, Cron is a complete prospect. As a first baseman, however, his value begins and ends with his hitting. Cron is not fast and defensively he won’t embarrass himself, but he also won’t likely win a Gold Glove either. Cron will likely begin in the California League in 2012 and is far enough along in development to put him in line for a quick rise through the Angel’s system.

2B Cory Spangenberg, Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres)

2011 Statistics (A Fort Wayne/A- Eugene): 330 Plate Appearances .316/.419/.418/.837 21 XBH 45 BB-57 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Baseball America (#78), Baseball Prospectus (#58), MLB.com (#81)

When the Padres selected Cory Spangenberg with the 10^th overall pick they probably believed they were getting their leadoff hitter of the future. His debut did nothing to admonish that thinking. Spangenberg hit .384 with a .545 on base percentage in 121 plate appearances in short season A-ball and followed that up with a .286 average and .345 on base percentage in 209 plate appearances in single-A. Spangenberg is a very disciplined hitter and projects as a top of the order bat. He uses plus bat speed to hit for contact and has plus speed. In 72 games in 2011, Spangenberg stole 25 bases in 33 attempts. He isn’t as strong defensively at second base as you would think, but he is developing there nonetheless. In his first full year in professional baseball, he is likely to begin in the California League, which could lead to a big season.

3B Adam Duvall, San Jose Giants (San Francisco Giants)

2011 Statistics (A Augusta): 510 Plate Appearances .285/.385/.527/.912 56 XBH 59 BB-98 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

An eleventh round pick in the 2010 draft by the San Francisco Giants, Adam Duvall had a very nice first season in professional baseball. A Louisville alum, Duvall hit .285 with 22 homeruns and 56 total extra base hits in single-A with 59 walks (11.6%) and 98 strikeouts (19.2%) in 510 plate appearances. Duvall hit .321 with a .548 slugging percentage and .962 OPS at home in 2011. All of that while playing his home games in a difficult hitter’s park. Duvall has a good bat and has shown good plate discipline. It remains to be seen which position he’ll end up playing as he mostly played second base in 2010, but played third base in 2011. Duvall could move up to the California League in 2012 and have a big season as he moves into a better stadium and league for hitters.

SS Billy Hamilton, Bakersfield Blaze (Cincinnati Reds)

2011 Statistics (A Dayton): 610 Plate Appearances .278/.340/.360/.700 30 XBH 52 BB-133 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#70), ESPN (#64), Baseball America (#48), Baseball Prospectus (#22),  MLB.com (#34), John Sickels (#57)

One of the better middle infield prospects in the game, Billy Hamilton looks to be a fixture in the middle infield in the future in Cincinnati. Drafted in the 2^nd round by the Reds in the 2009 draft, Hamilton made his full season minor league debut in 2011. Known as one of the fastest players in minor league baseball, Hamilton stole 103 bases in 123 attempts in 135 games on the season. Hamilton doesn’t have a lot of power though. His speed supplements that though and his patience at the plate is a tick above average. In 2011, he walked in 8.5% of his plate appearances and struck out 21.8% of the time. Defensively, Hamilton has good range, but his arm may force a move to second base in the future. A move up to the California League should help Hamilton’s power, but he’s never going to be a big homerun hitter. Still, another 100 steal season may be within reach from minor league baseball’s most dangerous base stealing threat.

LF Domingo Santana, Lancaster JetHawks (Houston Astros)

2011 Statistics (A Lexington/A Lakewood): 467 Plate Appearances .287/.362/.471/.833 49 XBH 32 BB-135 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

The classic power hitting prospect, Domingo Santana brings a lot of power when he comes to the plate. One of the players that Houston acquired in return for Hunter Pence, Santana posted monster numbers (.382 average and 1.109 OPS) for single-A Lexington after the deal, albeit in a small sample size (76 plate appearances). At the plate, Santana brings plus-plus raw power and solid contact ability. He is a very undisciplined hitter, however, so it will be interesting to see how he handles upper level pitching. Santana won’t turn 20 until August, though, so he has time on his side. In the outfield, Santana has improved, but is still not great. He has a very strong arm, however, so the tools are there to at least be a productive defensive outfielder. With time and development, Santana has potential, but he has a lot to work on still and has yet to truly show the production.

CF George Springer, Lancaster JetHawks (Houston Astros)

2011 Statistics (A- Tri-City): 33 Plate Appearances .179/.303/.393/.696 4 XBH 2 BB-2 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#33), ESPN (#60), Baseball America (#59), Baseball Prospectus (#49), MLB.com (#84), John Sickels (#55)

An athletic outfielder selected by the Houston Astros out of the University of Connecticut with the 11^th overall pick of the 2011 draft, George Springer will likely be playing alongside Santana in 2012. Springer has the ability to do a lot on the baseball field. Keith Law said he “was one of the toolsiest college position players that I’ve ever come across.” He has a strong 6 foot 3 inch, 205 pound frame, and is very gifted with tools. He showed good power in college with a .608 slugging percentage and 12 homeruns in 66 games. The next highest on the team was 6. He has very good bat speed and good discipline. Springer has very good speed as well, as seen by his 31 steals in college in 66 games.  Defensively, George has a chance to be a star with a strong arm and very good range in centerfield. In terms of ability, it’s hard not to project George Springer to be a star. Production will be the test of how far he gets.

RF Rymer Liriano, Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres)

2011 Statistics (A+ Lake Elsinore/A Fort Wayne): 580 Plate Appearances .298/.365/.465/.830 52 XBH 53 BB-108 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #48

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#100), ESPN (#40), Baseball America (#49), Baseball Prospectus (#52), MLB.com (#60), John Sickels (#54)

After beginning the season in high-A, Rymer Liriano was demoted to single-A Fort Wayne in 2011. The move was made after a brutal start for the Lake Elsinore Storm, but it also opened the door for a big season for the Fort Wayne TinCaps. In 2012, Liriano will get another shot at the California League and likely with a lot more confidence after the dominant performance in single-A. Liriano brings a lot to the table. He has great bat speed and good power. He showed better plate discipline in Fort Wayne then he had shown previously, and he has plus speed. Liriano hit 30 doubles, 8 triples, and 12 homeruns in 519 plate appearances for Fort Wayne and stole 65 bases in 85 attempts. He batted .319 with an .882 OPS as well. Liriano walked in 9% of his plate appearances and struck out 18.3% of the time as well. Both were improvements on his career 7.9% walk rate and 28.3% strikeout rate before his single-A resurgence. Defensively, Liriano has a very good arm in right field and projects as an above average defender in right field.

DH Telvin Nash, Lancaster JetHawks (Houston Astros)

2011 Statistics (A Lexington/Rookie): 332 Plate Appearances .274/.380/.488/.867 32 XBH 43 BB-105 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

The third Houston Astro’s hitter to make this list, Telvin Nash should be hitting in the middle of a good lineup in Lancaster. A 3^rd round pick by the Houston Astros in the 2009 draft, Telvin made it to full season ball for the first time in 2011 and made it a very nice debut. Nash has very good raw power and good discipline at the plate. He can have trouble from getting pull happy and a swing that could get eaten alive by pitchers at the upper levels. Still, the raw power and discipline does show some potential for now. Nash doesn’t bring a lot to the table outside of his bat, however, so his value will always lie in the bat. He will need to cut down on the strikeouts though to be successful at the next level. Telvin Nash, 21 years old, could take advantage of the California League in 2012 though.

Starting Pitchers

RHP Taijuan Walker, High Desert Mavericks (Seattle Mariners)

2011 Statistics (A Clinton): 6-5, 2.89 ERA, 96 2/3 IP, 69 H, 39 BB, 113 K, 1.12 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #23

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#77), ESPN (#24), Baseball America (#20), Baseball Prospectus (#14), MLB.com (#18), John Sickels (#15)

Taken 43^rd overall in the 2010 draft, Taijuan Walker flat out dominated in his first full season of professional baseball. Pitching in the single-A Midwest League, Walker struck out 10.5 batters per nine innings and gave up just 6.4 hits per nine innings. He kept the ball in the ballpark and limited his walks to a comfortable number for a raw pitcher that was 18 years old for most of the season in single-A. Walker is just beginning to refine his pitching as he was a two sport star in high school. Still, Walker will pitch mid-90s with his fastball, which already is a plus if not plus-plus pitch. His secondary stuff is still developing, but he already has shown tremendous improvement for a pitcher so young and raw. His curveball has definite plus potential and his changeup is still in the works. Walker has the potential to join Felix Hernandez at the top of Seattle’s rotation in the future, but should face a challenge in the California League in 2012, especially with his home starts coming in High Desert.

RHP A.J. Cole, Stockton Ports (Oakland Athletics)

2011 Statistics (A Hagerstown): 4-7, 4.04 ERA, 89 IP, 87 H, 24 BB, 108 K, 1.25 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #30

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#76), ESPN (#33), Baseball America (#57), Baseball Prospectus (#60), MLB.com (#88), John Sickels (#52)

The centerpiece of the Gio Gonzalez trade this past offseason, A.J. Cole had a strong first full season. Cole flashed great control in his first year as he walked just 2.4 batters per nine innings and struck out 10.9 per nine innings. Known for his arm strength, as he’ll sit mid-90s with his fastball, A.J. Cole’s fastball is the foundation for a repertoire that has question marks in it. Cole’s curveball has potential, but is too inconsistent at this point. His changeup also needs to improve as left handed hitters hit .325 with an .814 OPS against him. Cole will join the group of starting pitchers staring straight in the eye of the hurricane, which is the California League.

RHP Zach Lee, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Los Angeles Dodgers)

2011 Statistics (A Great Lakes): 9-6, 3.47 ERA, 109 IP, 101 H, 32 BB, 91 K, 1.22 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#59), ESPN (#41), Baseball America (#62), Baseball Prospectus (#70), MLB.com (#45), John Sickels (#75)

Viewed as one of the most un-signable players in the 2010 draft, Zach Lee surprised everybody by signing after the Los Angeles Dodgers shocked everybody by drafting him in the first round (28^th overall). Lee, a star quarterback in high school, had a very solid first season in the minor leagues. Lee controlled the ball well as he gave up just 2.6 batters per nine innings. Lee sits low 90s with his fastball, but can hit mid-90s on occasion. His changeup helped him allow left handed hitters to just a .229 batting average and .632 OPS against him on the season. He also uses a curveball and slider in his mix as well. Lee looks like he has the size and arm to be a part of the top of the Dodger’s rotation in the future.

RHP Daniel Corcino, Bakersfield Blaze (Cincinnati Reds)

2011 Statistics (A Dayton): 11-7, 3.42 ERA, 139 1/3 IP, 128 H, 34 BB, 156 K, 1.16 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #75

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: ESPN (#54)

Signed in 2008 out of the Dominican Republic, Daniel Corcino displayed an outstanding ability to dominate single-A hitters with power and command in 2011. His best pitch is a low-90s fastball that can reach mid-90s. He mixes in a slider and changeup that can both get different grades depending on who you talk to, although both show promise no matter who you talk to. Left handed hitters hit just .228 with a .628 OPS against him on the season. Batters in the first inning hit just .149 against Corcino, who gave up just 1 run all season in the first inning. However, he struggled in the second and third innings. He comes in at a slight frame of 5 foot 11 and 165 pounds listed, but there’s nothing slight about how his season went in 2011. Now he’ll face a big test in 2012, but if he can refine his secondary pitches more he could be a big part of the future in Cincinnati.

RHP Keyvius Sampson, Lake Elsinore Storm (San Diego Padres)

2011 Statistics (A Fort Wayne): 12-3, 2.90 ERA, 118 IP, 81 H, 49 BB, 143 K, 1.10 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #62

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: John Sickels (#82)

Another arm in the San Diego Padre’s deep farm system, Keyvius Sampson was selected in the 4^th round of the 2009 draft out of high school. It would be difficult to top the season he had in 2011 when Sampson more than held his own in the Midwest League. Sampson struck out 10.9 batters per nine innings and gave up just 6.2 hits per nine innings. After his first start in full season ball, Sampson must have felt like it was all downhill from there. Keyvius threw six perfect innings on April 7^th against South Bend, including ten strikeouts. It was his first and only double digit strikeout performance of the season, although he had three starts with nine strikeouts. Both left handed and right handed batters hit under .200 with an OPS under .600 against him on the season. Keyvius offers both a plus low-90s fastball and plus changeup, but lacks the third pitch at this time to make him a future front line starter. He should at least be a solid starter though, but could end up in the bullpen where he could truly be dominant.

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You can follow us on Twitter @Seedlings2Stars and yours truly @pressboxchatter. You can also keep up to date with all things S2S by liking our Facebook page.

Successful minor league organizations encourage their marketing and sales departments to shy away from focusing marketing campaigns and sales pitches around prospects in their affiliation’s organization. This is why you will see minor league teams focusing on their team’s manager, mascot, or the family friendly atmosphere of the stadium. In general it is just smart business. However, the main reason for this is the stability of the manager, mascot, or family friendly atmosphere. In minor league baseball, the players you have today could be gone tomorrow. Wait 5 minutes and minor league front offices may be running around crazily. Could you imagine what that would do to a marketing campaign?

But here at Seedlings to Stars, we can focus on the minor league prospects because we don’t have to worry about selling tickets and, hey in the International League, a promotion for a prospect means a trip to the show. Such news would be terrific as we could get to see the beginnings of a new major league career.

For my first article and series at Seedlings to Stars, I will be taking a look at the “all projected team” of each league in full season minor league baseball. It should be noted that with four weeks left before the minor league season begins, it is not easy to predict what players will end up where. This is mainly done by my gut feeling and an educated guess as to where the players will begin based on research and logic.

For the Rankings, the sources that I will use are:

• Seedlings to Stars
• Scout.com
• ESPN
• Baseball America
• Baseball Prospectus
• MLB.com
• John Sickels

Position Players

C Ryan Lavarnway, Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston Red Sox)

2011 Statistics (Boston Red Sox/AAA Pawtucket/AA Portland): 546 Plate Appearances .285/.370/.553/.923 59 XBH 61 BB-117 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: 53

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Baseball Prospectus (#98), MLB.com (#93), John Sickels (#97)

Finding a better looking offensive catcher in the minor leagues might be difficult to accomplish. Since entering full season baseball in 2009, Lavarnway has put up three consecutive 20+ homerun seasons with at least an .880 OPS. Lavarnway’s 2011 season was great by even his measures though. Despite spending all year at the three top levels of minor league baseball, he produced career bests in batting average, OPS, homeruns, and tied for his career high in extra base hits. While the bat projects well, Lavarnway’s defense is what holds him back at this point. While it’s improved since he entered pro ball, Lavarnway still projects as an all bat type player. If Lavarnway begins 2012 in AAA, he will hit in the middle of a lineup that looks like it has the chance to be very potent in Pawtucket.

1B Neftali Soto, Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds)

2011 Statistics (AAA Louisville/AA Carolina): 432 Plate Appearances .278/.333/.576/.909 53 XBH 26 BB-98 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospects Rankings: N/A

Neftali Soto showed signs of a breakthrough when he put up a .461 slugging percentage in 2010 in the Carolina League, which was almost 80 points above the league average and the 7^th best in the league. In 2011 Soto took those to new levels when he put up the 3^rd best slugging% in the Southern League and finished tied for first in the league in homeruns with current Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. While Soto definitely has displayed power, he is pretty much all power at this point. Even though his discipline has improved somewhat from unbearable to below average, Soto’s strikeout rate continues to climb at a much faster rate since he entered full season baseball in 2008. He will begin the 2012 season in AAA, but may be road blocked in the major leagues by Joey Votto for now.

2B Henry Rodriguez, Louisville Bats (Cincinnati Reds)

2011 Statistics (AA Carolina/A+ Bakersfield): 566 Plate Appearances .320/.372/.469/.841 50 XBH 39 BB-78 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: 99

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

A potential teammate of Neftali Soto’s in AAA in 2012, Henry Rodriguez split the 2011 season between high-A and AA and showed the same offensive ability he displayed in 2010 in low-A ball Dayton. If there is one weakness in Rodriguez’s game offensively it is his discipline, but even then he showed considerable improvement from 2010 to 2011. What the 22 year old switch hitter does though offensively is mostly everything else. He’s shown surprising power for a middle infielder of his size (listed at 5’10” 150 pounds) and combines that with great contact ability (.312 batting average over the last 2 years) and solid speed coupled with good instincts (63 steals the last 2 years). While the offense is good all-around, Henry Rodriguez’s defense leaves something to be desired.

3B Will Middlebrooks, Pawtucket Red Sox (Boston Red Sox)

2011 Statistics (AAA Pawtucket/AA Portland/A-Lowell): 472 Plate Appearances .285/.328/.506/.834 50 XBH 26 BB-114 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#68), Baseball America (#51), Baseball Prospectus (#55), MLB.com (#56), John Sickels (#78)

Expected to start at the hot corner for the Paw Sox in 2012, Will Middlebrooks has the toolset to be a big league starting third baseman. Middlebrooks features a quick bat with raw power and defensive skills that could make him a great all-around third baseman. What he hasn’t fully put together yet is the production. A former two way player in high school, Middlebrooks has shown improvement in power and has cut back on strikeouts, but has regressed in plate discipline overall since entering full season baseball. Still with the kind of tools that Middlebrooks has, it’s possible that a breakout could be only a matter of time away and the potential in such a breakout is scary.

SS Tim Beckham, Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)

2011 Statistics (AAA Durham/AA Montgomery): 579 Plate Appearances .271/.328/.408/.736 44 XBH 42 BB-120 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: MLB.com (#92)

It’s been some kind of a ride for Tim Beckham, hasn’t it? A former first overall pick in the draft in 2008, Beckham seemed to have fallen off the prospect radar a bit until a solid year in 2011. Beckham put himself back on the radar screen after displaying power that hadn’t been seen since he entered pro ball. Beckham doubled his minor league homerun total with 12 in 2011 and set a career high in extra base hits with 44. If Beckham could combine his power from 2011 with plate discipline in 2010 (11.4% walk rate in 2010), then Beckham would boost his future outlook more. In a world where you’re always looking for improvement, Beckham also cut back on his errors for a second consecutive season and has seen his fielding% go from .919 in 2009 to .960 in 2011. Given that Beckham is still just 21 years old, he definitely has time on his side and all players develop at different speeds.

LF L.J. Hoes, Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles)

2011 Statistics (AA Bowie/A+ Frederick): 566 Plate Appearances .285/.354/.390/.745 34 XBH 53 BB-81 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

A former 3^rd round pick by the Baltimore Orioles, L.J. Hoes had a second consecutive solid season to his belt.  While Hoes regressed some in discipline from 2010 to 2011, he showed improved power, albeit Bowie’s home park is homer friendly. L.J. especially broke out in the second half of 2011 when he batted .306 with a .398 on base percentage and .462 slugging percentage.  A former infield prospect, Hoes moved to left field in 2011. The move puts a damper on his prospect value though given his bat would profile nicely as a second baseman, but not nearly as well in left field.

CF Starling Marte, Indianapolis Indians (Pittsburgh Pirates)

2011 Statistics (AA Altoona/A+ Bradenton/Rookie): 281 Plate Appearances .319/.387/.460/.847 26 XBH 13 BB-65 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#87), ESPN (#72), Baseball America (#73), Baseball Prospectus (#56), MLB.com (#40), John Sickels (#64)

An interesting prospect, Starling Marte’s tools are very good, but his plate discipline is astonishingly bad. It doesn’t help that it has gotten worse as he’s gone by each full season level. Marte obviously has been able to handle pitching thus far and generally the jump to AA is one that makes or breaks prospects as it’s seen as the hardest jump in minor league baseball. Still, it’s hard to imagine that a player that walked in just 3.8% of his plate appearances in 2011 and 3.3% if you don’t include intentional walks, can be successful at the big league level. He’ll begin in AAA and could reach the major leagues at some point in 2012.

RF Bryce Harper, Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals)

2011 Statistics (AA Harrisburg/A Hagerstown): 452 Plate Appearances .297/.392/.501/.893 43 XBH 59 BB-87 K

Seedlings to Stars Top 100: #3

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#3), ESPN (#2), Baseball America (#1), Baseball Prospectus (#2), MLB.com (#2), John Sickels (#1)

What more do you say about the most well-known prospect in baseball? Well all Bryce Harper did in his first season, at an age that most kids are graduating from high school, was put up a near 1.000 OPS in A ball and get promoted to AA by early July. Harper did struggle in AA, but that’s to be expected. There’s also a lot of talk now that Harper could skip AAA completely and start 2012 in the majors. The smart money would be on the Nationals to have him begin the year in AAA though. Harper has incredible bat speed that produces some of the best power in minor league baseball. His bat has been obviously talked about since people watched youtube videos of him hitting 500 foot homeruns as a high school kid.  He has plus-plus power and great bat speed with hand-eye coordination that gives him the potential to hit for average as well. Even in his first season, Harper displayed patience as he walked at a 13% clip, including a non-intentional walk percentage of 11.5%. Beyond the bat though, Harper is a very good all-around player. He has a plus-plus arm in right field and good speed, which allowed him to steal 26 bases in his first full season. Ultimately the Nationals will have an interesting decision and if they are smart, in my humble opinion, Bryce Harper will begin the year in the minor leagues.

DH Tyler Moore, Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals)

2011 Statistics (AA Harrisburg): 561 Plate Appearances .270/.314/.532/.846

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: N/A

While his teammate Bryce Harper has been placed on the fast track, the Washington Nationals have taken a level by level approach with Tyler Moore. Few players have displayed the power that Moore has shown over the last two seasons. In 2010, Moore hit 77 extra base hits and drove in 111 runs over 129 games for the Potomac Nationals. Moore, who  was 3^rd in slugging percentage in the Eastern League after leading the Carolina League in the same stat in 2010, will likely need to cut down on strikeouts to carry his value as a hitter to the next level. Moore has gone up in strikeouts each season and his walks have decreased over the same time. Moore could be a type of hitter that Washington could use though, a pure power hitter. Moore is a typical bat first, first baseman as he is not great defensively. He doesn’t hurt himself particularly though either. A combination of Harper and Moore could be interesting to watch if you like the long ball early in the year in the International League. It is hard to think of a bigger duo of power hitters than that pair.

Starting Pitchers

RHP Julio Teheran, Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta Braves)

2011 Statistics (MLB Atlanta/AAA Gwinnett): 16-4, 2.85 ERA, 164 1/3 IP, 144 H, 56 BB, 132 K, 1.22 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #7

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#4), ESPN (#18), Baseball America (#5), Baseball Prospectus (#5), MLB.com (#4), John Sickels (#10)

After entering the 2011 season as one of the top prospects in the game, Julio Teheran didn’t do a whole lot to disappoint. He put up dominant numbers in AAA and then struggled a bit in his first taste of the major leagues. In a pitching rich organization like the Atlanta Braves, Teheran will likely return to AAA to open the 2012 season while he waits for his next callup to the big leagues. He has a great arm and a good changeup to back it up. The difference for him will be the progression of his curveball. He has at least two weapons to work with though and that’s the difference in dominating in AAA and dominating in the major leagues.

LHP Manny Banuelos, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees)

2011 Statistics (AAA SWB/AA Trenton): 6-7, 3.75 ERA, 129 2/3 IP, 130 H, 71 BB, 125 K,  1.55 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #26

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#9), ESPN (#23), Baseball America (#29), Baseball Prospectus (#29), MLB.com (#13), John Sickels (#45)

Arguably, if not unanimously, the best southpaw set to begin in the International League, Banuelos sits in the low 90s with a good changeup and a decent curveball. He struggled with command in 2011 and struggled to get right handed hitters out (.285/.391/.398/.789 vs. RHB’s in 2011). Banuelos faced 408 right handed hitters in 2011 and walked 14% of them. Compare that to the 8.3% of left handed hitters (169 hitters) that he faced. After making 7 starts in AAA, Banuelos is probably going to be back in AAA to open the 2012 season.

RHP Randall Delgado, Gwinnett Braves (Atlanta Braves)

2011 Statistics (MLB Atlanta/AAA Gwinnett/AA Mississippi): 8-8, 3.67 ERA, 174 IP, 164 H, 71 BB, 153 K, 1.35 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #21

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#55), ESPN (#98), Baseball America (#46), Baseball Prospectus (#41), MLB.com (#42), John Sickels (#41)

Randall Delgado made his major league debut last season at 21 years old after just 4 starts in AAA. Delgado, who entered 2011 as Baseball America’s 35^th best prospect, made 7 starts for the Atlanta Braves and posted a 2.83 ERA in those 7 starts with a 1.23 WHIP. It’s questionable whether Delgado will begin the 2012 season in Gwinnett or Atlanta, but at this point it’s highly likely that he’ll spend quite a bit of time in Atlanta in 2012 regardless of where he begins the season. When Delgado is going well, he’ll be low to mid 90s with his fastball and throw a good curveball and solid changeup. At 6’3” and 200 pounds, Delgado has a good pitching frame. He does struggle with command at times and has consistently been over 3 walks per 9 in his minor league career. Still at just 22 years old, Delgado and Teheran give something for Braves fans to look forward to in the near future.

RHP Dellin Betances, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (New York Yankees)

2011 Statistics (MLB NYY/AAA SWB/AA Trenton): 4-9, 3.77 ERA, 129 IP, 103 H, 76 BB, 144 K, 1.39 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: #88

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: Scout.com (#28), ESPN (#83), Baseball America (#63), Baseball Prospectus (#63), MLB.com (#41)

In what looks like a rotation that is just for Braves and Yankees fans, Dellin Betances gives the Yankees a second pitcher in the top four. Possessing an arm to dream on, Betances uses two plus pitches with his fastball and curveball and mixes in a changeup that will likely make the difference between whether he becomes a frontline starter or a dominant reliever. Dellin is listed at 6 foot 8 and 245 pounds giving him an enormous advantage with the downhill plane, which makes his fastball even tougher. Command is not Betances strength as witnessed by his 76 walks in 129 innings in 2011. Still, his career .212 opponents average in full season baseball, including .216 in 2011, has allowed Betances to keep a manageable 1.28 career minor league WHIP. After making 4 starts in AAA, Dellin Betances will likely begin 2012 in AAA.

RHP Chris Archer, Durham Bulls (Tampa Bay Rays)

2011 Statistics (AAA Durham/AA Montgomery): 9-7, 4.09 ERA, 147 1/3 IP, 147 H, 86 BB, 130 K, 1.58 WHIP

Seedlings to Stars Top 100 Rank: N/A

Other 2012 Top 100 Prospect Rankings: ESPN (#63), Baseball America (#89), MLB.com (#74)

One of the prospects traded by the Chicago Cubs to Tampa Bay for Matt Garzalast offseason, Chris Archer went from breakout prospect in 2010 to regression in 2011. Archer has never commanded the ball well in his career in the minor leagues, but his strikeout percentage regressed from over 9 to under 8 per nine innings and his opponents average went from .207 from 2008-2010 to .263 in 2011. His strikeout percentage over those three years was 9.17 per nine innings and dropped to 7.9 per innings in 2011. Archer works mid 90s on his fastball and features a plus slider to go with it. If his command issues continue, which they likely will, then Archer could wind up in the bullpen. For now though, he’s likely to stay a starter, at least until he reaches the major leagues. After finishing the 2011 season in AAA, Chris is likely to begin 2012 in Durham.

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You can follow us on Twitter @Seedlings2Stars and yours truly @pressboxchatter. You can also keep up to date with all things S2S by liking our Facebook page.

Gerrit Cole (Photo Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE 2/20/12)

Putting together a Top-100 prospect list is a massive undertaking and any site that takes on the challenge deserves to be recognized for their efforts. Just about a month ago I did a 7-part series comparing the lists of six sources - Baseball Instinct, MLB.com, MLB Prospect Portal, Project Prospect, Scout.com, and S2S.

Now that I’m done with my portion of our team prospect lists, I can revisit this comparative series by looking at another grouping of Top-100 lists from seven new sources. Just as I did the first time around I will tackle one division at a time and then cap it off with a conclusion piece with some final thoughts and system rankings. The sources I have selected for the showdown “redux” series are:

• Baseball America (BA)
• Baseball Prospectus (BP)
• Bullpen Banter (Bant)
• Minor League Ball (JS)
• Full Spectrum Baseball (Spec)
• MLB Dirt (MD)
• Top Prospect Alert (TPA)

The NL Central had 28 players make at least one of the seven  Top-100 lists while 10 of the 28 were consensus selections.
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Rodriguez did not fully deliver on expectations, hitting .254/.318/.393. Of course, he was just 18 years old, and while that line isn’t good by any stretch, it’s hardly awful. In fact, Rodriguez increased both his walk rate (from 4.3% to 8.1%) and Isolated Power (.117 to .139) from 2010, showing some growth; he also stole 20 bases in 79 games. The main problem was that his strikeout rate ballooned from 16.3% to 27.1%. He did show some improvement during the year, though; in 32 games from June on, he hit .283/.333/.469 with an improved 21.4% strikeout rate. His season ended early with a shoulder contusion, so he didn’t get much of a chance to sustain that momentum.

What we have here, then, is a classic mixed bag. Rodriguez clearly has some big flaws and a long way to go, but he’s also incredibly young and shows signs of life in just about every area of the game already. It’s easy to run with either of those facets—on one hand, you can say “He’s not even producing in Low-A, so how can we see him as a MLB’er?” and on the other, you can say “He didn’t fall on his face against much older players and has great raw talent, so he’s a potential superstar.”

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to take a look at similar cases in the recent past, so I came up with a list of 25 players that were in Low-A at age 18 and had the same sort of passable but not outstanding results. Not all of them are great comparables for Rodriguez, as I’ll explain, but hopefully, going through this list in my typical exhaustive fashion will shed some light on the possibilities for a player of this (very) general profile.

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Name: Chris Mammo
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 170
Throws: L
Age: 23
2011 Teams: Hagerstown Suns (SAL- WAS), Bakersfield Blaze (CAL- CIN)
Acquired: Traded by Washington Nationals with OF Bill Rhinehart to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for OF Jonny Gomes
Basic Pitching Stats: 1-3 record, 1.04 ERA, 69 strikeouts (14.3 K/9), 21 walks (3.1 BB/9), 1 homer allowed (0.1 HR/9), 12 saves, and 25 games finished in 34 appearances and 43.1 IP for Hagerstown, 0-1 record, 0.53 ERA, 31 strikeouts (16.4 K/9), 6 walks (3.2 BB/9), no homers allowed, 2 saves, and 8 games finished in 13 appearances and 17 IP

Background:

Chris Manno has gone through quite a roller coaster as a prospect. Coming out of high school, he was a projectable lefty hitting the mid-80′s on the mound, but he thought of himself as an outfielder and that killed his draft stock because scouts didn’t see him pitch very often. He went undrafted and instead attended Duke University. After appearing sparingly as a freshman and allowing 16 runs (10 ER) in 9.1 innings, Manno was pretty dominant as a sophomore, going 6-2 with a 3.37 ERA, posting a 12.3 K/9, a 2.9 BB/9, and a 0.6 HR/9 (an excellent 2.33 FIP) in 12 starts and 58.2 IP. Over the summer, Manno pitched in the Cape Cod League, and he was the ace of the league champion Horwich Mariners, going 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA, a 9.6 K/9, a 4.5 BB/9, and a 0.4 HR/9 (3.18 FIP) included tossing six one-run innings in the championship game. Despite his fastball hitting just the high-80′s and low 90′s Manno was pitching like a potential first five rounds pick, showing a plus changeup along with a slider. But he had to survive one more season and he simply could not do that.

In 2009 for the Blue Devils, Manno set career-highs with 14 starts and 73.2 IP, but he performed badly, posting a 4.89 ERA, an 8.8 K/9, a 4.3 BB/9, and a horrible 1.6 HR/9 (4.96 FIP). That caused him to fall all the way down to the 39th round to the Nationals, but Manno declined to sign, hoping to rebound with a nice senior season. However, he struggled all year and was eventually bounced from Duke’s rotation as he went just 2-2 with a 6.17 ERA, 10.6 K/9, 4.8 BB/9, and 1.4 HR/9 (4.40 FIP), although he did save 4 games in 13 starts, 3 relief appearances, and 46.2 IP. The Nationals still remembered the potential he had shown in 2008 as a sophomore, and drafted him once again, this time in the 26th round, and this time, he signed. He posted a 2.50 ERA, a 14.5 K/9, and a 5.0 BB/9 in 12 relief appearances and 18 IP with the Rookie-level GCL Nats in 2010 to set the stage for an even crazier 2011.

General Thoughts: 

Sally Leagues hitters simply could not figure out Chris Manno’s changeup. According to Minor League Central, Manno led all SAL pitchers minimum 40 IP in K/9 (14.3), FIP (1.63), and SIERA 1.49. Hitters made contact on just 32.0% of their swings against Manno, far and away the best mark in the Sally (the next closest pitcher was at 41.9%). Even when hitters put the ball into play against Manno, something they did in just 45.3% of their plate appearances while Manno pitched for Hagerstown, they popped the ball up on 15.9% of their batted balls compared to the 7.2% league average.

The Cincinnati Reds had been scouting Manno, and when it turned out that they were going to trade Jonny Gomes to the Nationals, they wanted Manno in addition to power-hitting OF/1B Bill Rhinehart. Once Manno arrived in the Reds organization, they immediately sent him to High-A Bakersfield, and he was actually even better. He upped his K/9 to 16.4 while lowering his FIP to 1.14, his SIERA to 0.77, and hitters made contact on just 26.8% of their swings. They put the ball into play just 37.9% of their PA’s, and they popped the ball up in 26.9% of their batted balls. Even crazier, Manno allowed 26 batted balls in Bakersfield, but not a single line drive. It may have been somewhat fluky that he didn’t allow a home run, but hitters simply could not get the bat on the ball against him, let alone on the barrel. Both in Hagerstown and Bakersfield, Manno was simply unhittable.

Is Manno really anywhere near this good? The stats aren’t flukes- he dominated opposing hitters wherever he went in 2011. But if we want to conclude anything, we need to go back to his pitches (sorry, no Pitch F/X data this time, so this is pure scouting). Manno has a three-pitch arsenal as a left-hander, throwing a fastball, a breaking ball, and a changeup. His fastball often registers in the high-80′s but touches 92, and it features some nice movement in to righty batters. His breaking ball is kind of a loopy curveball with 1 to 7 break. It’s not a particularly good pitch,  but it’s a complete change of pace from his fastball. Manno’s money pitch is his changeup. Manno has excellent arm action on his changeup, making it look exactly like his fastball, before a combination of its speed difference from his fastball as it registers in the high-70′s to low-80′s and excellent late sinking action forces swing and miss after swing and miss. Manno’s arsenal plays even better than it is because he has a very deceptive delivery, messing up the hitter’s view of the ball by blocking the ball for an instant with his glove just before he delivers the pitch.

Manno’s arsenal definitely fooled A-ball hitters more than it will fool hitters at higher levels. He has a plus pitch in his changeup, but his fastball is pretty hittable, and his slider isn’t a good pitch. His delivery could be described as more distracting than deceptive, and upper level hitters will not be fooled nearly as much. Also, Manno’s value is automatically higher by virtue of him being a lefty, but he really was much better against right-handed batters in 2011, posting a 4.03 FIP and 3.00 SIERA against lefties compared to a ridiculous 0.77 FIP and 0.83 SIERA against righties. However, that had a lot more to do with lefties having a little bit more luck against Manno in terms of batted balls going for home runs than anything else as lefties posted a .075/.255/.175 line compared to the .140/.234/.189 line righties put up. This could suggest that Manno doesn’t project as a true situational lefty, but rather a lefty middle reliever who’s just about as successful against hitters who bat from either side. Considering that Manno dominated nearly every hitter who came to the plate against him in 2011, not being a true situational lefty isn’t so much disdain but rather respect.

Moving Forward:

Chris Manno doesn’t have the typical power arm that you expect from an elite reliever, but because of his excellent changeup and deceptive delivery, he could still profile as a late inning pitcher. Manno’s fastball may not reach the mid-90′s but if he can just keep it in the low-90′s with the nice movement on it away from lefty batters that he has shown in the past, his changeup can make him a very effective reliever, possibly even in the late innings. Manno is going to be doubted everywhere he goes because of lack of elite velocity, but his outstanding changeup gives him a chance to be a nice big league reliever. I kind of see him as a lefty David Robertson. Robertson blew through the minors like Manno could be about to do, and that was despite the fact that his fastball was coming in around 90-92. Manno’s out pitch is a changeup as opposed to Robertson’s breaking ball, and the two have completely different builds (Robertson is 5’11″, 195), but Manno showed in 2011 that he has the ability to dominate opposing hitters like Robertson did his entire time in the minor leagues and then in 2011 for the Yankees. The big questions for Manno are whether he can keep his fastball in the low-90′s if not higher and whether his changeup is really a knockout plus pitch a la Robertson’s breaking ball. Manno will likely head to Double-A to begin in 2012, and if his domination continues, he’ll be in Triple-A and then the big leagues before long.

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For more on the Reds, please check out Blog Red Machine while for more on the Nationals, please check out District on Deck.

You can follow us on Twitter @Seedlings2Stars and yours truly @RCG_Robbie. You can also keep up to date with all things S2S by liking our Facebook page.

Devin Mesoraco (Photo Credit: Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE - 9/3/11)

Putting together a Top-100 prospect list is a massive undertaking and any site that takes on the challenge deserves to be recognized for their efforts. Since I had just over a week between S2S Team Prospect Lists, I wanted to do something a little different while I have this small window at my disposal. The team prospect lists are a grind and require a ton of research and writing time to put together and I thought that comparing various Top-100s would be a good way to change gears and provide a (hopefully) useful services to our readers

I’m not looking to be overly insightful with these six articles – one for each division – or draw any groundbreaking conclusions. Just looking for a way to compare the rankings and give some of the sites that took on the task of producing a Top-100 – like Nathaniel did for S2S – a little extra love.

The sources I have selected for this 6-part miniseries are:

• Baseball Instinct (BI)
• MLB.com (MLB)
• MLB Prospect Portal (Port)
• Project Prospect (Proj)
• Scout.com (SC)
• And of course the S2S rankings (S2S) are included.

So let’s turn to the NL Central – which had 35 players make a Top-100 – and see how each list stacks up next to the others on a team-by-team basis. (more…)

With the S2S 2012 Top 100 Prospects List now in the books, it’s time to take a closer look at the future of each team. And that means team prospect lists!

Most minor league sites will do top-10s, top-15s, top-20s, or some other ranking. Last year, to be a bit different, the FanSided team prospect lists (which were done at Call to the Pen, since S2S didn’t exist), instead listed a team’s top prospect at each position (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OFs, 5 SPs, and 2 RPs). This year, we’re keeping that format, but also adding a “Best of the Rest” section that lists the top ten players beyond the positional rankings. That’s 25 players per system, if you’re counting.

Cincinnati Reds

Even after trading away five of their Top-20 prospects this offseason (Yasmani Grandal, Yonder Alonso, Brad Boxberger, Ronald Torreyes and Dave Sappelt) the Reds system remains strong and fairly well balanced. The only area of the minors that lacks some semblance of quality and depth is in the OF.

The standard barer for the Reds minor leagues is without question Devin Mesoraco. He was unanimously ranked as the team’s top prospect – even before the recent trades with the Padres and Cubs – on all the sources I referenced in the course of my research. Beyond Devin, picking the best player at each of the positions was relatively easy but at most spots there were a few intriguing players that could really improve their stock in 2012. In fact I had a very hard time finalizing my 10-player Best of the Rest list and could have easily expanded it another 5 or so slots with prospects I believe will have some good value long term.

Cincinnati further bolstered its system with a robust and intelligent draft this past June. In a number of cases I left the 2011 draftees off the list due to limited data but I have little doubt that many of them will have strong 2012 seasons and vault themselves to the front of our collective prospect consciousness.

Position Player Upside: B+
Position Player Depth: B
Pitching Upside: C
Pitching Depth: C
System Grade: B

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Boxberger, originally drafted in the twentieth round by the Kansas City Royals out of high school, ascended the draft charts during his time at Southern California and was chosen by Cincinnati with the forty-seventh pick in the 2009 draft.

According to the 2011 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, “When the Reds drafted Boxberger out of Southern California, they planned on using the same approach they had mapped out for Zach Stewart in his first professional season – half the season in the rotation, then to the bullpen to limit his innings.” (more…)

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You hear that rustling off in the distance? It’s our Padres-site Chicken Friars rising from the ashes. While we continue our search for a Padres Editor and some Staff Writers, John and I have decided to devote some of our network time to providing content over there. We’re just keeping the seats warm and rebuilding a once strong reader-base in the process. By the way, if you’re interested in joining FanSided MLB to write about the Padres or any team, head here to apply!

While I’m on the topic of the Padres I’ve published two “newsie” articles over there in the last few days. The first was on the signing of Franmil Reyes and just yesterday I published an article on the player formerly known as Yoan Alcantara.

With the shameless self-promotion out of the way, it’s time to share the excellent MiLB work of some other sites so please follow along and, as always, enjoy! (more…)

In this edition, we tackle a question sent to us from our Cincinnati Reds blog Blog Red Machine:

The biggest problem for the Reds the past few years has obviously been starting pitching—mainly the lack of a true “ace.” Johnny Cueto stepped up as somewhat of an ace in the 2011 season, but after him, there was next-to-nothing, and as the Tigers just found out, one great starting pitcher does not spell success in the playoffs. My question is, what pitcher right now in the Reds organization has the best chance of becoming the “ace” of the staff, or at least the second-best pitcher behind Cueto?

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Since it is past midnight as I write this I know that it’s technically Tuesday, but I’m going to call a mulligan and backdate this an hour or so. It’s been a bit of a crazy weekend and I fell behind on pretty much everything I wanted to accomplish between Saturday and today.

So here we are on a “Monday” … the Chiefs and Vikings are both 0-3, the Twins easily locked up the 2nd worst record in all of baseball, the Royals are – once again – winning games in September when it doesn’t really matter, the Golden Gophers lost by 13 (!) to North Dakota State and Missouri predictably lost to #1 Oklahoma. The only bright spots in my sporting world came when Kansas State shocked Miami in a very entertaining game and the Kansas Jayhawks couldn’t prove to the world that they have the worst defense in college football … because they didn’t play. But no matter how bad it gets, I will always have minor league baseball and prospects to maintain my focus and keep my spirits up. (more…)

It’s Monday and time for another edition of Sprouts! I hope your weekend treated you well, and far better than the Chiefs who have now been outscored 89-10 in the last two weeks. (more…)

Minor Connections is a weekly feature that brings fresh minor league content to your fingertips. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s take a look at the top stories down on the farm.

John Sickels / Minor League Ball–Prospect of the Day Eric Surkamp, LHP, San Francisco Giants 

• Sickels breaks down Giants prospect Eric Surkamp in his regular Prospect of the Day feature.

• In the final installment of Are We There Yet?, author “WTF” continues to break down the growth of the Pirates farm system over the last five years.

Al Skorupa / Bullpen Banter–Victor Roache Scouting Report

• Already looking ahead to the 2012 Draft, Skorupa breaks down the potential top ten pick. The Georgia Southern outfielder has been raking in the Cape Cod League.