Right hander Chris Bootcheck took the ball for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is the second game of a doubleheader at Charlotte. The Rail Raiders had taken the opener by a 5-4 score and Bootcheck did the lion’s share of the work in the nightcap, posting six shutout innings and holding the Knights to a mere two hits. He walked a pair but struck out six and improved to 3-0 on the young season. His scoreless outing on Monday lowered his ERA to a microscopic 0.38 in his four starts for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

February 28, 2012; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Chris Bootcheck (68) poses for photo day in the rec room at the Detroit Tigers headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

If Bootcheck’s name is unfamiliar to you, you would be blamed, though his pro career began with a good amount of fanfare. The Angles made Bootcheck a first-round draft pick (20th overall) out of Auburn back in the June 2000 draft. Unfortunately, though he advanced quickly through the Anaheim (at the time) system, Bootcheck didn’t have great success. In his first three years of pro ball, the Indiana native didn’t post an ERA under 4.25 in any season and his strikeout rates dropped in each year as well. After getting a September call-up in 2003, Bootcheck saw his Triple-A ERA balloon to over 5.00 in each of the next two years until the Angels finally tried him as a reliever, moving him to that role in 2006.

Though he has appeared in 90 Major League games with the Angels and Pirates, Bootcheck hasn’t seen the bright lights since 2009 and he owns a career big league ERA of 6.54. To assume that Bootcheck is anything but Triple-A roster-filler would be incorrect. 34-year-olds don’t typically have career resurrections in the INternational League, which is where Bootcheck has been exclusively making his living for the past three years, and doing so for three different organizations.

Until this season, however, he’s been working almost exclusively in relief.

Bootcheck has persevered and re-made himself more than once during his career. Along the way, the learned how to strikeout more hitters and has settled in to some very respectable strikeout-to-walk ratios in recent seasons. So far in 2013, Bootcheck has fanned 20 IL batters while walking just seven in 24 innings of work. He has allowed just 15 hits and a single run for the Rail Raiders this season.

Even if the Yankees see yet another injury; one that causes them to go get a minor league arm, Bootcheck isn’t on the 40-man roster and he’s not a guy most organizations are going to risk losing a player to add. They’d likely call on a younger pitcher, one with more upside, to help them out.

Just because he might not have a bright major league future doesn’t mean his brilliant start to the International League season should go unnoticed, however.

Feb 14, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees catcher Austin Romine throws during spring training at Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees have been hit hard by injuries in the early going and that trend continued with the news that catcher Francisco Cervelli suffered a broken hand in Friday’s win over the Blue Jays. The timetable for Cervelli’s return is 4-6 weeks. In the meantime, New York will recall Austin Romine to join veteran Chris Stewart behind the dish.

Romine has gotten a good amount of fanfare (probably because he’s property of the Yankees) in his professional career and I think that has caused many fans to be expecting that the next great Yankee catcher is about to join the lineup.

To borrow from Rick Pitino, Jorge Posada ain’t walking through that door. Thurman Munson, Yogi Berra, they ain’t walking through that door.

It was be understandable if you glanced at his .341 average and .815 OPS on the young season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and assumed that Romine is finally healthy and has matured into a productive hitter. While he may be healthy, his numbers this year are a mirage.

Romine was a second round pick out of high school in 2007 and has twice appeared on Baseball America’s Top-100 Prospect list. He made it to the major leagues briefly in 2011 after putting up solid numbers at Double-A Trenton. And by solid, I mean he had a .351 OBP. Apart from that, he wasn’t all that impressive.

Romine’s calling card has always been his defense and while scouts have projected that he may wind up developing an average hit tool, he’s never shown much pop and has trouble squaring the ball consistently. Part of the issues Romine has had at the plate can surely be attributed to the rash of injuries he’s faced, including a back injury that has lingered and cut into his development. The Yankees even sent him to the Arizona Fall League last year in hopes of just getting him some much-needed playing time.

Romine’s “success” at Triple-A this season has been quite misleading. His high OBP is fueled almost completely by a high batting average. In turn, that average is largely thanks to an insane .464 BABIP. He’s striking out at a much higher rate (26 percent of his plate appearances) than he ever has before and among his 14 base hits, only one has gone for extra-bases.

In other words, you’re looking at a guy who has gotten off to an extremely fortuitous start for the Rail Raiders, but one that will almost certainly come crashing back to Earth in the very near future.

If everyone else, or even most everyone else, were healthy, the Yankees could certainly carry a defense-first backstop and allow Romine to hopefully grow into a significant MLB role without a ton of pressure. As it stands now, however, with so many stars out of the lineup, Romine’s arrival is bound to be over-hyped.

Romine has every chance to be a serviceable part-time catcher in the big leagues, but that’s probably his ceiling. Somehow, I doubt that will be enough for Yankees fans.

In our S2S STAT-Scans, each player is assigned a “Plate Skills Index,” which is based on the ability to “win plate appearances” (described in detail here), a “Production Index,” based on the ability to produce offense (described in detail here), and a “Composite Index,” which is a combination of the two.  Additional detail on “the three numbers,” with some examples, can be found here.

Tyler Austin is one of the upcoming pinstripers. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

It is important to remember that age, level and position also factor into the analysis.  And note that this is a statistical analysis of the actual results, so scouting reports don’t factor into the numbers.

High Alert

Corban Joseph, 2b …  2013 Age: 24; 2012 Level: AA, AAA

Plate Skills: 144  Production: 119  Composite: 163

Joseph is not the most heralded, but he put up the stats that set off the most alarm bells at scanner central.  High walk rate, low strikeout rate, 29 doubles and 15 home runs will do that.  And, he’s on the cusp of the majors after spending the bulk of 2012 at AAA.

Tyler Austin,  OF (S2S Top 115 #81) …  2013 Age: 21; 2012 Level: Low-A, High-A, AA (2 games)

Plate Skills: 112  Production: 127  Composite: 139

Austin went firmly up the ladder in 2012, ending up in AA Trenton at season’s end.  Along the way he banged out 35 doubles, 6 triples and 17 longballs.  He looks like a solid all-around hitter.

Mason Williams (S2S Top 115 #51) … 2013 Age: 21; 2012 Level: Low-A, High-A

Plate Skills: 94  Production: 105  Composite: 99

Williams’ stats must be taken in light of his position (CF every game) and youth.  And his very low strikeout rate, which bodes well for future development.

Austin Romine, C …  2013 Age: 24; 2012 Level: AAA, High-A, Rookie (rehab)

Plate Skills: 128  Production: 104  Composite: 132

Injuries limited Romine to 31 games, but, even though his star has faded (he was a former Baseball America Top 100 guy), he showed solid promise in that action.  He had 4 dingers and 14 walks in those 31 games, which the scanner likes a lot.

On the Radar

Saxon Butler, 1b …  2013 Age: 23; 2012 Level:  Short Season-A, Low-A

Plate Skills: 101  Production: 127  Composite: 128

Butler was a 2012 draftee who was a bit old for his levels, but his 13 home runs in 61 games helped him to a .533 SLG, which got our attention, at least.

Distant Early Warning

Gregory Bird, 1b  …  2013 Age: 20; 2012 Level: Rookie, Short Season-A

Plate Skills: 127  Production: 98  Composite: 125

A big left-handed hitter, Bird showed a promising blend of power and patience in putting up a .944 OPS at age 19.

On the Whole

The Yankees don’t appear to have a can’t-miss monster prospect, but there is good depth, and Joseph could be an interesting sleeper guy.  Needless to say, some new blood will be needed as the Jeter/Rivera era fades out.

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

Next up: #31 through #40.

#40 – Brian Goodwin, outfielder, Washington Nationals

Height/Weight: 6’1″, 195

Born: November 2, 1990 (age 22)

2012 Stats (combined between Class-A Hagerstown and Double-A Harrisburg): .280/.384/.469, 14 HR, 52 RBI, 18 SB, 61 BB, 89 SO, 100 G (452 PA)

Washington addressed a significant need this winter, acquiring Denard Span from the Minnesota Twins, but the organization might have a quality outfielder waiting in the wings if Goodwin can continue the torrid pace he’s been on since beginning his professional career. He posted an all around solid 2012 season and then followed it up with a decent showing in the Arizona Fall League. He’ll likely start 2013 back at Double-A but could see a promotion to Triple-A before long.

Bold Prediction: If Washington doesn’t get the production they want from their extra outfielders (namely Roger Bernadina) then it wouldn’t be surprising to see Goodwin get a late-season trip to our nation’s capital.

#39 – Carlos Correa, shortstop, Houston Astros

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 190

Born: September 22, 1994 (age 18)

2012 Stats (combined between the team’s two Rookie Level affiliates): .258/.305/.400, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 6 SB, 12 BB, 44 SO, 50 G (204 PA)

Bold Prediction: Last June’s 1st overall pick will show why he was taken with the #1 pick, but won’t develop into the player he’s been compared to since Draft Day (Alex Rodriguez).

#38 – Noah Syndergaard, right-handed pitcher, New York Mets

Height/Weight: 6’5″, 200

Born: August 29, 1992 (age 20)

2012 Stats (with Class-A Lansing): 8-5, 2.60 ERA, 27 G (19 GS), 103.2 IP, 31 BB (2.7 BB/9), 122 K (10.6 K/9), 1.080 WHIP

Despite falling in the top half of our prospect rankings, Syndergaard won’t be the best piece that the Mets received in this winter’s trade sending R.A. Dickey to Toronto. Eventually adding him to a mix including Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler will make a pretty formidable rotation in New York, however.

Bold Prediction: Syndergaard will have a strong year at Double-A, but won’t see New York for another year.

James Paxton, #37 on our rankings, is widely considered one of the top left-handed arms in the minors. (Image Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)

#37 – James Paxton, left-handed pitcher, Seattle Mariners

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 220

Born: November 6, 1988 (age 24)

2012 Stats (with Double-A Jackson): 9-4, 3.05 ERA, 21 GS, 106.1 IP, 54 BB (4.6 BB/9), 110 K (9.3 K/9), 1.411 WHIP

Amazingly enough, at #37 Paxton is just the third best pitching prospect in the Seattle system.

Bold Prediction: A September callup is not out of the question.

#36 – Rymer Liriano, outfielder, San Diego Padres

Height/Weight: 6’0″, 210

Born: June 20, 1991

2012 Stats (combined between High-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio): .280/.350/.417, 8 HR, 61 RBI, 32 SB, 41 BB, 119 SO, 127 G (520 PA)

2012 was a step back for Liriano, but it shouldn’t be viewed as a new norm despite the jump to a higher level of competition. He still could prove to be a big piece for the Padres rebuilding efforts in the years ahead.

Bold Prediction: He’ll spend most of the year at Double-A, but have a bounceback performance.

#35 – Delino DeShields, second baseman, Houston Astros

Height/Weight: 5’9″, 210

Born: August 16, 1992 (age 20)

2012 Stats (combined between Class-A Lexington and High-A Lancaster): .287/.389/.428, 12 HR, 61 RBI, 101 SB, 83 BB, 131 SO, 135 G (637 PA)

His 101 stolen bases were largely unnoticed thanks to the record-setting performance of Billy Hamilton. DeShields will eventually hit leadoff for the Astros.

Bold Prediction: He’ll be better than his father was – and not just on the base paths.

#34 – Jorge Soler, outfielder, Chicago Cubs

Height/Weight: 6’3″, 205

Born: February 25, 1992 (age 20)

2012 Stats (combined between the team’s Rookie Level affiliate and Class-A Peoria): .299/.369/.463, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 12 SB, 12 BB, 19 SO, 34 G (149 PA)

Bold Prediction: The hype surrounding Soler when the Cubs signed him was high, but he won’t live up to those expectations. He’ll be good, just not superstar good.

#33 – Gary Sanchez, catcher, New York Yankees

Height/Weight: 6’2”, 200

Born: December 2, 1992 (age 20)

2012 Stats (combined between Class-A Charleston and High-A Tampa): .290/.344/.485, 18 HR, 85 RBI, 15 SB, 32 BB, 106 SO, 116 G (474 PA)

There have been multiple catching prospects to arrive in the Yankees organization in recent years to catch the eyes of many, but Sanchez has long been the big prize of the group. He’s shown the offensive potential but also has proven himself behind the plate with strong defense. Sanchez is one reason why the team wouldn’t overpay to retain Russell Martin long term this winter.

Bold Prediction: He’ll impress enough at Double-A to earn an invite to Spring Training next year.

Checking in at #32, Jake Odorizzi got the chance to start last season’s Futures Game before being dealt this winter. (Image Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports)

#32 – Jake Odorizzi, right-handed pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays

Height/Weight: 6’2″, 185

Born: March 27, 1990 (age 22)

2012 Stats (combined between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha): 15-5, 3.03 ERA, 26 G (25 GS), 145.1 IP, 50 BB (3.1 BB/9), 135 K (8.4 K/9), 1.252 WHIP

MLB Career: 0-1, 4.91 ERA, 2 G, 7.1 IP, 4 BB, 4 K, 1.636 WHIP

Expect Odorizzi to see some time in the Tampa Bay rotation sometime this coming season. The franchise has had success developing pitchers and he might have actually been the first arm the Royals had developed that was set for success in the Majors. A move to the Rays shouldn’t slow him down.

Bold Prediction: He’ll dominate Triple-A, but struggle in some MLB starts. By 2014 he’ll be a fixture in the Rays rotation.

#31 – Aaron Sanchez, right-handed pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays

Height/Weight: 6’4″, 190

Born: July 1, 1992 (age 20)

2012 Stats (with Class-A Lansing): 8-5, 2.49 ERA, 25 G (18 GS), 90.1 IP, 51 BB (5.1 BB/9), 97 K (9.7 K/9), 1.273 WHIP

Toronto entered the offseason with a trio of top pitching prospects, but after trading away Justin Nicolino (#89) and Noah Syndergaard (#38) in separate deals, Sanchez is the lone arm that remains in the organization. That distinction might make him untouchable in trade talks, should the Blue Jays find another need to address.

Bold Prediction: He’ll post a solid season at Double-A, prompting teams to inquire about his availability even though they know he won’t be dealt.

… The prospects that rank from #1 to #30 will be unveiled next week, starting first-thing Monday morning. Stay tuned!

Which brings me to this week’s organization, the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers have a very interesting system as it presently stands, one that has seen the effects of a culture change in New York. Prior to recent history, the Yankees have been in a perpetual “WIN RIGHT NOW” mode, and haven’t put the same stock in their farm system as… say the Tampa Bay Rays. That said, GM Brian Cashman has taken great strides to develop the Yankees into more than just a bank, and a team that aims to infuse their major league roster with minor league talent more than in recent years. Although the roster doesn’t reflect this much at present, there is talent in the lower levels in Yankee-ville.

A lot of the elite talent is a few years away, but there is one position player in particular who may fit the description of “blocked” in the immediate future. Zoilo Almonte is that player in their organization, an outfielder who has displayed he’s ready for an opportunity, but is highly unlikely to see one in 2013, barring injuries of course.

March 2, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Zoilo Almonte (83) hits a RBI double in the fourth inning during spring training against the South Florida Bulls at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees project to begin 2013 with an outfield of Curtis Granderson, Ichiro Suzuki, and Brett Gardiner, with no lock as a fourth outfielder signed as of yet. Almonte could certainly fill that void for the big league club, as he’s played all three outfield positions, but the Yankees likely prefer to have him playing full time, likely leaving him beginning the year in AAA.

Originally signing with the organization at 17 years old in 2006, the young Dominican outfielder obviously took a few years to work his way up in the system. Almonte arrived at AA with the Trenton Thunder for the 2nd half of 2011, then spent all of 2012 in the Eastern League. Although Almonte missed time dealing with a hamstring issue, he still produced a .277/.322/.487 over 106 games and 419 AB’s. What was also encouraging was his continued power development, as he delivered 21 HR’s, and 77 RBI, and added 15 stolen bases to boot. An Eastern League All-Star, he’s also a switch hitter, which adds to his value and has drawn loose comparisons to a Nick Swisher style of play in New York baseball circles.

The 6’0, 205 lb outfielder might not be a “can’t miss” prospect, but his development is certainly something to track in New York. Yankee manager Joe Girardi was certainly impressed with him during camp in March of 2012, and told reporters, “Everything you’d ask a player to do, he’s done. This is a young man that really kind of burst on to the scene a bit. He showed up on the radar, we may really have something”.

He has likely hit his way out of AA Trenton, so it would seem he’ll work his way to AAA at worst in 2013. It certainly can’t be ruled out that Almonte gets a shot in the big leagues in 2013 though either. Brian Cashman has shown that he is serious about sticking within payroll parameters, which could leave the young outfielder an injury or two away from getting the audition every young ballplayer dreams of. What happens next for Almonte may very well be in the hands (and legs) of Brett Gardiner, and Ichiro Sukuki, which may see him in New York, sooner than later.

Canzler, 26, hit .269/.299/.398 this past season in limited duty (97 PA, 26 G) with the Indians. He should offer some added depth at the four corners (1B, 3B, RF, LF) in New York – presuming he sticks on the team’s 40-man roster long enough to come to Spring Training.

The Yankees designated outfielder Chris Dickerson for assignment to make room for the addition of Canzler.

If we’re to believe Brian Cashman, catcher Austin Romine will start the year at Triple-A for the Yankees. (Image Credit: Michael L. Stein-USA TODAY Sports)

The Yankees have coped with uncertainty ever since before Jorge Posada announced his retirement following the 2011 season, unsure who his eventual replacement would end up being. Some within the organization believed that answer would eventually come in the form of Jesus Montero, before questions about his defensive abilities arose and he ultimately was dealt to Seattle in what appears to be a failed move by the team. Others felt strongly that the team’s answer at catcher would come from Montero’s platoon-mate, Austin Romine. Most, however, merely assumed that the team would acquire an option on the open market.

Many in New York believed that Russell Martin was a solid fit with the Yankees, bringing much of what the team had been looking for to the table. He was reliable defensively, considering a solid game caller, but struggled from an offensive standpoint. Martin reached free agency with the end of the 2012 season and there were widespread expectations that the team would re-sign him to a multi year contract. They’d offered him a substantial deal just before the past season, which Martin turned down over concerns that he’d be able to extract more from the team with a big year. Instead he struggled over 485 plate appearances, batting just .211/.311/.403. He hit a career high 21 home runs on the year, which helped him land a two year, $17 Million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates just a few weeks ago.

Now, left without a viable alternative option on the open market, the organizational focus has suddenly shifted back to Romine. According to quotes passed along by the New York Daily News, however, Yankees GM Brian Cashman believes that it’s more likely that Romine begins the season back in the minor leagues:

I expect Romine to go to Triple-A. He missed all of last year, almost. I don’t expect him to be our everyday catcher out of the gate. He always has the possibility of taking it, but realistically, if I were in prediction mode, I’d say Triple-A. But he has a chance to alter that.

He’s long been viewed as a solid option defensively, but his bat hasn’t developed as quickly as some expected. Romine appeared in just 31 games this past season, thanks largely to a back injury that cost him nearly the entire season. He hit .243/.333/.408 over that stretch, but the injury nearly cost him a full season of development. If he fails to win the job outright during Spring Training (which appears to be the organization’s “preference”, at least initially) then the catching duties in the Bronx will likely be shared by Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart at the onset of the season.

Top prospect Travis d’Arnaud comes to New York with high expectations, but will likely begin the season in the minor leagues. (Image credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports)

For the Mets, the unanswered questions about the team’s catching future have existed even longer, beginning with Mike Piazza’s departure following the 2005 campaign. The team has since trotted out the likes of Paul Lo Duca, Ramon Castro, Brian Schneider, Omir Santos, Rod Barajas, Josh Thole, Ronny Paulino, and Mike Nickeas in substantial roles behind the plate. None has done enough to give the team, or its fans, any hope that the revolving door of players would soon come to an end.

The Mets once again entered the offseason with “acquire a catcher” on their to-do list. Yet, as the Yankees saw once Martin left for Pittsburgh, there were few options available that were appealing. Instead, an unexpected opportunity became available when the team began negotiations to trade R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto possessed one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball in Travis d’Arnaud and few expected that he’d become available in talks between the two teams. Yet, as negotiations progressed, it appeared more and more likely that the Mets were standing pat in their demands for Dickey and d’Arnaud’s inclusion in the deal appeared inevitable.

Once the Mets had acquire d’Arnaud their fate behind the plate suddenly appeared much different. d’Arnaud is one of the rare catching prospects that scouts feel can do it all, but like Romine he saw his 2012 season cut short due to injury. He batted .333/.380/.595 this past season at Triple-A, over 303 plate appearances, before suffering a season ending knee injury. Had it not been for the injury there are some that believe he may have made his MLB Debut late this past summer with the Blue Jays. Like Romine, however, it appears as though the Mets are planning to start him back in the minor leagues at the beginning of the 2013 season, as ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin suggests, with the team’s catching duties being shared by John Buck and Anthony Recker initially.

Neither Romine nor d’Arnaud are guarantees to solve all of their respective organization’s catching needs long term and there is no certainty that they’ll help either team “move on” from the losses of Posada or Piazza. With both likely ticketed for Triple-A, seemingly no matter how strong a Spring they may have, the day they’ll take their presumed spots in the lineup remains uncertain. The pair do, however, represent the best options that either organization has had to date in their efforts to find a quality backstop for the future.

Austin Romine might get a shot at significant playing time with the Yankees this coming season. (Image Credit: Michael L. Stein-USA TODAY Sports)

The 24 year old Romine comes with his fair share of question marks, though most can be chalked up to inexperience. Taken originally in the 2nd Round of the 2007 Draft, Romine’s progress through the Yankees’ minor league system has long been a steady climb as he’s had to share each step along the way up until this past season. Romine and Jesus Montero were progressing through the ranks together in many cases, often either sharing time in a quasi-platoon role or essentially following one another (i.e. upon Montero’s first promotion to Triple-A, Romine received his first bump to Double-A). Their fates were often intertwined as well, as many speculated that one would end up being the team’s “catcher of the future” while the other would ultimately serve as trade bait. A year ago Montero was shipped to Seattle, expediting the end of such discussions.

Part of the organization’s comfort in dealing Montero one year ago was based on the season Romine had just completed in 2011. He started the year off repeating Double-A (since Montero was getting the bulk of the playing time at Triple-A) and would end up playing in 85 games for Trenton. Over 373 plate appearances he’d hit .286/.351/.378 with 32 BB and just 60 SO. He’d shown enough to warrant a promotion to Triple-A before season’s end, would appear in four more games there, and then joined the Yankees in mid-September in Los Angeles. Romine’s older brother, Andrew Romine, is a shortstop for the Angels, the opposing team during Austin’s MLB Debut. Austin would collect just three hits over 20 plate appearances before the season ended, playing in 9 games.

Heading into Spring Training in 2012, Romine was expected to compete for the team’s backup catcher job with the likelihood that he’d end up spending some additional time down at Triple-A if needed. Injuries wound up costing him nearly the entire season, however, limiting things to just 31 games and 120 plate appearances in which he’d bat .243/.333/.408. It was essentially a lost season that couldn’t have been more poorly timed.

There are numerous questions about Romine’s ability to call a game, though few question his defensive work behind the plate. His bat, however, does not quite appear ready to translate to an MLB-regular just yet and installing him as the team’s starting catcher may not be the best approach to take at the onset of the new season. Given the team’s other internal options, however, it’s tough to see where there is truly a better all around option than letting the kid gain some experience. He’s going to falter and have his struggles, which can be challenging to overcome under the pressures that come with playing for the Yankees, but he’s going to need to learn sooner rather than later if he’s going to be a part of the team’s immediate future. Long term the team’s “catcher of the future” will likely be Gary Sanchez, but he’s still far enough away from the Major Leagues that there’s some justification for giving Romine a fair chance at proving his worth behind the plate in the interim.

Considering the lack of other options, Bobby Wilson may have made a wise choice signing a minor league deal with the Yankees. (Image Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)

Wilson joins his third team of the offseason, having been claimed on waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-November before the team non-tendered him.

The 29 year old Wilson has seen limited playing time with the Los Angeles Angels over the past five seasons. He’s seen 449 plate appearances over that span, batting a combined .208/.272/.321 with 8 HR and 37 RBI. Serving as the team’s second and sometimes third option, Wilson appeared in 77 games this past year for Los Angeles, hitting .211/.277/.292 in a career high 201 plate appearances. Out of options, Wilson has stuck on the Angels roster largely because he’s been an asset defensively behind the plate – something Angels manager Mike Scioscia has long placed a high premium on.

None of the catchers on the Yankees current 40-man roster would appear to be a favorite to win the team’s starting job behind the plate, barring any additional moves this winter, so a strong Spring could bode well for Wilson. Austin Romine may have the most promise from the group, but he’s going to have to overcome a spotted injury history before he earns any significant playing time.

After a standout high school career for Carteret High, where he was heavily scouted, Taylor was widely considered the best player available as the 1991 Draft approached, even being called a “once in a generation talent” by his agent Scott Boras (a line the super agent would use again years later for Stephen Strasburg). To no surprise the New York Yankees selected Taylor with the 1st overall pick before signing him to a then-record $1.55 Million deal. Expectations were high for the left-hander as he was immediately bumped atop Baseball America’s prospect rankings heading into the 1992 season.

(Image Credit: nj.com 3/2/12 via Google Images)

Taylor was a workhorse for the Yankees early on in his career, throwing over 160.0 innings in each of his first two seasons. By 1993 he’d reached Double-A already, going 13-7 with a 3.48 ERA in 27 starts on the year. Over the winter things changed drastically for Taylor, however. He’d get into an argument with an old childhood friend at a local bar, throwing a punch and missing, tearing a muscle in his shoulder in the process. He’d miss the entire 1994 season while rehabbing the injury but would never be the same pitcher again. He’d suffer through four mediocre seasons in the Yankees’ low minor leagues before being granted his release following the 1998 season. Taylor latched on with Cleveland for one more season, making five brief appearances in 2000 before calling it quits.

Taylor’s story has long been compared to that of Josh Hamilton, considering both were “can’t miss” prospects before having their careers derailed by uncommon means. Hamilton, as we all know, was able to overcome his drug addiction to revive his promising career while Taylor was not, but the comparison is often an unfair one. Taylor’s drug problems only came later on, once his career was over, and were not the reason behind why he was never able to live up to his promise.

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

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

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

#11:  Robbie Erlin – LHP – San Diego Padres

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

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

#12:  Devin Mesoraco – C – Cincinnati Reds

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

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

#13:  Manny Machado – SS – Baltimore Orioles

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

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

#14:  Trevor Bauer – RHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

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

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

#15:  Gerrit Cole – RHP – Pittsburgh Pirates

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

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

#16:  Wil Myers – OF – Kansas City Royals

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

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

#17:  Gary Sanchez – C – New York Yankees

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

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

#18:  Xander Bogaerts – SS – Boston Red Sox

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

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

#19:  Cody Buckel – RHP – Texas Rangers

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

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

#20:  Drew Hutchison – RHP – Toronto Blue Jays

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

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

~~~~~

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

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

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

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

#21:  Randall Delgado – RHP – Atlanta Braves

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

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

#22:  Anthony Gose – OF – Toronto Blue Jays

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

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

#23:  Taijuan Walker – RHP – Seattle Mariners

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

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

#24:  Joe Wieland – RHP – San Diego Padres

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

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

#25:  Martin Perez – LHP – Texas Rangers

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

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

#26:  Manny Banuelos – LHP – New York Yankees

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#29:  Drew Pomeranz – LHP – Colorado Rockies

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

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

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

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

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

~~~~~

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

Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin (Photo Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-US PRESSWIRE)

Yesterday’s group included an even 50/50 split between players who saw their stock rise in 2012 and those that saw their stock fall. This portion of the list, which covers the prospects ranked #81-#90, was not so evenly distributed.

Of the ten players below, only three had their stock go up and in two of those cases you could argue for a different assessment. The six players who are indicated below as having lost “value” are very concrete and definitive. Their seasons were very much disappointing across the board.

If you do the quick math here and add six plus three, you are well aware that one player is missing from that count. That’s because one player earned the dreaded “push” due to a return from major surgery and a very small sample size coupled with enormous talent and potential. Pressed to make a definitive decision one way or the other, I’d lean toward stock down while hopping off the fence.

Three of the following ten players pitched in the majors this season, while one of them (Corbin) exhausted his project eligibility.

#81:  Robbie Ray – LHP - Washington Nationals

Profile Published – 10/18/2011
2012 - Potomac (A+): 6.56 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 122 H, 49 BB and 86 SO in 105.2 IP
Best Month – June: 28.2 IP, 23 H, 13 ER, 14 BB and 26 SO
Worst Month – August: 15.2 IP, 25 H, 27 ER, 14 BB and 16 SO

Stock Up/Down – Down

#82:  Jose Campos– RHP – New York Yankees

Profile Published – 10/17/2011
2012 – Charleston (A): 4.01 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 20 H, 8 BB and 26 SO in 24.2 IP
Best Month – Only pitched in April
Worst Month – Only pitched in April

Stock Up/Down – Up. Sure, an elbow injury limited Campos to just five starts on the season but the early returns for the 20-year old hurler were fantastic. If you remove his final start of the year – when his elbow gave out – you’re left with a sparkling 1.23 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 23-5 SO-to-BB in 22.0 IP.

#83:  Patrick Corbin – LHP – Arizona Diamondbacks

Profile Published – 10/16/2011
2012 – Mobile (AA): 1.67 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 22 H, 8 BB and 25 SO in 27.0 IP
2012 – Reno (AAA): 3.44 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 57 H, 15 BB and 55 SO in 52.1 IP
2012 – Arizona (MLB): 4.77 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 111 H, 24 BB and 80 SO in 100.0 IP
Best Month – June: 29.1 IP, 33 H, 7 ER, 4 BB and 29 SO with Reno and Arizona
Worst Month – September: 24.1 IP, 37 H, 20 ER, 3 BB and 16 SO with Arizona

Stock Up/Down – Up. Considering he logged 100.0 innings in the majors with an 88 ERA+ and a strong 3.33 SO/BB while just 23 years old, it’s hard to view Corbin’s season as anything less than a success.

#84:  Mike Montgomery – LHP – Kansas City Royals

Profile Published – 10/15/2011
2012 – Omaha (AAA): 5.69 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 110 H, 43 BB and 67 SO in 91.2 IP
2012 – NW Arkansas (AA): 6.67 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 69 H, 21 BB and 44 SO in 58.0 IP
Best Month – April: 27.2 IP, 32 H, 14 ER, 11 BB and 21 SO with Omaha
Worst Month – August: 27.1 IP, 35 H, 21 ER, 11 BB and 24 SO with NW Arkansas

Stock Up/Down – Down

#85:  Maikel Cleto – RHP – St. Louis Cardinals

Profile Published – 10/14/2011
2012 – Memphis (AAA): 5.37 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 51 H, 22 BB and 66 SO in 53.2 IP
2012 – St. Louis (MLB): 7.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP, 13 H, 2 BB and 15 SO in 9.0 IP
Best Month – May: 16.2 IP, 12 H, 5 ER, 5 BB and 22 SO with Memphis
Worst Month – July: 10.0 IP, 20 H, 18 ER, 5 BB and 14 SO with Memphis and St. Louis

Stock Up/Down – Down

#86:  Jonathan Schoop – INF – Baltimore Orioles

Profile Published – 10/13/2011
2012 – Bowie (AA): 0.245/.324/.386, 24 2B, 1 3B, 14 HR, 5 SB, 50 BB and 103 SO in 555 PA
Best Month – June: 0.258/.327/.454 in 104 PA
Worst Month – April: 0.210/.261/.309 in 86 PA

Stock Up/Down – Down

#87:  Nolan Arenado – 3B – Colorado Rockies

Profile Published – 10/12/2011
2012 – Tulsa (AA): 0.285/.337/.428, 36 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 39 BB and 58 SO in 573 PA
Best Month – August: 0.358/.375/.569 in 113 PA
Worst Month – July: 0.165/.252/.272 in 114 PA

Stock Up/Down – Up, relative to his placement on this list anyway. Some sources had Arenado ranked much higher and he certainly did not have the type of season most were expecting from him.

#88:  Dellin Betances – RHP – New York Yankees

Profile Published – 10/11/2011
2012 – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (AAA): 6.39 ERA, 1.88 WHIP , 71 H, 69 BB and 71 SO in 74.2 IP
2012 – Trenton (AA): 6.51 ERA, 1.82 WHIP, 73 H, 30 BB and 53 BB in 56.2 IP
Best Month – August: 22.0 IP, 34 H, 25 ER, 16 BB and 17 SO with Trenton
Worst Month – May: 30.1 IP, 24 H, 13 ER, 25 BB and 26 SO with Scranton/WB

Stock Up/Down – Down

#89:  Joel Carreno – RHP – Toronto Blue Jays

Profile Published – 10/10/2011
2012 – Las Vegas (AAA): 8.92 ERA, 2.12 WHIP, 50 H, 27 BB and 30 SO in 36.1 IP
2012 – New Hampshire (AA): 3.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 43 H, 19 BB and 58 SO in 53.2 IP
2012 – Toronto (MLB): 6.14 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 22 H, 14 BB and 16 SO in 22.0 IP
Best Month – August: 16.2 IP, 14 H, 3 ER, 5 BB and 21 SO with New Hampshire
Worst Month – June: 25.1 IP, 24 H, 19 ER, 15 BB and 21 SO with New Hampshire, Las Vegas and Toronto

Stock Up/Down – Down

#90:  John Lamb – LHP – Kansas City Royals

Profile Published – 10/9/2011
2012 – AZL Royals (Rk): 6.35 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 6 H, 2 BB and 6 SO in 5.2 IP
2012 – Idaho Falls (Rk): 7.36 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 9 H, 2 BB and 8 SO in 7.1 IP
Best Month – August: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB and 6 SO with the AZL Royals
Worst Month – September: 7.1 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 2 BB and 8 SO with Idaho Falls

Stock Up/Down – Push? Lamb was on a number of Top-100 lists heading into this season despite the fact he had Tommy John surgery last summer and was going to miss most of 2012. Given those circumstances the above results and small sample size don’t really change any assessments of his standing as a prospect. The fact that he was able to get back on the mound and pitch in a half dozen games this summer, is a win in itself.

~~~~~

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.

(Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-US PRESSWIRE)

Yankee fans may see a lot of the Orioles in seasons to come, as they have developed a nice core of excellent young players.  From Adam Jones, to Matt Wieters, to recent call-up Manny Machado, the Orioles will certainly cause an aging Yankees team some problems.  That said, the Bronx Bombers have their own crop of young talent.  Five players from that crop will be playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League this year, intent on showcasing their abilities to earn the eventual promotion to the Bronx.  Let’s take a look at these five delegates.

RHP – Mark Montgomery (22) – Yankees 2011 11^th Round Draft Pick

2012 – Tampa: 1.34 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 23 H, 16 BB, 61 SO in 40.1 IP
2012 – Trenton:  1.88 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 12 H, 6 BB, 38 SO in 24 IP

Chatter around Yankee prospect pitchers over the past couple of seasons has centered on players like Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances.  When underperforming teams look to unload big contracts to the Yankees, Banuelos and Betances have been the big name prospects teams look for in exchange.  But there may be a new sheriff in town in Yankees right-hander Mark Montgomery.  His dominant arsenal will be on display this fall for the Scottsdale Scorpions.

Mark Montgomery has mowed down the competition in 2012.  Between Class-A Advanced Tampa and AA Trenton, Montgomery has sat down 99 batters by way of the K in only 64.1 IP.  Montgomery features a good fastball, but scouts agree his slider is a pitch that is better than just major league ready—it could be one of the best sliders in all the bigs.  Maybe most impressive about this youngster is his ability to improve on his pain-points as he has progressed through the New York system.  Montgomery enjoyed his lowest BB/9 and best K/BB of his career after being promoted to Trenton.

Recent struggles out of the Yankee bullpen have sparked talk that Montgomery should be called up to bolster the Yankee relief efforts as they try to solidify another playoff berth.  Though that call has yet to be made, Montgomery did receive the call to represent the Yankees in the AFL.

RHP – Zach Nuding (22) – Yankees 2010 30^th Round Draft Pick

2012 – Tampa: 3.89 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 89 H, 26 BB, 66 SO in 85.2 IP

The second of two Yankee pitching prospects headed to Scottsdale is 22 year old righty Zach Nuding.  Though not as highly touted a prospect as Montgomery, Nuding is a big, strong kid with good velocity who has worked his tail off to make his dreams of playing professional baseball come true.

Standing 6’4” and tipping the scales at 250 pounds, Nuding may be the most imposing pitching body in the Yankees organization.  His best (and favorite) pitch is his fastball, which consistently hits the mid-90s.  Nuding’s off-speed arsenal includes a slider and a change-up, but both are still upside pitches that need quite a bit of tuning.  The young right-hander spent his 2012 with the Class-A Advanced Tampa Yankees, and had passable, albeit pedestrian results.  Over 14 starts and 16 total games, Nuding put up a K/9 of only 6.9, one of the lower numbers of his career.  For a kid that had been a starter since joining New York’s farm system, the drop in strikeouts could be a sign of maturation in that Nuding now knows he can make outs when pitching to contact.  He also put up the lowest walk rates of his career in 2012.

Ultimately, Nuding has progressed further than maybe anyone expected given that he was drafted as the 925^th overall selection in 2010.  His delegation to the AFL is a sign from the Yankees that they want to take a focused look at him to determine if he is ready for play at the next level.

C – Austin Romine (23) – Yankees 2007 2^nd Round Draft Pick

2012 – Tampa: 0.389/.421/.556, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 SO in 19 PA
2012 – Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: 0.213/.296/.393, 2 2B, 3 HR, 8 BB, 10 SO in 71 PA

Backstopping for the Scorpions this fall will be Yankees fifth year prospect Austin Romine.  The catcher actually missed the majority of his 2012 season with an inflamed disc in his back that put him on the 60-day DL.  Since returning to action in mid-July, Romine completed a 14-game rehab assignment between the Rookie League and Class-A Advanced, followed by a call up to AAA to close out the season.  Romine has only played in 31 games in 2012, so his time in Scottsdale will give him the extra reps he missed while dealing with injury.

When healthy, there aren’t many holes in Romine’s game.  He is an outstanding defensive catcher, with a career .990 fielding percentage and a CS% of 24.  Romine can also swing good wood.  In 1925 minor league plate appearances, he has 149 XBH and 254 RBI.  The only shortcoming to his game is his lack of patience at the plate.  He has a career .333 OBP, a number the Yankees would like to see improve given Romine’s career BA of .278.  That small issue should improve with time, and certainly will not prevent him from getting the call up to the majors.

More of a concern for Romine is the injury bug.  The Yankees hope to see Romine build some strength up in his back this fall, and return to form as their top backstop on the farm.

2B – David Adams (25) – Yankees 2008 3^rd Round Draft Pick

2012 – Tampa: 0.308/.368/.365, 3 2B, 0 HR, 4 BB, 8 SO in 57 PA
2012 – Trenton: 0.306/.385/.450, 23 2B, 8 HR, 38 BB, 53 SO in 383 PA

The second infield prospect the Bombers delegated to Scottsdale is David Adams, a second baseman out of the University of Virginia.  Adams was drafted in the 21^st round by the Tigers back in 2005 out of high school, but elected to put his professional career on hold to attend college.  His four years at Virginia did wonders for his draft stock when four years later the Yankees made him a 3^rd round pick.

Adams is in a bit of a tricky situation at 25 years old, as he plays the same position as 29 year old Yankee all-star Robinson Canó.  He lacks the power Canó has, and he could be described as an opportunistic base stealer, though his speed is nothing to write home about.  His .977 fielding percentage is just OK for a second baseman, though his mechanics and arm strength are both plusses.  Apart from sitting behind Canó in the second base pecking order, Adams suffered an unlucky setback that cost him big portions of his 2010 and 2011 seasons when he slid late into second base and broke his ankle.  He played only 68 games in those two seasons, and has had to gradually get back in the groove in 2012.

All that said, Adams can hit, and he can get on base.  His career average sits just below .300, with an OBP of .385.  The Yankees seem committed to finding a way to help Adams make the leap to the majors in the near future.  He even played some third base for Trenton this year, an encouraging sign for Adams given the left side of the Yankee infield is a combined 75 years old.  He is likely to see time at third with Scottsdale this fall, where he hopes to continue to strengthen his ankle, and put himself in the best possible position to break camp next season playing in the Bronx.

CF – Slade Heathcott (21) – Yankees 2009 1^st Round Draft Pick

2012 – Tampa: 0.307/.378/.470, 16 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 17 SB, 20 BB, 66 SO in 243 PA

The lone Yankees outfield representative in the 2012 AFL will be Slade Heathcott, an athletic talent drafted out of his Texarkana, TX high school.  Heathcott is in his third full season in the Yankees system, finishing his 2012 season with the Class-A Advanced Tampa Yankees.

Heathcott may be the closest thing to a five-tool prospect New York has on the farm.  In high school, he was a multi-sport athlete, playing both baseball and football, and he was both the best pitcher and hitter on his high school team all four years.  Though ranked the 72^nd best prospect in his 2009 draft year, the Yankees made him the 29^th player off the board and the seventh highest paid draftee that year.

Though raw, Heathcott features a star-caliber arm and range from his natural center field position, and plus speed and decent power at the plate.  He has 15 career outfield assists, a career .275 batting average, and 40 career stolen bases.  Heathcott does need to refine his plate approach before being major league ready.  He strikes out in just over 26% of his plate appearances, suggesting some contact and bat speed work would serve him well.  He does draw more than his expected share of walks at 21 years old, which is certainly an encouraging sign of patience at the plate.  Perhaps most attractive about Heathcott is his effort.  He plays at 200% speed 100% of the time, to the extent that his effort has come back to bite him a few times in the form of injury.

The Yankees and their fans love big effort guys (think Brett Gardner), and Heathcott should be no exception.  He will likely spend a season or two more in the minors at a minimum before the Bronx brass calls his number.  His play in the AFL this fall should accelerate that process.

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For more on the New York Yankees, check out Yanks Go Yard!

Hitter of the Day:

LAA – CF Trevor Crowe, Salt Lake (AAA): 4-6, 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 2 R, SB

Since being released by the Indians and subsequently signed by the Angels in mid-July, Crowe has hit 0.301/.354/.399 in 42 games. He’s caught fire in the last week with four multi-hit games and is 13-26 in his last six.

Once upon a time he was one of the Indians top prospects and got as high as #64 in Baseball America’s Top-100 back in 2006 but he’s never quite lived up to the billing.

Pitcher of the Day:

NYY – RHP Bryan Mitchell, Charleston (A): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

Mitchell has struck out 121 batters in 120 innings and he’s dropped his H/9 to 8.0 after a 9.5 mark in the New York-Penn League last season. On the other side of the ledger are the 72 free passes he’s issued. Mitchell’s walk rate and control have always been a concern but his 5.4 BB/9 in 2012 is quite a bit higher than the 4.5 to 4.8 range he’s been sitting at since turning pro.

Standouts at the Plate:

ATL – LF Robby Hefflinger, Rome (A): 2-3, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R, 2 BB

BAL – 3B Zelous Wheeler, Bowie (AA): 3-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, R

CHC – C Anthony Recker, Tennessee (AA): 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

COL – LF Max White, Grand Junction (Rk): 3-3, 2 3B, 4 RBI, BB

CWS – LF Jared Mitchell, Charlotte (AAA): 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

DET – DH Zach Kirksey, Connecticut (A-): 2-4, 2B, HR, 5 RBI, R, BB

HOU – 3B Jonathan Meyer, Lancaster (A+): 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

MIL – CF Chadwin Stang, Wisconsin (A): 3-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, BB

Standouts on the Mound:

CLE – RHP Brett Brach, Akron (AA): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

LAA – RHP Matt Oye, Arkansas (AA): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

NYM – RHP Luis Cessa, Brooklyn (A-): 8.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

SEA – RHP Dylan Unsworth, Everett (A-): 6.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

STL – LHP John Gast, Memphis (AAA): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

WAS – RHP Taylor Hill, Potomac (A+): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

*No scheduled games in the Florida State League on 9/3

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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.

Ichiro still looks unnatural in pinstripes (Photo Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE)

Such is the business of baseball and with a quick negotiation the face of the Mariners franchise for over a decade was sent packing. In exchange for the 38-year old right fielder the Mariners received two minor league pitchers and also took a massive step in the continued reshaping of their major league roster.

The prospects that Seattle acquired in the deal were far from household names, but both have potential to make solid contributions to the bullpen. A few years ago that surely wouldn’t have been enough of a return for Ichiro, but the 2012 version of the Japanese super-star isn’t the one we all remember.

D.J. Mitchell, 25, is a right-handed pitcher who the Yankees drafted in the 10th round of the 2008 draft out of Clemson. The 6’0, 160 lb Mitchell works with a four pitch mix. He has a sinking fastball which profiles as his best pitch and he can dial his four seam fastball up to 93 mph. He also has a curveball that flashes some upside while his change-up lags behind his other offerings. The lack of a true off-speed pitch makes me think that Mitchell will eventually head to the bullpen. His ceiling is that of a back end starter but realistically he looks like a middle reliever who could serve as an emergency spot starter at best.

Danny Farquhar, 25, is a right-handed pitcher who was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 10th round of the 2008 draft. At this point it is pretty clear that he is destined for a middle relief role. He lacks the typical velocity required to be a back-end reliever but his ablility to pitch from a multitude of different arm slots does makes him a bit more difficult for batters pick-up and to hit. Through five seasons Farquhar has a very strong K/9 ratio of 9.2. However, while the variation of arm slots has been an excellent tool for striking out batters it has also been the source of his general lack of control. Through five minor league seasons he has a rather unacceptable 4.1 BB/9 ratio. Interestingly, the 2012 season has already seen Farquhar in four uniforms and if you called this year a whirlwind you would be understating things more than a little. Farquhar started the season as a member of the Blue Jays, then the Athletics claimed him off waivers only to waive him and allow the Yankees to claim him and trade him to Seattle.

In the end the departure of Ichiro was a a necessary evil for the Mariners organization as the weight of his impending free agency – not to mention his lack of production – was a burden they needed to unload. He will certainly go down as one of the greatest Mariners in the franchise’s history and he will always be a beloved figure in the city of Seattle. But father time has been catching up to him. His skills are rapidly eroding and he doesn’t merit the kind of money Seattle would have felt the pressure to pay him if they tried to resign him in the offseason. Additionally, the Mariners need to give their younger outfielders an opportunity to prove themselves and the departure of Ichiro opens up some much needed space to see what some of their young guys, like Trayvon Robinson and Carlos Peguero among others, can do.

Lastly, while both Mitchell and Farquhar lack the sort of impact talent to make a huge splash they have to potential to be steady contributors and sometimes that’s good enough to make a deal. Especially when you’re unloading a player who is well past his prime. The Yankees didn’t give up anything of real significance in the deal, but neither did Seattle. Sure New York got the name but I don’t think anyone is bragging about the 63 OPS+ (100 is average) that Ichiro has contributed in his first 10 games with his new team.

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For more on the New York Yankees, check out Yanks Go Yard and for more on the Seattle Mariners, check out Sodo Mojo!

This is the second round of updates in this series so I will not rehash why each player made my list but you can always go back and read previous installments of the series. While doing the installments by division worked the first time around, I’m going to go team-by-team from this point forward.

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(Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE)

Appalachian League (Rk)

RHP – Angel Mata, Elizabethton (Minnesota): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

LHP – Colin Rodgers, Burlington (Kansas City): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

Pioneer League (Rk)

RHP – Eddie Butler, Grand Junction (Colorado): 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

New York-Penn League (A-)

DH – Saxon Butler, Staten Island (NY Yankees): 3-5, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, 2 R

CF – Michael Main, Jamestown (Miami): 4-4, 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 2 R, BB

Northwest League (A-)

RHP – Tayler Scott, Boise (Chicago Cubs): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

1B – Jordan Leyland, Vancouver (Toronto): 3-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Midwest League (A)

RHP – Archie Bradley, South Bend (Arizona): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

1B – K.C. Hobson, Lansing (Toronto): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB, SB

South Atlantic League (A)

RF – Mike Kvasnicka, Lexington (Houston): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

RHP – Michael McCarthy, Greenville (Boston): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

California League (A+)

No Games Scheduled

Carolina League (A+)

LF – Steven Bumbry, Frederick (Baltimore): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Gus Schlosser, Lynchburg (Atlanta): 9.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

Florida State League (A+)

LHP – Nik Turley, Tampa (NY Yankees): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

3B – Anderson Hidalgo, Fort Myers (Minnesota): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

Eastern League (AA)

RF – Adalberto Santos, Altoona (Pittsburgh): 3-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Justin Fitzgerald, Richmond (San Francisco): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

Southern League (AA)

No Scheduled Games

Texas League (AA)

RHP – Mike Piazza, Arkansas (LA Angels): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

International League (AAA)

C – Matt Pagnozzi, Columbus (Cleveland): 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Steve Johnson, Norfolk (Baltimore): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

RHP – John Ely, Albuquerque (LA Dodgers): 7.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

3B – Brendan Harris, Colorado Springs (Colorado): 4-5, 3 2B, 5 RBI

RHP – Daniel Straily, Sacramento (Oakland): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Jamestown’s Michael Main and Tampa’s Nik Turley

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Tampa’s Jose Ramirez and Matt Williams of Quad Cities

Appalachian League (Rk)

LHP – Kevin James, Princeton (Tampa Bay): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

2B – Reid Redman, Princeton (Tampa Bay): 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Pioneer League (Rk)

RHP – Jonathan Casey, Great Falls (Chicago White Sox): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

RHP – Ali Williams, Idaho Falls (Kansas City): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO

RHP – Leonard Lorenzo, Helena (Milwaukee): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

New York-Penn League (A-)

1B – Shawn Pleffner, Auburn (Washington): 3-5, 2B, 3B, R

RHP – Rainy Lara, Brooklyn (NY Mets): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

RHP – William Cuevas, Lowell (Boston): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 SO

RHP – Corey Black, Staten Island (NY Yankees): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

1B – Viosergy Rosa, Jamestown (Miami): 4-5, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Northwest League (A-)

SS – Jason Leblebijian, Vancouver (Toronto): 4-5, 2B, R, BB, SB

SS – Chris Taylor, Everett (Seattle): 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, SB

Midwest League (A)

LHP – Jason Wheeler, Beloit (Minnesota): 8.0 IP, 5 H , 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

SS – Matt Williams, Quad Cities (St. Louis): 4-5, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 4 R

RHP – Jake Floethe, Bowling Green (Tampa Bay): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

C – Roidany Aguila, South Bend (Arizona): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Archie Bradley, South Bend (Arizona): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

CF – Taiwan Easterling, Peoria (Chicago Cubs): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R, SB

South Atlantic League (A)

2B – Delino DeShields, Jr., Lexington (Houston): 5-7, 2B, R

Hitting 0.432/.490/.705 in his last 10 games and has swiped 64 bases on the year.

RHP – Miguel Chalas, Delmarva (Baltimore): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

California League (A+)

RF – Steve Selsky, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 3-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Jamie Walczak, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO

DH – Tommy Medica, Lake Elsinore (San Diego): 3-4, 3 2B, RBI

RHP – Taylor Stanton, High Desert (Seattle): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

RHP – Taylor Rogers, San Jose (San Francisco): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

Carolina League (A+)

RHP – Tyler Wilson, Frederick (Baltimore): 6.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 SO

RHP – Gus Schlosser, Lynchburg (Atlanta): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

DH – Cyle Hankerd, Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox): 2-5, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

RHP – Stephen McCray, Winston-Salem (Chicago White Sox): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

Florida State League (A+)

RHP – Casey Lawrence, Dunedin (Toronto): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

RHP – Jose Ramirez, Tampa (NY Yankees): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

RHP – Rafael Montero, St. Lucie (NY Mets): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

2B – Derek Dietrich, Charlotte (Tampa Bay): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, R

CF – Joe Benson, Fort Myers (Minnesota): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB

Eastern League (AA)

CF – Juan Lagares, Binghamton (NY Mets): 3-5, 2B, HR, RBI, R, BB

LF – Sean Kazmar, Binghamton (NY Mets): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

C – Tommy Joseph, Richmond (San Francisco): 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

2B – David Adams, Trenton (NY Yankees): 5-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R

RF – Oswaldo Arcia, New Britain (Minnesota): 2-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Southern League (AA)

RHP – Philip Humber, Birmingham (Chicago White Sox): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

RHP – Nicholas Struck, Tennessee (Chicago Cubs): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

Texas League (AA)

2B – Leury Garcia, Frisco (Texas): 4-5, 3B, 3 R, BB, 3 SB

LF – Austin Wates, Corpus Christi (Houston): 3-5, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, R

3B – Edinson Rincon, San Antonio (San Diego): 4-5, 3 2B, RBI, 3 R

CF – Oscar Taveras, Springfield (St. Louis): 4-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Trevor Rosenthal, Springfield (St. Louis): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

C – Ben Paulsen, Tulsa (Colorado): 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB

International League (AAA)

RHP – Adam Warren, Scranton/WB (NY Yankees): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

LF – Jerad Head, Toledo (Detroit): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

3B – Brandon Waring, Norfolk (Baltimore): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

LHP – Zach Britton, Norfolk (Baltimore): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

RHP – Blake Beavan, Tacoma (Seattle): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

DH – Mike Jacobs, Reno (Arizona): 2-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R, BB

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Trenton’s David Phelps and Modesto’s Juan Crousset

David Phelps was nearly perfect on Monday (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

Appalachian League (Rk)

3B – Eric Grabe, Bristol (CWS): 4-4, 2B, RBI, 2 R

3B – Travis Harrison, Elizabethton (MIN): 5-6, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

RHP – Hudson Boyd, Elizabethton (MIN): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

RF – Maikis De La Cruz, Kingsport (NYM): 4-4, HR, 2 RBI, R

LHP – Steven Matz, Kingsport (NYM): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

Pioneer League (Rk)

2B – Sherman Johnson, Orem (LAA): 4-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB

3B – Michael Bolaski, Orem (LAA): 2-5, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

SS – Wendell Soto, Orem (LAA): 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 R, BB

SS – Pedro Ruiz, Missoula (ARZ): 4-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB, SB

RF – Justin Blanco, Missoula (ARZ): 3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 RBI

CF – Jeremy Rathjen, Ogden (LAD): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

New York-Penn League (A-)

1B – Saxon Butler, Staten Island (NYY): 2-2, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R, 3 BB

RHP – Jake Sisco, Mahoning Valley (CLE): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

RHP – Jeff Ames, Hudson Valley (TB): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

1B – David Bergin, Batavia (STL): 3-3, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB

LHP – Ben O’Shea, Batavia (STL): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Northwest League (A-)

RF – Shaun Cooper, Yakima (ARZ): 2-5, 2 2B, RBI, R

Midwest League (A)

RHP – Thomas Collier, West Michigan (DET): 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 SO

LF – Julio Aparicio, Kane County (KC): 2-3, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB

3B – Brandon Macias, Wisconsin (MIL): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, R, SB

C – John Nester, Burlington (OAK): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

RHP – Drew Granier, Burlington (OAK): 7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 11 SO

DH – Daniel Paolini, Clinton (SEA): 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

South Atlantic League (A)

No Games Scheduled

California League (A+)

LF – Juan Crousset, Modesto (COL): 4-5, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 R

SS – Brad Miller, High Desert (SEA): 3-5, 2B, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 R

DH – Erik Castro, Lancaster (HOU): 2-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB

Carolina League (A+)

RHP – Nathan Karns, Potomac (WAS): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

RHP – Brandon Workman, Salem (BOS): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO

Florida State League (A+)

LF – Ramon Flores, Tampa (NYY): 3-3, 2B, HR, RBI, R

2B – Marcus Lemon, Lakeland (DET): 4-4, 2B, SB

2B – Derek Dietrich, Charlotte (TB): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

1B – Alan Ahmady, Palm Beach (STL): 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R

DH – Aaron Dudley, Jupiter (MIA): 4-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Eastern League (AA)

LHP – Logan Darnell, New Britain (MIN): 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

LF – Jose Pirela, Trenton (NYY): 3-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

RHP – David Phelps, Trenton (NYY): 6.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 SO

RHP – Craig Westcott, Richmond (SF): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO

RHP – Cesar Carrillo, Erie (DET): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

Southern League (AA)

2B – Logan Watkins, Tennessee (CHC): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, R

RHP – Dallas Beeler, Tennessee (CHC): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 SO

RHP – Hiram Burgos, Huntsville (MIL): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

RHP – Matt Buschmann, Montgomery (TB): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Texas League (AA)

RF – Chris Swauger, Springfield (STL): 2-4, HR, 6 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Seth Maness, Springfield (STL): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

In ten Texas League starts, Maness has a 39-5 SO-to-BB and 1.96 ERA with Springfield.

RHP – John Hellweg, Arkansas (LAA): 8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

3B – Andrew Simunic, Corpus Christi (HOU): 4-5, 2B, RBI, 3 R

International League (AAA)

All-Star Break – No Games Scheduled

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

All-Star Break – No Games Scheduled

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Orem’s Joel Capote and Tampa’s Nik Turley

Appalachian League (Rk)

2B – Jorge Vega-Rosado, Bluefield (Toronto): 3-4, 2 RBI, R

RF – Nico Taylor, Bluefield (Toronto): 3-3, 2B, 2 R, BB

Pioneer League (Rk)

RHP – Jonathan Casey, Great Falls (Chicago White Sox): 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO

CF – Joel Capote, Orem (LA Angels): 5-5, 2 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, BB

1B – Wade Hinkle, Orem (LA Angels): 3-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB

1B – Jesus Valdez, Ogden (LA Dodgers): 2-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R

New York-Penn League (A-)

LHP – Evan Rutckyj, Staten Island (NY Yankees): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

LHP – Joely Rodriguez, State College (Pittsburgh): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO

RHP – Jordan Guth, Williamsport (Philadelphia): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

RHP – Reinaldo Lopez, Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

CF – Deshun Dixon, Hudson Valley (Tampa Bay): 3-3, RBI, R, BB, SB

Northwest League (A-)

1B – Miguel De Leon, Tri-City (Colorado): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, R

RHP – Blake Perry, Yakima (Arizona): 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

DH – Patrick Kivlehan, Everett (Seattle): 3-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R

Midwest League (A)

RHP – Marcelo Carreno, West Michigan (Detroit): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

RHP – Willy Paredes, South Bend (Arizona): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO

SS – Yadiel Rivera, Wisconsin (Milwaukee): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, R

2B – Tyler Grimes, Beloit (Minnesota): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 R

RHP – Tyler Jones, Beloit (Minnesota): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

South Atlantic League (A)

RHP – Chris Jensen, Asheville (Colorado): 8.1 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

2B – Joey DeMichele, Kannapolis (Chicago White Sox): 4-6, 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R

DH – Nolan Fontana, Lexington (Houston): 1-1, RBI, R, 5 BB

With this performance the Astros 2012 2nd round pick has his professional career underway.

1B – Brett Newsome, Hagerstown (Washington): 2-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

SS – Alen Hanson, West Virginia (Pittsburgh): 4-5, HR, 2 RBI, R, SB

California League (A+)

C – Drew Beuerlein, Modesto (Colorado): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

CF – James Jones, High Desert (Seattle): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, R, BB

LHP – Tanner Robles, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

Cal League debut for the lefty. He’s off to a much better start than the 4.45 ERA and 57-33 SO-to-BB he accumulated in 85.0 innings with Dayton.

Carolina League (A+)

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

1B – Francisco Soriano, Potomac (Washington): 3-4, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

DH – Rick Hague, Potomac (Washington): 4-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R

Hague is hitting 0.415/.467/.707 with 12 runs and 6 stolen bases in his last 10 games.

C – David Freitas, Potomac (Washington): 2-4, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, BB

1B – Matt Fields, Wilmington (Kansas City): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, R, 3 BB

CF – Brett Eibner, Wilmington (Kansas City): 3-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Florida State League (A+)

C – Koby Clemens, Dunedin (Toronto): 4-4, 2B, RBI

2B – Jon Berti, Dunedin (Toronto): 3-5, 2B, 3B, RBI, R

A solid FSL debut for the Jays’ 2011 18th round pick.

1B – Richard Lucas, St. Lucie (NY Mets): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

LHP – Nik Turley, Tampa (NY Yankees): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

RHP – Drew Gagnon, Brevard County (Milwaukee): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

Eastern League (AA)

RHP – Zack Wheeler, Binghamton (NY Mets): 7.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

1B – Chris Colabello, New Britain (Minnesota): 3-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

RHP – B.J. Hermsen, New Britain (Minnesota): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

1B – Drew Hedman, Portland (Boston): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, R

RF – Brad Glenn, New Hampshire (Toronto): 2-4, 2B, HR, RBI, R

Southern League (AA)

RHP – Matt Magill, Chattanooga (LA Dodgers): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

DH – Joseph Dunigan, Jackson (Seattle): 2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, R

RF – Johermyn Chavez, Jackson (Seattle): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB

Texas League (AA)

LHP – Fabio Castro, Midland (Oakland): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

RF – Drew Locke, Corpus Christi (Houston): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

CF – Engel Beltre, Frisco (Texas): 3-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB

International League (AAA)

C  – Lucas May, Buffalo (NY Mets): 4-5, 3 2B, 2 RBI, R, 2 BB

DH – John Lindsey, Toledo (Detroit): 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

LHP – Adam Wilk, Toledo (Detroit): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO

LF – Nate McLouth, Norfolk (Baltimore): 2-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R, 2 BB

LF – Tyler Kuhn, Charlotte (Chicago White Sox): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R

Pacific Coast League (AAA)

1B – Mike Cervenak, New Orleans (Miami): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB

C – Luke Montz, New Orleans (Miami): 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

LHP – Brad Hand, New Orleans (Miami): 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO

LHP – John Gast, Memphis (St. Louis): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

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

C – Josh Donaldson, Sacramento (Oakland): 3-4, 3B, HR, RBI, 2 R, BB

With the selection of Hensley the Yankees nab a developing power arm from the State of Oklahoma (home state of both Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley) with MLB bloodlines. Hensley’s father, Michael, was a former second round choice of the St. Louis Cardinals (1988) and he spent three years in the low minors for the Redbirds. Ty will look to build upon his father’s success and  carve a path for himself at the next level.

The Stats:

2012: 10-0 1.52 ERA and 111 K’s in 55.1 innings

The Stuff:

The 6’5 220 lb, Hensley works with a low-to-mid 90′s fastball that he throws from a high arm slot which allows him to generating lots of downward movement and keep the ball low in the strike zone. Typically Hensley sits between 91-93 mph with the offering, but has gotten it up to 97 mph recently. As of right now the fastball grades out as slightly above average with flashes of plus. Hensely’s best offering is his power curveball with a pronounced 12-to-6 break that he will throw in any count for a strike. He also has a change-up which is more of a “show-me” offering at the moment but shows signs of becoming an average offering. Hensley has shown a high aptitude for pitching and an advanced baseball IQ to go along with above average athleticism.

Curiously, Hensley is listed as a switch-hitter and he has a solid approach on both sides of the plate. His senior year he hit .447 BA with 10 HR and 41 RBI. He also played quarterback for his high school football team. Hensley will look to combine his athleticism at the plate and on the gridiron to reach his potential on the mound as a #2 starter.

The one knock against Hensley is that his mechanics may need some tweaking given that he struggles to repeat his delivery at times. He is a rather large and projectable pitcher so mechanical issues are relatively minor and related to his lower half of his body not sequencing with his upper body and arm action. These issues are common and ones that larger pitcher’s typically face in their development but they can be ironed out with repetition.

The Future:

Prior to the draft, experts had Hensley rated anywhere as high as the 19th best prospect to as low as the 36th best prospect in the 2012 draft class. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus had him as the 19th best prospect in the draft, Baseball America had him at 23rd on their BA 500, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo had ranked him 26th and Keith Law of ESPN.com had him 36th. The majority of these experts had the Dodgers taking Hensley 18th overall. Some of these same evaluators believe that his ultimate ceiling would be as a #2 starter, but realistically he looks like more of a middle of the rotation workhorse who can rack up the innings and strikeouts with his power fastball/curveball combo.

If he is unable to develop his change-up look for him to follow in the footsteps of other pitchers of his build and repertoire as a late game reliever. In that scenario, he could wind up in the mold of a Joba Chamberlain or Tanner Scheppers.

The Yankees have taken a more conservative approach with prospect promotion over the last few years and they will look to follow suit with Hensley. He will need to refine his command and add polish as well as develop a competent change-up (no small task). As of right now Hensley has two potentially plus offerings with the aptitude to add another and a long road ahead of him before he reaches Yankee Stadium.

Hensley himself has set a rather lofty goal in reaching the big leagues by the age of 21 and the possibility of that happening, while slim, will only exist with the development of a plus off speed offering. Regardless of the time table, the Yankees landed a great bargain at the 30 spot with Hensley.

The Conclusion:

With his projectable frame, athleticism, and professional baseball pedigree, Hensley is poised to exceed expectations and contribute to the next generation of the Yankees’ starting pitchers. I would look for him to move slowly through the Yankees system and be a part of rotation consideration as early as 2016.

——

For more on the Yankees check out Yanks Go Yard.

International League

Tillman against Toronto in August, 2011 (Photo Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE)

LHP – T.J. McFarland, Columbus (Cleveland): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO

A strong start in his Triple-A debut.

1B – John Suomi, Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia): 2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R

Too long in the tooth to be a “prospect” but he’s 8-14 with 4 2B, 2 HR and 7 RBI in his last three games.

RHP – Chris Tillman, Norfolk (Baltimore): 8.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

RHP – Matt Zaleski, Charlotte (Chicago White Sox): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

RHP – Rick VandenHurk, Indianapolis (Pittsburgh): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

Pacific Coast League

LHP – Mike Montgomery, Omaha (Kansas City): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO

Monty bounced back from the worst start of his season by turning in his best. Anyone who gives up on this kid is foolish.

DH – Wil Myers, Omaha (Kansas City): 3-4, HR, 4 RBI, R

1B – Efren Navarro, Salt Lake (LA Angels): 3-4, HR, RBI, R

CF – Adam Eaton, Reno (Arizona): 2-4, 2 2B, R, BB, SB

2B – Matt Kata, Round Rock (Texas): 3-6, HR, 5 RBI, R

Eastern League

DH – Bryce Brentz, Portland (Boston): 5-5, 3 2B, RBI, 4 R

1B – Chris Colabello, New Britain (Minnesota): 2-5, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, R

C – Tommy Joseph, Richmond (San Francisco): 4-5, 2 2B, R

RHP – Zack Wheeler, Binghamton (NY Mets): 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

LHP – Zach Britton, Bowie (Baltimore): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Southern League

RHP – Kyle Heckathorn, Huntsville (Milwaukee): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO

LHP – Graham Taylor, Jacksonville (Miami): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

LHP – Pedro Hernandez, Birmingham (Chicago White Sox): 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO

Has allowed only 13 hits and 1 earned run in his last 20.2 innings pitched.

LHP – Sean Gilmartin, Mississippi (Atlanta): 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

Texas League

LHP – Chad Bell, Frisco (Texas): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

In 31.0 Texas League innings he’s allowed just 12 hits and 3 earned runs.

RF – Jared Prince, Frisco (Texas): 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

3B – Edinson Rincon, San Antonio (San Diego): 3-4, HR, RBI, 2 R

RHP – A.J. Schugel, Arkansas (LA Angels): 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

RHP – Jose Cisneros, Corpus Christi (Houston): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

California League

RHP – Daniel Renken, Bakersfield (Cincinnati): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO

1B – Mickey Wiswall, High Desert (Seattle): 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

2B – Cory Spangenberg, Lake Elsinore (San Diego): 3-4, 3B, R

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

3B – Eric Groff, Visalia (Arizona): 2-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R (through 12 innings)

Carolina League

CF – Jackie Bradley, Salem (Boston): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, R, SB

Boston has a knack for landing talented guys that fall in the draft. Bradley is the latest and is now hitting 0.371/.491/.557 on the season.

RHP – Brandon Workman, Salem (Boston): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO

1B – Aaron Baker, Frederick (Baltimore): 3-5, HR, 2 R, RBI

1B – Justin Bloxom, Potomac (Washington): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

LHP – Mike Rayl, Carolina (Cleveland): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO

Florida State League

C – Taylor Krick, Jupiter (Miami): 3-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R

SS – Kevin Nolan, Dunedin (Toronto): 4-5, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

LF – Mike O’Neill, Palm Beach (St. Louis): 5-5, 3 2B, RBI, R, 2 SB

DH – Cody Hawn, Brevard County (Milwaukee): 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB

2B – Kelvin Castro, Tampa (NY Yankees): 3-5, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Midwest League

C – Curt Casali, West Michigan (Detroit): 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

CF – Kurtis Muller, Dayton (Cincinnati): 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB, SB

RHP – Drew Granier, Burlington (Oakland): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO

LHP – Eswarlin Jimenez, Cedar Rapids (LA Angels): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO

LHP – Steven Gruver, Beloit (Minnesota): 8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

South Atlantic League

C – William Swanner, Asheville (Colorado): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

C – Gary Sanchez, Charleston (NY Yankees): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R

3 2B, 4 HR and 15 RBI in his last 4 games!

1B/RF – Justin Miller, Hagerstown (Washington): 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB

RHP – Jose Fernandez, Greensboro (Miami): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO

DH – Cyle Hankerd, Kannapolis (Chicago White Sox): 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB

RF – Will Skinner, Rome (Atlanta): 4-6, 2B, RBI, 3 R, BB, SB

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

Norfolk’s Chris Tillman and – for the second day in a row – Charleston’s Gary Sanchez

International League

Dellin Betances (Photo Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

LHP – David Huff, Columbus (Cleveland): 8.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

RHP – Jenrry Mejia, Buffalo (NY Mets): 6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

1B – Mauro Gomez, Pawtucket (Boston): 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

RHP – Dellin Betances, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Yankees): 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO

The best of his last four starts. Has allowed as many walks as hits (42) this season in 46.1 IP.

LF – Domonic Brown, Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia): 3-5, HR, RBI, R

His first Triple-A HR of the season for the former Top-Phillies prospect.

1B – Chris Parmelee, Rochester (Minnesota): 3-4, HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, BB

Second day in a row on The Pulse.

Pacific Coast League

CF – Brandon Roberts, Colorado Springs (Colorado): 5-6, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R

Roberts had the best day, but the Sky Sox collectively generated 22 runs and 27 hits off Salt Lake pitching.

RHP – Travis Banwart, Sacremento (Oakland): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO

CF – Trayvon Robinson, Tacoma (Seattle): 3-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R

Third straight multi-hit game for Trayvon who is up to 0.270/.332/.417 on the year.

RF – Cole Gillespie, Reno (Arizona): 5-5, 3 RBI, 2 R, SB

2B – Alex Castellanos, Albuquerque (LA Dodgers): 3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI R

RHP – Joe Kelly, Memphis (St. Louis): 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO

DH – Matt Clark, Tuscon (Padres): 4-5, HR, 2 RBI, R

Eastern League

1B – Adam Abraham, Akron (Cleveland): 3-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R

CF – Juan Carlos Linares, Portland (Boston): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, R

1B – Matt Curry, Altoona (Pittsburgh): 3-4, 3 2B, RBI, 2 R

2B – Ryan Cavan, Richmond (San Francisco): 2-4, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, R

CF – Matt Den Dekker, Binghamton (NY Mets): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

RHP – B.J. Hermsen, New Britain (Minnesota): 8.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

Now has a 2.68 ERA and a 23-2 SO-to-BB in 43.2 innings since being promoted to Double-A.

Southern League

RHP – Bryan Evans, Jacksonville (Miami): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

C – Kyle Skipworth, Jacksonville (Miami): 2-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

The Marlins 2008 1st round pick is hitting 0.324/.350/.568 in his last 10 games. Maybe the bat is starting to come around?

RHP – Kyle Lotzkar, Pensacola (Cincinnati): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 8 SO

2B/SS – Tyler Saladino, Birmingham (Chicago White Sox): 2-4, 2B, R, BB

Texas League

1B – Mario Lisson, NW Arkansas (Kansas City): 3-3, RBI, R, 2 BB, 2 SB

DH – Michael Spina, Midland (Oakland): 3-6, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R

RHP – Justin Grimm, Frisco (Texas): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO

11 starts, 5 shutouts and a 1.86 ERA for Grimm so far this season.

2B/SS – Dean Anna, San Antonio (San Diego): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RF – Kyle Conley, Springfield (St. Louis): 3-4, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R

C – Carlos Ramirez, Arkansas (LA Angels): 4-4, 2B

California League

RHP – Ruben Alaniz, Lancaster (Astros): 8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

LHP – Tyler Matzek, Modesto (Colorado): 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO

SS/3B – Justin Miller, Lake Elsinore (San Diego): 3-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI

RF – Randal Grichuk, Inland Empire (LA Angels): 4-5, 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 SB

1B – Brian Hernandez, Inland Empire (LA Angels): 4-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R

C – Max Stassi, Stockton (Oakland): 2-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI, R, BB

Carolina League

3B – Michael Almanzar, Salem (Boston): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

DH – Travis Shaw, Salem (Boston): 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, BB

LHP – Drake Britton, Salem (Boston): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 SO

3B – Tyler Kelly, Frederick (Baltimore): 3-4, 2B, 2 R, BB

Sporting a salty 0.514/.564/.857 slash line in his last 10 games.

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

RHP – Trevor Holder, Potomac (Washington): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO

Florida State League

RF – Oswaldo Arcia, Fort Myers (Minnesota): 4-4, HR, RBI, R

CF – Christian Yelich, Jupiter (Miami): 2-4, 3B, 2 RBI, R, SB

1B – Philip Wunderlich, Charlotte (Tampa Bay): 3-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Casey Lawrence, Dunedin (Toronto): 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO

3B – Greg Rohan, Daytona (Chicago Cubs): 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

RHP – Bradley Watson, Palm Beach (St. Louis): 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

Impressive 2012 debut.

Midwest League

RHP – Thomas Collier, West Michigan (Detroit): 9.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO

DH – Chih Fang Pan, Burlington (Oakland): 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, R

LF – Anthony Garcia, Quad Cities (St. Louis): 3-5, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R

RHP – Tim Shibuya, Beloit (Minnesota): 0.2 IP, 10 H, 12 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

Had allowed 19 ER in 53.1 IP before the above shellacking. His ERA jumped from 3.21 to 5.17 and his single game ERA came in at 162.00. Shibuya’s outing transcended the barrier from terrible to flat out legendary.

RF – Jorge Bonifacio, Kane County (Kansas City): 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

CF – Todd Glaesmann, Bowling Green (Tampa Bay): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

South Atlantic League

RF – Tyler Austin, Charleston (NY Yankees): 5-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R, BB, SB

C – Gary Sanchez, Charleston (NY Yankees): 3-5, 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 3 R, BB

SS – Trevor Story, Asheville (Colorado): 3-4, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

LHP – Luis Cruz, Lexington (Houston): 7.0 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

Four of his last five starts have been shutouts of 6.0 innings or longer.

RHP – Jerad Eickhoff, Hickory (Texas): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO

1B – Chris Lashmet, West Virginia (Pittsburgh): 2-3, 2 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, BB

1B – Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah (NY Mets): 2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Pitcher and Hitter of the Day

West Michigan’s Thomas Collier and Charleston’s Gary Sanchez

Today we cover the players representing the AL East for the first time.

(more…)

1. Jorge Bonifacio, OF, Kansas City Royals

   Born: June 4th, 1993
   Height/Weight: 6’1”/192
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   2012 Stats: Low-A Kane County: 10 G, .410/.511/.590, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB, 6 K, 1 SB

   Scouting Report: Bonifacio is the younger brother of Miami outfielder Emilio Bonifacio. Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, Jorge is a different player than his brother. Jorge’s best skill would be his hit tool. He makes solid contact and hits the ball to all fields. Not only does he make good contact, but has shown a refined understanding of the strike zone in 2012. He has average power presently that comes naturally through his swing, but that should grow to above average as he matures physically. He currently has average speed as well, but this will decrease as he grows up and his body fills out. Bonifacio is an above average defender and makes good reads on balls. He projects to play RF due to his speed projection and above average arm. He has the potential to hit .290 with 18-22 home runs and 10-15 stolen bases annually.

2. Ronald Guzman, OF/1B, Texas Rangers
   

   Ronald Guzman (checkoutmycards.com)

   Born: October 20th, 1994
   Height/Weight: 6’4”/190
   Bats/Throws: L/L
   2012 Stats: Extended Spring Training

   Scouting Report: Guzman is an extremely raw, young, talent out of the Dominic Republic. He signed with the Rangers in July of last year for $3.45 million. Guzman’s main quality is his hit tool. Although he has yet to take an official at bat in professional baseball, Guzman’s hitting ability has been raved about. He is said to have a polished, smooth, swing with an excellent approach at the plate to go with it. Guzman doesn’t show tons of power presently, but being just 17 he has time to add muscle to his thin frame. Once he does, he may be a forced to be reckoned with. Some scouts have gone as far as to compare his swing and approach with Eric Hosmer. This would mean he has a controlled swing, that hits for average, and still finds above average power without sacrificing plate discipline. Guzman’s main issue is where he fits defensively. He currently plays in the outfield, but is slow and his arm is below average. It’s hard to think it will be his longtime home. The most likely fit for Guzman is at first base, but during his time at the Rangers instructional camp, he didn’t look very pretty there. Guzman’s bat will be what gets him to the major leagues and if everything goes perfect, he could hit .300 or better with 25+ home runs annually. He is a long term project and we aren’t likely to see him in a big league uniform until 2016 at the absolute earliest.

3. Trevor Rosenthal, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals

   Born: May 29th, 1990
   Height/Weight: 6’2”/190
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   2012 Stats: Double-A Springfield: (0-2), 2 GS, 8 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 8 R/7 ER, 8 K, 2 HR Allowed

   Scouting Report: Rosenthal came out of no where to take the 2011 season by storm. The soon to be 22 year old righty has a low to mid-90s fastball that features good sink to it. His slider has good two-plane break and is already looking like a plus pitch. He is working on improving his change-up, but over time he will get improved feel for the offering. Rosenthal is being tested by the Cardinals organization out of spring training; he is being pushed to Double-A, skipping High-A Palm Beach, to start the 2012 campaign. Rosenthal shows good command and has an outstanding 3.23 K/BB ratio so far in his career. Rosenthal has a smooth delivery that he repeats easily. He could become a #2 starter with further development of his change-up. He has struggled in his first two starts at Double-A, but that was expected making such a big jump in the minor league ladder. How he responds to the early struggles will be something to watch throughout the season.

4. Brad Miller, SS, Seattle Mariners

   Born: October 18th, 1989
   Height/Weight: 6’2”/185
   Bats/Throws: L/R
   2012 Stats: High-A High Desert: 11 G, .347/.448/.776, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 14 K, 9 BB, 2 SB, 9 Errors (.833 Fld%)

   Scouting Report: Miller was the 2011 ACC Player of the Year and Seattle took him 62nd overall in the 2011 draft because of his hitting ability. First thing you must know about Brad Miller, he isn’t a shortstop. I know listed above I put ‘SS’ next to his name, but the simple fact is Brad Miller won’t play shortstop much longer in his career. He was moved to DH at Clemson in 2010 because he made so many errors in the field at shortstop. This year alone Miller has made 9 errors. He is sloppy with his throws, he doesn’t have good footwork, and he isn’t consistent in the field. Now to the positives, Miller can flat out hit. From a National League Scout, “He might hit enough to play left or third. He won’t be here long. This guy squares up everything and while it’s not pretty from load to contact, the swings works very well.” Miller has his hands very high in his pre-swing stance and it leads to his strikeout problems. He finds a way to make it work for him though, and he barrels balls to all fields. Miller has average power, and he is likely to put up 14 to 18 home runs in a season. He has slightly above average speed and that will help decide where his new defensive home is. I see him in left field most likely; second base would be preferable, but the same problems he struggles with at short may show there as well.

5. Jack Marder, C, Seattle Mariniers

   Born: February 21st, 1990
   Height/Weight: 5’11”/185
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   2012 Stats:  High-A High Desert: 11 G, .358/.414/.528, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 8 K, 4 BB, 5 SB (3 CS)

   Scouting Report: Marder was selected in the 16th round of the 2011 draft. Marder is new to the catcher position, transitioning from playing a variety of positions at Oregon. Marder’s frame is small for the position, and questions remain whether or not he can stick there in the long run. Marder has an above average hit tool led by his quick hands and swing. Marder is a 60 runner according to a source within the industry. The same person said, ” He gets to top speed like a top-of-the-order, middle defender type”. Marder has a good arm and can manage the running game from behind the plate. Marder doesn’t have a lot of power and projects to hit 8-10 home runs annually. A national league scout said of Marder, “He can do a lot of things. Run, throw, hit. Good player, will play in majors.” If Marder can stick at the catcher position he would be an incredibly valuable player. If he can’t, he could still find a spot on a mjor league roster as a super utility player who could play almost any position.

6. Tyler Austin, OF, New York Yankees

   Born: September 6th, 1991
   Height/Weight: 6’2”/200
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   2012 Stats: Low-A Charleston: .444/.487/1.028, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 7 K, 3 BB, 1 SB

   Scouting Report: Tyler Austin is another bat first player. Austin played catcher in high school and experimented at both third and first in 2011 before staring the transition to right field this season. He should be successful in right field as he has average to slightly above average speed and an above average arm. He will need to do serious work on his reads on fly balls, and improve on his routes to said fly balls. Austin is a polished hitter with above average power potential. He can hit the ball to all fields, but his power is fairly pull heavy. If he can stick in RF he has a chance to be a first-division starter. He could hit .280 with 22-26 home runs and 15-20 SB. Learning how to play the outfield at the professional level may prove to be a difficult task for Austin

7. Drew Gagnon, RHP, Milwaukee Brewers

   Born: June, 26th, 1990
   Height/Weight: 6’4”/195
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   2012 Stats: Low-A Wisconsin: (0-0), 2 GS, 9 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 R/2 ER, 13 K, 0 HR Allowed

   Scouting Report: Gagnon was a third round pick, #100 overall, out of Long Beach State. The big righty works on a downhill plane and currently thrives off of his low 90s fastball that features some movement. His best off-speed offering at the moment is a curveball that comes to the plate in the upper 70s. Like most young pitchers Gagnon is working on developing a change-up, which the Brewers hope will become a swing and mass pitch. Gagnon’s height will help him throughout his career and he already uses it to his advantage to pitch aggressively with his fastball. Gagnon will need to develop the secondary offerings to be considered more than an innings eater, but he has shown promise through instructional leagues and the start of the season that he is developing.

8. Nicholas Tropeano, RHP Houston Astros
   

   Nick Tropeano (checkoutmycards.com)

   Born: August 27th, 1990
   Height/Weight: 6’4”/205
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   2012 Stats: Low-A Lexington: (0-0) 2 G, 1 GS, 11 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 1 R/1 ER, 18 K, 0 HR Allowed

   Scouting Report: Tropeano was the Astros fifth round pick in the 2011 draft. He is a product of Stony Brook  University and has two advanced pitches early in his professional career. Tropeano’s fastball sits in the low 90s and he has shown good control and command of the pitch. His best off-speed pitch is his change-up which has a good amount of arm-side fade. It is an excellent pitch that generates swings and misses frequently. His arm speed is the same on the fastball and change-up, which is crucial to success with the pitch. His third pitch is a slider that is below average presently. If Tropeano can develop the slider he could have three plus offerings. Tropeano uses his size to help pitch downhill. The development of a breaking pitch will be crucial to his career path. His fastball/change-up combo is good enough to earn him a spot as a 7th/8th inning reliever, but three plus pitches would make him a candidate to be one of the better pitching prospects in 2013.

9. Chris Bostick, SS/2B, Oakland Athletics

   Born: March 24th, 1993
   Height/Weight: 5’11”/185
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   2012 Stats: Extended Spring Training

   Scouting Report: Bostick was the one and only, out of a possible fifteen,  high school player signed by the Athletics from their 2011 draft class. Bostick is a young player from New York and has showed maturity beyond his years. Bostick’s best tool is his hitting ability. He barrels everything that comes to the plate and hits it to all fields. He has below average power, but could hit for average power just from his compact, solid swing. He has above-average speed and a slightly above average arm, but questions remain whether or not he can play at shortstop. He could transition to second base fairly easily, but at either position his bat/speed combo will be a premium. Hitting .300 with a fair number of extra base hits is not out of the question for Bostick, and he could add 20 stolen bases as well.

10. Luke Jackson, RHP, Texas Rangers  

    Born: August 24th, 1991
    Height/Weight: 6’2”/185
    Bats/Throws: R/R
    2012 Stats: Low-A Hickory: (1-0), 3 GS, 14 2/3 IP, 10 H, 6 BB, 5 R/3 ER, 22 K, 0 HR Allowed

    Scouting Report: Jackson is a classic high risk/high reward draft pick. A 2010 sandwich (supplemental) round pick for Marlon Byrd, Jackson has all of the raw ability to be a future star. His fastball sits in the low to mid-90s and can register as high as 97 MPH. He has a curveball that at times looks like a true plus pitch when the rotation is tight. His change-up has good movement but lacks consistency. He also can tip his pitches at times, as he slows down his arm at times to throw his off-speed pitches. Control and consistency have been Jackson’s downfall in the past, but he has showed a promising start to the 2012 campaign. If he can be consistent and reach his potential, it is not out of line to think Jackson can be a #2/3 starter.

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The scouting report on Phelps is that he has a five-pitch mix of four-seam and two-seam fastballs, two breaking balls, and a changeup, and his entire arsenal plays up thanks to Phelps’ superlative control. His fastball hits the low to mid-90′s while his two-seam comes in at 90 MPH. Phelps’ best breaking pitch is his curveball with nice depth, although he has worked hard to improve his slider and changeup. Phelps may not get many swings and misses, but he forces groundballs and has back-of-the-rotation upside.

Is this scouting report truly the case? Let’s take a look at Phelps’ Pitch F/X data from the Arizona Fall League and 2012 Spring Training from Brooks Baseball, which I’ll display with one of my original Pitch F/X graphs.

  (For a general explanation of the topic of Pitch F/X and specifically how to read this type of graph, please click here.)

Looking at this graph, Phelps has a nice arsenal of pitches. But the problem is that his fastballs are sub-par pitches. In this sample, which is hopefully from Phelps’ perspective an aberration, Phelps’ fastball averaged under 91 MPH with average run and sink, and that won’t cut it against major league hitters. In this sample, Phelps forced just a 0.60 groundballs to flyballs ratio (according to Brooks) as hitters were able to see Phelps’ fastball and hit it hard. He did control it extremely well, but he doesn’t have the pure movement on it to avoid getting hammered when he makes mistakes with command. Phelps’ two-seamer showed some improvement, but he threw it for a strike just over half the time, not nearly enough. But his secondary pitches do show some promise. Phelps slider shows late break as it approaches hitter, forcing groundballs and swings and misses, and Phelps controls it pretty well, making it his most dependable secondary pitch. Phelps’ curveball shows dynamic break and forces whiffs as well, but he struggles to locate it for strikes. But Phelps did control his changeup extremely well, and he was able to force empty swings when he could set it up with his fastball. The big problem is that all of Phelps are hittable when he’s unable to set them up with a solid fastball. That lack of anywhere near a plus fastball limits Phelps’ upside. Phelps’ fastball is supposedly up to the 92-93 MPH range according to River Avenue Blues, and that will definitely help him, but it still doesn’t look like a plus pitch.

Phelps is a Minnesota Twins-type pitching prospect in that he features great control and nice stuff but will allow far too many home runs at the big league level. We already saw that in 2011 as Phelps’ home runs per 9 innings ratio jumped from 0.5 from 2008 to 2010 to 0.9 when he reached Triple-A in 2011. Phelps has the ability to keep hitters off-balance and won’t beat himself with walks, but at his best he’s a big league 4th starter. That doesn’t mean Phelps won’t be a valuable pitcher someday, but in an organization like the Yankees, David Phelps ever being a full-time starter would mean that many things had gone wrong.

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For more on the Yankees, please check out Yanks Go Yard.

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.

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.

Manny Machado at Baltimore's photo day on March 1st (Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE)

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 AL East had 34 players make at least one of the seven  Top-100 lists while 11 of the 34 were consensus selections. (more…)

Manny Banuelos (Noah K. Murray/THE STAR-LEDGER via US PRESSWIRE)

Yesterday, I looked at Reds outfield prospect Yorman Rodriguez through the lens of examining comparables for his age, level, and overall performance. Today, I’m going to do a similar thing with Triple-A pitchers Martin Perez of the Rangers and Manny Banuelos of the Yankees.

Perez reached Double-A back in 2009 at the tender age of 18, but he struggled to make progress there and didn’t get a shot in Triple-A until he had 44 Double-A starts under his belt. Even then, he ended up with a 4.74 ERA and 3.9 BB/9 in his Double-A time. In a late-season look in Triple-A, he made ten starts and got lit up, allowing 72 hits in 49 innings, struggling to a 6.37 ERA. Part of that is due to a .385 BABIP and the PCL’s tough environment, but Perez’s strikeout rate was just 15.6%, so he certainly wasn’t dominating.

Banuelos also hit a wall when he made it to the upper minors, which in his case was late 2010, a year later than Perez. His ERA didn’t take as much of a hit, but his walk rates in Double-A and Triple-A have been between 4.7 and 5.0 BB/9, around double his numbers from the lower minors. Banuelos, like Perez, made it to Triple-A in the second half of 2011 and wasn’t particularly good, with a 31/19 K/BB and 4.19 ERA in 34 1/3 innings. The two had almost identical FIPs (3.90 for Banuelos, 3.98 for Perez) in Triple-A.

The question at hand is, of course, where do they go from here? Both Perez and Banuelos have moved quickly, they’re well ahead of the age curve, and they have enough good scouting attributes to consistently rank in the top 50 prospects on most lists, including my own (Perez 25^th, Banuelos 26^th, for what it’s worth). However, each has run into significant roadblocks in the upper minors, as Perez has been very hittable and Banuelos has walked far too many. So, how much does the age/level factor wipe away these concerns?

(more…)

Manny Banuelos (Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE)

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.

New York Yankees

The Yankees system is undoubtedly somewhat down from where it was in years past. Their vaunted “Killer B” trio–Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Brackman–all ran into trouble in 2011, and Brackman ended up released while Betances looks like he may be headed for the bullpen. Jesus Montero was traded away to Seattle, further damaging the top talent, although New York did receive the Northwest League’s top prospect, Jose Campos, in that trade.

There’s still plenty to like here, though. This system has an abundance of two things: upper-minors arms and low-minors bats. Banuelos, Campos, and Gary Sanchez could be excellent contributors even by the lofty standards of Yankee fans.

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

(more…)

The 2003 book Moneyball by Michael Lewis followed the 2002 season of the Oakland Athletics and general manager Billy Beane as he placed greater emphasis on statistical performance to evaluate players. The statistic which was highly valued for decision making was on-base percentage (OBP) because the Oakland front office believed that it could acquire players with high OBP at a discounted price as the ability to get on-base was being undervalued by other MLB clubs at the time. The key about Moneyball was not the system of evaluation in making decisions, but rather the fact that Billy Beane showed a willingness to challenge the status quo and implemented a new system. Billy Beane believed that by using more advanced statistical analysis of players the small market Oakland Athletics would remain competitive despite at an economic disadvantage over large market clubs such as the New York Yankees. The ultimate goal of the Athletics is to get more wins with a lower payroll or simply more value out of each dollar spent on payroll. The 2002 Oakland Athletics for example had an opening day payroll of $40,004,167 and the 2002 New York Yankees payroll on opening day was $125,928,583 (USA Today, 2011). However, both the Athletics and Yankees finished the 2002 season having won 103 regular season games, yet Oakland spent $388,389.97 per win when the New York spent $1,222,607.60 per win. Oakland thus got more value out of the payroll despite spending a significantly lower amount on the total payroll.

The main problem with the Moneyball system was that it discounted the hard work and many hours of labor that the team’s scouts had put into finding the next wave of Oakland Athletic players. When putting together the roster of the 2002 team Billy Beane relied on pure statistical analysis that came from the computer of Assistant General Manager Paul DePodesta and completely ignored the input of the Oakland scouting staff (Lewis, 2003). The reason being that Beane wanted to remain objective when making decisions and scouting is mostly based on subjective measures such as height, weight, body type, age, attitude, intelligence, and physical attributes such as a hitter’s swing or pitcher’s arm action (Lewis, 2003). In the world of baseball scouting, one scout can love a player while another can have a completely different opinion of the same exact player. Beane had issues with traditional scouting and wanted to eliminate the bias and preconceived ideas that existed about a player having to look a certain way in order to be a successful player (Lewis, 2003). In Beane’s own playing career he had the body and possessed all the physical skills that traditional scouting coveted and yet never became the superstar player that scouts envisioned (Lewis, 2003). He was unable to handle and adjust to failure which is extremely important in order to become a successful major league player.

The Moneyball system challenged the traditional thinking that existed in baseball and to a large extent still does (Lewis, 2003).  What has led to the popularity of Moneyball in popular culture is the fact that it asks questions that previously were not asked and definitely not put into practice in the baseball industry yet also could transfer into other industries and day to day life. In both business and life people continue to maintain the status quo by performing tasks the same way as always when those ways may not be the most efficient (Lewis, 2003). The organizations and individuals that are able to remain innovative are the ones that will be able to build and maintain a competitive advantage over their competition (Lewis, 2003). This is extremely important in the business and sports world.

The 2011 book The Extra 2% by Jonah Keri is a detailed account of how the Tampa Bay Rays went from being the worst run franchise to one of the best both on and off the field. The transformation of the Rays is attributed to new owner Stuart Sternberg, President Matt Silverman, and General Manager Andrew Friedman who all previously worked in the financial sector on Wall Street in New York. They view players much like the stock market in which one must analyze past performance to better predict future output. Ideally they want to get the most out of each player before the individual price of that player becomes too expensive. When trading with other teams they want to try to sell their own players high and buy other players at a low much like a stock broker does when diversifying his portfolio. A good stock broker will cut his losses on some investments while turning a profit on his overall portfolio as he realizes that some stocks perform better than others.  The Rays today are a prime example of a team that has been able to remain highly competitive on the field while remaining at a financial disadvantage off it. The Rays have made the playoffs in three of the last four years and won the American League East Division title in 2008 and 2010 despite having a payroll that annually ranks near  the bottom of the league (29^th-2008, 25^th-2009, 19^th- 2010, 29^th-2011) (USA Today, 2011).  The 2008 Rays lost in the World Series which was something that the Oakland Athletics of the early 2000’s were not able to accomplish.

Each season a number of free agents sign on with new clubs for large amounts of money. Prior to the 2001 season Alex Rodriguez signed a ten-year, $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers becoming the first player in MLB history to make over $20 million per season (CNNSI, 2000). In December 2007 Rodriguez signed a ten-year $275 million contract with the New York Yankees (Associated Press, 2007).  Barry Zito signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the San Francisco Giants in December 2006, which at the time was the biggest contract even given to a pitcher (Associated Press, 2006). The New York Yankees signed pitcher CC Sabathia to a seven-year, $161 million contract in December 2008 which equals $23 million per year (ESPN, 2008).

In the case of all four contracts listed above it is difficult to justify both the length and total salary of each player from a pure economic standpoint if one factors in the marginal revenue product (MRP) of a player, which is the dollar value (in millions) of what the player is worth to the team in generating revenue (Bradbury, 2007). In a competitive market for talent, player wages should equal the gross MRP minus the marginal resource cost of putting the player on the field (i.e., training and equipment cost) (Bradbury, 2007). In simple terms a player should be paid based on his contribution to the team and should not have a salary higher than the amount of revenue that he brings to the club. In the 2009 season the top MRP among all of the position players in MLB was Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals at $27.43 million, the top MRP among all pitchers in MLB was Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants at $19.01 million (Bradbury, 2011).  In comparison in 2009 Alex Rodriguez’s MRP was $9.55 million while his salary was $33 million, thus his performance did not equal how much he was getting paid. The was the case with Barry Zito ($6.06 million MRP-$18.5 million salary) and CC Sabathia ($10.52 million MRP-$15,285, 714 salary) who both were paid higher salaries than revenue they generated for their  respective clubs. It is clear that all three of these players where overpaid for what they produced during the 2009 season. If one breaks down the total contract with all years included it becomes apparent that all three players cost their respective teams more in salary then they produced in revenue over the long term. Ideally, a team wants to pay a player less than what they ultimately produce for the club, an example would be Tim Lincecum ($19.01 million MRP- $650,000 salary) in 2009. Realistically a team will have some players finish the season with a positive MRP and others with a negative but wants the overall roster to finish any given season with a positive MRP. The 2009 Giants overpaid Zito but underpaid Linecum so if you combine the two players the Giants had a positive MRP of $5,920,000.

It is much more difficult to determine the appropriate amount of money to be spent on signing amateur free agents and draft picks due to the uncertainty that surrounds young unproven players who have never played in MLB.  In the 2011 draft, for example, MLB teams spent $228,009,050 on signing bonus and a total of $236,059,050 in guaranteed money (Callis, 2011). On average each major league team will signed 30 players meaning a total of 900 players will join a MLB organization. Based on the current industry standard, of the 900 players signed it is expected that 45 play in the majors for an extended period of time. This means the average cost (minus development costs) per player that plays in MLB is $5,342,575.67.

In MLB teams mismanage the resources that are available to them be it when acquiring players. It is not unusual for a team to improperly value players which results in a waste of money and time. In order to remain competitive small market clubs such as Oakland and Tampa Bay they must get the most out of their limited economic resources. The New York Yankees pay more per win than any other team in the MLB and routinely overpay players when attempting to win. Each season teams spent millions of dollars signing amateur free agents and draft picks when the odds of them playing in the major leagues are 5%.  It is clear that the MLB industry as a whole  has to ask the simple question “Is the current way of doing business the best one?”

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Leave a comment, I would like your thoughts on this topic.

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

References

Associated Press. (2007, 12 17). Rodriguez finalizes $275M deal with Yankees. Retrieved from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3153171
Bradbury, J. (2007). The Baseball Economist: The Real Game Exposed. New York: Duton.
Bradbury, J. (2011). Hot Stove Economics: Understanding Baseball’s Second Season. New York: Copernicus Books.
Callis, J. (2011, 8 18). No Matter The Slots, Teams Spent Freely In 2011. Retrieved from Baseball America: http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/news/2011/2612233.html
CNNSI. (2000, 12 14). A-Rod, Rangers agree to richest deal in sports history, Retrieved from: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/news/2000/12/11/rangers_arod_ap/
ESPN. (2007, Febuary 23). Matsuzaka, Red Sox reach agreement on six-year deal. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from ESPN.com: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2696321
ESPN. (2008, 12 11). Sources: Yanks, Sabathia agree to deal. Retrieved from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3759182
Goodman, J. (Director). (2008). Road to the Big Leagues [Motion Picture].
Keri, J. (2011). The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First. New York: Ballantine Books.
Lewis, M. (2003). Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. New York: Norton & Company, Inc.
USA Today. (2011). Retrieved from USA Today Salaries Database: http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/baseball/mlb/salaries/team/2011
Wong, G., & Deubert, C. (2010). Major League Baseball General Managers: An Analyis of Their Responsibilities, Qualifications, and Characteristics. Nine: A Journal of baseball History and Culture, 18(2), 74-121.

Photo Credit:Tim Heitman-US PRESSWIRE

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 have just over a week before I have to publish my next S2S Team Prospect List, I wanted to do something a little different while I have this small window. 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 AL East – which had 38 players make a Top-100 – and see how each list stacks up next to the others on a team-by-team basis. (more…)

The Staten Island Yankees began play in 1999 after the Watertown Indians franchise was relocated from Watertown, New York. Staten Island has been affiliated with the New York Yankees since their inaugural season. The Yankees have won seven division titles (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011) and six league championships (2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2009, and 2011) over their thirteen year existence.

Some notable alumni that played for the Yankees before making it to the major leagues include:

Andy Phillips (1B): In 1999, Phillips hit .322 with 7 HR and 48 RBI in 64 games with Staten Island in his first professional season. Phillips was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 7^th round of the 1999 MLB amateur draft out of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Alabama). Phillips played in 259 career regular season MLB games over 5 seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Cincinnati Reds. He last played professionally in 2009 and 2010, when he was a member of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Nippon Professional Baseball League in Japan. He currently is an assistant coach at Alabama, serving as the hitting coach since 2011.

Brandon Claussen (LHP): In 1999, Claussen posted a 6-4 record with a 3.38 ERA in 12 starts with Staten Island during his first professional season. Claussen was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 34^th round of the 1998 MLB amateur draft out of Howard College (Big Spring, Texas). Claussen made 58 career MLB starts over four seasons (2003-2006), as a member of the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. He is now retired from baseball and is the owner of Forrest Tire in Lubbock, Texas.

Wily Mo Pena (OF): In 2000, Pena hit .301 with 10 RBI in 20 games with Staten Island in his second professional season. Pena was signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 1999 out of the Dominican Republic. Pena has spent eight seasons in the majors and played in 599 career MLB games. He has been a member of Cincinnati, Boston, Washington, Arizona, and Seattle. In November 2011, Pena signed a contract with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League.

Jason Anderson (RHP): In 2000 & 2001, Anderson posted an 11-6 record with a 3.16 ERA in 22 starts with Staten Island during his first and second professional seasons. Anderson was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 10^th round of the 2000 MLB amateur draft out of Illinois (Champaign, Illinois). Anderson appeared in 32 career MLB games over three seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Cleveland Indians. In 2011, he pitched in 23 games in Independent Ball with the Somerset Patriots (Atlantic League) before retiring from professional baseball on July 19^th.  Anderson had his number 19 retired by Staten Island in 2003.

Chien-Ming Wang (RHP): In 2000 & 2002, Wang posted a 10-5 record with a 2.12 ERA in 27 starts with Staten Island during his first and second professional seasons. Wang was signed by the New York Yankees in 2000 as an amateur free agent out of Taiwan. Wang has pitched in 120 career regular season MLB games over the course of six seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals. He led the American League with 19 wins in 2006. Staten Island retired his number 41 in 2006.

Shelley Duncan (OF): In 2001, Duncan hit .245 with 8 HR and 39 RBI in 70 games with Staten Island in his first professional season. Duncan was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 2^nd round of the 2001 MLB amateur draft out of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona). Duncan has played in 229 career regular season MLB games over five seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.

John-Ford Griffin (OF): In 2001, Griffin hit .311 with 5 HR and 43 RBI in 66 games with Staten Island in his first professional season. Griffin was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1^st round (23^rd overall) in the 2001 MLB amateur draft out of Florida State (Tallahassee, Florida). Griffin played in 13 games with the Toronto Blue Jays over two MLB seasons. Griffin last played in 2010 in Independent Ball with the Newark Bears (Atlantic League) before retiring in June 2010.

Robinson Cano (2B): In 2001 & 2002, Cano hit .274 with 1 HR and 17 RBI in 24 games with Staten Island during his first and second professional seasons. Cano was signed by the New York Yankees in 2001 as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. The tree-time All-Star (2006, 2010 & 2011) has played in 1053 regular season MLB games over seven seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees. He won the American League Gold Glove at second base in 2010 and the American League Silver Slugger at second base in 2006, 2010, and 2011. He was a member of the 2009 World Champion New York Yankees. Cano had his number 17 retired by Staten Island in 2007.

Melky Cabrera (OF): In 2003, Cabrera hit .283 with 2 HR and 31 RBI in 67 games with Staten Island during his first professional season. Cabrera was signed by the New York Yankees in 2001 as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Cabrera has played in 871 career regular season MLB games with the New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, and Kansas City Royals. Cabrera is currently a member of the San Francisco Giants after being traded by the Royals in November 2011.

Phil Coke (LHP): In 2004, Coke pitched in 3 games with Staten Island where he posted a 6.75 ERA over 8 innings of work in his second professional season. Coke was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 26^th round of the 2002 MLB amateur draft out of San Joaquin Delta College (Stockton, California). Coke has pitched in 206 career regular season MLB games over four seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. Coke was a member of the 2009 World Champion New York Yankees.

Eduardo Nunez (SS): In 2005, Nunez hit .313 with 3 HR and 46 RBI in 73 games with Staten Island during his first professional season. Nunez was signed by the New York Yankees in 2004 as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Nunez has played in 142 career regular season MLB games with the Yankees, over the past two seasons.

Brett Gardner (OF): In 2005, Gardner hit .284 with 5 HR and 32 RBI in 73 games with Staten Island in his first professional season. Gardner was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3^rd round of the 2005 MLB amateur draft out of the College of Charleston (Charleston, South Carolina). Gardner has played in 459 career MLB regular season games with the Yankees over the past four seasons. He was a member of the 2009 World Champion Yankees.

Francisco Cervelli (C): In 2006, hit .309 with 2 HR and 16 RBI in 42 games with Staten Island in his second professional season. Cervelli was signed by the New York Yankees in 2003 as an amateur free agent out of Venezuela. Cervelli has played in 181 career regular season MLB games. He was a member of the 2009 World Champion Yankees.

Ian Kennedy (RHP): In 2006, Kennedy made 1 start with Staten Island in his first professional season. Kennedy was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 1^st round (21^st overall) of the 2006 MLB amateur draft out of USC (Los Angeles, California). Kennedy has pitched in 79 career regular season MLB games over five seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. He led the National League in wins with 21 in 2011.

Colin Curtis (OF): In 2006, Curtis hit .302 with 1 HR and 18 RBI in 44 games with Staten Island during his first professional season. Curtis was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 4^th round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft out of Arizona State (Tempe, Arizona). Curtis played in 31 games with the Yankees in 2010.

Mark Melancon (RHP): In 2006, Melancon posted a 0-1 record with a 3.52 ERA in 7 games with Staten Island in his first professional season. Melancon was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 9^th round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft out of Arizona (Tucson, Arizona). Melancon has pitched in 106 career games over the past three seasons, as a member of the New York Yankees and Houston Astros. Melancon is currently a member of the Boston Red Sox after joining the team via trade in December 2011.

Dellin Betances (RHP): In 2007, Betances posted a 1-2 record with a 3.60 ERA in 6 starts with Staten Island in his second professional season. Betances was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 8^th round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft out of Grand Street High School (New York, New York). Betances has pitched in two career MLB games with the Yankees in 2011.

John Axford (RHP): In 2007, Axford posted a 1-1 record with a 2.22 ERA in 8 games with Staten Island during his first professional season. Axford was signed by the New York Yankees in 2006 as an amateur free agent. Axford has pitched in 131 career regular season MLB games over the past season, as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers. Axford led the National League in saves with 46 in 2011.

Zach McAllister (RHP): In 2007, McAllister posted a record of 4-6 with a 5.17 ERA in 16 games with Staten Island in his second professional season. McAllister was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 3^rd round of the 2006 MLB amateur draft out of Illinois Valley Central High School (Chillicothe, Illinois). McAllister has played in four career MLB games with the Cleveland Indians in 2011.

Hector Noesi (RHP): In 2008, Noesi posted a record of 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 5 games with Staten Island during his third professional season. Noesi was signed by the New York Yankees in 2004 as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Noesi pitched in 30 games with the Yankees in 2011, his first season in the majors. He currently is a member of the Seattle Mariners after being traded earlier this week as part of the Michael Pineda deal.

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For more on the Yankees, check out Yanks Go Yard.

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

Oct 4, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Jesus Montero (63) singles to left in the eighth inning in game four of the 2011 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

“He may well be the best player I’ve ever traded.”
– Brian Cashman, New York Yankees GM

During his 15-year career as Yankees General Manager, Brian Cashman, armed with the deep, cavernous, Steinbrenner-filled pockets, has been no stranger to subtleties of trading away baseball players, both prospects and veterans alike.  In fact, Cashman, who once dealt Eric Milton, Christian Guzman, and two other players for All-Star second baseman Chuck Knoblauch the same he day was promoted to the position, has made a total of 93 trades during his longstanding tenure, or about six trades every year.

His most recent deal, the Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda swap, was surprising for two reasons:

1. No one expected, not the media, not the fans, and not the analysts.  No word had ever leaked of a potential deal until both sides had come to an agreement, which also included Hector Noesi and Jose Campos.
2. The aforementioned quote, you know, the one about slugger Jesus Montero possibly being the best player Cashman ever dealt.

The quote, which broke the same night of the deal, opened more than a few eyes.  Is Jesus Montero really the greatest player the Yankees GM ever traded away?

Well, probably not. (more…)

What this trade did was push me to analyzing Michael Pineda a bit further using Pitch F/X data. There has been a ton of talk about how Pineda struggled through the second half of the season last year, with varying opinion’s on why that was the case. In fact if you have a moment, read Dave Cameron’s article on FanGraphs which digs a little deeper to explain the rise in Pineda’s ERA in the second half. My questions were these: What is the reason for this? Is he getting hit harder? Is he missing less bats? Why did his GB% rise, when his LD% really didn’t change from the norm? Is this learning on the job or is the league as a whole being fooled less?

(more…)

Of course, I’m sure some of you wished I would have changed some things around, and that’s fine–nobody gets it all right, and I already regret some of my decisions. It was tough to omit a number of players, and depending on how you see certain guys and what you’re emphasizing, you could justifiably do things very differently than I did.

In any case, I wanted to take some time to discuss the other players considered for the list but ultimately placed on the outside looking in. I’m going to do this by division, so today I’ll be covering the AL East “snubs.”

(more…)

I am utterly bored by celebrity interviews. Most celebrities are devoid of interest.

Despite the quote from Roger Ebert, this week’s edition of Sprouts is dedicated to interviews. Three of them to be exact. Fortunately for all of us, baseball players are almost always more interesting than celebrities. If you disagree with that, at least we share baseball as a common interest with the players features in the articles linked below.

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It was for this reason I started the Breaking Through series. During the season I tackled the MLB debuts in a weekly column. That is until the calendar turned to September, the volume got out of hand and I had to change my plans. Now I am trying to run through the last month of the season day by day as my schedule allows.

Today I’m covering the Major League debuts of September 1st. You can find previous entries of the series by clicking here. (more…)

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When a pitcher come up to the majors, we can finally get a foolproof reading on what exactly his arsenal is comprised of, thanks to the great Pitch F/X system. In this series, I analyze just that–the “stuff” of recently-promoted MLB pitchers. Now that they’ve achieved their big league dreams and thus factor directly into the MLB picture, it’s high time that we know exactly what these guys are providing.

This time, I’m taking a look at Yankees starter Dellin Betances.

(more…)

When a pitcher come up to the majors, we can finally get a foolproof reading on what exactly his arsenal is comprised of, thanks to the great Pitch F/X system. In this series, I analyze just that–the “stuff” of recently-promoted MLB pitchers. Now that they’ve achieved their big league dreams and thus factor directly into the MLB picture, it’s high time that we know exactly what these guys are providing.

This time, I’m taking a look at Yankees reliever Andrew Brackman.

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In this edition, we tackle a question sent to us from our New York Yankees blog Yanks Go Yard:

The Yanks called up — and played — Jesus Montero and Austin Romine this season, does this mean that they’ll start the 2012 campaign in the Bronx? And what roster will the Killer B’s (Brackman, Banuelos and Betances) be on come Opening Day 2012?

(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.

FishJam 25 / Yankees Fans Unite–Minor League Season Review: Class A Charleston Riverdogs

• FishJam 25 continues breaking down the seasons of the New York Yankees Minor League Affiliates. This time he’s checking in on the Riverdogs of Charleston. (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.

FishJam25 / Yankees Fans Unite–Minor League Season Review: GC Yankees

• Fish breaks down the GCL Yankees 2011 season, which was highlighted by Dante Bichette who led the team in hitting at .344.

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.

Jason Bristol / Top Prospect Alert Minor League Blog–Legally Blind Man Mark Wetzel Is A Hitting Instructor For Pro Baseball Players 

• Bristol covers an amazing feel good story about the legally blind hitting instructor Mark Wetzel.

Jamie Newcomb / RaysColoredGlasses.com–Rays Fans Should want Moore

• Fellow Fansided writer Jamie Newcomb discuses perhaps one of my favorite pitching prospects Matt Moore.

David Tokarz / BlessYouBoys.com–Looking at the (Tigers) Draft

• David Tokarz of SB Nation weighs in the the Detroit Tigers draft now that the deadline has come and gone.

Like what you see here and want to stay informed on the happenings at S2S? Make sure to follow me on twitter @JAYRC_MCB! You can also keep up to date with all things S2S by liking our Facebook page.