MLB Prospect Watch

More Player Pages

In an attempt to give you the most information anywhere, MLB Prospect Watch is continually creating new player pages.  These pages will contain as much information as possible, including player rankings, video clips, and quotes from scouts and baseball insiders.  Click on the players below to visit their player page, or visit our Player Page Index for a list of all prospect pages.

• B.J. Rosenberg
• Anthony Rizzo
• Melky Mesa
• Starling Marte
• Casey Kelly

Additional Player Pages Created

In an attempt to give you the most information anywhere, MLB Prospect Watch is continually creating new player pages.  These pages will contain as much information as possible, including player rankings, video clips, and quotes from scouts and baseball insiders.  Click on the players below to visit their player page, or visit our Player Page Index for a list of all prospect pages.

• Lee Hyde
• Matt Dominguez
• Jose Inglesias
• Ike Davis
• Josh Fields

New Player Pages Created

In an attempt to give you the most information anywhere, MLB Prospect Watch is continually creating new player pages.  These pages will contain as much information as possible, including player rankings, video clips, and quotes from scouts and baseball insiders.  Click on the players below to visit their player page, or visit our Player Page Index for a list of all prospect pages.

• J.P. Arencibia
• Julio Borbon
• Kevin Pucetas
• Aaron Cunningham
• Buster Posey
• Brett Wallace
• Reid Brignac
  

Link: O's Bell to Continue Switch Hitting

Despite speculation that he might have to give up hitting right-handed (due largely to his .193 batting average against LHP this season), Baltimore Orioles 3B prospect Josh Bell, acquired from the Dodgers this season in exchange for George Sherrill, will continue at the craft, reports Roch Kubatko for Baseball America.

Link: Strasburg Sharp Again, 3-1 in AFL

Washington Nationals pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg was once again dynamic in the Arizona Fall League, going 5 innings and giving up only 1 earned run in his 4th AFL start, reports MLB.com.  Strasburg hit 101 mph on the radar gun at one point, and had 4 pitches clocked at at least 100 mph.

Link: A Look at Braves in the AFL

David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution takes a look at how the Atlanta Braves prospects are performing in the Arizona Fall League this year.  Despite top prospect Jason Heyward departing the league early with a strained back, the Braves still have six players competing:

• Freddie Freeman
• Mike Minor
• Brandon Hicks
• Craig Krimbel
• Lee Hyde
• Jeff Lyman

Link: Time for Kelly to Pick a Position

Casey Kelly, the Boston Red Sox two-way prospect as both a shortstop and a pitcher, needs to pick a position this off-season, comments Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald.  Casey was a pitcher for the first part of the season, then switched to playing shortstop full time once he had reached a predetermined innings limit set by the Red Sox.  Kelly is listed as a shortstop in the Arizona Fall League.

Link: Lucroy, AFL Notes

Jason Grey of ESPN.com comments on the emergence of Jonathan Lucroy as the top catcher in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system, liking him even more than highly touted prospect Angel Salome.  Grey also adds some observations from the Arizona Fall League.

Link: Strasburg Bounces Back with Strong AFL Outing

Despite a rocky second start, Washington Nationals P prospect Stephen Strasburg bounced back nicely with a strong performance in his 3rd outing, reports Tom Singer of MLB.com.  Strasburg gave up only 1 hit in 4 1/3 IP, striking out 5.

Link: Jarrod Parker to Have Tommy John Surgery

Bad news for the Arizona Diamondbacks as top pitching prospect Jarrod Parker will undergo Tommy John surgery, likely ending his 2010 season before it began, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.  Parker was shut down early this year, had tried to come back on a throwing program this fall, but experienced pain once again, leaving surgery as the only option.

Link: Tigers' Sizemore to Undergo Surgery

Scott Sizemore, the Detroit Tigers 2B prospect who will be the most likely candidate to replace Placido Polanco if he is not resigned, will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair his broken ankle, reports John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.  Sizemore still hopes to be ready for Spring Training.

Link: More from Law on the AFL

Keith Law of ESPN.com has another scouting update posted from the Arizona Fall League (ESPN Insider subscription needed).  Among the things he saw:

• Chicago Cubs P Andrew Cashner was throwing gas...
• ...but Texas Rangers P Tanner Scheppers was even better.
• The Atlanta Braves may have a bullpen arm for next year in Lee Hyde.
• Not as if we didn't already know this, but Florida Marlins OF Mike Stanton can mash.
• And fellow Marlin Matt Dominguez can pick it at 3B.
• It looks like the holdout might have cost Seattle Mariners RP Josh Fields, and not in cash.

Link: AFL Report

ESPN's Kieth Law gives us some early scouting returns from the Arizona Fall League (ESPN Insider subscription needed).  Some of the highlights:

• New York Mets pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia showed two plus pitches.
• Dustin Ackley, the Seattle Mariners new top OF prospect, has looked sharp.
• First-round picks Drew Storen, Mike Leake, and Mike Minor gave mixed reviews.
• OF Domonic Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies is super-talented, but raw.

Link: Strasburg Solid in AFL Debut

Stephen Strasburg, the 1st overall pick in the 2009 draft by the Washington Nationals, was stellar in his professional debut, throwing 3 shutout innings for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, giving up 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 2 batters.  Strasburg threw 49 pitches, 31 for strikes in his outing.

Strasburg to make AFL Debut Tonight

Highly touted Washington Nationals pitching prospect Stephen Strasburg is set to make his professional debut tonight in the Arizona Fall League at 6:35 pm local (Mountain) time.  Stay tuned to MLB Prospect Watch to see how the young right-hander fares.

Link: LaPorta to Miss Start of 2010 Season?

Cleveland Indians OF Matt LaPorta, a promising young hitter who was the team's main source of compensation for trading pitcher C.C. Sabathia in 2008, underwent surgery today on two parts of his body (his big toe and his hip) reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  LaPorta is expected to be out 4-6 months, which could put him in Jeopardy for Spring Training.

Arizona Fall League Highlights from 10/13

The Arizona Fall League (AFL) kicked off yesterday and should once again provide us with a glimpse into the not to distant future of Major League Baseball.  Here are some of the highlights from Day 1:

• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim C Hank Conger went 3-5 with 3 RBI's leading the Mesa Solar Sox to a 10-6 victory over the Phoenix Desert Dogs.  Florida Marlins OF Mike Stanton chipped in as well, going 1-3 with 2 BB's and a SB in the win.   The Phoenix hitting attack was led by Baltimore Orioles 1B Brandon Snyder who was 2-5 with 2 RBI's and while Washington Nationals 1B Chris Marrerro also chipped in with a HR.
• The star in the Surprise Rafters 17-4 drubbing of Peoria Javelinas was New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, who led the Rafters with 6 RBI's and a HR as part of a 4-hit day.  St. Louis Cardinals C Bryan Anderson also had 3 hits and scored 3 runs for the Rafters, while New York Yankees P Ian Kennedy threw 4 innings, striking out 4 and giving up only 1 run.
• Atlanta Braves OF Jason Heyward picked up right where he left off, going 2-5 with a 2B in his AFL debut for the Peoria Saguaros, but it wasn't enough, as the Saguaros were defeated by the Scottsdale Scorpions by a score of 8-4.  The Scorpions hitting attack included a HR by Philadelphia Phillies OF Domonic Brown and 2 RBI's by San Francisco Giants SS Brandon Crawford.  The Saguaros did, however, receive two innings of work from Atlanta Braves P Mike Minor, the 7th overall pick in this year's draft.  Minor gave up one hit and 1 unearned run, while walking two.

Arizona Fall League Begins Today

The Arizona Fall League springs into action today, with all six teams scheduled to play.  2009 1st-round draft pick Mike Minor (Atlanta Braves) is slated to start on the mound for the Peoria Saguaros.  First overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg (Washington Nationals) is scheduled to make his debut on Friday, October 16th.

Link: Sickles Breaks Down Avila

On his blog MinorLeagueBall, respected baseball evaluator John Sickles breaks down Detroit Tigers catching prospect Alex Avila, including his time with the Tigers.

New Player Pages Added

The following player pages have been added to MLB Prospect Watch.  Player pages can contain scouting reports, rankings, and player videos.

• Tim Alderson
• Deolis Guerra
• Gorkys Hernandez
• Brad Holt
• Zach McAllister
• Daniel Moskos
• Luis Perez
• Jose Tabata
• Michael Taylor
• Ruben Tejada
• Josh Thole