MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action - 6/3/13

Triple-A

• Chris Owings wend 3-for-5 on Monday as the Diamondbacks shortstop prospect extended his hitting streak to 22-games, notes Jake Seiner of MiLB.com.  Owings is now hitting .348/.365/.465 on the season, but his 49/6 K/BB ratio is still a major concern.
• Evan Gattis might have filled the need for him on the Braves roster, but Joey Terdoslavich has showed that he's ready to hit in the majors, and added to that case with his 10th home run of the season.
• Billy Hamilton isn't getting the attention he got last year when he set the minor league record for stolen bases in a season, but in case you forgot, he's still really fast, as evidenced by his 14.3 second inside-the-park-homerun, writes Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Mike Olt put together a much-needed three-hit night on Monday, as the Rangers prospect upped his batting average to .169 since joining the Round Rock Express.

Double-A

• Archie Bradley battled control issues last season, and those issues reared their ugly head again on Monday.  The Diamondbacks pitching prospect was still effective allowing just two runs over six innings to earn his fifth win despite walking five batters in the outing.
• Taijuan Walker took another hard luck loss to drop to 3-6 on the season despite his 2.67 ERA.  Last night's outing saw the Mariners right-hander allow two runs over five innings, and while he's pitched well, he has yet to dominate the way many expected.
• The typical all-or-nothing production from White Sox outfielder Trayce Thompson wasn't evident on Monday, but he was productive anyway, reaching base four times without striking out.  Thompson is hitting just .242 on the season, but his patient approach, which helps lead to those strike outs, has also allowed him to draw 36 walks on the season and post a .371 on-base percentage this year.

High-A

• Alen Hanson hit his second home run of the season, but was upstaged fellow Pirates prospect Gregory Polanco, who collected three hits, including a pair of doubles.
• Mets lefty Noah Syndergaard struck out five batters in as many innings, but took a loss despite allowing just two runs in the outing.  Syndergaard has pitched well this season, but dropped to 2-3 despite a 2.81 ERA.
• Shawn Morimando threw seven shutout innings on Monday, making it three-straight scoreless outings for the Indians left-hander.

Low-A

• In his first outing in full-season ball, Reds 2012 first round draft pick Nick Travieso allowed four runs in as many innings while striking out three.
• Dillon Maples turned in the best start of his young season, throwing five scoreless innings and striking out seven.  The Cubs prospect lowered his ERA to 7.06 on the year after struggling in his transition to full-season ball.

Prospect Action - 5/28/12

Triple-A

• Tony Cingrani continues to miss bats now that he's back in Triple-A, but the Reds lefthander has struggled with his control, as displayed in his latest outing in which he struck out nine in five innings, but also walked five.
• Wil Myers has been red-hot this week, and he made his strongest case for a call-up on Tuesday when he hit a pair of home runs.  I've been advocating that the Rays should call Myers up for almost a week now, and even that was probably a few weeks too late.
• Astros right-hander Jarred Cosart earned his fifth win of the season despite walking seven batters in the outing.  Control has never been a strength for Cosart, but this was the first start of the season in which it was this bad.  Still, his issues throwing strikes are one of the reasons the Astros haven't called him up to the majors yet and why some still see him as a bullpen arm.
• Perhaps just in time to take Jesus Montero's spot in the majors, Mariners catching prospect Mike Zunino is heating up again, hitting his 9th home run of the season on Tuesday.

Double-A

• Zach Lee was strong again, as the Dodgers prospect threw six shutout innings and struck out seven to outpitch Diamondbacks prospect Andrew Chafin, who allowed one run in six innings of his own but got stuck with the loss.  Chafin, who is often overlooked within the pitching-rich Diamondbacks farm system, has been the victim of poor run support this season, dropping to 1-4 in five starts since a promotion to Double-A, despite an ERA of 3.00.
• Taylor Lindsey is giving the Angels something to talk about in their barren system, as the second base prospect hit his seventh home run of the season on Tuesday as part of a 3-for-4 day.

High-A

• Yankees catching prospect Gary Sanchez hit his 9th home run of the season, but he was outdone by Cubs shortstop prospect Javier Baez, whose 7th homer of the year helped lead his team to victory.
• John Lamb was strong on Tuesday, as the Royals prospect tossed seven shutout innings, but that didn't keep Indians outfield prospect Tyler Naquin from collecting his pair of hits on the day.
• Angel Villalona continued his long-road back to professional baseball by hitting a pair of home runs, giving the Giants slugger 11 on the season.

Low-A

• Bubba Starling hit his fifth home run of the season, but it was the first since his return from LASIK eye surgery.
• Jonathan Singleton homered in his first game back from his 50-game suspension for smoking weed, playing against inferior competition as he works his way back up the Astros organizational ladder.  Cubs first base prospect Dan Vogelbach homered in the shortened game as well, his seventh of the year.
• And Byron Buxton is awesome.

Returning Prospects: Singleton, Almora, Stroman

Singleton to Work Way Back

Jonathan Singleton, the Astros top prospect who has missed the first 50 games of the season due to suspension, is set to return at the end of the month, but he won't immediately begin at Double-A Corpus Christi where he finished last season or Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he would have began the season if not suspended, says Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.  Instead, Singleton will begin his 2013 campaign in Low-A Quad Cities.

The Astros want to ease Singleton back into competitive baseball without throwing him into a level he's yet to reach, and that's a sound strategy, but it could have secondary benefit for the Astros.  With their 2013 season going nowhere, the slower they move Singleton along, the easier it will be to hold him off from the majors until they are closer to competition.  Had he been eligible to begin the season on time, he would likely be pushing his way towards a late-season call-up.  Thanks to his inability to stop smoking weed, the Astros can justify bringing him along slowly this season and leave him in Triple-A for the remainder of the season.

I discussed the character issues surrounding his inability to stop smoking after his first failed test (it takes two failed tests to get suspended), but in the long run, as long as Singleton can stay out of trouble, his suspension could actually work out in the Astros favor, in terms of timing his assent to the majors with their own organizational development.

 

Almora to Kane County

Cubs fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Albert Almora to a league where they can put some stock in the results, but their wait is finally over.  The 2012 first-rounder has missed the beginning of the 2013 season due to a broken hamate bone in his hand, but his time in extended spring training is over and he's heading to Low-A Kane County, says The Cub Reporter.

Almora has shown glimpses of the ability that got him selected sixth overall last season, but his time in the Midwest League will be the first chance to show how his tools will translate against an advanced level of competition.

 

Stroman Has Successful Return

Marcus Stroman made his 2013 debut on Sunday with five innings of scoreless baseball, during which he struck out six, notes Evan Peaslee of MLB.com.  Stroman has been suspended for the first 50 games of the season for failing a drug test for a performance-enhancing substance, which is a different violation than Singleton's, despite the same penalty.

It's worth noting that the Blue Jays plan to keep the 5-foot-9 Stroman as a starter for the time being, which makes sense in an attempt to maximize his ceiling.  Just because he's short doesn't mean he can't be a starter, despite the accepted convention within baseball, and at the very least, using him as one in the minors will give him more developmental experience even if he ends up as a reliever down the road.

Prospect Action - 5/16/13

Triple-A

• Johnny Hellweg earned his second win of the season thanks to six shutout innings despite walking six batters in the outing.  It was the first time since his initial start of the season that the Brewers flame-thrower allowed zero runs and he's now walked 31 batters in 38 2/3 innings.
• In his return to Triple-A, Martin Perez allowed four runs in five innings but struck out four to take a loss.  The Rangers left-hander hasn't truly been effective at any level since a half-season stint in Double-A in 2011, yet because of his talented left arm, he continues to be a focal point of prospect followers.
• Sonny Gray allowed just one run in his first six innings of work, but the A's right-hander failed to get out of the seventh inning and allowed four runs (three earned) when it was all said and done in the loss.
• Michael Wacha tossed his Cardinals teammates on his back on Thursday and led them to a victory behind seven dominant innings of one-run baseball during which the 2012 first-rounder struck out eight and walked just one.

Double-A

• The Marlins got a nice glimpse into their future on Thursday as Christian Yelich continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-4 with a double and a home run in support of left-hander Adam Conley, who has been inconsistent this season but allowed 3 runs (two earned) in five innings on this night.
• Trevor May has generally been strong in his initial season in the Twins organization, but on Thursday he allowed more runs than innings pitched for the second time this season, allowing five runs and nine hits in four innings.
• Royals starter Yordano Ventura was a hard-luck loser after he struck out nine batters in six innings while allowing just three hits but two runs.

High-A

• Pirates outfielder Gregory Polanco hit his fifth home run of the season on Thursday, but Phillies third base prospect Maikel Franco was not to be outdone, hitting a pair of his own home runs, giving him eight on the season.
• Kyle Zimmer struggled on Thursday, allowing five runs in four innings to drop to 0-3 on the season.
• Addison Russell took a big step back from his rough start to the season, going 2-for-4 with a home run and reaching base four times.

Low-A

• Gloskar Amaya had a three-hit day to pick up fellow Cubs prospect Rock Shoulders, who went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in the game.
• Jesse Winkler, the Reds supplemental first-rounder from 2012, went 2-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season.

Prospect Action - 5/13/13

Triple-A

• Jonathan Schoop's three-hit day, which included his third home run of the season, was just a part of the offensive onslaught put forth by his Orioles teammates in their 14-1 drubbing on Sunday.  Schoop is now hitting .349 over his past 10 games, but still just .268 on the season.
• Nick Franklin hit a go-ahead home run in the 13th inning to seal the deal for his Mariners teammates on Sunday.  For Franklin it was part of a 3.for-6 day that saw his batting average rise to .349 as he continues to make his case for a call-up.
• On a home run-filled afternoon, A's outfielder Michael Choice hit his eighth blast of the year while Brewers outfielder Khris Davis hit a pair of bombs.

Double-A

• Anthony Rendon had a perfect game at the plate, one which included his fourth home run of the season, and the Nationals prospect is now hitting .452 (14-for-31) since his return to the minors.
• Jesus Aguilar hit his fourth home run of the season as part of a day in which he reached base three times.  The Indians first base prospect has struggled to carry his 2012 success over into the Double-A level this year and is slugging just .381 on the season.
• Anthony Ranaudo advanced to 5-1 on the season as the Red Sox prospect tossed six shutout innings while striking out five.  The outing lowered his ERA to 1.38 on the season.
• On-base magician Mike O'Neill reached safely three more times on Sunday, collecting a pair of hits and a walk.  The Cardinals outfielder is now hitting .340 on the season with a .489 on-base percentage.

High-A

• Clayton Blackburn struggled for the third straight start as the Giants prospect allowed five runs (four earned) in four innings.  Blackburn has now allowed at least four runs in three consecutive outings after not allowing more than two in any of his first four starts.
• Tyler Naquin hit his third home run of the season.  The Indians outfielder is now hitting .291/.346/.454 on the season.
• After struggling in Triple-A this season and Double-A last season, Angels prospect Orangel Arenas is back in the California League and turned in a dominant start in his first outing, allowing just one run in seven innings.

Low-A

• In a crazy offensive day, the Twins got impressive performances at the plate from two of their top picks from last year's draft.  Byron Buxton, the second overall pick, went 4-for-7 to raise his batting average to .352 on the year, but he was outdone by third-rounder Adam Brett Walker, who went 4-for-6 with two doubles and two home runs.
• Cubs first baseman Rock Shoulders continues to display his power, hitting a grand slam on Sunday, his eighth home run of the season.