MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action 6/1/12

Triple-A

• Nick Addition dropped to 1-6 on the season despite giving up just one hit in seven innings, thanks to five walks by the Cardinals prospect, notes Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.
• White Sox outfielder Jordan Danks extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a 3-for-5 game, says The Charlotte Observer.
• Blue Jays outfielder Moises Sierra hit three home runs off as many pitchers as part of a huge offensive day, writes Jonathan Raymond of MiLB.com.

Double-A

• Ethan Martin continued his bounce-back year, as the Dodgers former first-rounder improved to 6-1 with seven shutout innings, writes San Dykstra of MiLB.com.
• Diamondbacks lefty Tyler Skaggs threw eight strong innings on Friday, allowing just two runs on six hits, notes Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.
• Mike Olt blasted two more home runs Friday night, giving the Rangers third base prospect 13 bombs on the season, notes Emrich.

High-A

• In his first start off the DL since hurting his groin, Zach Lee threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, writes David Heck of MiLB.com.
• It was a rough day ot be a pitching prospect in High-A ball, as Phillies prospect Adam Morgan (box), Marlins prospect Rob Rasmussen (box), Giants prospect Jack Snodgrass (box), and Diamondbacks prospect Andrew Chafin (box)  all took losses.

Low-A

• Angels prospect Kaleb Cowart continued his red-hot hitting, collecting two more hits on Friday and five more RBI's, says Pentis.
• Nick Tropeano struck out nine batters over 5 1/3 innings, reports the Lexington Herald-Ledger, as the Astros pitching prospect continues to make his case for a mid-season promotion.

 

Prospect Action - 5/30/12

Triple-A

• After a slow start to the season, Blue Jays top prospect Travis d'Arnaud has been red-hot of late, and continued his offensive outburst on Wednesday with a 3-for-5 game with a double, notes David Heck of MiLB.com.  d'Arnaud is now slugging .603 this season.
• In a pitching matchup of struggling prospects, Dellin Betances outpitched Jacob Turner, as the Yankees prospect advanced to 3-4 on the season while the Tigers righty dropped to 0-1.  Both pitchers battled their control, with Betances walking four in six innings but limiting the damage to just two earned runs, while Turner walked five in as many innings but allowed a home run.

Double-A

• Michael Choice broke out of a slump with a 4-for-5 night that included a home run, says Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.  After hitting 30 home runs last year, the A's 2010 first-round pick has hit just four home runs this season and is slugging just .353.
• Kyle Skipworth hit for the fifth straight game, as the Marlins catcher collected two more hits on Wednesday, notes Jeff Elliott of The Florida Times-Union.  Despite his recent short-term success, however, Skipworth continues to lead the Southern League in strikeout rate, whiffing at a rate of over 32 percent.

High-A

• Drake Britton struck out seven over six innings to complete a May in which the Red Sox lefty posted an ERA of 2.10, says David Heck of MiLB.com.  Britton gave up just six earned runs over four starts in the month of May, but his season ERA still sits at 5.80.
• Trayce Thompson blasted a three-run homer on Wednesday night to help lead his fellow White Sox prospects to vistory, according to The Winston-Salem Journal.  For Thompson, it was his sixth home run of the season, but he's still striking out in around 30 percent of his plate appeareances, a rate which is way too high for any amount of power production, and especially for someone slugging just .429.
• Chad Jenkins got outpitched by B.J. Hermsen on Wednesday, as the Twins righty earned his third win of the season by tossing 8 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs.  Jenkins made it through just four innings and allowed a home run to Aaron Hicks, the sixth bomb of the season for the Twins former first-rounder.

Low-A

• In a ridiculous offensive day for the Yankees affiliate in Charleston, catching prospect Gary Sanchez knocked two doubles and a grand slam as part of a seven-RBI day, while outfield prospect Tyler Austin 5-for-5 with a double and a triple, says Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.  Sanchez has hit well this season but his power has not been there, with just five blasts on the season.  Austin, on the other hand, has hit for more power than expected, slugging .661 this year despite his strikeout numbers and a 53-to-22 strikeout to walk ratio.
• Rangers second base prospect Rougned Odor chimed in with three hits, including a double, notes The Hickory Daily Record.  Odor, in his first full season, is establishing himself as a legitimate prospect within an already deep Rangers system, hitting .300/.363/.494 on the year.  He's not controlling the strike zone the way Jurickson Profar did last year, but that may be an unfair bar to set for Odor.

 

Prospect Action - 5/29/12

Triple-A

• Matt Harvey earned his fifth win of the year, allowing just one run in six innings, according to The Columbus Dispatch, but the outing was yet another example of the Mets top prospect not being ready for the majors, as he walked four batters during the outing.  
• Pirates lefty Rudy Owens earned his third win of the season on Tuesday, striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings, and outdueling Rays prospect Chris Archer, who fanned eight batters of his own in the loss, writes Nancy Zinni of PiratesProspects.com.
• Andrew Carraway got hit hard, as the Mariners prospect gave up seven runs in five innings in his fourth Triple-A start, notes Mike Curto of The [Tacoma] News Tribune.

Double-A

• Kyle Skipworth continued his hot hitting with a single and a double on Tuesday, giving him hits in four straight games and raising his batting average to .215, notes The Florida Times-Union.  It's not enough to get too excited about, considering Skipworth is repeating Double-A this season, but the Marlins will take any positive signs surrounding their former first-round pick who has struggled to this point in his professional career.
• Jared Mitchell homered, says Dennis Lin of The Birmingham News, the fourth of the season for the resurgent White Sox former first-rounder.

High-A

• Jimmy Nelson evened his record at 4-4 on the season, as the Brewers prospect struck out five over six innings while allowing just one run.
• Billy Hamilton stole two more bases in support of Reds teammate Tony Cingrani, who earned his fifth win of the season, giving up just one run in 5 1/3 inning, which brought his season ERA up to 1.11.

Low-A

• Mike Foltynewicz gave up just one run over seven innings, and got run support from fellow Astros prospect Delino DeShields, Jr., who homered in the game, reports The Lexingotn Herald-Ledger.  But Foltynewicz was outpitched by Giants prospect Clayton Blackburn, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out nine.
• The Marlins continue to use Austin Brice and Jose Urina in a tandom this season, but the set-up appears to be working for now, as the duo struck out 14 batters on Tuesday, says Danny WIld of MiLB.com.
• Zach Cone blasted a triple and a homer to help his Rangers teammates to a 9-0 victory, according to The Hickory Daily Record.  He even drew a walk, something which has been an issue for the 2011 first-rounder since becoming a professional.

 

Prospect Action - 5/28/12

Triple-A

• Trevor Bauer fanned eight batters, facing a lineup that included a number of rehabbing major leaguers, but the Diamondbacks top prospect also walked four batters and battled his own command, says Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Wil Myers continued his hot hitting, as the Royals prospect went 3-for-4 with two RBI's, notes Ryan Jones of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.
• The Pirates prospects in Triple-A Indianapolis went on a home run barrage on Monday, including a bomb by Starling Marte, writes Nancy Zinni of PiratesProspects.com.

Double-A

• White Sox pitching prospect Simon Castro allowed just an unearned run over eight innings, writes Dennis Lin of The Birmingham News.
• Oliver Drake tossed a gem on Monday, as the Orioles prospect threw six shutout innings, allowing just one hit, says Jordan Tuwiner of Orioles-Nation.com.
• Zeke Spruill tossed six shutout innings of his own, as the Braves prospect lowered his ERA to 3.50 on the season, reports Jonathan Raymond of MiLB.com.

High-A

• Cody Buckel tossed six shutout innings after the Rangers prospect apparently picked up a new pitch from Trevor Bauer, reports David Heck of MiLB.com.  Facing off against Buckel was Nationals prospect Robbie Ray, who was effective, allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings, but struck out just two batters, according to Luke Erickson of NationalsProspects.com, who adds that Ray has yet to fan a left-handed hitter this season.
• Billy Hamilton continues to run wild, as the Reds prospect stole three more bases, giving him 52 on the season, says Danny Wild of MiLB.com.

Low-A

• Rays prospect Jake Hager drove in five runs with a double and a triple, notes Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.
• Parker Bridwell failed to make it out of the fourth inning, allowing two earned runs, notes Tuwiner.
• Angels prospects Jean Segura and Kaleb Cowart both recorded four-hit days, says Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Steven Moya blasted a home run, the third in two days for the Tigers prospect, says Dean Holzwarth of MLive.com.

 

Prospect Action - 5/22/12

Triple-A

• Corey Kluber turned in a disastrous start on Tuesday, as the Indians pitching prospect gave up seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings, reports Jim Massie of The Columbus Dispatch.
• Braves top prospect Julio Teheran bounced back from his worst start of the season last time out to throw seven innings of one-run baseball, says Danny Wild of MiLB.com.
• Anthony Rizzo hit his 15th home run of the season as part of a three-hit day for the Cubs prospect, that included scoring five runs, writes Mike Wellman of The Cub Reporter.
• It hasn't taken Wil Myers long to figure out the Pacific Coast League, as the Royals prospect slugged his first  home run since his promotion, according to David Heck of MiLB.com.

Double-A

• Simon Castro got hit hard, as the White Sox prospect gave up six runs in as many innings, notes Doug Segrest of The Birmingham News.
• Phillies top prospect Trevor May allowed seven runs in the first two innings of his latest start, says Mike Copper of the Erie Times-News.

High-A

• Taylor Jungmann struck out eight batters over 7 2/3 innings in his latest start, as the Brewers prospect earned his third win of the season, writes Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.
• Tigers third base prospect Nick Castellanos lifted his batting average to a stunning .411 with a 4-for-4 night, reports The [Lakeland] Ledger.

Low-A

• Rangers 2B prospect Rougned Odor slugged his sixth home run of the season as part of a 2-for-4 night that raised his batting average to .270.
• Red Sox 3B prospect Garin Cecchini reached base all five times he came to the plate on Tuesday, including hitting a two-run homer, his second of the year.