MLB Prospect Watch

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.

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.

 

Prospect Action - 4/14/13

Triple-A

• Angels prospect Orangel Arenas out-pitched Mariners lefty Danny Hultzen on Sunday, as Arenas recorded five shutout innings for the victory.  Hultzen didn't pitch poorly, writes John McGrath of The Tacoma News-Tribune, but the two runs he allowed in 5 2/3 innings was too much on this day.
• Zack Wheeler allowed three runs in 5 1/3 innings, but was more impressive than his stat line would indicate, according to Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com.  The Mets top prospect has been effective but erratic in his first three starts, but part of that can be attributed to missing time in spring training and part can be blamed on the extreme hitting environment in Las Vegas.
• Oakland A's outfield prospect Michael Choice is taking advantage of hitting in the Pacific Coast League, hitting a pair of home runs on Sunday to give him three on the season, notes Jonathan Raymond of MiLB.com.

Double-A

• Matt Barnes ran into trouble on Sunday, allowing four runs while failing to make it out of the third inning, reports The Portland Press Herald.  The Red Sox first round pick from 2011 is off to a rough start in his first taste of Double-A, posting a 18.90 ERA through his first two starts.
• Yordano Ventura struck out seven batters over five innings of work, writes Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.  The diminutive Royals right-hander is off to another strong start, posting a 1.80 ERA over his first two starts.
• The Trenton Thunder got a pair of three-hit games from Yankees prospects Tyler Austin and J.R. Murphy, notes Josh Norris of The Trentonian.  For Murphy, the game raises his batting average to .344 after struggling in Double-A last season.

High-A

• Miguel Sano went 3-for-4 on a day that included a go-ahead three-run homer by the Twins top prospect, writes Jake Seiner of MiLB.com.  It was the third home run of the year for the young slugger, who is hitting .400 through his first ten games.
• Courtney Hawkins homered again, giving the White Sox 2012 first-rounder four on the season.  It's been feast-or-famine for Hawkins in the early-going this season with the four bombs, but just a .200 batting average and 18 strikeouts to just two walks in eight games.
• Angel Villalona hit his first home run in the U.S. since 2009, as part of a two-hit day to get his batting average up to .091 on the season.  The Giants prospect was allowed back in the country this season for the first time in three years after a murder charge in the Dominican Republic.

Low-A

• Despite great stuff, Robert Stephenson is getting roughed-up in the Midwest League.  The Reds 2011 first-rounder had his worst outing of the year, allowing eight runs (six earned) without getting out of the third inning on Sunday, raising his ERA to 7.11 on the season.
• Tyrell Jenkins took his first loss of the season, allowing three runs in five innings of work, walking three and striking out just one batter in the outing.  It's the second straight outing for the Cardinals right-hander in which he's given up three runs in five innings.

Angels Make Surprise Move, Promote Michael Roth

In response to losing Jared Weaver to injury, the Los Angeles Angels have promoted left-hander Michael Roth, reports William Boor of MLB.com.  If that name sounds familiar to you, it's likely that you remember Roth as the ace of the South Carolina Gamecocks squad that won back-to-back College World Series titles, largely behind the left-arm of the newest Angels pitcher.

There are a number of things that make this move surprising.  Despite being one of the most accomplished college pitchers in recent memory, Roth was generally seen as a fringe prospect.  Keith Law of ESPN tweeted that he was surprised because Roth is "pure deception guy, below avg. stuff."

Despite his extensive collegiate experience, however, Roth has virtually no experience in professional baseball.  After being drafted in the 9th round in 2012, Roth threw just 22 innings in the Rookie-level Pioneer league after signing.  He made just one start this season, coming in Double-A, which was five scoreless innings.

The Angels have not said how they will use Roth, but MLB Depth Charts has him listed as a reliever, which makes sense, other than that he will be the third lefty in their bullpen.  Regardless of his role, "he won't be overwhelmed by the pressure, tweets J.J. Cooper of Baseball America.

Roth gets by primarily with deception in his delivery and, to this point, by being more advanced in his pitching approach than his college and low-minor league opponents.  He won't be able to outsmart major league hitters in the same manner, but his deception could allow him to be effective, especially against left-handed hitters and especially until the league gets used to seeing him.

Pacific Coast League Preview

Albuquerque (LAD)

Yasiel Puig is the big name but keep an eye on Chris Withrow as a potential bullpen arm who could be in the majors by the end of the season.  Watch Puig's plate discipline (not just walks, but his BB/K ratio) to see how ready he is for the majors.

Colorado Springs (COL)

Just like in the majors, it's all about offense in the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, with Nolan Arenado pushing Ryan Wheeler over to first base.  Arenado was beat out in spring training by Chris Nelson, but if he returns to his 2011 form, he should force his way to the majors by mid-season, no matter what Nelson is doing.

Memphis (SF)

Gary Brown could be up for a big offensive season, much like he had in the offensively similar California League in 2011.  The center fielder struggled last season as Richmond and has one last chance to prove that he's an everyday player and not a fourth outfielder.  Left-hander Mike Kickham leads the pitching staff after a strong season in Richmond in 2012.  He skipped the Cal League on his way through the Giants system, so this will be his first test in an extreme hittter's environment.

Iowa (CHC)

Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters are the names everyone knows and this is their final chance in the minors to prove they should be a part of the Cubs rebuilding process.  Both should be in the majors at some point this season, but both need to give the Cubs some reason to believe they can be regular players at the next level.

Las Vegas (NYM)

The new Mets affiliate are headlined by pitching phenom Zack Wheeler, who won't be in the desert for too long.  He should be in the majors by June.  The 51's also feature Travis d'Arnaud and Wilmer Flores, giving them the best collection of top prospects in the PCL.

Memphis (STL)

Oscar Taveras will be the best player in the PCL and will only be there as long as the Cardinals still have him blocked in the majors.  2012 first-rounder Michael Wacha could be close behind him, and should be the PCL's best pitcher once Wheeler joins the Mets.

Huntsville (MIL)

The Brewers system isn't deep, but Johnny Hellweg, who came over in last summer's Zack Greinke trade, is a flame thrower and almost made the Brewers bullpen out of spring training.  He'll work as a starter in the minors.

New Orleans (MIA)

The Zephyrs thought they were getting Jose Fernandez at some point this season, but instead will have to settle for Jacob Turner and Kyle Skipworth, which is not a close consolation prize.  Christian Yelich will join them eventually, but not yet.

Oklahoma City (HOU)

Jarred Cosart, Rudy Owens and Paul Clemens highlight a rotation of prospects the Astros have acquired over the past two seasons, while the lineup is led by Robbie Grossman, Marc Krauss and Jonathan Villar.  None of these players were drafted by the Astros, a testament to their rebuilding process, but none are high-end prospects.

Omaha (KC)

Once a Triple-A team that could almost rival the worst big league teams, Omaha now features midling prospects like Christian Colon and Chris Dwyer.

Reno (ARI)

Tyler Skaggs didn't make the Diamondbacks roster this spring, which is a gain for the Aces rotation that will also feature Randall Delgado, Charles Brewer and Chase Anderson.

Round Rock (TEX)

The headliner is Jurickson Profar, but he'll be flanked by Mike Olt in the lineup and Justin Grimm on the mound.  Profar could also be spending the majority of his time at second base now that the Rangers have locked Elvis Andrus up long term.

Sacramento (OAK)

Sonny Gray and Grant Green give the RIver Cats a pair of first rounders still trying to gain some traction within the A's organization.  Either could move quick if they have success or they could spend the whole season in the PCL.

Salt Lake (LAA)

The least prospect-laden team in the PCL offers Kole Calhoun in the outfield, but even he could be in the majors soon.

Tacoma (SEA)

There are prospects galore on the Rainers roster, including Danny Hultzen and Erasmo Ramirez in the rotation and Nick Franklin in the middle infield.  Taijuan Walker and Mike Zunino should both be there at some point as well.

Tucson (SD)

Jaff Decker continues to try to defy expectations, but needs to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2012 season.  Brad Boxberger will stay sharp in the bullpen until he's needed in the majors.