MLB Prospect Watch

BA Prospect Hot Sheet - 6/1/12

Baseball America released their weekly hot sheet yesterday, with a familiar name sitting atop of it for the first time.  Here are this week's winners:

• Jesus Aguilar (CLE)
• Tyler Austin (NYY)
• Clayton Blackburn (SF)
• Cody Buckel (TEX)
• Orlando Calixte (KC)
• Andrew Chafin (ARI)
• Kaleb Cowart (LAA)
• Keury de la Cruz (BOS)
• Travis d'Arnaud (TOR)
• Adam Duvall (SF)
• Jose Fernandez (MIA)
• Wilmer Flores (NYM)
• Alen Hanson (PIT)
• Miles Head (OAK)
• Juan Jaime (ATL)
• Tyler Matzek (COL)
• Mike Olt (TEX)
• Chris Parmelee (MIN)
• Kyle Skipworth (MIA)
• Trevor Story (COL)
• Allen Webster (LAD)
• Zack Wheeler (NYM)

This week's not-hot list includes A's OF Grant Green, Brewers P Taylor Jungmann, Diamondbacks P Archie Bradley, and Cardinals P Tyrell Jenkins.

As we near the mid-point of the season, our standings are beginning to take shape.  We update our standings on the sidebar on the right-hand side of the page each week to form a Player of the Year-type ranking for the entire minor leagues.  We assign 15 points for coming in first on the list each week, 14 points for second, and so on.  The "In the Team Photo" players get two points, while the Helium Watch and Man Among Boys get a point apiece each week.  The Not So Hot list loses one point.

It's not the most scientific way to rank players, but it does provide a good snapshot for which prospects are having the best seasons.  Plus, it's fun.

 

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 - 5/21/12

Triple-A

• Tom Koehler turned in his shortest outing of the season, says Tim Grubbs of NOLA.com, as the Marlins pitching prospect allowed eight runs in 2 1/3 innings.
• Mike Montgomery took his first loss of the season, allowing three runs in six innings of work while fanning four.
• Shelby Miller got hit hard on Monday, giving up seven runs (four earned) without getting out of the fourth inning, as the Cardinals prospect took his third loss of the season as his ERA rose to 4.30 on the year.

Double-A

• Jean Segura went 2-for-5 with three RBI's in support of fellow Angels prospect Ariel Pena, who struck out eight over six innings, reports Danny Wild of MiLB.com.
• Jonathan Villar had a night on Monday that makes it look like his bat is catching up with his glove, says Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com, as the shortstop prospect went 4-for-5 with two RBI's and a stolen base.
• Ethan Martin continues his bounceback season, notes Jim Shonerd of Baseball America, as the Dodgers righty allowed just two hits over five scoreless innings on Monday night.

High-A

• Greg Billo has struggled this season since the Royals mandated that he pocked his best pitch - his slider - in order to get more work with his other pitches, but he was allowed to use it again on Monday night and he tossed seven shutout innings as a result, notes Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.
• Anthony Ranaudo struggled in his first Double-A start, allowing just three hits in 4 2/3 innings, but five walks by the Red Sox prospect allowed led to five earned runs, says Kevin Thomas of The Portland Press Herald.
• Andrew Chafin won't let himself fade into the depths of the Diamondbacks pitching prospects, writes Jim Shonerd of Baseball America, as the lefty struck out 12 over seven innings in his latest start.
• Rays OF Mike Mahtook hit his first home run of the season, notes David Heck of MiLB.com.

Low-A

• Luke Jackson turned in a stellar performance in the first game of a double header, as the Rangers pitching prospect struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings, according to Mark Parker of The Hickory Daily Record.
• Nick Castellanos continued his hot hitting, as the Tigers third base prospect drove in the game-winning run in the 10th inning on Monday, reports The [Lakeland] Ledger.
• Delino DeShields, Jr. was the difference in the game for his Astros teammates on Monday night, as the second base prospect scored two runs, one after a single and one after a walk and a steal, in what turned out to be a one-run victory, says Lexington Herald-Ledger.

Other

• Javier Baez is still in extended spring training with the Cubs, but it's not for lack of performance, as the shortstop prospect blasted two more homers, giving him eight in 24 EST games, reports TheCubReporter.com.

 

Prospect Action - 5/20/12

Triple-A

• Giants prospect Nick Noonan blasted two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in eight runs, writes Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.
• Clint Robinson's three-run double wasn't enough for him and his Royals teammates to pull out a victory on Sunday, says Mike Curto of The [Tacoma] News-Tribune.
• Cardinals prospect Joe Kelly gave up four runs in five innings on nine hits, including two apiece to Blue Jays prospects Travis d'Arnaud and Adeiny Hechavarria.

Double-A

• Back in the starting rotation, Tim Alderson is once again having success, as the Pirates prospect threw seven shutout innings, reports The Erie Times-News.
• Jonathan Pettibone got plenty of run support from fellow Phillies prospects Tyson Gillies, Jiwan James, and others, en route to picking up his third win of the season, says The Hartford Courant.
• Barret Loux earned his ninth-straight victory, giving him the minor league lead, but fellow Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar saw his 29-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday, according to Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.

High-A

• Indians prospect Ronny Rodriguez homered, notes Luke Erickson of NationalsProspects.com.
• David Holmberg was dominant on Sunday, as the Diamondbacks lefty threw seven scoreless innings while striking out nine, writes David Heck of MiLB.com.
• Garrett Gould earned his first win of the season, as the Dodgers prospect threw six innings, allowing two earned runs and fanning four, lowering his ERA on the season to 4.80.

Low-A

• Now that the Orioles are letting Dylan Bundy pitch into the fifth inning, he's able to pick up wins, which he did on Sunday, earning his first victory after allowing just one hit over five more shutout innings, says Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.
• Mets pitching prospect Rafael Montero turned in one of the best starts of his career, throwing six shutout innings, notes Pentis.

 

Moving On Up - May 13-20

New MLB Prospect Watch Contributor Jeffrey Snedden has his first edition of a new weekly feature that will look at players getting their first taste of big league action, as well as those prospects that are "graduating" or have graduated from prospect status in the past week.  This feature is scheduled to run on Monday mornings.

First off, I want to thank Jeff Moore for the opportunity to contribute here at mlbprospectwatch.com, and I hope to be able to provide interesting content to all of our readers each week.  You can follow me on Twitter @jeffsnedden or on Facebook if you want to read more of my sports writing around the interwebs.

Without further ado, the May 13-20 version of Moving On Up 

The Boston Red Sox called up 1B Mauro Gomez from AAA-Pawtucket of the IL on May 13.  He has just 2 plate appearances thus far and has yet to record a hit.

Former 1^st round pick of the San Francisco Giants (51^st-2007), 2B Charlie Culberson was called up to the big club on May 13.  He has thus far played in five game, racking up 19 plate appearances.  He has two hits and drove in a run.  His call-up came on the heels of a .284/.320/.496 start at AAA-Fresno of the PCL.

3B Mike Costanzo was called up to the Cincinnati Reds on May 13 to fortify the bench for interleague play.  The 28-year old former Phillies farmhand got his first taste of major league action, hitting .143 in nine plate appearances.  He got his first ML hit and drove in two runs during his first week.

The Baltimore Orioles, surprise leaders of the A.L. East, called up OF Xavier Avery from AAA-Norfolk of the IL on May 13.  The 22-year old prospect immediately played a big part in this week’s Orioles action, appearing in seven games and hitting .286 with three doubles, a triple, and five runs scored.  After only a partial season at AAA, he will fill in for injured Nolan Reimold and Endy Chavez.

The Washington Nationals called up C Sandy Leon from AA-Harrisburg of the EL on May 14, only to see him get injured in his first big league game and head to the DL.  Once healthy, he should be sent back down to the minors.

The Los Angeles Dodgers called up INF Elian Herrera from AAA-Albuquerque of the PCL after hitting .358 in 28 games there.  He played in four games for the Dodgers this week and hit .222 with 2 hits in 9 at-bats, including two K’s.  He could see some extended playing time with four Dodgers starters on the DL currently.

The Philadelphia Phillies called up RP Jake Diekman from AAA-Lehigh Valley of the IL on May 15.  Diekman was the Phillies 30^th round pick in the 2007 Amateur Draft.  He came away with a win in his first ML appearance, and could be turned to as a late-inning option with the Phillies bullpen having all types of problems getting to closer Jonathan Papelbon.

P Blake Parker of the Chicago Cubs was called up on May 17 from AAA-Iowa of the PCL.  He pitched in two games for the Cubs before a hamstring injury on Saturday shelved him for an indefinite time.  The Cubs are going all-out with their youth movement, and Parker is one of the young pitchers they want to see a lot of in 2012.

The Toronto Blue Jays called up 3B Yan Gomes from AAA-Las Vegas of the PCL on May 17.  Gomes has played in three games for the Jays and hit a blistering .375 in his first big league time, with 3 hits and a home run in 10 plate appearances.  Gomes is the first Brazilian-born player in the history of MLB.

The Cubs also called up C Blake Lalli from AAA-Iowa of the PCL on May 18.  He secured his first ML plate appearance and seems to be ticketed back to the minors quickly as the Cubs re-evaluate their roster.

Players who are graduating from “prospect status” this coming week as they cross the ML thresholds for rookie status are as follows:

NYM OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis now has 151 ML plate appearances, so he is now officially no longer a prospect.

PHI 2B/SS Freddy Galvis is over the 130-plate appearance limit and is no longer a prospect.

ATL SS Tyler Pastornicky will hit the 130 plate appearance mark this weekend, officially making this his rookie campaign.

OAK OF Yoenis Cespedes is nearing the 130 plate appearance mark and by weeks end will be longer be considered a prospect – if he ever was considered one.

These players will be eligible for Rookie of the Year and no longer considered prospects.

Soon to be followed by WASH OF Bryce Harper, who should hit the threshold by the end of May.

That is all for this week, I’ll be back next Sunday with another edition of Moving On Up.