MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Promotions - Allie, Franco, Quackenbush

Allie Headed to Florida

Not only has Stetson Allie re-established himself as a legitimate prospect, but the pitcher-turned-first baseman has earned a mid-season promotion, reports Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com.  Allie will join the Bradenton Mauraders of the High-A Florida State League.

The Pirates converted Allie into a position player last season after severe control issues limited his effectiveness on the mound.  He's found a home at first base, and in his first full season as a hitter, he hit .324/.414/.607 with 17 home runs in 66 South Atlantic League games.  He's due for some regression, as a player of his stature - he rotund, to be kind - is unlikely to keep up his .413 BABIP.  Still, his .283 ISO is a strong demonstration of his power potential.

As a 22-year-old getting a late start as a hitter, it's good to see Allie take to the batter's box quickly, and it's good to see the Pirates demonstrate a willingness to promote him as he proves his worth.  The biggest question going forward will be about his ability to make contact.  The 27.7 percent strikeout rate he posted in Low-A ball is slightly alarming, even for a power hitter, but strikeouts are on the rise and becoming more and more acceptable, so it's possible that his power could get a chance to play even if his strikeout numbers become extreme as he moves up the Pirates organizational ladder.

 

Franco to Upper Minors

The breakout year for Maikel Franco has taken perhaps its biggest step, as the Phillies have promoted their third base prospect to Double-A Reading, according to Matt Winks of PhuturePhillies.com.  Franco leaves High-A Clearwater behind having hit .299/.347/.576 in his first taste of the Florida State League, almost doubling his ISO from last season while also lowering his strikeout rate.  His walk rate could stand to be higher than the 6.9 percent it's been last year and this season, but it's a good sign to see it at least stay at the same level despite the onset of more power.

Franco turns 21 this summer so he'll be young for the Eastern League, and it should serve as a good test for his development.  The mid-season move could speed up his timetable, not for this year, but for a possible mid-to-late season call-up in 2014.

 

Quackenbush on the Doorstep

Players drafted out of college as relievers have the potential to move quickly through the minors, and that's exactly what's happening to Kevin Quackenbush, who the Padres have promoted to Triple-A, reports Corey Brock of MLB.com.  His most recent promotion is just the latest attempt by the Padres to find a level of the minors that provides a challenge to the former South Florida Bull.

Quackenbush has posted a career 12.8 K/9 rate across minor league levels high and low while also demonstrating good control.  Additionally, the only stint at any level that resulted in an ERA over 1.00 was his time in the Arizona Fall League last season, where he struck out 16 batters in 11 innings to the tune of a 2.45 ERA.

Quackenbush has certainly been the benefactor of some good luck, including astronomical strand rates, but his swing-and-miss stuff is undeniable and with his latest promotion, he's just one step away from a call-up to the majors.  With the Padres working themselves back into contention, Quackenbush could be a potential piece to add later this summer.

Prospect Action - 6/13/13

Triple-A

• Giants right-hander Chris Heston turned in a rare minor league complete game, striking out nine in the scoreless outing while allowing just five hits, writes Brandon Simes of MiLB.com.
• Zack Wheeler was dominant in what is expected to be his final start in the minor leagues, says Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.  The Mets right-hander, who is slated to start in the majors next week, tossed 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball while striking out seven.
• As the Tigers continue to have issues at the back of their major league bullpen, Bruce Rondon continues to dominate Triple-A, collecting his 11th save on Thursday and lowering his ERA to 0.74 on the season.

Double-A

• After seeing Xander Bogaerts receive a promotion to Triple-A, Anthony Ranaudo turned in the best start of his strong season making a case for a promotion of his own, notes Kevin Thomas of The Portland Press Herald.  The Red Sox right-hander struck out 13 batters over 7 2/3 innings of two hit baseball to advance to 7-1 on the season.
• Zach Lee took a hard-luck loss, dropping to 5-4 on the season despite allowing just two runs over six strong innings while striking out eight.  The only mistake the Dodgers prospect made was a home run allowed to Brewers outfielder Kentrail Davis, which proved to be the difference.
• Jonathan Singleton was perfect at the plate on Thursday, reaching base all five times including a pair of home runs.  The Astros prospect provided all the run support needed for Nick Tropeano, who turned in five innings of one-run baseball.

High-A

• Francisco Martinez, now back with the Tigers organization, hit a two-run home run, notes David Yates of The Lakeland Ledger.  It's the second blast in nine games since returning to the Tigers after having been dropped off the 40-man roster by the Mariners.  Martinez was originally a member of the Tigers organization but was sent to the Mariners in the 2011 Doug Fister trade.
• Jason Martinson put up the top performance of the day as the Nationals outfield prospect blasted three home runs in support of teammate A.J. Cole, who struck out 10 in seven innings of work, notes Emrich.
• Phillies third base prospect Maikel Franco homered again, giving him 15 on the season as he continues to emerge as one of the top prospects in their system.

Low-A

• Michael Ynoa is still healthy and still pitching, as the A's right-hander threw five scoreless innings while striking out five to earn his second win of the season on Thrusday.
• Rangers third base prospect Joey Gallo continues to blast home runs, hitting his 21st of the season, but he's also hitting more consistently, going 3-for-4 with a double as well to raise his batting average to .245 on the year.
• Byron Buxton went just 1-for-5 (to lower his batting average to .343!) but the Twins prospect did hit his eighth home run of the year in the game.

Prospect Promotions: Colome, Hernandez, Bradley Jr.

Rays Switch Out Pitching Prospects

Update 5/30/13, 9:30 a.m.:  The Rays have announced that Colome will start on Thursday, according to Jeremy Warnemuende of MLB.com.  They will push Matt Moore back in the rotation and give Alex Cobb some extra time to recover from a cracked fingernail. 

Original Post:  The Tampa Bay Rays were in need of an additional bullpen arm for the middle portion of this week, so the team optioned starter Jake Odorizzi to the minors after just one major league start and promoted Alex Colome, notes Bill Chastain of MLB.com.  

Colome has worked primarily as a starting pitcher throughout his minor league career and exclusively in that role this season, but he will likely be needed out of the bullpen at some point this week, making him unlikely to take Odorizzi's next start on Saturday.  Odorizzi can't be called back up to the majors until the 10-day waiting period is passed, making Chris Archer the most likely candidate to make the start.

It's times like these when the Rays pitching depth becomes a huge benefit to the organization.  Every team needs to call up additional pitchers at various times during the season, but few have the depth to continually funnel prospects as talented as Odorizzi, Archer and Colome back and forth between Triple-A and the majors in consistently ensure fresh arms on their staff.

 

Hernandez Makes Debut

WIth Michael Young heading to the major league bereavement list, the Phillies have called up infield prospect Cesar Hernandez, reports Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  Hernandez has played second base almost exclusively during his time in the Phillies organization, and Freddy Galvis and Kevin Frandsen will slide over to take Young's place at third base.

Hernandez doesn't offer a lot of projection for the Phillies.  As a right-handed infielder largely limited to second base (the Phillies tried him at shortstop early in his career), he's limited off the bench.  Offensively, he offers little power or patience at the plate, but has shown a propensity for hitting near .300.  He's also had trouble staying on the field, but as a player who is already on the 40-man roster and is out of options next spring, it's good for the Phillies to see what they have in him.  Of course, his stay could be short, as bereavement stints are typically between 3-7 days, depending on the situation.

Hernandez got a pinch-hit appearance on Wednesday night and, in fitting in with his new Phillies teammates, was retired after a one-pitch at-bat.

 

Bradley, Jr. Returns to Boston

After a rough start to the season in the majors, Jackie Bradley, Jr. went back to Triple-A to get his head straight.  In 20 games with Triple-A Pawtucket, he put up numbers similar to what he did in spring training to make the team in the first place, hitting .354/.457/.544.  Bradley has been recalled to Boston, but as Scott Lauber of The Boston Herald points out, the stay could be as brief as the Red Sox stay in a National League city.

As with most top prospects, it only makes sense for the Red Sox to keep Bradley around in the majors if he's going to play.  With Shane Victorino coming off the DL soon, the Red Sox outfield will soon be too crowded for Bradley to get regular playing time.

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 Injury Update - Taillon, Biddle, Buckel, Olt

Taillon Leaves Under Own Power

Jameson Taillon was forced out of his start on Tuesday after being struck on the shin by a come-backer, says Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com.  Taillon walked off the field under his own power, but was unable to finish the game.  There is no word on whether or not the injury will affect his next start.

There is no need for the Pirates to rush Taillon back if there is any possibility that an injury could alter his mechanics, which can sometimes lead to arm injuries.  Taillon is not in line for a call-up any time soon (his earliest ETA would be for a September call-up, but even that is a slim possibility), and with the 7-day disabled list as an option in the minor leagues, it would be easy to push his next start back a few days if needed.

 

Biddle Has Excuse for Last Start

After being dominant in two straight starts, Jesse Biddle struggled badly his last time out on Saturday, facing seven batters and walking four of them.  But as PhuturePhillies.com points out, Biddle was badly under the weather during the start.

It was the first time that Biddle failed to throw at least six innings this season, but apparently he had an excuse, relieving the knee-jerk reactionary panic of Phillies fans everywhere over the outing.  In hindsight, the struggle may have been a blessing in disguise, as the Phillies had a spot in their major league rotation open up just a few days later and Biddle's poor start helped squash the call from fans to inexplicably jump the organization's top prospect to the majors.

 

Olt Injured, Buckel Battling Himself

Mike Olt, the Rangers third base prospect who was the centerpiece of trade rumors this off-season, has now missed almost two weeks of time with vision problems and still has no diagnosis, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  Olt was hitting just .139 through 20 games this season, which is understandable if he couldn't see the baseball.  There is no timetable for his return to the field, but it should be at least another week or two until doctors are able to get to the root of the problem.

While Olt's injury is mysterious, at least he's actually injured.  Pitching prospect Cody Buckel has been sent to extended spring training to help correct his control issues, but the team insists he is not injured and that the issues are mental.  Buckel has walked 28 batters in 9 1/3 innings this season.

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These types of prospect issues help to illustrate why organizational depth is so important, and why I focus on more than just the top prospects in each system.  The Rangers are a great example of this importance, and despite issues to Buckel and Olt, and an injury to Martin Perez, the Rangers have still been able to fill their rotation with a pair of rookie starters in Nick Tepesch and Justin Grimm.  Jurickson Profar gets all of the attention, but it's their depth that has kept them competitive despite the loss of free agents over the years.