MLB Prospect Watch

Rangers Promote Jurickson Profar, Won't Play Him Everyday

The inevitable happened over the weekend.  The Texas Rangers sustained an injury, this one to second baseman Ian Kinsler, and top prospect Jurickson Profar was called up to take his place.

But leave it up to Ron Washington to not use him.

Expectations need to be tempered for Profar, not because he's not talented or worthy of being the top prospect in the game, but because what Mike Trout and Bryce Harper did last season was historic, and should not be the new expectation for all top prospects.  But despite that caveat, however, Profar should be a considerably better player than Leury Garcia, especially at the plate.

Yet Profar is set to split time with Garcia during his stint in the majors, according to Jeff Wilson of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram who quotes Washington on the matter.

There is no telling how long Profar will be with the Rangers.  Kinsler is on the 15-day DL and shouldn't have any issues returning in two weeks, meaning Profar's stint in the majors could have a two-week shelf life from its outset.

But why would Profar not play every day during those two weeks?

The Rangers justification for starting Profar in the minors this season was that they didn't want him to be in the majors unless he was going to play every day, and this was the correct philosophy to take.  There was no sense in letting him rot on a major league bench when he could be playing every day in Triple-A.  But the situation has changed, and there are at-bats for Profar for the next two weeks.  How could he possibly lose any of them to Leury Garcia?

Garcia is a nice player, but he's a utility man at the major league level, which is why the Rangers had no problem keeping him in the majors without a place to play every day but did not want to do the same to Profar's development.  No offense to Garcia, but he's not the same type of player as Profar, who is a cornerstone of their future.  If Profar is going to be in the majors, he needs to play every day.

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.

Prospect Action - 5/3/12

Triple-A

• Allen Webster, back in the minors after a major league spot start, earned his first win of the season, as the Red Sox prospect struck out nine over six innings of work, says Jonathan Raymond of MiLB.com.
• James Paxton struck out nine batters in five innings and the Mariners left-hander retired the first 13 batters he faced, reports T.J. Cotterill of The Tacoma News Tribune.
• Michael Kickham struck out eight over 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball on Friday, notes Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.  The Giants left-hander entered the game having allowed at least five runs in each of his previous three starts.
• Kyle Gibson's inconsistencies continued on Friday as the Twins prospect continued to alternate strong starts with poor ones, allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings in his latest outing.
• Joey Terdoslavich continued his hot hitting this season, as the Braves prospect, playing right field on Friday, went 3-for-4 with a home run.

Double-A

• George Springer had another hot day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, the ninth blast of the season for the Astros outfielder.  Springer is now hitting .305/.402/.638 on the season.
• A 1-for-5 day at the plate left Xander Bogaerts still hitting .303 on the season, and the Red Sox shortstop hit his second home run of the year in the game.
• Alex Wood made it just four innings before reaching his 85-pitch limit for the night, but he did strike out seven batters in the process.

High-A

• A.J. Cole tossed a gem on Friday, striking out nine over six innings of shutout baseball for his first win of the season.  Cole is back in the Nationals organization after being traded for Gio Gonzalez, but was returned in the Mike Morse three-team trade.
• Noah Syndergaard was strong again, allowing just a run over six innings while striking out five.  The Mets right-hander now sports a 2.90 ERA on the season.
• Nolan Fontana put together a four-hit night and is now hitting .384 on the season.  The Astros shortstop is hitting .514 over the past ten games and has a .515 on-base percentage on the season. 

Low-A

• Rock Shoulders, America's favorite prospect name, hit his sixth home run of the season.  The Cubs first base prospect is now hitting .366/.449/.656 on the season, his first in full-season ball.
• Joey Gallo hit his 10th home run of the season as part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate.  The Rangers third baseman has now homered in back-to-back games and is now leading the South Atlantic League in home runs.

Prospect Action - 5/2/13

Triple-A

• Sean Gilmartin has been very sharp lately, and the Braves was at it again on Thursday, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning before allowing three runs in 6 2/3 innings to take his first loss of the season, according to Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.
• Oscar Taveras hit his third home run of the season, as the Cardinals outfielder is how hitting .313 on the season.
• Mike Zunino and Nick Franklin weren't able to join in the offensive party with their Mariners teammates on Thursday, as both went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts each.  Franklin, playing shortstop on this night, has been the subject of promotion rumors given the Mariners offensive struggles this season in the majors and his red-hot start.
• Jonathan Villar had a huge day at the plate, as the Astros shortstop prospect went 4-for-4 with a home run, reports Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.  Villar is now hitting .442 over his past 10 games and is in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak.

Double-A

• Jameson Taillon allowed at least three runs for the third straight start, although this time out, just two of them were earned.  Taillon was able to strike out six batters in as many innings, but took the loss in the outing, the third of the year for the Pirates right-hander.
• In a somewhat unlikely pitcher's duel, Yankees lefty Nik Turley struck out eight over six innings of one-run baseball to defeat Blue Jays right-hander Deck McGuire, who allowed just two runs over six innings of his own.  Both pitchers entered the game with ERA's over 5.00.
• It took Anthony Ranaudo 85 pitches to get though 5 1/3 innings before being removed due to the Red Sox pitch limit restrictions, but during his time in the game, he managed to allow just one run while striking out four.
• Archie Bradley appeared to have no trouble making the transition to Double-A, as the Diamondbacks through a six-inning complete game in a shortened contest, striking out seven batters in six innings and allowing just one run.  Bradley, recently promoted to Mobile, has battled control issues last season, but has showed much improvement this year and walked just two in his first start at his new level.
• Yasiel Puig hit his fifth home run of the season, but it wasn't enough run support for fellow Dodgers prospect Chris Reed, who got roughed up in the start, allowing six runs in 4 2/3 innings.

High-A

• Aaron Sanchez was dominant on Wednesday, striking out six batters and allowing just one run in 3 2/3 innings. Sanchez has been good again this season and now has a 3.16 ERA and a 2.54 FIP on the year.
• Marlins pitcher Jose Urena got hit around in his latest start, allowing six runs (five earned) in five innings of work, but still managed to earn a win.
• Sam Selman, the Royals second-round pick last year, struggled again, allowing five runs (four earned) in 3 2/3 innings of work.  The left-hander is walking too many batters, having now allowed 18 free passes in 21 innings.

Low-A

• Byron Buxton hit his fifth home run of the season as the Twins prospect continues to dominate the Midwest League.  The second overall pick from last season is now hitting .388/.509/.694 on the season and could earn himself a promotion in the next month. 
• Joey Gallo hit his ninth home run of the season and fellow Rangers teammate Lewis Brinson hit fifth en route to a 6-3 victory.