Josh Prince is having a breakout fall in the Arizona Fall League, and as Tom Haudricourt of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel points out, much of it could have to do with the fact that he's healthy for the first time in nearly three years.
Prince, whom the Milwaukee Brewers moved to center field this season, was drafted as a shortstop and while he probably won't be able to play there full-time, his experience there could make him quite valuable as a utility man down the road, a role he is most likely to fill. He's not a strong enough hitter to be a starter, at least to the point he has developed thus far, but he's got enough pop and plate discipline that, combined with his ability to fill in at up-the-middle positions will give him value.
A bench player that handle shortstop or center field is a valuable piece of a roster, and if one player can handle both, it provides extra roster flexibility. It's the only reason the Phillies kept Michael Martinez in the major leagues for the better part of the last two years, and Prince is a better hitter than Martinez. The only question will be whether or not he can even handle shortstop well-enough to play there part time, or if he ends up being a center field/third base type utility man in the mold of a player like Robert Andino or Brent Lillibridge. In fact, Lillibridge may be a good comparison.
The Brewers will have to add him to the 40-man roster in order to protect him this winter, but if they don't, he could be selected in the Rule V draft, having already spent an entire season in Double-A. He's already 24-years-old and is impressing scouts in the AFL, so there will almost certainly be a team that would give him a shot to make their team in spring training next season, especially one that is looking for depth on the bench (almost everyone).
But it's unlikely that he goes unprotected after his strong AFL performance. The Brewers used one of their AFL spots on him, meaning they obviously value him, and it's unlikely they would have wasted a spot on him if they weren't planing on protecting him. He will likely be protected and sent to Triple-A to start the 2013 season and could be a call-up if his abilities are needed on the major league roster.
