After a four-day trip to Arizona for spring training that resulted in lots of info and networking but little time for writing, it's time to get caught up on all the prospects that have been sent out of their respective major league camps. As always, you can track all of the prospect movement from spring training here.
- Despite some rumors that they were considering keeping him in the majors, the Tigers have sent top prospect Nick Castellanos down to the minors, notes BlessYouBoys.com. The reasoning that's been given has been so that Castellanos can work on his outfield defense, and it's likely that that's the team's plan as they enter the season with a platoon situation in left field and Castellanos has shifted to the position in the minors as a way to get his bat in the lineup. As I've stated before, however, I'm not nearly as high on Castellanos as many are and believe that the Tigers may be best suited sending him to the minors to continue to raise his trade value then trade him for solutions to their holes either in the outfield or in their bullpen.
- The Rangers have stated all spring that they don't want to keep their top prospects in the majors unless they have playing time for them, and they held true to that statement when they optioned Mike Olt to the minors, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com. Olt will head to Triple-A, where he has yet to appear, and will see time at both third base and right field.
- As planned, Billy Hamilton was optioned to the minors, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Reds had said before the beginning of Spring Training that Hamilton would start the 2013 season in Triple-A, and a crowded outfield made that almost a certainty, even if Hamilton had wowed the Reds' brass this spring. Instead, Hamilton struggled at the plate and battled a leg injury, making the decision even easier than it already was. Hamilton has world-class speed, but is learning to play center field and still needs work at the plate. He should spend the majority of the season in Triple-A with a possible late-season call-up in mind as a pinch-runner in the playoffs, should the Reds make it that far.
- With neither having played above A-ball, there was no chance for either Javier Baez or Jorge Soler to make the Cubs roster this spring, but both are leaving a strong camp behind them, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. Baez was re-assigned to minor league camp while Soler was optioned to High-A Daytona of the Florida State League.
