MLB Prospect Watch

Link: Home to 1st Times from AFL

Adam Foster over at Project Prospect has posted home to 1st times for all of the hitters he scouted in the Arizona Fall League, along with the scouting rubric used by Major League Baseball to determine the 20-80 speed rankings on the scouting scale.  As Adam warns, take the data and its small sample size with a grain of salt, but it's interesting information to see nonetheless.

LinkL Interview with Mike Leake

Adam Foster of Project Prospect has an entertaining interview with Cincinnati Reds first-rounder Mike Leake about his time in the Arizona Fall League, his adjustment to being a professional, his style of pitching and his general cocky attitude.  It's a very interesting piece that's worth a look.

Link: Cubs' Prospects' Fall Performances

Matt Swain over at the blog Wrigley Bound gives out his grades for the Chicago Cubs prospects who participated in the Arizona Fall League.  Players include:

• Starlin Castro
• Andrew Cashner
• John Gaub
• Blake Parker
• Josh Vitters
• James Russell
• Wellington Castillo
• Mike Brenley

Link: Tabata Impresses in AFL

Jose Tabata, acquired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2008, had a strong 2009 regular season and an even stronger showing in the Arizona Fall League, putting him on a possible track for a 2010 debut in Pittsburgh, reports Chuck Finder of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Tabata has been playing primarily center field lately, but is likely slated to move to a corner spot due to Andrew McCutchen's presence in center field for the foreseeable future in Pittsburgh.

Link: Velocity Data from the Arizona Fall League

J.J. Cooper from Baseball America has some cool data (thanks to Pitch F/X data set up in the stadiums) on the velocity of pitchers in the Arizona Fall League.  We've read all the scouting reports, but it's nice to see all the pitchers stacked up against one another with the raw data.