MLB Prospect Watch

Making Moves - 4/28

Today's moves would like to wish the best of luck and continued recovery to Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland, who was released from the hospital yesterday after undergoing brain surgery earlier this year, according to Larry Millson of MLB.com.  He will continue his recovery at home and we look forward to reporting on his return to the field down the road.

• With the Giants reportedly facing the tough decision of whether or not they should recall top prospect Buster Posey to help jolt the club's lineup, Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle offers a suggestion for how the team should make their decision.
• In Rockies news, pitching prospect Jhoulys Chacin was promoted to the majors and will get the start on Sunday, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com.  Chacin was with the team yesterday, and got an inning of mop-up work, recording 2 strikeouts in the process.  Also in the lineup yesterday was recently recalled 2B/OF Eric Young, Jr. in what Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies called "a very different lineup."  The shake-up worked, as Young went 2-for-4 and the Rockies scored 12 runs.
• New York Mets' prospect Fernando Martinez is banged up again, this time with a lower back strain, according to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com.  Martinez is day-to-day.
• Drew Storen is back from a bout with strep throat, but Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com explains why the Nationals will still be waiting before they call him up.  Here's a hint:  it has to do with money.
• The St. Louis Cardinals have sent C Bryan Anderson back down to Triple-A.  Anderson was 2-for-7 with a double in his brief stint with the team.

Prospect Potent Potables - 4/20

You'd better clear your schedule before you sit down to read this batch of links...

• Yadier Molina didn't get the night off after catching all 20 innings on Saturday, but he'll get a chance to rest today, as recently call-up catching prospect Bryan Anderson will start for the Cardinals, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
• Matt Eddy of Baseball America goes through the next crop of talented arms making its way through the Los Angeles Angels farm system, specifically:
• • Orangel Arenas
  • Pat Corbin
  • Tyler Kehrer
  • Fabio Martinez
  • Garrett Richards
  • Tyler Skaggs
• Nationals' top prospect Stephen Strasburg has lived up to the hype so far, notes Stephanie Storm of MLB.com, who also discusses Luis Perez's hot start.
• Jordan Lyles impressed the Astros so much last season that they jumped him all the way to Double-A as a 19-year-old, a move that has only happened a handful of times in the past decade, says Zachary Levine of Baseball America.
• Ike Davis had more riding on his debut than the outcome of a baseball game, as the entire Mets' fan base has embraced his promotion as the start of a new era, explains Bob Klapisch of the Bergen County Record.
• The Oakland A's have a glut of left-handed pitching stashed away in Double-A, the best of which may be Pedro Figueroa, says Todd Traub of MLB.com, who also discusses Rangers' prospect Blake Beavan's great start on Sunday.
• Fans have questions about the Blue Jays' newest acquisition, Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, and Jim Callis of Baseball America has answers.  Callis rates Hechavarria as the 6th best prospect in the Blue Jays farm system
• No one wants to pitch to Marlins' prospect Mike Stanton, reports Guy Curtright of MLB.com, and can you blame them?  Curtright also has updates on Brewers' catcher Jonathan Lucroy, Cubs' pitcher Andrew Cashner, and the Mariners' conversion to second base of Dustin Ackley.

Notable Prospect Performances - 4/15

Here are some note-worthy prospect recaps to enjoy to get your mind off those last-minute tax-preparations...

• Jake Arrieta has now gone two starts in Triple-A without giving up a run, notes Danny Wild of MLB.com.  Given the Orioles' struggles at the big league level, it may not be too long until Arrieta gets his call to Baltimore to join Brian Matusz in their starting rotation.  Matusz has been the lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal start to the Orioles' season, and R.J. Anderson of Fan Graphs.com has a breakdown of just how good he's been thus far.
• Andrew Cashner reached double-digits in strikeouts for the second straight game, reports MiLB.com.  This time, the Cubs' top pitching prospect took a no-hitter into the 7th inning.
• The Mets' are still debating how they should be using Jenrry Mejia, reports Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, despite the fact that they already have him in the majors.  Apparently not everyone in their front office thinks it's a good idea.  Of course, we could have told them that a month ago.
• The St. Louis Cardinals have promoted C prospect Bryan Anderson to the majors to fill in for the injured Jason LaRue as the backup to Yadier Molina, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  The move indicates a shift in the team's catching depth chart from Spring Training when Anderson was thought to be behind Matt Pagnozzi.
• Don't read anything into Austin Jackson's day off yesterday, as Tigers' manager Jim Leyland says Jackson will be back in the lineup tomorrow against Felix Hernandez, reports John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press.  So instead of facing Kyle Davies, the rookie Jackson gets to face King Felix.  Welcome to the bigs, Austin.  At least he still has his defense, which is also turning some heads, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.

Arizona Fall League Highlights from 10/13

The Arizona Fall League (AFL) kicked off yesterday and should once again provide us with a glimpse into the not to distant future of Major League Baseball.  Here are some of the highlights from Day 1:

• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim C Hank Conger went 3-5 with 3 RBI's leading the Mesa Solar Sox to a 10-6 victory over the Phoenix Desert Dogs.  Florida Marlins OF Mike Stanton chipped in as well, going 1-3 with 2 BB's and a SB in the win.   The Phoenix hitting attack was led by Baltimore Orioles 1B Brandon Snyder who was 2-5 with 2 RBI's and while Washington Nationals 1B Chris Marrerro also chipped in with a HR.
• The star in the Surprise Rafters 17-4 drubbing of Peoria Javelinas was New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, who led the Rafters with 6 RBI's and a HR as part of a 4-hit day.  St. Louis Cardinals C Bryan Anderson also had 3 hits and scored 3 runs for the Rafters, while New York Yankees P Ian Kennedy threw 4 innings, striking out 4 and giving up only 1 run.
• Atlanta Braves OF Jason Heyward picked up right where he left off, going 2-5 with a 2B in his AFL debut for the Peoria Saguaros, but it wasn't enough, as the Saguaros were defeated by the Scottsdale Scorpions by a score of 8-4.  The Scorpions hitting attack included a HR by Philadelphia Phillies OF Domonic Brown and 2 RBI's by San Francisco Giants SS Brandon Crawford.  The Saguaros did, however, receive two innings of work from Atlanta Braves P Mike Minor, the 7th overall pick in this year's draft.  Minor gave up one hit and 1 unearned run, while walking two.

Prospect Roundup - NL Central (4/10)

Chicago Cubs

• Triple A - Iowa
  • Jeff Samardzija (RP) - 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 K/2 BB 2 HR
• Double A - Tennessee
  • Tony Thomas (2B) - 1-4, R, RBI
• High A - Daytona
  • Tyler Colvin (DH) - 2-3, R, RBI, BB,
• Low A - Peoria
  • Josh Vitters (3B) - 0-3, R

Cincinnati Reds

• Triple A - Louisville
  • Drew Stubbs (CF) - 0-3, 2 BB
  • Chris Valaika (SS) - 0-4, K
• Double A - Carolina
  • Todd Frazier (LF) - 1-3, 2B, R, RBI, K
• High A - Sarasota
  • Yonder Alonso (1B) - 1-3, HR, 3 RBI
  • Alex Buchholz (SS) - 3-4, 2B, HR, 4 RB, 2 R
    

Houston Astros

• Triple A - Rock Round
  • Drew Sutton (2B) - 1-3, BB, R
  • Brian Bogusevic (CF) - 2-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K
  • Felipe Paulino (SP) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 6 K/3 BB
    
• Double A - Corpus Cristi
  • Collin DeLome (LF) - 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB
• High A - Lancaster
  • Jason Castro (C) - 1-5, 2B, K

Milwaukee Brewers

• Triple A - Nashville
  • Alcides Escobar (SS) - 1-3, R, RBI, 2 BB
  • Mat Gamel (3B) - 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, E
• Double A - Huntsville
  • Jeremy Jeffress (SP) - 3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB/2 K  
  • Jonathan Lucroy (C) - 2-3, HR, R, RBI
    
• High A - Brevard County
  • Logan Schafer (CF) - 0-4, 2 K
• Low A - Wisconsin
  • Cutter Dykstra (CF) - 1-4, K
  • Brett Lawrie (2B) - 0-4, R, K
  • Cody Scarpetta (SP) - 4 IP, 2 H, ER, 8 K/1 BB

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Triple A - Indianapolis
  • Andrew McCutchen (CF) - 2-4, 3B, R, RBI, BB, K
• Double A - Altoona
  • Jose Tabata (CF) - 1-4, R, BB
  • Daniel Moskos (RP) - 1 IP, 2 H, ER, K
• High A - Lynchburg
  • Pedro Alvarez (3B) - 3-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI
• Low A - West Virginia
  • Chase D'Arnaud (SS) - 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI

St. Louis Cardinals

• Triple A - Memphis
  • Bryan Anderson (C) - 1-3, R, BB
• Double A - Springfield
  • Brett Wallace (3B) - 4-5, 4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI
• High A - Palm Beach
  • Peter Kozma (SS) - 0-4, 2 K