MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Potent Potables - 8/11

• Jordan Lyles is slated to make his Triple-A debut tonight, but as Bryan Smith of FanGraphs.com argues, this should be his last promotion for the season.  Meanwhile, J.D. Martinez has been a nice surprise for the Astros after they selected the OF in the 20th round in 2009, and he continues to succeed in his first test against advanced pitching, batting .326/.404/.489 in 92 AB's in Double-A, reports Zachary Levine of the Houston Chronicle.
• The Braves have demoted OF prospect Cody Johnson back to High-A after 233 AB's and a .613 OPS in Double-A, reports TalkingChop.com.
• The Mariners are having a disappointing season at the major league level, but they have seen some positive performances at the lower levels of the minors from Latin American players like George Mieses, Richard Vargas, and Ramon Morla, says Conor Glassey of Baseball America (subscription required).
• Tim Alderson still has a long road ahead of him in trying to work out his mechanical flaws before the Pirates can even consider him as a part of their future, says Dejan Kovacevic for Baseball America.  Meanwhile, Tim WIlliams of PiratesProspects.com asks whether or not Chase D'Arnaud is the team's shortstop of the future.
• Vance Worley may have been sent down by the Phillies, but he was only sent to Triple-A rather than back to Double-A where he was promoted from, so the final result felt like a promotion, says Jim Salisbury for Baseball America.
• Ray Parrillo of the Philadelphia Inquirer breaks down the long journey of Angels' prospect Mike Trout, from South Jersey high school star to top prospect in all of baseball.

Prospect Potent Potables - 6/23

• No one can question Cody Johnson's raw power, but many wonder if the Braves' prospect will ever make enough contact to be a major league hitter, says Guy Curtright of MiLB.com.
• Trey McNutt's increased success can be attributed to the increased velocity on his fastball, and from learning how to pitch before he had it, says J.J. Cooper of Baseball America.
• Given the Royals' abysmal offense, it's hard to believe they haven't given Kila Ka'aihue more of a chance in the majors, given the big first baseman's penchant for not making outs, notes Chris Jackson of MiLB.com.
• Despite being in the midst of a breakout season, Jonathan Singleton is saying all the right things about taking his time progressing through the minors, according to Tyler Dunne of the Philadelphia Daily News.  Dunne also discusses the winding road that brought Jarred Cosart into the Phillies' organization, and the maturity the young righty has shown since becoming a pro.
• Pirates' catching prospect Tony Sanchez, a 2009 first-round draft pick, was struck in the face with a pitch, says Tim Williams of BuccoFans.com.  It is the second time this month Sanchez has been hit in the head with a pitch, but according to Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the injury is not serious.
• Ryan Lavarnway has made great strides defensively as a catcher this season, and his game behind the plate is catching up to his already solid ability in the batter's box, reports Katrina Waugh of the Roanoke Times.
• Tim Beckham's progression through the Rays' system has been far from smooth, but he's showing more and more flashes of the potential that made him the first overall pick two years ago, says Adam Berry of MLB.com.  If nothing else, Beckham is walking more than ever.
• John Sickles discusses the big league potential of Padres' OF Cedric Hunter, once a top prospect, but now profiling as more of a 4th outfielder at best.

Prospect Potent Potables - 5/4

Today's links circled their calendar last night as the Red Sox turned their season around...

• Freddie Freeman and Cody Johnson both struggled mightily to begin the 2010 season, but both of the Braves' top hitting prospects have begun to make adjustments to their advanced levels of competition, reports Bill Ballew of Baseball America.com.
• The Nationals still haven't decided if they are going to promote Stephen Strasburg before his next start, or at least they're not telling anybody, says Bill Ladson of MLB.com.
• Madison Bumgarner's velocity problems have been well documented, but Andrew Baggarly of Baseball America says that Bumgarner's arm is regaining its strength, and that the Giants' top pitching prospect could be on the rebound.
• Ted Berg of SNY.tv has a little background information on how Mets' INF prospect Wilmer Flores is progressing in the minors.
• Mike Stutes is getting used to his new role as a reliever, a move the Phillies made during Spring Training, according to Jim Salisbury for Baseball America.  The Phillies also sent two pitchers to the DL, including Mike Cisco, reports PhuturePhillies.com.
• It's tough to hit while looking over your shoulder, but Indians' C Lou Marson is figuring it out, says Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.  Marson has the job for now, but has top prospect Carlos Santana right behind him on the depth chart.
• The Red Sox are still hopeful for prospect Michael Almanzar after some mechanical adjustments to his batting stance, reports Alex Speier of Baseball America.com.
• Brendon Desrochers of MiLB.com has his minor league hitters and pitchers of the week, lists which include Mike Stanton, Bobby Borchering, and Kyle Gibson.
• Chris Heisey was promoted to Cincinnati to replaced the injured Chris Dickerson and got his first start last night, reports Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Heisey struggled, going 0-for-5 in the game, but got to celebrate walk-off style with his Reds' teammates anyway.
• Andrew Cashner has been dominant as a starter this season, but his background as a relief pitcher (in college) may be too much temptation for the Cubs to avoid, says Jeff Vorva of Baseball America.

Link: Braves Promote Cody Johnson

The Atlanta Braves have promoted power hitting prospect Cody Johnson to Double-A, reports Bill Shanks of The Braves Show.com.  Johnson was leading the Carolina League with 32 home runs and 84 RBI's, despite batting only .243 on the season.

Best and Worst from 5/21

BEST

• Cody Johnson (ATL) - 2-4, 2 HR, batting .275
• Lars Anderson (BOS) - 2-2, 2B, HR, batting .241 
• Trevor Crowe (CLE) - 4-5, 2 R, 2b SB, batting .263 
• Gordon Beckham (CWS) - 4-5, HR, batting .294 
• Ike Davis (NYM) - 2-4, 2B, HR, batting .299
• Pedro Alvarez (PIT) - 2-4, 2 2B, batting .232 
• Jaff Decker (SD) - 2-4, HR, batting .320 
• Buster Posey (SF) - 2-4, HR, batting .307 
• Brett Wallace (STL) - 3-4, HR, batting .524 in Triple-A
• Tommy Hanson (ATL) - 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 9 K/1 BB, 1.51 ERA 
• Connor Graham (COL) - 7 1/3 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 9 K/0 BB, 3.27 ERA  
• Andrew Brackman (NYY) - 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 6 K/1 BB, 3.55 ERA  
• Brad Lincoln (PIT) - 9 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 K/2 BB, 2.31 ERA 

WEST

• Mitch Atkins (CHC) - 4 IP, 6 H, 7 ER, 2 K/4 BB, 8.38 ERA 
• Mike Antonini (NYM) - 4 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 K/1 BB, 12.27 ERA
• Dellin Betances (NYY) - 2 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 1 K/4 BB, 4.87 ERA