MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action - Borchering, Brown, Arenas

• Bobby Borchering knocked a grand slam on Wednesday, notes John Parker of MiLB.com, giving the Diamondbacks prospect six home runs on the season.
• Domonic Brown extended his hit-streak to 18 games, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer, and apparently it's not "if" but "when" in terms of a call-up to Philadelphia, according to the Inquirer's Matt Gelb.
• Angels RHP prospect Orangel Arenas threw 8 2/3 scoreless innings, reports David Heck of MiLB.com.

 

 

Prospect Action - Taillon, Machado, Trout

Rain shortened Jameson Taillon's professional debut as the Pirates got to see just two innings of work from their highly touted young right-hander, but that might have been a blessing in disguise, as the 19-year-old fireballer appeared a little over-anxious and battled with his control over the course of 45 pitches, reports Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  Still, Taillon's fastball sat between 96-97 mph, showing fans why he was the second overall pick in last year's draft.

• Manny Machado, the player selected by the Orioles immediately following Taillon in last year's draft, homered for the third straight game, says John Parker of MiLB.com.
• Domonic Brown homered in his first rehab start, reports Beerleaguer.com, who also makes mention of a rough start by Phillies 2010 first-rounder Jesse Biddle.
• Charlie Furbush tossed his second straight complete game, as the Tigers LHP prospect fanned 11 batters, notes David Heck of MiLB.com.
• Mike Trout had three extra-base hits on Wednesday in support of fellow Angels prospect Garrett Richards, who out-dueled Rockies prospect Christian Friedrich over six innings to get the victory, according to John Parker of MiLB.com.  Friedrich gave up seven runs in just four innings of work, as his struggles continue.
• In other prospect action:
  • Blue Jays SS prospect Adeiny Hechavarria is showing signs that his bat is catching up to his defense, as he went 3-for-4 on Wednesday with a double, a triple, and a stolen base.
  • Red Sox pitching prospect Drake Britton gave up three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched, which actually lowered his ERA to 11.08 on the season.
  • Giants pitching prospect Eric Surkamp threw seven scoreless innings, fanning 10 in the process.

 

Injury Updates - Brown, Hellickson, Brackman

• Domonic Brown had surgery to repair the hamate bone in his right hand today, and while he should be out for 4-to-6 weeks, he could be swinging a bat again in two, says David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News.  It is unknown where the Phillies will place the rookie right fielder upon his return, as Brown had been struggling mightily this spring before the injury.
• Jeremy Hellickson threw a bullpen session on Sunday that included 34 pitches, and his balky hamstring gave him no issues, putting him on track to appear in his first spring game for the Rays this Friday, reports Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
• Andrew Brackman faced hitters over the weekend, and his next appearance could come in a game for the Yankees, says Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.
• Orioles pitching prospect Brandon Erbe is still working his way back from surgery he had last August to repair his torn labrum, and hopes to be back by mid-season, reports Jeff Zrebiec of MLB.com.
• Anel de los Santos, a catcher in the Angels farm system, will miss 8-to-10 weeks with a torn thumb ligament, reports Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.

 

Position Battles - Alonso, Halman, Brown,

• Yonder Alonso is seeing time in left field this spring, but it will be tough to get at-bats in a crowded Reds outfield competition, says John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Reds outfield coach Billy Hatcher has noticed an improvement in Alonso's defense in the outfield, however, making the transition more of a possibility.
• Greg Halman is battling for a spot on the Mariners bench as a 4th outfielder, but the raw 23-year-old must cut down on his strikeouts before he can serve as a servicable major leaguer, notes Greg Johns of MLB.com.  Given Halman's power potential and high ceiling, he would likely be better served heading back to Triple-A and working on refining his approach at the plate and trimming down his high strikeout numbers.
• Phillies manager Charlie Manuel reiterated his stance on top prospect Domonic Brown, saying that he'd like to see the young outfielder get 350-400 at-bats this season, but that the job is not necessarily his, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• This time next year, you can expect Kirk Nieuwenhuis to be competing for a job in the Mets outfield, but with one more year left on Carlos Beltran's contract, Nieuwenhuis has little chance of making the team this spring, says Steve Popper for Baseball America.

 

 

Spring Training Battles - Lueke, Gee, Brown

• Josh Lueke is trying to put his past behind him and has a change to grab a spot in the Mariners bullpen this spring, says Greg Johns of MLB.com.
• The makeup of the Mets rotation hinges on Dillon Gee, according to Mike Silva of NY Baseball Digest, who lists the rookie right-hander as the wild card on the Mets' staff.
• The concensous is that the Phillies right field job is Domonic Brown's to lose, but manager Charlie Manuel said that regardless of who the job belongs to, brown is likely to see around 350-400 at-bats this season, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.