Johnny Hellweg was dominant on Saturday night, as the Brewers pitching prospect threw five scoreless innings in his season debut, reports Tim Grubbs of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Despite almost making the Brewers bullpen this spring and having a fastball that can reach 100-mph, Hellweg is still working as a starter in the minors. Jacob Turner, who was expected to make the Marlins big league rotation this spring, got hit hard in the loss, allowing six runs (five earned) in four innings of work.
Mike Zunino had a big day at the plate on Saturday, as the Mariners top prospect hit his second home run of the short season and added a double in a 5-RBI day.
Double-A
Jameson Taillon was sharp in his season debut, as the Pirates right-hander struck out four batters over five innings of shutout baseball.
Kevin Gausman's 2013 season didn't get off to the start most Orioles' fans had hoped for as the 2012 first-rounder allowed six runs (four earned) in four innings of work. He did strike out eight in the outing, but also threw a pair of wild pitches.
Yasiel Puig showed why the Dodgers are so high on him on Saturday by hitting his first home run of the season, but also why he had to be sent to the minors by striking out twice.
Delino Deshields, Jr. collected three hits and stole three bases on Saturday, the first swipes of the year for the Astros prospect who recorded 101 last season.
The Minnesota Twins got home runs from prospects Joe Benson and Eddie Rosario on Tuesday, reports Phil Miller of the Minnesota Star Tribune. While Rosario is still quite far from the majors and has no chance to make the Twins roster this spring, Benson could be a contributor this season. After a strong 2011 season in Double-A, the outfield prospect got a late-season call-up and hit .239 in 74 major league plate appearances. He was sent back to Triple-A to begin the 2012 season with the thought being that he would be called up to contribute in the majors at some point during the summer. Instead he struggled mightily in Triple-A, was demoted back to Double-A, then had his season end early after late-August surgery on his knee cap. Healthy once again, Benson should head to Triple-A to master the level, but assuming he does, he could get the mid-season call-up this year that the Twins were expecting to give him last year.
Oscar Taveras played a full game for the Cardinals on Tuesday and got three more hits, notes Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. No matter the level of competition, Taveras just seems to hit, and in most organizations, he would be making a case for a jump straight to the majors despite not turning 21 until June and having yet to play above Double-A. But the Cardinals, with Matt Holliday, John Jay and Carlos Beltran in the outfield, have the luxury of waiting on Taveras, and he's almost certainly heading to Triple-A to being the season, no matter how many hits he collects this spring. With Beltran in the final year of his contract, there will be a nice, clean opening for Taveras to fill next season, and he'll be up even sooner if any of the Cardinals outfielders misses an extended period of time this year.
Given his advanced age (for a prospect) and serendipitous path back into organized baseball, the Braves likely weren't sure how much time Evan Gattis would need in the minors, but with two more hits on Tuesday, it's looking more and more like Gattis can help in the lineup this year, notes Scott Coleman of TalkingChop.com. Gattis' place on the Braves roster, of course, hinges on his ability to play somewhere in the field. The Braves have said that they don't see him as a catcher for any significant period of time, and if they want to use him off their bench, then he can't serve as their back-up behind the plate. Gattis is playing left field this spring.
Calling someone a utility-man used to be the prospect equivelent of a death sentence. Essentially it meant that they weren't good enough to be an everyday player.
To a certain extent that's still the case. But in the past few years, we've coined the term "super-utility" player to essentially mean a player who has the defensive ability to play multiple positions regularly based on his team's needs, but the bat to play every day.
Ben Zobrist took this role to a new level over the past 3-4 seasons, playing at an all-star level for the Tampa Bay Rays while receiving significant playing time at two or three positions per season. His versatility has allowed the Rays to mix and match other players on their roster, giving manager Joe Maddon incredible flexibility when it comes to making lineups.
Zobrist's versatility is a tool almost as valuable as his on-field abilities themselves, and teams have begun to covet players who are able to play multiple positions.
This is a list of those players. Below are the ten best prospects in the minors who could fill that type of role on their team - one where they play everyday or almost every day but likely at a number of different positions.
In order to be considered for this list, a player must either play two positions regularly, one of which has to be an up-the-middle position (C, 2B, SS, CF) or if he is limited to the corners, he must be able to play at least three (1B, 3B, LF/RF).
When you think utility-man you don't typically think of a catcher, but having a player who can catch a few days a week and play another position can be a handy tool to have, especially in the National League with double switches. Gattis can be that guy for the Braves. A late-arrival to the prospect party, Gattis has come on with reckless abondon, hitting 22 home runs in 2011 and 18 in 2012 despite only playing about half the season. At 25, he's on the fast track through the minors and should start the season in Triple-A. The Braves left field situation is unsettled and Gattis played there a lot this winter. He could be up in the majors by mid-season, playing some left field and spelling Brian McCann behind the plate.
The former first overall pick as a shortstop, Beckham has been projected as a second baseman and third baseman by those who thoguht he'd eventually outgrown his original position. After struggling with his bat and a 50-game suspension for drugs, he's no longer the Rays anything of the future, but his ability to play a few different positions could turn him into a regular utility player. He has a few things going against him - being right-handed for one - but he should be able to play all three infield positions and could probably handle both corner outfield spots if given a chance to learn them. He does enough things well and will still be just 23 next season so there's still time to carve out a role in the majors.
Borchering has gone from a power-hitting third baseman taken in the first round to a first-baseman only with contact issues, and has somehow come back around back where he started. A trade from the Diamondbacks to the Astros helped that, as his new team has given him another opportunity to play the hot corner. He'll never be very good at it, and the Diamondbacks had enough other 3B prospects that it wasn't worth working with him on it, but the Astros want to give him a chance to stick there. Even if he can't play there every day, he's now had experience at first base and both corner outfield spots. He doesn't get on base enough, but he still has plus power as a switch-hitter, so he could be a good fit as a 3-4 day per week player at a number of positions.
Just 20 and only through A-ball, Rodriguez has already seen significant time at both shortstop and second base, and even has a game at third under his belt. He has good power but an ultra-aggressive approach at the plate that may be better suited for sporadic play in the majors. His power (30 homers in two seasons) will get him chances, but expect him to bounce around the infield before finding a home defensively, if he ever does.
Rosario gets overlooked in a Twins system that is being quickly rebuilt, but his versatility could be a significant portion of their future plans. Rosario has played both second base and center field regularly, giving him a unique and valuable set of skills. With Aaron Hicks and Byron Buxton in the mold, Rosario likely won't be needed too often in center, but he should have no problem sliding over to a corner and handling it quite well. At the plate, he posted an .835 OPS in his first taste of full-season ball. The Twins should try to keep Rosario at second base as long as he can stay there given that it's a much weaker position within their system than the outfield, and because the more experience he has there the more valuable he will be.
The Padres are always on the lookout for more offense, and no one in their farm system has provided more than Gyorko over the past two seasons. Gyorko has posted OPS's of .952 and .921 in back-to-back years, making it seem like he's a star in the making, and he is a good prospect in his own right. He's also seen time at both second and third base as he works his way through the minors and could settle at either or both, depending on what happens with Chase Headley. The only question about Gyorko is how he'll hit in more neutral hitting environments. The majority of his offensive damage has come in the California and Pacific Coast Leagues, both extreme hitter-friendly leagues. He has a career 1.068 OPS in High-A and a .968 mark in Triple-A. In between, he posted just a .786 OPS in Double-A - okay, but not great. If he continues to be a 30-homer player, he'll likely settle in at a position, but he has shown the ability to play both third and second and could bounce back and forth depending on the needs of the Padres.
No one on this list has played more positions than Green, who played five last season alone. Drafted as a shortstop, he's had throwing issues there, and the A's have tried him at second base, third base and left and center field. Green struggled in the outfield, but looked comfortable at second base, where the A's have a need. He could win that job this spring, but depending on the A's needs over the next few years, he could spend time at third base or left field.
Schoop's defensive landing spot is up in their air for two reasons - he can handle all three infield positions, and Manny Machado's future is still up in the air and Schoop will likely move around in difference to him. Machado is playing third in the majors now and could stay there. If so, Schoop can handle shortstop just fine. He would be above average at second base and could also handle third if Machado moves back to short at some point. Schoop took a step back with his bat last season but still projects to be enough hitter to get regular at-bats.
Unlike many of the players on this list, Castellanos doesn't project as a utility player. He projects as a regular. Most people are higher on Castellanos than I am but that doesn't mean I don't think he'll be a regular. Until the Tigers signed Prince Fielder and shifted Miguel Cabrera over to third base, Castellanos was seen as a third baseman. Not everyone thought he could stay there, but the Tigers had no plan to move him. Now that he's shown he can play right field, he has the potential to fill in at either position for either the Tigers, or whatever team he ends up being traded to.
Much like Castellanos, Rendon's utility-ness is a product of circumstance. If it weren't for Ryan Zimmerman's presence in Washington, he'd simply be the Nationals third baseman of the future. Instead, he's going to have to learn a new position, which could be second base, first base or left field. The Nats don't really have openings at any of them at the moment, which makes it hard to predict, but second base is the position he'll likely be able to handle best. If he takes to second, he will still be able to fill in at third base to spell the injury-prone Zimmerman, giving the Nats added versatility.
Darin Ruf went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI's, and the Phillies prospect is hitting .244 with nine home runs for the winter, although he hasn't hit one in his past seven games.
Chicago Cubs infield prospect Junior Lake went 3-for-5 with a double in the first game of a double-header and is now hitting .382 on the DWL season. Prospects Gary Sanchez and Gregory Polanco, of the Yankees and Pirates respectively, each had a hit on Saturday and are receiving regular playing time this winter, but both are struggling at the plate. Sanchez is hitting .238 with just two extra-base hits in seven games while Polanco is hitting .217 with one double and no walks in eight games.
Jurickson Profar went 0-for-3 on Saturday after going 3-for-4 in his DWL debut the night before. The Rangers shortstop prospect appears to now be getting regular playing time for the Tigres del Licey, along side fellow Rangers prospect Mike Olt, who is hitting .290/.476/.516 this winter.
The Puerto Rican Winter League, officially known as the Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (The Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League), is the last of the major winter ball seasons to get under way, doing so towards the end of this past week. Like the Dominican and Venezuelan Winter leagues, the rosters in the Puerto Rican League feature a mix of veterans, prospects, and former players. Below is a list of the prospects seeing action this winter in Puerto Rico:
These young players consist mostly of recent draft picks from Puerto Rico, many of whom have not played stateside yet, or have not yet reached full-season leagues. They don't qualify as prospects yet, but they could down the road once they establish themselves. All of them are considerabily young.
Richard White, RHP, Seattle (Atenienses de Manati)
Bryan de la Rosa, C, Atlanta (Atenienses de Manati)
Emmanuel Quiles, C, Milwaukee (Atenienses de Manati)
Cristian Otero, INF, San Francisco (Atenienses de Manati)
Gabriel Roa, OF, Texas (Atenienses de Manati)
Christian Munoz, C, San Diego (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
Wilfredo Rodriguez, C, Colorado (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
Ariel Estades, OF Kansas City (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
Edwin Gomez, OF, Houston (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
Robert Martinez, OF, Oakland, (Cangrejeros de Santurce)
Roberto Pena, C, Houston (Criollos de Caguas)
Janlius Castro, 2B, Texas (Criollos de Caguas)
Noel Cuevas, OF, Los Angeles (N) (Criollos de Caguas)
Derrick Rodriguez, OF, Minnesota (Criollos de Caguas)
Juan Caballero, RHP, St. Louis (Gigantes de Carolina)
Raul Rivera, RHP, Houston (Gigantes de Carolina)
Jorge Fernandez, C, Minnesota (Gigantes de Carolina)
Gabriel Rosa, OF, Cincinnati (Gigantes de Carolina)
Hector Hernandez, LHP, St. Louis (Indios de Mayaguez)
