MLB Prospect Watch

Winter League Recap - 11/9

Arizona Fall League

• Dan Merklinger earned his first AFL win of the fall, tossing three scoreless innings and getting run support from Michael Taylor and Kyle Skipworth, who both doubled in the Desert Dogs three-run fifth inning.
• Andrew Lambo hit a walk-off grand slam to cap a 6-run bottom of the ninth comeback for the Solar Sox.  Jeremy Jeffress was pulled two batters before the slam, but he was charged with four of the six runs in the inning, failing to record an out in the four batters he faced.
• The Saguaros scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to go up 6-4 and take the lead for good, behind three straight hits from the top of their order - Ben Revere, Eduardo Escobar, and Leslie Anderson.  Dustin Ackley reached base three more times in the loss.

Venezuelan Winter League

• Rays pitching prospect Alexander Torres threw five shutout innings to earn his first VWL win of the winter, striking out 11 batters in the process.
• Wilson Ramos wend 2-for-4 with a home run to help propel his Tigres team to a 6-0 victory.

Dominican Winter League

• Fernando Abad gave up one earned run over four innings of work on Tuesday , striking out three.
• Josh Reddick drove in three of the Gigantes eight runs to help lead them to an 8-5 victory.  Fellow Red Sox prospect Yamaico Navarro hit a two-run home run in the loss.

 

 

Prospect Potent Potables - 6/24

• The Reds used Aroldis Chapman out of the bullpen in Triple-A Wednesday night, in what could be a sign of things to come, notes Mark Sheldon of MLB.com.  His control may be an issue, says Alex Pedicini of The Hardball Times.
• Christian Colon, the 4th overall pick in this year's draft, has reportedly signed with the Royals and will report to Class A Wilmington, reports Michael Engel of Kings of Kauffman.
• Ryan Westmoreland remains in good spirits on his road to recovery at home in New England, notes Ian Browne of MLB.com.
• Michael Pineda was impressive in his Triple-A debut.
• Fernando Abad is back in action, reports Farmstros.com.
• Tony Sanchez will "be out for a while," according to Pirates' GM Neal Huntington, thanks to surgery to fix a the fractured bones in his face after being struck by a pitch, reports Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com.
• A couple of Indians' prospects have run into some trouble with the law, including former first-rounder Beau Mills, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Prospects Assigned to Minors

Yesterday was a deadline for optioning prospects to the minors without risking starting their service clocks, and because of that we saw a lot of prospect demotions that had nothing to do with baseball.  The Nationals sent Stephen Strasburg to Double-A where he will begin his professional career, and the Pirates sent Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata to Triple-A.  Many other prospects were optioned, including:

• Yonder Alonso - CIN - AA
• Jason Donald - CLE - AAA
• Carlos Santana - CLE - AAA
• Nick Weglarz - CLE - AA
• Sergio Escalona - PHI - AA
• Mark Trumbo - LAA - AAA
• Michael Saunders - SEA - AAA
• Fernando Abad - HOU - AAA
• Brett Sinkbeil - FLA - AAA
• Aaron Crow - KC - AA
• Dayan Viciedo - CWS - AAA
• Noel Arguelles - KC - High-A
• Trevor Bell - LAA - AAA
• Dustin Ackley - SEA - AA
• Dan Cortes - SEA - AA
• Jeremy Hellickson - TB - AAA
• Desmond Jennings - TB - AAA
• Josh Thole - NYM - AAA
• Brandon Erbe - BAL - AAA
• Scott Elbert - LAD - AAA
• Juan Ramirez - PHI - AA
• Brad Lincoln - PIT - AAA
• Gorkys Hernandez - PIT - AA
• Jose Iglesias - BOS - AA
• Andrew Brackman - NYY - High-A
• Jake McGee - TB - AAA

For a full list of transactions, you can visit the MLB.com player transaction page.

Prospect Potent Potables - 2/25

Proving once and for all that the Pen Is Mightier...

• Mike Newman of Scouting the Sally has a Game Report on Xavier Avery of the Baltimore Orioles.
• Looking for a sleeper prospect with a chance to make his team?  Alden Gonzalez suggests that Fernando Abad of the Houston Astros may have a chance.
• Carrie Muskat of MLB.com has yet another edition in what has become an ongoing debate of whether Chicago Cubs' SS prospect Starlin Castro is over-rated or under-rated.
• Davey Johnson agrees that there is no need for the Nationals to rush Stephen Strasburg, notes Bill Ladson on MLB.com.
• Baseball America has some more organizational reports out, this time discussing Todd Frazier's role with the Reds and Tyler Flowers' chances with the White Sox.