MLB Prospect Watch

Injury Update - Yankees, F-Mart

• The Yankees have placed pitching prospects Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos on the disabled list with blisters on their respective throwing hands, and catching prospect Gary Sanchez on the DL with an undisclosed injury, reports Danny Wild of MiLB.com.  The team is attributing the blisters to the change between major league baseballs throw in spring training and the minor league baseballs they are using now.
• Oft-injured Mets prospect Fernando Martinez is out for the second straight night due to a sore hamstring, says Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com.

 

Braves, Mets Make First Cuts

Both the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets have made their first rounds of Spring Training cuts, and both sets of transactions are prospect-laden.

 

BRAVES

Erik Cordier and Lee Hyde were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett County while Randall Delgado was optioned to Double-A Mississippi.  Those three prospects were the only players among those cut from major league camp who were on the 40-man roster, notes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.  Others not on the 40-man roster who were re-assigned to minor league camp include top pitching prospects Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino, catching prospects Braeden Schlehuber and Christian Bethancourt, and short stop Tyler Pastornicky.

 

METS

Headlining the Mets transactions is Fernando Martinez, who is heading back to Triple-A along with Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Zach Lutz, says Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

 

Prospect Potent Potables - Cortes, Tigers, Mets

• Dan Cortes had a strong winter season, closing out games for Lara in the Venezuelan Winter league, giving the Mariners hope that he can play an integral role in their bullpen this season, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com.  Cortes came over to the Mariners in a trade with the Kansas City Royals in July of 2009.
• The Tigers have shown a tendency to push pitchers through their system quickly, and current prospect Andy Oliver may be no exception, says Alexis Brudnicki of Baseball America.  Oliver appeared in the majors in 2010 and could compete for a rotation spot entering 2011.
• The Mets could get contributions from Fernando Martinez and Lucas Duda on the prospect front in 2011, says MacksMets.com, who also pinpoints Blake Forsythe, Reese Havens, Cesar Puello and Josh Satin as possible minor league breakout candidates.

 

 

Prospect Potent Potables - 8/26

• Brandon Belt's monster season has catapulted him into legitimate prospect status, and Bryan Smith of FanGraphs.com makes a case for why Belt's development may help the Giants save money this off-season.
• Nick Franklin may have been a first-round pick, but even the Mariners have to be a bit surprised by the 20-20-20 season he's posted this year, notes Curt Rallo of MiLB.com.
• John Maunel of Baseball America has an update on Freddie Freeman's monster season, Jason Knapp's return to action, and the impressive numbers being put up by Brian Cavazos-Galvez.
• Fernando Martinez is back on the DL, and Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com defends the Mets' prospect from what he says in unfair criticism by the team's broadcasters.
• Tigers' pitching prospect Adam Wilk impressed in his Double-A debut, says Robert Emrich of MLB.com.
• Brandon Allen is a sure bet to get a September call-up, and should see time in left field for the Diamondbacks when it happens, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic.
• The Brewers' pitch-count limits were the reason Jake Odorizzi wasn't able to finish his no-hit bid in his last start, says Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.

Prospect Potent Potables - 8/23

• Be careful not to fall into the trap of writing off Dustin Ackley, who has rebounded from a horrible April to have a solid season overall, reminds Chris Jackson of MiLB.com.  Ackley has batted no less than .294 in any month after April, despite the Mariners virtually setting him up to fail by starting him in Double-A and having him learn a new (and difficult) position at the same time.  If anything, this season should re-affirm Ackley's status as one of the game's top prospects.
• Once one of the game's top prospects, Fernando Martinez is once again injured, this time with a right knee injury, according to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com.
• Also injured, and in this case being officially shut down for the season, is Padres' pitching prospect Keyvius Sampson, reports Kevin Gemmell of the San Diego Union-Tribune.  Sampson has soreness in his pitching elbow and the Padres are electing to play it safe with the 19-year-old.
• Jordan Walden was promoted to the majors before Sunday night's game, and the 6-foot-5 righty joined the Angels' bullpen and made his first major league appearance, notes Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.