MLB Prospect Watch

Blogs Track Teams - 5/6/12

• Xavier Avery homered, notes Orioles-Nation.com, who briefs us on the entire Birds system.
• Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com recaps the Reds system for us, including a three-hit day for Didi Gregorius.
• TalkingChop.com breaks down the Braves system, including a up-and-down outing for Zeke Spruill, who scattered 10 hits but gave up just two runs.
• RaysProspects.com runs through the Rays system, including a two-run homer by Derek Dietrich.
• Taylor Jungmann has an uneven start, notes BrewCrewBall.com, who has all of the Brewers results.
• Raul Alcantara tossed his second straight strong start, says AthleticsFarm.com, who has all of the A's action.
• BlueBirdBanter.com notes a multi-hit game for Adeiny Hechavarria, and breaks down the rest of the Blue Jays organization.
• Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune ponders the Padres system, including a three-hit day by Kyung Min-Na.

BA Prospect Hot Sheet - 5/4/12

Baseball America has posted their weekly Friday Hot Sheet.  This week's last has very few repeat customers.  Making the cut this week (in no particular order) are:

• Jesus Aguilar (CLE)
• Jackie Bradley (BOS)
• Cody Buckel (TEX)
• Nick Castellanos (DET)
• Andrew Chafin (ARI)
• Tony Cingrani (CIN)
• Gerrit Cole (PIT)
• Travis D'Arnaud (TOR)
• Nate Freiman (SD)
• Garrett Gould (LAD)
• Justin Grimm (TEX)
• Alen Hanson (PIT)
• David Holmberg (ARI)
• Jake Lemmerman (LAD)
• Miles Head (OAK)
• Nick Maronde (LAA)
• Steven Moya (DET)
• Danny Rosenbaum (WAS)
• Jameson Taillon (PIT)
• Cory Vaughn (NYM)
• Ryan Wheeler (ARI)
• Zack Wheeler (NYM)

Rounding out the bad part of the list this week are Aaron Miller (LAD), Ronny Rodriguez (CLE), Ronald Torreyes (CHC), and Gerardo Concepcion (CHC).

Prospect Action - 4/30/12

Triple-A

• Charlie Leesman was let down by his fellow White Sox prospects on Monday, as his defense made eight errors behind him, causing him to give up five unearned runs and fail to finish the second inning in an ugly loss, notes The Charlotte Observer.  Jordan Danks had three hits in the loss.
• Travis d'Arnaud is heating up after a slow start, as the Blue Jays top prospect collected three more hits on Monday night, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, notes Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Andrew Brackman lost a battle with his control, as the Reds prospect failed to get out of the second inning after walking five batters, notes The Virginian-Pilot.

Double-A

• Tommy Joseph doubled and hit two home runs, as the Giants 2009 second-rounder drove in three, raising his batting average to .257 on the season, reports Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.
• Yankees OF prospect Melky Mesa homered, writes Mike Ashmore of Thunder Baseball.
• Deck McGuire pitched better on Monday, giving up just three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings and lowering his season ERA to 7.18, but he still got saddled with a loss, as he was outpitched by Phillies prospect Trevor May, who allowed just two earned runs over seven strong innings, improving to 5-0.

High-A

• Nick Castellanos ended April on the same high note he spent most of it on, as the Tigers third base prospect went 2-for-5 on Monday night, reports David Yates of The Lakeland Ledger.
• Gerrit Cole earned his first professional win on Monday, as the Pirates first overall pick from last season threw six innings of one-hit ball, striking out six, according to Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.  Chad James took the loss in the game, as the Marlins pitching prospect didn't stack up well against Cole, giving up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Low-A

• Patrick Leyland hit a three-run homer, notes MLive.com.
• You know you're hot when it's news when you give up a hit, but that's exactly how hot Dylan Bundy has been.  The Orioles top prospect finally gave up his first hit as a professional, but still faced the minimum amount of batters, reports Jim Shonerd of Baseball America.
• On the other end of the spectrum from Bundy is Cubs Cuban defector Gerardo Concepcion, who got hit even harder in his second start than he did in his first, allowing seven earned runs without getting out of the first inning.

 

Prospect Action - 4/25/12

Triple-A

• Will Middlebrooks homered again, reports Brendan McGair of The Pawtucket Times, as the Red Sox prospect now has a minor league-leading nine on the season.
• Mets prospect Matt Harvey threw seven scoreless innings and his a home run, says Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.

Double-A

• Oscar Taveras collected two more hits, including his fourth homer of the season, as the Cardinals outfielder just keeps on hitting, says Ben Badler of Baseball America.
• Trevor May allowed just one hit in six innings, as the Phillies top prospect lowered his ERA on the season to 2.35, notes Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Rockies pitching prospect Parker Frazier turned in a strong outing, allowing two earned runs over seven innings, but still got stuck with the loss.

High-A

• Trayce Thompson hit his third home run of the season as part of a 14-run onslaught that he and his White Sox teammates put on on Wednesday.
• Gerrit Cole was let down by his fellow Pirates prospects, as the 2011 first overall pick gave up five runs in as many innings, but only two of them were earned.

Low-A

• The Cubs got their first look at Cuban signee Gerardo Concepcion, who gave up five runs in as many innings in his first professional start, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.
• Mason Williams went 4-for-4 on Wednesday, as the Yankees outfield prospect added his first home run of the season, says Brendon Desrochers of MiLB.com.

Other

• In extended spring training action, Cubs 2011 draftee Dan Vogelbach homered, and Javier Baez ended an 0-for-20 slump, says The Cub Reporter.

 

Prospect Potent Potables - Rockies Invites, Brentz, Cosart, Galvis, Concepcion

• The Colorado Rockies have announced their non-roster invites to spring training, notes Thomas Harding of MLB.com.  Position players Nolan Arenado, Tim Wheeler and Kent Matthes will be in attendance, as well as pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz.
• Mike Newman of FanGraphs.com breaks down Red Sox OF prospect Bryce Brentz, who had a monster 2011 season but doesn't profile as a dynamic player at the next level.
• Jarred Cosart should begin the 2012 season in Double-A, but he's been working out this off-season in the big-league park of his new organization, the Houston Astros, having grown up practically in it's back yard, reports Brian McTaggart for HoustonAstros.com.
• Now that the Phillies have re-signed Jimmy Rollins to a long-term deal, Freddy Galvis' path to the big-leagues is blocked, points out Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.  But that still gives the Phillies the option of using him in the majors this year as a back-up infielder, a role best suited to his current abilities, or sending him back down to the minors to see if his bat develops.
• The Cubs have signed Gerardo Concepcion, an 18-year-old LHP who defected from Cuba last June, reports Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  The team has reportedly signed a multi-year major league deal with the club.