MLB Prospect Watch

Notable Prospect Performances - 7/19

• Eric Hosmer announced his presence in the Texas League with authority, homering in his first Double-A at-bat.  It will be interesting to see how Hosmer's power develops now that he's away from Wilmington's Frawley Stadium.  Danny Duffy's return to Wilmington didn't go nearly as well as he would have liked, but I'm sure the Royals are glad he's back either way.
• Matt Moore had his swing-and-miss stuff on Sunday, as the Rays' prospect fanned 11 batters in six innings of work.  Not missing many bats in that same game, however, was Brewers' pitcher Jeremy Jeffress, who got tagged for 3 earned runs and 5 hits in one rough inning of work.
• Vance Worley continued his strong performance on the mound as the Phillies' pitcher tossed 8 shutout innings en route to a victory, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Still a few weeks shy of his 19th birthday, Mets' prospect Wilmer Flores' 3-hit night bumped his batting average up to .382 in the Florida State League, although his .425 BABIP may have something to do with that.
• The Padres needed some good news to come out of their minor league system, and they got it courtesy of James Darnell and Logan Forsythe, who combined for 3 doubles, a homerun, and 8 RBI's on Sunday.  The majority of the damage came off of A's pitching prospect Carlos Hernandez, who got tagged with 10 earned runs in 3 1/3 IP.

Baseball America Hot Sheet - 7/16

Baseball America is back with their weekly Prospect Hot Sheet, and this week's version includes a strong influx of short-season performers.

• J.P. Arencibia
• Nick Barnese
• Brandon Beachy
• Brandon Belt
• Joe Benson
• Johermyn Chavez
• Derek Dietrich
• Jaff Decker
• Kyle Drabek
• Joe Gardner
• J.J. Hoover
• John Lamb
• J.D. Martinez
• Jake Odorizzi
• Juan Ramirez
• Rubby de la Rosa
• Gary Sanchez
• Domingo Santana
• Eric Surkamp
• Kolbrin Vitek

This week's cold list includes James Darnell, Logan Forsythe, Reymond Fuentes, Derek Norris, and Luke Bailey.

Prospect Potent Potables - 4/19

Not all news items are worthy of their own post.  Thus, the Potent Potables...

• Washington Nationals' catching prospect Derek Norris made his 2010 debut on Sunday for Double-A Potomac, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.  Norris has missed the first two weeks of the season with a sore wrist due to off-season surgery.
• Lee Hamilton of the San Diego News Network breaks down the good and bad so far in the Padres' farm system, including James Darnell, Logan Forsythe, Aaron Poreda, and Cedric Hunter among the good, and listing Allan Dykstra as the bad.  Hamilton also mentions injuries to Matt Antonelli and Jaff Decker, while Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the difficult start for Everett Williams and the lack of action for Donavan Tate.
• J.J. Cooper of Baseball America explains the success of four impressive pitching prospects:  Kyle Gibson of the Twins, Tim Melville of the Royals, and Nick Hagadone and Kelvin De La Cruz of the Indians.
• Adeiny Hechavarria faces some uphill battles trying to go from Cuba to the Blue Jays, and Morgan Campbell of The Toronto Star explains them.

Padres' Forsythe Changing Positions

The San Diego Padres have had an organizational back-up at third base for a few years now, beginning with Kevin Kouzmanoff blocking Chase Headley's path to the majors, and continuing with top prospect James Darnell creeping closer to the majors.  Darnell is slated to begin the 2010 season at Double-A, which meant that the Padres had to make a decision regarding Logan Forsythe, the team's supplemental first round draft pick in 2008, whose natural position is also at the hot corner.

That decision has been made, as the team has announced that Forsythe will move to second base beginning on Opening Day, reports Corey Brock of MLB.com.  The goal is to allow Forsythe and Darnell to play together in the same infield without cutting into each other's playing time.  That will happen for the first time this Thursday, as both prospects take the field for Double-A San Antonio.

The move is a test for Forsythe at the moment, but if he takes to the position the way the Padres anticipate, the move could quickly become a permanent change.

Padres Still Have Hot Corner Backup

Chase Headley was the top pick in the San Diego Padres farm system not too long ago, but his natural position of third base was blocked by Kevin Kouzmanoff at the big league level.  Kouzmanoff was traded this off-season, allowing Headley to move back in to the infield, but the Padres still have virtually the same situation on their hands.  

One of the Padres top current prospects is James Darnell who is, naturally, a third baseman.  Darnell has only reached High-A ball, so the Padres don't have to make a decision just yet, but as Corey Brock reports for MLB.com, that decision may be coming soon.  Darnell is slated to start the season in Double-A, so he could be just a phone call away from reaching San Diego, but he likely won't make it to Petco until 2011.