MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Potent Potables - Angels, Sanchez, Orioles, Cubs Invites

• Sam Miller of The Orange County Register cites a Baseball Prospectus article (subscription needed) that breaks down the things that could go wrong with the Angels top prospects.  Miller's article has the quote on Mike Trout, explaining his potential troubles against right-handed pitching, based on his struggles in the majors last season.
• Pirates C prospect Tony Sanchez apparently had another off-the-field incident, occurring during the instructional season in Florida this past fall, reports Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.  Sanchez allegedly broke his jaw in a bar fight, although he was not hurt a few weeks later at a team mini-camp.  Sanchez has already had jaw issues, missing much of the 2010 season after breaking his jaw getting hit by pitches.  He also was suspended for three games last season after ripping umpires on his Twitter feed.
• The Orioles have announced their second South Korean high school signing in the past week, inking Seong-Min Kim, a 18-year-old left-handed pitcher, reports Jordan Tuwiner of Orioles-Nation.com.  Just two days ago, the team announced the signing of 17-year-old South Korean lefty Kim Sung-min.
• The Cubs have announced their spring training invites, says Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.  Among the prospects invited are outfielders Brett Jackson and Jae-Hoon Ha, and pitchers Jay Jackson, Trey McNutt, and Dae-Eun Rhee.

Prospect Action - Brentz, Hoes, Profar

• Washington Nationals 2B prospect Steve Lombardozzi knocked a pair of doubles on Sunday night, says BisonsBlog.com.
• Padres pitching prospect Keyvius Sampson got off to a shaky start but rebounded to retire 12 straight hitters, reports The Grand Rapids Press.
• Jurickson Profar and Jake Skole helped lead a comeback for their that the Texas Rangers Low-A affiliate in Hickory, notes the Hickory Daily Record.
• Diamondbacks pitching prospect David Holmberg struck out nine batters but gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings to bring his scoreless innings streak to an end, reports Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.
• Orioles 1B prospect Brandon Snyder hit two home runs as part of a three-hit day says Jocelyn Syrstad of The Virginian Pilot. In Orioles Double-A action, L.J. Hoes stayed hot with another 3-hit day of his own, reports Jeff Seidel of BowiePatch.com.
• Rex Sox OF and former first-rounder Bryce Brentz went 2-for-3 with a home run on Sunday night notes Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Jay Jackson threw 8 1/3 strong innings and allowed just one run as the Cubs prospect earned his fourth win of the season, reports Tim Grubbs of NOLA.com.

 

Prospect Potent Potables - Parker, Jackson, Szczur, Doubront

• Jarrod Parker, now in his second year back from Tommy John surgery, has regained his velocity and is now working to regain his once-stellar command, says Keith Law of ESPN.com.  The Diamondbacks plan to start Parker in Double-A.
• Also mentioned in Law's article is the noticible drop in velocity by Jay Jackson of the Cubs.  Law speculates that he must be trying to pitch through injury.
• Matt Eddy of Baseball America breaks down the contract Jackson's farmmate, Matt Szczur, who recently gave up playing football and thus has a unique contract.
• Felix Doubront saw his first game action this spring, throwing in a minor league game, reports Ian Browne of MLB.com.  The Red Sox prospect is still on the road back from injury.

 

More Roster Cuts - Rays, Cubs, Kelly, Mejia

• The Tampa Bay Rays optioned Chris Archer, Desmond Jennings and Alex Cobb to Triple-A and re-assigned Tim Beckham to minor league camp, says RaysProspects.com.
• The Chicago Cubs optioned Rafael Dolis to Double-A and re-assigned Josh Vitters, Brett Jackson, Jay Jackson, Chris Carpenter, and Trey McNutt to minor league camp, reports Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
• The Milwaukee Brewers optioned Mark Rogers to Triple-A, says Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, despite the fact that Rogers was a candidate to take the open starts in place of injured ace Zack Greinke.  The Brewers felt that Rogers would not have his pitch count up high enough by Opening Day to take the spot in the rotation.
• The Colorado Rockies optioned Chris Nelson to Triple-A, reports Steve Foster of InsidetheRockies.com.  Nelson was competing for a utility spot.
• The San Diego Padres optioned Cedric Hunter to Triple-A and re-assigned top pitching prospect Casey Kelly to minor league camp, says Corey Brock of MLB.com.
• The Mets have optioned Jenrry Mejia to Triple-A, says Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com.

 

Position Battles - Moskos, Cubs, Kimbrel, Banuelos

• Despite his strong spring so far, Daniel Moskos remains a long-shot to make the Pirates bullpen, mostly due to the other left-handed veterans that seem destined to take one of the available slots, says Ron Musselman of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
• Brett Jackson remains is a long-shot to crack the Cubs Opening Day roster, but between the impression he made last spring and his repeat performance this year, he's making the team's decision as difficult as possible, notes Phil Rogers of Baseball America, who also mentions pitching prospects Chris Carpenter, Jay Jackson, and Trey McNutt as all likely to head back to Triple-A but could see time in the majors this year.
• The Braves haven't said anything about Craig Kimbrel's struggles and how that will affect their use of the hard-throwing prospect as a potential closer, but they may have to make a decision soon if his bouts with wildness continue, says Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
• Manny Banuelos has been the most impressive young pitcher in Yankees camp, and while he is still likely headed to Double-A Trenton to start the season, his performance this March could result in a promotion sooner than had been planned, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.