MLB Prospect Watch

Notable Prospect Performances - 5/3

A super-sized batch of links after a busy weekend of prospect action...

• Domonic Brown launched a grand slam as part of a huge day for the Phillies' top prospect, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Tim Melville got rocked in his weekend start, and Greg Schaum of RoyalsProspects.com has some insight into why.
• Wilkin Ramirez made his case for a call-up to Detroit over the weekend, reports MiLB.com.
• The Oakland A's promoted Josh Donaldson to the majors over the weekend, and he came up big in his first game, reports Jane Lee of MLB.com.  Donaldson should see the bulk of the A's catching duties with Kurt Suzuki on the shelf, Lee notes.
• Kyle Drabek appears to be getting very comfortable with the Blue Jays' organization, reports Danny Wild of MLB.com.
• Dan Hudson had been off to a terrible start in 2010, and Jeff Buchanan of FutureSox.com was worried, analyzing what exactly was wrong with Hudson.  Perhaps the White Sox' righty was reading, because he bounced back with a great weekend start, reports MiLB.com.
• Alex White is making a lot of teams look stupid for letting him slide in the first round last year, and is making the Indians look very smart, says Alex Raskin of MLB.com.
• Stephen Strasburg hit his first bump in the road on Sunday, and it may have prevented the Nationals from promoting him to Triple-A, reports MiLB.com.
• A couple of rookies successfully made their 2010 major league debuts over the weekend.  Jhoulys Chacin had a dominant start for the Rockies, surrendering only one hit through 7 innings, reports Rick Eymer of MLB.com.  Chacin was with the team briefly last season but was hit hard as a starter.  Wilson Ramos, on the other hand, made his major league debut on Sunday, and had to fill the shoes of Joe Mauer.  All Ramos did was put up a 4-hit game, says Stephen Ellsesser of MLB.com, giving the Twins a reason to let Mauer's heel injury heal properly.
• John Ely will get another shot at the Dodgers' rotation, reports Jim Peltz of the LA Times.  His next start will come on Thursday.

Making Moves - 4/28

Today's moves would like to wish the best of luck and continued recovery to Red Sox prospect Ryan Westmoreland, who was released from the hospital yesterday after undergoing brain surgery earlier this year, according to Larry Millson of MLB.com.  He will continue his recovery at home and we look forward to reporting on his return to the field down the road.

• With the Giants reportedly facing the tough decision of whether or not they should recall top prospect Buster Posey to help jolt the club's lineup, Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle offers a suggestion for how the team should make their decision.
• In Rockies news, pitching prospect Jhoulys Chacin was promoted to the majors and will get the start on Sunday, according to Thomas Harding of MLB.com.  Chacin was with the team yesterday, and got an inning of mop-up work, recording 2 strikeouts in the process.  Also in the lineup yesterday was recently recalled 2B/OF Eric Young, Jr. in what Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies called "a very different lineup."  The shake-up worked, as Young went 2-for-4 and the Rockies scored 12 runs.
• New York Mets' prospect Fernando Martinez is banged up again, this time with a lower back strain, according to Matthew Cerrone of MetsBlog.com.  Martinez is day-to-day.
• Drew Storen is back from a bout with strep throat, but Ben Goessling of MASNsports.com explains why the Nationals will still be waiting before they call him up.  Here's a hint:  it has to do with money.
• The St. Louis Cardinals have sent C Bryan Anderson back down to Triple-A.  Anderson was 2-for-7 with a double in his brief stint with the team.

Rockies Pitchers get Solid Start

Two of the Colorado Rockies' pitching prospects got their 2010 seasons off to solid starts on Opening Day, reports Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies.

Jhoulys Chacin got the Opening Day nod in Triple-A Colorado Springs against Tacoma, giving up only 1 hit over five innings of work.  Christian Friedrich made his season debut in Double-A Tulsa, giving up four hits in 6 innings.

In other Rockies news, relief pitching prospect Rex Brothers also threw a scoreless inning and Tim Wheeler hit a homerun.

Bumgarner, Chacin, Optioned to Minors

Two big-name NL West pitching prospects were sent to the minors today, as the San Francisco Giants sent Madison Bumgarner to Triple-A, and the Colorado Rockies did the same with Jhoulys Chacin.

Bumgarner entered Spring Training as the favorite to win the final spot in the Giants' starting rotation, but was out-pitched by Todd Wellemeyer and Keven Pucetas, reports Chris Haft of MLB.com.  Bumgarner, who suffered from a drop in velocity in 2009, displayed poor command of his usually sharp fastball and did not strike out a batter until his final start.  He will begin the season in Fresno and should be called up to the majors as soon as they feel his command and velocity are back to where they have been in the past.

Chacin also struggled this spring, sporting a 10.29 ERA, and was optioned to minor league camp, reports Steve Foster of Inside the Rockies.  Chacin has had success throughout the minors, but struggled during a major league call up last season, falling in love with his slider, and hurting his command in the process.  He threw only 7 innings this spring.

Chacin Taking Aim at Rockies Staff

The Colorado Rockies' rotation may already be set for the 2010 season, but that's not stopping Jhoulys Chacin from competing in camp this year, reports Thomas Harding for MLB.com.  Big things were expected of Chacin in 2009, and he delivered them in the minors.  But that success was marred by an unsuccessful stint in the majors, where Chacin's command largely abondonded him.

Chacin, a career starter in the minors, was put in the Rockies bullpen upon his call-up, and he appeared in 8 games in that role.  He also made an unsuccessful spot start in August.

Scouts when he reached the majors, he got away from throwing his fastball and tried to fool hitters with his off-speed stuff, causing him to fall behind in the count repeatedly.  Chacin is in camp this year trying to show the Rockies' coaching staff that his major league appearance was a fluke.

Chacin has virtually no chance of cracking the Rockies opening day rotation, but could snag a spot in the bullpen, depending on the team's need and whether or not they worry about hsi development.  His power arm could be a valuable asset in the bullpen, but the Rockies might find it more beneficial for Chacin to head back to Triple-A (where he has made only 4 starts) and prepare for a possible late-season call up or injury rotation to the starting rotation.