MLB Prospect Watch

Potent Potables - Forsythe, Collier, Jenkins

• San Diego Padres rookie 2B/3B Logan Forsythe had knee surgery, ending his 2011 season, reports Corey Brock of MLB.com.
• Zach Collier, an OF prospect in the Phillies organization, will miss the first 50 games of the 2012 season after testing positive for amphetamines, according to PhuturePhillies.com.
• Chad Jenkins struck out nine batters in seven innings of work to earn a playoff win for the Blue Jays Double-A affiliate, reports Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Matt Dominguez finally made his major league debut this week after pre-season anticipation that he might break camp as the Marlins starting 3B didn't pan out, says Christina DeNicola of MLB.com.
• Cubs 3B prospect Josh Vitters homered in his first playoff game as a pro, notes David Heck of MiLB.com.

 

 

Opening Day Prospect Action

Finally, some real news to report!

Opening Day around the minor leagues gave us our first glimpse at some highly-touted prospects, and a chance to see which prospects are ready to make the jump to the next level.

• Despite almost making the Astros starting rotation out of spring training, Jordan Lyles didn't exactly dominate Triple-A hitters on Opening Day, says David Heck of MiLB.com.  Lyles lasted just four innings and gave up three runs.
• Mariners top prospect Dustin Ackley went 0-for-2 in his season debut, but as usual, was able to get on base, walking twice in the game, reports The Seattle Times.
• Keyvius Sampson couldn't have hoped for a better full-season debut, as the Padres prospect struck out 10 batters over six perfect innings, reports John Parker of MiLB.com.
• Bryce Harper went 2-for-4 in his professional debut, with an RBI single in his first at-bat and a bunt single in his second, notes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.  The Nationals phenom also struck out later in the game, but that didn't prevent him from leaving a positive impression on fans and scouts alike, says Nathan Rode of Baseball America.
• Manny Machado also made his professional debut last night for the Orioles Low-A affiliate in Delmarva, going 2-for-3 and driving in the go-ahead run with a triple, says Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• Diamondbacks first base prospect Paul Goldschmidt picked up the 2011 season right where he left off last season, homering twice on Opening Day, says John Parker of MiLB.com.
• Jacob Turner made his Double-A debut look as easy as the Florida State league was for the Tigers top prospect, according to David Heck of MiLB.com.
• Indians prospect Cord Phelps fell a home run short of the cycle, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
• The Florida State League was treated to a real Opening Day pitchers duel, as Mets prospect Matt Harvey out-dueled Cardinals prospect Shelby Miller in Harvey's professional debut, reports Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.  Both pitchers threw well, striking out 9 batters apiece, each over five innings of work, but Miller was undone by one unearned run.
• Yankees prospect Melky Mesa led the way for the Trenton Thunder, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double, reports The Trentonian.
• Other notable performances:
  • Jonathan Singleton went 3-for-5 in his first game since the Phillies made him a full-time left fielder.
  • Logan Forsythe went 2-for-3 with two home runs in the Padres first game with their new Triple-A affiliate in Tucson.
  • Rays LHP prospect Matt Moore struck out seven batters in five innings of work in his Double-A debut.

 

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.

Making Moves - 4/30

• You probably thought that the first Nationals' pitching prospect to be promoted would be Stephen Strasburg, but Drew Stroen has beat him to the bunch, according to MiLB.com.  Storen may not have the overall potential of Strasburg, but he's just as ready for the majors.  He'll head to Triple-A and wait for an opening in Washington.
• Lars Anderson is also heading to Triple-A after a hot month to start the 2010 season, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
• Mike Montgomery will make his first Double-A start tomorrow after dominating the Carolina League, reports MiLB.com.
• Logan Forsythe is headed to the DL, notes Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune.  Forsythe broke his hand while playing in Double-A.
• Baseball America has their weekly transaction post, which has some significant injury updates, including the latest on Marlins' 1B prospect Logan Morrison.