MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action - 10/5/11

• The Phoenix Desert Dogs topped the Mesa Solar Sox in a typical Arizona Fall League day that saw the ball jumping off of hitter's bats.  Pirates OF prospect Robbie Grossman hit his second homer in as many AFL games for Mesa in the loss, and Cubs SS prospect Junior Lake went 3-for-4 and hit his first homer of the fall.  That offense wasn't enough for Mesa to compare to what Phoenix did, as Blue Jays OF prospect Anthony Gose and A's prospect Grant Green each contributed a home run to the Desert Dogs' 4-blast onslaught.
• The Suprise Saguaros unleashed a 10-run, 14-hit attack on the Scottsdale Scorpions on Wednesday, led by Rangers 3B prospect Mike Olt, who homered twice and drove in five runs.  Also homering for the Saguaros were Rays SS Tim Beckham and Royals RF WIl Myers.  Braves C Christian Bethancourt went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate as well for Surprise.  The potent Scorpions lineup mustered just two hits, one of which was a triple by Giants CF Gary Brown, who scored the team's only run.  Nationals OF Bryce Harper went 0-for-3 with a strikeout.
• Fellow Brewers prospects Scooter Gennett and Logan Schafer each had three hits en route to leading the Peoria Javelinas to a 13-7 victory on Wednesday evening.  Rockies CF Tim Wheeler and Diamondbacks 3B Ryan Wheeler each had multi-hit games for Salt River in the loss.

 

 

Arizona Fall League Rosters Announced

The rosters for the 2011 Arizona Fall League season were announced yesterday, and as usual, the rosters included a plethora of big name prospects.  Below are the prospects you need to know, broken down by team:

Mesa Solar Sox

Cubs - Trey McNutt, Chris Carpenter

Orioles - Chorye Spoone, Joe Mahoney, Xavier Avery

Twins - Aaron Hicks

Pirates - Robbie Grossman

 

Peoria Javelinas

Padres - Jedd Gyorko, James Darnell

Brewers - Jed Bradley, Cody Scarpetta, Kentrail Davis, Logan Schafer

Cardinals - Oscar Taveras

Mariners - Danny Hultzen, Nick Franklin, Chih-Hsien Chiang

Mets - Reese Havens, Jefry Marte

 

Phoenix Desert Dogs

Indians - T.J. McFarland

Reds - Brad Boxberger, Yasmani Grandal

Blue Jays - Adeiny Hechavarria, Anthony Gose

A's - Michael Choice, Grant Green

Yankees - Corban Joseph, David Phelps

 

Salt River Rafters

Dodgers - Jake Lemmerman

Diamondbacks - Eric Smith, Ryan Wheeler

Tigers - Casey Crosby

Astros - Jay Austin

Rockies - Nolan Arenado, Tim Wheeler

 

Scottsdale Scorpions

Angels - Mike Trout, Hank Conger

Phillies - Tyson Gillies, B.J. Rosenberg

Red Sox - Brock Huntzinger, Will Middlebrooks

Nationals - Sammy Solis, Derek Norris, Bryce Harper

Giants - Brandon Crawford

 

Surprise Saguaros

Royals - Nathan Adcock, Wil Myers, Jeremy Jeffress, Christian Colon

Braves - Erik Cordier, Sean Gilmartin, J.J Hoover, Christian Bethancourt, Phil Gosslein, Todd Cunningham

Rangers - Neil Ramirez, Michael Olt

Rays - Tim Beckham

Marlins - Kyle Skipworth, Dan Jennings, Matt Dominguez

 

 

 

Injury Updates - Hellickson, Schafer, Parker, Erbe

As Spring Training gets underway, and throughout the season,  MLB Prospect Watch will keep you up to date on all the prospect injury news.  You can go directly to all of our injury updates by clicking our Injury Update link in the sidebar on the left.

• Jeremy Hellickson complained of some tightness in his hamstring yesterday as he threw his bullpen, but the Rays say it is of no concern and he was able to complete his workout uninterrupted, reports Marc Topkin of TampaBay.com.
• After being named the Brewers Minor League Player of the Year in 2009, Logan Schafer had what was essentially a lost year in 2010, thanks to an array of injuries.  This spring, he's back to full health and trying to pick up where he left off last year, says Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
• Jarrod Parker's elboy feels great after Tommy John surgery, but it's his hamstring that is still feeling the effects, reports Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.  Parker does not have the tendon in his forearm usually used to replace the torn elbow tendon during the procedure, so one from his hamstring was used.  The hamstring does not prevent the Diamondbacks top prospect from any of his scheduled throwing.
• Brandon Erbe is starting from scratch after surgery to repair a torn labrum, reports Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com, but the Orioles pitching prospect hopes to miss only a few weeks of the minor league season as he gets his arm back in game shape.

 

 

Position Battles - Mesoraco, Chisenhall, Ackley, and more

• Despite being named the Reds Minor League Player of the Year, Devin Mesoraco is all but certain to begin the year back in Triple-A, according to John Fay of Baseball America.  The team re-signed Ramon Hernandez, have two veteran backups, and would like Mesoraco to play every day.
• The Indians will take a look at Lonnie Chisenhall this spring, but have every intention of starting him in Triple-A this season, says Daryl Ruiter of Cleveland.com.  Chisenhall has yet to appear above Double-A and is still working on the transition defensively to third base, where he is making strides but still has to work on his consistency.
• Dustin Ackley should be headed back to Triple-A for at least the first part of the season, both to refine his defensive abilities at second base, but also so the Mariners can hold off his service clock and gain extra year of team control down the road, notes Greg Johns of MLB.com.
• The Marlins have a number of intriguing prospect names competing for bullpen spots this spring, including Mike Dunn, Daniel Jennings, and Jhan Marinez, reports Joe Frisaro of MLB.com.
• David Adams is in camp with the Yankees, but is slated to begin the year in Double-A, in large part to the foot injury that cost him the final portion of his 2010 season, says George King for Baseball America.
• Zach Lutz secured a spot on the Mets 40-man roster this off-season, meaning he will get a few more chances to hit his way onto the major league roster, notes Steve Popper of Baseball America.  Given the organizational roadblock at his natural 3B position, where Lutz ultimately plays is yet to be determined, and while he is a long shot to make the team this season, he should spend the year in Triple-A and could fill any number of needs if called upon during the season.
• Logan Schafer could start the 2011 season in Triple-A despite missing the majority of 2010 with various injuries, and could even be ready for an appearance in Milwaukee by mid-season, estimates Tom Haudricourt for Baseball America.

 

 

Mini-Camps and Spring Training Invites

Many teams are holding winter mini-camps for their top prospects, especially those teams that play in warm weather cities or have indoor stadiums.  These mini-camps typically run around a week in length and include everything from on-field instruction to seminars on how to deal with life in the big leagues.

The Tampa Bay Rays will be holding their developmental mini-camp for the second straight year, with Tim Beckham, Alex Cobb, Derek Dietrich, Matt Moore, Alexander Torres, Alex Colome, among the more established prospects invited, as well as 2010 draftees Justin O'Conner, Josh Sale, Drew Vettleson also attending, according to Bill Chastain of MLB.com.

The Dodgers will also be holding a mini-camp in January, with prospects such as Chris Withrow, Rubby de la Rosa, Ethan Martin, Aaron Miller, Dee Gordon, Kyle Russell, Trayvon Robinson, and Jerry Sands among those invited, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.

Teams are also beginning to announce their non-roster invites to Spring Training.  Some we already know, others are prospects within the organization that are not on the 40-man roster (all 40-man players are already invited to Spring Training).

The Phillies have announced their invites, with Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Freddy Galvis and Mike Stutes making the list, according to PhuturePhillies.com.  The Pirates have announced their list, according to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, with Rudy Owens serving as the only notable prospect invite.  The Padres list includes newly acquired prospects Anthony Rizzo and Casey Kelly, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com.  The Brewers have added Logan Schafer and Caleb Gindl to their invite list, reports Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal.