MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Potent Potables - Dominguez, Kirkman, Segura, Collmenter

• Matt Dominguez won't be promoted to Florida anytime soon, as he is slated to miss the first six weeks of the season after getting hit in the elbow by a pitch, says Juan Carlos Rodriguez of Baseball America.
• Michael Kirkman is with the Rangers for the weekend while Colby Lewis is out on paternity leave, reports T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.
• The Angels have shifted prospect Jean Segura from second base to short stop, reports Bill Shaikin of Baseball America.  Segura is already rated as an above-average second baseman defensively, and the Angles want to see if he can handle short stop as well.
• The Diamondbacks have called up Josh Collmenter and will use him out of their bullpen, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com.

 

Making Moves - 9/4

Even after all the prospect promotions at the start of the month, there are stil moves to be made...

• Brent Morel could be added to the White Sox roster soon, and will be used as a defensive replacement, says Scott Merkin of MLB.com.
• The Phillies may call up Vance Worley to make a spot start in the second game of their Monday doubleheader, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.  The Phils also made some decisions regarding former top picks, as Joe Savery will head to Clearwater to participate in the Florida Instructional League in hopes of becoming a hitter, while Anthony Hewitt has been excused from the league so that he can take some time off from baseball after a difficult season, reports Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Ben Revere may join the Twins soon to help fill a void in their depleted outfield, reports Kelly Thesier of MLB.com.  The team has also moved pitcher Carlos Gutierrez to the bullpen, a move they have made before, but this time likely for good, according to Phil Miller of Baseball America.
• Zach Lee may have been a tough sign, but Kevin Baxter of Baseball America explains how the Dodgers were able to get it done.
• Despite his relief role this season, the Rangers still plan on developing Michael Kirkman as a starter for the future, says T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.

More Call-up Updates

• The Rays would like to add a power left-handed reliever to replace the injured J.P. Howell, and R.J. Anderson of FanGraphs.com suggests that prospect Jake McGee may be just the pitcher to take his place.
• Craig Kimbrel and Mike Minor have been flip-flopping roster spots this week, but Kimbrel will be back in Atlanta on September 7th (once his mandatory 10-day stint in the minors is over), notes David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Chris Carter was an obvious call-up candidate for the A's until he sprained his left thumb diving for a ball on Friday.  Carter is now on the DL and a September promotion is up in the air, says John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle.
• Not only have the Mets promoted Jenrry Mejia to Triple-A, but they have him on the same starting schedule as Pat Misch, likely setting Mejia up to take Misch's spot in the big league rotation sometime in the next few weeks, suggests the NY Daily News.
• Michael Kirkman's time in the majors so far has been so successful that Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram thinks he may have a better chance than Derek Holland of making the Rangers post-season roster.
• The Mariners could have had a number of noteworthy call-ups, but the team has shut down top pitching prospect Michael Pineda as a preemptive move as he has reached his innings limit, reports Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.  The team is also leaning towards not calling-up 2B prospect Dustin Ackley and instead letting him rest before heading to the Arizona Fall League, according to Doug Miller of MLB.com.  A final decision on Ackley has not yet been made.

Making Moves - 8/21

• Originally thought to be out for the season, Pirates' catching prospect Tony Sanchez has been cleared to resume baseball activities and could play again this season, reports Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.  The team has also remained busy in the Latin American market, signing Colombian shortstop Dilson Herrera for $220,000, reports Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  The signing comes just days after the Pirates signed 16-year-old Mexican pitcher Luis Heredia to a $2.6 million deal.  Kovacevic also notes that Heredia will head to the team's spring training facility in Bradenton for the remainder of the year, not to pitch, but to get acclimated to the Pirates' facility and throwing program.
• The Cleveland Indians have acquired Zach McAllister from the New York Yankees as the player to be named later in exchange for Austin Kerans, reports Alex DiFillipo of MLB.com.
• A starter in the minors, Michael Kirkman will serve as a left-handed specialist in the Texas Rangers bullpen now that he has joined the team in the majors, says Jeff WIlson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
• After taking a loss in his latest start, the Rays have optioned Jeremy Hellickson down to Single-A, reports Bill Chastain of MLB.com.  The move was made not in response to Hellickson's performance, but because Wade Davis and Jef Neimann are set to return to the big league rotation, and because rather than send Hellickson on the road with Triple-A Durham, the team decided to keep him nearby at Charlotte in case they need him on short notice.  Hellickson will use his time in Charlotte to make some relief appearances, which will be his likely role with the Rays upon his return in September.
• Arizona Diamondbacks' 2009 first-round pick A.J. Pollock is almost set to return from rehabbing the elbow injury that has kept him out of action all season, reports Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, who also notes that fellow 2009 draft pick Matt Davidson has been promoted to High-A Vasalia.

Prospect Potent Potables - 7/26

• The Cubs farm system may be taking a hit as prospects like Andrew Cashner and Jay Jackson join the big league team, but Chris Archer is doing his best to take their place among the top pitching prospects in the Cubs system by continuing to impress in Double-A.
• Brad Lincoln's minor league success didn't translate into productivity at the major league level, and the Pirates right-hander has been optioned back to Triple-A, reports Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com.
• J.J. Cooper of Baseball America takes a look back at some of the more impressive performances from the weekend, including Eric Hosmer, Michael Pineda, Peter Bourjos, Adrian Salcedo, and Jeremy Hellickson.
• Speaking of Hellickson, Rays' manager Joe Maddon said over the weekend that the team may use the team's top pitching prospect in a relief role similar to the way they used David Price in the 2008 playoffs, according to Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times.
• J.P. Arencibia is heating up again, and is showing off the power that has put him on the prospect map in the first place, says Chris Jackson of MiLB.com.  Arencibia may never be an all-star catcher due to his free-swinging ways and fluctuating batting average, but there is a place for a solid defensive catcher with plus power in the major leagues, and that place may soon be Toronto.
• Michael Kirkman has re-established himself as a prospect thanks to refined control that was at one point bad enough to threaten his career, says Jeff Wilson for Baseball America.  While Kirkman may never be a control artist, he has refined his command enough to be effective, and could see time in the Rangers' bullpen later this year.
• Orioles' pitching prospect Nathan Moreau tossed a no-hitter in his first start after a promotion to High-A Frederick, reports Roch Kubatko for Baseball America.  The 11th round pick in 2008 has has success against younger competition to this point, but has had success in 3 starts in the Carolina League, his highest level of competition yet.