MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Results in Early Spring Games

Despite the fact that a lot of these performances came off guys who will be bagging groceries in a couple of weeks (and some off of guys who are still in college), it's still nice to get a chance to see prospects in action during the early parts of Spring Training.

• Fernando Martinez, who already seems like he's been around forever, had an RBI Triple, notes Mark Bowman of MLB.com.  Brandon Hicks homered for the Braves, and Jason Heyward drew another walk (his third in 2 games) and hit an RBI double off of Eddie Kunz, whom the Mets are still waiting on, according to Marty Noble of MLB.com.  Mike Minor also appeared for the Braves and threw a scoreless inning, Bowman reports.
• Koby Clemens hit a home run off Matt Lindsrtom in an Astros' intrasquad game while playing first base, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com.
• Not only did Josh Bell hit two home runs against the Rays on Wednesday, but one was off of Matt Garza and the other he hit right handed, reports Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.  The display impressed Orioles' manager Dave Trembley, notes Brittany Ghiroli of MLB.com.
• Scott Sizemore turned a double play in the Tigers' latest spring contest without any flashbacks to his gruesome Arizona Fall League injury, notes Jason Beck of MLB.com.
• Lonnie Chisenhall homered off of Fausto Carmona in an Indians' intrasquad game, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
• They may have been playing against Boston College, but it was still promising to see Red Sox short stop Jose Iglesias clear the bases with a double, reports Ian Browne of MLB.com.  He may be a professional, but the 20-year-old Iglesias is the same age (or younger) than many of the BC players he was facing.  The day before, Casey Kelly got his chance to face college hitters, mowing down 3 Northeastern hitters en route to a perfect inning.

Link: AFL Pitchers Recap

Jason Grey of ESPN.com breaks down the performance of every pitcher in the Arizona Fall League.  Key names include:

• Stephen Strasburg
• Jenrry Mejia
• Aaron Crow
• Mike Leake
• Mike Minor

Link: A Look at Braves in the AFL

David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution takes a look at how the Atlanta Braves prospects are performing in the Arizona Fall League this year.  Despite top prospect Jason Heyward departing the league early with a strained back, the Braves still have six players competing:

• Freddie Freeman
• Mike Minor
• Brandon Hicks
• Craig Krimbel
• Lee Hyde
• Jeff Lyman

Link: AFL Report

ESPN's Kieth Law gives us some early scouting returns from the Arizona Fall League (ESPN Insider subscription needed).  Some of the highlights:

• New York Mets pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia showed two plus pitches.
• Dustin Ackley, the Seattle Mariners new top OF prospect, has looked sharp.
• First-round picks Drew Storen, Mike Leake, and Mike Minor gave mixed reviews.
• OF Domonic Brown of the Philadelphia Phillies is super-talented, but raw.

Arizona Fall League Highlights from 10/13

The Arizona Fall League (AFL) kicked off yesterday and should once again provide us with a glimpse into the not to distant future of Major League Baseball.  Here are some of the highlights from Day 1:

• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim C Hank Conger went 3-5 with 3 RBI's leading the Mesa Solar Sox to a 10-6 victory over the Phoenix Desert Dogs.  Florida Marlins OF Mike Stanton chipped in as well, going 1-3 with 2 BB's and a SB in the win.   The Phoenix hitting attack was led by Baltimore Orioles 1B Brandon Snyder who was 2-5 with 2 RBI's and while Washington Nationals 1B Chris Marrerro also chipped in with a HR.
• The star in the Surprise Rafters 17-4 drubbing of Peoria Javelinas was New York Mets 1B Ike Davis, who led the Rafters with 6 RBI's and a HR as part of a 4-hit day.  St. Louis Cardinals C Bryan Anderson also had 3 hits and scored 3 runs for the Rafters, while New York Yankees P Ian Kennedy threw 4 innings, striking out 4 and giving up only 1 run.
• Atlanta Braves OF Jason Heyward picked up right where he left off, going 2-5 with a 2B in his AFL debut for the Peoria Saguaros, but it wasn't enough, as the Saguaros were defeated by the Scottsdale Scorpions by a score of 8-4.  The Scorpions hitting attack included a HR by Philadelphia Phillies OF Domonic Brown and 2 RBI's by San Francisco Giants SS Brandon Crawford.  The Saguaros did, however, receive two innings of work from Atlanta Braves P Mike Minor, the 7th overall pick in this year's draft.  Minor gave up one hit and 1 unearned run, while walking two.