MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Potent Potables - Munoz, Mitchell, Adrianza, Rays, Royals

• The Oakland A's have signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Yairo Munoz, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.
• Jared Mitchell is trying to put a lost season and another disappointing one behind him, says Scott Merkin of MLB.com.  Mitchell will be in White Sox camp this spring as a non-roster invitee.
• Giants SS prospect Ehrie Adrianza will always be a better defender than a hitter, but as Andy Baggerly points out for Baseball America, his bat closed the gap between the two last season.
• The Rays have announced their non-roster invites to Spring Training, including a pair of shortstops Tim Beckham and Hak-Ju Lee, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times.
• The Royals have also announced their Spring Training invites, which include a quartet of pitchers - Mike Montgomery, Will Smith, Chris Dwyer, and Jake Odorizzi - and outfielder Wil Myers, according to Dick Kaegel of MLB.com.

 

Blogs Track Teams - 8/11/11

• Orioles-Nation.com discusses the Birds organization, including a 3-hit day for Jonathan Schoop.
• PineTarPress.com writes up the Royals farm system, and a rocky start for Mike Montgomery.
• Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com talks about Starling Marte's huge double-header day, and the rest of the Buccos organization.
• FutureBirds.net checks in on the Cardinals system, and a short start for Shelby Miller after the top prospect reached the organization's imposed pitches-in-one-inning limit.
• Steve Foster of InsidetheRockies.com recaps a multi-hit day for Tim Wheeler and the rest of the Rockies organization.
• Jarred Massey of LADodgerTalk.com discusses the Dodgers organization, including a 4-hit day for Leon Landry.
• TalkingChop.com briefs us on the Braves system, and a perfect night at the plate for Todd Cunningham.

 

Prospect Performances - Banuelos, Trout, Teheran, Harvey

• Manny Banuelos made his 2011 debut on Monday, tossing four scoreless innings in Trenton after a breakthrough spring with the Yankees, says Josh Norris of The Trentonian.
• The slow start to Mike Trout's season didn't last long, as the Angels top prospect homered twice on Tuesday, including a grand slam, reports Benjamin Hill of MiLB.com.
• Julio Teheran got his Triple-A career started on the right foot, but the Braves don't anticipate their top prospect being in the minors very long, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
• Alex Wilson used a new grip on his fastball to induce 11 ground balls on Tuesday night en route to six shutout innings, reports Danny Wild of MiLB.com.  The Red Sox prospect is back in Double-A to start the season.
• Matt Harvey had his second dominant start in as many tries, as the Mets prospect has still yet to give up a run as a professional, notes Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.
• Other notable performances...
  • Royals P prospect Mike Montgomery threw four shutout innings to bounce back from a poor initial start of the season.
  • A's C prospect Max Stassi had a perfect night at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double and walking twice, to raise his batting average on the season to .368.
  • Rangers 2010 supplemental first-rounder Michael Olt went 2-for-4 with a home run and is batting .583 thus far in the Carolina League.

 

Roster Cuts - Cards, Reds, Giants, Montgomery

• The Cardinals optioned Tony Cruz to Triple-A and re-assigned Lance Lynn to minor league camp, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, but as Goold wrote in Baseball America, Lynn could be back in St. Louis at the first sign of trouble.
• The Reds have optioned Yonder Alonso, Todd Frazier and Zack Cosart to Triple-A, says Mark Bowman of MLB.com.  Last week they also optioned Yasmani Grandal to High-A and Phillippe Valiquette to Double-A.
• The Giants optioned Darren Ford to Triple-A and re-assigned Jackson Williams to minor league camp, says Chris Haft of MLB.com.  Last week they optioned Thomas Neal and Conor Gillaspie to Triple-A and Ehire Adrianza and Francisco Peguero to Double-A.
• Mike Montgomery was re-assigned to minor league camp, says Robert Emrich of MiLB.com, and will start the season in Triple-A.  Last week, the Royals re-assigned fellow top prospects Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Danny Duffy and catching prospect Salvador Perez.
• The White Sox optioned Tyler Flowers to Triple-A and re-assigned Jordan Danks to minor league camp, says Tom Singer of MLB.com.

 

Position Battles - Belt, Pineda, Montgomery

• Brandon Belt hasn't made the Giants roster yet, but they have a spot in the lineup all set for him if he does, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
• The Mariners are giving Michael Pineda every legitimate chance to crack their starting rotation, says Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times.
• The Royals are still looking at Mike Montgomery and haven't ruled him out for a rotation spot, says Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.
• Jake McGee is going to be a reliever for the Rays, and he may get some save opportunities, notes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com.