MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Potent Potables - Aumont, Harvey, Swagerty, Peguero

• Phillippe Aumont bounced back from a horrendous 2010 season to regain his status as an elite bullpen prospect, and as Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer points out, could complete his reclamation this spring by winning a spot in the Phillies bullpen.
• Mets pitching prospect Matt Harvey has added a two-seam fastball, reports MetsBlog.com.
• After moving to the bullpen last season to limit his innings, and having been a reliever in college, the Cardinals are planning to give Jordan Swagerty a chance to start this season, says Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
• Want to see the swing that was worth trading Michael Pineda for?  Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times has video of Jesus Montero taking cuts at Mariners spring training.
• Francisco Peguero should start the season in Triple-A, where he'll be manning right field instead of center, notes Andy Baggerly for Baseball America.  Peguero still needs to drastically improve his plate discipline and the Giants are still waiting for him to tap into his power in games.

Prospect Potent Potables - Nieuwenhuis, Perez, Vizcaino, d'Arnaud

• Mets OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis doesn't have much of a shot to make the Mets big-league roster this spring after missing a significant portion of last season with a torn labrum, notes Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, but once he re-establishes his health, he could work his way to the majors this season.  Nieuwenhuis could take over in center field if Andres Torres doesn't regain his 2010 offensive form, or he could take over in one of the corners, where he would be an above-average defender.
• Mike Newman of FanGraphs.com breaks down the struggles of Braves lefty Carlos Perez, attributing at least some part of it to a change in body type that Perez went thorugh bewteen 2010 and 2011.  While Perez is still far from the majors, Arodys Vizcaino is a large part of the Braves future, possibly as soon as next season.  Whether that is in the rotation or out of the bullpen is still up in the air, but Ben Duronio of CapitalAvenueClub.com offers his take on Vizcaino and a response to Keith Law's evaluation of him.
• MinorLeagueBall.com has an in-depth breakdown of Blue Jays catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud and how he stacks up against other prospects and other catching prospects throughout the game of baseball.

Prospect Potent Potables - Gose, Indians, Mets, Cardinals

• The Blue Jays want Anthony Gose to use his speed more, and to use it more effectively, including bunting more often, reports Larry Millson for Baseball America.
• The Indians don't have a ton of talent in their farm system, but they have some players who are entering important years in their careers, notes Jim Piasick of IndiansProspectInsider.com.  He names Cord Phelps, Nick Weglarz, Jason Knapp, Beau Mills, and LeVon Washington, and breaks down what each needs to do to get headed back in the right direction.
• The Mets are planning a prospects vs. veterans game on March 3rd or 4th, according to Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com.
• The Cardinals are holding a early prospect camp, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  The link has the full list of prospects, which includes Carlos Martinez and Oscar Taveras.

Prospect Potent Potables - Tolleson, den Dekker, LaMarre, Astros Invites

• Shawn Tolleson has taken a long and winding road to the top of the minor leagues, but as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com points out, he might have never become a Dodger if it wasn't for the team's current ace, Clayton Kershaw.  Now, Tolleson profiles as a potential future closer.
• Mets OF Matt den Dekker discusses his development as a player with Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com, including how he is working to cut down his strikeouts and how he plans to steal more bases next season.
• Mark Sheldon of MLB.com discussesz the progression of Reds CF prospect Ryan LaMarre, including what LaMarre is doing to try to add a little more power to his game.
• The Houston Astros have announced their non-roster invites to spring training, says Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, a list that includes 1B Jonathan Singleton, 2B Delino DeShields, Jr., SS Jonathan VIllar, and OF's George Springer and Jake Goebbert.

Prospect Potent Potables - Reckling, Pastornicky, Flores

• With his prospect status being a fraction of what it once was, it's easy to overlook the strong half-season Trevor Reckling had in Double-A in 2011 before going on the shelf with a sore elbow.  But as Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com points out, Reckling did show improvement, and is spending this off-season working with former Angels lefty Mark Langston, in hopes of fully re-gaining his status as a top prospect.
• Tyler Pastornicky is the front-runner to win the Braves starting shortstop job this spring, and as Bill Ballew points out for Baseball America, the Braves tend to have no fear of letting a rookie start on Opening Day.
• Wilmer Flores' bat has become something of a disappointment, and his prospect stock will only drop further when he makes his eventual move off of shortstop, but Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com discusses the posibility of Flores moving to second base, as well as the immense pressure that has been put on him since the Mets signed him and the borderline ridiculous comparisons to Miguel Cabrera that Flores has had to endure.