MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action - 4/26/13

Triple-A

• Mariners prospect Andrew Carraway took a no-hitter into the seventh inning on Friday night, reports Todd Dewey of The [Tacoma] News Tribune, striking out five in the outing and lowering his ERA to 3.38 on the season.
• Andre Rienzo allowed six runs (five earned) in 5 1/3 innings, notes the Charlotte Observer.  For the White Sox right-hander from Brazil, the rough outing raises his ERA to 7.71 on the season.
• Sean Gilmartin threw eight innings of one-run baseball as the Braves left-hander advanced to 2-0 on the season and lowered his ERA to 2.40.
• Nick Castellanos went 3-for-5 with a home run and the Tigers top prospect is now six for his last 12 and has homered in three of his past four games.

Double-A

• Despite taking a loss on the night, Mets right-hander Rafael Montero was strong once again, allowing two runs in five innings but striking out eight in the process.
• No matter where Marcell Ozuna plays, he hits for power.  The Marlins outfield prospect added another home run on Friday night, his fourth in his last three games, and he's now hitting .345 in his first seven games since being promoted to Double-A.
• Tyler Matzek showed just how dominant he can be if he keeps his control in check, as the Rockies left-hander walked just one batter over five strong innings, striking out six and allowing just three hits.

High-A

• Maikel Franco had a huge night at the plate, hitting a pair of home runs en route to a seven-RBI day.  The Phillies third base prospect is now hitting .300/.351/.544 on the season.  
• Twins prospect Miguel Sano hit his 9th home run of the season.
• Angel Villalona is still getting re-acclimated to professional baseball, hitting just .193 on the season, but the Giants slugger did hit his fifth home run of the season on Friday, showing that the power is still there.

Low-A

• Rangers slugger Joey Gallo homered again, his 8th of the season, and has his batting average up to .228.
• Robert Stephenson didn't pitch terribly, but the Reds prospect still dropped to 0-3 after allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

International League Preview

Buffalo (TOR)

Instead of getting to watch Travis d'Arnaud, Buffalo fans will get Anthony Gose, who returns to Triple-A.  He can be very exciting to watch, but the reason he's back there is to work on hitting lefties.

Charlotte (CWS)

Simon Castro, Andre Rienzo, and Charlie Leesman make for an interesting rotation, and Jared Mitchell can be exciting in the outfield.  Trayce Thompson will provide some power, but will have to cut down on the swins and misses if he wants to be able to use it in the majors.

Columbus (CLE)

Perhaps no prospect in the IL will be more polarizing than Trevor Bauer, who is working on new mechanics.  How much time he spends in Columbus will depend on how well he takes to the changes.

Durham (TB)

The Bulls feature a starting rotation that may actually be better than some of the bottom-end major league rotations, including prospects Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery, and Alex Colome.  They also feature Wil Myers in the outfield, one of the best hitting prospects in the minors, and former first overall pick Tim Beckham.

Gwinett (ATL)

Despite graduations to the majors and trades, the Braves still have some talent in Triple-A.  Former first-rounder Sean Gilmartin headlines the rotation while Joey Terdoslavich should be the team's most potent hitter while learning to play the outfield.

Indianapolis (PIT)

The best player in the IL, and certainly the best pitcher, should be Gerrit Cole, who won't be in the league too long after Memorial Day.  Tony Sanchez will get one more chance to prove he's more than a backup catcher and Kyle McPherson will stay ready for when the Pirates need pitching depth in the majors.

Lehigh Valley (PHI)

Darin Ruf will try to back up his breakout 2012 season while also trying to learn how to play a non-disastrous outfield.  Ethan Martin has an exciting arm and will try to stick as a starter, and Tommy Joseph has leaped over Sebastian Valle on the organizational depth chart behind the plate.  Plus they have video game urinals in the men's rooms.

Louisville Bats (CIN)

The Reds say that Billy Hamilton will spend the entire season in Louisville so he can learn the nuances of center field, but we'll all believe it when we see it.  Tony Cingrani will work as a starter in the minors, but he'll get called up to bolster the Reds bullpen at some point in the season.

Norfolk (BAL)

This team is all about Jonathan Schoop for the time being, at least until Dylan Bundy gets promoted and Shoop gets overshadowed within his own organization once again.

Pawtucket (BOS)

Allen Webster would have been the talk of Red Sox spring training had it not been for Jackie Bradley, and he should be the talk of Pawtucket with his power arm.  It will also be interesting to see how Bryce Brentz comes back from shooting himself in the leg, literally.

Rochester (MIN)

Kyle Gibson will get his arm in shape and work on regain his command post-Tommy John surgery until he gets the call from the Twins.  Oswaldo Arcia is a talented but still raw outfielder who factors into the Twins rebuilding plans.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (NYY)

Beware of errant fastballs from Dellin Betances, who returns to Triple-A after a disastrous stretch there last season.  Melky Mesa was in the running to fill in for Curtis Granderson but needs to refine his offensive game.

Syracuse (WAS)

No Bryce Harpers heading north this year, but the Nationals did get Rule V draft picks Danny Rosenbaum and Jeff Kobernus back, so yeah.

Toledo (DET)

I give Nick Castellanos a hard time, but he's still the Tigers best prospect.  He'll be working on his outfield defense.  Bruce Rondon will be closing games for the Mud Hens and working on his command in hopes he can close games in the majors this fall.

Notable Roster Cuts: Castellanos, Olt, Hamilton, Baez

After a four-day trip to Arizona for spring training that resulted in lots of info and networking but little time for writing, it's time to get caught up on all the prospects that have been sent out of their respective major league camps.  As always, you can track all of the prospect movement from spring training here.

• Despite some rumors that they were considering keeping him in the majors, the Tigers have sent top prospect Nick Castellanos down to the minors, notes BlessYouBoys.com.  The reasoning that's been given has been so that Castellanos can work on his outfield defense, and it's likely that that's the team's plan as they enter the season with a platoon situation in left field and Castellanos has shifted to the position in the minors as a way to get his bat in the lineup.  As I've stated before, however, I'm not nearly as high on Castellanos as many are and believe that the Tigers may be best suited sending him to the minors to continue to raise his trade value then trade him for solutions to their holes either in the outfield or in their bullpen.
• The Rangers have stated all spring that they don't want to keep their top prospects in the majors unless they have playing time for them, and they held true to that statement when they optioned Mike Olt to the minors, according to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com.  Olt will head to Triple-A, where he has yet to appear, and will see time at both third base and right field.
• As planned, Billy Hamilton was optioned to the minors, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  The Reds had said before the beginning of Spring Training that Hamilton would start the 2013 season in Triple-A, and a crowded outfield made that almost a certainty, even if Hamilton had wowed the Reds' brass this spring.  Instead, Hamilton struggled at the plate and battled a leg injury, making the decision even easier than it already was.  Hamilton has world-class speed, but is learning to play center field and still needs work at the plate.  He should spend the majority of the season in Triple-A with a possible late-season call-up in mind as a pinch-runner in the playoffs, should the Reds make it that far.
• With neither having played above A-ball, there was no chance for either Javier Baez or Jorge Soler to make the Cubs roster this spring, but both are leaving a strong camp behind them, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.  Baez was re-assigned to minor league camp while Soler was optioned to High-A Daytona of the Florida State League.

Position Battles: Kobernus, Hicks, Hellweg

• Much of the stories of a rookie trying to make the Detroit Tigers roster this spring have focused on top prospect Nick Castellanos, but it could be Jeff Kobernus that grabs a roster spot this spring, says John Lowe of The Detroit Free Press.  Kobernus was a Rule V draft pick this winter, meaning that if he doesn't make the major league roster (and stay on it all season), he'll have to be offered to the Washington Nationals.  Because of that, Kobernus actually has a better shot of making the big league club than Castellanos, who is also making a case for himself this spring, writes Lowe, but who can be sent back to the minors without issue.  The Tigers also aren't worried about stunting Kobernus' development by playing him part-time as they might be with Castellanos, and Kobernus can play second base in addition to left field, giving him additional versatility.  Kobernus was selected in the 2nd round by the Nationals in 2009 and was a highly rated prospect, but has battled injuries and has not lived up to his draft status.
• The battle for center field in Minnesota Twins camp is still wide open, says La Velle Neal of The Minnesota Star Tribune, but he does not that Aaron Hicks looks like he belongs.  Hicks would be jumping straight from Double-A to the majors, but his speed, defense and plate discipline are all tools that should allow him to have some marginal success in the majors right away.
• In his first camp with the Brewers since coming over from the Angels in the Zack Greinke trade last summer, Johnny Hellweg is turning enough heads to gain consideration for a major league bullpen spot, writes Todd Rosiak of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  With a bullpen that struggled last season and many undefined roles towards the back end, the power-armed Hellweg and his upper-90's fastball could give the Brewers another option in late innings in case closer John Axford struggled again as he did last season.  Hellweg is a long way from being the Brewers closer, but we've seen rookies step in to that role more frequently in past years and if he can crack their big league roster, he's only a few blown saves away from potentially getting a chance.

Billy Hamilton and Nick Castellanos Receive Non-Roster Invites to Spring Training

The Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers have announced their non-roster invites to spring training, with plenty of prospect names in the fold.  As always, you can track the progress of all of the prospects in spring training at our Prospect Invite Index.

Cincinnati Reds

The headliner in Reds camp is undoubtedly Billy Hamilton, who enters his first spring as an outfielder.  If it hadn't been for the off-season acquisition of Shin-Soo Choo, speculation would be running rampant about the possibility of Hamilton making the team this spring.  Thankfully there is little chance of that happening, and Hamilton will be headed to Triple-A where he belongs to continue the refinement of his hitting abilities and to finish learning how to play center field.

After Hamilton, there's a drop off in the prospect pedigree among the non-roster invites, although Ryan LaMarre is an interesting name who would draw a lot more attention for his athleticism if he didn't play alongside Hamilton.

Detroit Tigers

In Tigers camp, Nick Castellanos will be getting the same amount of attention as Hamilton is in Reds camp.  The Tigers top prospect should see time both at third base and in the outfield, and I'd expect to see him in some early March lineups along with the regulars, not as an indication that he's going to make their major league team this spring, but more as a nod to his status as either a part of their future or as their most attractive trade chip.

After that, there's a similar drop in talent to the Reds camp, although catching prospect James McCann is now the top prospect in the Tigers system at his position, thanks to the trading of Rob Brantly.