MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action - 6/12/12

Triple-A

• Travis d'Arnaud can't be too far from Toronto, as the Blue Jays prospect went 4-for-5 with a double and a homer, and is now hitting .343 on the season, says Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.
• With the Giants offensive struggles in the infield, games like Nick Noonan had on Tuesday would be a welcome occurance in the majors.  Noonan collected five hits, including two doubles, and raised his batting average to .312 on the season, notes David Heck of MiLB.com.

Double-A

• Even when Deck McGuire keeps his team in the game, he can't get a win, as the former Blue Jays first-rounder allowed three runs in five innings - one of his better starts of the rough season - but still took his eighth loss of the year.
• Brett Oberholtzer outpitched Keyvius Sampson on Tuesday, as the Astros lefty allowed just one run in 7 2/3 innings, striking out eight and earning his fifth win of the season, handing the loss to the Padres righty, who gave up four runs in six innings.

High-A

• Cody Buckel got back to his dominating ways, as the Rangers righty tossed six shutout innings, striking out five.
• Max Stassi and Miles Head both homered to help lead their Stockton teammates to victory.

Low-A

• The A's sent A.J. Cole back to Low-A ball after he posted an 0-7 record and a 7.82 ERA in the California League to start the season, but he's seemed to have turned it around recently, allowing just a run over six innings, notes J.J. Cooper of Baseball America.
• Nationals 2011 first-rounder Alex Meyer threw his first career shutout in a rain-shortened six inning outing in which Meyer struck out five, according to David Heck.

 

Prospect Action - 5/20/12

Triple-A

• Giants prospect Nick Noonan blasted two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in eight runs, writes Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.
• Clint Robinson's three-run double wasn't enough for him and his Royals teammates to pull out a victory on Sunday, says Mike Curto of The [Tacoma] News-Tribune.
• Cardinals prospect Joe Kelly gave up four runs in five innings on nine hits, including two apiece to Blue Jays prospects Travis d'Arnaud and Adeiny Hechavarria.

Double-A

• Back in the starting rotation, Tim Alderson is once again having success, as the Pirates prospect threw seven shutout innings, reports The Erie Times-News.
• Jonathan Pettibone got plenty of run support from fellow Phillies prospects Tyson Gillies, Jiwan James, and others, en route to picking up his third win of the season, says The Hartford Courant.
• Barret Loux earned his ninth-straight victory, giving him the minor league lead, but fellow Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar saw his 29-game hitting streak come to an end on Sunday, according to Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.

High-A

• Indians prospect Ronny Rodriguez homered, notes Luke Erickson of NationalsProspects.com.
• David Holmberg was dominant on Sunday, as the Diamondbacks lefty threw seven scoreless innings while striking out nine, writes David Heck of MiLB.com.
• Garrett Gould earned his first win of the season, as the Dodgers prospect threw six innings, allowing two earned runs and fanning four, lowering his ERA on the season to 4.80.

Low-A

• Now that the Orioles are letting Dylan Bundy pitch into the fifth inning, he's able to pick up wins, which he did on Sunday, earning his first victory after allowing just one hit over five more shutout innings, says Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.
• Mets pitching prospect Rafael Montero turned in one of the best starts of his career, throwing six shutout innings, notes Pentis.

 

Roster Cuts - Indians, Reds, Segura, Braves, Giants, Rays

• The Indians made a small round of cuts on Sunday, including pitching prospect Corey Kluber, reports Doug Miller of MLB.com.
• The Reds, on the other hand, cut 16 players, including infielder Didi Gregorius and pitcher Kyle Lotzkar, according to John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer.
• The Angels optioned shortstop prospect Jean Segura to Double-A camp, reports Marcia Smith of The Orange County Register.
• The Braves trimmed their roster again on Sunday, sending down pitching prospects Sean Gilmartin and J.J. Hoover and catching prospect Evan Gattis, according to David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• The Giants sent prospects Chris Dominguez, Nick Noonan and Jackson Williams down to minor league camp yesterday, says Owen Perkins of MLB.com.
• And lastly, the Rays cut a group of prospects over the weekend that included shortstop Tim Beckham, catcher Stephen Vogt, and pitcher Matt Bush, reports Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times.

Picks 31-35

35) Julio Borbon - TEX

• Despite average college numbers in his final season, Borbon went to the Rangers with the 35th overall pick in 2007.  That's what speed will do for you.  Borbon is a lead-off type hitter, and has demonstrated that with the Rangers, primarily in 2008.  Borbon split the season between two hitter friendly leagues (California and Texas), but he also plays in an organization with a hitter friendly ballpark, so you can't fault him for that.  Borbon produced to the tune of .306/.346/.395 in 291 California League at-bats, then came through with a .337/.380/.459 line after his promotion to Double-A.  His plate discipline is lacking (only 29 walks in 546 combined ABs)for someone who relies on speed as much as Borbon does, so at the moment, his ability to get on base and use his speed is dependent on his hitting, and the Rangers would love to see him work his way on-base a little more frequently.  Look for Borbon to head back to the Texas League, where he should start in CF for the RoughRIders, at least for the first half of the season.

34) Todd Frazier - CIN

• Frazier is one of those guys who doesn't do anything extrordinarily well, but does everything good enough.  More importantly, he's a "ballplayer," one of those most glowing compliments you can give a player.  Frazier doesn't have the tools of other players, but he produces, and has thus far at every level.  Through 182 minor league games at 3 different levels, he has produced a line of .300/.378/.506, all while being shuffled around the diamond while the Reds figure out where they want him to play.  Drafted as a shortstop, the Reds don't feel he will be able to maintain the range needed to play the position at the major league level, if he has it now.  He has spent some time at 1B and in LF, but his likely home will end up being 3B, where his bat could still play as above average.  Look for Frazier to get his first taste of Double-A this year, and spend some time all over the infield until the Reds find him a home.

33) Jon Gilmore - ATL

• Gilmore has had to make adjustments his entire time in professional ball, and so far has done so with ease.  The Braves started Gilmore in the Sally League in 2008, during which time Gilmore appeared overmatched, striking out 20 times in 102 at-bats.  When the Appalacian League began play in June, the Braves sent Gilmore there, where he proceeded to lead the league in hits and finished 3rd in batting average.  His 23 doubles also led the league, which demonstrated his future power potential.  The Braves loved his bat speed coming out of high school, and once he packs on a few pounds to his 6'3" 195 lb. frame, many of those doubles could turn into homeruns.  Gilmore also had to adjust to 3B, a position he is still learning after having been a shortstop in high school.  Many players would have been mentally unable to recover after such a disasterous start to their first professional season, but Gilmore showed the mental toughness that will serve him well on his path to the majors.  Look for Gilmore to give the Sally League another try in 2009, and this time he should stay there the entire season.

32) Nicholas Noonan - SF

• The results for Nick Noonan's first full year of professional ball were mixed.  He did jump straight from 52 games in Rookie ball in 2007 to the Low-A Sally League in 2008, which makes his 27 doubles and 29 steals all the more impressive.  His 23/98 BB/K ratio, however, is cause for concern.  If his doubles deveolp into homeruns, than that total becomes more tolerable, but at 6'0" 180 lbs, Nonnan profiles more as a hitter with gap power, meaning he needs to cut that ratio in half to be at maximum production.  Look for Noonan to move up to the High-A California League, where he should be the starting 2B for the San Jose Giants in 2009.

31) Josh Smoker - WAS

• Typically when the phrase Dr. James Andrews is in your scouting report, it's not a good thing, but for Smoker, it actually brings feelings of hope for the young lefty pitching prospect that the Nationals took with the first pick in the 2007 supplemental round.  Smoker was limited by shoulder discomfort for all of 2008, effecting his performance as he tried to pitch through the discomfort.  He visited Andrews and rather than need Tommy John surgery, the doctor simply removed a bone spur removed just last week, and Smoker should be ready for Spring Training.  That's good news for the Nationals who are anxious to see what Smoker can do on the mound, having only seen 48 1/3 innings of his work, most of which can be discarded due to his injury.  Look for the Nationals to gauge Smoker's recovery in the spring and assign him based on his health, which could place him in either the Sally League or the New-York Penn League once it gets under way.