MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action - Arguelles, Martinez, Goldschmidt, Montero

• Royals prospect Noel Arguelles lost a no-hitter in the seventh inning on Tuesday night, says Danny Wild of MiLB.com.  Fellow Royals prospect Chris Dwyer fanned nine batters over eight innings to defeat Rockies pitching prospect Christian Friedrich, who got shelled to the tune of nine earned runs in 2 1/3 innings.
• Carlos Martinez fanned six batters in as many innings as the Cardinals prospect's fifth start in the Florida State League, notes David Schoenholtz of MiLB.com.
• Paul Goldschmidt hit his minor league-leading 30th home run, reports David Heck of MiLB.com, in support of fellow Diamondbacks prospect Tyler Skaggs, who gave up just one unearned run over six innings of work to earn a victory.
• Yankees C prospect Jesus Montero went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run.
• Phillies prospect Julio Rodriguez turned in another strong outing in High-A ball, striking out seven batters in five innings and allowing just one unearned run.

 

Blogs Track Teams - 5/12

• Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com has all of your Pirates updates, inculding a good start by Jeff Locke.
• Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com reports on Yonder Alonso's big day at the plate, and other Reds action.
• Orioles-Nation.com discusses a rough day at the plate for L.J. Hoes, and other Orioles prospects.
• PineTarPress.com checks in with Royals highlights, including a good start on the mound for Noel Arguelles.
• Steve Foster of InsidetheRockies.com notes that Tyler Matzek was better, but still struggled wit his control, as well as touching on other notable Rockies highlights.

 

Prospect Potent Potables - Pirates, Royals, Kimbrel, Trout

• The Pirates top prospects aren't far enough along to be in spring training just yet, but that didn't stop Jameson Taillon, Stetson Allie, and Luis Heredia from sneaking over from minor league camp to catch a glimpse of the big leage action, says Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com.
• Spring Training is always a time to see young players who may be a few years away, but the Royals are taking that to a whole new level with eight pitchers in camp who are 22-years-old or younger, including prospects John Lamb (20), Noel Arguelles, Mike Montgomery, and Tim Collins (21), and Nathan Adcock, Danny Duffy and Chris Dwyer (22), reports Dick Kaegel of MLB.com.
• Even if he's not the Braves closer on Opening Day, Craig Kimbrel will be at some point this season, a notion it seems everyone but the team is ready to admit, says Paul Newberry of the Associated Press.   But don't expect him to match his ridiculous strike out totals from last season, says Davie O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  After all, no one ever has.
• For all of the tools that scouts rave about when discussing Mike Trout, it's his makeup that has the Angels really excited to have the game's top prospect in camp, notes Lyle Spencer of MLB.com.
• The Rays farm system is so deep that they have some legitimate pitching prospects that get overlooked, says John Sickles of MinorLeagueBall.com, who mentions Nick Barnese, Alex Cobb and Kyle Lobstein among others.
• The Yankees are hoping to see more contact from Kelvin De Leon to go with his massive power, notes George King of Baseball America.

 

 

Royals Remain Active in Latin America

The Kansas City Royals have come to terms with 16-year-old shortstop Humberto Arteaga, says Michael Engel of KingsofKauffman.com.  Arteaga is said to be an above-average defensive shortstop who should be able to remain at the position, and the Royals believe he will develop into a line-drive type hitter.  Ben Badler of Baseball America has more information on Artega and ranked Arteaga as the 9th best Latin American prospect entering this year's July 2 signing period (subscription required for rankings).   

The Royals have been active in the Latin American market in the past year, shelling out a large contract for Cuban defector Noel Arguelles during the off-season.  Arguelles is out for the season with a sore shoulder and has yet to throw a professional pitch.

Making Moves - 6/22

• The Mariners have promoted pitcher Michael Pineda to Triple-A, tweets Ryan Darvish of Mariners Insider.
• Phillies' first-round pick Jesse Biddle will make his professional debut on Friday, pitching in the Gulf Coast League, reports Bill Conlin of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Royals' pitching prospects Mike Montgomery and Noel Arguelles are both battling arm issues, says Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.  Montgomery is back on the DL with elbow soreness for the second time this month, but GM Dayton Moore insists everything is fine.  At the same time, Arguelles, the team's $7 million Cuban investment, will still miss another two weeks recovering form shoulder tendinitis.
• Thanks to the development of his change-up, Zach Britton could get a look in Baltimore towards the end of the season, says Noah Rosenstein of MLB.com.  Josh Bell could also be in Baltimore by the end of the season, and is certainly closer to the majors than he was in the Dodgers' organization, says John Wagner for MiLB.com.
• Twins' catching prospect Wilson Ramos will miss a few games due to an oblique strain, reports the Minnesota Star-Tribune.
• The Mets have sent reliever Jenrry Mejia back down to Double-A so that he can develop as a starter, report Sean Brennan and Andy Martino of the New York Daily News.
• Hunter Morris, the Brewers' fourth-round pick in this year's draft, has skipped rookie ball and been sent directly to the full season Midwest League, reports Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
• The White Sox have signed first-rounder Chris Sale, and plan on debuting him in the Carolina League as a reliever, reports Jeff Buchanan of FutureSox.com.  Their plan is to fast-track Sale as a reliever this season with the potential of using him in the major league bullpen this fall, then send him to the Arizona Fall League to transition back to being a starter as he was in college.