MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action: 4/12/13

Triple-A

• After a strong WBC, Jonathan Schoop has gotten off to a rough start to the 2013 regular season (and for some reason the Orioles are allowing Norfolk to bat him 8th), but he did hit his first home run on Friday night.
• Braves first base prospect Joey Terdoslavich, playing right field on Friday night, hit his second home run in as many nights.
• James Paxton was perfect through four innings until weather issues delayed the game in the fifth,reports Don Ruiz of The Tacoma News-Tribune.  The Mariners left-hander ran into trouble in the fifth inning before the rain bailed him out.
• Kyle McPherson, thought to be in the running to possibly take the spot of Wandy Rodriguez in the Pirates major league rotation, allowed seven earned runs without getting out of the second inning, taking him out of consideration both for rest reasons as well as how poorly he threw.
• Fellow Diamondbacks short stop prospects Didi Gregorius and Chris Owings each had a three-hit game on Friday.  Owings is getting the full share of playing time at short stop for the time being as Gregorius recovers from an arm injury and is serving as the DH.
• After missing the start of the season for a family issue, Cardinals top prospect Oscar Taveras got back on track Friday night with a 4-for-5 game at the plate, writes Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com.

Double-A

• Jameson Taillon was a hard-luck loser on Friday, allowing just two runs in six innings while striking out 10.
• Dodgers outfield prospect Joc Pederson is off to a hot start this season, hitting his third home run of the year on Friday.
• After missing the entire 2012 with a shoulder injury and a rough first start, Chad Bettis put together a solid outing, as the Rockies prospect struck out six batters over five innings of one-run ball. 

High-A

• Tyler Naquin continued his red-hot start to the year, collecting two more hits to raise his batting average to .367 on the young season.  The Indians jumped Naquin directly from short-season ball to the Carolina League this year, but the jump hasn't fazed the former first-rounder.
• Kyle Crick struck out six batters in 3 2/3 innings, but didn't get any help from his Giants teammates behind him, whose defense led to four unearned runs.

Low-A

• Bubba Starling hit his first home run of the year.  The Royals outfielder still has issues with contact, however, having struck out in 15 of his 32 at-bats on the season.
• Stetson Allie is off to a great start to his first full season as a hitter, hitting his third home run of the season as part of a two-hit day that saw his batting average rise to .343.  Josh Bell recorded a four-hit game as well.
• Padres 2012 first-rounder Max Fried earned his first Midwest League win of the season, striking out eight over five innings of shutout baseball.

Prospect Action - 4/11/13

Triple-A

• Kyle Gibson was not good on Thursday, as the Twins pitching prospect allowed five runs without getting out of the fifth inning.
• Braves first base prospect Joey Terdoslavich hit his first home run of the season, coming off of White Sox pitcher Andre Rienzo, who struggled, allowing seven runs in 5 1/3 innings.  Jared Mitchell collected two hits and stole a pair of bases in the loss.
• Alex Colome took a no-hitter into the 5th inning, writes Robert Emrich of MiLB.com, as the Rays prospect ultimately allowing just two hits in six innings while striking out seven.

Double-A

• Nationals top prospect Anthony Rendon hit his first home run of the season and is still playing third base despite being blocked there in the majors by Ryan Zimmerman.
• Kevin Gausman bounced back from a rough first start of the season, as the Orioles pitching prospect allowed just one run over six innings of work, notes Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun.
• Red Sox pitching prospect Brandon Workman allowed just three hits over six strong innings, according to The Hartford Courant.
• J.R. Graham failed to make it out of the fourth inning and took a loss, despite a home run from Christian Bethancourt in support of his effort, writes Solomon Crenshaw, Jr. of AL.com.

High-A

• The Blue Jays are still limiting the pitch counts of Aaron Sanchez, but that hasn't stopped the right-hander from dominating when he's on the mound, writes Jonathan Raymond of MiLB.com, who notes that Sanchez threw five no-hit innings on Thursday.
• Mets prospect Domingo Tapia struggled with his control on Thrusday, walking four batters while failing to get out of the first inning.
• Luke Jackson dominated in his second start of the season, striking out seven over five innings of shutout baseball.  The Rangers right-hander now has a 2.00 ERA and 11 strike outs in nine innings on the season.
• Phillies third base prospect Maikel Franco homered for the second straight game, this time as part of a three-hit day that also included a pair of doubles.

Low-A

• 2011 first-rounder Joe Ross threw five shutout innings while striking out eight and allowing just two baserunners on Thursday.  It was the second straight five inning scoreless outing for the Padres right-hander this season.
• The Marlins Low-A affiliate in Greensboro got two-hit days from Yordy Cabrera and Jesus Solorzano en route to a 6-4 victory.

Putting it Together: Reymond Fuentes

It's incredibly early in the 2012 season, but fans of the San Antoino Missions may be in the midst of the emergence of Reymond Fuentes.

Fuentes came to the Padres via the Red Sox as a part of the package they received for Adrian Gonzalez, immediately putting him into the spotlight even more so than he was by having been selected in the first round in 2009 or for being Carlos Beltran's cousin.  As a part of such a high-profile trade that was justified as getting the Diamondbacks a number of pieces for their future, big things were expected out of Fuentes, who was almost immediately dubbed as the Padres center fielder and leadoff hitter of the future.

At the time, Fuentes was coming off a season in which he had posted a .705 OPS in his first year of full-season ball in the Low-A Sally League.  His six percent walk rate wasn't outstanding, but also wasn't terrible for an 19-year-old still adjusting to professional ball, and his 42 steals were an encouraging sign of his ability to use his plus-speed.

All in all, big things were expected from him in his new organization as he headed to the hitter's haven that is the California League.

Fuentes didn't deliver big things in 2011, but instead it was more of the same - moderate walk rates, no power and lots of speed, all adding up to a .711 OPS, up six points from the year before, but down in relative terms to having spent the season in a much easier hitter's league.

The Padres bumped Fuentes up to Double-A for the 2012 season despite his inability to truly have success yet with the bat.  The jump from A-ball to Double-A, typically the most difficult for minor league hitters, proved to be too much for Fuentes, who, despite increasing his walk rate to over nine percent, struggled to make enough contact to use his speed an be an effective hitter.  Surrounding a career-high 133 strikeouts, way too many for a leadoff-type hitter, Fuentes hit just .218 in the Texas League.

But Fuentes, still just 22-years-old, is back in Double-A taking another crack at leading the Missions offense and is having a much better time of things so far in the young 2013 season.  A 2-for-4 evening at the plate (that also included a walk and two runs scored) brings his batting average to .386) 10-for-26 over his first six games.  It's a horribly small sample size, but for a player who needs a strong offensive season to revitalize his career, it's a good sign worth noting.

If Fuentes struggles this season in a repeat of Double-A, it could spell the end of his chances to prove that he's an everyday player in the major leagues.  His walk rates have improved in each of his three full seasons, so that's a good sign that he's improving his approach at the plate, and he's never going to hit for much power, so no one's too worried about that.  But Fuentes must prove that he can consistently get on base if he's ever going to get regular playing time in the majors.

So far in 2013, Fuentes is doing just that, pacing the Missions lineup and posting a .429 on-base percentage in the early going.  If he keeps this up, Fuentes could receive a mid-season bump to Triple-A to test his newfound offensive game.

Time has hardly run out yet for Fuentes, but his opportunities to prove he's worth the chances he's received may be getting slim.  He's off to a great start this April, but he'll need to continue to show progress to the Padres if he wants to stay in their plans.

Prospect Action - Opening Day, 4/4/13

Triple-A

• Twins outfield prospect Oswaldo Arcia may have had the best all-around game of the night, going 2-for-4 with a double and a home run at the plate and also throwing out two runners at second base.  
• Tony Cingrani was the pitcher of the night, as the Reds lefty struck out 14 of the 19 batters he faced over six hitless innings.
• Hunter Morris got off to a good start in his attempt to replicate his impressive 2012 numbers, as the Brewers first base prospect went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in support of Tyler Thornburg, who struck out seven over five innings of one-run ball, according to Tim Grubbs of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.
• Jurickson Profar was unfazed by his first taste of Triple-A, as the Rangers top prospect went 2-for-3 in his Round Rock debut, and managed not to be one of the 11 strikeout victims of Royals lefty Will Smith.
• Diamondbacks prospect Matt Davidson did on Thursday night what Matt Davidson does best, hitting a ninth-inning two-run home run to lead Reno to a 5-4 victory, despite a home run earlier in the game from fellow hot-corner man and Rockies top prospect Nolan Arenado.  
• Zack Wheeler struggled in his Pacific Coast League deubt as the Mets top prospect allowed two earned runs and walking three while taking 86 pitches to get through 3 1/3 innings.  He got plenty of run support from Travis d'Arnaud, who collected a pair of doubles in the game.
• Danny Hultzen had no such trouble in his 2013 debut, as the Mariners lefty fanned seven batters over six innings of work.  His control issues, which plagued him after his call-up to Triple-A last season, were no where to be found, as Hultzen walked just 2 batters.

Double-A

• The Double-A debut of Mets pitching prospect Rafael Montero couldn't have gone much better, as the right-hander struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings of one-run baseball.
• Taijuan Walker wasn't as sharp in his 2013 debut, striking out eight batters of his own over five innings of work, but also walking four and allowing four earned runs and a pair of home runs to Marlins prospects J.T. Realmuto and Derek Dietrich.
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  After emerging as a prospect last season, Aaron Northcraft was able to carry his success over to his first start of 2013, also striking out eight over six innings of shutout baseball.
• Astros center fielder George Springer hit his first home run of the season in support of Ross Seaton, who threw five solid innings.

High-A

• Justin Nicolino turned in an uneven performance in his Marlins debut, allowing four runs (three earned) over five innings of work.
• Tigers first base prospect Aaron Westlake hit his first home run of the season as part of a 2-for-3 day at the plate.  Yankees catching prospect Gary Sanchez went 2-for-4 in the victory.
• The Pirates pair of breakout prospects from last season, Alen Hanson and Gregory Polonco, combined to go 0-for-8 in their Florida State League debuts.
• The A's jumped Addison Russell all the way to the California League in his first full season but the 2012 first-rounder struck out three times in his debut.  He also singled and walked.

Low-A

• After posting a 6.26 ERA in the Midwest League last season, Padres pitching prospect Joe Ross got off to a much better start to the 2013 season, throwing five scoreless innings on Thursday night while striking out four.
• Reds prospect Robert Stephenson was dominant at times but erratic at others en route to racking up six strikeouts over five innings, but also allowing three runs.
• Byron Buxton did his job as a leadoff hitter in his full-season debut, getting two hits, scoring two runs and stealing a base for the Twins new affiliate in Cedar Rapids.
• 2011 first-rounder Brandon Nimmo made his full-season debut with a two-hit game.

Pacific Coast League Preview

Albuquerque (LAD)

Yasiel Puig is the big name but keep an eye on Chris Withrow as a potential bullpen arm who could be in the majors by the end of the season.  Watch Puig's plate discipline (not just walks, but his BB/K ratio) to see how ready he is for the majors.

Colorado Springs (COL)

Just like in the majors, it's all about offense in the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, with Nolan Arenado pushing Ryan Wheeler over to first base.  Arenado was beat out in spring training by Chris Nelson, but if he returns to his 2011 form, he should force his way to the majors by mid-season, no matter what Nelson is doing.

Memphis (SF)

Gary Brown could be up for a big offensive season, much like he had in the offensively similar California League in 2011.  The center fielder struggled last season as Richmond and has one last chance to prove that he's an everyday player and not a fourth outfielder.  Left-hander Mike Kickham leads the pitching staff after a strong season in Richmond in 2012.  He skipped the Cal League on his way through the Giants system, so this will be his first test in an extreme hittter's environment.

Iowa (CHC)

Brett Jackson and Josh Vitters are the names everyone knows and this is their final chance in the minors to prove they should be a part of the Cubs rebuilding process.  Both should be in the majors at some point this season, but both need to give the Cubs some reason to believe they can be regular players at the next level.

Las Vegas (NYM)

The new Mets affiliate are headlined by pitching phenom Zack Wheeler, who won't be in the desert for too long.  He should be in the majors by June.  The 51's also feature Travis d'Arnaud and Wilmer Flores, giving them the best collection of top prospects in the PCL.

Memphis (STL)

Oscar Taveras will be the best player in the PCL and will only be there as long as the Cardinals still have him blocked in the majors.  2012 first-rounder Michael Wacha could be close behind him, and should be the PCL's best pitcher once Wheeler joins the Mets.

Huntsville (MIL)

The Brewers system isn't deep, but Johnny Hellweg, who came over in last summer's Zack Greinke trade, is a flame thrower and almost made the Brewers bullpen out of spring training.  He'll work as a starter in the minors.

New Orleans (MIA)

The Zephyrs thought they were getting Jose Fernandez at some point this season, but instead will have to settle for Jacob Turner and Kyle Skipworth, which is not a close consolation prize.  Christian Yelich will join them eventually, but not yet.

Oklahoma City (HOU)

Jarred Cosart, Rudy Owens and Paul Clemens highlight a rotation of prospects the Astros have acquired over the past two seasons, while the lineup is led by Robbie Grossman, Marc Krauss and Jonathan Villar.  None of these players were drafted by the Astros, a testament to their rebuilding process, but none are high-end prospects.

Omaha (KC)

Once a Triple-A team that could almost rival the worst big league teams, Omaha now features midling prospects like Christian Colon and Chris Dwyer.

Reno (ARI)

Tyler Skaggs didn't make the Diamondbacks roster this spring, which is a gain for the Aces rotation that will also feature Randall Delgado, Charles Brewer and Chase Anderson.

Round Rock (TEX)

The headliner is Jurickson Profar, but he'll be flanked by Mike Olt in the lineup and Justin Grimm on the mound.  Profar could also be spending the majority of his time at second base now that the Rangers have locked Elvis Andrus up long term.

Sacramento (OAK)

Sonny Gray and Grant Green give the RIver Cats a pair of first rounders still trying to gain some traction within the A's organization.  Either could move quick if they have success or they could spend the whole season in the PCL.

Salt Lake (LAA)

The least prospect-laden team in the PCL offers Kole Calhoun in the outfield, but even he could be in the majors soon.

Tacoma (SEA)

There are prospects galore on the Rainers roster, including Danny Hultzen and Erasmo Ramirez in the rotation and Nick Franklin in the middle infield.  Taijuan Walker and Mike Zunino should both be there at some point as well.

Tucson (SD)

Jaff Decker continues to try to defy expectations, but needs to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2012 season.  Brad Boxberger will stay sharp in the bullpen until he's needed in the majors.