MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Potent Potables - 4/13

Today's links love watching Neftali Feliz hit triple-digits.

• Philadelphia Phillies relief prospect B.J. Rosenberg was placed on the minor league DL with a strained right lat, reports Phuture Phillies.com.
• Overshadowed by the festivities surrounding debuts by bigger named prospects, Shelby Miller, the top prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and their first round pick in 2009 made his 2010 debut on Sunday, reports Joe DiGiovianni of MLB.com, throwing 4 scoreless innings, striking out 7 and giving up two hits.
• Buster Posey got a day off from catching in Triple-A on Sunday, instead playing first base, reports Corey Brock of MLB.com.  Posey also homered in the game.  How long until the Giants call him back up?  The first round of inter-league play in American League parks seems like an obvious choice.
• One of the few rookies in the major with an every day job, Tommy Manzella, is moving up in the Astros' lineup to second in the order, according to Nate Latsch of MLB.com.  Unfortunately for the Astros, it didn't help.

Prospect Potent Potables - 4/5

Happy Opening Day!

• The two-time defending National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies will feature three rookies in their bullpen, Matt Gelb points out in the Philadelphia Inquirer.  Antonio Bastardo, Andrew Carpenter, and Rule V draft pick David Herndon all made the team, due in large part to injuries to Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero.
• The Colorado Rockies are having four of their prospects skip a level, reports Jack Etkin of Inside the Rockies, with the biggest name of the bunch being Tim Wheeler.  The Rockies' second of two first round picks in 2009, Wheeler will jump to High-A Modesto after having played in rookie level Tri-City last year after signing.
• Prospects will be on the forefront for the Detroit Tigers this year, as the team will feature two in their ever-day lineup to start the season.  Austin Jackson will be in the lead-off spot, and as Jason Beck reports, the former Yankee farmhand is excited about the challenge.  Joining Jackson in the lineup will be 2B Scott Sizemore, and the team recently announced that the former VCU Ram will be batting in the 8th spot.
• Tommy Manzella says he feels a little behind at the plate after having missed a week of spring games with a quadriceps injury, reports the Houston Chronicle, but given that the rookie was given the starting job primarily for his defensive abilities, the Astros should be satisfied as long as he can effectively field his position.  Also of note in the article were the assignments of the team's top two prospects - C Jason Castro (Triple-A Round Rock) and SS Jiovanni Mier (Low-A Lexington).

Prospect Potent Potables - 4/2

Can you smell that?  It's in the air.  It's, it's...baseball season.

• The New York Mets have not yet made final roster cuts, and according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Jenrry Mejia has a "60/40 chance" of making the club.  Ruben also adds (in Baseball America) that the Mets are very high on 1B Ike Davis and that INF prospect Ruben Tejada, who is only 20-years-old, could be with the team on Opening Day thanks to the Jose Reyes injury situation.
• With rookies Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore set at the top of their order, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press likes the speed the Detroit Tigers will have this season.
• Carlos Carrasco may have lost the [roster] battle, but his strong spring left a strong impression on the Indians, and assured him of a spot with the Indians at some point this year, says Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
• With their pitching staff looking like a M*A*S*H unit and a payroll at its maximum, the Philadelphia Phillies will have to look to internal solutions to round out their bullpen.  They have already brought Andrew Carpenter back to the big leagues to be the long-reliever in the bullpen, reports David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, and a strong spring from B.J. Rosenberg has made him an arm to watch should the need arise for more reinforcements.
• Tommy Manzella returned for the Astros yesterday, says Brian McTaggart for MLB.com, and resumed his place in the starting lineup.
• Mike Trout, only 18-years-old, shined in a split-squad game for the Angels yesterday, reports Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.  The Angels have been thrilled so far with the play of Trout, their first round pick from last year.

Astros Set with Manzella at Short

Tommy Manzella isn't your typical prospect.  He doesn't elicit excitement from the fan base.  His jerseys aren't flying off the shelves.  Heck, they're probably not even on there in the first place.  But Manzella does have one thing many prospects are fighting for...

A starting spot in a big league lineup.

Barring catastrophe, Manzella will be the Houston Astros starting short stop on Opening Day, reports Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle.  This despite only 5 major league at-bats and a career minor league batting average of only .268.

So why the confidence in Manzella?  For the Astros, it's a combination of defensive prowess and lack of options.  Manzella is a good fielder, and at a prime defensive position, the Astros are willing to forgo offensive production for defensive wizardry.  They also don't have a lot of other options.  Having let Miguel Tejada go in the off-season and with little money to spend in free agency, the Astros were forced to look to a weak farm system for a replacement.  While they would love to have 25 HR's from the short stop position, they are more than willing to settle for a solid glove man at a cheap price.

40-Man Roster Additions: National League

With the Rule 5 draft approaching during the Winter Meetings, the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster has come and gone.  Players added to their team's 40-man roster are safe from being taken in the Rule 5 Draft.

Other players safe from the Rule 5 draft include any players signed at age 19 or older (who are protected for three years and players drafted or signed at age 18 or younger, who are protected for four years.

Here is a list of 40-man roster additions for National League teams this off-season, who now can not be taken in the Rule 5 Draft:

Atlanta Braves

• Stephen Marek (P), Todd Redmond (P), Luis Valdez (P) and Diory Hernandez (3B). 

New York Mets

• Mike Carp (1B)
  

Philadelphia Phillies

• Joel Naughton (C), Sergio Escalona (P), John Mayberry Jr. (OF), Carlos Carrasco (P) and Drew Naylor (P)
  

Florida Marlins

• Brett Hayes (C), Chris Leroux (P), Dallas Trahern (P) and Tim Wood (P).

Washington Nationals

• Luis Atilano (P), Ian Desmond (SS) and Leonard Davis (OF)
  

Chicago Cubs

• Mitch Atkins (P), Justin Berg (P), and Marcos Mateo (P)
  

Milwaukee Brewers

• Omar Aguilar (P), Alex Periard (P), Mark Rogers (P), and Cody Scarpetta (P)
  

St. Louis Cardinals

• Tyler Greene (SS) and Matt Scherer (P)
  

Houston Astros

• Drew Sutton (2B), Tommy Manzella (SS), Brian Bogusevic (OF), and Polin Trinidad (P).

Pittsburgh Pirates

• Neil Walker (3B), Steve Lerud (C), Jose Tabata (OF), Ronald Uviedo (P), Jeff Sues (P), and Evan Meek (P)

Cincinnati Reds

• Juan Francisco (3B), Matt Maloney (P), Carlos Fisher (P), Sam LeCure (P) and Robert Manuel (P).
  

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Brent Leach (P), Victor Garate (P), Travis Schlichting (P), Jesus Castillo (P), and Jaime Hoffman (OF)
  

San Francisco Giants

• Jesse English (P), Waldis Joaquin (P), Joseph Martinez (P) and Henry Sosa (P)
  

Arizona Diamondbacks

• Pedro Ciriaco (SS), Jose Marte (P), Kyler Newby (P), Cesar Valdez (P), Leyson Septimo (P) and Clay Zavada (P).
  

Colorado Rockies

• Eric Young Jr. (2B), Ryan Mattheus (P), Samuel Deduno (P), Shane Lindsay (P), Hector Gomez (SS) and Chris Nelson (SS)
  

San Diego Padres

• Matt Bush (P), Cesar Carrillo (P), Jackson Quezada (P), Cesar Ramos (P), Jose Lobaton (C) and Luis Durango (OF).