MLB Prospect Watch

Ramos to Washington for Capps

A trade involving Wilson Ramos was inevitable for the Minnesota Twins, considering the conversion of three major trade factors - the need for a contending team to add a piece, Ramos' status as a major-league ready prospect, and his positioning on the Twins' depth chart behind the reigning AL MVP who just signed a long-term deal.  The only question that remained concerned his ultimate destination.

We know now that our nation's capital is where Ramos has ended up, sent to Washington in exchange for Nationals' closer Matt Capps, reports the Minnesota Star Tribune.  Ramos had been rumored in multiple deals in the past month, including one centering around Cliff Lee.  Considering Ramos was one of the Twins most attractive trading chips, not everyone is happy with a two-month rental as a return.

Notable Prospect Performances - 7/20

• The Royals may not have much power in their big league lineup, but they have a ton down on the farm as evidenced by Kila Ka'aihue's two homer night and Eric Hosmer's third in three Double-A games, reports RoyalsProspects.com.
• Yohan Flande threw seven strong innings, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Danny Espinosa had a monster night on Monday, going 5-for-5 with 2 home runs.  The Nationals' SS prospect is hitting .316 in July and has displayed good power for an up-the-middle bat, but needs to improve his plate discipline.
• Alex White struck out 7 batters in as many innings, and continues to reward the Indians for having faith in his ability to perform like a first round pick.
• A prospect-laden game between the Scranton/Wilkes-Berre Yankees and the Gwinnett Braves showed why the Yankees are reluctant to trade Jesus Montero, why the Braves were comfortable pushing Freddie Freeman to Triple-A this year, and why Mike Minor was more than just a "safe" pick last year.
• Yonder Alonso stayed red-hot with a 4-for-5 night and has hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games.  Unfortunately, the Reds still have no where to put him.
• Oh, and in case we hadn't said it in a while, Mike Trout is still really, really good, and his recent promotion to the California League is only reaffirming that.

Notable Prospect Performances - 7/9

• Christian Friedrich struck out 12 batters as the Rockies' top pitching prospect celebrated his 23rd birthday.
• Giants' pitching prospect Eric Surkamp did two better, fanning 14 batters in his latest California League start.
• Nationals' OF Michael Burgess was 4-for-5 with a home run and a double.
• Cody Scarpetta struck out 11 batters over 7 scoreless innings, dropping the Brewers' prospect's ERA to 3.94 on the season.
• Devin Mesoraco continued his hot hitting this season with a 3-for-4 performance that left him just a single short of the cycle.
• Phillippe Aumont gave up 4 runs in his first start since his demotion to High-A ball, but only two of them were earned, and he struck out 13 batters.

Prospect Potent Potables - 6/30

• Michael Burgess's power is down but his plate discipline has improved, an adjustment the Nationals wanted him to make to help him become a better all-around hitter, reports Pete Kerzel of MLB.com.
• In addition to impressing on the mound, Jordan Lyles has shown the Astros that he is an impressive all-around athlete and no slouch with a bat in his hands either, says Todd Traub of MLB.com.
• With all the success Jonathan Singleton has had this season, it's easy to forget that the Phillies kept him in extended spring training to start the season, J.J. Cooper of Baseball America reminds us.
• Sean Ratliff is making the most of his opportunity since the Mets called him up to Double-A, reports Ryan Isley of MiLB.com.
• Hector Noesi threw a complete game shutout in his latest outing on Tuesday night, making it five straight starts of at least 7 innings for the Yankees' pitching prospects, according to Mike Ashmore of ThunderBaseball.com.  Fellow pinstripe pitching prospect Dellin Betances is re-learning how to pitch after narrowly avoiding Tommy John surgery last season, but the results thus far have been very promising, says Lee Diekemper of MiLB.com.
• Orioles' 3B prospect Josh Bell broke out of a 1-for-15 slump in a grand way Tuesday night.

Prospect Potent Potables - 6/15

There were some strong prospect performances yesterday, but no one could quite match the show Cubs' prospect Brett Jackson put on last night, capping off a hit-for-the-cycle night with a walk-off home run, reports John Parker of MLB.com.

• Carlos Carrasco put in another reliable start, says Tony of Indians Prospect Insider, but the Indians' pitching prospect took the loss, allowing 4 ER in 7 IP, despite fanning 8 Norfolk batters in the game.  One batter unfazed by Carrasco was O's 3B prospect Josh Bell, who went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run, says Dean Jones, Jr. of the Baltimore Sun.
• Jonathan Singleton is silly-hot right now, and Jarred Cosart is becoming a very reliable arm in the Phillies' system.
• Starts like this from Andrew Brackman keep the Yankees coming back for more.
• This is more like the Jeff Kobernus the Nationals thought they were drafting last year.
• It took Dayan Viciedo a year to get his feet wet in professional ball, but it looks like he's getting the hang of it.