Nick Travieso had an up-and-down first full professional season. That doesn’t mean the Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect didn’t make great strides. The 2012 first-round pick learned a lot, which is ultimately more important than his 7-4 record or 4.63 ERA with the low-A Dayton Dragons.

Travieso celebrated his 20th birthday at the end of January, and he’ll head into spring training looking to improve on his 2013 campaign. He’ll do so with a better grasp of his mechanics, and full confidence in his plus fastball and swing-and-miss slider.

Travieso talked about his growing pains, and what he learned from them, late in the minor-league season. Read the rest of this entry »

Barring unforeseen circumstances, J.R. Murphy isn’t going to be the New York Yankees’ starting catcher anytime soon. Not with Brian McCann inked to a five-year contract worth $85 million. But that doesn’t preclude Murphy from having a bright future, be it in the Bronx or elsewhere.

A second-round pick in 2009 out of a Bradenton, Fla., high school, Murphy has developed into an able backstop. The 22-year-old threw out nearly half the runners attempting to steal against him last year in the minor leagues. He also can handle the bat. In 108 games at Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .269/.347/.426, with a dozen home runs.

Murphy got his first taste of big-league action in September, getting 27 plate appearances. He talked about his development prior to a game at Fenway Park. Read the rest of this entry »

Early last summer, I wrote an article for Baseball Digest magazine that began with a quote from Bobby Cox. The Hall of Fame manager said, “They’ve got their RBIs in their gloves.” He was referring to weak-hitting shortstops with elite defensive ability. A few paragraphs later, I brought up Jose Iglesias.

Whether Iglesias fits that profile is a matter of debate. The 24-year-old ended up far outperforming expectations by hitting .303/.349/.386 between Boston and Detroit. He also had a .356 BABiP. The jury is still out on his bat.

There aren’t any questions about his glove. Iglesias is a human highlight reel at the shortstop position. His one-motion-catch-and-throw of an infield roller last summer was probably the defensive play of the year. His basket catch in short left field, in the ALCS, wasn’t far behind. Simply put, he makes plays no one else — OK, maybe Andrelton Simmons — can. By the eye-test, Iglesias is nothing short of brilliant.

The numbers don’t disagree. Read the rest of this entry »

Jesse Biddle is better than the 5-14 record and 5.3 BB/9 he logged last season with Double-A Reading. A lot better. As a matter of fact, the 22-year-old lefthander is on the verge of breaking into the Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation.

Biddle battled health issues in 2013. Diagnosed with whooping cough in April, he doggedly took the mound at less than full strength the entire season. In August, he toed the rubber with a case of plantar fasciitis.

A first-round pick in 2011 out of Germantown Friends School in suburban Philadelphia, Biddle has one of the best curveballs in minor league baseball. He also has a surprising role model. His stuff is that of a power pitcher, but Biddle is a big believer in the ways of Jamie Moyer. Read the rest of this entry »

Kyle Parker has a simple approach to hitting. The 24-year-old Colorado Rockies prospect likes to hunt fastballs, and when he gets one, he takes a healthy rip. Parker has power. He hit 23 bombs in Tulsa last year, and he’ll hit plenty more at Coors Field if he can fine-tune his plate discipline. The former college quarterback isn’t a hacker, but his approach needs honing.

Drafted 26th overall in 2010 out of Clemson University, Parker projects as a middle-of-the-order bat in either a corner outfield position or at first base. He‘s coming off a .288/.345/.492 performance in Double-A, and could easily hopscotch from Triple-A Colorado Springs to Denver by midseason. Parker discussed his game earlier this week. Read the rest of this entry »

Tom Glavine is going into the Hall of Fame for a reason. The long-time Atlanta Braves lefthander was a great pitcher. He won over 300 games and was an All-Star 10 times. A pair of Cy Young awards adorn his mantle.

Paradoxically, some of the numbers Glavine put up over his 22 seasons are atypical of the elite. One reason is that his stuff was anything but electric. Glavine didn’t overpower hitters. Not that he needed to. A master of nuance, he consistently induced outs with impeccable command.

Glavine talked about the secrets to his success, including the subtle adjustments he made to his approach, late last week. Read the rest of this entry »

Three years ago, Chris Dwyer was being billed as part of a pitching renaissance in Kansas City. Along with fellow southpaws Danny Duffy, John Lamb and Mike Montgomery, he was going to comprise a formidable rotation of homegrown arms. The Royals’ had the top-ranked farm system in the game, and pitching was a big reason why. As KC fans know all too well, things haven’t exactly worked out as planned.

That doesn’t mean Dwyer is a lost cause. Health issues helped wreck his 2012 campaign — Dwyer lost weight and several mph off his fastball due to a thyroid condition — but he came back strong in 2013. The 25-year-old logged a 3.55 ERA in 28 starts at Omaha, and capped off his minor league season by pitching seven scoreless innings in the Triple-A championship game. He made his big-league debut in late September, tossing three scoreless innings over a pair of relief outings.

Dwyer still has command issues — he walked 4.1 batters per nine innings in Omaha — but the talent that once put him on Baseball America’s Top 100 prospects list is reemerging. His ranking may have plummeted, but his chances of contributing to the Royals pitching staff are very much alive. Read the rest of this entry »

Jake Odorizzi doesn’t have a signature offering. The 23-year-old right-hander doesn’t need one. He’s the top prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays organization thanks to solid command of a four-pitch mix.

Originally drafted 32nd overall by the Brewers in 2008, Odorizzi has twice been involved in franchise-altering transactions. Milwaukee sent him to Kansas City as part of the Zack Greinke trade, and Tampa Bay acquired him in the Wil Myers–James Shields deal.

Odorizzi talked about his evolution as pitcher, including the development of his repertoire, earlier this month. Read the rest of this entry »

Pierce Johnson is learning to pitch. That’s bad news for opposing hitters, because the 6-foot-3 right-hander has big-league-quality stuff. It’s good news for Cubs fans, as Chicago’s north-side team drafted him 43rd overall in 2012 out of Missouri State University.

Johnson had an opportunity to begin his professional career three years earlier. In 2009, Tampa Bay took him in the 15th round out of Faith Christian Academy in Arvada, Colo. Johnson opted to go the college route, though, which included an opportunity to spend two summers pitching in the Cape Cod League. Now he’s one of the top prospects in a system loaded with high-end potential.

Johnson talked about his maturation as a pitcher — including the fine-tuning of his repertoire — earlier this month. Read the rest of this entry »

Mitch Haniger had an outstanding first professional season. The Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect banged out 52 extra-base hits between two levels. That number is even more impressive given that two-thirds of his at bats came in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. Overall, the 23-year-old [as of December] hit .264/.348/.431.

Originally drafted in 2009 by the Mets out of high school, Haniger opted to play college ball at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In his junior season at Cal Poly, he hit .346 with a 1.064 OPS. Milwaukee then selected him 38th overall.

Haniger finished up his 2013 campaign in the Arizona Fall League with the Surprise Saguaros. He discussed his game, and the decision to bypass the Mets, during the last week of the AFL season. Read the rest of this entry »