The Atlanta Braves organization recently added three pitchers and a middle infielder to its 40-man roster. Right-handers Luis Valdez, Todd Redmond and Stephen Marek, along with shortstop Diory Hernandez, were all added to the roster for the first times in their brief careers.

Both Valdez and Redmond were plucked from the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization. Valdez spent the majority of his Pirates’ career as a starter until 2007 when he made 35 relief appearances (and just one start) in High-A ball. His ERA was 4.79 with 87 hits allowed in 73.1 innings. But his FIP was just 3.01. Perhaps the Braves took notice of that fact because the organization signed him as a minor league free agent that off-season. In 2008 at Double-A, the 24-year-old pitcher allowed just 48 hits in 65.1 innings of work. He also posted rates of 4.96 BB/9 and 10.61 K/9. Once he improves his control, he could surface at the Major League level thanks to a 92-96 mph fastball and plus slider.

Redmond was obtained in a 2008 spring trade when Atlanta sent Major League reliever Tyler Yates to Pittsburgh. A 2004 39th-round draft pick, Redmond has posted excellent numbers in the low minors but stumbled a bit in 2007 with a 7-12 record at High-A and a 4.54 ERA. His K/9 rate was also just 5.99. However, his FIP was 3.94 and the BB/9 rate was 2.02. In 2008 with Atlanta at the Double-A level, Redmond allowed 164 hits in 166.1 innings and posted rates of 1.79 BB/9 and 7.20 K/9. The 23-year-old right-hander has average stuff with an 87-90 mph fastball, curveball and change-up.

Marek, like the other two pitchers added, was originally signed by another organization (the Los Angeles Angels) and was obtained by Atlanta in the Mark Teixeira trade. He was original selected in the 40th round of the 2004 draft and later signed in 2005 as a draft-and-follow (a now-defunct process). The 25-year-old right-hander has posted solid but unspectacular career numbers prior to 2008 and was shifted to the bullpen this past season. Before the trade, Marek allowed 39 hits in 46.2 Double-A innings and posted rates of 4.05 BB/9 and 10.99 K/9. He also did a better job of keeping the ball in the park and allowed just two home runs. After the trade, he allowed 12 hits in 14 innings. Marek has an 89-94 mph fastball, a plus curveball and a change-up.

Hernandez, 24, was originally signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Braves in 2002. He did not reach Double-A until 2007 but his bat improved remarkably when his triple-slash line jumped from .238/.293/.336 in High-A ball to .307/.370/.418 at Double-A. In 2008, while playing mostly at Triple-A, Hernandez hit .288/.317/.383 with an ISO of .096 in 459 at-bats. He stole just seven bases this past season after swiping more than 20 in 2007 – and he has poor instincts on the base paths. Defensively, he is better-suited to second base due to a lack of arm strength.

The San Francisco Giants’ infield could be a very interesting place in 2009. Eric touched on the organization’s 25-man roster earlier this week so I am going to now take the opportunity to focus on the young players in the infield. The club will feature an entirely remade infield and young players will be front and center in the remodeling.

New shortstop Edgar Renteria will be the veteran stabilizing influence at the shortstop position. His OPS slumped to .699 in 2008, along with a wOBA of .308 (down from .381 in 2008). Renteria’s defence is also on the slide with a UZR in the past two seasons of -1.7 and 0.9.

The other middle infield spot is still up in the air – although the 2008-09 off-season is far from over. If the season were to begin tomorrow, a group of young players would have the opportunity to fight for playing time. Those players struggling for scraps of at-bats would include Eugenio Velez, Emmanuel Burriss and Kevin Frandsen.

Velez can fly like the wind, but he is best suited to a utility role and pinch runner. He hit .262 in 275 at-bats in 2008, while also posting a wOBA of .297. Just under 60 percent of his batted balls were hit on the ground so he understands how to take advantage of his speed. He just needs to walk more (4.8 BB% in 2008).

Burriss hit .283/.357/.329 with a .318 wOBA in 240 MLB at-bats in 2008. He also has speed and stole 13 bases in 18 attempts. He has played more shortstop in the minors but he was more impressive at the Major League level at second base. He has the highest ceiling of the young middle infielders.

Frandsen appeared all over the diamond in 2007 but missed most of 2008 with a torn Achilles’ tendon. He returned at the end of 2008 and appeared in the Arizona Fall League where he dominated with a line of .333/.392/.421 in 133 at-bats. After stealing 10 bases in 13 attempts, Frandsen even showed that his Achilles tendon was feeling better.

At third base, Pablo Sandoval likely has the inside shot at this point. The catcher-third baseman hit .345/.357/.490 with a wOBA of .361 in 145 MLB at-bats last season. He held his own in the field at third base and did not make an error in 85 innings.

Minor League free agent Jesus Guzman, signed out of the A’s organization, is a sleeper option for 2009 at third base. His defence is nothing to write home about but if he continues to hit, he’ll earn his shot. Currently this off-season in Venezuela, Guzman is dominating with a line of .349/.435/.616 in 232 at-bats. He also recently broke the winter league’s 35-year-old RBI record with his 67th of the season.

At first base, the Giants will have former Jays top prospect Josh Phelps in camp on a minor league deal. He held his own for the Yankees and Pirates in 2007 but was a victim of numbers despite a .306 batting average and seven homers in 157 at-bats. He hit .265 in 34 at-bats for the Cardinals in 2008 but was playing in an organization that really didn’t need a back-up first baseman very often.

John Bowker, 25, also has a shot at playing time at first base in 2008 after spending 71 games there in 2008. Defensively, he was nothing special with a RF/9 of 7.96. Offensively, Bowker batted .255/.300/.408 with a wOBA of .307 and an ISO of .153 in 326 at-bats.

Travis Ishikawa will battled Bowker for time from the left-handed batter’s box. The 25-year-old hit .274/.337/.432 with a wOBA of .337 in just 95 MLB at-bats in 2008. He had a very nice minor league season split between Double-A and Triple-A, after a putrid 2007 season. He needs to come out and have a hot start to the season to put the doubters’ whispers to rest.

All-in-all, the Giants organization likely will not receive above-average offensive or defensive production from the infield in 2009. But it should be interesting to watch and one or two of the players will likely stick around in San Francisco for a number of years to come.

With the rumored signings of both right-handed starter Brad Penny and catcher Josh Bard, the Boston Red Sox organization has begun to make some changes to its 40-man roster at the Major League level. Prior to those two (upcoming) additions, though, the Red Sox also added three prospects to the 40-man roster: pitchers Felix Doubront and Hunter Jones, as well as catcher Mark Wagner.

Doubront is a left-handed Venezuelan who has been state-side for the past three seasons. He recovered from a terrible 2007 (which included an 8.93 ERA in 11 A-ball starts, but just a 5.89 FIP) to post a 3.67 ERA (2.90 FIP) in 115.1 A-ball innings in 2008. Doubront allowed 115 hits and posted rates of 1.87 BB/9 and 9.21 K/9. The 21-year-old hurler finished the season in High-A ball and posted a FIP of 2.13 in 14 innings of work. Doubront features a curveball as his out-pitch, as well as a modest fastball in the low 90s, a slider and an occasional change-up.

Hunter Jones, 24, was originally signed as a non-drafted amateur free agent out of Florida State University in 2005. Despite his modest beginnings, Jones has never posted an ERA above 3.19 in pro ball. In 2008, the left-hander split time between Double-A and Triple-A. In Double-A, Hunter allowed 21 hits in 22.2 innings of work and posted rates of 1.59 BB/9 and 10.32 K/9. At Triple-A, he allowed 55 hits in 50.2 relief innings and posted rates of 2.49 BB/9 and 8.88 K/9. In the last two seasons, just eight balls have left the yard against Jones in 162.2 innings. His repertoire includes a sinking fastball that sits in the upper 80s and touches 91 mph. He also has a curveball and change-up.

Wagner was originally drafted in the 29th round out of high school by the Atlanta Braves, but chose to attend the University of California-Irvine and jumped up 20 rounds in 2005. The 24-year-old hit more than .300 in his first three pro seasons before slumping terribly in 2008 at the Double-A level. In 342 at-bats, the right-handed batter hit just .219/.297/.363 with a .143 ISO and a .294 wOBA. He posted rates of 10.0 BB% and 22.8%. In the past, Wagner maintained near-even walk and strikeout rates. On the encouraging side in 2008, his BABIP was just .256. Defensively, he is at least average, with the potential to be above average.

It has been a relatively quiet winter for the Chicago Cubs organization. Aside from bringing in a couple of complementary players, including reliever Kevin Gregg and outfielder Joey Gathright, the organization has been operating in a reserved manner – although retaining free agent starter Ryan Dempster was no small feat. The club made some much smaller waves when it added three pitching prospects – Mitch Atkins, Justin Berg and Marcos Mateo – to the 40-man roster early on in the off-season.

Drafted out of high school, Atkins has moved up the organization’s ladder relatively quietly. The right-hander has put up some good won-loss numbers, having gone 39-19 since 2006 – as well as 17-7 in 28 starts split between Double-A and Triple-A in 2008. However, his other numbers are not quite as impressive, including his FIP, which was 5.70 in 10 Triple-A starts in 2008. His K-BB ratio was also a modest 1.91, along with a walk rate of 3.81 BB/9 and a strikeout rate of 7.29 K/9. Atkins’ repertoire includes a low-90s fastball, a curveball and a change-up – and he projects as more of a bottom-of-the-rotation starter despite his big win totals.

Berg is your typical frustrating right-hander. He throws a hard, sinking fastball that tops out around 94 mph, but he fails to strikeout as many batters as he should and the walks continue to be an issue. In 90.1 Triple-A innings in 2008, Berg posted rates of 4.78 BB/9 and just 4.88 K/9. That strikeout rate was his highest one since 2006 when he managed to strike out 6.42 batters per nine innings in High-A ball. Along with sharpening his command, Berg needs to improve his secondary pitches so batters do not sit on his fastball. The 24-year-old hurler has played around with both a slider and a curveball, favoring the former for much of 2008 with mixed results.

Mateo has the farthest climb to make up the organization’s ladder, as he spent much of 2008 in High-A ball. The right-handed reliever was originally acquired from the Cincinnati Reds organization in 2007 for minor league outfielder Buck Coats (now in the Blue Jays organization). In 2008, Mateo split his time between the starting rotation and the bullpen and allowed 87 hits in 88.1 innings of work. He also posted rates of 2.95 BB/9 and 6.62 K/9. Mateo spent the season working on developing a change-up to go with his 90-94 mph fastball and slider. Despite making some strides in 2008, he still projects as a MLB set-up man.

The Pittsburgh Pirates organization takes a lot of beatings from media, as well as from the online community of baseball bloggers. Many of the criticisms are justified, while others are not.

The Pirates organization added six players to the 40-man roster recently. Two of those moves – Neil Walker and Jose Tabata – were no-brainers. The other four, though, were questionable: pitchers Evan Meek, Jeff Sues, Ronald Uviedo, and catcher Steve Lerud. While Walker and Tabata are among the best prospects in the relatively weak system, the remaining four currently project as below-average Major League regulars.

Meek is a former Rule 5 pick who has bounced around the waiver wire more than once. He did make huge strides with his control in the minors in 2008, but his walk rate jumped back up to 8.31 BB/9 in (small sample size warning) 13 MLB innings in 2008. In 41.1 Triple-A innings in 2008, Meek allowed just 30 hits. He features a low-90s fastball, as well as a splitter and slider.

Sues was a fifth-round selection in the 2005 draft out of Vanderbilt University, where he split time between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He settled into the bullpen in 2008 after appearing in just eight pro games between 2005 and 2007. Sues has struggled with medical issues since his college days and his durability is a huge question mark. His fastball is in the low 90s (and can touch the mid-90s) and he has a plus slider. In 2008, he pitched a career-high 64.1 innings between High-A and Double-A. In 43 Double-A innings, he allowed 35 hits and posted rates of 4.19 BB/9 and 11.51 K/9. He is a flyball pitcher who induced ground balls at a rate of 36 percent. Sues, like Meeks, is another run-of-the-mill right-handed middle reliever who is a dime-a-dozen at the Double-A and Triple-A level.

Hey look, another right-handed middle reliever. Uviedo, a Venezuelan, at least has age on his side at 22. In just his second season stateside, the 6’0” reliever allowed 70 hits in 71.2 A-ball innings. He also posted rates of 1.88 BB/9 and 9.54 K/9. Uviedo earned a late-season promotion to High-A ball and allowed just five hits in 16 innings, but his rates dropped to 2.81 BB/9 and 6.75 K/9. He also had an atrocious groundball rate of 37 percent in A-ball. The fastball has some giddy-up, but his other pitches are still developing.

Lerud, 24, was definitely an interesting player to add to the 40-man roster – but not in a good way. He has a career line of .225/.308/.369 in 1,436 at-bats over five seasons. Lerud split 2008 between High-A and Double-A and managed to hit just .233/.300/.363 at the latter level in 146 at-bats so he is not going to begin 2009 in the Majors. Regardless of how good his defence might be, there are three catchers on the 40-man roster with more potential than Lerud: Ryan Doumit, Robinzon Diaz and Jason Jaramillo.

The Pirates organization added three fringe right-handed pitchers in 2007 – Ronald Belisario, Luis Munoz and Olivo Astacio – and none of them lasted the entire season on the 40-man roster. In fact, Astacio is the only member of the trio still in the organization. None of them spent even a game at the Major League level in 2008.

The thing to remember about adding fringe prospects to the 40-man roster is that if you remove them, they can be claimed by any one of the remaining 29 teams and can be optioned down to the minors (as long as option years remain). But if you leave them off the 40-man roster until you are sure that they are deserving, clubs have to spend a Rule 5 pick to acquire them and then keep them on their 40-man rosters for the entire season. The latter transaction is much harder to pull off, especially considering the player is already a fringe prospect to begin with so they are not likely to be Major-League ready.

The San Francisco Giants recently added four young hurlers to the organization’s 40-man roster: right-handers Henry Sosa, Joe Martinez, Waldis Joaquin, as well as left-hander Jesse English.

Of the quartet, Sosa has the highest ceiling thanks to a fastball that tops out around 95 mph. He also features a curveball and change-up in his repertoire. Sosa missed the first two months of the 2008 season after undergoing off-season knee surgery. He then headed to High-A ball – where he also made 14 starts in 2007 – and posted a 3.59 FIP with 62 hits allowed in 56.1 innings. In total, in 120 High-A ball innings in the last two seasons, Sosa has allowed 128 hits, in part due to his developing command. The 23-year-old showed improvements in his control by dropping his walk ratio from 5.09 BB/9 in 2007 to 2.88 BB/9 in 2008. His strikeout rate, though, also took a hit from 11.03 K/9 to 9.27 K/9. Sosa will begin 2009 in Double-A, which will be a great test for him and will help to determine if his secondary pitches will show enough improvement for him to remain in the starting rotation.

Martinez was originally signed by the Giants after being selected in the 12th round of the 2005 amateur draft out of Boston College. Despite spending four years in college, Martinez has moved through the system one step at a time, despite solid numbers in the low minors. Those stats included a 15-5 record in A-ball in 2006 and ratios of 1.99 BB/9 and 8.35 K/9 in 2007 at High-A ball. Part of the reason for the slow ascent is that Martinez’ stuff does not match up with his results. Although he posted a 3.09 FIP in Double-A in 2008, his strikeout rate plummeted to just 6.81 K/9, while his walk rate rose slightly to 2.25. The right-hander relies on solid command of his 88-91 mph fastball, curveball and change-up. Martinez is likely a reliever in the long run, thanks to a three-year drop in K-BB ratio from 5.19 to 4.19 to 3.03.

Joaquin, like Sosa, can dial his fastball up into the mid-90s and backs that up with a plus slider. His change-up, though, is lacking as a third pitch and he spent more time in the bullpen in 2008 than in the past. Joaquin spent the majority of the season in A-ball where he allowed 49 hits in 52 innings and posted rates of 5.12 BB/9 and 10.71 K/9. He also made nine appearances, including four starts, in High-A ball and posted a 3.87 FIP with 20 hits allowed in 19.1 innings. Joaquin should return to High-A in 2009 and spend much of the season working on his command and control.

English is the lone southpaw in the bunch. After an injury-plagued 2007 season, the 24-year-old is looking to make up for lost time and he had a nice season in 2008. In High-A ball, English posted a 3.62 FIP and allowed 121 hits in 135.1 innings. He also posted rates of 3.39 BB/9 and 8.98 K/9. The left-hander gets by with craftiness and deception, as his fastball does not exceed 88 mph. He also has a plus change-up, as well as a developing breaking ball. English could stand to induce a few more ground balls, but he has the makings of a solid No. 4 or 5 starter if he can tighten up his control.

What a difference a year can make.

One year ago, the Toronto Blue Jays organization was coming off a disappointing season in terms of first-base depth in the system. The club’s top first baseman prospect was Chip Cannon, who slugged 32 home runs in 2005 and played at three different levels while topping out at Double-A. He followed that up with 27 home runs the next season, but managed just a .249 batting average during a full year in Double-A. Cannon, at the age of 25, then repeated the level in 2007 and managed just 17 home runs and a .241 average.

Fast-forward through the 2008 season and things are looking much brighter for Toronto. The club picked up former Cubs top prospect Brian Dopirak, who slugged 39 home runs in 2004 at the age of 20, after he was released towards the end of 2008 spring training. Dopirak’s approach and swing path were both reworked by Toronto, according to Dick Scott – the organization’s director of player development.

“His swing was not working for him,” Scott explained recently. “He really got back to what he was doing in the Midwest League (in 2004).”

Dopirak, now 24, responded by hitting .308/.379/.577 with an ISO of 269 in 409 High-A at-bats. He then managed a line of .287/.303/.425 in 87 late-season, Double-A at-bats. Dopirak, a minor league free agent after the 2008 season, was resigned by the Jays and is likely headed back to Double-A, with a not-too-distant promotion to Triple-A possible, if he continues to make adjustments and show improvements.

“You can’t teach the power he has,” Scott said.

The Jays also picked up slugger Adam Amar during the 2007 off-season after he impressed during a tryout camp. The 22-year-old went undrafted out of the University of Memphis during his senior season despite hitting .358/.415/.538 with nine home runs in 240 at-bats. He signed on with Reno of the independent Golden Baseball League and caught scouts’ attentions after he hit .354/.423/.625 with five home runs in 96 at-bats.

The Jays signed Amar and kept him in extended spring training to begin the season so he could work on making some adjustments. Scott referred to the first baseman as a “big, raw, strong guy… with a tremendous work ethic.”

In June, he was assigned to the New York Penn League where he was one of the best hitters in the entire league. In his pro debut, he hit .302/.358/.476 with an ISO of .175 in 252 at-bats. Amar’s numbers slipped a bit after he hit just .186 in his last 15 games. His overall rates were impressive for a slugger and he walked eight percent of the time, along with a strikeout rate of just 11.1 percent.

Scott said Amar could possible jump over A-ball in 2009 and land in High-A ball. “He’s one of those guys we’re just going to keep challenging to see what we have.”

The organization was still not done overhauling its depth at first base. The Jays’ first-round draft pick in the 2008 draft last June was first baseman David Cooper of the University of California. The 21-year-old, selected 17th overall, exploded onto the scene, played at three levels in his debut and finished in High-A ball.

Overall, he hit .333/.399/.502 with 29 doubles in 273 at-bats. In 94 High-A at-bats, the left-handed hitting slugger hit .304/.373/.435 with an ISO of .130. Cooper also posted rates of 9.8 BB% and 17.4 K%. Only one other 2008 first-round draft pick had a better debut – Brett Wallace of the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished the season in Double-A.

Scott was not surprised with Cooper’s early success. “We knew he was coming in as an advanced hitter…. and he held his own at each level. He has a good presence about him and he’s not going to be overwhelmed.”

The knock on Cooper’s scouting report coming out of college was his poor defence. But Scott said it’s not uncommon for defence to be de-emphasized by college programs.

“The thing that surprised us was how well he improved defensively [in his debut],” Scott commented. “I think he’s going to be a pleasant surprise down there in the future.”

Cooper’s 2009 season will either begin in High-A or Double-A. Scott said it will be a spring-time decision. Either way, the Jays will have some intriguing first base depth at both Double-A and A-ball.

Kyle Blanks has certainly made a name for himself in the past two seasons by hitting more than .300 with in both High-A and Double-A, while driving in a total of 207 runs in 251 games. His OPS was above .900 at each level.

The slugging first baseman also won’t be missed on the field, as he checks in 6’6” and 270 lbs. But the big question (pun intended) with Blanks is: “Does he have a future in San Diego?”

The Padres team plays in a spacious stadium that puts an emphasis on pitching and defence. The club already employs a talented offensive and defensive first base in Adrian Gonzalez, who is only 26 years of age and hit .279/.361/.510 with an ISO of .231 in 616 games. He also won his first Golf Glove in 2008.

Blanks is a step below Gonzalez both offensively and defensively – although he quite possibly possesses more raw power. The hulking player is not going to play anywhere on the diamond other than first base or DH, although he is a little more athletic than he looks and did manage to steal 11 bases in 13 attempts in 2007. He also has a strong arm in the field.

It’s possible that Blanks could eventually serve as a pinch hitter and spell Gonzalez – a left-handed batter – at first base during games when the Padres face a tough southpaw, but his potential would be ruined by a bench job – and it might hinder his conditioning efforts.

Blanks’ future is also further muddled by the fact that the Padres organization spent its 2008 first round draft pick on Allan Dykstra, a college first baseman. He made his debut in High-A ball and could be in Double-A before the end of 2009, if all goes well.

The best-case scenario for Blanks is likely a trade out of San Diego to a stadium where his best asset – his power – can be fully realized. But the main problem with that is that San Diego is a long way from contending and clubs rarely trade prospects for prospects. It’s possible, though, they he could be used in a package to help acquire some young MLB pitching, which would benefit the Padres more than a slugging one-dimensional first baseman.

It’s safe to say the Seattle Mariners organization has made some interesting moves and decisions in the last year or more. One of those transactions – re-signing Kenji Johjimas to a three-year, $24-million contract extension in April of 2008 – continues to have ripple effects throughout the minor league system.

The club’s top pick from the 2005 draft, Jeff Clement, has seen his MLB catching career come to a screeching halt thanks to the presence of Johjima, whose career line of .272/.313/.412 and three-year offensive slide, fails to instill fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers (and the .227 batting average in 2008 just adds insult to injury). The move also keeps the underrated Rob Johnson from receiving the opportunity that he deserves.

Johnson, 25, was selected out of college in the fourth round of the 2004 draft. After his second pro season, he was jumped all the way to Triple-A to begin 2006 despite having played just 19 games above A-ball – due to his excellent leadership skills and developing defence.

Johnson has now been stuck at Triple-A for the last three years. His numbers have increased significantly each of those past three seasons and he finished 2008 with a line of .305/.361/.441 with an ISO of .137 in 417 at-bats. He also posted rates of 8.1 BB% and 14.6 K%. Johnson struggled in a brief MLB call-up with a .127 batting average in 31 at-bats.

The right-handed hitting catcher has struggled to hit well against right-handed pitching in his career, but he improved in 2008 and managed a line of .316/.367/.466 in 320 at-bats. Johnson did, however, revert to his old ways in the Arizona Fall League when he posted a batting average of .195 in 41 at-bats against right-handers.

Defensively, he threw out 37 percent of base stealers in Triple-A with his strong arm. Johnson also calls a good game, but is still working on his receiving skills.

It’s possible that Johnson could back-up Johjima in 2009 with Clement seeing time as the third-string catcher, as well as a part-time player at DH and first base. But Clement needs to play behind the dish at least three times a week to avoid tarnishing his already questionable catching skills – and Johjima is making a lot of money to justify sitting more than two or three times a week. Johnson has the ability to be an above-average defensive catcher and at least an average offensive backstop – if he can play more than once of twice a week.

Prospect Adam Moore, an offensive-minded catcher, should spend the season in Triple-A and is not far from being ready for the Majors – and his offensive upside is stronger than everyone this side of Clement. The Mariners have a bit of a mess behind the dish with three MLB-worthy catchers (and a Triple-A prospect)… and it could have all been avoided by letting Johjima walk after the 2008 season.

You cannot help but be impressed by the Colorado Rockies’ middle infield depth. The Major League club has infielders Troy Tulowitzki and Clint Barmes, as well as the likes of Omar Quintanilla, Jeff Baker and Ian Stewart (the latter two profile better as corner infielders, though) serving as back-ups.

At the minor league level, the club has Jonathan Herrera, Chris Nelson, Eric Young Jr., and Hector Gomez – all of whom are currently on the 40-man roster. The Rockies also lost speedy A-ball infielder Everth Cabrera to the San Diego Padres in the recent Rule 5 draft (although he could be returned if he is unable to stick in the Majors for all of 2009). Two more interesting minor league infielders were also left unprotected during the Rule 5 draft – Corey Wimberly and Daniel Mayora – mainly due to the overwhelming depth in the organization.

Of the six players who do not have (all but) guaranteed roles in the Majors in 2009, Herrera is the closest to helping out at the Major League level. He made his MLB debut in 2008 and appeared in 28 games for Colorado, while posting a line of .230/.277/.279. The 24-year-old spent the majority of 2008 in Triple-A, where he managed a batting average of .310 and stole 15 bases.

Young is not far behind Herrera. Although he has yet to appear in the Majors, Young had a solid 2008 season in Double-A where he hit .290/.384/.392 with 46 stolen bases in 105 games. He broke out in a big way in the Arizona Fall League after the regular season concluded. Young hit .430/.504/.640 with another 20 stolen bases (in 21 attempts) in 31 games.

Nelson was the club’s first-round draft pick in 2004 and he realized his potential in 2007 with an excellent offensive season in High-A ball. Unfortunately, he struggled with injuries in 2008 and hit just .237/.321/.346 in 283 Double-A at-bats. He should return to that level in 2009, but could move quickly if he is fully healthy.

Wimberly has almost zero power but he can run like the wind and has stolen 181 bases in 354 career games. He hit .291 in Double-A last season and showed a willingness to get on base via the walk – at least more so than in other seasons. Daniel Mayora will likely begin 2009 in Double-A with Nelson, while Hector Gomez should visit High-A ball.

Every single one of those minor league middle infielders has enough potential to be considered amongst the organization’s top 25-30 prospects. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what you call depth.