With Kingsport being no more than 40-minutes away from Elizabethton, the Mets showed up 30-minutes before game time robbing me of a chance to see batting practice and infield/outfield. Nonetheless, I’m not sure it would have mattered as 2012 Mets first round pick Gavin Cecchini was penciled in the lineup as designated hitter and the rest of the starting lineup was short on prospects beyond diminutive second baseman Branden Kaupe. I also lucked into three innings of Akeel Morris, a relief pitcher rumored to have big velocity who fell apart early on as a starter before reeling off 16 innings of two earned run ball to end the season. Read the rest of this entry »

Delino DeShields, Jr. was clearly overshadowed this season. The 20-year-old Houston Astros prospect stole 101 bases, but thanks to Billy Hamilton‘s record-setting 155, his own thievery went largely unnoticed. Despite the relative lack of attention, DeShields may ultimately prove to be the better player.

Taken eighth overall in the 2010 draft, the right-handed-hitting second baseman had a breakout campaign between low-A Lexington and high-A Lancaster. Along with his pilferage, he hit .287/.389/.428, with 12 home runs.

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David Laurila: Outside of the stolen bases, what was your biggest accomplishment this season?

Delino DeShields: I don’t even know, man. Last year, I knew that I had the ability and everything; it was just a rough year for me. I had the position change and I know that a lot of people doubted me. This year, I knew that I had it in me and just went out there and played. I played like I always used to play.

DL: Have the biggest adjustments been physical or mental?

DD: They’ve been more mental. Last year, the plan was to get me comfortable at second base. I had never played there in my entire life. I got pretty comfortable at that and this year I just put everything together. The defensive part is there, and I guess that the offensive side is probably what I’m most proud of, besides my stolen bases. I’ve walked a lot more, been patient at the plate, and got on base a lot more.

I’ve had a more consistent approach. I haven’t been going up to the plate without a plan. I having a plan now, and know the situation a lot better. I’ve worked really hard to polish everything up. I’ve still got a lot more polishing to do — I know that — but I’ve come a long way from last year.

DL: Players who steal a lot of bases often excel at small ball. Do you see that as your game?

DD: I look at myself as more of an all-around hitter. I can bunt when I need to, but I can also hit the ball over the fence. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, a number of chat questions about Kansas City Royals Bubba Starling earned me comparisons to ESPN’s Skip Bayless for statements perceived as outlandish. Yes, Starling was a top-5 overall pick in one of the deepest drafts in recent memory. Yes, he was a two sport athlete with the assumed ceiling of not only a big leaguer, but National Football League quarterback as well. And to complete the trifecta. the young centerfielder was drafted by his hometown team and grew up only a half hour outside of Kansas City. There’s a movie script here. Damn me for ruining the happy ending.

Video after the jump

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Tentative rosters for the Arizona Fall League were released on Aug. 29. The fall developmental league is designed to help prospects received extra seasoning and coaching at the conclusion of the minor league season. Each organization contributes players to the six-team league. The league typically shifts in favor of the hitters because teams are generally reluctant to assign top arms to the league – unless they’re attempting to make up for lost innings due to injuries.

We’ve already broken down three AFL clubs:
Mesa Solar Sox
Peoria Javelinas
Phoenix Desert Dogs

The Scottsdale Scorpions club consists of players from five organizations – Los Angeles (AL), Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York (AL), and San Francisco. Below are some interesting names set to appear on the roster. Full rosters can be found here.

Ryan Chaffee, RHP, Los Angeles: A third round draft pick from 2008 (the club’s second choice after losing its first rounder), Chaffee struggled through his first three pro seasons thanks to poor command and control. A move to the ‘pen in 2012 may have saved his career. His control is still below average but the shorter appearances help him compensate for his shortcomings. Chaffee, 24, comes at hitters with solid stuff and different looks. He’s eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter so a strong AFL could force the organization to protect him.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tentative rosters for the Arizona Fall League were released on Aug. 29. The fall developmental league is designed to help prospects received extra seasoning and coaching at the conclusion of the minor league season. Each organization contributes players to the six-team league. The league typically shifts in favor of the hitters because teams are generally reluctant to assign top arms to the league – unless they’re attempting to make up for lost innings due to injuries.

We’ve already broken down two AFL clubs:
Mesa Solar Sox
Peoria Javelinas

The Phoenix Desert Dogs club consists of players from five organizations – Oakland, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and Miami. Below are some interesting names set to appear on the roster. Full rosters can be found here.

Read the rest of this entry »

When Baseball America named Wil Myers their Minor League Player of the Year yesterday, it came as little surprise. The 21-year-old Kansas City Royals outfield prospect hit .313/.387/.600, with 37 home runs, between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha. He came into the season rated as one of the top players in the KC system, and ended it as one of the most promising hitters in the game.

Myers, who was drafted by the Royals in 2009, talked about his development — including the emergence of his light-tower power — on the final day of the minor-league regular season.

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David Laurila: Is hitting simple or is it complicated?

Wil Myers: It can be both. Hitting is very simple, but it’s complicated at the same time. If I have a good approach and stay up the middle, it’s pretty simple. I can get a hit, or at least hit something hard. But a lot of times, hitters will get out of their approach and that makes it very complicated and harder to have success.

DL: Do you consider yourself a power hitter?

WM: Yeah, I think so. There are a lot of times, especially early in the count and when I’m ahead, that I’ll look in, to pull something. If I’m in a good hitter’s count, I’m looking to hit to left-center and trying to drive it over the wall. Other than that, staying to the middle is what really keeps me inside the ball and not wrapping around it.

Last year I had a lot of trouble with the outside pitch. They really beat me with that, but I’m learning to hit it. I’m learning to hit the ball the other way with some power. Once you do that, you get more balls on the inner half. They want you to prove that you can get that ball away before you start getting balls in.

DL: Are you generally looking middle-away and reacting to balls inside?

WM: No, I’m looking in, basically all the time. Read the rest of this entry »

After seeing Jurickson Profar play in the South Atlantic League in mid-2011, I returned home and wrote a piece for the now defunct Roto Hardball discussing the teenage phenom as the best shortstop prospect in baseball. In fact, if asked to name the top five prospects I’ve ever scouted in person, Profar would be listed alongside Jason Heyward, Mike Stanton, Bryce Harper and Dylan Bundy.

Video after the jump

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Tentative rosters for the Arizona Fall League were released on Aug. 29. The fall developmental league is designed to help prospects received extra seasoning and coaching at the conclusion of the minor league season. Each organization contributes players to the six-team league. The league typically shifts in favor of the hitters because teams are generally reluctant to assign top arms to the league – unless they’re attempting to make up for lost innings due to injuries.

The Peoria Javelinas club consists of players from five organizations – Seattle, Philadelphia, San Diego, Minnesota, and Cincinnati. Below are some interesting names set to appear on the roster. Full rosters can be found here. We looked at the Mesa Solar Sox late last week.

Vinnie Catricala, IF, Seattle: Catricala dominated the low minors and into double-A during his first three seasons in the minors. He hit a speed bump in 2012, though, when he reached the highest level of the minors. After batting more than .300 in each season, Catricala has hit just .226 in 2012 and his power output has dropped significantly. If he can rediscover at least part of his past success he could have some big league value as a versatile right-handed bat off the bench. Catricala will look to rediscover his stroke in the AFL.

Zach Collier, OF, Philadelphia: The 34th overall selection during the 2008 amateur draft, Collier has yet to climb above A-ball and missed the entire 2010 season due to wrist surgery. He’s having his best pro season to date in 2012 but his offense has been league average. A left-handed hitter, Collier struggles against southpaws but has had decent numbers against right-handers in 2012 so he’ll look to carve out a career as a big league platoon outfielder if he can add some polish.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tentative rosters for the Arizona Fall League were released on Aug. 29. The fall developmental league is designed to help prospects received extra seasoning and coaching at the conclusion of the minor league season. Each organization contributes players to the six-team league. The league typically shifts in favor of the hitters because teams are generally reluctant to assign top arms to the league – unless they’re attempting to make up for lost innings due to injuries.

The Mesa Solar Sox club consists of players from five organizations – Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles NL, and Chicago NL. Below are some interesting names set to appear on the roster. Full rosters can be found here.

Mike Belfiore, LHP, Baltimore: A former supplemental first round draft pick, Belfiore doesn’t have the same stuff he once did but he was a great addition to the organization when Arizona asked for Josh Bell. He pitched well in double-A and held left-handed hitters to a .170 batting average. He could provide same-handed match-ups at the big league level as a loogy or work as a long reliever. Belfiore, 23, is eligible for the Rule 5 draft this off-season so the organization will have to decide if its going to add him to the 40-man roster by the November deadline; his fall performance could help sway the decision.

Nick Castellanos, 3B/OF: Detroit: One of the top prospects on the squad – along with Chicago’s Javier Baez and Houston’s Jonathan Singleton – Castellanos could use the AFL as a spring board to a big-league assignment in 2013. A natural third baseman, Castellanos has seen time in the outfield in 2012 as the big league club tries to find a way to fit his bat into a lineup that already features third baseman Miguel Cabrera. The young prospect probably needs another half season of seasoning in the minors after posting a 96 wRC+ in 72 double-A games after a promotion from high-A ball (186 wRC+).

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Having seen the Greenville Drive on multiple occasions in each of the past four seasons, I’ve grown familiar with much of the Red Sox organization at the minor league level. A current weakness is pitching, and this was addressed over the weekend when the Red Sox added two promising young hurlers I’ve scouted on multiple occasions in Rubby de la Rosa and Allen Webster. And while I haven’t seen Matt Barnes or Henry Owens in person yet, I’ve registered 98 MPH readings on my radar gun for both of the two new guys, which undoubtedly makes them among the hardest throwers in the system.

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