During the 2011 season, Mariners Taijuan Walker quickly morphed from project to one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. Entering 2012, an aggressive assignment to Double-A skipped him past the hitters’ paradise of the California League. The upper level assignment was expected to challenge the teenage right-hander. However, with a 2.86 FIP, nearly a strikeout per inning and more than a three-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio, Walker has posted one of the most impressive lines in minor league baseball when one takes age-versus-level into consideration.

Of course this level of success will lead to prospect speculation of his being ready for Seattle, but Walker still needs to add plenty of polish at the minor league level to unlock all of the potential his right arm holds. Given his present success, the idea Walker is far from a finished product is a scary proposition for future opponents.

Video after the jump

Read the rest of this entry »

The first round of the annual MLB Amateur Draft kicks off Monday night, June 4, at 7 pm eastern. Below, you’ll find a recap of each National League club’s first round picks from the past four years, as well as an overall grade and comments on noticeable trends. I’ve also included some notes and thoughts on the names being linked to each club for the 2012 draft. I looked at the American League teams on Friday.

Atlanta Braves
2008: DNP
2009: Mike Minor, LHP, College
2010: DNP
2011: Sean Gilmartin, LHP, College
Grade: C-

Atlanta has gone for college arms in the first round recently and could look at college righty Pierce Johnson. College third baseman Stephen Piscotty is another name I’ve heard. There are rumblings that they could be looking at Georgia natives Victor Roache, a college outfielder who would go much higher if he had not been hurt, and Lucas Sims, a prep right-hander. College outfielder Mitch Haniger keeps popping up for Atlanta too but would be an over-draft.

Read the rest of this entry »

The first round of the annual MLB Amateur Draft kicks off Monday night, June 4, at 7 pm eastern. Below, you’ll find a recap of each American League club’s first round picks from the past four years, as well as an overall grade and comments on noticeable trends. I’ve also included some notes and thoughts on the names being linked to each club for the 2012 draft.

New York Yankees
2008: Gerrit Cole, RHP, Prep (Did Not Sign)
2009: Slade Heathcott, OF, Prep
2010: Cito Culver, SS, Prep
2011: DNP
Grade: C-

New York picks at the end of the first round in 2012 so it’s hard to know exactly who might fall to them but history tells us that they’ll likely be leaning towards taking a prep player. The system could use some arms and the organization is known to be fond of Mitch Gueller. The organization is constantly fighting an uphill battle with low draft slots but New York scouts are quite savvy so I know some high-ceiling talent will be found.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jesse Biddle, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
Current Level: A+
2012 Top 15 Prospects Ranking: 2nd
Current Value: On the Rise

Biddle continues to make big strides in his development. The 20-year-old southpaw is close to overtaking Trevor May as the best pitcher in the system – if he hasn’t already. Biddle has made 10 high-A starts but he hasn’t allowed more than two runs in his last seven appearances. He’s struck out 27 in his last four games. The lefty’s control remains inconsistent but it’s much improved over last year at low-A (4.47 to 3.22 BB/9). With 35 A-ball appearances under his belt since the beginning of 2011, Biddle is probably ready for a promotion to double-A and he has the ceiling of a No. 2 or 3 starter.

Read the rest of this entry »

Major League Baseball’s 2012 amateur draft is less than a week away. The first round is scheduled for June 4, beginning at 7 p.m. EST, and the next 39 rounds will be on June 5 (rounds two through 15) and June 6 (rounds 16 through 40), beginning at noon EST on both days.

The draft will be interesting for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the overall talent is considered one of the weakest in recent memory; second, new rules have been implemented by MLB in an effort to control draft spending. Among many other changes, each team will be given a pool of money to spend (based on the number and position of their picks) and penalties can be assessed for exceeding the “recommended” funds.

Because teams are limited by the amount of money they can spend, you’re likely to see a lot of good prep players, who are not consensus first-round talents, head to college because they won’t be able to sign above-slot deals after being selected later in the draft, like in the past. As well, junior college enrollement could skyrocket because that route allows players to re-enter the draft after just one year, rather than wait three seasons with the four-year college route.

Below is my take on the first round selections. It is not a guess of what teams will do; it’s a ranking of what I would do if I were running the draft war room for each team. I drafted without considering each club’s willingness to spend money on the draft, and I looked to take who I considered the best player available — based on scouting reports, word of mouth and first-hand observation.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you hadn’t guessed from my first piece on Midwest League prospects, the league is simply loaded with talent. Taking that statement one step further, few would argue it was the best prospect league in all of minor league baseball at present. In this installment, seven more prospects ranging from the relative unknowns to household names (if there is such a thing when it comes to prospects).

Read the rest of this entry »

Trevor Bauer, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Current Level: AAA
2012 Top 15 Prospects Ranking: 1st
Current Value: Near MLB Ready

Bauer, 21, has been every bit as good as advertised. The third overall draft pick out of UCLA in 2011, the right-hander has reached triple-A in his first full pro season. Bauer began the year in double-A but was promoted after just eight starts. He struck out 60 batters and allowed just 33 hits in 48.1 innings of work. He’s made two starts in triple-A and has whiffed another 24 batters in 19.0 innings of work. Bauer’s advanced feel for pitching and diverse repertoire should allow him to develop into a No. 1 or 2 starter for the Diamondbacks; improved control is his biggest need right now. He could give Arizona’s starting rotation a boost in the second half of 2012 and should take a regular turn in the rotation beginning in 2013.

Read the rest of this entry »

A.J. Cole, RHP, Oakland Athletics
Current Level: A
2012 Top 15 Prospects Ranking: 3rd (Washington)
Current Value: Diminished

After a successful 2011 season in low-A ball, Cole was one of the prospects packaged up in a deal between Washington and Oakland that saw Gio Gonzalez head to the Nationals. Cole, a 20-year-old starting pitcher, was originally assigned to high-A ball to start the 2012 season but he’s since been moved back down to low-A, where he spent the ’11 season. The right-hander posted a 7.82 ERA in 38.0 innings in the California League. He walked just 10 batters but allowed 60 hits and seven home runs. In his first start back in low-A, Cole gave up eight runs (five earned) on 12 hits in 5.0 innings. Clearly the struggles in Stockton messed with his head so it may be some time before he irons out his game. Despite the hiccup in his career, Cole remains healthy and has a high ceiling. He’s just going to need a little longer to develop than expected.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gerrit Cole, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Current Level: A+
2012 Top 15 Prospects Ranking: 1st
Current Value: Stock is Rising

The first overall pick of the 2011 amateur draft, Cole did not pitch after signing his first pro contract and he came out of the gate a little rusty in 2012. After allowing 13 runs in his first four starts of the year he’s given up just four runs in his last five starts in high-A ball. In total, he’s allowed 32 hits and just 13 walks in 45.0 innings. He’s also struck out a large number of batters (46) while inducing above-average ground-ball rates. Cole has a big, strong frame capable of handling a large workload and he has the ceiling of a No. 1 or 2 starter. It wouldn’t be a stretch to expect a mid-season promotion to double-A and a major league debut some time in 2013. Cole is truly ace material and he’s the type of young pitcher that Pittsburgh has been trying to develop for years.

Read the rest of this entry »

With the closest Midwest League stadium five hours away, my providing first hand scouting coverage of that league is difficult to say the least. Fortunately, a contact has been kind enough to provide me the scouting scoop on more than a handful of the league’s top prospects. These aren’t exact quotes, but summaries of conversations had over the course of the first two months of the minor league season. Read the rest of this entry »