Offseason Notes for October 4th

Greece: more the birthplace of “Western Thought,” and less the birthplace of “baseball players.”

Assorted Headlines
The 2011 Baseball World Cup Is a Thing That’s Happening
The 39th annual Baseball World Cup is happening this October in Panama. So far as the author can tell, the object of the event is for each team to construct the strangest possible roster it can assemble. The Americans have done pretty well, looks like, sending southward a team that consists of Quad-A outfielder Brett Carroll, actual Blue Jay prospect Travis D’Arnaud, actual Cub prospect Brett Jackson, and mostly anonymous middle infielder Joe Thurston. In related news, the Netherlands beat Greece 19-0 on Monday.

Third Base and Left Field: Question Marks for the Rockies
Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd tells Troy Renck of the Denver Post that Seth Smith and Ian Stewart will likely not be the everyday players at left field and third base, respectively, although the former could continue in a platoon role for the Colorado. O’Dowd also notes that 23-year-old outfielder Tim Wheeler, despite slashing .287/.365/.535 (.329 BABIP) at Double-A Tulsa this season, is not currently an option to start the year in the majors. When asked about Charlie Blackmon, O’Dowd just giggled and blushed.

Carlos Quentin, Trade Candidate?
White Sock outfielder Carlos Quentin is a candidate to be traded this offseason, suggests ESPN Chicago’s Doug Padilla, after Kenny Williams‘ suggestion (treated in brilliant technicolor prose this morning by Chris Cwik) that the “the kids will play.” Besides 22-year-old prospect Dayan Viciedo, who showed marked improvement in his plate discipline this season at Triple-A, the team also has Alejandro De Aza, who made his presence known by posting a 2.8 WAR in just 171 major-league plate appearances. Among the players Williams might attempt to acquire, one consideration is the real Adam Dunn — not the fake one they accidentally signed last offseason.

Arizona Fall League:
The Arizona Fall League begins today, at 12:35 MST — i.e. 14:35 EST. There’s a chance Gerrit Cole pitches for Mesa. Later on, at 18:35 MST (20:35 EST), Scottsdale (with Gary Brown and Bryce Harper and Mike Trout) plays. You should be able to see the daily scoreboard by clicking here.

Prospecting: Florida State League Top 20
Yesterday, Baseball America released its list of top-20 prospects from the High-A Florida State League.

The Top-Five Players
Here are the top-five players from the aformentioned list:

1. Shelby Miller, RHP, Cardinals
2. Matt Harvey, RHP, Mets
3. Hak-Ju Lee, SS, Rays
4. Trevor May, RHP, Phillies
5. Alexander Colome, RHP, Rays

Regarding the Name of the Lakeland Team
Here’s the name of the Florida State League team from Lakeland: Flying Tigers.

Regarding Flying Tigers, In General
Here’s a picture of a flying tiger: