Although I won’t be attending any minor league games this year, there are a several promotions I would like to see happen. I’m far from a promotions expert, so some of these may have actually happened, but if so, then I would like for them to happen again, because I think they are great ideas.

Minor League Movie Day

This is an easy promotion I am surprised I have never seen done yet. There are a lot of movies out there that do with minor league baseball, from the great Bull Durham to the not-so-great Summer Catch. The team could hand out blank forms numbered 1-18 to every attendee and the PA announcer would say a quote from a minor league-based movie between each inning and asks the fans what movie the quote is from. The fan who fills in the most answers on their answer sheet wins free movie tickets to a local theater. The team could even bring in an actor or actress from one of the movies to throw out the first pitch. Seriously, what is Freddie Prinze, Jr doing these days?

Major League 3 Demolition Day

Major League 3 is by far the worst minor league baseball movie ever made. Whereas Major League is a classic in baseball cinema and Major League 2 is passable, Major League 3 is a scar upon our collective cinema consuming culture. Therefore it should be removed from public consciousness forever.

Taking a page from Disco Demolition Day and the Shaq-Fu Liberation Movement, I would like to see one team, or maybe more, promote a Major League 3 demolition day. Fans that bring in a copy of Major League 3 would get in for free and all the copies would be put in a giant garbage pail. During the seventh inning stretch, this garbage pail would be wheeled out to centerfield and all the Major League 3 copies would be smashed by a trash compactor. Of course, all the contents would be brought to the most convenient recycling facility.

Traveling Gnome Day

Like the Travelocity Gnome, gnomes are always popular. And people love taking pictures of them in different places.  I even have one and will be taking it to Afghanistan with me.

From my little bit of research, I think the origin of the traveling gnome lies in a combination of the Swedish folklore of Tomte, a little man who looked over the home and protected the people from misfortune while they were away or asleep, and the Australian-derived practice of “liberating” (aka stealing) garden gnomes and taking them on trips. Perhaps the thieves believe that Tomte needs a vacation from house protecting.

Minor league teams can capitalize on this odd phenomenon by creating traveling (18in or so) gnomes emblazoned with the team’s logo. (They have them for Major League teams.) Teams can then encourage people to take their gnomes with them on trips and email the pictures to the team or post the pictures on Facebook and tag the team. Perhaps the best picture, or the fan who brought his or her gnome to the most or most exotic places can a sponsored trip through a local travel agency. Bonus points for taking pictures of the team’s traveling gnome at other stadiums.

Date a Mascot Day

Although the buzz on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is not as high as they used to be, if they haven’t done so already, I think there is a lot of potential in having “mascot dating” shows. Teams could work with local modeling agencies, local Hooters, or other areas where people are trying to put themselves over and could use the publicity of “dating” a mascot.

First, fans could make videos on why they should date the mascot. Teams could have filming rooms at the ballpark and the fans could “star” in videos similar to those hilarious 1980s personals videos.

Then there could be vote to select the top candidates to”date” the mascot. Which opens a whole other world of possibilites.

Picture this: a romantic beach backdrop, a beautiful woman, a candlelit dinner, and slowly emerging from the dark, a big-nosed, goofy walking representative of your local minor league team. The youtube possibilities are endless. Teams could post the videos on their websites and have fans votes on the best “match”.  It would also be great to see mascots be on their “best” behavior at the ballpark with their “date”.

Foursquare Season

Although the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs had a Foursquare special last season, I think Foursquare is completely undertapped as a promotional tool. Teams can incorporate Foursquare to raise the “buzz” of their games. Fans who “check in” the most in a month, half-season, or through the whole season can win a gift certificate or other exclusive prizes. Teams can post check-ins on their website or on a board at the ballpark. The check-in contest would add an element of competition to attendance.

Here is a list of all the stadiums on foursquare.

Star Wars Day (FSL only)

Although there have been Star Wars-themed days across Minor League and Major League Baseball, there has not yet been a Star Wars Day in the Florida State League. As a huge Star Wars fan, this bothers me greatly. I still get chills when I see Darth Vader and company and I really want to see them throw out the first pitch. I know there is an element of the 501^st Battalion in the Sarasota area and I know they have done museum openings and pro wrestling shows in Florida. They might have even also done the Florida Marlins Star Wars Night last season. So there is no reason why a team of the Florida State League can’t make the call to a galaxy far, far away and host a Star Wars Night.

In my opinion from reading the draft analysis and buzz from 2010, there were three typically highly regarded players that some people really liked and some didn’t, moreso than others. There’s a wide range of opinions on nearly every prospect, especially with those who are determined to always provide a contrarian opinion. I’m talking about Cox, Giants center fielder Gary Brown and Pirates pitcher Stetson Allie. They were all high picks; Allie was the last taken at 52nd overall, and he probably would’ve been taken sooner if his bonus demands weren’t as high.

Gary Brown was a very good college player at one of the top programs in the country, Cal State Fullerton. An injury in his junior season limited him, but it didn’t really affect his draft stock because it wasn’t expected to affect him long term. The Giants took him, and if he develops into the player he expected to, he’ll be a great fit at AT&T Park. He’ll catch anything in their spacious center field, and his bat will look great at the top of the lineup. He makes consistent contact and would be one of the fastest players in the league. What’s not to like?

In college, he didn’t take a lot of walks. On base percentage is a big stat now, and I believe in its importance. However, players can still succeed without walking a lot. At Fullerton, he had 41 walks in 774 plate appearances, a little over 5% of his PA. His OBP’s were high, but that was a product of his great batting average. Why should he take pitches he can hit just to walk when he can put them in play? There’s a line between being overaggressive and taking smart at bats where a player prefers to put the ball in play, and he hasn’t crossed to the bad side yet. His walk rate improved with San Jose this year, and he strikes out below the league average rate.

The Pirates were fortunate to see Stetson Allie still on the board at 52. Their organization has obviously been down in the dumps for a little bit, so they need to focus on adding talent to the organization and eventually, good things should happen. Allie certainly wasn’t only the 52nd most talented player in the draft class. He has a big, durable workhorse frame at 6’4, 225 and an aggressive, attacking mentality on the mound. His fastball can sit in the high 90′s, and his slider can touch 88-89 MPH. If he improves his changeup, he could be a really good starter. If not, that sounds like closer stuff.

However, his bonus demands and command troubles concerned teams. Players that can’t throw strikes often don’t advance very far, but Allie is only 20 years old. Coaches and development staff can work to improve mechanics and approach to work out those issues. It’s absolutely a risk to invest in a pitcher like Allie because he’s raw and not even close to reaching his potential. Isn’t it worth taking though? A bad team needs to add talent, even if their floors aren’t very high. The Pirates won’t make the playoffs by acquiring 5th starters and second division starters. At the other end of the spectrum, do teams like the Yankees have anything to lose themselves? They’re a really good team and probably don’t need any middling players, even if they may reach the majors faster than Allie.

Now back to Cox. Baseball America said he was the best pure hitter in all of last year’s draft. He set an Arkansas record with a .429 batting average and has a great swing. He can hit to all fields and make a lot of contact. In his first pro season, he started at high-A in the Florida State League and batted .335 and a .819 OPS before a midseason promotion to AA. His average dipped below .300 there, but he was still solid, batting .380 in July and .333 in August. Between both levels, he finished with a .797 OPS. That’s pretty solid for a player in his first full year as a professional, but there are certainly legitimate concerns.

It’s possible to look at it one of two ways. He’s a bit of a tweener in all regards. Looking at him as a third baseman, his current position, he may lack the appropriate power to profile there. His swing is a bit flat, but those that are optimistic about Cox believe he will begin generating enough loft in his swing to hit home runs. His isolated power (SLG-BA) was higher in AA than high-A, but that’s to be expected from moving from the Florida State League to the Texas League. If he moves to a position where his bat profiles a little better, say second base, he would probably be an above average hitter, but he probably doesn’t have the athleticism to handle playing up the middle. A quick and dirty comparison could be made to former Cardinals prospect Brett Wallace. He was a college hitter drafted in the first round whose bat didn’t profile at the position he belongs at defensively, first base.

However, Cox has plenty of time to prove he’ll be different. He’s his own player and shouldn’t be pigeonholed into a convenient comparison just for the sake of doing so. There are reasons to be optimistic about his future, and it’s also fair to say it’s reasonable to have doubts about him.

That’s obviously it for Prospect A-Z. I hope everyone enjoyed my little trip around the minors highlighting some names to know. There were many more that I didn’t talk about, and it could make for a second series, but maybe it would be best left for another offseason. Thanks for reading.

Aruba is more well known for being a great vacation destination and a couple recent highly publicized missing person reports, but there have been four men born in Aruba that have reached the majors. Gene Kingsale was a light hitting outfielder who played for a number of years and a number of teams; Calvin Maduro was an ineffective starter for a number of years, and Radhames Dykhoff made just one career appearance with Baltimore. The last is more recognizable: Sidney Ponson. Ponson had a long career at the back of various rotations, and he was a key part of the miracle Dutch World Baseball Classic team. One more thing they have in common? All four were originally signed by Baltimore.

Perhaps the tide is turning in Aruba. It’s difficult to find minor leaguers who were born there, but it is known that two of them are Xander Bogaerts and his twin brother Jair. Both were signed by the Red Sox, and it’s Xander that’s developing into a very good prospect. They were both signed around the same time. Did the Red Sox sign Jair to build up some good will with Xander to secure the better prospect? Maybe, but Jair received a six figure bonus, and no team would pay that much just to do a favor. However, as it was discussed in a Prospect A-Z entry last month, it’s not uncommon in baseball for teams to acquire brothers.

The twins played together on the Red Sox Dominican Summer League affiliate in 2010. This wasn’t a Daniel and Henrik Sedin kind of thing though. While those two are both incredibly skilled, world class players, Xander is head and shoulders above his brother, and that showed in 2010. Xander batted over .300 with an .819 OPS, very impressive for a young hitter in a pitchers league. Jair’s OPS was less than .500. Again, it’s a league that favors pitchers, but that’s still significantly below the league average, and it was clear that there was some separation between the brothers.

That separation couldn’t have been more evident the following season. Before spring training, conventional wisdom suggested that Xander would start the season in extended spring training, and he did. However, instead of ending up in the New York Penn League or even remaining in the GCL, at the end of May, he reported to Boston’s low-A affiliate in Greenville. Meanwhile, Jair was back in the Dominican Summer League, three levels below Xander. He had a much respectable season while still only being 18 years old. His OPS was up to .791 in an identical amount of plate appearances as the previous season.

Xander’s performance also improved considering he jumped all the way to the South Atlantic League at 18 years old. He only batted .260, but his power was very impressive. He hit 16 home runs in just 72 games, and he slugged .509. His plate approach was very aggressive and needs to improve, but it’s hard to argue with a .834 OPS from a middle infielder (from now) that’s just 18 in a full season league. Recent trades may have depleted Boston’s system, but they could have something going in the lower levels with Xavier, Brandon Jacobs, Sean Coyle, Garin Cecchini and others. There’s talent there.

Bogaerts was expected to develop above average power down the road, but it apparently came sooner than anyone anticipated. On the other hand, it was probably expected that he would hit for a higher average than he did because he was noted for his ability to hit to all fields. His plate approach wasn’t as good as advertised, but he’s still young enough that he should be able to improve in that area. He plays shortstop now, but as he continues to mature physically, he’ll have to move to another position. His arm strength would allow him to play third base, and it seems like he’ll have the power to profile nicely there.

Come back tomorrow as Prospect A-Z winds down. Will it be a Padres prospect that’s a bit of a fraud or an athletic Marlins outfielder?

The Giants were dealing from a position of strength. Trying to defend their first World Series in San Francisco, they desperately needed a middle order of the bat with Buster Posey out for the season and a lineup already struggling with him, and their rotation appeared set. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain provide an experienced yet not very old 1-2 punch, Jonathan Sanchez has great stuff that he often couldn’t harness, and Madison Bumgarner is one of the league’s best young up and comers. It looked like they were set, so they could afford to trade a pitching prospect.

The Mets were in the first year of the new Sandy Alderson regime. With one of the highest payrolls in the league and one of the least talented rosters in the league, they needed a complete rebuild. With a handful of talented players on expiring contracts like Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez, they could sacrifice a few meaningless 2011 wins to accelerate the rebuilding process. They ended up not trading Reyes and Rodriguez couldn’t fetch them much because of the toxic vesting option for 2012, but Beltran netted them a prospect with great stuff.

Should the Giants have traded Wheeler for Beltran? On one hand, San Francisco GM Brian Sabean’s approach that since they’re the defending champions, they need to do anything they can to defend the title and win another World Series. On the other hand, everyone should be satisfied with one championship, and it wouldn’t be wise to hurt the long term stability of the franchise for two months for a player that will likely only be on the team for two months.

It’s easy to feel optimistic about the Giants rotation because of the talent and success, but let’s play devil’s advocate here. Matt Cain is a free agent after 2012, and Tim Lincecum’s salary is rising through arbitration. The Giants are a popular team in a big market, but even they’re limited by budgetary concerns at a certain point, and they’re already near that point. Bumgarner gives them cheap production, but now that Sanchez has been traded, they need to find a way to fill out the 4 and 5 spots. That shouldn’t be difficult because AT&T Park is favorable for pitchers, but teams don’t like spending free agent dollars on those spots because pitching is expensive on the market. One more factor that added to the risk of trading a good prospect for

The Mets preferred to receiving one really good prospect for Beltran instead of a package of lesser guys, and the Braves weren’t willing to meet that price. While they wouldn’t part with Mike Minor or another pitching prospect, the Giants stepped up to the plate. Now Wheeler is a Met, and he’s already their best prospect. Along with Matt Harvey, the Mets once again have a couple guys that could one day pitch against the top of their rotation instead of just settling for back of the rotation starters. Wheeler is still a couple years away though, and he’s going to need to stay healthy.

Wheeler was a top 10 pick in the 2009 draft and was compensated quite well for it, receiving a 3.3 million dollar bonus. He didn’t make his pro debut until the following year, and he was limited to only 58.2 innings in low-A due to a persistent finger injury. In those innings, he wasn’t bad. He allowed far too many baserunners, especially via the base on balls. He was able to strike out 10.7 batters per nine, so there certainly weren’t questions about his stuff. His Giants career continued in 2011 with San Jose where he cut his BB/9 down to 4.8 and continued to strike out a lot of batters.

After the trade, Wheeler made six starts for St. Lucie, the Mets’ equivalent of San Jose in the Florida State League. It’s a much friendlier pitching environment, and he took advantage. His first start lasted four innings, and he allowed four runs. In his last five starts, Wheeler struck out 27 in 23 innings and only allowed two more runs. It’s a small sample size, but he only walked five in 27 innings, a far cry from his previous walk rates. Was it simply a hot stretch, or were the continuing improvements in his mechanics paying off? 2012 will be telling.

His best pitch is his fastball which can sit in the mid 90′s with movement. He’s 6’4 and 185 pounds, which means Wheeler still has projectability left. His curveball and changeup can both be above average, and his changeup has improved during his career. Not many pitchers have this combination of size and stuff, so he just needs to prove he can stay healthy. He hasn’t shown chronic problems per se, but he’ll be pitching in AA next year and doesn’t have 200 innings of pro experience yet. He deserves credit for proving he’s ready to handle the next level in instructs, but 2012 will be a critical year for proving his durability. 150 innings is a good target to reach.

Come back Tuesday for the final week of Prospect A-Z. It will feature a Red Sox infielder with a really nice bat.

Buhner, McGee, Drabek, McGriff… 18 years ago, Kramer entertained viewers in an episode of Seinfeld complaining about George Steinbrenner’s penchant for trading away prospects that became quality major leaguers. In the present day, did the Yankees add another player to the list in the trade that brought them Javier Vazquez before the 2010 season? That would be Arodys Vizcaino. He hadn’t even pitched in a full season league at this point, but analysts recognized that he had great stuff and could eventually make an impact for Atlanta. He joined the Braves at the end of 2011 to chip in for an overworked bullpen.

At the time of the trade, Vazquez was coming off a great 2009 season with the Braves. Keith Law generated controversy by voting him 2nd in the Cy Young balloting that year, but it was certainly a defensible pick. He pitched 219 innings, a season high since he was traded from Montreal and posted career bests in ERA, WHIP and K/9. However, plenty of people thought the Yankees were making a mistake by acquiring Vazquez. He had an awful second half in his first stint in New York in 2004 and some felt he couldn’t handle the pressure of pitching in a market like New York. However, advocates of the trade pointed out that he wouldn’t be expected to be the team’s ace this time around. It still didn’t work out.

Somewhat reminiscent of the 90′s Braves, Atlanta has a deep rotation in the majors and throughout the minors. In July, they refused to part with their minor league arms for Carlos Beltran, a decision that may have cost them a playoff berth in 2011. In the majors, they already have Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hanson and Brandon Beachy. Their salary dump of Derek Lowe to Cleveland opened up a spot for Mike Minor or Randall Delgado to stick in the majors, and of course Julio Teheran and Vizcaino appeared for them in 2011 as well. That’s a lot of potential ML starters, ranging from top of the rotation to back end guys.

That could be why Vizcaino ends up in the bullpen long term. He’s had injury issues in the past, including an elbow injury that cost him significant time in 2010. In 2011, he pitched a career high 114.1 innings between the minors and majors, and it’s fair to say he probably would’ve thrown more had the Braves not spent the last month or so prepping him for a September callup as a reliever. He’ll need to prove he has the durability to remain in a rotation, but if not, he could be a great late inning reliever in a bullpen already stocked with them.

He offers three potential plus pitches now that his changeup is developing, so he has the arsenal to start if he can pitch 180 innings in a season. His fastball sits in the 92-94 range as a starter, and he can touch higher with movement. His out pitch is a curveball with sharp movement, and his changeup allows him to have success against left handed batters. Sometimes pitchers who have a cloudy future in terms of starting or relieving are limited because they can’t throw a changeup, but it’s the durability concerns that would keep Vizcaino out of a rotation. In addition to his prior injuries, his 6’0, 190 pound frame is a bit small compared to most major league starters.

Vizcaino should start 2012 back at AAA Gwinnett. The Braves rushed him, and not necessarily in a bad way, to the majors last year, and he could use some more minor league experience. There’s not really a spot for him in the majors now anyway. Minor, Delgado and Teheran should all be in front of him in the competition for the last spot in Atlanta’s rotation, and Craig Kimbrel, Jonny Venters and Eric O’Flaherty should have the late innings covered until Fredi Gonzalez runs them into the ground again. Vizcaino can take time and prove he can start in the International League as long as he Braves don’t have injury issues.

Will the Yankees regret the trade? It’s certainly possible. For the last two seasons, they’ve had a hard time filling out their rotation behind C.C. Sabathia. A.J. Burnett appears to be a bust, and although Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia filled in admirably last year, but they need more choices with upside because it’s tough to count on pitchers like Garcia every season in the AL East. It looks like Hal Steinbrenner is going to have to admit that “Vizcaino was a good prospect, no question about it, but my baseball people love Javier Vazquez’s arm. They kept saying ‘Javier Vazquez, Javier Vazquez!”

Come back tomorrow for the last Friday entry in Prospect A-Z. Will it be the Mets’ new top prospect, a Mets infielder many say is overrated or the Mets’ rival’s top outfield prospect?

Last week, Prospect A-Z wrapped up with Tyler Skaggs, the lefty Arizona received from Anaheim in the Dan Haren trade during the 2010 season. Skaggs has emerged as a very good pitching prospect and has advanced through the minors quickly. Just three years after he was drafted by the Angels, Skaggs could make his ML debut sometime in 2012. He was a part of a rotation at AA Mobile with great potential. That staff also included Trevor Bauer, Jarrod Parker, Wade Miley and Pat Corbin. Today, Prospect A-Z picks back up again with perhaps the most talked about minor leaguer in the Rays blogosphere, shortstop Tim Beckham.

Tim Beckham, SS, Tampa Bay Rays (2011: AA Montomgery, AAA Durham)

In one respect, being picked first overall was unfair to Beckham from the beginning. He was sandwiched as the first pick between David Price and Stephen Strasburg, two guys that everyone knew had elite, probably can’t miss talent. No one in the 2008 draft really did, but someone had to be taken first overall. At the time, he was considered to be a toolsy, high school shortstop that could develop into an above average player. He never really had star potential, but as the best high school position player with the chance for five average or better tools, it’s easy to see why he was coveted as a top pick.

Entering the 2008 season, the likely first overall pick wasn’t Beckham, but Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez. Surely the Rays would be interested after they spent the previous spring and summer scouting his Vanderbilt teammate, David Price. Even though Evan Longoria was about to emerge as maybe the best third baseman in baseball, Alvarez could always move to first base or designated hitter. He certainly had the bat for it; entering the 2008 season, Alvarez had 40 home runs in his college career, and it was clear that he was a top amateur slugger. Over the course of a season, things can change.

Early in the season, Alvarez suffered from a hamate injury which seems to have plagued so many hitters in recent years. He missed about 1/3 of the season, and his statistics suffered. He didn’t hit for as much power, and his draft stock slid. On the flipside, another college hitter saw his stock rise dramatically, Buster Posey of Florida State. He had just learned how to catch two years earlier after playing shortstop until his sophomore season, and he was a great athlete probably capable of playing any position. In his junior season, Posey posted phenomenal stats: .463 BA, .566 OBP, .879 SLG and 26 home runs in 68 games. The Rays chose Beckham though, and the Giants were fortunate enough to land Posey later.

Beckham has had an interesting career. It’s difficult to say he’s failing because to me, that would mean getting held up at a level and not advancing. Beckham has risen steadily through the system, he’s just never stood out like one would expect from someone taken first overall. Since he started his full season career in 2009, his OPS’ each year have been .717, .705 and .736. His batting averages have been .275, .256 and .271. His on base percentages have been .328, .346 and .328. His slugging percentages have been .389, .359 and .408. He certainly deserves credit for being a consistent performer when he’s younger than most players at that particular level, but that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a promising major league career.

Where does Beckham fit in among first overall picks? He’s one of six that have never made the majors, although three of the others, including 2011 teammate Matt Bush, likely will. Steve Chilcott and Brien Taylor both retired without having played in the majors. I’ll break down the remaining 39 first overall picks into categories: below average (fewer than six years of service time,) average (six to 10 years of service time, no All-Star appearances,) good (at least one All-Star appearance or 10+ years of service time,) and great (multiple All-Star appearances.) Pretty arbitrary, but let’s look anyway. An asterisk indicates their career is ongoing and still has a chance to move up.

Have not appeared
Tim Beckham (2008, Rays)
Matt Bush (2004, Padres)*
Steve Chilcott (1966, Mets)
Gerrit Cole (2011, Pirates)
Bryce Harper (2010, Nationals)*
Brien Taylor (1991, Yankees)

Below average
Shawn Abner (1984, Mets)
Matt Anderson (1997, Tigers)
Bryan Bullington (2002, Pirates)
Al Chambers (1979, Mariners)
David Clyde (1973, Rangers)
Danny Goodwin (1971, White Sox; 1975, Angels)
Luke Hochevar (2006, Royals)*
Stephen Strasburg (2009, Nationals)*
Paul Wilson (1994, Mets)

Average
Kris Benson (1996, Pirates)
Ron Blomberg (1966, Yankees)
Mike Ivie (1969, Padres)
Jeff King (1986, Pirates)
Ben McDonald (1989, Orioles)
Dave Roberts (1972, Padres)
Delmon Young (2003, Devil Rays)*

Good
Bill Almon (1974, Padres)
Floyd Bannister (1976, Astros)
Tim Belcher (1983, Twins)
Andy Benes (1988, Padres)
Pat Burrell (1998, Phillies)
Tim Foli (1967, Mets)
Bob Horner (1978, Braves)
Mike Moore (1981, Mariners)
Phil Nevin (1992, Astros)
B.J. Surhoff (1985, Brewers)

Great
Harold Baines (1977, White Sox)
Jeff Burroughs (1968, Rangers/Senators)
Shawon Dunston (1982, Cubs)
Darin Erstad (1995, Angels)
Adrian Gonzalez (2000, Marlins)
Josh Hamilton (1999, Devil Rays)
Chipper Jones (1990, Braves)
Joe Mauer (2001, Twins)
Rick Monday (1965, A’s)
David Price (2007, Devil Rays)
Alex Rodriguez (1993, Mariners)
Darryl Strawberry (1980, Mets)
Justin Upton (2005, Diamondbacks)

Obviously Stephen Strasburg probably won’t finish his career with the below average criteria. It’s interesting that it seems like the great career group is skewed towards players in recent seasons. Where does Beckham fit in? Right now, I could see him settling into the average player group with a career as a fringe starter/utility infielder for several seasons. He’s still very young and anything could happen, but his career performance so far suggests that anything more than that is probably unlikely.

Come back tomorrow to read about a guy the Rangers hope is the next pitching sensation.

When the news broke of Dan Haren‘s trade to Anaheim last year, people immediately questioned the wisdom in letting an interim GM trade a big part of the franchise like Haren. He was having a down year, but it proved to just be a blip on the radar. At the time, it didn’t seem like the Diamondbacks got fair value at all, but the perception seems to be changing, and that’s thanks to Tyler Skaggs’ emergence. He was the PTBNL in that deal originally, and now it’s clear he’s the big catch in the trade. Meanwhile, Jerry DiPoto is now Haren’s general manager in Anaheim, and there’s no interim tag.

DiPoto has made quite a splash in his first offseason as a general manager. He came virtually out of nowhere to steal Albert Pujols right under the noses of St. Louis and Miami, and when C.J. Wilson made it clear he wanted to play close to home, and even though Anaheim didn’t really need to spend big money on the rotation, they made it work at a reasonable rate for both parties. They proved to be within striking distance of the Rangers last year, and now the back to back AL champs have to be worried. It should be a great race in 2012.

Back to Skaggs though. The Diamondbacks were happy to trade for him in 2010 after just missing out on him in the previous draft. He has a very good feel for pitching compared to most pitchers that come out of high school, and the Angels started him out in the Midwest League in his first full year as a professional. He represented Cedar Rapids in the All-Star Game, and by the time of the trade, he had a 3.61 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and had he recorded one fewer out, he would have 82 strikeouts in 82 innings.

Two weeks after the trade deadline, Skaggs was finally able to pitch for the Diamondbacks organization. Draft picks aren’t allowed to be traded until one year after they signed, and he didn’t sign until the deadline right on 8/15. So for two weeks, he couldn’t pitch in games. He finished the year by making four short starts for Arizona’s affiliate in the MWL, striking out 20 and only walking four in 16 innings. It was an impressive showing, but there were still a few doubts about his future upside.

One year later, those doubts seem to have been erased. Although it was in Visalia which is one of few parks in the league favorable to pitchers, Skaggs conquered the Cal League. He started the All-Star Game against the Carolina League, a great honor for a league pretty deep with pitchers this season. A greater honor came in July when he was tabbed to start the Futures Game for Team USA. This was in front of his future fans in Arizona. For Visalia, Skaggs struck out 11.2 batters per nine innings with a 3.22 ERA and 1.14 WHIP.

The strikeout rate was particularly notable for Skaggs because scouts wanted to see his stuff continue to develop a little more after 2010. With a 6’4, 195 pound frame, it certainly wasn’t out of the question. His fastball needed a little more consistent velocity, and that should happen with his projectable frame. If his numbers against right handed batters are any indication, his changeup is improving. In addition to his curveball which is his best pitch, Skaggs has the potential for three plus pitches. He might have a future as a #2 starter.

Skaggs finished the year at AA Mobile, and Diamondbacks had a glimpse of their future rotation. At one point during the year, other top prospects like Trevor Bauer and Jarrod Parker also pitched for the BayBears, although Parker is now with the Oakland organization. Pat Corbin and Wade Miley also spent time in AA, and all of those guys have the potential to pitch in a major league rotation someday. Arizona went from worst to first from 2010 to 2011, and their future should be in good hands with great pitching depth in the organization. With Trevor Cahill, Dan Hudson and Ian Kennedy already manning the rotation, as long as they continue to build around Justin Upton, they will be in good shape.

Prospect A-Z will be taking a three day weekend and return on Tuesday with one of the following: Will it be another top pitching prospect for Seattle, a former #1 pick that’s been a disappointment or the Phillies’ strikeout king? Merry Christmas to all readers. May you, your family and friends all receive copies of Bus Leagues Experience Volume 2 under the tree.

Robbie Ross, LHP, Texas Rangers (2011: A+ Myrtle Beach, AA Frisco)

The Rangers system thinned out a bit with the deadline deal that brought them Mike Adams from San Diego. With Joe Wieland and Robbie Erlin out of the organization, Ross secures his spot as a top 10 prospect in a deep organization with a lot of lower level, high ceiling talent. He’s one of three pitchers the Rangers have in the upper minors that could help the major league rotation soon, joining Martin Perez and Neil Ramirez, all of which could be in AAA to start 2012.

Ross signed an overslot deal in the second round of the 2008 draft but didn’t make his pro debut until the following year with Spokane in the Northwest League. He proved to be too good for the league, finishing first in strikeouts per nine innings while posting a 2.66 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He moved up to start the following season with Hickory in the South Atlantic League where he continued to pitch well. His ERA had a slight decrease while his WHIP went up just a little bit. In 2009 with Spokane, a remarkable 85% (approximation) of his outs came via strikeout or on the ground. With Hickory the next year, that percentage declined below 70%, still impressive, but it was a dramatic decrease in strikeout rate.

Nonetheless, it was an impressive showing, and the Rangers rewarded him with a midseason promotion to Bakersfield. Of course, I use the term rewarded loosely because he had to pitch in Bakersfield, hardly rewarding for pitchers. His stats reflected the difficult environment. His strikeout and groundball rates went up which is good, but his opponents batting averaged increased 60 points to .305. Was it a matter of luck? 84% of his outs came via strikeout or on the ground which shows that he was still effective in some ways. His BB/9 was still decent, so perhaps he was just a victim of a high BABIP.

Ross didn’t receive a promotion to start the 2011 season, but he did go from Bakersfield to the beach thanks to the Rangers switching high-A affiliates to Myrtle Beach. They went from a hitters league to a pitchers league, and his numbers improved greatly, probably not just due to the change in parks. His strikeout rate increased, and his ERA dropped to 2.26 in 20 starts. He returned to the Cal League for the California/Carolina League All-Star Game, and about a month and a half later, he reached AA. He made six strong starts to continue his breakout season. He struck out nearly a batter an inning while only allowing one hit/walk per inning.

Ross averaged just about 6 innings per start in 2011, an impressive feat for a minor leaguer. For Ross, it’s especially important because durability is one of the primary concerns about his career. At 5’11 and 185 pounds, he doesn’t have the ideal size for a starter, but he could always be one of the rare exceptions and succeed. Despite being shorter than the average pitcher, his low 90′s fastball has great movement which is why he generates all the ground balls he does. If he can keep developing his slider to become a consistent, above average pitch, his strikeout rate should continue to improve. Ross has also shown a good feel for a changeup.

Questions linger though. Are his secondary pitches good enough to allow him to continue starting? Is he durable enough to handle a starter’s workload year after year? Ross still has plenty of time to provide answers. He could start 2012 back in AA without much experience there, but he’ll be at AAA at some point. Maybe the Rangers are a good organization for him. With C.J. Wilson, Neftali Feliz, Alexi Ogando and Derek Holland moving in and out of the rotation and bullpen, they have experience in handling those transitions well.

Come back tomorrow to wrap up this week of Prospect A-Z. Will it be a Red Sox hitter that tends to strike out, a starter that will help continue to remake the Diamondbacks rotation or a solid Nationals pitcher now troubled by elbow problems?

Kevin Quackenbush, RHP, San Diego Padres (2011: NCAA USF, A- Eugene, A Fort Wayne)

For a couple years, USF’s pitching staff was carried by Randy Fontanez and Andrew Barbosa, but for a school in a big conference in one of the most talented baseball states in the country, the Bulls were always quite average and never lived up to expectations. In 2011, Kevin Quackenbush emerged as one of the top relievers in college baseball. After an offseason arrest for a hit and run accident involving a police car put his senior season in jeopardy, he was reinstated and was USF’s best player in another dismal season.

It’s hard to determine the historic value of NCAA statistics because there are so many conferences, teams and players to look through, and college statistics aren’t widely available beyond a few recent seasons. That said, it’s clear that Quackenbush had a tremendous season in 2011, maybe better than any other reliever in college baseball. I looked through the stats of probably at least 1000 pitchers last year, and only two relievers I found had a lower ERA than him, Gabe Weidenaar, who actually transferred from College of Southern Nevada to Oklahoma State, and Austin Maddox, Florida’s two way player.

In 33.1 IP for USF, Quackenbush struck out 45 batters which was actually a small decrease from his previous season’s strikeout rate. The big change came in his command; his walk rate declined dramatically from 5.08 batters per nine innings to just 1.89, and he allowed fewer than four hits per inning too. He finished with a .81 ERA and .63 WHIP, numbers almost too good to be true. San Diego took him in the 8th round which is higher than just about every other reliever goes.

He got off to a fast start as most college senior relievers do professionally, but he was even better than one would expect. He first reported to the Northwest League where he struck out 33 in 20.1 IP while only allowing 13 hits and six walks. He was promoted to the Midwest League and still wasn’t challenged. His ERA nearly doubled, going from .44 to .84, but his peripheral stats got better. His strikeout rate increased while his hit and walk rates both dropped in a similar amount of innings. For the future, he has a chance at a middle relief role with a 90-95 MPH fastball and an improving slider and changeup.

Perhaps history is on his side. 45 players with a name starting with Q have suited up in the majors, and three of them have made All-Star Games. Two of them have been relief pitchers, the other being Carlos Quentin. One other had a solid career as a swing guy between the rotation and bullpen and became a very influential pitching coach. Can he follow in their footsteps? Becoming an All-Star seems unlikely, but he could always carve out a solid career like Chad Qualls or Jack Quinn, a starter who pitched in four different decades in the early 20th century.

Dan Quisenberry- Quisenberry was one of the league’s pioneer closers. Just 10 years after the league made it an official stat (for better or worse), he made his ML debut for the Royals in 1979. He went undrafted in 1975 which isn’t shocking considering his stuff wasn’t considered great, but I’m sure some teams wish they could do it over and take him. When he dropped his arm angle to a more submarine style before his second season, he was able to compensate for his lack of stuff and allowing deception to play up his command. In a 12 season career, he finished with 244 saves, won a World Series, made three All-Star teams and finished top three in Cy Young voting in four consecutive years, a feat that has no chance of happening in present day.

Paul Quantrill- Quantrill didn’t have the accolades Quisenberry piled up, but he had a very long, above average career out of the bullpen. It really was an unremarkable career. He only had 21 saves in 14 seasons which means he was never really more than a setup man. He even made an All-Star game late in his career, likely due to winning a lot of games as a reliever. From 2001-2004, he led the league in appearances in each season. He pitched for seven different teams but never reached the World Series. He participated in the inaugural World Baseball Classic for Canada and was a coach in the 2009 edition.

Mel Queen- Queen pitched a solid 389.2 IP in his major league career after starting his pro career as a third baseman. He was limited by injuries, but his playing career isn’t where Queen made his mark. He was influential in developing a number of Toronto homegrown players. Even though they haven’t made the playoffs since 1993, they’ve produced a number of successful players, even if that success later happened for another team. Perhaps most famously, he reshaped the career of Roy Halladay after he set a record for worst ERA in a season. He completely rebuilt Halladay as a pitcher that relied on command, movement on his pitches and a slightly more deceptive delivery. He wouldn’t be on his way to the Hall of Fame without the changes made by Queen. Brian Matusz broke that record in 2011.

Tomorrow, Prospect A-Z will feature the letter R. Will it be a solid Rangers pitcher, a potentially underrated Cardinals starter or a guy who could be the next closer for the White Sox?

Oscar Taveras, OF, St. Louis Cardinals (2011: A Quad Cities)

Oscar, pronounced OH-sker and not AH-sker, Taveras, burst onto the scene a bit in 2011. Kevin Goldstein had him in his top 11 Cardinals prospects last year which was more aggressive than any other source. John Sickels also had him in the top 10, but Keith Law didn’t, and Baseball America had Taveras towards the back end of their top 30 prospects. After 2011, it won’t be possible to have him out of the team’s top 5, and he might be top 100 in the entire league.

How did people miss on him? He signed for only $140,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2008, a modest bonus but not one in line with the top international signees every year. His debut in the Dominican Summer League was unremarkable. He batted .257 with a .731 OPS which doesn’t look like a top prospect, but he was only 17 years old and those numbers were well above the league average, so it was a quality season. He had decent patience and showed a little power, even hitting eight triples despite not being particularly athletic.

Taveras still wasn’t on many radars, but the Cardinals brought him over to the U.S. for the following spring training. He started in extended spring like many Latin players coming to the U.S. for the first time, and he made his stateside debut in the Gulf Coast League. After a poor seven game stint, he was assigned to Johnson City of the Appalachian League and broke out. His .889 OPS ranked 10th in the league, and only two of the players ranked higher than him were younger than 20 years old. He batted .322, albeit without much patience, and slugged eight home runs and 24 extra base hits in 53 games. After the season, Baseball America ranked him as the 4th best prospect in the league.

Baseball America’s scouting report from before the season indicated that Taveras could play in a full season league before he turned 20. He did just that in 2011, but he was only 18 on Opening Day for Quad Cities in the Midwest League. He only played 78 games due to various injuries but was very impressive. Baseball America ranked him 6th in the Midwest League, and I thought he could’ve been higher. He hit .386 and had 40 extra base hits including eighth home runs for a SLG of .584. His plate approach improved, and he’s on his way to becoming a very good hitter.

His stint in the AFL was okay at best. He hit over .300, but he didn’t draw a walk in 19 games. He was also primarily a singles hitter with only one home run and five doubles. It was only three weeks worth of games though, and it’s always to draw conclusions from only 75 at bats. Not to mention his age; Taveras was only 19 years old and hasn’t played above low-A. Most of the pitchers in Arizona come from the upper levels, and it was a challenge unlike any other he’s faced. It wasn’t a disaster, and the Cardinals probably have additional confidence in his future development.

What kind of player is he? Jason Parks at Baseball Prospectus rated his hit tool as the best in the minors this season and notes that he could be a regular .300 hitter when he reaches the majors. He has an aggressive stroke that produces consistent, hard contact to all fields. His plate approach has been improving, and although he hasn’t walked much so far, he always puts the ball in play. There are varying opinions on his future power from 40 (below average) to 60 (plus). With his quick swing and frame that’ll allow for some more strength, it’s not hard to envision him hitting 20 home runs.

Between his great ability to make contact and potential for average or above average power, Taveras should be a quality hitter. Will it be enough for a corner outfielder? He should be a first division starter. He’s an average athlete who could play center in a pinch, but he belongs in a corner outfield spot. Taveras has a decent arm to handle right field, and that’s where he spent most of 2011. With the recent loss of Albert Pujols, the Cardinals are going to need more offensive depth, and although Taveras is still a couple years away, he could be a big part of their future.

The next installment of Prospect A-Z will feature the letter P. Will it be an expensive Nationals signee, one of Arizona’s top pitching prospects or a former Clemson Quarterback?