On Friday, Prospect A-Z covered Zack Wheeler, the top pitching prospect for the Mets. Formerly of the Giants organization, Wheeler was traded by San Francisco to acquire Carlos Beltran for the stretch run. Beltran held up his end of the bargain by performing well, but he couldn’t overtake the Diamondbacks alone. Beltran is now with the Cardinals, so the Giants are left without a star right fielder and a top pitching prospect. This will...
Yesterday, Prospect A-Z reviewed Arodys Vizcaino, a hard throwing righty for Atlanta. He has a high ceiling in either the rotation or bullpen depending on how durable he proves to be. As long as he remains in the Braves organization, he might end up as a late inning weapon simply because they have so much starting pitching depth. He’s a player the Yankees will regret trading, especially because not only did Javier Vazquez not...
Our second international free agent was profiled in Prospect A-Z yesterday with Nippon Ham righty Yu Darvish. The Rangers won the posting auction for exclusive negotiating rights with him, and it seems likely that a deal will get done at the end of the negotiating window. They’re a team in need of pitching after losing Cliff Lee and C.J. Wilson in free agency in consecutive years, and Darvish has the potential to be a...
Prospect A-Z returned to the Rays’ shortstop position yesterday with a look at former first overall pick Tim Beckham. He isn’t meeting the expectations of a former first overall pick, but he was never a can’t miss talent that people associate with a first overall pick anyway. His consistent performance from level to level is admirable, but right now it appears his ceiling is that of a utility player or fringe starter. Not every...
Prospect A-Z returned to the Rangers organization with lefty starter Robbie Ross. He’s one of a few upper minors starters the Rangers have left after trading Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland to the Padres at the deadline, but it’s still a deep system, especially in the lower levels. Ross has the potential to start, but with a solid major league rotation and an organization with a lot of pitcher depth, he could do very...
Prospect A-Z had a tough letter yesterday in Q, and the subject was Padres reliever Kevin Quackenbush. He has the potential to pitch in middle relief for San Diego in a year or two, but that might be his ceiling. He made his pro debut with Eugene in the Northwest League and dominated, so the Padres promoted him to the Midwest League where he again dominated. From there, the entry deviated to a discussion...
Yesterday, Prospect A-Z returned with Washington catcher Derek Norris. He has the power and defensive skills to potentially be an All-Star, but he needs to improve his batting average. He’ll be competing for true three outcome titles in the majors with his patience and also penchant of striking out. Wilson Ramos established himself as a solid starter behind the plate for Washington, but Norris could eventually surpass him. He could be a key piece...
We got back to shortstops yesterday, generally focusing on Tampa Bay’s Hak-Ju Lee. Just a year after being acquired from the Cubs in the Matt Garza trade, he became the team’s best shortstop prospect and best prospect among all position players. His athleticism, solid bat and nice plate approach makes him one of the top shortstop prospects in the game, and the Rays hope he can hit at the top of their lineup soon....
For the first time this week, Prospect A-Z didn’t cover a shortstop… kind of. Casey Kelly in the San Diego organization played both ways until 2009 when the Red Sox, his original organization, made him finally focus on pitching. Allowing him to play shortstop at the start of his career was a courteous move by Boston to convince him to sign instead of going to play QB at Tennessee, and I’m sure the large...
Yesterday, Prospect A-Z covered Jose Iglesias, Boston’s Cuban shortstop prospect. He’s a tremendous fielder but really struggled at the plate in 2011 at AAA. He’s still young enough to improve and become an every day player in the majors, and 2012 will be a pivotal year for him. It’ll be his second chance in AAA, and Marco Scutaro will be in the last year of his contract. His career parallels fellow Cuban Adeiny Hechavarria,...
2012 05 14 Scranton Wilks Barre/ Empire State Yankees vs Pawtucket Red Sox
