Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta
Yesterday, Prospect A-Z wrapped up its final week with Xander Bogaerts, a power hitting Red Sox infielder that’s one of the most promising prospects in their system. He went from the Dominican Summer League to playing in the South Atlantic League in just one year. His twin brother is also in the Red Sox organization, but he’s not nearly the prospect that Xander is. However, Jair should be able to make it over to...
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 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...
Prospect A-Z takes a back seat to the book any day, so hopefully no one missed it too much. As a refresher, the last entry was about future Rays ace Matt Moore. After dazzling minor leaguers and prospect watchers from April through August, he was promoted by the Rays to help out in the bullpen, but he eventually worked his way into the rotation and became Tampa Bay’s game one starter in the playoffs....
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....
Will it be three shortstops in a row? Jurickson Profar of Texas was the subject of yesterday’s Prospect A-Z. The Rangers already have a very good shortstop in Elvis Andrus, but it’s not a deep position around the league, so there’s nothing wrong with having a top prospect at the same position. Profar could develop into a better hitter while still providing quality defense, albeit not as well as Andrus. That’s still years away...
Yesterday, we reviewed Grant Green, the A’s prospect and former first rounder converting from shortstop to centerfield. After a great pro debut in 2010, Green’s offensive suffered from a pretty substantial decline with AA Midland in 2011. He should be able to handle center and at least be an okay defensive player, and if his power comes back, he could be a quality regular for the A’s who are in desperate need of offense...
Yesterday, we went behind the plate to talk about Travis d’Arnaud, Toronto’s catcher on helium last season. He’s gone one level per year in his ascent to the majors, and he could break in with Toronto by the end of 2012. He’s a solid all-around player who may not stand out in any area, but he’ll be good in all of them. At the time of his trade to Toronto along with Kyle Drabek...
For someone who writes a lot about baseball, I don’t read too many books on the sport. Although I have my favorite books such as “The Curious Case of Sidd Finch” and “Boys of Summer”, my baseball reading is usually pretty sparse. This year however, I’ve been on a bit of a baseball literary kick. Before the season I read Jonah Keri’s “The Extra 2%”, the story about the assembly of the Tampa Bay...
It’s Awards Week here at Bus Leagues, that annual event in which we unveil the seasons that our voters determined to be the best in Minor League and Independent baseball. This year, we have nine awards to give out: Player of the Year, Starting Pitcher of the Year, and Relief Pitcher of the Year for Full-Season Minor League Baseball, Short-Season Minor League Baseball, and Independent Baseball. In the Independent Baseball awards announced yesterday, Ronnie...
