IBC

Heaney rounding back into form after a little bumpy stretch......


http://www.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ym ... b&sid=milb

"In the teams' second meeting of the season, the Marlins' top prospect didn't allow a hit over seven frames, ultimately allowing one hit and two walks while striking out nine across a career-high eight innings in the Triple-A Zephyrs' 1-0 win over the visiting Aces.........."

Arcia finally getting some attention.......


http://www.baseballprospectus.com/artic ... leid=24601


Orlando Arcia, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (Double-A Huntsville)Arcia posted an above-league-average OPS as a 19-year-old in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League, slashing .289/.346/.392 with 38 extra-base hits and 31 stolen bases in 42 attempts. This fine offensive season led to a promotion to Double-A Huntsville for their postseason run. The offensive success this season notwithstanding, the most impressive part of Arcia’s game is his defensive chops. The young Venezuelan is extremely flashy in the field, pairing soft, sure hands with great footwork and preternatural instincts. Despite somewhat ordinary foot speed on the bases, Arcia has superb range to both sides and has the coordination to pull off highlight-reel defensive plays on a consistent basis. His arm is plus with plenty of carry and enough juice to make it across the diamond from the 5-6 hole with ease. On the offensive side, Arcia has impeccable hand-eye coordination, illustrated by the 12 percent strikeout rate he posted this season. His load is noisy, with a big hand hitch and leg lift, causing timing and plate-coverage concerns against well-placed fastballs on the inner half: Arcia does not possess the bat speed to make up for the added length. The trade-off, however, is gap-to-gap power. Paired with impending body maturation, the rail-thin shortstop projects to have low-teens home run output in the fringe-average range at his peak. He shows a solid knowledge of the zone and decent pitch-recognition skills for a barely 20-year-old facing Double-A pitching. Arcia possesses the offensive tools to hit in the .260 to .270 range annually with a chance for more at his physical peak if he cuts down on his swing and shows better coverage of the inner half. All in all, Arcia’s defensive skills and burgeoning offensive package give him the ceiling of a solid-average regular. After ranking fourth in the Brewers’ system prior to this season, Arcia will assuredly climb those rankings and should be in consideration for the top 100 prospects list this offseason. –Ethan Purser

BA's All Prospect Team for the month of August. If you slice and dice it enough ways, pretty soon everyone will make one of these lists.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/p ... t-edition/

2B Dilson Herrera • Mets
Double-A Binghamton (Eastern)

One way or the other, the Mets were going to add Herrera to the 40-man roster in 2014 to shield him from the Rule 5 draft. However, the way he hit at Binghamton in July and August—.337/.406/.577 with 26 extra-base hits and 25 walks in 50 games—prompted New York to call him up at the end of August to sub for the injured Daniel Murphy.

More love for some IBC M's prospects from BP....

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/artic ... leid=24653

Monday Morning Ten Pack:

Orlando Arcia, SS, Brewers (High-A Brevard County)After logging significant evaluative time with Arcia during his 2013 tour through the Midwest League, I developed a fondness for the defensively inclined six-spotter. While the then-present profile did not scream "impact," the glove, feel for contact, and peek-a-boo pop served as a solid foundation for projecting a major-league contributor. Entering 2014, my expectations were tempered because Arcia would be playing most of the season as a 19-year-old in the Florida State League with a nascent approach at the plate.

While the production fell shy of what most would consider a "breakout year," Arcia’s summer exceeded my expectations by a fair margin. After a brief adjustment period early in the season, Arcia regularly logged quality at-bats while continuing to flash the leather and arm that will make him a quality major-league shortstop in the coming years. The bat-to-ball skills have always been impressive, but he has started to pair that natural ability with a more developed approach, helping him seek out his pitches and more frequently produce hard contact to the gaps. In 12 months, Arcia has grown from an interesting name to a "need-to-know" and there is still more room for growth. A 2015 assignment to Double-A Huntsville will pose yet another challenge for the relative tenderfoot, though this time around you won’t find my name among those questioning whether he will hold his own. –Nick J. Faleris



Keury Mella, RHP, San Francisco Giants (Low-A Augusta)Mella first came on the prospect scene last season, producing buzz with the electricity of his arsenal paired with fine results in the AZL. He placed seventh on a pitching-heavy Giants prospect list this offseason due to the glowing reports out of Arizona, and while he was certainly on my radar going into the season, I never would have imagined I’d be so enamored with the young Dominican’s potential after one viewing in mid-June. The stuff is very real, including a potential double-plus fastball that touched 97 and sat in the mid-90s with vicious sink and arm-side run and a changeup that flashed legitimate swing-and-miss potential in the low-80s. The hard curveball was inconsistent in this outing, but the necessary ingredients were there for an above-average future pitch. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his game was the way he attacked the zone, flashing the ability to pound the corners with his heavy fastball and elevate to get whiffs in the upper 90s, pitching off his fastball with an ease not usually associated with young hurlers in the SAL. A midseason rotator-cuff injury did nothing to quell preexisting concerns about his mechanics, including a big crossfire and a high back elbow, but Mella pitched well in his August return to the Northwest League. Assuming the injury was a bump and not a detriment in the long run, Mella has the stuff and command profile to be a legitimate force in a major-league rotation. While there is considerable downside and risk due to the aforementioned injury concerns, Mella’s upside rivals that of any pitcher I saw this season. –Ethan Purser

Eduardo Rodriguez update...........from BA.


http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/a ... rodriguez/



Q: What happened this season with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez? Going into the season he was one of Baltimore’s top prospects but had a horrendous season in Bowie. Then he was traded to the Red Sox organization and completely turned things around. What’s your opinion on him going forward?


The Red Sox did a good job of landing Rodriguez at just the right time.

Rodriguez was considered one of the Orioles’ top prospects after both the 2012 and 2013 season, and he was expected to be in Triple-A getting ready for a spot in Baltimore’s rotation by the middle of 2014.

Instead, a knee injury cost him a month early in the season, and when he did return he had trouble repeating his delivery, although he still showed the makings of a plus fastball to go with at least an average changeup and a potentially fringe average slider.

So when the trade deadline came along, instead of pitching in Triple-A for a spot in the big league rotation, the 21-year-old Rodriguez was struggling in Double-A, going 3-7, 4.79 in 83 innings with Bowie.

That meant the Orioles were willing to offer him for lefthander Andrew Miller. It’s one of those trades that may end up working out well for both teams. Miller has been everything the Orioles’ hoped for as a lefty reliever. He’s 2-0, 1.35 with 34 strikeouts and only 13 baserunners in 20 innings of work and will be a big part of their bullpen in the playoffs.

But for the Red Sox, Rodriguez was outstanding. The Red Sox emphasized to Rodriguez to use his secondary stuff, especially his changeup, in all counts. But more than anything Rodriguez gained a little bit of arm speed that helped his fastball, slider and changeup all play up more than they did when he was pitching for Bowie. He was 3-1, 0.96 in six starts with Portland and he was just as effective in the playoffs for Triple-A Pawtucket.

Rodriguez didn’t overhaul his delivery, so there isn’t some significant difference between Rodriguez with the Orioles and with the Red Sox. It’s possible that the Red Sox’ training or between-starts program clicked with Rodriguez, but he’s shown similar stuff in the past. It’s just as likely that as he got further away from his spring knee injury, he just got more stretched out and his velocity gained a tick. As a result, he was once again the 92-94 mph lefty who can touch 96-97, which makes him a very intriguing option for the Red Sox in late 2015 or 2016..............

Baseball Americ'a 2014 Sal League Top 20

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... g-reports/


1. Lucas Giolito, rhp, Hagerstown (Nationals)

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-6. Wt.: 255. Drafted: HS—Studio City, Calif., 2012 (1).

His teammate Reynaldo Lopez may have ended the year with more dominating statistics, but Giolito was everything scouts and managers expected to see from a righthander with prototype frontline starter tools and an ideal frame.

Giolito could dominate hitters with his top-of-the-scale 92-100 mph fastball and plus curveball, but he worked hard to improve his changeup this year. At times, he even shelved his curveball for entire starts to focus on refining his change. Reduced to two pitches, Giolito still cruised through lineups.

“His changeup got a lot better,” Lakewood manager Greg Legg said. “Their pitching coach did a great job with that. It became a really good pitch for him.”

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
10 2 2.20 20 20 0 98 70 28 24 7 28 110 .197

Baseball America's 2014 Florida State League Top 20 Prospects:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... g-reports/

A couple samples from the list that just happen to be in the IBC M's prospect system......


9. Orlando Arcia, ss/2b, Brevard County (Brewers)

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 165. Signed: Venezuela, 2010.

Arcia began the year splitting time at second base and shortstop in deference to Yadiel Rivera, who was repeating the league. He moved to short full-time when Rivera moved to Double-A in July and continued to make an impression as a toolsy, well-rounded player.

The younger brother of Twins outfielder Oswaldo, Arcia is a completely different player. His excellent hand-eye coordination and fine pitch recognition helps him avoid strikeouts. He adds plus speed to makes him a dangerous basestealer and enough pop in his gap-to-gap approach to keep pitchers honest. All four of his homers came away from Space Coast Stadium, which mutes righthanded power.

Defensively, Arcia has plus arm strength, first-step quickness and above-average range, with the actions to make all the plays at short.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
498 65 144 29 5 4 50 42 65 31 11 .289 .346 .392



12. Dilson Herrera, 2b/ss, St. Lucie (Mets)

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 150. Signed: Colombia, 2010 (Pirates).

Acquired by the Mets for Marlon Byrd in 2013 from the Pirates, Herrera spent all of 2013 in low Class A but finished 2014 in the major leagues with the Mets. One of the league’s younger regulars, he impressed managers with both his physical tools and maturity.

Herrera is an offensive player whose power was muted in the bigger ballparks and heavy air of the FSL, but he hit 10 homers after a promotion to Double-A Binghamton. He features a compact, short swing with pull-side power and a knack for the barrel. He’s adept driving the ball to the gaps, runs well and has athleticism to spare, even if his body thickens up a bit going forward. He’s an average defender at second base with first-step quickness, good range, the savvy to read hitters and scouting reports and enough arm for the position.

“He’s the kind of player where, if he’s not hitting, he still figures out a way to get on base or plays good defense,” St. Lucie manager Ryan Ellis said. “He has the ability to separate his at-bats from his baserunning, defense, whatever. If he’s not proficient in one area, he’ll find a way to be good in another.”

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
283 48 87 16 2 3 23 18 44 14 3 .307 .355 .410

Baseball America's 2014 Eastern League Top 20 Prospects:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... g-reports/


Eduardo Rodriguez, lhp, Bowie (Orioles)/Portland (Red Sox)

Age: 21. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 200. Signed: Venezuela, 2010 (Orioles).

For the second time in as many years, Rodriguez finds himself ranked among the best in the EL. And with the exception of his parent organization, little has changed. The Orioles dealt him to the Red Sox for reliever Andrew Miller at the trade deadline.

Rodriguez missed about a month early in the season with a hip injury, but when he came back he showed off the same stuff he did last year as a 20-year-old making his high-minors debut. A lean lefthander with a strong midsection, Rodriguez brings his fastball, which features excellent plane in on righthanders, up to 96 mph and couples it with a mid-80s slider with excellent tilt. He also has a changeup, which he throws at the same velocity as his slider and with the same arm speed as his fastball but is still a third pitch at this point.

Rodriguez does have a tendency to get a little bit quick with his delivery, which causes him to lose the strike zone. Those problems dissipated once he moved to Portland, where his walk rate dipped from 3.2 per nine to 1.9 over 37 innings.

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
6 8 3.60 22 22 0 120 120 54 48 6 37 108 .259


Dilson Herrera, 2b/ss, Binghamton (Mets)

Age: 20. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 150. Signed: Colombia, 2010 (Pirates).

The prize in the trade that sent Marlon Byrd to the Pirates last season, Herrera has so far looked to be a coup for the Mets after performing well in both high Class A St. Lucie and Binghamton this season.

Much like Mets starter Daniel Murphy, Herrera receives most of his positive marks for his bat. He’s an aggressive hitter with a short, compact swing and the potential for double-digit home run power in the future. He went deep 13 times in the minors this season, and then swatted two more in his first few games in the big leagues.

Herrera plays serviceable defense at second base with fringy range and actions that are sometimes stiff.

He’s not a liability out there and has the work ethic to make himself into at least an average defender as he matures. His arm is a little short at this point but got better as the year progressed and should continue to do so as he gets stronger.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
241 50 82 17 3 10 48 29 52 9 4 .340 .406 .560


Kennys Vargas, 1b, New Britain (Twins)

Age: 24. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 275. Signed: HS—Canovanas, P.R., 2009.

Known for being a big-bodied, powerful first baseman with a body type similar to David Ortiz, Vargas cut down some of that size this year by trading some of the spaghetti meals he used to eat for ones that featured more tuna and other types of lean protein.

The result is a player who is more athletic and more nimble around the bag, and thus more playable at first base, though Vargas still is a below-average defender.

A switch-hitter who looks more comfortable from the left side, Vargas projects to hit for both average and power from both sides of the dish. He got to show off that power for hometown fans during the Futures Game at Target Field, where he doubled off top Orioles arm Hunter Harvey.

Vargas also showed a discerning eye this season, walking in 10.6 percent of his plate appearances to rank among the top 20 in the EL. His strikeout rate of 16.8 percent ranked well below the average mark among league qualifiers.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
356 50 100 17 0 17 63 43 68 0 2 .281 .360 .472

Baseball America's 2014 Southern League Top 20 Prospects:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... g-reports/


Andrew Heaney, lhp, Jacksonville (Marlins)

Age: 23. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 185. Drafted: Oklahoma State, 2012 (1).

Despite entering the season ranked as the top lefthander in the minors, and despite logging a 2.35 ERA with strong peripherals in his month and a half in the SL, Heaney did not receive the volume of positive reviews his prospect pedigree would suggest. He got hammered in the big leagues during two different stints in 2014 because he wore down physically, his arm slot dropped and his pitches lost velocity and life.

At his best, Heaney pitches at 88-92 mph with plus arm-side run and good sink. He backs it up with a solid-average to plus slider in the low 80s and a changeup that grades more consistently as average than it did when he turned pro two years ago. Not only has stamina been a problem for Heaney, but so too have slow times to the plate and pitching with runners on base. He has the raw ingredients to become a No. 3 or 4 starter if he can resolve his problems.

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
4 2 2.35 9 8 0 54 45 16 14 2 13 52 .223



Ketel Marte, ss/2b, Jackson (Mariners)

Age: 20. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 180. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2010.
Marte has rocketed through the Mariners system in the past two seasons, going from low Class A Clinton at the outset of 2013 to Jackson to open 2014 to Triple-A Tacoma in mid-August to close out this season.

In his time with Jackson, Marte ranked fifth in the SL batting race (.302), though the only category in which he led the league was errors (28). A careless defender at shortstop who tends to sit back and let groundballs play him, Marte has great hands, above-average range and the instincts to profile as a regular at second base. His arm grades as solid-average and could enable him to play center field as well.

A live-bodied switch-hitter, Marte has feel for contact from both sides of the plate with a handsy swing that enables him to manipulate the barrel and line the ball to all fields. He won’t hit for more than gap power, but plus speed will ensure he racks up his share of doubles and triples to go with a healthy quantity of stolen bases. Difficult to walk or strikeout, Marte can bunt for hits and might fit as leadoff batter if he can boost his on-base ability.

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
443 63 134 27 6 2 46 19 65 23 10 .302 .329 .404

Baseball America's 2014 Texas League Top 20 Prospects:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... g-reports/


Jon Gray, rhp, Tulsa (Rockies)

Age: 22. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 235. Drafted: Oklahoma, 2013 (1).

The Rockies limited Gray, the No. 3 overall pick in 2013, to just nine starts during his draft year, but they largely let him loose this season with an aggressive promotion to Tulsa. He responded by ranking among the league leaders in opponent average (.237), strikeouts per nine innings (8.2) and WHIP (1.19).

Gray overwhelmed hitters when his fastball, slider and changeup were working, like when he retired the first 17 batters of an April 23 start against Arkansas. He works off an upper-90s fastball that can reach triple digits, a sharp-biting slider that he can cut like a fastball and a much-improved changeup with movement that was particularly effective against lefthanders.

“A lot of times they were helicoptering the bat to the second baseman,” Tulsa manager Kevin Riggs said of Gray’s changeup.

Gray still is fine-tuning an effective curveball that he locates for strikes. He ran into trouble when he left his fastball up in the zone, and one TL manager noted that he seemed to pitch better after giving up a few hits. Others described him as a bulldog. “He just attacks constantly, and his cutter is really good,” Arkansas manager Phillip Wellman said.

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
10 5 3.91 24 24 0 124 107 58 54 10 41 113 .237

Baseball America's 2014 Pacific Coast League Top 20 Prospects:

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2 ... g-reports/

Andrew Heaney, lhp, New Orleans (Marlins)

Age: 23. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 185. Drafted: Oklahoma State, 2012 (1).

Heaney surged to the majors in 2014 after just 34 minor league appearances thanks to excellent control of his polished repertoire. Heaney found himself back at New Orleans in mid-July, however, following a less-than-successful stint with the Marlins that included a 6.34 ERA in four starts.

Miami remains impressed with Heaney’s demeanor, chalking up his struggles to the grind of a long pro season. “When you go through a full spring training, six months of a season, nothing can prepare you for that,” New Orleans manager Andy Haines said. “Next year will be much different. He’ll be right in the middle of the battle for the major league rotation.”

Heaney uses a smooth delivery to sit consistently at 90-92 mph, with the ability to touch 94 when he needs it. His above-average to plus slider remains his go-to secondary weapon, while his changeup continues to improve with more frequent usage.

W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
5 4 3.87 15 15 0 84 75 45 36 9 23 81 .234


Andrew Susac, c, Fresno (Giants)

Age: 24. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 215. Drafted: Oregon State, 2011 (2).

One of the bigger catching double threats at Triple-A this season, Susac projects as a solid catch-and-throw receiver with power, and he began easing Buster Posey’s load behind the plate in August. By starting Susac at catcher three times a week, the Giants were able to keep Posey’s bat in the lineup at first base.

The Giants consider Susac a workhorse behind the plate and believe in his continued improvement defensively. He gunned down 36 percent of PCL basestealers with a good arm that is capable of keeping runners close. One rival evaluator said Susac does a good job of catching the ball soft and keeping it close to his body.

At bat, Susac has a short swing that helps him generate solid-average power to right-center field more than any other part of the field. That swing and approach combine with good plate discipline to make him at least an average hitter.

“He has a high ceiling,” Fresno manager Bob Mariano said. “He can definitely be a starting catcher in the majors, and I see him as an RBI guy.”

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG
213 34 57 9 0 10 32 34 50 0 0 .268 .379 .451