Guardian Apprentices

[Guardians]

Nice scout quote on IBC Tiger Braden Shipley from BP:

"I saw Shipley in college, but he's throwing harder now than he had for me then. And the best part is he doesn't need to create any additional effort to do so. The changeup is still his out pitch and he can throw it whenever he wants, but that was never a question. The curveball was, but it is coming along much better than I anticipated. Looks like Arizona got a steal, which I didn't think was the case at the time."

[Guardians]

It's always good to be having success and still have a strong farm. Good drafting and smart trades have gotten me a few solid prospects. Three in the BP top 25 and five in the top 50 for the midseason list:

19. SS Corey Seager (Dodgers)

Placement on pre-season 101: #44

Current MiLB level/Affiliate: High-A Rancho Cucamonga

Developmental Update: The 6-foot-4 shortstop has done nothing but impress after a brief hiccup the last month of the 2013 season. The debate over whether he’s a first or second division player is quickly evaporating with each line drive in the gap. The question now becomes whether he can stay at shortstop, and by some accounts, including my own, it appears he can—for the time being, at least. His glove is above average and he plays the position with the smoothness of a seasoned veteran, not of a 20-year-old. Put all of this together and you get a top-20 prospect. –Chris Rodriguez

23. RHP Braden Shipley (Diamondbacks)

Placement on pre-season 101: #62

Current MiLB level/Affiliate: High-A Visalia

Developmental Update: Athleticism is a key word when it comes to Shipley who is a converted shortstop working his way through a starter’s load of innings. He has a clean delivery and intriguing stuff that allows for projection given both his inexperience and present ability. The fastball-changeup combo works well, as both pitches can be plus-plus. A role as a very good no. 3 starter is starting to come into focus. –Mauricio Rubio

25. C Jorge Alfaro (Rangers)

Placement on pre-season 101: #41

Current MiLB level/Affiliate: High-A Myrtle Beach

Developmental Update: Only a handful of prospects in the game have the necessary tools to profile as all-stars at the highest level, and Alfaro can stand with any of them when it comes to physical characteristics: plus speed, elite arm, double-plus power potential. The 21-year-old has been slow and steady in this developmental path, and the anticipated breakout has yet to occur, despite pockets of brilliance that get lost and forgotten in the inconsistency of his overall body of work. If and when the breakout comes, Alfaro could emerge as a top tier talent in the game, but the risk that accompanies this profile is still very high. –Jason Parks

30. OF Stephen Piscotty (Cardinals)

Placement on pre-season 101: #66

Current MiLB level/Affiliate: Triple-A Memphis

Developmental Update: The old "hitters hit" adage directly applies here. For the third straight year since being drafted, Piscotty is hitting right around .300. The Stanford alum doesn't struggle against lefties, and should have no problem as an everyday fixture on a corner of the Cardinals outfield. He manipulates the barrel, keeps it in the zone for a long time, and can hit to all fields. The profile is more of a doubles hitter than a true HR threat. On top of the hit tool, Piscotty has a big time arm and is solid-average on defense. –Jordan Gorosh

34. RHP Mark Appel (Astros)

Placement on pre-season 101: #21

Current MiLB level/Affiliate: High-A Lancaster

Developmental Update: The supposed “can’t miss” no. 1 overall pick hasn’t done nearly enough to warrant the selection. The stuff has been inconsistent at best, and when the stuff was good he lacked the command you would expect from a polished arm. Questions about his makeup are legit ones, and you can’t help but ask if he’s hiding an injury. He’s back in High-A now after the Astros sent him to extended spring training for a couple of weeks to sort things out, but the questions remain and are serious enough to push him down the rankings, hopefully just for the time being. –Chris Rodriguez

[Guardians]

A little less love from the BA crowd:

16. Corey Seager: He’s not a shortstop, but as a sweet-swinging lefty with power, he’ll be fine at third base.
36. Braden Shipley: Athletic pitcher with above-average fastball and changeup has a delivery that allows him to repeat consistently.
45. Jorge Alfaro: Amazing tools, but he still has a lot of refinement ahead; his receiving in particular is inconsistent.
49. Steven Piscotty: Fast-moving outfielder gets lost in Oscar Taveras’ shadow, but his hit tool is impressive as well.

[Guardians]

Thanks for the stat compilation, rotoworld:

Tigers prospect 2B Devon Travis went 4-for-6 with four singles on Sunday for Double-A Erie.
The 23-year-old was limited to only 17 games over the first two months of the season due to injury, but he's been a hitting machine since returning to action. In 32 games since the beginning of June, Travis is batting .320/.381/.488 with 12 extra-base hits (three homers), 27 runs scored, five steals and a 19-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. On the season, the right-handed hitting second baseman owns a .289/.336/.442 batting line to go along with 18 extra-base hits (four homers), 23 RBI and seven stolen bases through 49 games. He's blocked at the major-league level by Ian Kinsler for the foreseeable future, though that also could make him intriguing trade bait with the July 31 deadline on the horizon.

[Guardians]

A Springer comp may be aggressive, but the numbers are close. Looking forward to watching the development:

http://www.crawfishboxes.com/2014/7/3/5 ... r-jethawks

Prospect Perspective: Teoscar Hernandez, CF, Lancaster Jethawks (Hi-A)

An undrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic, Teoscar Hernandez has faced his share of adversity, away from his family eleven months a year while he tries to find his way to the major leagues. He handles it the only way he knows how: By working harder than everyone else.

About seventy feet long, nine feet wide, lined with a chain link fence. And eleven months a year, it's a safe bet that you'll find Houston Astros prospect Teoscar Hernandez there. It's his safe place. Every day, rain or shine, he's there, working.

This particular batting cage is in Lancaster, California. It sits just outside the Lancaster Jethawks' clubhouse, and the team's hitting coach, Darryl ("D-Rob") Robinson, considers it to be his office. "He beats me to the office every day," he says of Hernandez. "He's continuously trying to get better. He wants to learn, he wants to know. He takes things in. Then, in the game, he goes out and does it."

Hernandez is listed at 6'2", 180 lbs., with a lean, sinewy body. At rest (which he almost never is), he looks uneasy. Anxious. Ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. Even when he jokes and laughs with his teammates - especially his good friend, Danry Vasquez - you get the sense that every moment he spends not working at his craft, he considers to be a moment lost.

Hard work is nothing new to Hernandez. In fact, the way he sees it, he doesn't have a choice. He began playing baseball in the Dominican Republic when he was four years old, and eventually he moved into his manager's house. "When I practiced, before I signed, I wake up like five o'clock in the morning and I go to bed at ten, eleven o'clock at night," he told me. "We worked every day. Long days. Sometimes people don't see how hard we work in the Dominican. We put in so much effort to try to get signed to get some money. We try to do our very best to help our family out there and try to get a better life."

He sees his family in the Dominican for maybe one month out of the year, he says. The rest of the time, he's working, whether it's full-season ball in the U.S., instructs in Florida, or winter ball back in the Dominican."I don't have a lot of occasion to see my family. Maybe a month. Get some rest and come out and start working again."

Coming into the 2014 season, Hernandez was rated the Houston Astros' No. 16 prospect by Baseball America, No. 12 by MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus, and all the way down at No. 20 here at The Crawfish Boxes. All sources have mentioned that he has all five tools.

The Basics

Position: Center Field
DOB: 10/15/92 (21.257 years old)
Height/Weight: 6'2" 180 lbs.
Bats/Throws: R/R
Drafted/Acquired: Signed by the Houston Astros as an undrafted free agent on February 17, 2011.

If you ever need an example of the uncertainty of the International Free Agent (IFA) market, look no further than Hernandez. Not long after the Astros inked Ariel Ovando for $2.6 million, Hernandez was signed for the paltry sum of $20,000. At the time, his signing was a favor to then-Latin America director Felix Francisco, whose brother-in-law was a friend of Hernandez's family. Hernandez has eclipsed Ovando as a prospect, at less than one percent of the cost.

Update: The article states that Hernandez's signing was a favor to Francisco, which is untrue. He was originally scouted as a favor, but the signing was on Hernandez's merit as a player.

The Tool Kit

[All scouting grades are my own, and differ from those found in other sources. Stats are current as of June 29.]

Glove

Future Grade: 60

Folks in Lancaster have been spoiled in center field. In 2013, Andrew Aplin made highlight-reel catches on a nightly basis, helping lead the Jethawks to a California League South Division championship. The year before that, it was super-prospect George Springer doing the honors. Entering 2014, Hernandez had some big shoes to fill, particularly off of reports that in Quad Cities, he lacked a decisive first step.

Robinson doesn't see it.

"I never saw him when he didn't have that first step," Robinson said. "That was what we heard - that the first step wasn't very good. But he took the information that Vince Coleman supplied, and he made himself better. When I saw him for the first time, in instructional ball, I was thinking, 'Here's a kid that can play center field. He's a true center fielder.'"

It's not just the improved first step, Robinson says. "His routes to the ball are incredible. I see him all the time, taking routes during BP, even. He picks up the ball early, he jumps early."

It's no secret how he improved. He worked.

"Here, the wind is tough," Hernandez says of the unrelenting Lancaster winds. "This season, I wanted to be better on defense. So I worked hard in the offseason. I worked hard on my defense. My defense now is better than last year."

Arm

Future Grade: 60

When Jayne Hansen of What The Heck, Bobby? asked Jethawks manager Rodney Linares about Hernandez, his response was, "He's strong. He runs well. He plays good defense. He's got a great arm. He doesn't have a good arm. He's got a great arm."

Hernandez is tied for first among California League center fielders with six outfield assists this season. He had nine in center field in 2013 for the Quad Cities River Bandits, his first season as a full-time center fielder.

Arm strength is often the hardest tool to gauge, because evaluators see it tested so infrequently. When Baseball Prospectus's Chris Rodriguez tagged Hernandez's arm with a future 50 grade, despite having seen him on seven different occasions in the month of April, he may have been under-selling the young center fielder.

"Solid-average arm; has good carry; hits the cutoff man with ease; enough arm to stick in center; aggressive in other aspects, but not careless with the arm."

-Chris Rodriguez, Baseball Prospectus
In long-toss drills, hours before game time, Hernandez was able to make accurate throws from over three hundred feet. Of course, long-toss drills aren't game situations. But it's not unrealistic to expect a 60 Arm tool from Hernandez, based on reports from those who see him every day.

Baserunning/Speed

Future Grade: 65

Recently, Hernandez was tied for third in the Cal League with 23 steals, and had been caught just six times - fewer than everyone else tied with or above him on that list. I've clocked him regularly at 4.20-4.22 seconds to first base, and he runs the bases on a clean, straight line with little to no wasted effort.

Hernandez is built like a strong safety, with a lean, compact, muscular build. He doesn't look like a burner, which makes his speed much more surprising when you see him take off. He accelerates quickly and doesn't waste energy when running.

Power

Future Grade: 50

When looking at the California League home run leaderboards, you expect to see a few Jethawks. The Hangar has a well-deserved reputation as a hitters' park, and Astros prospect hounds have been bitten in the past. Names like Jon Gaston, Kody Hinze and Koby Clemens spring to mind. Power can be a mirage in the California desert.

Hernandez's fourteen home runs do carry some validity. They easily lead the team. The next-highest total is seven, which Rio Ruiz and Brandon Meredith have each hit. He also pairs it with team-leading totals in doubles (21) and triples (7).

A look at MLB Farm shows quite a bit about Hernandez's approach:

The majority of his power has gone to left field - his pull field, but traditionally away from the Lancaster winds. He doesn't have a strong opposite-field approach, but he does use his speed to turn singles into doubles and balls in the gap into triples.

As Robinson puts it: "There's been a couple instances during a game where he's pulled off of pitches. I just tell him, 'Get a pitch you can drive the other way,' just to change the mindset a little bit. So he'll go up there and he may not hit the ball the other way, but he won't spin off of his pitches. He'll go to the gap, or hit a line drive up the middle. Those are the things that happen as a hitter. Occasionally, you just get too quick. Not trusting yourself. You want to spin on it, turn on it."

Perhaps most-surprising are his home/road splits. Offensively, Hernandez has performed much better in 2014 on the road, across the board. Batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, steals, extra-base hits of all varieties:

The only real limit to Hernandez's power is going to be his hit tool:

Hitting

Future Grade: 50

Hernandez combines exceptional bat speed and a quick trigger to create hard contact. Right now, at 21 years old, he has work to do on his pitch recognition, and he's the first to mention it.

When I asked him what he wanted to work on most, he didn't hesitate to say, "The strike zone." He didn't elaborate. Those three words said everything.

Robinson, on the other hand, had more to say. "Pitch selection is another thing we're working on with him. Not chasing a pitch up in the zone. That pitch up in the zone, he wants to jump on that. We're working on that now, calm him down, wait for something down in the strike zone. Wait for his pitch."

Easier said than done, of course. Part of Hernandez's overall game is his aggressive play. He uses it in the outfield. He uses it on the basepaths. He uses it in the dugout during games, pacing like a caged animal.

Most people you talk to acknowledge that there will always be some swing-and-miss to his game. His focus right now is on reducing it. And how does he do that? The answer takes us back to the beginning of our story.

The batting cage.

Hernandez logs more hours in the batting cage than anyone. But it's hard to work on reading pitches against a machine. It's hard to work on strike zone recognition in a cage. After a 5 percent spike in his strikeout rate from April to May, Hernandez has worked his strikeout rate back down to 26.1 percent in June. Still, among qualified hitters in the California League, his 28.0 percent strikeout rate for the 2014 season ranks tenth-worst.

Having watched him throughout the season, the video above is actually very encouraging. In April, Hernandez had a tendency to let his hands push forward early. He's clearly worked on clearing his lower body first, and letting his hands follow his hips, allowing him to stay inside the ball and giving him more time to read the pitch and acquire the necessary information on pitch type before committing to his swing.

Again, it's one thing to do this in batting practice. It's another thing to do it in-game, and Hernandez ended up 1-for-5 with three strikeouts during the game following this BP session. Still, it demonstrates an understanding of the principles. Repetition will allow him to commit them to muscle memory, and to instinctively perform the same way in-game.

No one does repetition like Teoscar Hernandez.

Overall Future Potential: 60 (first-division player).

The Intangibles

If it hasn't been drilled home enough, Hernandez pairs his tools with an exceptional work ethic. He hustles, both out of the box and onto the field, and does his homework on opposing hitters.

His body is more or less maxed out. There isn't much room for growth, which in this case is a good thing, as much of his value lies in his quick-twitch athleticism and his speed, which plays both on offense and on defense. It's hard to imagine he'll lose much of that moving forward.

He's also extremely coachable, and has drawn rave reviews from front office staff and coaches throughout the Houston Astros system.

Comparisons

When I asked Robinson for a comp for Hernandez, he hesitated for a moment. Before I tell you his answer, I will present:

Both players were plus center fielders, and both seasons were in Lancaster. Player A was George Springer in 2012. Player B is Teoscar Hernandez so far this season. While Springer displayed slightly more power, Hernandez's speed has played in-game better.

Robinson doesn't make the comparison lightly, and he's quick to warn: "They both have their own styles. But they're kind of alike. The way they go after the ball. When they go after the ball, they go after the ball. It's like, 'I'm going to get this thing.' I see quite a bit of Springer in him. The way they attack the baseball, it's a joy to watch.

"I enjoy watching (Hernandez) play. He can run, he can throw, he can hit. Hit for power. He plays great defense. I find myself just watching him a lot. He's getting ready to do something. I say it all the time."


I caught up with a scouting contact of mine recently, who had this to say: "He's 21 years old. If this guy was coming out of UConn right now like Springer, with those tools and those numbers, which one would you take? It's a tough choice. And he's not doing it in the Big East. He's doing it as a pro in the California League. Plus center fielder with power? That's a guy to dream on."

To Hernandez, the dream is his life.

The game he's been playing since he was four years old, idolizing Vladimir Guerrero and, later, Albert Pujols.

The game that's taken him to a foreign country, away from his family.

"Baseball is the same everywhere," Hernandez says. "I just try to work hard every day, all year, to get better. Just keep going, work hard, and do my best. It's tough to be up here and leave our family in our country. But we need to do it. Work hard and do good."

[Guardians]

Not a bad night for Tiger farmhands.

Prospects Corey Seager, Braden Shipley and Jorge Alfaro all played in the Futures Game.

Seager announced he got promoted to AA Chattanooga.

Two prospects went 4-4 last night:

Devon Travis continued his hot streak, going 4-4 with 4 singles and a walk for AA Erie vs. Binghamton. He's up to .285/.337/.421 with 4 HR 29 RBI 10 2B 4 3B and 8 SB after missing most of the beginning of the year with a pec injury.

Preston Tucker found his power stroke in AAA, going 4-4 with 2 HR 2 2B 1 BB and 3 Runs for AAA Oklahoma City vs. Iowa. He's now up to a solid .297/.371/.423 with 3 HR 14 RBI in 29 games after hitting 17 home runs in AA before his promotion.

[Guardians]

Holy balls...perhaps the greatest pitching performance in the history of minor league baseball happened tonight:

Mark Appel 6 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 7 K

[Guardians]

The Tigers are so impressed with Eugenio Suarez‘s play that they could look to trade Jose Iglesias, according to some scouts. It would definitely be a sell-low move on Iglesias, who seemed to be Detroit’s shortstop of the future before stress fractures in his shins cost him the entire 2014 season.

[Guardians]

Notes on a couple of kids in the IBC Tigers' system:

Devon Travis. BA Top 100 guy pre-season has been on an absolute tear, beating up on AA pitchers. He's now up to .308 for the season after hitting .429 over his last 10 games. That stretch included one 4-4 game and two 3-5 games, along with 2 HR and 5 RBI. The former FSU Seminole is now slashing .308/.360/.480 with 9 HR 36 RBI 15 2B 5 3B 11 SB in 75 games.

Corey Seager. One of the most talked about prospects in the game due to the trade deadline and his amazing play has been off to a so-so start to his AA career. While he is hitting .340, I'd like to see an improvement on the 15/1 k/bb ratio and he's yet to slug one out of the park in 12 games. He has historically taken a good amount of walks, so let's hope he can erase from memory the ease of hitting and start taking some pitches. I wouldn't be surprised for him to make a few preseason overall top 10 prospect lists.

Carlos Asuaje. The Red Sox 3B prospect has adjusted well to A+ Salem, hitting .288 and picking up his fourth double Sunday since being promoted. On the year, the Venezuelan is slashing .302/.386/.529 with 12 HR and 80 RBI with a 56-44 k-bb ratio over two levels. He's playing well in A+, so a half season there next year and a promotion to AA if he continues progressing seems possible.

Willy Adames. One of the most talked about prospects at the deadline since he was basically single-handedly traded for David Price*, Adames has adjusted to his new team also in the Midwest League, hitting .444 with 2-4 and 2-5 games in Bowling Green. On the season in A ball, the 18-year-old is up to .273/.350/.428 with 6 HR 51 RBI 14 2B 12 3B and 3 SB. He's also taken 40 walks in 100 games.
*The Rays also got toss-ins Drew Smyly and Nick Franklin in the deal.

[Guardians]

Good night for a couple IBC Tiger Cubs bats:

Jorge Alfaro: 4-5 1 HR 4 RBI 2 R 1-1 Runners Caught Stealing

Alfaro has shown a much stronger approach in AA after getting promoted last week. Small sample size, but the results look good so far:

.350 with a 3-3 k-bb ratio. 2 HR 6 RBI in 5 games

Clint Coulter: 3-4 2 HR 5 RBI 2 R 1 BB

This kid isn't going to make it as a catcher, but his bat should play whichever corner Milwaukee sticks him in. In 104 games, Coulter has 19 HR and 75 RBI in the Class A Midwest League. He sports an 89/66 k/bb ratio

[Guardians]

Nice to see a little pub for my guy Jesmuel Valentin, a 2012 IBC Tigers draftee. Son of long-time SS Jose Valentin, Jesmuel has a patient approach like his dad and the power is coming around. He spent his high school days as the keystone compliment to SS Carlos Correa.

From BP: "Jesmuel Valentin, 2B, Dodgers (Great Lakes, A-): 3-4, 2 R, 3B, HR. Valentin is getting his footing back this season after a struggle last year in his first full season and is holding his own as a 20-year-old in the Midwest League."

He's had a nice year this year, posting a line of .280/.349/.430 with 7 HR 47 RBI and 24 SB in 108 games.

I see he was the PTBNL in the Roberto Hernandez/Fausto Carmona trade with the Phillies. With less talent in the system, this could be a good thing for him.

[Guardians]

Tiger Cubs Year in Review:

Now that the minor league season has ended, a little recap of the 2014 Tiger Cubs. An up and down year for the Tigers' prospects. We've dealt with the saga of Mark Appel, the surge of Corey Seager and the continued steady development of others, including Devon Travis.

A couple notes on players as we head into the minor league playoffs:

Mark Appel

He was all kinds of messed up in Lancaster to start the year. I think a lot of it had to do with an appendectomy, so he had no real spring training and they pushed him through to a bad pitching environment. He got killed, lost confidence, got sent to extended ST, came back and still sucked and it was downhill from there. The AAA players on the Houston Astros team got grumpy when he was sent to Enron Field (wouldn't it be better if it were still called that?) to do a bullpen session for the pitching coach. Then he went to AA and killed it, finishing on a very strong note. In his last start, he threw 8 shutout innings, giving up two hits, one walk and striking out 10.

Final lines:
A+ 44.1 IP 40K 11BB 9.74 ERA 5.32 FIP
AA 39 IP 38K 13 BB 3.69 ERA 2.99 FIP

Corey Seager

He put on a hit clinic in the Cal League, but like the Cal League, his results were doubted to an extent. Any hitting prospect will get questioned there, but Seager overcame the doubts putting up some amazing power numbers. He earned a promotion to AA, where he continued to hit, though the home run power dropped some. The doubles power did not, however. He finishes the minor league regular season with some video game average and OBP numbers, though I think he probably went up there with a swing for the fences mentality, which hurt his walk rate this year. Last year, it was good, this year it took a step back, though he actually struck out less as a percentage in A+ than in A. The Dodgers will no doubt work with him on that in the AZL and Spring Training.

A+ .352/.411/.633 18 HR 70 RBI 61 R 5 SB
AA .345/.381/.534 2 HR 27 RBI 28 R 1 SB

Jorge Alfaro

Another guy moved up to AA, Alfaro still does well what he does well and struggles with what he struggles with. He throws out batters with his cannon of an arm, but needs to work on receiving. He hits for power and runs the bases well, but needs to hit better and cut back on the swing and miss. These are all things we know of, but to see him do relatively well against better competition the last month has been encouraging. The power is there and the arm is there, so if the receiving can improve, he could be a very good player for many years.

A+ .261/.318/.440 13 HR 73 RBI 63 R 6 SB
AA .261/.343/.443 4 HR 14 RBI 12 R 0 SB

Stephen Piscotty

Piscotty continues to do what he does best: see the ball, hit the ball. The Cardinals didn't see it worthwhile to send him up and down all year to fill in for injuries like Grichuk, but they let him develop his game in a consistent environment all year. In AAA, he showed the doubles power and solid average we have come to expect. Next will be getting a little more backspin on the ball and lofting a little so the doubles turn into HRs.

AAA: .288/.355/.406 9 HR 69 RBI 70 R 11 SB

Clint Coulter

A .287/.410/.520 22 HR 89 RBI 84 R 6 SB

Devon Travis

AA .298/.352/.460 10 HR 52 RBI 68 R 16 SB

Alex Glenn

A+ .285/.346/.527 24 HR 89 RBI 85 R 22 SB

Carlos Asuaje

A .305/.391/.542 11 HR 73 RBI 59 R 7 SB
A+ .323/.398/.516 4 HR 28 RBI 27 R 1 SB

Austin Kubitza

A 131 IP 140 K 43 BB 2.34 ERA 2.99 FIP

Jonathan Martinez

A (LAD) 106.1 IP 91 K 19 BB 3.47 ERA 3.34 FIP
A (CHC) 23.1 IP 15 K 2 BB 2.31 ERA 3.57 FIP

[Guardians]

Baseball America League Top 20 lists were favorable to IBC Tiger prospects. We had a pretty good showing -- better than predicted -- showcasing the current minor league depth. Many former IBC Tiger prospects also were highly ranked and some weren't eligible due to required innings or games played counts.

Northwest League:

7 Clint Coulter
12 Jesmuel Valentin
14 Austin Kubitza

South Atlantic League:

17 Wendell Rijo

California League:

2 Corey Seager
17 Billy McKinney

Carolina League:

18 Pedro Severino

Florida State League:

18 Billy McKinney

Southern League:

3 Corey Seager

International League:

16 Christian Vazquez

[Guardians]

BA AFL Top 10 Prospects:

2. Corey Seager, ss, Glendale/Dodgers

Seager struggled last year in his first exposure to the AFL, when he was still a teenager finishing his first full professional season. This year the lefthanded-hitting shortstop was coming off a very good regular season in which he hit a combined .349 at the High-A and Double-A levels, and continued that success in the AFL with a slash line of .281/.354/.472 and a league-leading 10 doubles. He’s a pure hitter with plus bat speed through the zone, but scouts saw him using a different approach in the fall compared to the regular season. Defensively, he enhances his range at shortstop through good positioning. While there are persistent questions as to his ability and likelihood of staying at his current position, there are fewer voices maintaining that he’ll have to shift to the hot corner.


6. Mark Appel, rhp, Salt River/Astros

Appel had more to prove than anyone in the AFL after a well-documented difficult first full professional season. The No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft generally pitched well in his seven starts in the desert, although command issues caused him to leave too many balls up in the zone. His strong lower half give his pitches significant power, with a fastball up to 97-98 mph and sitting in the mid-90s. Appel has plus stuff across the board, with his mid-80s slider being a swing-and-miss pitch when located, and an above-average changeup used to keep hitters off-balance. He kept runners off base, leading all AFL starting pitchers with a 0.84 WHIP. It was a good conclusion to a rough season for Appel. Scouts project him as mid-rotation starter at present if his command doesn’t improve significantly.

[Guardians]

BP Red Sox Top 10:

Prospects on the Rise:

1. 2B Wendell Rijo: There’s a case for the Dominican second baseman to be included in this top 10 after he more than held his own as an 18-year-old in the South Atlantic League, generating good reports on the progress of the overall game. But the gap between the present and future is still rather large. Despite some moving parts in his pre-pitch setup, Rijo shows bat speed and innate bat-to-ball ability, with the hit tool capable of playing to above-average down the line. The power projects as below average, but he can drive offerings into both gaps, and combined with his plus wheels that can lead to solid extra-base output. The plate discipline and pitch selection, and a commitment to defensive fundamentals, are what need the most overall work in the game. Rijo’s a player who’s going to be considerably age-advanced, with a step up into High-A this season likely a big challenge. But if the signs are there that he’s polishing up, he's a definite top-10 prospect this time next season.

Factors on the Farm:

3. LHP Edwin Escobar: Acquired in the deal that sent Jake Peavy to San Francisco, the left-hander will look for more consistency in Triple-A during 2015 to start regaining traction. The Venezuelan features a three-pitch mix highlighted by a low-90s fastball and changeup with late, fading action. Escobar also typically finishes his delivery well, which enables him to effectively pound the strike zone. The heater does play down in stretches, where the velocity can get light and leaves it prone to hard contact. The arm’s breaking ball also remains inconsistent where it can get slurvy over showing true curveball action. There’s room for growth here for the 22-year-old, especially if the breaking ball can tighten a bit further. It’s a likely back-end starter or reliever, who can get a shot in either role this season with a good showing in the International League.

[Guardians]

Phillies No. 8 prospect, according to Baseball America, Jesmuel Valentin:

8. Jesmuel Valentin, 2b

Born: May 12, 1994. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 180. Drafted: HS-—Gurabo, P.R., 2012 (1st round supplemental). Signed by: Robert Sidwell (Dodgers).

Background: The Dodgers drafted Valentin, the son of longtime big league shortstop Jose Valentin, in 2012 and signed him for $984,700. He was middle-infield partners with Astros top prospect Carlos Correa at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. The Phillies acquired Valentin along with righthander Victor Arano in the August 2014 trade that sent veteran righty Roberto Hernandez to Los Angeles.

Scouting Report: Valentin is a second baseman with an strong set of offensive skills. He shows a quick stroke from both sides of the plate and the ability to hit line drives all over the diamond. His power is more to the gaps, but he has shown the potential for a home run every now and again. He’s also got above-average speed and some aggressiveness on the bases. At second base, Valentin shows good hands and actions, albeit with a fringy arm that plays better when he’s able to set his feet. He also hangs in well on double-play pivots. He’s a solid runner from home to first who is faster when he gets going.

The Future: After a brief stop at high Class A Clearwater following the trade, Valentin will head back there in 2015. Phillies stalwart Chase Utley, entering his age-36 season, can’t last forever, so Valentin should emerge as the best in-house replacement option.

[Guardians]

Good to see Devon Travis getting some much deserved pub via Baseball America:
TORONTO—Devon Travis was still seeking a comfortable zone at the plate as he prepared for his first full season in the Tigers’ organization.

The Tigers drafted him in the 13th round in 2012 from Florida State, where he used a spread-out stance.
“I had never really been comfortable when I was hitting,” Travis said after the Blue Jays acquired him in a trade that sent outfielder Anthony Gose to Detroit. “That was just kind of the way I hit my whole life. I was a little more spread out and kept it more simple. I wanted to be a little more comfortable and the guy I hit with in the offseason, Bryan Alveari, my high school hitting coach, he just tells me, grab a bat and get comfortable. I grabbed the bat and got comfortable and literally it was like a completely different stance than I had ever used.”

The adjusted stance has allowed him to handle inside fastballs better. “That’s the hardest pitch to hit in the game, I think,” Travis said. “If a pitcher can throw a fastball to the inside corner, especially as you begin to move up they all throw pretty hard, hitting an inside fastball is probably the toughest pitch to hit in the game and it’s something that’s freed my hands up a little bit and has at least helped me a little bit in that regard.”

Travis could start 2015 at Triple-A Buffalo or in the majors because second base is a need.

“We think he can come quick,” general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. “He does a lot of things we like. He’ll put the bat on the ball, his contact skills are good, he can draw up some walks, he uses the whole field. His makeup is off the charts. We’d expect him to start in Triple-A next year, but we wouldn’t rule out competing for a job at second base.”

The Tigers have Ian Kinsler at second, so they tried Travis in center field in the final week of last season.

“I was actually having a good time out there but definitely second base is like home to me,” he said.

[Guardians]

BOOM! Corey Seager #1 on the Dodgers BP prospect list:

1. Corey Seager
Position: SS
DOB: 04/27/1994
Height/Weight: 6’4” 215 lbs
Bats/Throws: L/R
Drafted/Acquired: 1st round, 2012 draft, Northwest Cabarrus HS (Concord, NC)
Previous Ranking: #2 (Org), #44 (Top 101)
2014 Stats: .345/.381/.534 at Double-A Chattanooga (38 games), .352/.411/.633 at High-A Rancho Cucamonga (80 games)
The Tools: 6 potential hit; 6 potential power; 5 present run; 6+ arm

What Happened in 2014: Seager served as a beautifully destructive offensive force for High Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Chattanooga while holding his own on the defensive front as an oversized six-spotter, emerging as one of the game’s elite prospect talents.

Strengths: Excellent strength; fluid and functional swing that produces line drives to all fields; steady hands through launch and steady head throughout swing; proficient tracker; solid plate coverage, including improved coverage on the inner half, and high level of comfort hitting across the quadrants; easy, natural lift; increasingly produces backspin and carry; hands and arm play well on the dirt; has shown ability to make most out of limited range; if shifted to third, has the makings of a plus defender.

Weaknesses: Still learning to temper over-aggression, particularly early in count; lower half can get clunky and stiff in the field; defense unlikely to surpass fringe average at shortstop; highly likely to settle in to below-average straight-line speed at maturity.

Overall Future Potential: 7; all-star player

Realistic Role: 6; first-division player

Risk Factor/Injury History: Low; successful in extended Double-A debut and developmental trajectory pointing up across the board.

Craig Goldstein’s Fantasy Take: There is always risk in prospects, especially ones who have the potential to slide down the defensive spectrum. Seager is a special case though, having experienced upper-minors success at a young age, and receiving near universal praise for his bat. He might slide to third base down the line, but the state of that position isn’t so glamorous in fantasy circles that it would significantly dent his value. He should contribute to the four major categories as a future middle-of-the-order hitter, and will sprinkle in a steal here or there.

The Year Ahead: Seager entered the year ranked by Baseball Prospectus as the 44th best prospect in the game, and by mid-season had climbed to 19th. When the 2015 Top 101 list is unveiled, the former first-rounder will have solidified a spot among the elite position prospects in the game, thanks to a 2014 season that provided evaluators almost everything they could have asked for, from gaudy offensive production across two levels to improved plate coverage and strength to enough in the way of defensive chops to keep the door open to his logging major-league innings at the six spot. All of this came with Seager turning just 20 years old last April, and there is still additional physicality yet to manifest in the Tar Heel Stater’s projectable and athletic build. Seager falls shy of a true five-tool threat, but the bat, power, and arm could all mature to plus, and were he to shift to the hot corner his glove could bring the plus tool tally to four. Seager is near major-league ready, though there is not a present pressing need for his services in LaLa Land. He possesses the feel and maturity to make an impact upon arrival, and the potential to emerge as one of the game’s elite overall talents.

Major league ETA: 2015

[Guardians]

Not surprisingly, Seager turning heads. And Friedman says he sticks at SS:

Dodgers In No Rush With Seager

LOS ANGELES—One of the first things Andrew Friedman did after becoming the Dodgers’ new president of baseball operations was to spend some time at the training complex in Arizona, watching a handful of the team’s top prospects compete in the Arizona Fall League.

Among that group was blue-chip prospect Corey Seager. Friedman and the Dodgers’ new hierarchy of decision-makers clearly see the 20-year-old Seager as the team’s shortstop of the future. But the question remains—how close is that future?

Corey Seager
Corey Seager (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
“I don’t think it’s fair to necessarily put a timeline on him,” Friedman said. “He’s an incredibly impressive prospect. His hands work really well on both sides of the ball. He’s got a maturity about him both in terms of how he prepares and how he plays the game.

“It’s obviously too difficult to say when he will be ready. But we feel really good about his chances of being a good major league player down the road.”

The Dodgers made sure not to block that road when they searched for a replacement to shortstop Hanley Ramirez this winter. They traded for 36-year-old Jimmy Rollins who is not under contract beyond 2015.

Neither is third baseman Juan Uribe. But Friedman has been fairly definitive about one thing in regards to Seager. He dismisses the oft-raised specter of an imminent position change for the 6-foot-4 infielder.

“I’m convinced that I would not move him off shortstop right now,” Friedman said this fall. “We have a number of guys who feel like he has a real chance to stick there.

Seager will be in big league camp for the first time this spring, the next step in his development after a successful transition to Double-A last summer, when he hit .345/.381/.534 for Chattanooga.

“I feel confident. I feel ready. But I very well could not be,” Seager said of his readiness for a jump to the majors soon.

[Guardians]

Corey Seager moving firmly ahead of Joc Peterson and Julio Urias on Dodgers' prospect lists...(from BA)

1. Corey Seager, ss

SCOUTING GRADES
Batting: 70.
Power: 60.
Speed: 40.
Defense: 60.
Arm: 60.
Based on 20-80 scouting scale—where 50 represents major league average—and future projection rather than present tools.
Born: April 27, 1994. B-T: L-R. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 215. Drafted: HS—Concord, N.C., 2012 (1st round). Signed by: Lon Joyce.

Background: The Seagers look poised to become the next great baseball family. Corey’s older brother Kyle, a Mariners third baseman, signed a seven-year, $100 million contract extension after a 2014 season in which he made the all-star team and won a Gold Glove. Similar accolades should soon be in store for Corey, who has an even higher ceiling. The No. 18 overall pick in the 2012 draft, he signed with the Dodgers for $2.35 million, immediately started raking and hasn’t stopped since. After reaching high Class A Rancho Cucamonga as a 19-year-old at the end of the 2013 season, Seager returned there to open 2014 and quickly showed he was too advanced for that level, despite missing time with a right hamstring strain. A promotion to Double-A Chattanooga after the Futures Game in July did little to slow down Seager, who still won the Cal League MVP despite his abbreviated time there. He led the entire minors in hitting (.349) and doubles (50) in 2014, then continued to hit in the Arizona Fall League, batting .281 with a league-leading 10 doubles.

Scouting Report: Seager is one of the most dominant offensive forces in the minors. He’s an aggressive lefthanded hitter with an advanced hitting approach well beyond his years. He has a loose, easy swing with good balance that unleashes terrific bat speed with a compact path that helps him stay inside the ball. He hits the ball with high exit speed to all fields, controlling the barrel through the hitting zone and rarely mis-hitting a ball. He’s a potential .300 hitter, though he does swing-and-miss some when he chases sliders down and out of the strike zone, but his pitch recognition and plate discipline are both solid. He doesn’t overswing, maintaining his line-drive approach and allowing the power to come naturally. It’s average raw power now, with a chance to grow into plus power and produce 25 or more home runs in his prime. Seager has come through the system as a shortstop, but few expect he will stay there much longer. He’s still filling out his 6-foot-4 frame and is already a below-average runner who lacks the range or quick-twitch actions to stay in the middle of the diamond long term. That’s fine, because Seager has all the attributes to be an above-average defender at third base, where his range would be above-average. He got better breaks off the bat last year because he improved his ability to read swings, with a good sense of timing, sound hands and a plus arm that he leaned on heavily at short, where he played deep to mask his limited range. Scouts complained about Seager’s low-energy play in 2013, particularly in the AFL, but did so less as he matured and learned how to grind through a season in 2014.

The Future: With third baseman Juan Uribe signed beyond 2015, the Dodgers have the perfect bridge to allow Seager another year to develop, most likely at Triple-A Oklahoma City, before bringing him up full time. He’s a star in the making who should hit in the middle of the lineup and become one of the best players in baseball.

2014 Club (Class) AVG OBP SLG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB
R. Cucamonga (HiA) .352 .411 .633 327 61 115 34 2 18 70 30 76 5
Chattanooga (AA) .345 .381 .534 148 28 51 16 3 2 27 10 39 1

[Brewers]

I find Tiger Cubs to be unnecessarily confusing. Like if Tullar named his prospect blog the White Red Sox.

[Guardians]

I find Tiger Cubs to be unnecessarily confusing. Like if Tullar named his prospect blog the White Red Sox.

Well, you're an attorney, so I'm sorry. Perhaps this will help?
http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/ ... 50-348.jpg

[Brewers]

Your prospects are adorable and cuddly.

[Guardians]

Your prospects are adorable and cuddly.

You make it sound weird.

[Brewers]

Whats weird about grown men and tiger cubs?