Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, March 11, 2016 i Baseball America

APRIL 10, 1991 » IN THIS ISSUE: All-American hero Dale Murphy tries to resurrect the Phillies. » ALSO: Todd Van Poppel, Ivan Rodriguez and Mo Vaughn headline our Top 100 prospects list. He’s 35 now and three full years removed from what used to be considered a typical Dale Murphy season. Once he was synonymous with the Braves, as much a part of Georgias baseball heritage as the bronze statues of Hank Aaron and Ty Cobb that stand outside Atlanta Fulton-County Stadium. Now he wears the candy red pinstripes of the Phillies. Once he was the National League’s Most Valuable Player two years in a row, counted on to carry a team that usually had glaring weaknesses. Now he’s one member of an ensemble cast and the expectation is only…

ESPN.com SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. Zack Greinke should be right in his element by Opening Day. He’ll take the mound for the Diamondbacks on April 4 at Chase Field, and if past performance is a harbinger of future results, Carlos Gonzalez and friends in the Rockies’ lineup will have difficulty solving his array of four pitches thrown with precision and purpose. The get-acquainted process, which will unfold over a six-week span in the Cactus League, will be more challenging for Greinke to navigate. On an overcast February morning at Salt River Fields, Greinke threw his first bullpen session as a Diamondback to catcher Welington Castillo. Shortly thereafter, he walked into a conference room and spent 20 minutes answering questions from the media from behind a podium and a microphone. As most people…

The Dodgers are banking that the performance will eventually match the stuff on Cuban righthander Yaisel Sierra. The team signed Sierra officially on Feb. 21 to a six-year deal worth a reported $30 million. Sierra, 24, ranked as the No. 13 player on Baseball America’s list of the Top 20 Cuban players still on the island last year in April. Sierra’s contract is exempt from the international bonus pools. Sierra’s athletic frame (6-foot-1, 170 pounds), clean arm action and pure stuff are promising, though his results never matched his potential in Cuba. At his best, Sierra has looked like a midrotation starter, including in a dominant start in July 2014 against the U.S. college national team. Yet last season in Cuba, Sierra posted a 6.10 ERA with 55 strikeouts and…

johnmanuel@baseballamerica.com This issue features Baseball America’s Organization Talent Rankings, a fitting conclusion to our prospect coverage. We start in the fall with Top 20s from each of the 16 affiliated minor leagues. We move on to the Top 10s that fill our winter issues and fuel hot stove discussion, expanding them to Top 30s for our Prospect Handbook. After the Top 100 Prospects list caps the individual assessment, we shift to the big picture with the organization rankings. One factor in this year’s rankings was how our past rankings turned out. Take our rankings from 2013, just three years ago. We had the Cardinals No. 1, and that proved prescient immediately when St. Louis won the National League pennant while incorporating impact talent such as righthanders Shelby Miller, Trevor Rosenthal…

American League East BOSTON RED SOX BEST-CASE SCENARIO: The talented young duo of Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts leads the way, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval return to pre-2015 form, David Price anchors the rotation and the Red Sox get breakouts from young Jackie Bradley, Eduardo Rodriguez, Blake Swihart and Henry Owens in engineering another worstto-first turnaround. WORST-CASE SCENARIO: Sandoval and Ramirez flop again, Rick Porcello posts another ERA near 5.00 and the rotation behind Price combusts, leaving Boston closer to the AL East cellar. BIGGEST OFFSEASON ACQUISITIONS: LHP David Price, RHP Craig Kimbrel, RHP Carson Smith, LHP Roenis Elias. BIGGEST OFFSEASON LOSSES: LHP Rich Hill, LHP Wade Miley, RHP Alexi Ogando NEXT FIRST-TIME ALL-STAR: OF Mookie Betts. TORONTO BLUE JAYS BEST-CASE SCENARIO: Baseball’s best offense last year (by 127 runs!)…

TAMPA When Derek Jeter built a moat around the Yankees’ big league shortstop job in 1996, the organization still had talented shortstops in the minor leagues. Through the years, shortstop prospects such as Cristian Guzman, D’Angelo Jimenez and Alfonso Soriano were blocked from regular playing time in the Bronx by Jeter. While Soriano shifted to second base and starred for the Yankees for three seasons, New York traded the other two shortstops before they established themselves. Guzman flourished with the Twins, though Jimenez’s promising career was affected by a broken neck suffered in an automobile accident. Now, with Jeter retired and Didi Gregorius replacing the future Hall of Famer, the Yankees have another crop of highly regarded shortstops littering the organization. “We have a few young shortstops,” minor league head…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. Will they or won’t they? When the Braves acquired shortstop Dansby Swanson from the Diamondbacks in December, the move sparked speculation as to whether Atlanta would assign him and fellow shortstop prospect Ozzie Albies to the same minor league affiliate so that they could begin working together as the club’s double-play combination of the future. Yet that was not the plan as the Braves opened camp, according to president of baseball operations John Hart. “We’re not going to put them at the same level of the minor leagues this year,” he said. “They’ll play (shortstop) at different levels . . . We have the great gift of having two guys who we love and…

CLEARWATER, FLA. You can read the scouting reports, crunch the numbers and watch video. But there’s no substitute for seeing a player up close and in person. That’s a big reason firstyear general manager Matt Klentak invited a slew of top prospects to big league camp. “There’s nothing like actually getting down behind the cage and watching them take swings,” he said, “or watching them pick up groundballs.” Shortstop J.P. Crawford, outfielder Nick Williams, catcher Andrew Knapp and righthanders Jake Thompson, Mark Appel and Zach Eflin are all prospects who received non-roster invitations to big league camp. Catcher Jorge Alfaro, picked up from the Rangers along with Williams and Thompson in the Cole Hamels deal, was in camp as a member of the 40-man roster. All of these players need…

CLEVELAND The Indians will bring 10 outfielders to big league camp, and four of them are first-round draft picks. Three of those are Lonnie Chisenhall (29th overall in 2008), Tyler Naquin (15th overall in 2012) and James Ramsey (23rd overall in 2012). The fourth is perhaps the most intriguing. That would be Michael Choice, who in the first round of the 2010 draft was selected 10th overall by the Athletics, ahead of Chris Sale, Christian Yelich, Noah Syndergaard and others. While those players have established themselves in the major leagues, Choice has not. The 26-year-old righthanded batter already has been traded twice and designated for assignment twice. In 96 career big league games he has hit .188/.253/.320. Last August, the Indians purchased Choice from the Rangers, and he starred for…

MINNEAPOLIS The moment was perfect—emotionally, professionally, even mathematically. Catcher John Hicks rounded first base and returned to the bag last Aug. 30, his first swing as a major league hitter having produced a line drive into short right field, when Mariners first base coach Chris Woodward reminded him of the math. “No one will ever hit better than you are now,” Woodward said. “You’re batting 1.000.” Hicks can laugh at the memory, even though it took nearly a month before he collected another hit. His first taste of the majors ended with an .063 average (2-for-32) in 17 games for the Mariners. Hicks, whom Seattle drafted out of Virginia in the fourth round in 2011, said the experience was valuable and memorable, even with the poor results. The Twins don’t…

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. Even though Jake Cave had been taken by the Reds in the Rule 5 draft in December, he hadn’t given up on being teammates again with Eric Jagielo. Even though Cave is in Tampa in the offseason and Jagielo winters in Chicago, the two spent plenty of time playing PlayStation online, and often with other Yankees farmhands such as Aaron Judge and others. Every time Jagielo’s phone rang during one of their gaming sessions, Cave would tease him—“it’s the Reds.” And then, three days after Christmas, Jagielo’s phone rang telling him that he was, indeed, headed to the Reds to rejoin his buddy Cave. Jagielo was one of four players sent to the Reds for Aroldis Chapman. Even though he wasn’t online at the time, Jagielo immediately knew…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ANAHEIM There is a tendency to look at Jake Jewell’s body, a fastball that has touched 99 mph and his second-half struggles as a starter last season and surmise that the 6-foot-3, 215-pound righthander is better suited for relief. But the Angels have no immediate plans to move Jewell, a fifth-round pick in 2014, to the bullpen. “He’s definitely a starter,” said Mike LaCassa, the team’s director of minor league operations. “You always have that question two or three years down the road—what would his stuff look like out of the bullpen? I have no idea, but right now, there is no red flag as to why he couldn’t start.” Jewell, who went 6-8, 4.77 in 31 games,…

SEATTLE They called it a “hitting summit.” The new Mariners regime led by general manager Jerry Dipoto, manager Scott Servais, director of player development Andy McKay, hitting coach Edgar Martinez and several other hitting coaches throughout the organization convened at the Mariners’ spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. in early January. In an effort to build an organization-wide hitting approach focused on controlling the strike zone, the summit was designed to hone the message and provide a background for teaching at every minor league level. “It’s everything,” McKay said. “That’s where communication comes into play. You have a major league staff that is using the same terminology that your minor league staff is using, that your scouting group is using.” To add to it, the Mariners invited 15 prospects from…

PHOENIX It was not hard for Double-A Mobile manager Robby Hammock to sense righthander Tyler Wagner’s competitive bent. He could hear it. “A couple of times he gave up a hit on pitch that didn’t hit a spot,” Hammock said. “You’d hear something come out of his mouth because he gave up the line drive.” Something unprintable. “He’s one of those guys who has that bulldog mentality,” said Hammock, whose team faced Wagner five times in the Southern League last season. “You could see his focus.” Wagner, 25, came to the Diamondbacks in their final trade before the start of spring training, when they acquired him and middle infielder Jean Segura from Milwaukee for righthander Chase Anderson and second baseman Aaron Hill. A fourth-round pick out of the University of…

SAN FRANCISCO The Giants employ dozens of scouts who span the globe and look under every rock for major league prospects. Jake Smith was right under their noses. And they didn’t have to turn over a rock to find him. That was Smith’s job, actually. The promising 25-year-old relief prospect literally worked his way from the ground up. His first job in pro baseball was on the grounds crew at low Class A Augusta. Four years after dragging the infield at Lake Olmstead Stadium, and one year after striking out 118 in 84 minor league innings at high Class A San Jose, Smith is on the Giants’ 40-man roster, with a spring locker in the big league clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium—and a path that might lead to the bullpen at…

High school seniors are usually just scratching the surface of their potential. For the top seniors, the story usually begins with promise at early ages. The legends of players like Mike Trout and Bryce Harper began when they were young. For underclassmen, the story is just beginning to be written. Christian Robinson was one of the most promising prospects in the 2018 class. Now, he’s one of the most promising prospects in the 2017 class. Robinson has decided to reclassify as a junior, meaning he’ll graduate and take the next step in his baseball career a year earlier. Consider this the first chapter of the Christian Robinson story. Robinson has no shortage of tools and athleticism. He’s a lefthanded hitter with power potential, a smooth downhill swing and an aggressive…

Jenrry Mejia in 2014 was the Mets’ closer, posting 28 saves. Now, he’s been banned from the game. Mejia, who was hit with a 162-game suspension in July, got his third strike on Feb. 12 when he was permanently suspended following a third positive test for performanceenhancing drug use. Mejia is the first major or minor league player to receive a permanent suspension under MLB’s drug-testing program. In April 2015, Mejia tested positive for Stanozolol. In July, he tested for that drug again, and also Boldenone. This time, it was Boldenone again. In a statement, the Mets said, “We were deeply disappointed to hear that Jenrry has again violated Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support MLB’s policy toward eliminating performance enhancing substances from the…

When burglars broke in to tiny Chase High, in Forest City, N.C., this winter, they knew what they were doing. The thieves broke in to the school and left with thousands of dollars of equipment belonging to Chase’s baseball team. Because of a famous alumnus, the team won’t have to worry. The Rutherford County Sheriff ’s Office investigated a breaking-and-entering incident that wiped out most of the team’s gloves, bats, helmets and other equipment just weeks before the March 1 opener. To make matters worse, the school of just 784 students didn’t have the budget to replace the equipment. In fact, the players themselves purchase their own gloves, bats and caps. Luckily, Tyler White—an Astros prospect and former Chase star—was willing to pitch in to aid in the team’s recovery.…

JUPITER, FLA. The 2008 Angels set their franchise record with 100 wins. The following June they had—arguably—the greatest draft ever. Following the loss of free agents Mark Teixeira and Francisco Rodriguez, the Angels had five selections in the first two rounds. No. 24 was Randal Grichuk, No. 25 was Mike Trout, No. 40 was Tyler Skaggs, No. 42 was Garrett Richards, and No. 80 was Patrick Corbin. Soon after, however, the scouting director responsible for the best draft ever, Eddie Bane, was fired. That Bane’s draft happened at a time with no protected Top 10 picks and no extra draft bonus money is astounding. Imagine what the Angels could have done with a fearless scouting director. All this is a long way to dispute the notion of tanking as a…

If you have turned on a television and watched a sporting event at any time in the past year, you know something about daily fantasy sports. Maybe you’ve played yourself. But as the 2016 baseball season nears, you may have noticed that you’re not seeing nearly as much advertising for FanDuel, DraftKings and other daily fantasy sites as you did before. Part of that is natural, as the NFL season has ended and taken with it its wall-to-wall daily fantasy commercials. But it’s also a response to New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman’s ruling that DFS is illegal in New York. In some ways, his ruling was just a further battle in a long-running skirmish between daily fantasy operators and states. New York wasn’t the first state to outlaw daily…

National League East NEW YORK METS BEST-CASE SCENARIO: The Mets cruise to another division title as the rotation stays healthy and effective, the bullpen congeals behind closer Jeurys Familia and enhanced lineup depth propels the club’s run total toward the top of the NL. WORST-CASE SCENARIO: The young pitching staff appears burdened from the 2015 postseason workload—the top four starters plus Familia logged 100 October innings—and allows more runs than expected, dropping the club to the .500 level. BIGGEST OFFSEASON ACQUISITIONS: OF Yoenis Cespedes (re-signed), SS Asdrubal Cabrera, 2B Neil Walker, LHP Antonio Bastardo. BIGGEST OFFSEASON LOSSES: 2B Daniel Murphy, LHP Jon Niese, RHP Tyler Clippard. NEXT FIRST-TIME ALL-STAR: RHP Noah Syndergaard. WASHINGTON NATIONALS BEST-CASE SCENARIO: From Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon to Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the Nationals…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ BOSTON Even outfielder Andrew Benintendi found the display of power surprising at times. The 2015 first-rounder recognized that he had more in the tank than he’d shown as a freshman at Arkansas, when he’d gone deep only once while playing through injuries. After all, he had reached double digits in homers in both his junior and senior year of high school in Cincinnati. Still, that precedent hardly pointed to a 5-foot-10 batter who would lead Division I with 20 homers in 288 plate appearances with the Razorbacks before going deep 11 more times in 240 PAs in his pro debut. The 21-year-old Benintendi acknowledged uncertainty about what the future now holds after batting a composite .313/.418/.556 in 54…

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA. First-round center fielder Garrett Whitley—the 13th overall pick last June—didn’t show the Rays much on the field in his pro debut. The Niskayuna (N.Y.) High product hit a combined .174 with three homers in 42 games for the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League club and short-season Hudson Valley. But that didn’t mean the Rays didn’t like what they saw. They just know that coming from New York, the 18-year-old Whitley needs to play more. “He’s a mature young man for a high school player,” farm director Mitch Lukevics said. “Most of the time with our high school players, that’s the biggest challenge. They’re away from home for the first time, and they’re not as physically developed as out college players, like a Richie Shaffer or a Mikie Mahtook…

MIAMI An 18-year-old Brian Anderson drew plenty of interest from scouts at Deer Creek High in Edmond, Okla. Half of them wanted him as a hitter and the other half as a pitcher. Anderson, who could touch 95 mph, knew exactly what he wanted to do. “I told (scouts): ‘If you want me as a pitcher, I’m out,’ ” Anderson said. “I wanted to hit.” The Twins selected him in the 20th round of the 2011 draft, but he opted to attend Arkansas instead. He became a starter in the second half of his freshman season in 2012 when the Razorbacks finished third at the College World Series. “I was 18 years old, and I got to play in front of 30,000 fans (per game),” Anderson said of the CWS.…

WASHINGTON After playing at the three highest levels of the minors last year, 25-year-old outfielder Isaac Ballou spent part of the winter getting a glimpse of what it takes to take the remaining step. Ballou played more than three weeks with Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican League. He hit just .194 in 62 at-bats, but the experience was still worthwhile. “It was different. It was good, though,” Ballou said. “I got to rub elbows with a lot of big leaguers. (The Twins’) Kennys Vargas was probably the most prominent one.” To Ballou, Vargas resembled Red Sox slugger David Ortiz. Meanwhile, Vargas complimented Ballou by comparing him with veteran Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson. “I think the first game we had (in Puerto Rico), I didn’t have the right pants, so they…

DETROIT The Tigers took it easy on righthander Spencer Turnbull in 2014 by limiting his innings after drafting him in the second round out of Alabama. But Turnbull got a heavy dose of pro ball in 2015 while pitching as a starter at low Class A West Michigan. He fared quite well. “He’s a talented young man,” farm director Dave Owen said. “He’s got power stuff (and) a great pitcher’s body. You could use all the buzz words, but he’s really got a really good arm (and) a power fastball that’s got some sink to it. “Right now, he’s got a slider and a curveball and a changeup. He’s just a good-looking kid, and we’re glad he’s a Tiger.” The 23-year-old Turnbull is 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. He has a fastball…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MILWAUKEE Of all the minor league talent acquired by new general manager David Stearns over the offseason as the Brewers forged ahead with a massive rebuilding plan, the one commodity missing was a bona fide catching prospect. That changed one week before the start of spring training when Davis sent starting left fielder Khris Davis to Oakland in exchange for catcher Jacob Nottingham and righthander Bubba Derby, whose name alone has Brewers fans anxiously awaiting his arrival in the majors. Expectations are that the Brewers will trade No. 1 catcher Jonathan Lucroy at some point in 2016. Though Nottingham, 20, is a few years away from the majors after playing at the high Class A last season, the…

PITTSBURGH The biggest question facing Josh Bell going into last season was whether he could make the transition to first baseman from right fielder. The switch-hitter had a rocky start at his new position, making 13 errors in 84 games at Double-A Altoona. However, he cut that number to three in 32 games after being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis. All three came in the final four games. While Bell is still developing defensively at first base, the question facing the 23-year-old going into this season is if he will hit with enough power to be a difference maker at the position. Bell has hit just 30 home runs in his first four professional seasons and 1,622 plate appearances while posting a .305/.371/.450 slash line. His power potential was one of…

HOUSTON It’s not often that a contending team has essentially an open competition among three prospects for a crucial run-producing role like first base, but the 2016 Astros are pretty close. A.J. Reed, the organization’s top prospect, and Tyler White will get their fair share of atbats to compete for the job that appears to be Jon Singleton’s to lose. They’ll have a chance to be the first Astros first base prospects to jump to the Opening Day starting lineup since a guy named Jeff Bagwell in 1991. Singleton exhausted his rookie status in 2014 and is set to earn $2 million in 2016 as part of the long-term deal he signed in 2014 before playing a single game in the majors. Nonetheless, he spent most of 2015 at Triple-A…

ARLINGTON Being the center of attention on the baseball field didn’t come easily to righthander Scott Williams. He once was a catcher, and from his place behind the plate had a view of the entire field. On the mound, all eyes are on him, and he could put his eyes only on home plate. “Just getting used to being in the middle of the field was a bit of a challenge,” Williams said. “It’s a little bit different perspective.” Any funny feelings have dissipated for the rising reliever. Even though he hasn’t pitched above low Class A, the 22-year-old was given an invitation to big league spring training, and he arrived in Surprise, Ariz., in mid-February. Williams’ success—a 2.28 ERA in 43 innings last season—played an obvious role in the…

DENVER Righthander Jeff Hoffman is in his first big league camp as a non-roster invitee, giving manager Walt Weiss and his coaches their initial look at the centerpiece acquisition in the July trade that sent Troy Tulowitzki to the Blue Jays. “I think the first thing that stands out is his body,” farm director Zach Wilson said of Hoffman, 23, who is 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. “It’s a big league pitcher’s body. There’s strength to it but still athleticism and balance. “He’s eventually going to have plus command as he continues to throw innings, gains experience and tightens up the delivery a little bit.” In addition to a 94-96 mph fastball, Hoffman has a power curveball that Wilson termed “the best in our organization in terms of spin and break…

Baseball America ranks the top 50 college players—across all divisions and including junior-college players—by class. The senior list mixes prospect status, which weighs heaviest at the top, with players who are strong contributors to their college teams. The junior, sophomore and freshman lists tilt much heavier to future prospect status. An asterisk (*) denotes a player who is not a junior or senior but is still eligible for the 2016 draft. Players are eligible for this year’s draft if they are in their third year past high school graduation or if they turn 21 within 45 days of the start of the draft on June 9. SENIORS JUNIORS SOPHOMORES FRESHMEN…

bbadler @baseba llamerica.com The Padres are preparing to go well beyond their international bonus pool this year, with a mixture of million-dollar 16-yearold signings from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela as well as an aggressive push into the Cuban market. There are two Cuban players in particular whom the Padres are likely to sign once they become free agents: right fielder Jorge Ona and lefthander Adrian Morejon. Both players performed well in the Cuban junior leagues, dominated at their most recent international tournaments before leaving Cuba and are among the top young Cuban prospects off the island as of late February. Because the Padres are planning to go over their international bonus pool when the 2016-17 period opens on July 2, Ona and Morejon would have to wait until July…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Feb. 5-18. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed C Dan Rohlfing. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Signed RHP Dale Thayer. BOSTON RED SOX: Signed RHP Mitch Atkins. CHICAGO CUBS: Signed RHP Aaron Crow and OF Matt Murton. CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Signed RHPs Shawn Haviland and Adam Panayotovich, C Steven Pollakov and 1B Travis Ishikawa. CINCINNATI REDS: Signed RHP Alex Powers. CLEVELAND INDIANS: Signed RHP Craig Stammen and C Guillermo Quiroz. COLORADO ROCKIES: Signed RHP Mitchell Osnowitz and 3B Chris Nelson. DETROIT TIGERS: Signed RHP Bobby Parnell and C Luke Carlin. KANSAS CITY ROYALS: Signed C Allan de San Miguel and OF Travis Snider. Re-signed RHP Clayton Mortensen. Released 2B Kevin Kuntz. LOS ANGELES ANGELS: Signed RHPs Cody Satterwhite and Josh Zeid…

MARK DORSEY, @MGDORSEY My answer is Carlos Correa. Unfortunately that’s not an option that you gave me, so I can’t take the easy way out. You pose a very good question, one without an easy answer. Lindor gives a team an excellent defensive shortstop who also was a well above-average hitter in his big league debut. Seager is not the defender Lindor is, but he should be a significantly better hitter. Which player you pick depends some on what you’re looking for and some on how much you believe in the new level of excellence that Lindor reached last year. Lindor never slugged better than .407 in a minor league season, as he generally was a high-average hitter with gap power ability. He slugged .482 for Cleveland. He’s young enough…

Columnist, MLB.com DENVER The Brewers made their only World Series appearance in 1982. Two years, 121 days after the final out in the Brewers’ Game Seven loss to the Cardinals, David Stearns was born on Feb. 18, 1985. Today, Stearns is facing the challenge of overseeing Milwaukee’s rebirth. He was hired last September to replace Doug Melvin as the club’s general manager. “I have seen some really good Brewers teams, especially in the last decade,” said Stearns, “but I have never seen a Brewers team in the World Series. My goal is to not only see them get back to a World Series, but take that final step to a world championship.” Stearns has wasted little time revamping the organization during the offseason, completing eight trades that brought 16 new…

The biggest storyline of the 2016 season will be? John Manuel: The NL West should be a three-team race, with the high-dollar Dodgers, Diamondbacks and free-agent fortified Giants making for the game’s best pennant race. J.J. Cooper: The National League’s lack of a middle—a whole lot of 85-plus win teams and a lot of sub-75 win teams—will continue to raise questions about whether the current CBA’s structure needs to be tweaked. Ben Badler: Steroid use remains prevalent at the amateur level and in MLB. It’s a matter of time (probably a Friday at 5 pm) before more big name users become public. Ted Cahill: The chorus against tanking is only going to get louder as the chasm between the top and the bottom of the National League grows this summer.…

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a deep farm system thanks to their extensive spending on international prospects, but it is the club’s impact talent, led by Corey Seager and Julio Urias that puts them atop the Baseball America 2016 Organization Talent Rankings. 1. LOS ANGELES DODGERS 2015 RANK: 3. 2014 RANK: 14. STATE OF THE SYSTEM: Incredibly impressive. Los Angeles’ ownership group never balks at cutting a big check and the Dodgers’ farm system is deeper for it. Not every big-money international signing has paid off—Erisbel Arruebarrena’s $25 million deal was a nearly immediate bust—but Los Angeles’ spending spree has added significant depth to a system that was already outstanding, especially with Kenta Maeda stepping into the rotation. Righthander Yaisel Sierra and outfielder Yusniel Diaz couldn’t crack the Dodgers’ Top…

BALTIMORE When David Hess’ ERA soared to 5.83 on June 20, nobody could foresee the Orioles choosing him as their minor league pitcher of the month in July and August. It was similarly difficult to picture Hess playing a crucial role for Double-A Bowie when it won the Eastern League title. A season of disappointment took an unexpected, wonderful turn for the 22-year-old. Hess earned a promotion from high Class A Frederick after going 9-4, 3.58 in 26 games. Combining his last 12 starts at Frederick with four at Bowie, including two in the playoffs, he went 10-1, 1.58 with 33 walks and 78 strikeouts in 91 innings. What happened to the 2014 fifth-round draft pick out of Tennessee Tech? “I think it was just the ability to throw my…

TORONTO After two years at ESPN following his split with the Mariners, Eric Wedge was ready to get back in the game. That opportunity came when Mark Shapiro took over as president and CEO of the Blue Jays. Along with general manager Ross Atkins, Shapiro hired Wedge, the former manager, as a player development advisor. “I just missed being part of something that felt like it could potentially be special,” Wedge said, “and I felt like with Mark and Ross, as well as everybody else, it was a way to help others, be a part of something and make a difference with these players.” Wedge, who managed Shapiro’s Indians from 2003 to 2009, is starting his new gig by working closely with Gil Kim, the club’s new player-development director. One…

NEW YORK T.J. Rivera manned third base in the Caribbean Series for Puerto Rico, the birthplace of both of his parents. Now the versatile infielder heads to big league camp as a non-roster invite. The Mets decided against adding the 27-year-old Rivera to the 40-man roster in November, despite him hitting a combined .325/.364/.449 in 110 games at Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas in 2015. He then went unselected in the Rule 5 draft. That’s just the latest obstacle in Rivera’s career. Raised in the Bronx, N.Y., he signed with the Mets as an nondrafted free agent out of Troy in 2011 and has climbed the ladder. “There wasn’t much talk about me being added, so I kind of expected it,” Rivera said. “It wasn’t too much of a…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CHICAGO The White Sox have not produced a homegrown third baseman since Joe Crede, and back issues prematurely ended his promising career in 2009. Since Crede’s exit, Chicago has used 22 third basemen. Then they acquired Todd Frazier from the Reds in a three-team trade in December. Frazier is under club control through the 2017 season. He could very well receive a contract extension if he provides the type of power the White Sox desperately need. If Frazier departs after the 2017 season— or switches positions—prospect Trey Michalczewski should be ready to step in. While batting .259/.335/.395 with seven home runs and 75 RBIs in 127 games at high Class A Winston-Salem last year, Michalczewski passed Matt Davidson…

SURPRISE, ARIZ. Outfielder Amalani Fukofuka was the most improved player in the Royals’ minor league system last season. A 2013 fifth-round pick out of high school in Union City, Calif., Fukofuka hit just .183 with strikeouts 32 percent of the time at Rookie-level Burlington in 2014. He rebounded in 2015 to hit .339/.401/.500 in 67 games at Rookie-level Idaho Falls. He ranked among the Pioneer League leaders in average, hits (95) and extra-base hits (30) to rank No. 13 on the league’s prospect list. “Fukofuka had a great year,” assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said “He was kind of a typical ‘projection’ high school kid, a little ways away. We’re going to go slow in the beginning, but he had a breakout year. “He was the steadying force all year…

CHICAGO He can’t be found on the organization’s Top 10 Prospects list, and he didn’t light up the Rookie-level Arizona League in his 22-game debut in 2015. But outfielder D.J. Wilson has Cubs’ player development officials buzzing about what the 2015 fourth-rounder might show the organization in 2016. “Our coordinators were making comparisons from Shane Victorino to Andrew McCutchen, that type of explosive athlete,” farm director Jaron Madison said of the 5-foot-9 center fielder. “Plus speed, a defender, can hit, has sneaky power. He’s fun to watch.” Wilson, 19, offers a glimpse into not only how the Cubs plan to keep potential impact offensive players coming through the system as their draft position (and pool money) presumably falls through the rest of the decade but also how they envision the…

JUPTER, FLA. The question the Cardinals hope to push off a few years greeted them when they arrived at spring training and had Yadier Molina on the mend from hand surgeries. The cornerstone of this Cardinals’ era has been the All-Star and Gold Glove-winner behind the plate. The last time Molina missed an Opening Day start was 2004, when his current manager, Mike Matheny, was the Cardinals’ catcher. At 33, Molina has slimmed down to improve his durability and prolong his peak, and the Cardinals intend for him to be a fixture for several more years, perhaps even beyond the life of his contract. But they saw what one official called “a void” on the depth chart. There was heir apparent, no backup on the way. “Where is it coming?…

OAKLAND Hard as he tried, young J.B. Wendelken could never quite get the hang of the curveball. He threw it just the way his dad taught him, but it kept breaking the wrong direction. “I finally figuired out the problem,” Wendelken said. “Dad threw lefthanded. Since I was righthanded, it went the other way.” A decade later, Wendelken greets life with an easy manner and good humor until he steps on the mound, where he assumes a new level of intensity. “He has a bulldog reliever’s mentality. That’s something we really liked about him,” said Will Schock, who scouts professional players for the Athletics. The A’s acquired Wendelken from the White Sox with Zack Erwin as part of the Brett Lawrie deal this offseason, and the Georgian, who will turn…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ LOS ANGELES Righthander Frankie Montas was playing dominoes with his father back in December when he got some unexpected news—he had been traded by the White Sox to the Dodgers. “Rick (Hahn, White Sox general manager) called me to let me know I was traded. I was just, ‘OK,’” Montas said, laughing. “I mean, when you’re not expecting to be traded it felt kind of like—I don’t know how to explain that feeling. The boss here (Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman) called me and everybody was giving me the welcome so that just felt great.” The dominoes have been falling in the Dodgers’ rotation ever since Zack Greinke left via free agency. The signings of Kenta…

SAN DIEGO Several decades ago, the Padres had a knack for signing impact amateur players out of places beyond the mainland United States. It’s hoped that under general manager A.J. Preller, a former Rangers scout whose perceived scouting prowess abroad helped land him the GM job, the franchise can achieve similar successes. Finding difference-makers as the organization has in the past such as Roberto Alomar, Sandy Alomar Jr., Carlos Baerga and Ozzie Guillen will be difficult—but it’s fair to expect better results than San Diego got out of international signings in the past 15 years. Where decades ago it was Puerto Rican players who launched their impressive careers in San Diego’s farm system, Cuban amateurs of late have drawn attention from Padres scouts. On the team’s radar now is a…

North Dakota had its best Division I season last year, going 24-27 and finishing fourth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 16-11 league mark. From that team, however, the Fighting Hawks lost 12 seniors, including three players who were drafted or signed as free agents. So it wasn’t much of a surprise to coach Jeff Dodson when his team was picked to finish ninth in the WAC in the coaches’ preseason poll. “Preseason polls, I’ve never worried about them,” Dodson said. “Any time you lose guys like that in lineup, it’s tough to recover from. People see that and don’t know some of the names of the kids we signed.” If the Fighting Hawks were flying under the radar coming into the season, their opening weekend result changed all…

NEW ORLEANS New Orleans Zephyrs media relations director Dave Sachs senses it. There’s a distinctly different outlook in the team’s offices at Zephyr Stadium in Metairie, La., one that’s been filled with optimism since the new year. “It is a different atmosphere,” Sachs said. “We just feel a sense of new energy in the office. You can tell that these guys have a plan and are committed to making it work.” Sachs is referring to the team’s new owner, Lou Schwechheimer; incoming GM and senior vice president, Augusto “Cookie” Rojas; and the franchise’s new manager, Arnie Beyeler. All three men come from the Pawtucket Red Sox, whom they marshaled to the 2012 International League title while earning a slew of prestigious industry accolades, including Baseball America’s Bob Freitas Award. After…

PHILADELPHIA Let’s see now. Super Bowl? All suped out. The dunk contest? Dunked to the last windmill. The Winter Classic? Golden Globes? New Hampshire Primary? All in the rear-view mirror. You know what that means. Yep. It must be baseball season. As pitchers and catchers stampeded toward spring training this month, that means it’s time for our annual look at another insane baseball winter. We take that look through the eyes of 35 of the most astute baseball executives on our continent—or, to put it another way, the 35 who carved out the time to take part in our always-fascinating Best and Worst of the Offseason poll. Best Free-Agent Signings ▪ Zack Greinke (Diamondbacks): 14 ▪ David Price (Red Sox): 13 ▪ Howie Kendrick (Dodgers): 10 ▪ Zack Greinke (Diamondbacks):…