Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, June 19, 2015 i Baseball America

OCTOBER 15 1983 » IN THIS ISSUE: Dwight Gooden, 18, lifts Triple-A Tidewater to International League crown with complete-game, five-hitter. » ALSO: Future HOFer Kirby Puckett went 9-for-16 in Cal League championship series and swiped 10 bases in 10 attempts. Roger Clemens ranks among the top draft picks of all time (see page 18). He made an immediate splash in the minors, ranking as the top prospect in the Eastern League and No. 3 in the Florida State League in 1983. His EL scouting report: The 6-foot-3, 210-pound righthander from the University of Texas is considered a “can’tmiss kid.” He has four major league pitches: fastball, curve, slider and changeup. “He could be the best pitcher out of the draft,” an NL scout said. “He’ll be helping the Red Sox…

WASHINGTON, D.C. The month of June is big for graduations and life passages, so this is as suitable a time as any to look beyond the eye black and the Natitude and take stock of where Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper stands in his educational timeline. With each authoritative swing—or decision to lay off a breaking pitch a hair off the corner—Harper warrants another mention alongside some iconic figures with a plaque in Cooperstown. One day he’s on a pace to challenge Ted Williams’ single-season record of 147 walks by a player in his age-22 season. The next day, he’s on track to hit 40 home runs at age 22—an achievement that would put him in a fraternity with Joe DiMaggio, Mel Ott, Eddie Mathews, Johnny Bench, Juan Gonzalez and…

MILB PRESIDENT SEEKS RE-ELECTION Minor League Baseball president Pat O’Conner will seek a third term when the election process is held during the Winter Meetings this December in Nashville. Board of trustees chairman Sam Bernabe confirmed O’Conner’s plans and said he does not expect him to face opposition. “Pat is the incumbent and doing a great job and with the respect of everyone in the game,” said Bernabe, president and general manager of the Iowa Cubs (Pacific Coast). “It would be difficult for anyone to think they could replace him. The only way Pat isn’t president of Minor League Baseball is if he chooses not to run.” Meanwhile, Michael Hand, MiLB’s chief marketing officer who spent the past two years developing the industry’s “Project Brand” national marketing initiative, has “left…

johnmanuel @baseballamerica.com Major League Baseball’s Rule 4 draft, as it is technically referred to in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, will begin June 8—50 years to the day after baseball’s first draft. Rick Reichardt had not made an appointment to watch from his home in Gainesville, Fla. But Reichardt does not mind owning the distinction of being the man who helped end baseball’s amateur freeagent era. “I was the troublemaker,” he said with a laugh in early June during a telephone interview. “I know my wife still thinks I am. But yes, retrospectively, I think about it in that context.” Reichardt was the right man at the right time in 1964, when amateurs were still free agents. Signing bonuses were escalating at the time as the economy of the country boomed…

1. BO KNOWS BASEBALL: The Kansas City Royals scored a major coup for baseball with their bold, calculated move in 1986 to snatch away Bo Jackson, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in that year’s football draft, from the NFL. With his exceptional power/speed package, Jackson may be the greatest raw talent to play in the draft era, and his impact on the game—even in his brief, injury-riddled career—was substantial. 2. TWICE THE HYPE: Few players in draft history have been as talented or generated more hype than righthander Stephen Strasburg (class of 2009) and catcher Bryce Harper (2010)—and the Washington Nationals hit the jackpot by drafting both in consecutive years. 3. SIGN OF THINGS TO COME: The Yankees sent shock waves through the industry in…

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. For all of Orlando Arcia’s gifts—speed, strength, agility and athletic bloodlines—it was his smarts for the game that stood out most in Double-A Biloxi’s recent series against a prospect-laden Chattanooga team. Against the Lookouts, who feature righthanded prospect Jose Berrios as well as an array of power arms at the back of the bullpen, Arcia was 7-for-19 with five doubles and a home run. Arcia was leading the Southern League in batting and was top 10 in on-base and slugging percentage. His 17 doubles also paced the league, and a two-bagger againt Chattanooga showed his ability to adapt to the way a team chooses to attack him. All series, when Chattanooga’s pitchers got Arcia to a two-strike count, they’d gone away in the strike zone, usually with offspeed…

BOSTON For Yoan Moncada, the wait for May 18 seemed at times interminable. While he understood why the Red Sox wanted to keep him in extended spring training to give him a grounding in professional baseball, that didn’t make the two and a half months in Fort Myers any easier. And so, it was with a mixture of excitement and relief that he finally joined low Class A Greenville in mid-May. “I became a little desperate (to leave extended spring training). I understand it’s part of the process, and the important thing is I feel I got better. Now I’m here and I feel I’m ready for this next challenge,” Moncada said through translator Laz Gutierrez. “The staff (in Fort Myers) did a good job of preparing me both offensively…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ NEW YORK When the Mets selected Michael Fulmer in the supplemental first round of the 2011 draft, then-scouting director Chad MacDonald spoke of him in the same category as fellow Oklahoma prep righthanders Dylan Bundy and Archie Bradley, both top-10 picks from the same draft class. Now 22, Fulmer has been slowed by assorted injuries throughout his pro career, but he finally has settled into form at Double-A Binghamton. Through five Eastern League starts, he went 1-0, 2.63 with 20 strikeouts and 13 walks in 27 innings. “It feels great being up here finally, and being healthy,” Fulmer said. “Hopefully, I can stay healthy all year for the first time in a couple of years.” Fulmer debuted with Binghamton…

PHILADELPHIA The Phillies’ rebuilding effort is showing rays of promise. Third baseman Maikel Franco arrived in the majors in mid-May, while righthanders Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin and center fielder Roman Quinn have shined at Double-A Reading. Lefthander Elvis Araujo may be a lesserknown talent, but Phillies officials like what they’ve seen and believe he has a solid place in the rebuild. Called up to Philadelphia from Reading in early May, he debuted with five scoreless relief appearances. The Phillies raised eyebrows when they signed the hulking 23-year-old to a major league contract last November after he had become a minor league free agent. The Indians originally signed Araujo at age 16 out of Venezuela in 2008, but he missed all of 2009 and 2010 with an elbow injury that…

CHICAGO Before they became impact players who helped the White Sox win the 2005 World Series, third baseman Joe Crede and center fielder Aaron Rowand both were demoted to Triple-A Charlotte after struggling at the major league level. The White Sox hope second baseman Micah Johnson follows a similar path. “We still think he has a very bright future,” general manager Rick Hahn said, “and he’s going to have a long and successful big league career. “There are just some elements of his game that we want him to work on consistently at the minor league level and get ironed out prior to having him back in Chicago.” Best known for stealing a combined 84 bases in 2013 at low Class A Kannapolis, high Class A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham,…

KANSAS CITY Buddy Baumann may be short on height, but the lefthander is tall on talent. Listed at 5-foot-10, Baumann made a strong impression on the big league coaching staff in spring training and continues to baffle hitters at Triple-A Omaha. “Since I’m short, I don’t have much downhill angle,” said Baumann, 27. “I work my way toward the hitter and it’s on them quick. I really go after guys, and they say it jumps on them at the end.” Baumann, a non-roster invitee, threw five scoreless innings in spring training. “He’s got deception in his delivery with his fastball,” big league manager Ned Yost said. “It’s a deceiving delivery, but he still keeps the ball down.” Baumann said spring training was a confidence builder. Through 15 appearances at Omaha…

MILWAUKEE At 22 years old, shortstop Luis Sardinas was the youngest player on the roster when the Brewers summoned in early May to take over for injured Jean Segura. Sardinas is one of those players whose play in the field defies his chronological age. “He plays almost older than he is, if that makes sense,” big league manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s been impressive the way he has carried himself.” Sardinas is silky smooth in the field, making all the plays. The switch-hitter also had held his own at the plate, going 10-for-30 through his first eight games. Acquired from the Rangers in late January in the Yovani Gallardo trade, Sardinas made an immediate impression on infield coach Mike Guerrero, who saw a lot of prospects during his 17 years…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ OAKLAND Just a year ago, the Athletics were flush with shortstop prospects. That changed dramatically when they dealt away Addison Russell and Daniel Robertson to build for the present. And that is why the maturation of Chad Pinder could be such a big deal for the organization. The 23-year-old had been projected as a second baseman, but with Oakland’s shortstop shortage, Pinder has moved to the left side of the infield. The result has been little short of spectacular. “He looks like he can stay at the position,” farm director Keith Lieppman said. “He has done remarkably well. He’s played fantastic. He has shown the range, and his throwing has been excellent. He’s well-versed in the middle of the…

SEATTLE A break from the minor league season was unexpected and undesired for shortstop Ketel Marte and lefthander Danny Hultzen. Both are out of game action for the foreseeable future. Marte, a 21-year-old Dominican Republic native, suffered a fractured left thumb while running the bases in a game for Triple-A Tacoma in late May. He stopped suddenly, put his hand down to get his balance and fell on the thumb. The extent of the fracture was not known, and in a best-case scenario he could return in three weeks, but likely he will be sidelined for four weeks. “It’s too bad, he was really playing well,” farm director Chris Gwynn said. The switch-hitting Marte hit .343/.394/.434 and ranked first in the Pacific Coast League in hits (68), second in stolen…

PHOENIX After missing a month last season because of a broken hamate bone, high Class A Visalia right fielder Daniel Palka is back, better, and even savvier on the bases than ever. Palka made all-star teams in his first two seasons at Rookie-level Missoula and low Class A South Bend, and he was well on his way to a third this season in the California League. Through 50 games for Visalia, the 23-yearold Palka led the league with 19 doubles while hitting .294/.361/.502 with seven homers and 34 RBIs. He already had established a career high with 12 stolen bases. “I don’t think people when they see him realize that he is such a good athlete,” farm director Mike Bell said of the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Palka. “He runs well. He’s…

SAN FRANCISCO Back in April, when Double-A Richmond struggled to a 3-14 record, middle infielder Kelby Tomlinson was the one dependable hitter in the lineup. The team’s fortunes reversed, and the 24-year-old Tomlinson was just as productive amid the winning as he was during a 15-game losing streak. The speedy, bespectacled leadoff man out of Texas Tech hit .319 in April and .324 in May while providing a constant distraction on the basepaths. The righthanded batter hit .328/.389/.430 with 12 doubles and 13 steals through 46 games, while splitting his time between second base (32 games) and shortstop (22). Tomlinson’s development at the plate is a continuation from the previous year, when he held his own at Double-A. He’s come a long way from the willowy kid who hit .224…

The Southeastern Conference has been college baseball’s best in recent years, and the talent coming through continued to shine in 2015. The SEC boasts the College Player of the Year in Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi and leads all leagues with 11 representatives on our three All-America teams. The SEC was fairly top heavy in terms of the quality of its teams, and that was reflected in the All-America teams, with eight of its 11 players coming from powerhouses Florida, Louisiana State and Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt and LSU each put multiple players on the All-America first team, and LSU finished with four All-Americans in total. The Atlantic Coast and Pacific-12 conferences finished with the second-most All-Americans, each producing eight, and the improving Big Ten placed four players on the list, including three…

David Dahl, the Rockies’ top prospect, expects to return in July after having his spleen removed following a collision with Double-A New Britain teammate Juan Ciriaco in a game in late May. Dahl, the lefthanded-hitting center fielder, was initially expected to miss the rest of the season, but a quicker timeline was put in place after consulting with the Rockies, Dahl’s agent Adam Karon told BA columnist Jerry Crasnick. “David has put in an incredible amount of work the last two offseasons, and he just couldn’t fathom the idea of a shortened season,” Karon said. “That’s what I think drove his thinking.” Dahl, 21, was chasing a fly ball in center field in a game against Altoona when he collided with second baseman Ciriaco. Dahl had emergency surgery to repair…

Andy Lopez, who led Arizona to two College World Series appearances and a CWS title in 2012, has retired after 14 years with the Wildcats and 33 years as a coach overall. Lopez, 61, is one of three coaches to direct three different schools to the CWS (Larry Cochell and Ron Polk are the others) and one of two to win national titles at two different schools. (Augie Garrido, Cal State Fullerton and Texas). Lopez won a national title with Pepperdine in 1992 and also led Florida to CWS trips in 1996 and ’98. Lopez arrived in Arizona in 2002 after seven seasons with Florida and won at least 30 games in each of his first four years with the Wildcats, including a 36-27-1 campaign in 2004 that culminated in…

BOSTON Conventional thinking labels this year’s draft a down pool; deep, but not laden with any immediate impact stars. The primary reason is that college baseball lacks stars. Think back to the 1985 draft, when B.J. Surhoff, Will Clark, Barry Larkin and Barry Bonds were among the first six picks out of college. There’s no one in that category in this draft. Not that Vanderbilt shortstop Dansby Swanson isn’t a really good player. He is deserving to be the first pick, by the Diamondbacks. “Everyone would love to have him, for his skill set, his middle infield position,” one general manager says. “And the fact that he is the only player out there who doesn’t have questions on his resume.” The baseball draft is hunt and peck, with tremendous emphasis…

By the time Allan Simpson published the first issue of Baseball America in 1981, major league teams had fully realized the impact potential of the draft. At that point in time, more than 75 percent of the wins above replacement (WAR) generated in the big leagues had been produced by drafted players, and that rate has remained fairly constant ever since. Now, to celebrate 50 years of the draft, we present the 50 greatest players to be subject to the draft process. For each player, the number in parentheses next to his name signifies his rank in terms of Baseball-Reference.com WAR among his peers in his draft year. The table that follows spells out career achievement. The first six columns express personal accomplishments—MVP or Cy Young awards (plus second- and…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. Richie Shaffer went into this season with big plans. Shaffer, the 25th overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Clemson, spent the winter working out daily at a gym in Charlotte, determined to improve his speed, quickness and power by putting on roughly 20 pounds. “I wanted to do it because I think it was something that I needed to do to make a jump,” said Shaffer, who opened the season listed at 6-foot-3, 218 pounds. “I want to be a big leaguer. And not just a big leaguer. I want to be a guy.” He hardly played that role last season at Double-A Montgomery, hitting .222/.318/.480 with 22 homers. “It was definitely a learning…

NEW YORK Damon Oppenheimer has been in charge of the Yankees’ draft since 2005. Therefore he has developed relationships with many players he picked and watched progress through the organization’s levels. A bevy of those picks made it to the majors and have done well. This year’s Yankee roster is dotted with players Oppenheimer selected: Brett Gardner, Adam Warren, John Ryan Murphy, Branden Pinder and Chase Whitley. However, Oppenheimer has a special spot for Slade Heathcott, who made it to the big leagues May 20 after a long, often rocky, trip from first-round pick in 2009 out of Texarkana High in Texarkana, Texas, to being dropped from the 40-man roster this past offseason. “I can’t lie about that,’’ Oppenheimer said when asked if he felt a little different about Heathcott…

ATLANTA Low Class A Rome manager Randy Ingle doesn’t waste words when asked about third baseman Jordan Edgerton. “He’s a professional hitter,” said Ingle, currently in his 24th season as a manager in the organization. The righthanded-hitting Edgerton hit .275 with an exemplary 29-to-34 walk-to-strikeout ratio at Rookie-level Danville in 2014, following his ninth-round selection by the Braves out of NCAA Division II UNC Pembroke. He has continued to produce this season, batting .302/.351/.369 and driving in 34 runs through 46 games to rank second in the South Atlantic League. “I feel good,” said Edgerton, 21. “I’m just trying to take it one at-bat at a time. I don’t pay attention to any of the numbers and that kind of stuff. I just try to maintain a short swing, hit…

WASHINGTON For center fielder Dale Carey, timing is everything, especially against a fireballer such as Marlins No. 1 prospect, righthander Tyler Kolek. In the second inning of a game that started at 10:30 a.m., Carey belted a high fastball from Kolek over the center-field wall at his home ballpark in low Class A Hagerstown. For the season, the former Miami standout had hit .256/.345/.407 with 14 extra-base hits through 48 games. “At the beginning of the year, I got with our hitting coordinator (Troy Gingrich),” Carey said. “He said to make sure I have the right timing in my hands. He said it’s better to be early than late.” That advice has helped the 6-foot-3 righthanded hitter with the Suns. “(Carey) created a more direct, compact swing and is illustrating…

CLEVELAND As the major league season neared the two-month mark, Francisco Lindor was still playing shortstop at Triple-A Columbus, not Cleveland. At the start of the season, many thought Lindor could be with the Indians before too long, perhaps as little as six weeks. Indians officials never gave any timetable for Lindor’s arrival. General manager Chris Antonetti has remained vague when asked in April or May if the 21-year-old Lindor’s time was approaching. “He is continuing to progress in his development and is holding his own at Triple-A, which is encouraging,” Antonetti said in mid-May. “At some point we’ll make that decision, but that time is not now.” Antonetti has said that the Indians’ preferred scenario for a Lindor callup would be that he is playing well at Columbus and…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CHICAGO Sometime between a so-so Arizona Fall League and the start of the Southern League season, the light bulb turned on in a big way for first baseman Dan Vogelbach. Whether that light signals the end of a tunnel that leads to a better opportunity in another organization might depend on how bright the season looks for the big league team by the end of June. But the lefty-hitting first baseman, a second-round pick in 2011 out of high school in Fort Myers, Fla., has stood out offensively on a Double-A Tennessee team that also includes touted first-rounders Kyle Schwarber, Billy McKinney and Albert Almora. By the time a hamstring injury put him on the seven-day disabled list at…

PITTSBURGH The most obvious reason why Cole Tucker plays in a full-season league at age 18 is because of his talent. The shortstop and 2014 first-round pick— 24th overall—from Mountain Pointe High in Phoenix possesses an uncommon maturity level for a teenager. That’s why the Pirates didn’t hesitate to assign him to low Class A West Virginia out of spring training. “He’s above-average in terms of how he carries himself,” West Virginia manager Brian Esposito said, “and how he leads by example and leads others at a very young age, which is something we want to build in the organization. ” Many evaluators considered Tucker to be a bit of a reach as a first-rounder, but he held his own in his pro debut, hitting .267/.368/.356 in 48 games for…

HOUSTON Double-A Corpus Christi entered the season with high expectations, considering manager Rodney Linares’ roster was stacked with shortstop Carlos Correa and righthanders Mark Appel and Lance McCullers Jr. Now the Hooks have proven that Correa and McCullers weren’t the team’s only stars. Correa and Appel were the first overall picks in the 2012 and 2013 drafts, respectively, while the 21-year-old McCullers was a supplemental first-round pick in 2012. It’s a testament to Corpus Christi’s depth that the Hooks haven’t missed a beat since the Astros promoted Correa to Triple-A Fresno on May 11 and McCullers to Fresno on May 15 and, subsequently, to the majors a day later. “The guys have bonded and have played pretty well,” Linares said. “We’ve had some big losses like Carlos and McCullers and…

ARLINGTON, TEXAS A few days on the Josh Hamilton comeback tour allowed Rangers beat reporters a chance to reconnect with righthander Phil Klein, who suddenly had been converted to a starting role after opening the season in the big league bullpen. Klein had made two starts for Triple-A Round Rock, none covering five innings, on what appeared to be a long road back to the majors rather than a potential quick fix as the Rangers’ bullpen struggled to get outs. So, less than a week later when the Rangers picked Klein as a fill-in for lefthander Ross Detwiler in the rotation, the Ohio native admitted that he was surprised with how quickly his fortunes had changed. The Rangers’ fortunes changed, too, for Klein won his first career big league start,…

LOS ANGELES When the Dodgers signed Cuban infielder Hector Olivera to a six-year, $62.5 million contract, they got a fairly known commodity, an experienced hitter who could make an impact at the major league level this season. They also signed Pablo Millan Fernandez at the same time, paying the Cuban righthander an $8 million signing bonus as part of a minor league deal—but the 25-year-old is more of an unknown. Primarily a reliever in Cuba, Fernandez could potentially work as a starter for the Dodgers—and that’s an area of immediate need with Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy both lost for the season to injuries. When—and if—Fernandez might make an impact on that situation remains a mystery. “I don’t know the answer to that,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said…

At some point, Jon Hunton knows he will have to have a talk. He’ll take a Somerset reliever aside, explain that as the director of player personnel he has to make the hard decisions. Sometimes that means telling a player that there’s no longer a spot on the roster for him. This is one of those times. Those are hard words to hear. But Hunton knows how to deliver the news. He’s been released himself, multiple times. So he knows how it feels when you’re told it’s time to move on, which can make it a little easier to bear bad news. Which is good, because at some point Hunton is going to have to have this conversation with himself. Hunton has a unique role. He’s the Somerset Patriots’ personnel…

■ Former Asheboro Copperhead Mike Wright made his Major League debut for the Baltimore Orioles May 17, notching the win over the Los Angeles Angels, with 7 1/3 innings of shutout baseball while striking out six. Facing a team with two former Most Valuable Players in Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, Wright allowed only four hits all afternoon. In fact, his first major league strikeout came against Trout in the first inning, and he later went on to strikeout Pujols as well, holding both players to a combined 1-6 against him. The flame-throwing right-hander’s fastball was clocked as high as 98 on the afternoon, no doubt helping him send down the first nine batters he faced in order. His only trouble came in the fourth inning, of which he got…

Baseball Analyst, Senior Writer ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA Let’s see now. I just finished dinner. Have the San Francisco Giants thrown another shutout since happy hour? Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The Giants are officially amazing us. Again. They started the season 4-10. Since then, they had gone 26-12 through the end of May. But that isn’t even the amazing part. The amazing part is they throw a shutout every couple days. Whether they need to or not. They’re America’s foremost Zero Heroes. And it isn’t even all Madison Bumgarner’s doing. Who knew? The Giants threw eight shutouts in May. Eight. So with the month winding to a close, I asked an NL scout, who just saw them, how that was possible. “I don’t know how it happened,” he said. “I really don’t.…

Draft Do-Over With the draft approaching, what would the first round of the 2015 draft look like if all players still in the minors were put back into a pool to be redrafted? THEODORE SAROUSIEK I’m tweaking your question to how this year’s draft would look if it included players who would be draft eligible if they had gone to college. That means what would it look like if high school players picked and signed in 2012 had opted to go to school. Considering how good the 2012 draft class was, this draft would be very, very different. 1. CARLOS CORREA, SS, MIAMI: He went 1-1 in 2012. Three years later, he’s bigger, stronger and arguably even a tick faster. 2. BYRON BUXTON, OF, GEORGIA: The Buxton-Correa debates began in…

OAKLAND The A’s need a jolt. The roster was revamped in the offseason, with plenty of new faces joining the likes of catcher Stephen Vogt, second baseman Eric Sogard and right fielder Josh Reddick— who were among the few regular position players to return from 2014. The A’s have also been beset with injuries in the opening weeks of this season, leaving a team that has been a contender of late in the American League West at the bottom of the division looking up. Enter Billy Burns. Burns is a player made for Oakland. The Nationals signed Burns as a 32nd-round draft choice back in 2011 out of Mercer. Burns can run—he stole 128 bases in the minors the past two seasons. And he can play center field. But at…

It was in a setting of great intrigue and anticipation, as well as an aura of mystery, that 20 major league teams kicked off baseball’s first amateur draft on June 8, 1965. Some 200 observers, including club officials and baseball executives from the commissioner’s office and the minor leagues, along with members of the media and photographers, gathered for two days at New York’s Commodore Hotel to select a total of 826 players. Unlike the stodgy selection process in later years, which was shrouded in secrecy to prevent enemy forces from pirating privileged scouting information, baseball’s first draft was conducted in a carnival-like atmosphere. “There was tremendous excitement,” recalled the late Lou Gorman, then the Orioles’ assistant farm director and later general manager of the Red Sox. “We’d all end…

BALTIMORE Hunter Harvey’s biggest concern no longer is his right shin. The Orioles’ No. 2 prospect has been diagnosed with a strained right flexor mass, the same injury that forced him to be shut down in July 2014. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection from Dr. James Andrews and was expected to be out for six weeks. Harvey, 20, was pitching in extended spring training while recovering from a slight fracture in his fibula when he felt tightness in his elbow. He was removed from the game after two innings and sent to Baltimore for an MRI. The Orioles set up an appointment with Andrews, allowing Harvey to receive a second opinion. So far, surgery hasn’t been recommended. It’s rest and rehabbing. “How do you put it? It was pretty…

TORONTO Jeff Hoffman’s much anticipated professional debut didn’t go off without a hitch, and the Blue Jays didn’t mind one bit. The ninth overall pick in last year’s draft allowed four runs on eight hits—including a homer—in five innings of work in high Class A Dunedin’s 6-5 win over Tampa on May 20, with batters reaching in all but his first frame. After weeks of dicing up less experienced hitters in extended spring training while finishing up his rehab from Tommy John surgery, getting hit around a little bit offered the 22-year-old a reminder that the road to the majors won’t necessarily be easy. “I’m kind of glad to see he had to work out of some things,” said assistant general manager Tony LaCava, who oversees the farm system. “That’s…

MIAMI The Marlins’ top two pitching prospects in 2014—lefthander Andrew Heaney and righty Anthony DeSclafani—bombed once they reached Miami. Righthander Jose Urena hopes to avoid that fate, and his June 1 performance against the Cubs, in which he allowed four hits, three walks and three runs in six innings, was the first promising sign in that regard. Heaney, a first-round pick in 2012, went 0-3, 5.83 in his trial run in the majors last year, while DeSclafani went 2-2, 6.27. The Marlins included both in offseason trades for Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and Mat Latos. Now comes Urena, who parlayed a successful run at Triple-A New Orleans this season— he allowed seven runs in six starts—to a big league callup. However, the 23-year-old has struggled in four appearances, including two…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MINNEAPOLIS It’s difficult to tell whether Jorge Polanco or the Twins were more delighted by the shortstop’s two brief callups to the big leagues last season. The 20-year-old proved he could handle moving up three levels—from high Class A Fort Myers to Minnesota—in an emergency. “I know he had a lot of fun,” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff said, “and it got us a little fired up, too.” Imagine how they feel now. Polanco went 2-for-6 in five cameo appearances for the Twins last summer when they had no other middle-infield options on the 40-man roster. Now, the 21-year-old looks more like a big leaguer every day. One of the key players on a loaded Double-A Chattanooga…

DETROIT Outfielder Wynton Bernard headed to a Tigers tryout camp in Lakeland, Fla., early in 2014 having been released by the Padres that January. Little more than a year later, he is on Detroit’s 40-man roster and is off to an impressive start at Double-A Erie. Bernard tied the Erie franchise record for longest hitting streak—20 games—and through 43 games had hit .314/.351/.446 with 15 doubles and 11 steals. “The season is going real well,” said Bernard, 24. “I go up to the plate each at-bat trying to hit the ball hard somewhere. In early April, most of my hard-hit balls were getting caught and now they are beginning to fall. “I’ve also been adjusting to different pitchers and having fun in the outfield reading different batters. Overall, it’s been…

CINCINNATI During 2013 spring training, Reds pitching guru and special assistant to the general manager Mario Soto spotted one young pitcher in camp and pronounced him a future big leaguer. Two years later, righthander Jon Moscot is knocking on the door to Cincinnati. The 23-year-old got off to a 7-1 start at Triple-A Louisville, winning his first five starts and six decisions with the Bats while logging a 3.15 ERA and 34-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio. So far, Moscot has done nothing but continue his trend of impressing those around him. Two years ago it was Soto, who tabbed him a future big league starter in his first spring training after the Reds took him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft out of Pepperdine. This spring in his first big…

ST. LOUIS One of the most coveted tools in baseball and one underrepresented in the Cardinals organization is power at the plate. But as they assessed slugging corner outfielder Rowan Wick and the jolt in his swing, the Cardinals came to a conclusion about what could get him to the majors swifter. It was his power to the plate. “We had to look at (his power and arm strength) and consider, down the road, which one was going to get him to advance down the road,” farm director Gary LaRocque said. “We recognized—and he’s excited about this—that from the mound he could just do it quicker.” Wick thundered into pro ball in 2014 with 14 home runs in 35 games at short-season State College. That total set the franchise record…

ANAHEIM Sean Newcomb has the kind of stuff that could probably help the Angels in a relief role later this season. But as tempting as it might be to do with Newcomb what the Rays did with David Price in September 2008, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound lefthander won’t be appearing in a big league bullpen soon. “I know there have been cases where a team has introduced a guy through the bullpen,” general manager Jerry Dipoto said, “but while I do think he could help us in some way, we won’t consider him in that mold right now. We have a lot of starting pitching depth in the system right now, so there is no need to rush Sean. “We’re moderating his pitch counts, and we’re targeting 140-150 innings. We’re going…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ DENVER Five dominant weeks at high Class A Modesto earned Carlos Estevez a promotion to Double-A New Britain. The 22-year-old righthanded reliever went 5-0, 1.37 with five saves in 14 games at Modesto, while averaging 2.3 walks and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings and limiting opponents to a .179 average. Estevez can hit 99 mph with his fastball, but he tended to pitch up in the zone too often. In his full-season debut at low Class Asheville last year, he went 1-3, 4.73 in 33 games with an average of 1.9 walks and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings, but opponents batted .294. “This year his delivery is more sound, it’s more under control and because of all that, he…

SAN DIEGO While recurring wrist problems sidelined big league center fielder Wil Myers in May, a Double-A San Antonio center fielder further distanced himself from a wrist fracture that ended his 2014 season. Travis Jankowski reached base in 27 consecutive games for the Missions and hit .333/.415/.428 with 15 stolen bases through 47 games. Two games after his streak ended, Jankowski went on another 10-game tear. Jankowski’s defensive prowess, meanwhile, impressed farm director Sam Geaney. “He’s well above-average,” Geaney said. “Excellent.” Jankowski, a lefty hitter and righty thrower, fractured his left wrist in April 2014 making a deft grab of a flyball before running into the center-field fence in Frisco. Jankowski batted just .224/.310/.276 in 27 games after beginning his comeback last July in the Rookie-level Arizona League and rising…