Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, October 09, 2015 i Baseball America

OCTOBER 22 2006 » IN THIS ISSUE: Peter Gammons, rehabbing a brain aneurysm, to his nurse: “How did Austin Kearns get to the Nationals?” » ALSO: Cole Hamels makes three Triple-A starts—2-0, 0.39 with 36-1 K-BB ratio—before getting call to Philadelphia. Teen sensation Julio Urias may soon join former teen sensation Clayton Kershaw in the Dodgers rotation. Urias finished his fourth pro season as the top prospect in the Texas League at the same age (18) Kershaw began his first of three straight years ranking atop a minor league. Here’s Kershaw’s Gulf Coast League scouting report (written by former BA staffer and new Dodgers crosschecker Alan Matthews). Kershaw maintained his stuff throughout the season, regularly showing a fastball that sat between 90-94 mph and touched 96, as well as a…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com NEW YORK The signature game of the Orioles’ season took place in late April. With the streets of Baltimore awash in strife after the death of Freddie Gray, the Orioles closed the Camden Yards turnstiles and beat the White Sox 8-2 in an empty ballpark. Amid that bizarre and emotional backdrop, Baltimore players spoke passionately of their personal investment in the city and their desire to make fans proud. Nearly five months later, the box scores are grim and the schedule is winding to a disappointing conclusion. After three straight winning seasons that included two playoff appearances and an American League East title, the Orioles are in play-out-the-string mode. As manager Buck Showalter observes, the introspection and hard questions are probably best saved for the offseason, when…

POLICE CHARGE FORMER RAYS PLAYER IN DEATHS Police arrested Brandon Martin, a Rays supplemental first-round pick in 2011, and charged him with three counts of murder in the deaths of his father, uncle and another man in Corona, Calif., in mid-September. Martin, a shortstop who received an $860,000 bonus as the 38th overall pick in 2011, has not played since 2013 because of personal reasons. He batted .211/.281/.371 in parts of three seasons before the Rays released him in March. Investigators said someone used a bat to inflict blunt force trauma injuries that caused the deaths of three people: Michael Martin, 63; Ricky Lee Anderson, 62; and Barry Swanson, 62. The attack occurred Sept. 17 at Martin’s home in Corona. Martin, who is Brandon Martin’s father, and Swanson, who was…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel @baseba llamerica.com In the Year of the Prospect, many rookies were expected and hotly anticipated. BA staffers got giddy when Kris Bryant made the majors, even more for Addison Russell and Carlos Correa, and continued during a season that saw Kyle Schwarber, Michael Conforto, Luis Severino, Hector Olivera, Trea Turner and Corey Seager reach the majors. Our Matt Eddy chronicles every major league debut and notes the signing scout and scouting director of every player who fulfills their goal. It’s a highlight of our website and Scoreboard (in this issue on Page 46), and it’s fun to go through and inspect all the new big leaguers, especially in September. It also brings to light some of the most unlikely players to reach the majors,…

The Triple-A International League served its purpose as a finishing school for many prospects moving on to the majors this season, with all but two members of the Top 10—and 15 of the Top 20—advancing to the big leagues after making appearances—in some cases, quite brief—in the league. A particularly deep crop of IL prospects this season forced several intriguing players off this list, including a trio of Gwinnett prospects in catcher Christian Bethancourt, righthander Mike Foltynewicz and lefty Manny Banuelos, plus slick-fielding Pawtucket shortstop Deven Marrero and strikeout-prone sluggers Richie Shaffer of Durham and Steven Moya of Toledo. And the prospect list would have been even deeper if a group of standouts hadn’t finished just short of qualifying thresholds of 48 innings or 144 plate appearances. The group includes…

Construction delays at MGM Park forced Biloxi, in its first season as a Double-A Southern League franchise, to operate as a travel team until its new Mississippi home digs opened on June 6. The Brewers affiliate, which featured Top 10 Prospects in shortstop Orlando Arcia and righthander Jorge Lopez, didn’t miss a beat and won a league-best 78 games. While the Lookouts remained in Chattanooga, they welcomed a new parent organization in 2015, and the Twins made quite an introduction with their top three prospects. Even though outfielder Byron Buxton, third baseman Miguel Sano and righthander Jose Berrios left before the all-star break, Chattanooga won a first-half division title to advance to the SL playoffs. As luck would have it, Biloxi and Chattanooga, two clubs with fresh outlooks in 2015,…

1. LUCAS GIOLITO RHP POTOMAC (NATIONALS) AGE: 21. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-6. WT: 255. DRAFTED: HS—Studio City, Calif., 2012 (1). After a three-week stint in extended spring training to start the year, Giolito joined Potomac and quickly made up for lost time. His stuff, especially his fastball and curveball, is unquestioned. Giolito’s heater, which can sit in the mid-90s and peak in the uppers, grades at minimum a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. His curveball, a vicious downer, rarely is graded below a 60. His changeup shows promise, too. When thrown right it has late sink and fade, but when it’s overthrown it becomes a batting-practice fastball. Giolito presents a few blemishes for scouts, however. He does need to work to repeat his delivery and stay square with his…

Much like farmers tending their fields, managers and coaches work with what they are given. Some years it rains a lot, while other years see drought conditions. In some years, ranking just 20 prospects in the low Class A South Atlantic League seems restrictive. With 14 teams, the league often contains too many quality prospects to rank. This is not one of those years. Scouts and managers came away less impressed with SAL talent this year than that of any recent year. Greenville fielded a loaded lineup that featured four of the top 10 prospects in the league, and plenty of shortstops littered SAL rosters, but when it came to pitching, the league was lacking. Some of the pitchers with top-of-the-scale fastballs, such as Greensboro’s Tyler Kolek, Rome’s Touki Toussaint…

The Appalachian League is the “Breakfast Club” of the minor leagues, bringing together players of all sorts of backgrounds for a three-month competition. The categories of players include recently drafted high schoolers, international players venturing outside complex leagues for the first time and college pitchers with innings limits. Not every team scouts the Appy League. Those who do, however, sometimes get initial looks at young players with exciting tools and high ceilings. Many of the league’s toolsiest players already are known to evaluators, but many others use the league to strut their stuff and announce their presence on the prospect scene. Two of the top prospects, outfielders Daz Cameron and Kyle Tucker, signed with the Astros for $4 million apiece out of the 2015 draft, then teamed to lead Greeneville…

The Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2015 featured the most stacked collection of prospects the league has seen in a long time. The Florida complexes brimmed with premium high school draft picks who largely performed well in the GCL and several breakout international talents, and the league was replete with both impact talent and depth, albeit at the domestic level furthest away from the majors. Red Sox righthander Anderson Espinoza and Nationals outfielder Victor Robles were two of the breakout stories of the minor league season, while Braves 2015 supplemental first-rounder Austin Riley dramatically raised his pre-draft stock in pro ball. Many other players with talent on par of a second- or third-round pick didn’t make the cut, while just three of the seven GCL prospects who touched 100 mph…

BALTIMORE Orioles manager Buck Showalter remembers looking at righthander David Hess as he sat with two other draft picks from 2014 during a press conference at Camden Yards. Hess was a fifth-rounder, the latest of the trio, but he stood out. There was just something about the kid. Showalter liked Hess’ composure and presence, qualities that transferred to the mound. Hess, 22, produced one of the finest seasons among Orioles’ minor leaguers this year, going 9-4, 3.58 in 143 innings between high Class A Frederick before moving up to Double-A Bowie. Hess allowed five runs and struck out 12 over 10 innings in his first two starts for the Baysox, who won their division and eventually the Eastern League championship. “He’s the guy I talked to you all about in…

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. Catcher Luke Maile had already had an eventful 2015 season. In May, while with Triple-A Durham, he was on the wrong end of an odd and painful play when Pawtucket’s Humberto Quintero appeared to intentionally hit Maile in the stomach with a throw. “Internet sensation,’’ Maile joked of the viral video. In August, at Norfolk, he grounded into a triple play. “That went all over the place, too,’’ he said. “Having a nice year so far.’’ Actually, it couldn’t have turned out better. After navigating his first season at Triple-A, playing well behind the plate but hitting just .207/.98/.296), Maile was rewarded with a Sept. 1 callup to the majors. The 24-year-old, an eighth-round pick from Kentucky whose name rarely showed up on any prospect lists, was…

NEW YORK High Class A St. Lucie’s Jeff McNeil finished second in the Florida State League in batting with a .312 average, two points behind Clearwater’s Willians Astudillo. Now, the 23-year-old infielder will represent the Mets in the Arizona Fall League. A 12th-round pick in 2013 out of Long Beach State, McNeil split his time primarily between second and third base this season. He also received limited work at first base and shortstop, and the lefthanded hitter can play the outfield in an emergency. “I can basically play everywhere,” said McNeil, who moved to Double-A Binghamton for the playoffs. “I grew up playing shortstop. When I went to college, I played second and left field my freshman year. And then my sophomore and junior year I played center, second and…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CHICAGO Erik Johnson is back on the radar. After combining to go 12-3, 1.96 in 24 starts with Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte in 2013, the righthander’s contract was purchased in September and he went 3-2, 3.25 in five starts with Chicago. The immediate success vaulted Johnson into the White Sox rotation at the start of last season, but he wasn’t the same pitcher. He had a 6.46 ERA in five starts before being optioned back to Charlotte, where he was even worse (5-7, 6.73 in 20 starts). “Physically, it wasn’t anything like an injury or anything,” said Johnson, though he did miss the final two weeks of the 2014 Triple-A season with right shoulder inflammation. “It was…

KANSAS CITY Bubba Starling labeled this a “turning point year” in spring training, a season where he acknowledged he needed to start “figuring things out.” Starling, the fifth overall pick in 2011, eschewed a Nebraska football scholarship to play quarterback to sign with the Royals. The Royals preached patience with Starling, who played for a small Kansas City suburb high school, Gardner-Edgerton, where he was all-state in baseball, football and basketball. After Starling hit .218/.304/.338 while striking out 150 times in 482 at-bats in 2014 with high Class A Wilmington, the Royals sent him back to the Blue Rocks to start 2015. Starling, 23, promptly began a breakout season, hitting .386/.471/.614 in a dozen Carolina League games, earning an April 24 promotion to Double-A Northwest Arkansas. Starling got off to…

CHICAGO You don’t find him on any of the topprospects lists, but Double-A third baseman Jeimer Candelario is one of the more intriguing prospects , especially with several of the top-ranked hitters reaching the bigs. A breakout season that got better after a promotion for the switch-hitter has him poised to earn a place among the next wave of prospects to join Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber . “He’s definitely put himself in that (next) mix,” farm director Jaron Madison said. Candelario, 21, spent the final 46 games of the season at Double-A Tennessee after a promotion from high Class A Myrtle Beach, and his hitting and power jumped, going from .270 before the promotion to .291 with an .841 OPS in Tennessee . Madison said…

ST. LOUIS There have been times when the Cardinals felt, internally, that they had to reach to fill their quota of players to send to the Arizona Fall League. This year, filling the spots was not an issue. The group of eight that the Cardinals are sending to the AFL is headlined by one of the top pitching talents in the minors, righthander Alex Reyes. The 21-year-old went 5-7, 2.49 with 151 strikeouts and 49 walks in 102 innings over three levels. Reyes, who routinely cracked 100 mph with his fastball late in starts, will be limited to about 30 innings at the Arizona Fall League, general manager John Mozeliak said. The team wants to see him against stiffer competition and begin his preparation for a 2016 that some within…

ANAHEIM Third baseman Kyle Kubitza was thrown for a loop when he stepped into manager Mike Scioscia’s office after being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Sept. 8. “He said, ‘Hello, good job this season . . . have you ever played second base?’ ” said Kubitza, 25. The Angels acquired Kubitza from the Braves last winter as a potential replacement for David Freese, who will be a free agent this winter. But with Kaleb Cowart emerging as a third-base candidate and with a possible opening at second base, Kubitza spent much of September working out at second, learning the finer points of the position from coach Alfredo Griffin. “It’s going to be a process, but you have to start somewhere,” Scioscia said. “We’ll see where it leads, long term.…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ DENVER Because he lacked “really good numbers,” Jairo Diaz didn’t envision an eighthinning role with the Rockies. He was 3-5, 4.58 in 47 games for Triple-A Albuquerque with 37 walks and 50 strikeouts in 50 innings. But before an Aug. 23 promotion to the Rockies, Diaz pitched 11 scoreless innings in eight outings, allowing seven hits and three walks with 18 strikeouts. Farm director Zach Wilson credits Albuquerque pitching coach Darryl Scott with patiently transforming Diaz, 24, whom the Rockies acquired from the Angels for infielder Josh Rutledge in December. “He was throwing with his upper body, or trying to,” Wilson said. “He was throwing with his chest and his arm, and that doesn’t work. “So Darryl did…

SAN DIEGO The organization’s top hitting prospect, right fielder Hunter Renfroe, showed good staying power this year in his third season since the Padres took him 13th overall out of Mississippi State. Renfroe played nearly 140 games, counting the playoffs, for two teams based in Texas. For the most part, his performance picked up the longer he played. Renfroe hit just .184/.229/.263 with Double-A San Antonio in April before he improved in each of the next three months. All told, he played in 112 Texas League games and hit .259/.313/.425 with 14 home runs. After a promotion to Triple-A El Paso in August, he took advantage of better hitting environments while also plowing through late-season fatigue. He hit .367/.406/.663 with three home runs and 16 RBIs over his final 14…

EL PASO, TEXAS Fresno Grizzlies team president Chris Cummings told the crowd at Southwest University Ballpark that in spring training, Grizzlies manager Tony DeFrancesco predicted to him that the team was good enough to win 85 games. “I’m pretty sure this one makes 90,” Cummings said, selling his manager short by one victory. “This one” was the Triple-A National Championship game, pitting two teams that already had won titles. Fresno was coming off its first-ever Pacific Coast League championship, while Columbus, the International League winner, was seeking to become the first three-time champ of the winner-take-all Triple-A championship, which was inaugurated in 2006. The Grizzlies, in their first year as an Astros affiliate, celebrated another first, cruising to a 7-0 victory in front of 9,332 on a gorgeous night in…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Sept. 4-17. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Released LHP Dana Eveland. CHICAGO CUBS: Signed 2B Orian Nunez CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Released RHPs Evin Einhardt and Brad Salgado, LHPs Chris Freudenberg and Mike Gomez, C Ryan Plourde, 1B Ryan Jones and SS Ethan Gross. LOS ANGELES DODGERS: Traded 2B Darwin Barney to Blue Jays for C Jack Murphy. MIAMI MARLINS: Signed RHPs Hunter Adkins and Yeremin Lara and OF Jerar Encarnacion. TORONTO BLUE JAYS: Traded C Jack Murphy to Dodgers for 2B Darwin Barney. Obituaries Joaquin Andujar, a righthander who pitched 13 years in the majors and was a four-time all-star, died Sept. 8 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. He was 62. Andujar is best remembered for…

By all metrics, Berra was a player and manager who could stand on the merits of his achievements. And yet, when Berra died at 90 on Sept. 22—69 years to the day of his major league debut in 1946—he was remembered as much for his beloved malaprops and good nature as he was for his raft of accomplishments. Yogi Berra was a Hall of Fame catcher, a three-time MVP who played in 14 World Series and won 10 titles for the powerhouse Yankees of the 1940s and ’50s. He hit 358 homers, drove in 1,430 runs— the most ever by a player who was primarily a catcher—and led the Yankees in RBIs seven years in a row, starting in 1949, despite having teammates named Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio during…

Cuban players may be given exemptions from Major League Baseball’s registration policy, which would have a major impact on Cuban talent and which teams will be able to sign certain players. The commissioner’s office declared that 16-year-old outfielder Jonatan Machado and 17-year-old second baseman Omar Estevez will both be eligible to sign during the current 2015-16 international signing period. Under MLB’s registration policy, any international player born after Sept. 1, 1995, (like Machado and Estevez) must officially register with the commissioner’s office by May 15 to be eligible to sign during the following signing period that begins annually on July 2. That rule has created a problem for young Cuban players, who have to leave Cuba and then establish residency in a foreign country before they can even register with…

Columnist, MLB Network BOSTON Business analytics say that giving a 30-year-old pitcher a five- or seven-year contract is bad business. So when Max Scherzer rejected a $144 million offer from the Tigers, there was considerable speculation that he would never do better. Scherzer blew by $144 million and signed for seven years, $210 million with the Nationals. It is true that having an ace is no guarantee of a World Series ring. Check Cy Young Award winners Scherzer, Justin Verlander and David Price against the Orioles last October. Or the Phillies not winning a World Series with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Then again, just remember what Madison Bumgarner did last October. “I think every team that has a Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, Jake Arrieta…

Last fall’s affiliation shuffle changed the look of the Pacific Coast League, as six of the league’s 16 teams went into this season with a new parent club. Some of the league’s longest relationships ended, such as the Rockies concluding their 21-year affiliation with Colorado Springs to move to Albuquerque, and the Athletics moving to Nashville after 15 years in Sacramento. Fresno and Oklahoma City, two other franchises that saw their affiliations change, experienced instant success on the field. In its first season as an Astros affiliate, Fresno reached the playoffs for the first time since 1998, won the league championship for the first time and then took the Triple-A National Championship (see Page 41). Oklahoma City, the former Astros affiliate now with the Dodgers, also won its division. Damon…

Corpus Christi was by far the best team in the Texas League during the first half, while Midland dominated after the break. Both teams boasted plenty of firepower, with the Hooks fielding first baseman A.J. Reed, who knocked in 46 runs in 53 games after his promotion from high Class A Lancaster, third baseman Colin Moran and the versatile Tony Kemp. The Hooks didn’t lack for pitching, either, not with hard-throwing righthanders Michael Feliz and Joe Musgrove and changeup artist Chris Devenski fronting a rotation that also included 2013 No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel. The RockHounds boasted an infield that included power threats Matt Olson at first base, Renato Nunez at third base and Chad Pinder at shortstop, and all three made this ranking. This list would have been…

No single player dominated the high Class A Florida State League this year. No batter exceeded 14 home runs; no pitcher surpassed 12 wins or 150 strikeouts. Yet the FSL had its share of standout performers. Few FSL pitchers have flashed the pure stuff of Palm Beach righthander Alex Reyes, whom numerous scouts and managers referred to as having closer-quality dominant velocity and swingand-miss stuff, but over five or six innings as a time. Reyes led the way in a Top 20 that was heavier on position players than usual for the pitcherfriendly league. Like most of the league’s top prospects, he didn’t stick around all year and headed to Double-A Springfield at midseason. Without him, Palm Beach lost both of its playoff games to Charlotte, as the Stone Crabs…

In its first season in the short-season New York-Penn League, West Virginia won the league championship, taking down Staten Island in two games. It wasn’t an easy road for the Black Bears, who had to defeat a prospect-laden Williamsport team in three games to reach the finals, then had to face Yankees first-round pick James Kaprielian in the series-clinching game. For his part, Kaprielian, the former UCLA righthander selected 16th overall this June, likely would have ranked high on this list had he thrown enough innings to qualify. The Black Bears, at one point, had a 2015 first-rounder of their own in shortstop Kevin Newman, before he got the call to low Class A West Virginia. As usually is the case, the league featured several first-rounders—six ranked on this list—but…

The typical age of Rookie-level Pioneer League prospects is evenly split between teenagers and 20-somethings, but this year youth was served with the top seven prospects competing in the league before their 20th birthdays. Three first-round picks made their pro debuts in the league, with Grand Junction shortstop Brendan Rodgers and Billings catcher Tyler Stephenson ranking as the circuit’s top two prospects. Grand Junction righthander Mike Nikorak, a Rockies first-round pick in June, pitched poorly in eight games and did not log enough innings to qualify for the prospect list. League MVP Isan Diaz, a shortstop, keyed a league championship for Missoula under first-year manager Joe Mather, whose Osprey took two of three games against Idaho Falls in the finals for a second title in four years. Diaz led the…

The July signing deadline has been a wonderful development for fans and evaluators because most players who sign by the deadline will qualify for a league Top 20 unless they move up too quickly. But there still are exceptions, namely for recently drafted pitchers who were kept on strict innings limits. So here’s a look at notable pitchers who did not play enough to qualify for any of our Top 20 Prospects lists. Kolby Allard, lhp, Braves Allard was considered one of the top high school pitching prospects in the 2015 draft class before he missed almost his entire senior year with a back injury. Allard slipped to the 14th pick in the draft because of the injury, signing for just more than $3 million. Allard was held out of…

BOSTON Perhaps this is what it is like to see lightning strike the same place twice. In 44 years in professional baseball, and 37 as a coach, Red Sox Latin American pitching coordinator Goose Gregson can recall only one pitcher who, as a 17-year-old, inspired the same sort of initial impression as righthander Anderson Espinoza. “I don’t like to compare a pitcher to a pitcher. I think you simply draw from experience if you’re reminded of someone,” Gregson said. “I was with Pedro (Martinez) at this age, and now with this kid at this age. It clearly draws my memory back to when I spent time with Pedro as a young kid. They’re two of the best (at that age) I’ve ever seen.” Gregson cited the ease of both pitchers’…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ATLANTA Righthander Shelby Miller showed this year that the Braves received a major part of their rotation in last fall’s trade with the Cardinals. That bounty could double as soon as 2016 if righty Tyrell Jenkins’ debut in the organization proves to be a harbinger of things to come. After enduring serious shoulder and latmuscle injuries during his days with the Cardinals, Jenkins proved he was completely healthy in 2015, when he made a career-high 25 starts. The Braves named him their minor league pitcher of the year after he went 8-9, 3.19 with 88 strikeouts in 138 innings split between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. “The biggest thing has been just being healthy,” said Jenkins, 23. “Maybe…

PHILADELPHIA Outfielder Aaron Altherr always has flown a little under the radar on the organization’s depth chart. He’s never been flashy, but he always had tools. Those who have watched the 24-year-old righthanded batters’s methodical rise through the system point to his consistent improvement as reason for believing he can blossom into a productive big leaguer. The rebuilding Phillies have given Altherr consistent playing time since recalling him from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in mid-August. Club officials are trying to determine if he can be part of their outfield in 2016, and early returns have been positive, for 12 of his first 21 hits went for extra bases. He had slugged .457 through 92 at-bats. The Phillies made Altherr, a rangy and athletic 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, a ninthround pick in…

CLEVELAND In many ways, he was the hot Indians’ shortstop prospect who got engulfed by the vapor trail Francisco Lindor left in his rapid ascent to the major leagues. But after a couple of years when his star seemed to be flickering, Dorssys Paulino had a bounce back season in 2015. He’s still 20, and he’s now an outfielder, not a shortstop, but Paulino is once again putting up impressive numbers. Paulino was a highly regarded amateur out of the Dominican Republic when the Indians signed him for $1.1 million in July of 2011, a month after the Indians selected Lindor with the eighth overall pick in the draft. Paulino immediately started opening eyes when as a 17-year-old he hit .355/.404/.610 in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2012. Following that…

MINNEAPOLIS Their scouts tell the Twins that Adam Brett Walker and his Big Gulp strike zone would be carved up by big league pitchers like a pumpkin at Halloween. Their imaginations, though, tell them that if a pitcher makes a mistake with a fastball, it might land in St. Paul. Walker, a 23-year-old outfielder , is an interesting conundrum for the Twins. “When he gets hold of one, it goes. It might bring rain,” said Twins general manager Terry Ryan, who made two trips this summer to see Double-A Chattanooga, where Walker led the Southern League in home runs (31) and RBIs (106). “But he still has a lot of work to do. I don’t think we’ve ever had somebody in his category.” He means, someone with the power to…

MILWAUKEE When catcher Nevin Ashley headed for his locker after the final game of the season at Triple-A Colorado Springs, he was intercepted by manager Rick Sweet. Ashley figured Sweet was going to congratulate him on a nice year. Instead, Sweet told Ashley he had been purchased by the Brewers. When you’ve spent 10 years and 870 games in the minors with nary a day in the big leagues, it takes a while to process that information. “It’s been 10 years of waiting, so it was definitely a good feeling,” said Ashley, signed as a minor league free agent by the Brewers in January. “It’s a great accomplishment for the season I had.” That’s the way the Brewers saw it as well. They could have recalled Juan Centeno, who is…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ OAKLAND The accolades kept piling up for Aaron Brooks and, still, no one seemed to notice. The righthander made a Rookie-level allstar team in 2011 and was his club’s pitcher of the year in both Double- and Triple-A, yet he hardly caused a ripple among evaluators. And, he said, it did not bother him a bit. “I’ve just tried to be humble my whole life,” said Brooks, 25. “I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t matter. You’ve got guys who are ranked No. 1, and that doesn’t always pan out. I realized I wasn’t part of that group, and I decided not to worry about it. ” So Brooks quietly charted a course to the majors, whether evaluators…

SEATTLE Shortstop Drew Jackson’s first professional season didn’t lack for recognition or awards. Despite playing at short-season Everett, the 2015 fifth-round pick might have had the best season of any Mariners prospect. The 22-year-old Jackson, a Stanford product, was the easy choice as the Northwest League player of the year after putting up huge numbers for the Aqua Sox. His .362 average, .437 on-base percentage, 47 steals and 64 runs all led the league. Jackson walked 30 times and struck out 35 times. Besides the player of year award, Jackson also picked up a player-of-the-month award, two player-of-the-week awards and a starting all-star selection. Jackson was the fifth Mariners prospect to be named NWL player of the year, the most recent had been outfielder Patrick Kivlehan in 2012. “He had…

PHOENIX Lefthander Keith Hessler could not have imagined a more surreal debut. Hessler’s quick ride to the majors this season was capped when he made his first appearance for the Diamondbacks on the night Randy Johnson’s jersey was retired before a full house at Chase Field. “I tried not to focus on how many people were there,” said Hessler, 26. “Just kind of ran in and kept my head down and told myself it was just baseball .” Hessler’s focus was sharp. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in his one inning of work Aug. 8, a few hours after he was purchased from Triple-A Reno—his third minor league level in 2015. His rise was slow, then mercurial. Hessler pitched three innings above Class A in…

SAN FRANCISCO Trevor Brown was winding down a solid season at Triple-A Sacramento that included a walk-off single in the 13th inning. He topped that on a Sept. 2 game, when his two-out, two-run home run in the ninth sent the River Cats to a 5-4 victory. But the best was yet to come. Three days after finishing the season, Brown got his first big league callup when the Giants needed coverage behind the plate after Andrew Susac had wrist surgery and Hector Sanchez sustained a season-ending ankle sprain. In Brown’s second major league start, he caught the third-to-last outing of Tim Hudson’s career. The 40-year-old righthander blanked the Diamondbacks for six innings to claim his 222nd victory . Brown, 23, didn’t exactly skip school to catch Hudson. He would’ve…

Jim Gilligan, who has won 1,310 games in 38 years as head coach at Lamar, will retire following the 2016 season, he announced Sept. 21 at a news conference. “I’ve already told my ballplayers here about it and I’ve already told our alumni at our golf event, so now telling the media is the last step of this,” Gilligan said. “And then it’s time to get to work and try to make this the best year I’ve ever had.” Gilligan, 68, became the 19th coach in NCAA history to win 1,300 games last season. In all, his career record stands at 1,320-875-5. He is the winningest coach in both Lamar and Southland Conference history. Gilligan played for Lamar from 1967-1968 and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at…

PHILADELPHIA It’s that time again, friends. Mid-September. And I don’t mean it’s time to set your fantasy-football lineup. I mean it’s time for the first edition of our annual September History Watch series, highlighting lots of fun little historic pursuits you may not realize are in progress. And there’s only one place to start this September: Flushing, N.Y. Where else? I don’t know about you, but I can’t decide which is more ridiculous: Yoenis Cespedes or that team that now employs him, those New York Mets. You decide. An Historical U-Turn A mere eight days before the Mets traded for Cespedes— back on July 23—they started a lineup that seems downright incomprehensible now. Their cleanup hitter was batting .170, with a .565 OPS. That was John Mayberry Jr. Their No.…

BOUNCE FOR BENINTENDI? Any chance Andrew Benintendi cracks the top 50 or 100 in the offseason? What’s his ceiling, floor and reasonable projection? RAFAEL MONERAT, @RAFAELMONERAT Benintendi was one of the best hitters in Ohio when he was in high school. After a modest freshman season at Arkansas, he didn’t play summer ball, so he didn’t add to his scouting profile coming into his sophomore season. But he quickly forced himself onto the national stage this season with a dominating year at Arkansas. He was Baseball America’s College Player of the Year after leading college baseball with 20 home runs and was selected seventh overall by the Red Sox. He was just as productive in his pro debut, hitting .313/.416/.566 with 11 homers between short-season Lowell and low Class A…

Columnist, MLB.com DENVER Blue Jays lefthander Mark Buehrle has the slowest fastball in the big leagues. Not that he cares. Buehrle has been a soft tosser ever since he can remember. He has, however, always been on a fast track since he got his chance in pro ball. At the age of 36, in his 16th big league season and with a fastball that has averaged 84 mph, Buehrle is not slowing down. Despite a left shoulder that he says is “a litle banged up,” Buehrle expresses no concern about being ready to play his part in helping the Blue Jays claim a postseason invite for the first time since 1993. And Toronto can only hope he is correct. No sense doubting Buehrle now. He has never been a high-profile…

Baseball America has been ranking the top prospects in each minor league since 1982. Every year we talk to managers, coaches and scouts to determine the players in each league who project to be future big league contributors. Consider this the start of the prospect season, which will continue as we rank the Top 10 Prospects for every organization in print and online at BaseballAmerica.com, followed by the Top 30 Prospect lists for each team in the Baseball America Prospect Handbook. And after the Handbook arrives, we’ll rank the Top 100 Prospects in all of baseball. To qualify for the league lists, starting pitchers need to have one-third of an inning for each team game (about 20-22 innings in a short-season league and 44-46 innings in a full-season league). Relievers…

The Eastern League this year overflowed with talent. Of the 20 players on this list, 16 were taken in the top two rounds of the draft. Only one was selected later than the fifth round, and that guy, Bowie first baseman Trey Mancini, won the league’s batting title. Righthanders Jeff Hoffman and Michael Fulmer were used as chips at the trade deadline to move all-stars to contending teams. Outfielder Michael Conforto and righthanders Aaron Nola and Joe Ross already have graduated from prospecthood to major league mainstays. A whopping 13 of the 20 made our Midseason Top 50 Prospects. Two of the top five prospects in the game, Harrisburg righthander Lucas Giolito and Reading shortstop J.P. Crawford, occupy the top two spots. Giolito, who qualified for this list in his…

The high Class A California League saw its lowest offensive output in years in 2015, but the league’s Top 20 Prospects list is, as usual, still dominated by hitters. Cal League teams averaged 4.90 runs per game this season. While that figure was still the highest among domestic full-season leagues this year, it was league’s lowest output since 1989. Despite the fact that Inland Empire lefthander Sean Newcomb tops the list, hitters occupy seven spots in the Top 10 spots and 13 of the Top 20. This year’s prospect class had a tough act to follow after the blue-chip trio of Carlos Correa, Julio Urias and Corey Seager came through the Cal League in 2014. 1. SEAN NEWCOMB LHP INLAND EMPIRE (ANGELS) AGE: 22. B-T: L-L. HT.: 6-5. WT.: 245.…

West Michigan may have won the low Class A Midwest League title, but few would argue that Quad Cities will be the 2015 MWL team to remember. For five months, the River Bandits dominated the league. They went 88-50 and finished with the highest winning percentage (.638) of any full-season minor league team. Quad Cities did it with a revolving cast of players, and all told more than 60 different players wore a Bandits uniform in 2015. By the end of the year, a number of Astros prospects had been promoted to higher levels. Others like catcher Jacob Nottingham and righthander Daniel Mengden had been traded away at the deadline. But Quad Cities just kept winning. It didn’t hurt that the reinforcements were often just as talented as the players…

Hillsboro won its second straight short-season Northwest League title, defeating Tri-City. The Hops, led by former big leaguer Shelley Duncan in his managerial debut, featured 2015 No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson at shortstop and league pitcher of the year Carlos Hernandez. The Hops, a Diamondbacks affiliate, also featured lefthander Jared Miller (before his promotion) and big southpaw Cody Reed. In total, Hillsboro placed four players on the Top 20 Prospects list, with three inside the top 10. Salem-Keizer relied on its power, leading the NWL in homers, thanks to first-rounder Chris Shaw from Boston College. Everett also featured strong talent, with 2014 Baseball America High School Player of the Year and first-rounder Alex Jackson supplemented by 2015 college selections who excelled, led by shortstop Drew Jackson (Stanford), the league…

A veteran White Sox team captured its first Rookie-level Arizona League crown after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Mariners 3-2 in the championship game. It wasn’t the first case of playoff dramatics for manager Mike Gellinger’s squad, which started the postseason with an exciting 1-0 win in 11 innings against the Dodgers before defeating the Royals 4-1 in a semifinal game that spanned two days because of inclement weather. Returning to the AZL after a one-year absence, the Royals dominated the regular season with a 40-16 record, earning veteran skipper Darryl Kennedy manager of the year honors. Reds first baseman James Vasquez, a 25th-round pick in 2015 from Central Florida, was named MVP after leading the league in batting average (.359),…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ TORONTO From Opening Day center fielder to Double-A New Hampshire and eventually back to the big leagues as a September callup, the 2015 season has been a challenging one for Dalton Pompey. Add in a pair of stints at Triple-A Buffalo in between his other stops and you can understand why the 22-year-old who went from high Class A to the majors last year describes this year as a “roller-coaster.” Despite the rough ride, Pompey said he feels “definitely more advanced” as a player. “Just finding myself, what type of player that I am and that I need to be,” he said. “Using the opposite field when I’m hitting, bunting, trying to keep the ball out of the…

NEW YORK When Hal Steinbrenner spoke at the owners meetings following the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, he said the Yankees weren’t interested in dealing Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez and James Pazos. As the names rolled off Steinbrenner’s lips, nothing came as a shock until the end. While Pazos had certainly impressed in four minor league seasons and enjoyed a solid 2015 season with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, it was interesting to hear Steinbrenner include his name in that group. And when the rosters expanded on Sept. 1, Pazos was among the players added to the big league roster. “It’s been unbelievable, a dream come true,’’ said Pazos, a 13th-round pick in the 2012 draft out of San Diego, of being a big leaguer. A…

MIAMI If the Marlins could conduct the 2014 draft again, then seventh-rounder Anfernee Seymour would go “a lot higher” than he did. That’s the opinion of Lazaro Llanes, the scout who signed Seymour for the Marlins. Llanes said Seymour was the fastest high school player in the 2014 draft, and scouting director Stan Meek said the shortstop ran the 60-yard dash in 6.14 seconds, which is the best he has ever timed. “He has a long way to go,” Llanes said of Seymour, 20, who spent the season at shortseason Batavia. “But he’s further ahead than what I thought two years ago.” Born in the Bahamas, Seymour played his junior year of high school at American Heritage High in Delray Beach, Fla. As a senior, he played for a Delray…

WASHINGTON Short-season Auburn third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez played in the New York-Penn League all-star game and then saved his best baseball for the Doubledays’ final nine games. Gutierrez, a 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic, closed the season with seven multi-hit games during a nine-game hitting streak in which he went 17-for-38 (.447). He hit .305/.358/.414 in 62 games and led the league with 21 doubles. After signing in April 2013, Gutierrez played one year in the Dominican Summer League and another in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. “I improved my hitting and fielding this year, and I got better with my emotions,” Gutierrez said through an interpreter. Gutierrez struck out 52 times and drew 16 walks, but he showed he could make adjustments against pitchers at a higher level. “At…

DETROIT Some teams send players to the Arizona Fall League to work on a specific pitch or to concentrate on a new position. Tigers righthander Montreal Robertson will play there for a simple reason: to pitch. Assistant general manager David Chadd said Robertson merely needs innings as he continues to work his way slowly but surely through the minor leagues. “He just needs to pitch more than anything,” Chadd said. “Repetition. We started him out as a starter and he’s found his niche in the bullpen. He has three power pitches: fastball, slider, change. He’s just got to go and continue to get quality hitters out and that’s what he’ll do in the fall league.” Robertson, 25, is 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, a 29th-round pick in 2011 out of Coahoma (Miss.)…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CINCINNATI The Reds have said since their deadline deal with the Royals that they want Brandon Finnegan to start—and he’s finally getting his chance. Finnegan replaced Michael Lorenzen in the Reds’ all-rookie rotation in the final weeks of the season, after Lorenzen shifted to the bullpen to conserve innings on his arm. Finnegan was called up from Triple-A Louisville after rosters expanded in September, believing he’d finish the year in the bullpen after starting in Louisville. The Reds have been clear with Finnegan since acquiring him with John Lamb and Cody Reed at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Johnny Cueto to the Royals—they see him as a starter . He was used as a starter…

PITTSBURGH The Pirates are sending an interesting group of players to the Arizona Fall League, including two of the better prospects in their system. Center fielder Austin Meadows and catcher Reese McGuire are the headliners among a group of seven who will play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. The 20-year-olds were both first-round draft picks in 2013. Meadows finished the season at Double-A Altoona after hitting .307/.357/.407 for high Class A Bradenton with seven home runs and 21 RBIs in 508 at-bats. McGuire is an above-average defensive catcher but batted just .254/.301/.294 with no homers for Bradenton in 412 at-bats. He also struggled throwing out basestealers, catching just 25 percent (27 of 107). The Pirates feel both can benefit offensively from seeing more advanced pitchers in the AFL. Shortstop/outfielder Adam…

HOUSTON Corner outfielder Jon Kemmer’s name was not found on any top-prospect lists at the start of the season. Heck, he arrived at Osceola County Stadium for spring training in March needing to win his job at Double-A Corpus Christi. Yet on a team that included Carlos Correa, Brett Phillips, Colin Moran and A.J. Reed for at least parts of the season, Kemmer was the one tabbed the Hooks’ 2015 player of the year. “He came in as a guy who was fighting for a job on that Double-A squad, which he earned,” farm director Quinton McCracken said. “Most of our kids who are in that position, they have to be opportunistic. “They have to take advantage when given opportunities. Jon put his best foot forward, kicked the door in…

ARLINGTON The Rangers loaded up on bullpen arms at the trade deadline, adding Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson, and turned a glaring weakness into a strength to help their run to playoff contention. Diekman and Dyson are under the club’s thumb contractually, too, and so is rookie Keone Kela. So it won’t be easy for young relievers to break into high-leverage roles in the Rangers’ bullpen. But lefthander Andrew Faulkner, 23, and righthander Luke Jackson, 24, have made favorable impressions during the Rangers’ September run. The homegrown arms have back-of-the-bullpen stuff . “In the minor leagues, they logged a lot of innings as starters, which used to be pretty common,” big league pitching coach Mike Maddux said. “They were able to get a lot of touches, which helps them in…

LOS ANGELES When the Dodgers went to Arizona for a September series against the Diamondbacks, manager Don Mattingly started a pair of 21-year-olds in the middle of the field—shortstop Corey Seager and second baseman Jose Peraza. It was the first time since the last game of the 1947 season that the Dodgers had a double-play combo made up of two players 21 years old or younger. That day Tommy Brown (20) and Eddie Miksis (19) started at shortstop and second base, respectively, against the Boston Braves. The Seager-Peraza pairing could be a familiar one in Los Angeles in the very near future. “They’ve both showed they can play,” Mattingly said. “Josey’s come up and done fine . . . Corey’s handled himself very well.” Seager was the top-ranked prospect left…

It used to be rare for USA Baseball’s 18-andunder program to win a world championship. The International Baseball Federation’s first 18U world tournament was held in 1981, and the U.S. won the second edition, in 1982. Since back-to-back championships in 1988-89, gold medals had become less common for USA Baseball, with wins in 1995 at Fenway Park (the last 18U championship to be held in the United States) and 1999 in Taiwan. But at last month’s 18U World Cup, USA Baseball claimed its third straight gold medal, beating host Japan in the championship game in front of 15,000 fans at famed Koshien Stadium. It’s the first time any country has won three straight 18U world titles since Cuba from 1984-87. This year’s team presented a unique challenge, as two of…