Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, November 06, 2015 i Baseball America

IN THIS ISSUE: Adam Wainwright (Braves), Miguel Cabrera (Marlins), Jose Reyes (Mets) earn top prospect honors in deep NL East class. » ALSO: Marlins must pick between top first-base prospects Jason Stokes and Adrian Gonzalez. An improved farm system has created reason for optimism in Philadelphia, even after the Phillies finished with the worst record in the majors and a third-straight losing mark. It’s a similar feeling to 2003, when Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd, Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson and Ryan Howard lurked in the farm system, and Philadelphia prepared to bid farewell to Veterans Stadium and open Citizen Bank Park. Philadelphia won six National League East titles from 1976-83, but has enjoyed just three winning seasons since—largely because its player development system was ignored for years. Now there’s a legitimate…

PHILADELPHIA When the Mariners fired general manager Jack Zduriencik in August and embarked on the task of hiring his replacement, team president Kevin Mather called Major League Baseball’s commissioner’s office for input on potential candidates who might be worth interviewing. This is a customary procedure among clubs that want a head start on the executive hiring process. “One of their questions was, ‘We’re assuming you’re looking for a younger, analytic guru, computer nerd type,’ ” Mather said. “I paused, and they said, ‘Well, everybody else is asking.’ ” Mather subsequently revealed that he was joking about the exchange. But the imaginary encounter appears to have mirrored the experience of at least one major league competitor. The Brewers became the first team with a general manager vacancy to spring into action…

BREWERS HIRE ARNOLD, CONTINUE OVERHAUL New Brewers general manager David Stearns fired or reassigned several longtime members of the Milwaukee front office as he puts his stamp on his new organization. Stearns did not renew the contract of longtime farm director Reid Nichols and offered assistant GM Gord Ash and director of minor league business operations Scott Martens different positions in the front office. Both Ash and Nichols had been in those roles since Doug Melvin took over as GM in September 2002. Melvin announced in August that he was stepping aside, and the Brewers hired Stearns, a 30-year-old former Astros executive, in September. Stearns hired Matt Arnold away from the Rays as an assistant GM. Arnold was elevated earlier this year to director of player personnel after GM Andrew…

The Cubs won 97 games in 2015, won a wild-card showdown with the Pirates and even won a Division Series matchup with the rival Cardinals. Game Four of that series proved to be the first time the Cubs clinched a playoff series at Wrigley Field. They did it with a young, in part homegrown lineup, featuring not only 2015 Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant but also 2014 firstrounder Kyle Schwarber, 2011 first-rounder Javy Baez (subbing for injured Addison Russell), and top international signees such as Starlin Castro and Jorge Soler. When the Cubs were bad—and their firstround pick was never lower than ninth in the last five years—they picked a hitter every single time. Signing free agent Jon Lester and stealing Jake Arrieta from the Orioles gave them a…

MIAMI MARLINS A season of promise, prompted by the Marlins’ $325 million offseason extension for all-star right fielder Giancarlo Stanton and a midseason return for ace Jose Fernandez, crumpled quickly with a poor start (16-22) that cost manager Mike Redmond his job. Stanton hit 27 home runs in just 74 games, so clearly his absence significantly diminished Miami’s competitiveness. But his broken hand in June was only the most obvious of the disappointments. The Marlins were already 15 games under .500 by that time, and the team probably would not have competed even with him. The promising young outfield of Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna—which combined for 14.7 wins above replacement in 2014—plummeted to 7.2 WAR, with Ozuna contributing just 0.4 in 123 games. The 24-yearold reportedly clashed with…

WASHINGTON NATIONALS Washington were high entering the 2015 season. The Nationals were World Series favorites thanks to a loaded rotation fronted by Max Scherzer and a powerful lineup led by Bryce Harper. They started the season slowly and found themselves in fourth place in the NL East, five games behind the Mets, at the end of April. They eventually hit their stride and were in first place going into August, but they slid down the stretch. Washington went 29-32 over the final two months of the season, finished with just 83 wins and missed the playoffs by seven games. Several key Nationals spent significant parts of the season on the disabled list. Third baseman Anthony Rendon, center fielder Denard Span, left fielder Jayson Werth and first baseman Ryan Zimmerman all…

BOSTON When the Red Sox signed twins Luis Alexander and Luis Alejandro Basabe as 16-year-olds in 2012, the differences between the switch-hitting, middle-of-the-field brothers were only slightly more obvious than the one in their names. Both were raw, having come to baseball relatively late after spending most of their Venezuelan upbringings playing soccer. They were about the same height (5-foot-10). Luis Alexander showed a bit more power and was a more physical player and center fielder, while Luis Alejandro was the superior runner and had a better feel for hitting while playing in the middle infield. But the gap between the two players was subtle. Over three seasons, both have shown flashes of ability that suggest prospect status. Yet it is Luis Alexander, the outfielder at short-season Lowell, who has…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MIAMI The Marlins knew it would take time to develop Texas prep righthander Tyler Kolek, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Miami fans can’t help but see a 19-year-old pitcher who went 4-10, 4.56 in 25 starts at low Class A Greensboro this season. Making matters worse, the Marlins could have selected North Carolina State lefthander Carlos Rodon, who went third overall to the White Sox and made his big league debut in April. Kolek’s coaches at Greensboro see a different picture. They say the 6-foot-5, 260-pound righty who has touched 102 mph took a few positive steps in his first full year as a pro. “Tyler didn’t have the success he wanted to this…

PHILADELPHIA Darnell Sweeney couldn’t have scripted his first major league hit better. On Aug. 22, just a few days after joining the Phillies organization in the trade that sent Chase Utley to the Dodgers, Sweeney launched a 445-foot, pinch-hit home run to help Philadelphia rally from two runs down in the eighth inning and record a 4-2 win against the Marlins. Sweeney grew up 20 minutes north of Miami and had plenty of friends and family in the stands. The remainder of the season was a time to get to know each other for Sweeney and the Phillies. Though the 24-year-old, switchhitting second baseman/outfielder struggled at times, he impressed club officials with his speed, versatility and occasional pop. “Interesting guy,” bench coach Larry Bowa said. “He can play multiple positions,…

CHICAGO The White Sox know Courtney Hawkins has talent. They saw it in spring training, when the 21-year-old left fielder hit .412 with 10 RBIs in the Cactus League to go with a team-high four home runs. “He had a very productive major league camp that he was able to carry into the first half of the minor league season,” assistant director of player development and scouting Del Matthews said. Hawkins, the 13th overall pick in 2012 out of Carroll High in Corpus Christi, Texas, played in 78 games at Double-A Birmingham this season and hit .243/.300/.410 with nine home runs and 41 RBIs. A finger injury sidelined Hawkins early in the season, and he was hobbled by plantar fasciitis at the end of the year. The left foot injury…

MINNEAPOLIS Rookie-level Elizabethton righthander Cody Stashak was hit hard by Greeneville on Aug. 25, giving up seven runs on six hits while recording just five outs. It was a blowout, an ambush, the worst night of Stashak’s budding pro career. Yet it only gave the Twins more optimism about the 21-year-old righthander. “He pitched so well all summer, I mean really well, and you know he’s pitching with a lot of confidence,” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff said. “So when he gets hit a little bit, you see how he responds to it, and you see a little bit of the experience he has start to shine through.” The Twins selected Stashak in the 13th round of the 2015 draft out of St. John’s, heeding the recommendation of…

CINCINNATI After playing third base at Stanford and shortstop since being drafted by the Reds in 2014, Alex Blandino was playing second base in the Arizona Fall League. “We’re trying to figure out where the best home is going to be,” farm director Jeff Graupe said. “We feel Alex has a chance to be a solid everyday player in the major leagues. We’ve seen him play a good third base in college, we’ve seen him play a solid shortstop in the minors and we want to see second base now.” The No. 29 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Blandino’s calling card has been his bat, but his defensive versatility is a plus . Even though he’ll be playing second for Peoria in the AFL, a return to shortstop is…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ HOUSTON Shortstop Alex Bregman paid close attention to the 2015 postseason, and he admittedly was inspired watching all of the young players contributing for the Astros. “I don’t know if there’s a better organization from the top to bottom,” said Bregman, the second overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Louisiana State. “So it definitely motivates you to get better and improve your baseball skills and hopefully get up there .” The 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop had a stellar first professional season after signing for a below-slot $5.9 million bonus. He hit .319/.364/.475 in 160 at-bats at high Class A Lancaster with three home runs and 21 RBIs while stringing together a 16-game hit streak. He opened at…

SEATTLE The Mariners will have a new person leading their farm system in 2016. Chris Gwynn resigned as director of player development after four seasons, and later was replaced by Andy McKay. “It was time,” Gwynn said. “It’s a grind doing this job, and I was ready for something different.” With general manager Jerry Dipoto taking over the organization, Gwynn’s departure wasn’t surprising. He understood that his role within the organization might have changed. “I know they want to bring their own people in,” he said. “I’ve been around a long time. I know what’s up. I could probably stay If I wanted to. But I think it’s just time.” Gwynn, 50, was hired on Nov. 1, 2011 to take over the Mariners system after serving as director of player…

DENVER A little-noticed trade brought the Rockies a sizeable organizational dividend this year. They dealt reliever Rob Scahill to the Pirates for righthander Shane Carle on Nov. 11, 2014. Scahill went 2-0, 4.42 in 41 games for the Rockies in parts of the 2012-14 seasons. On a Double-A New Britain team that finished 69-71, Carle, 24, went 14-7, 3.48. He led the Eastern League in wins and had a 100-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 160 innings. “He’s got a presence about him on the mound,” farm director Zach Wilson said. “He works quick. He’s working to attack you early, and he pitches with absolutely no fear. He does not shy away from contact whatsoever.” The loss of several players caused New Britain to fade after a 27-10 start. Carle got better…

SAN FRANCISCO Once the Giants were mathematically eliminated from the National League West with a week to go in the regular season, they shifted gears in right field. They sat Marlon Byrd and watched Mac Williamson. It was a profitable venture. Byrd came six plate appearances short of vesting an $8 million option, which is more than the Giants want to pay a 38-year-old platoon outfielder. And Williamson gave them enough of a glimpse to send him to the Arizona Fall League with specific homework assignments. Now that Williamson is making more consistent contact, Giants manager Bruce Bochy would like to see just a bit more loft in the 25-year-old’s line-drive swing. Giants farm director Shane Turner wasn’t shy about comparing Williamson to the Cardinals’ Matt Holliday. “There’s so much…

PHOENIX With temperatures approaching 90 degrees, the nearly 40 members of the Glendale Desert Dogs worked out on a mid-October morning at Camelback Ranch before the start of the 24th Arizona Fall League season. The players know that an assignment to the AFL is an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of scouts, team executives and several hundred fans observing the three daily games during the six-week season. But with the major league postseason in full swing, Desert Dog players from the Astros and Dodgers were also keeping a close eye on the fates of their respective big league teams. Dodgers right-hander Jharel Cotton moved into the bullpen after his August promotion to Triple-A in case he was needed to help the big league team. Cotton didn’t get the…

CHICAGO It happened long before Kyle Schwarber’s majestic home run ball came to rest atop the right-field video board . . . Long before the Champagne sprayed in the night and the Cubs partied on the grass at Wrigley Field . . . Long before the Cubs sent the mighty Cardinals and Pirates home for the winter. It happened on the morning of July 26. The Cubs awakened to the sting of Cole Hamels’ no-hitter the day before. They were about to get swept, inexplicably, by the worst team in baseball (the Phillies) in a three-game series at Wrigley. So if you knew then that the Cubs were about to turn into baseball’s best team, you must have been consulting a Ouija board, not the standings. They were 51-45, just…

The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee has withdrawn an experimental rules proposal for a 20-second pitch clock, meaning the measure will not be coming to the sport this spring. The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel had in August referred the proposal back to the Baseball Rules Committee to determine how many conferences would implement the rule in 2016. The proposal didn’t receive enough support, scuttling the measure. The Division I Baseball Committee had hoped to use a pitch clock during the NCAA tournament— including regionals, super regionals and the College World Series in Omaha—but that will no longer be possible. After seeing the average time of a nineinning game in the College World Series increase to three hours and 19 minutes in 2015, up from two hours and 53 minutes in…

Lefthander Daniel Norris, who was the Blue Jays’ top prospect entering the season before he was traded to the Tigers in the David Price deal, says he’ll have surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his thyroid. Norris posted to his Instagram account in October, saying he decided to wait until after the season to have surgery after speaking with a doctor. “I’ve been debating for months as to how or even if I should share this with people,” Norris wrote on Instagram. “I’m a firm believer in the power of prayer. So now, I’m asking for prayers.” Norris said that he discovered the condition while with the Blue Jays and was given the option to shut down his season or keep playing. “Seeing another doctor that determined I could…

BOSTON It was a bad slide— late—as was the one on which Matt Holliday wiped out Marco Scutaro in the second game of the 2012 National League Championship Series. After the game Holliday told me, “I was late, it wasn’t a good slide. It was in no way intentional. It was not intentional, it wasn’t dirty, but I was late.” Chase Utley’s slide came on a day when the Dodgers internally had questioned the players’ urgency. As he went into the slide, there was no way to consider the possibility that the umpires would say that Ruben Tejada was off the bag. It was a stranger play than the 2012 turn; Ruben Tejada took the throw with his back to Utley and was trying to throw back across his body…

PHILADELPHIA Back in 2007, the Phillies entered the final weekend of the season looking to run down a fading Mets team and win the National League East. They succeeded. They beat the Nationals on the final day of the season—fulfilling Jimmy Rollins’ brash wintertime prediction that they were “the team to beat”—and simultaneously broke a 14-year playoff drought while igniting the most successful run in franchise history, which included five straight division titles, a World Series championship and 257 straight sellouts at Citizens Bank Park. The goal on the final weekend of the dismal 2015 season was diametrically different: avoid the ignominy of 100 losses without being too fanatical about it. After all, that No. 1 pick in the 2016 draft would come in pretty handy as the team moves…

NEW YORK METS The Mets’ six-year run of seemingly endless rebuilding and poor results ended in dramatic fashion in 2015. New York won 90 games, captured the National League East division title—they outplayed the favored Nationals by nine games in August and September—and defeated the Dodgers and Cubs in the playoffs to capture the NL pennant. However, the Mets team that advanced to the World Series only faintly resembled the team that closed play at the July 31 trade deadline with a 53-50 record . A series of trades, callups and returns to health remade the Mets’ offense down the stretch, while the pitching staff, despite its comparative youth, recorded a 3.43 ERA that ranked fourth lowest in baseball. Despite losing righthander Zack Wheeler to Tommy John surgery , the…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports ST. PETERSBURG Cubs ace Jake Arrieta beat the Diamondbacks on Sept. 5 to pick up his 18th win when Rays righthander Jacob Faria took to Twitter for a clever “surrender” in the competition only he knew was raging: “I get my 17th W and then @JArrieta34 gets his 18th. The only problem is I ran out of regular season games so I guess he wins this battle” While Arietta would go on to lead the majors with 22 wins, Faria finished with a pretty impressive season himself, going 17-4, 1.92 while moving up from high Class A Charlotte to Double-A Montgomery. “It was fun, just giving my team a chance to win all the time,” Faria said, “and…

NEW YORK The market for starting pitchers as the July 31 trading deadline approached didn’t do much for the Yankees, who weren’t interested in Johnny Cueto as a rental and didn’t want to absorb the salary of Cole Hamels or the cost of prospects involved. Yet, when the Tigers announced David Price was in play, many believed the Yankees would change their track and deal one or more of their “untouchable” prospects. Price went to the Blue Jays and led them by the Yankees to the American League East division title. Still, big league manager Joe Girardi believes what righthander Luis Severino and first baseman Greg Bird contributed to the big league club in 2015, and what right fielder Aaron Judge and catcher Gary Sanchez project to contribute was not…

ATLANTA The 2015 campaign turned out to be a tale of two seasons for Double-A Mississippi righthander Jason Hursh. A first-round pick in 2013 out of Oklahoma State, Hursh entered the year riding the momentum of a strong showing at Mississippi in 2014. In 27 games (26 starts), he went 11-7, 3.58 to rank sixth in the Southern League in ERA and earn the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year award. Hursh returned to Mississippi to open the 2015 season, yet never looked comfortable through the first three months while trying to improve the consistency of his breaking ball. He continued to struggle through the first week of July, when the Braves moved him to the bullpen after going 2-6, 5.63 in 15 starts. As a reliever, Hursh focused…

WASHINGTON The Nationals felt four teams were enough this year for Trea Turner, so they decided not to send the 22-year-old shortstop to the Arizona Fall League. Turner began the season at Double-A San Antonio in the Padres system and ended it with a 40-at-bat stint in Washington. In between those stops, he suited up for Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. The 2014 first-round pick from North Carolina State probably won’t play for as many teams next year, but Turner has a chance to win the big league shortstop job with Ian Desmond set to become a free agent. Turner remained with the Padres this year until June 14, when he officially became the player to be named in the three-team trade that sent and Steven Souza to the Rays…

DETROIT It is not clear what position JaCoby Jones will be playing, say, two or three years from now, but the Tigers have confidence that he will make an impact. Jones played well at shortstop for Double-A Erie after Detroit acquired the 23-year-old from the Pirates at the trade deadline in exchange for reliever Joakim Soria. Assistant general manager David Chadd likes what he sees and thinks Jones just needs playing time to develop. “It’s the power-speed combination,” Chadd said. “We know he can play the middle of the field. It’s all those things, as a scout, it gets you obviously excited because the tools are all there. He’s a five-tool player. He’s just got to continue to develop, cut down on strikeouts and put the ball in play a…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ PITTSBURGH It would have been easy for Keon Broxton to wonder if his career had stalled when he was assigned to Double-A Altoona at the end of spring training. Yet the outfielder refused to take a defeatist attitude in his seventh professional season despite having only previously reached Triple-A for the 2012 Pacific Coast League playoffs. “I approached it that I was just going to have to work harder,” Broxton said. “I was going to have to prove that I deserved a promotion.” Broxton wound up receiving two promotions, the second of which landed him in the major leagues and a spot on the roster for the Pirates’ loss to the Cubs in the National League wild-card game.…

MILWAUKEE You can be 155 pounds, not throw hard and still have success in the major leagues. That was the message after righthander Zach Davies finished his 2015 debut with the Brewers with 15 consecutive scoreless innings. “It’s clear he has weapons for every hitter,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That’s encouraging.” Davies, 22, was acquired on July 31 from the Orioles in a trade for outfielder Gerardo Parra. At 6-foot, 155 pounds and not a hard thrower (88-89 mph range), his acquisition seemed to go against the Brewers’ usual preference for big, hard throwers. The club’s analytics department liked Davies, however, and he was highly ranked in the Orioles system, so the Brewers took a chance. And they liked what they saw after promoting him from Triple-A Colorado Springs…

ANAHEIM Bobby Scales wasn’t trying to be flippant when asked how much Hunter Green’s career has been set back by injuries. “That’s a hard question because he never really got started,” the Angels farm director said. “I’m not trying to be funny, but when a guy never gets his feet off the ground, how far can something like this set him back?” Green—a 6-foot-3, 180-pound lefthander from Warren East High in Bowling Green, Ky.—was 17 and a second-round pick of the Angels when he signed for $942,000 in 2013. He threw 17 innings in the Rookie-level Arizona League that summer, but a recurrence of a back injury from high school prevented him from pitching in 2014, and he sat out 2015 thanks to a stress fracture in his elbow. After…

ARLINGTON Cole Hamels delivered the American League West title for the Rangers with a complete-game win Oct. 4 against the Angels, and fellow lefthander Jake Diekman tossed four perfect innings over the first two games of the Division Series. The eight-player trade that brought Hamels and Diekman to Globe Life Park paid dividends for the Rangers . The cost to get them from the Phillies, though, was steep . The Rangers farm system isn’t as loaded as it was six months ago. “Philly did really well in the Hamels deal,” general manager Jon Daniels said. But that’s the cost of doing business, and one reason a club builds a strong system is to use it to acquire players for the big league team. The Rangers are no strangers to trading…

LOS ANGELES Alex Verdugo is mature enough at age 19 to know how immature he was—at age 18. One of the Dodgers’ top hitting prospects, Verdugo started this season at low Class A Great Lakes with a plan in mind. “I wanted to do a leg kick because I wanted to improve my power so my power numbers would be there,” he said. No one had told him he needed to develop more power. The Dodgers were actually very happy with his pro debut in 2014. He hit .353/.421/.511 with three home runs in 54 games between the Rookie-level Arizona and Pioneer leagues. “That was in my head,” said Verdugo, a second-round pick in 2014 out of Sahuaro High in Tucson, of the desire for more power numbers. “Everybody jokes…

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. Dominic Smith knows about profile. He knows that to get love as a first-base prospect, he needs big-time power. He’s heard the people willing to downgrade his stock after hitting just 10 home runs in 1,091 professional plate appearances. He just doesn’t care. He’s more of a pure hitter than a slugger, and he’s worked hard to maintain that reputation. He does so with the confidence that the power will come as his body matures and gains strength, and that a well-honed hit tool is one of the sport’s rarest gems. “I don’t really try to pay attention to anything people really say except for the people who matter, which are the Mets,” Smith said. “I’m just trying to play my game and play hard and do what…

When Alex Meyer broke the news, Brad Bohannon couldn’t hold back his reaction. This was huge. This was his winning ticket. It was July 2007 at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Ga. Meyer, who would go on to be a first-round pick of the Nationals in 2011, had just wrapped up his junior year in high school, and he had decided that he would like to commit to Kentucky. “The first thing I did was hug him,” remembered Bohannon, Kentucky’s recruiting coordinator then and now. “I hugged him and did a monster fist bump and screamed like a little girl . . . I got a lot of funny looks. People thought I hit the lottery. “And I did hit the lottery.” That was the moment when it…

YES OR NO FOR NOLA? Why does nearly every prospect evaluation system or website seem to not like Aaron Nola? As a 22-year-old, he’s seemed to put together everything you would want. While it doesn’t seem that he would project as a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, he seems at least to me that he could be a solid middle to back of the rotation pitcher. What aspect makes him look less projectable? MIKE VOLBERDING I think we’ve always liked Nola a lot. He ranked No. 39 on our Top 100 Prospects list coming into the 2015 season and he ranked No. 7 on our BA 500 ranking of the top draft prospects in the 2014 draft—he was picked seventh overall by the Phillies. In our Prospect Handbook, we…

KANSAS CITY Dayton Moore grew up living and dying with his beloved Royals. Nothing has changed in adulthood. “I was a 9-year-old when Chris Chambliss hit that home run,” Moore, now Kansas City’s general manager, remembered. That walk-off home run in Game Five of what was then a best-offive American League Championship Series in 1976 lifted the Yankees into the World Series and put an end to the first of seven postseason appearances in a 10-year span for the Royals. “George (Brett) hit that home run to tie the game up and I was higher than a kite,” Moore said. “Then, Chambliss hit that walk-off. I was bawling my eyes out.” And then there was Game Seven of the World Series in 1985, when the Royals knocked off the Cardinals…

ATLANTA BRAVES President of baseball operations John Hart left no doubt about where the Braves were headed in 2015. After making a dozen trades to rebuild a barren farm system that had become an afterthought under previous general manager Frank Wren, he dealt closer Craig Kimbrel to the Padres a few hours prior to Opening Day, making it clear the organization was sacrificing the present for the future. Hart continued to deal through the trading deadline, when he sent 24-year-old lefthander Alex Wood, top prospect Jose Peraza and three veteran hurlers to the Dodgers for Cuban third baseman Hector Olivera and two minor league pitchers. Atlanta proceeded to lose 19 of 20 games from Aug. 17-Sept. 6, became the only team in baseball that failed to score 600 runs (573)…

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES Even though the Phillies finished with the worst record in baseball at 63-99, in some ways 2015 was their best season in a long while. The team’s transition kicked into high gear, and the key pieces of the youth movement introduced over the course of the season showed promise. After a lackluster big league trial in 2014, third baseman Maikel Franco started the 2015 season back at Triple-A Lehigh Valley before being recalled in mid-May. This time, he played like a top prospect, hitting 14 home runs in 80 games and recording an .840 OPS in a season interrupted by a fractured left wrist. He also showed the tools necessary to stick at third base and looked like the first cornerstone of a new Phillies foundation. The second…

BALTIMORE The list of young pitchers having Tommy John surgery now includes 24-yearold righthander Branden Kline. Dr. James Andrews performed the surgery on Kline’s right elbow on Oct 8. in Pensacola, Fla. “It went well,” farm director Brian Graham said. “From a timing standpoint, it’s good because you’re hoping he’ll be back near the end of next year and have an entire offseason to rest and come back great the following year.” Kline went 3-3, 3.66 in eight starts at Double-A Bowie this season, racking up 27 strikeouts and 19 walks in 39 innings. He didn’t pitch after May 20, then tried to throw in instructional league but had to be shut down again after one game due to tightness in his elbow. Orioles team orthopedist Dr. Michael Jacobs examined…

TORONTO Quietly, as the Blue Jays made their first trip to the postseason since 1993, the club’s instructional league was underway in Dunedin, Fla., with a focus on building young pitchers after the flurry of trades that emptied out the system. Righthanders Sean Reid-Foley, Jon Harris and Justin Maese are among those on the roster who are receiving fine-tuning with an eye toward a push in 2016. “We’ve got to replenish,” scouting director Brian Parker said. “It’s really about the pitching, to make sure there’s a good group of young arms coming, working with some of the young guys who have been in the lower levels to get them acclimated to throwing every five days.” Reid-Foley, the 2014 second-rounder out of high school in Jacksonville, opened the season at low…

NEW YORK The Mets have a pair of highprofile shortstops in their system: 2012 firstround pick Gavin Cecchini as well as Amed Rosario, who signed for $1.7 million out of the Dominican Republic that same year. Now 21-year-old Luis Guillorme is starting to make a name for himself as well. Guillorme hit .318/.391/.354 at low Class A Savannah in 2015 and was recognized as the MVP of the South Atlantic League. Savannah exited the SAL playoffs in the opening round, but Guillorme—a 10thround pick in 2013 out of Coral Springs (Fla.) High—helped fuel an 18-game winning streak in August. That was the longest streak in the majors or minors in a decade. “Luis is a gifted defender at shortstop,” vice president for scouting and player development Paul DePodesta said. “Offensively,…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CLEVELAND Talk about finishing strong. Mike Clevinger finished the 2015 season virtually unhittable and demonstrably unbeatable. After spending the season at Double-A Akron, the 24-year-old righthander moved to Triple-A Columbus for the International League playoffs. He started and won two Game Fives, including the one that claimed the Governors’ Cup trophy in the IL. In those two games, Clevinger tossed 15⅓ scoreless innings, yielded just five hits, with 17 strikeouts and three walks. “It says something about a player’s routines when his best outings are at the end of the season,” farm director Carter Hawkins said. “And the fact that it was against Triple-A competition, in the highest of leverage situations, makes it even more impressive.” Clevinger’s rousing…

KANSAS CITY Alec Mills surprised even the Royals on his rapid success after having Tommy John surgery in 2013. The 22-year-old righthander, a 22ndround pick out of Tennessee-Martin in 2012, went 7-7, 3.02 in 21 starts at high Class A Wilmington in 2015. “He was really pitching well before he had Tommy John surgery,” assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said. “Last year when he came back from Tommy John, of the guys we’ve had to have that surgery, he is the quickest to regain his command and his breaking ball than anybody we’ve had. He really recovered well and quickly.” Mills was named a Carolina League all-star and the pitcher of the month for June, when he went 3-0, 0.99 in five starts with four walks and 28 strikeouts over…

CHICAGO Now that this first wave of top-ranked prospects under the fourth-year Cubs regime has broken through to help the big league club reach the National League Championship Series, can there be much left to expect from the system anytime soon? And is there any place for the next group of position players to play if Kris Bryant (April 17 debut), Addison Russell (April 21) and Javy Baez (2014 debut) have joined all-stars Anthony Rizzo, 26, and Starlin Castro, 25, in the infield mix—with Kyle Schwarber (June 16) and Jorge Soler (2014) in the outfield? Jason McLeod, the Cubs’ top player development executive, addressed that with the club’s instructional league players this fall. “I said, ‘Look, I know you look up at that team and all you see are the…

ST. LOUIS The season after Marco Gonzales appeared in the majors as a spot starter and member of the Cardinals’ postseason bullpen, the lefty did what few thought possible at the end of 2014. He had barely a cameo in the The Show. Gonzales, 23, pitched 2 ⅔ innings of a start in the majors during the 2015 season, and otherwise spent the summer on the disabled list, on a rehab assignment, or in the Triple-A Memphis rotation. For the 19th overall pick in 2013 out of Gonzaga, the temptation was to call it a lost season. More accurately, it was a learning experience. “He did have a tough year,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “I think when he first had that shoulder strain and, as a young player, wanted…

OAKLAND A few days into spring training, Keith Lieppman made a bold pronouncement as he watched Carson Blair. “This guy can catch in the majors,” Lieppman, Oakland’s director of player development, said back in March. Six months later, he appeared prescient. Blair, a long-time Red Sox farmhand, got a September callup, which included a great deal of playing time because of injuries to the big league backstops. “I think he’s done a nice job,” manager Bob Melvin said. “He’s been a quick study. He understands when we go over scouting reports on other teams. He’s a quick learner. ” Blair, 26, came to the A’s as a minor league free agent and proved his merit. In addition to catching quite well, he hit .272/.389/.509 with six homers in 55 games…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ PHOENIX Socrates Brito had a coming out party Oct. 1, about three weeks after joining the Diamondbacks when rosters expanded. All Brito did that night was hit two singles and a triple, steal second and throw out a runner attempting to advance from first to third. The Socratic method, in motion. “He’s an electric player,” manager Chip Hale said. “He’s something. That’s another guy in our system that’s obviously been taught well. He has all the tools. We saw it in spring training. We’re extremely happy with the way he played in Mobile, and he’s shining here.” Brito, who singled in a pinch-hit appearance in his major league debut, hit .300/.339/.451 with 17 doubles, 15 triples, nine homers,…

SAN DIEGO A year after hitting .284/.322/.454 with 18 home runs at low Class A Fort Wayne, Fernando Perez was less potent with the bat at high Class A Lake Elsinore, hitting just .224/.291/.352 with 10 home runs. But on the defensive side, Perez took a step big forward. The 22-year-old found a home on the infield—at second base—a year after he worked at first, second and third. Of his 113 games played, 101 came at second. He committed 18 errors and helped turn 62 double plays. Farm director Sam Geaney said Perez, a third-round pick in 2012 out of Central Arizona JC, looks capable of playing major league defense at second. “He made really, really good strides at the position,” Geaney said. Perez—who was born in Ensenada, Mexico, a…

GARY SANCHEZ, C ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE Born: Dec. 2, 1992. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 230. B-T: R-R. Hitting: 50 Power: 60 Fielding: 50 Speed: 30 Arm: 60 Future Grade: 50 Based on 20-80 scouting scale and future projection rather than present grades Former Phillies scout Therron Brockish reprises his role for BA with weekly scouting reports from the Arizona Fall League. Brockish has more than 20 years of experience as a college coach and as an amateur scout. He served as an assistant coach at Wayne State, Ball State and Arizona Christian and as head coach at Iowa Western CC, and he worked for six years as an area scout with the Phillies, signing big leaguers Jason Donald, Tuffy Gosewisch and Lou Marson during that time The Arizona Fall League began…

Baseball’s international governing body is rolling out a new top-level tournament this year, but the inaugural edition of the Premier 12 has been fraught with problems so far. The Premier 12 is set for Nov. 8-21, with pool play in Taiwan and Japan before the semifinals and finals in Tokyo. It’s now the top senior event on the calendar for the International Baseball Federation, which has been rebranded as the World Baseball Softball Confederation in an effort to get both back into the Olympics. Rather than considering baseball and softball as separate sports, the International Olympic Committee now considers it one sport with two disciplines, male (baseball) and female (softball). The confederation wants to have top professional players from the 12 top-ranked baseball-playing countries playing in a World Cup-style tournament…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Oct. 3-16. Arizona Diamondbacks: Re-signed RHP Nick Sarianides and SS Ildemaro Vargas. Released RHPs Mike Cetta, Joey Donino, Holden Helmink, Will Landsheft, Troy Marks, Andrew Potter, Scooter Price, Aaron Sookee and Kevin Vance; LHP Roberto Cancio, C Nate Irving, 1B Ismael Pena, 2B Mike Abreu, 3Bs Jacob Cordero, Tyler Humphreys and Nate Robertson and OF Maik Ehmcke. RHP Kevin Munson and C Jordan Pacheco elected free agency. ATLANTA BRAVES: Re-signed LHP Andy Otero. RHPs David Carpenter and Michael Kohn elected free agency. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Signed RHP Michael Zouzalik. Re-signed LHP Nick Additon, 2B Garabez Rosa and SS Ozzie Martinez. LHP Cesar Cabral and OF Chris Parmelee elected free agency. BOSTON RED SOX: 2B Jemile Weeks…