Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, November 20, 2015 i Baseball America

IN THIS ISSUE: Jose Canseco wins top prospect honors in the Southern and Pacific Coast leagues. ALSO: Barry Bonds ranks third on Carolina League Top 10. “His attitude, which tends to be weak, does not go unnoticed,” a manager said. Let’s set the time machine for 1985, when the Royals last won the World Series after sticking with their youth movement (sound familiar?). Here’s the report from Tracy Ringolsby, then the Royals beat writer for the Kandas City Star: The same temptation (to pursue free agents) presented itself to the Royals a year ago, but they resisted and won. And it came up again this year, and again the Royals resisted. They felt they had established the solid foundation and weren’t going to undermine it in 1985. “We have gone…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com NEW YORK Nine years, two pennants and one World Series parade into his tenure as Royals general manager, Dayton Moore takes a philosophical stance on moves that failed to pan out. When he reflects on the decision to sign veteran outfielder Jose Guillen to a three-year contract or acquire Jonathan Sanchez in a trade with the Giants, it’s like looking at an old high school graduation photo with a bad haircut. The formative years are history now that the Royals have raised the caliber of baseball in Kansas City to a level not seen since George Brett was ripping doubles into the gap. Every experience, good and bad, has been an opportunity to learn, improve and bring the Royals closer to their objective of winning a title.…

WORLD SERIES RATINGS A WINNER FOR FOX The Royals’ World Series triumph over the Mets was a hit for Fox. While the Game Five clincher grabbed an 11.7 rating on Nov. 1—down 23 percent from Game Seven in 2014 when the Giants defeated the Royals—it was the best Game Five rating since 2009, when the Yankees and Phillies squared off. For the full five games, the 2015 World Series averaged a 10.1 rating/17 share in metered market results. That’s up 26 percent over 2014’s five-game average and 11 percent over the seven games of last year’s series. In Kansas City, an estimated 90 percent of TV-owning households tuned into the game’s climax at 11:30 p.m. Central time, according to the Hollywood Reporter. MLB ANNOUNCES JR. HOME RUN DERBY Major League…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel @baseba llamerica.com The National League Central didn’t produce the World Series winner, but it was baseball’s best division in 2015. It wasn’t just notable for three strong teams in the Cardinals (100 wins), Pirates (98) and Cubs (97). It was notable for how young those teams were, and indeed how young the entire division was. The Cubs, with a well documented foursome of rookie regulars who helped them win a playoff series for just the second time in 70 years, had the second-youngest lineup in the NL, just a shade older than the Diamondbacks. The Cardinals were the first team in four years to win 100 games and had the best team ERA (2.94) in the game despite having only one starter over the…

CHICAGO CUBS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Jed Hoyer. Farm director: Jaron Madison. Scouting director: Matt Dorey. The Cubs completed their rebuilding project on the field faster even than the extensive renovations at Wrigley Field. After an active offseason that included signing free agent lefthander Jon Lester and free agent manager Joe Maddon, the Cubs won 97 games to earn one of the National League wild cards, thus becoming the first third-place team ever to qualify for the postseason. The 97 victories tied the 2008 edition for the most by a Cubs team in the Expansion Era, and they followed a Wild Card Game victory in Pittsburgh with a four-game Division Series vanquishing of the Cardinals, the first time the Cubs had ever celebrated a playoff victory at Wrigley. When Chicago…

PITTSBURGH PIRATES ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Neal Huntington. Farm director: Larry Broadway. Scouting director: Joe DelliCarri. The Pirates went 98-64 in 2015, finished with the second-best record in the major leagues and qualified for the postseason for a third consecutive year. On the farm, four of the organization’s seven domestic affiliates made the playoffs. It was a seemingly a great year for a franchise that not all that long ago endured 20 consecutive losing seasons at the major league level from 1993 to 2012. That remains the record for sustained futility in major North American professional team sports. Yet the Pirates walked away from 2015 feeling empty. Despite the 98 wins—their most since the 1991 team won the same number—they lost in the National League Wild Card Game for the…

BALTIMORE Injuries aren’t exclusively the domain of the Orioles’ pitching prospects, such as righthanders Dylan Bundy and Hunter Harvey. One of their top position prospects also had a recent setback. Righthanded-hitting third baseman Jomar Reyes had surgery on Oct. 15 to remove a broken hamate bone from his left hand. Reyes broke the bone while swinging a bat in instructional league. The schedule was down to its last two games. “He hit a ball and felt the pain in his wrist,” farm director Brian Graham told MASNsports.com, “which is very normal with the hamate bone in the hand.” “The pain ends up going to your wrist. He went for a scan and it revealed the hamate fracture. “He’ll be fine in four or five weeks. A lot of good hitters…

TORONTO International scouts projected Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as a right fielder, like his father, at the time he signed. The Blue Jays are instead trying him at third base. The 16-year-old Dominican slugger played the hot corner during instructional league, working regularly on his defense with Mike Mordecai, the former infielder who is now the club’s coordinator of instruction, and infield coach Danny Solano. “He looks good there,” said interim general manager Tony LaCava, who oversaw the farm system in 2015. “He’s got plus arm strength and moves around well.” The Blue Jays signed Guerrero for $3.9 million in July, blowing past their allotted international bonus pool of $2,324,100. A subsequent trade of prospects Chase DeJong and Tim Locastro to the Dodgers for three spending slots totaling $1,071,300 helped ease…

NEW YORK Athletics shortstop Mark Kiger in 2006 became the only player in modern baseball history to make his major league debut in the postseason. The Mets gave shortstop Matt Reynolds the opportunity to become the second when he replaced the injured Ruben Tejada on the National League Division and Championship Series rosters. Juan Uribe replaced Reynolds for the World Series before the rookie could appear in a game. Tejada suffered a fractured right fibula on a late slide by Chase Utley in Game Two of the NLDS. “It’s kind of not how I wanted it, because of how Ruben got hurt,” said Reynolds, 24, “but that’s what this business is.” Reynolds hit.267/.319/.402 in 115 games at Triple-A Las Vegas in 2015, when he missed most of July with an…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ DETROIT Righthander Joe Jimenez signed with the Tigers in 2013 as a nondrafted free agent out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. In 2015, he earned the system’s minor league pitcher of the year award. The hard-throwing Jimenez has made great strides and posted excellent numbers in three pro seasons. He has certainly opened eyes among Tigers personnel, including assistant general manager David Chadd. “What Joe has done early in his minor league career has been truly impressive,” Chadd said. The 20-year-old Jimenez went 5-1, 1.47 with an impressive 0.79 WHIP in 2015 in 40 games at low Class A West Michigan. He struck out 61 in 43 innings. Those 2015 numbers look a lot like the ones…

KANSAS CITY Luke Farrell could certainly empathize with his father John, the Red Sox manager who was diagnosed with Stage 1 lymphoma this summer that is currently in remission. Luke, a 24-year-old righthander , had three surgeries for a golf-ball sized tumor in his neck. The tumor turned out to be benign after a biopsy. Farrell went 8-2 with 60 strikeouts in 55 innings as a Cleveland high school senior and signed with Northwestern. Before enrolling in 2009, Farrell had a dental appointment when the tumor was found. It took not one, but two, surgeries in six days to completely remove the tumor. Farrell, who is listed at 6-foot-6, saw his weight drop from 200 to 175 pounds. The doctors told Farrell that “not in 100 years” would the tumor…

CHICAGO The Cubs haven’t produced a major league pitcher from four drafts and four international signing periods under president of baseball operations Theo Epstein. But Epstein expects that to start changing in 2016, even if the hitters in the system continue to outnumber the slow-building group of pitching prospects. “I do think it’s a year that the pitching is going to burst on the scene a little bit,” Epstein said. “We have six 20-year-olds that we’re really excited about and that have a chance to be impact pitchers as they move through the system.” Righthander Dylan Cease, who approached 100 mph in his abbreviated comeback season from Tommy John surgery this year, could be the most intriguing. He fell to the sixth round of the 2014 draft—where he signed for…

ST. LOUIS After arriving in the Arizona Fall League, righthander Luke Weaver quickly realized that wild, wild things could happen when pitching further west than he’s ever been in his life. “The ball will go a long way if you don’t put it where it needs to be,” the 22-year-old said. Weaver has made the most of the additional innings he sought in the AFL, recording a 2.61 ERA in 10 innings spread over four relief appearances. The righthander had struck out 12 and walked just three. The reaffirming production comes at the end of a year that started with rotator-cuff soreness. The 2014 first-round pick from Florida State arrived for the team’s early spring training program and with one throw off the mound felt some discomfort that didn’t abate.…

ANAHEIM Many eyebrows were raised when the Angels used the 26th pick in the 2015 draft to select Taylor Ward, a Fresno State catcher who was ranked No. 70 on the Baseball America predraft ranking. The selection also elicited a collective groan from Angels fans, who looked at Ward’s lessthan-stellar offensive résumé, his reputation as a strong defensive catcher and concluded he was the next Jeff Mathis. To the surprise of many—and delight of the Angels—it appears Ward may have a little more upside than Mathis. Ward, who signed for $1.67 million, played 32 games at Rookie-level Orem and hit .349/.489/.459 with two homers and 19 RBIs. A jump to low Class A Burlington hardly slowed him. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound catcher hit .348/.412/.413 with one homer and 12 RBIs in…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ DENVER Concentrated work on defense was the instructional-league priority for high Class A Modesto third baseman Ryan McMahon, and the initial results were encouraging. Director of player development Zach Wilson and Modesto development supervisor Jerry Weinstein devised a comprehensive plan for McMahon during instructs. “It wasn’t easy,” Wilson said. “It was intense. It was every single day. He got after it, and he certainly improved himself with the process.” Weinstein and McMahon called their program “Project .950.” The immediate aim is for the 20-year-old to finish with a .950 fielding average. He’s a career .917 fielder after making 39 errors in 2015, when he hit .300/.372/.520 with a California League-leading 43 doubles to go with 18 homers and…

SAN DIEGO The Padres are back in the market for a shortstop after receiving poor results in 2015 from veteran utility players Alex Amarista and Clint Barmes as well as a displaced second baseman (Jedd Gyorko) and third baseman (Will Middlebrooks). The farm system, it appears now, will need at least another year to provide a shortstop who is a viable solid starter. San Diego had a well-regarded shortstop prospect heading into last offseason in Trea Turner, a first-round pick in 2014. But first-year general manager A.J. Preller dealt Turner (as a widely-reported player to be named) to the Nationals in a three-team trade last December that brought outfielder Wil Myers to the Padres. Succeeding Turner as the system’s top shortstop prospect is Jose Rondon, whom San Diego acquired from…

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. Roemon Fields wouldn’t be playing center field and batting leadoff for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League if not for the support and influence of his grandmother, Rose Pierce, and his brother, Anthony. The 24-year-old Blue Jays farmhand, who reached Triple-A to end his first full season as a pro, would instead be delivering mail in his hometown of Seattle. Fields’ rapid ascent through Toronto’s minor league system comes after a past so unbelievable that movie studios would probably reject a proposed script about his baseball career as being too inconceivable. Growing up in Seattle, the athletic Fields barely played baseball during his high school years, instead starring as a point guard on the Rainier Beach High basketball team while also spending his autumn months…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Oct. 17-30. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed RHP Jose Nivar, Cs Andy Garcia and Brett Hayes, 3B Randy Federico and SSs Roberto Delgado and Jose King. Re-signed C Mark Thomas. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Signed LHP Adam Kolarek. Re-signed LHPs Cesar Cabral and Ashur Tolliver and 2B Corban Joseph. BOSTON RED SOX: Signed OF Jayce Ray. Re-signed RHPs Nick Green and Jorge Marban. Released C Jon Denney and 1B Luke Murton. CHICAGO CUBS: Re-signed RHP Jose Rosario. Released LHP Tsuyoshi Wada. C Taylor Teagarden and OF Quintin Berry elected free agency. CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Signed 2B Steve Lombardozzi. Released OF Jordan Yallen. COLORADO ROCKIES: Released RHPs Angel Lezama and Cesar Villarroel, C Jairo Rosario, 1B Henry Garcia and OF…

JUPITER, FLA. Brendan Rodgers was in the opposite dugout of Ashe Russell and Beau Burrows during the title game of the 2014 World Wood Bat Association World Championship, as Rodgers’ Orlando Scorpions faced off against the EvoShield Canes, which featured Russell and Burrows. A year later, the trio of first-round picks returned to the WWBA World Championship—this time taking in the tournament together as spectators. Rodgers, Russell and Burrows—selected third, 21st and 22nd overall, respectively, in the 2015 draft—spent the weekend hanging out at the tournament and watching their former teams and coaches compete. Russell said he was especially happy to see the Canes coaches. “I can’t even put into words how much they helped me out with the draft and college recruiting and everything after I decommitted (from Notre…

Andy MacPhail, the incoming president of the Phillies, hired Matt Klentak to be the Orioles’ director of baseball operations in 2008 when he was with Baltimore. But MacPhail did not allow sentimentality to encroach on making a franchise-altering decision in picking a new general manager. “(MacPhail’s) process was comprehensive, it was rigorous, it was objective and it was thorough,” said Phillies ownership partner John Middleton, who was part of the interview team. “And because (he) did all those things well, (MacPhail) wound up with a great result in hiring Matt.” Klentak, 36, replaces Ruben Amaro Jr., who was fired after seven years. Amaro has taken a career pivot, becoming first-base coach of the Red Sox. Klentak, who played shortstop at Dartmouth and graduated from the school in 2002, has also…

Columnist, MLB Network NEW YORK In the end, Matt Harvey was The Guy. The Friday before his World Series Game Five start, Harvey admitted he was “frustrated” by the lack of propulsion on his fastball that had produced just two swings-andmisses in his previous start against Kansas City. But when it came to the start that could postpone winter—the start the Mets could not lose—Harvey walked to the mound like Justin Verlander, John Smoltz or Pedro Martinez, beyond doubt and above frustration caused by the innings flap started by his agent, Scott Boras. When he finished the eighth inning in a blaze and with a 2-0 lead, it was not his arm or his innings that did in the Mets—it was that Matt Harvey was the guy, the man who…

CINCINNATI REDS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Dick Williams. Farm director: Jeff Graupe. Scouting director: Chris Buckley. The Reds signed and developed an enviable wave of homegrown talent in the first decade of the 2000s. Players like Joey Votto, Johnny Cueto, Jay Bruce and Homer Bailey all reached the majors around the same time and contributed to a trio of playoff teams in 2010, 2012 and 2013. Coming up right behind them were the fruits of an excellent 2007 draft that included Devin Mesoraco, Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart. An astute signing of Cuban lefthander Aroldis Chapman just added to the youth movement. Votto developed into one of the best hitters in baseball. Cueto proved to be a No. 1 starter, while Bruce, Frazier, Chapman and Mesoraco all have made all-star…

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: John Mozeliak. Farm director: Gary LaRocque. Scouting director: Randy Flores. Cardinals fans experienced the best regularseason team in baseball in 2015, in the tradition of the game’s most consistent organization. St. Louis reached the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons, winning the National League Central for the third straight season and winning 100 games for the first time in a decade—the first team in the majors to reach the century mark since 2011. And yet, the Cardinals team that faced the rival Cubs in the NL Division Series was not the same team that won the division. Not quite. Left fielder Matt Holliday missed half the season with a quad injury and wasn’t himself. Catcher Yadier Molina, with a ligament injury…

BOSTON Shortstop Javier Guerra’s defensive ability always has turned heads. He commands the attention of evaluators with a well above-average arm and range, along with a feel for the game to make the unexpected and spectacular commonplace. Guerra complemented that hallmark glove work in 2015 with an eyebrow-raising show of power at low Class A Greenville. He drilled 15 homers, the second-most in the system, while batting.279/.329/.449 in 116 games. He demonstrated an ability to drive the ball that even he conceded came as something of a surprise given that he had hit just two homers in his first two pro seasons. “When I signed (out of Panama in 2012), I just wanted to play,” said Guerra, 20. “I wasn’t thinking about power or that kind of thing. (In 2014),…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ATLANTA The path righthander Lucas Sims has followed has not been easy since he signed as the 21st overall pick in the 2012 draft out of high school in Snellville, Ga. After enduring workload restrictions in 2013 and a rough first half in 2014, Sims suffered a hip contusion that limited him to 20 starts in 2015. The injury resulted from the high Class A Carolina team bus crash in May. Sims received extra work after the season with Peoria of the Arizona Fall League. The 21-year-old said he appreciates the opportunity to work on a few things. “I’ve battled through some adversity over the past two years, but I think that’s been good for my overall development,”…

PHILADELPHIA Five starting pitchers made their big league debut for the rebuilding Phillies in 2015. Could righthander Jake Thompson, an in-season trade pickup, be next? “I think there’s a chance,” Double-A Reading manager Dusty Wathan said. “With the situation we’re in right now, his talent level and where he’s been the last two years, I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to see him pitch in Philadelphia next year.” Thompson, who turns 22 in January, was one of five prospects acquired from the Rangers for Cole Hamels in July. After the trade, he went 5-1, 1.80 with a 1.00 WHIP in seven starts at Reading. He added 16 innings of one-run ball in the Eastern League playoffs. Thompson’s numbers weren’t nearly as good at Double-A Frisco in…

CHICAGO The White Sox reported to spring training in 2015 with plenty of questions at catcher. They brought in numerous candidates to help provide answers. Given his experience working with the pitching staff and solid defensive skills, Tyler Flowers emerged as Chicago’s No. 1 catcher, and Geovany Soto broke camp as the backup. After being claimed on waivers from the Marlins in December, Rob Brantly reported to spring training with a legitimate shot to win a job. Miami’s Opening Day catcher in 2013, Brantly had the lefthanded bat the White Sox sought, and they also liked his throwing arm. But Brantly, the Tigers’ third-round pick from UC Riverside in 2010, fractured his left thumb in March and missed the first two months. It was a fluke injury. Brantly was catching…

MINNEAPOLIS A lot has changed since righthander Kuo Hua Lo first arrived in Elizabethton, Tenn., deep in the Appalachian Mountains, to pitch for the Rookie-level Twins. “Yeah, they have an Applebee’s now,” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff, said. “That was a big deal.” By now, so is Lo, who has spent so much time in eastern Tennessee, he reportedly does a credible Southern accent—when not speaking his native Mandarin. The 23-year-old Taiwan native, who signed for $125,000 in 2011, made his U.S. debut in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2012. He then spent three summers in the Appy League, where in 2015 he held batters to a .146 average in 31 innings and racked up seven saves in seven opportunities . It’s rare for a player to…

CINCINNATI In recent years, the Reds have tried pitchers—even college closers like Michael Lorenzen and Nick Howard—as starters and use relief as a fall-back option. While Lorenzen has reached the big leagues as a starter and Howard produced poor results in 2015, that decision seemed to come earlier for righthander Zack Weiss, who recorded 30 saves in 32 chances at high Class A Daytona and Double-A Pensacola this season. He also got the ball late in his first Arizona Fall League appearance and nailed down that save . Weiss started five games at Rookie-level Billings in 2013 after the Reds selected him in the sixth round of that year’s draft out of UCLA, but he has worked exclusively as a reliever since then. He recorded three saves at low Class…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ OAKLAND The last thing Sean Manaea wanted was another injury, but that’s exactly what he got in spring training this year. Back in 2013, the Indiana State lefthander had been considered a potential No. 1 overall draft talent before a hip injury and its aftereffects left scouts wondering about his health. He dropped to the Royals at No. 34 overall. Manaea got hurt again in 2015, this time with an abdominal strain, just as he was ready to show Kansas City what he could do. Could things get any worse? “It was a blessing in disguise,” Manaea said. While he recovered, the 23-year-old worked diligently on developing his changeup, a pitch that had eluded him. “I was able…

SEATTLE New general manager Jerry Dipoto and the Mariners made some changes to titles and responsibilities to the upper level of the baseball operations staff. Jeff Kingston will remain in the organization, as expected, after serving as assistant GM to Jack Zduriencik and interim GM after Zduriencik was fired. Kingston was the organization’s contracts and transactions expert, and he will perform those duties as an assistant to Dipoto. He’ll also oversee all player development in the organization. Andy McKay, the club’s new director of player development, will report to him. Kingston has some experience in that role, since he worked as assistant director of player development with the Padres in 2001. Tom Allison, who served as director of pro scouting for the past three seasons, has been promoted to vice…

PHOENIX Outfielder Jason Morozowski made franchise history by hitting for the cycle in the Pioneer League playoffs, punctuating his first pro season at Rookie-level Missoula. Morozowski completed his cycle with a homer in the Osprey’s win-or-go-home second game of the semifinal series against Billings, the start of a remarkable postseason in which he hit .480 (12-for-25) with two homers and seven RBIs in six games. “He’s very clutch. He always seems to be in the middle of things,” fielding coordinator Tony Perezchica said . The 21-year-old Morozowski made such an impression in his first season, hitting .292/.369/.479 with 15 doubles, six homers and eight stolen bases in 63 games, that some in the organization see similarities with big league center fielder A.J. Pollock. “We called him a small Pollock,” Perezchica…

SAN FRANCISCO Lefthander Adalberto Mejia tried to take a shortcut and learned a hard lesson. Now he’s back on a path that should lead him to the big leagues before too long. The 22-year-old had to wait until June to make his season debut at Double-A Richmond because of a 50-game suspension after testing positive for Silbutramine, a controlled stimulant commonly used as an appetite suppressant. Conditioning has been an issue at times for the stocky, 6-foot-3 southpaw, whose listed weight of 195 pounds strains credibility. Mejia went 5-2, 2.45 in 12 games (nine starts), held opponents to a .204 average and posted a 1.09 WHIP in the Eastern League. He bounced back well after dealing with intermittent shoulder soreness in July, and he made up for lost time in…

After the surprising move to fire coach Sunny Golloway on Sept. 27—while fall ball was under way—Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs moved quickly to find a replacement, introducing Butch Thompson as the Tigers’ new coach on Oct. 22. Thompson, 44, was an Auburn assistant coach from 2006-08, and interviewed for the head job two years ago, the last time it was open. Instead, Jacobs picked Golloway and Thompson remained the associate head coach at Mississippi State, where he had been since leaving Auburn. Jacobs didn’t pass on a second opportunity to hire Thompson, the 2014 Baseball America/ABCA Assistant Coach of the Year, and bring him back to the Plains. “It’s great to be back at Auburn,” Thompson said at his introductory news conference. “I wanted this job because of Auburn’s…

Jayson Stark Baseball Analyst, Senior Writer ESPN.com NEW YORK They should have been thinking about the long flight back to Kansas City for Game Six. They should have been thinking they’d just run into Matt Harvey on the wrong night in November. They should have been thinking that some missions are more impossible than others, and this was one of them. But those are the kinds of thoughts other teams think. Not this team. Not the team that just won the 2015 World Series on a shocking Sunday night at Citi Field, the Kansas City Royals. If there ever was a team that could find itself two runs down to the Dark Knight in the ninth inning of a World Series game and think, “Cool, we’ve got these guys right…

WHO’S NO.2? At this time, is Blake Rutherford—the center fielder at Chaminade College Prep in Simi Valley, Calif.—good enough to take at No. 2 over some of the pitchers such as Riley Pint or Jason Groome? RON DRIESEN Right now, Rutherford is the only high school position player who appears to be in the discussion to be among the top five to seven picks in the 2016 draft. In conversations with scouting directors, they agree that the top of this draft class is dominated by pitchers, including Oklahoma righthander Alec Hansen, Florida lefthander A.J. Puk and high school lefthander Jason Groome and righthander Riley Pint. A pair of college outfielders (Florida’s Buddy Reed and Louisville’s Corey Ray) and possibly Tennessee second baseman/third baseman Nick Senzel could work into that group…

Columnist, MLB.com NEW YORK Thirty years ago, it took the Kansas City Royals the full seven games to claim a World Series championship, and in the process, they had to overcome 3-1 deficits in both the American League Championship Series against the Blue Jays and in the World Series against the Cardinals. The current version of the Royals ended the franchise’s 30-year championship drought against the Mets, and while the ledger will show they did it in five games, what was apparent to Royals players of the past is that this year’s club also showed an amazing resiliency. The Royals didn’t face six elimination games en route to winning their championship, but in the World Series alone, they had to rally to overcome deficits in the ninth inning of Game…

MILWAUKEE BREWERS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: David Stearns. Farm director: Vacant. Scouting director: Ray Montgomery The 2015 season quickly became one of major changes for the Brewers. The first major change occurred on May 4, when the Brewers fired manager Ron Roenicke. Milwaukee staggered to a 5-17 record in April, which followed on the heels of a 9-22 collapse at the end of 2014 that knocked them from playoff contention. Taking over as manager was Craig Counsell, a special assistant to general manager Doug Melvin. The losing didn’t stop, leaving the Brewers little choice but to implement a rebuilding plan on their way to a fourth-place finish in the National League Central. Step one of the rebuild: Trade productive veterans for young talent. Milwaukee made three significant trades in July—sending…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ NEW YORK Gary Sanchez’s solid 2015 season is still going strong. The 22-year-old catcher began the season at Double-A Trenton, moved to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and appeared in two big league games over the final two weeks. Sanchez hit.274/.330/.485 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in 93 minor league games, and only slugger Aaron Judge hit more home runs (20) than Sanchez among Yankees farmhands. He also threw out 36 percent of basestealers in 82 games behind the plate. Those numbers reaffirmed the Yankees’ belief that Sanchez has a chance to catch in the big leagues. Twelve games into the Arizona Fall League, Sanchez had gone 19-for-52 (.365) with 10 extra-base hits, including six homers. “I have not heard…

ST. PETERSBURG Getting the experience of playing in 31 major league games and making 88 plate appearances was a tremendous experience for third baseman Richie Shaffer. Now the goal is to get better. Though Shaffer started off with a bang— his first big league hit was a home run off White Sox reliever Daniel Webb—he knows his.189/.307/.392 batting line showed the need for improvement. “Obviously the results aren’t fantastic, but it’s a growing process. It’s a learning experience,’’ said Shaffer, 24. “It’s something where I think the more comfortable I get here in the big leagues, the more competitive and productive I’m going to be. And that’s just sort of how it is.’’ One of the biggest challenges for Shaffer, a 2012 first-round pick from Clemson, was getting used to…

MIAMI Triple-A New Orleans closer Nick Wittgren believes he should have made his big league debut in 2015, just like former Purdue batterymate Kevin Plawecki, a backup catcher on the Mets’ World Series roster. “I think I could have easily pitched (in the majors) this season,” said Wittgren, 24. “I was ready, and I feel even more prepared now. ” He may soon get that chance. If the Marlins don’t add Wittgren to the 40-man roster in November, then he will be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft, where any team that picks him would have to keep him on their big league roster in 2016 or lose him to his original team. Wittgren ranked third in the Pacific Coast League with 19 saves in 2015, when he…

WASHINGTON Pedro Severino, a 22-year-old catcher called up in September, waited 19 more days to make his big league debut. Then he promptly banged out his first hit, a pinchhit double to left field off the Marlins’ Jose Urena in a 13-3 Nationals victory. “My first at-bat, I was just really excited,” Severino said. “I knew my mom and the rest of my family were out there watching, so I tried to do everything I could. That’s a good feeling that I see my work paying off.” The righthanded hitter from the Dominican Republic finished the game behind the plate and later made one start, going hitless in three at-bats to finish at.250 in his first taste of the big leagues. He continued to play this winter in the Dominican…

CLEVELAND The Indians already have one pitcher from UCLA in their rotation. It may not be long before they have another. Righthander Adam Plutko had a breakout season in 2015, when he went 13-7, 2.39 with a 0.93 WHIP in 27 starts at high Class A Lynchburg and Double-A Akron. Like current Indians starter Trevor Bauer, Plutko is a former Bruin. “Adam combined his solid four-pitch mix with impressive command and pitchability,” director of player development Carter Hawkins said. “He doesn’t back down from challenges, and when you combine all those things it typically leads to success.” The 24-year-old Plutko went 29-10 in his three years at UCLA, and he earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2013 College World Series. The Indians selected him in the 11th round of…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MILWAUKEE After suffering frustrating injuries in previous seasons, Michael Reed was determined to do something about it in 2015. “I wanted to get bigger and stronger,” the outfielder said. With that in mind, the 6-foot, 210-pound Reed immersed himself in football-style workouts after the 2014 season, which in a way came naturally. He played football at Leander (Texas) High before giving it up to concentrate on baseball, and his father Benton was a defensive end who made it to the NFL. Sure enough, Reed made it through the season without being sidelined by injury. Staying on the field turned out to be a good thing because he experienced a breakthrough season in which he saw action at Double-A…

PITTSBURGH In baseball, as in most businesses, imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery. The Pirates have had plenty of success in recent years, making three straight postseason appearances following a string of 20 consecutive losing seasons. Not surprisingly, other teams are noticing—and hiring people away from the organization. Special assistant to the general manager Jim Benedict, credited with working in lockstep with big league pitching coach Ray Searage in salvaging the careers of a number of pitchers, was hired by Marlins to be their vice president of pitcher development. Benedict has a background as both a pitching coach and scout, and the Pirates utilized him in both areas. He identified a number of pitchers acquired by the Pirates in recent years, and he also worked with them both…

HOUSTON New farm director Allen Rowin is the ultimate survivor in an Astros organization that has had plenty of turnover since Jim Crane bought the club and ultimately hired Jeff Luhnow as general manager in December 2011. Since joining the organization as an intern in February 2007, Rowin has earned the trust and respect of three different GMs—Tim Purpura, Ed Wade and ultimately Luhnow. In that span, he was a crucial assistant to three different farm directors, beginning with Ricky Bennett and then Fred Nelson and Quinton McCracken. The 36-year-old Rowin now gets his chance to run the farm system. Luhnow promoted McCracken to director of player development and Rowin to director of minor league operations. Rowin served as McCracken’s assistant the last three years. Rowin chuckles when asked how…

ARLINGTON Teams aren’t always comfortable inviting players to the scout-heavy Arizona Fall League only a few months before they might be exposed to the Rule 5 draft. Such players are often stashed away in their offseason homes, where they can’t be seen by the other 29 teams. If a team sends one of its Rule 5-eligibles to Arizona, it often intends to add him to the 40-man roster and thus keep him out of the Rule 5 talent pool. That’s what 24-year-old righthander Connor Sadzeck is hoping as one of the seven Rangers prospects playing for the Surprise Saguaros. He lit up the radar gun early on in the AFL campaign, with his fastball clocked as fast as 101 mph, as he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery. “I’m…

LOS ANGELES Righthander Walker Buehler’s first year as a pro will not involve him throwing a single pitch. The Dodgers chose the 21-year-old out of Vanderbilt with their top pick in the 2015 draft at No. 24 overall. Within a few weeks, he had Tommy John surgery. Buehler now faces at least a year—likely more—of rehab before he can step on a mound again. “The plan is to try and throw next year in (instructional league), which is 131∕2 months out of surgery, which is a pretty conservative time line from what I’ve heard about the recovery,” Buehler said. “So I don’t think there’s a whole lot of pressure. I’m not trying to come back for a full season. Hopefully, that goes well. But if not, I’ve kind of got…

DELRAY BEACH, FLA. After defecting from Cuba earlier this year, free agents righthander Vladimir Gutierrez and outfielder Guillermo Heredia showcased their talents to a bevy of scouts and a small crowd of curious onlookers the morning of Oct. 24 at the Elev8 Baseball Academy. Heredia, 24, left the island early in the year, while Gutierrez, 20, defected from the Cuban team in February during the Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico. Both have spent the last couple months working out at the Academy, preparing for the opportunity to sign. “I’ve worked for this day, I knew what to expect,” Gutierrez said through the translation of his agent Brian Mejia. “I wasn’t scared at all. The preparation that I’ve had, I just put it into practice.” Heredia, the No. 11 prospect on…

JUPITER, FLA. The World Wood Bat Association World Championship brings together most of the country’s top prep prospects, and swarms of scouts and college coaches make the journey to Jupiter to see players using wood bats against quality competition. While the event does attract many pitching prospects, it is in some respects more important for position players because of the opportunity it provides for scouts to evaluate them against quality pitching. In many instances, Jupiter is the last opportunity evaluators have to see prospects in an environment that (at least somewhat) replicates professional baseball. Catchers Brandon Martorano (Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, N.J.) had an outstanding week at the plate and was named MVP of the tournament. Martorano was a regular on the showcase circuit this summer. Playing for the Evoshield…