Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, May 06, 2016 i Baseball America

JULY 21 1996 » IN THIS ISSUE: Mariners shortstop Alex Rodriguez follows Ken Griffey Jr.’s path to stardom. » ALSO: Louisiana State, behind Warren Morris’ walkoff home run, wins the College World Series in dramatic fashion. This is the Kingdome in 1996, but it might as well be Shea Stadium, 1965. Shrieks pierce the din. Flashbulbs pop. Hundreds of teenage girls, some of whom don’t even know who the Beatles were, squeal and tremble as their mothers did for John and Paul. Alex is up. They call his name and cover their faces in quivering ecstasy. Two sit in the first row of the bleachers in left-center field, holding a “We Love U Alex” banner. “I know Alex Rodriguez’s shoe size and what he eats for breakfast,” Sara Olson, 14,…

CAN PEN MOVE PAY OFF? Do you think that the time in the bullpen will benefit Trevor Bauer? MICK EICHTEN , @MEICHTEN47 When the Indians opened the season, they announced that Trevor Bauer was the odd man out in a threepitcher battle for the fourth- and fifth-starter’s jobs. Those went to Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson while Bauer was moved to the bullpen. The move is yet another setback in what has been so far a disappointing career for Bauer. The third pick in the 2011 draft, Bauer was traded by the Diamondbacks just a year later for shortstop Didi Gregorius. The Indians envisioned that Bauer would be a front-of-the-rotation starter by now. Instead his long-running control troubles have kept him from developing into even an average starter. Bauer’s stuff…

Columnist, MLB.com DENVER Tony La Russa spent 16 years playing baseball at the big league and minor league level. He managed in the minor Leagues, and coached briefly at the big league level, and then embarked on a 33-year managerial career that earned him election to the Hall of Fame. Now, La Russa is the chief baseball officer for the Diamondbacks, and his on-field experiences are guiding him in the new endeavor. La Russa, who earned his law degree at Florida State while finishing up his playing career, was certainly successful during in the dugout. As manager of the White Sox, Athletics and Cardinals, he took his teams to 12 division titles, six pennants and three World Series championships—1989 with the A’s and 2006 and ’11 with the Cardinals. The…

Managing Editor Baseball America jjcooper@baseballamerica.com Two weeks into the season, Major League Baseball announced that Phillies lefthanded reliever Daniel Stumpf had been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Stumpf becomes the third Rule 5 pitcher in the past two seasons to be suspended for PEDs, joining lefthanders David Rollins and Andrew McKirahan from last year’s Rule 5 class. In Stumpf’s case, he will miss the rest of April, all of May, June and part of July. If the Phillies opt to keep him on their roster, he will then have to spend the rest of July, August and then September on the active roster to meet Rule 5 roster requirements. Otherwise the Phillies will have to place him on waivers to offer him back to…

BALTIMORE Earning the Orioles’ minor league player of the year award in 2015 didn’t assure first baseman Trey Mancini of a promotion to the highest level in the system. In fact, the 24-year-old Mancini is back at Double-A Bowie despite an apparent vacancy at first base at Triple-A Norfolk, where Christian Walker moved to left field. Offseason waiver claim Joey Terdoslavich plays first base at Norfolk, leaving Mancini in the Eastern League while waiting for regular playing time. Until then, he’ll try to perform his best and wait patiently. “The situation right now that our organization is in, we have a lot of really good players and veteran guys who are in Triple-A,” said Mancini, a 2013 eighth-round pick out of Notre Dame who hit .359 to win the EL…

TORONTO Judging where a player is mentally, as much as fundamentally, will be a crucial tenet in the Blue Jays’ decision-making process for prospects under Ross Atkins. The first-year general manager believes firmly there is no uniform approach to deciding when the time is right for a promotion, and he feels that ensuring a young player has a strong foundation is essential. When asked to define what he means by foundation, Atkins said: “When a player fails, what do they fall back on? When a player has success, what do they look to do to continue it? When a player is looking to make an improvement, what do they go to do to push forward? “Building the right routines, the right areas to focus on, the best ways to evaluate…

MIAMI Righthander Tyler Kolek will miss the entire 2016 season after having Tommy John surgery on April 6. That puts a hold on the 20-year-old’s development but doesn’t make the organization’s No. 1 prospect unique. Marlins ace Jose Fernandez had Tommy John in 2014, while relief ace Carter Capps, like Kolek, had the procedure this spring. Fernandez returned to the mound in 2015, but Capps and Kolek are out for the next 12 to 18 months. Low Class A Greensboro manager Kevin Randel said Kolek would have been his Opening Day starter. “It’s a tough break for him,” Randel said of Kolek, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft out of Shepherd (Texas) High. “He looked good this spring, and he reported in good shape.” Kolek struggled in…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CLEVELAND Spring training frequently means that major league managers have to deliver unhappy news. For the Indians’ Terry Francona, his talk with outfielder Tyler Naquin was not one of those conversations. “You give so many people tough news that when you’re able to tell somebody something like that, it was a real good feeling,” Francona said. Francona told Naquin at the end of training camp that he had earned a spot on the Opening Day roster. “That was one of the more touching ones for us,” Francona said. “To be able to tell him and see the reaction. It was hard not to be emotional. The last thing I want to do is start crying at 9:30 in…

KANSAS CITY Outfielder Reymond Fuentes faced long odds to make the Royals, even after Jarrod Dyson pulled his right oblique in the first spring training game. Yet not only did Fuentes earn a roster spot, he was the starting right fielder for the defending World Series champions on Opening Day. Fuentes went 22-for-57 (.386) with three home runs and 14 RBIs this spring. He also hit .325 in the Puerto Rican League. Fuentes, a cousin of former Royal Carlos Beltran, was a 2009 first-round pick of the Red Sox out of high school in Manati, P.R. “Baseball runs in the family,” Fuentes said. The Red Sox packaged Fuentes and three other prospects to acquire Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres after the 2010 season. The Royals acquired Fuentes from San Diego…

CHICAGO Triple-A Iowa first baseman Dan Vogelbach and big league left fielder Kyle Schwarber heard the jokes all spring. How were others supposed to tell the difference between the 23-year-old lefthanded hitters, both of whom are shaped like 6-foot boulders with tufts of blonde chin hair. And the fact they were roommates during Vogelbach’s first big league camp means they spent an especially large amount of time in the vicinity of each other, creating mistakenidentity moments almost daily. “People do it all time,” said Vogelbach, 23. “I’m used to it. I could have a lot worse comparisons. To be compared to a guy like (Schwarber) is an honor to me.” Vogelbach talks about Schwarber’s approach and character as much as his baseball ability. The Cubs see similar intangibles in Vogelbach,…

ST. LOUIS The Cardinals’ starting-pitching depth took two hits before Triple-A Memphis could open its season. Lefthanders Marco Gonzales and Tim Cooney, two of the organization’s top young starters and both owners of major league experience, each had their season debuts nixed because of injuries. After mulling his options to address a lingering elbow injury, Gonzales elected to have Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season. Cooney’s recovery is less certain as he deals with ongoing soreness in his left shoulder. He had restarted a strengthening program. Their absences leave the Cardinals with a new problem. They don’t have a de facto No. 6 starter. “It’s definitely not where we thought we would be,” general manager John Mozeliak said. “So when you look at what we have going…

ANAHEIM The glove, the hands, the range, the arm—the entire defensive package—is definitely ready. Kaleb Cowart made that clear last September, when the third baseman, in the heat of a pennant race, shined as a regular late-game replacement for David Freese. Not only did Cowart, 23, not commit any errors in 20 games over the final month of 2015, he made several outstanding plays. “Man, I can always play defense—that’s not hard for me,” Cowart said this spring, when asked if his work under pressure last September gave him a confidence boost. The next step for Cowart is to prove his bat can play in the big leagues, too, but he’s running out of time and opportunity. The Angels selected Cowart, a two-way standout at his Adel, Ga., high school,…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ LOS ANGELES When the Dodgers made righthander Zach Lee their first-round pick in the 2010 draft, they thought highly enough of the McKinney (Texas) High product to sign him for a franchise-record $5.25 million bonus. This came at a time when the Frank McCourt ownership era was ending its rocky final stages. Six years later, Lee, 24, seems to have been passed up and pushed to the side. The Dodgers used a major league high 16 starting pitchers in 2015. With a completely different front office from the decision-makers who drafted Lee, he didn’t get the call until 13 others had made a start for the big league club. This spring, Lee was “in the mix” to open…

SAN DIEGO Who is the Padres’ top prospect? At the end of spring training, 20-year-old shortstop Javier Guerra, ranked No. 1 by Baseball America, received the nod from a few scouts outside the organization. They praised Guerra’s defense and offensive upside, and one scout singled out his swing, stance and hitting IQ. The Padres assigned Guerra, who bats lefthanded, to low Class A Fort Wayne to open this season. He spent the entire 2015 season at low Class A Greenville in the Red Sox system, and he batted .279/.329/.449 with 15 home runs in 434 at-bats. Boston signed him out of Panama in 2012. Close behind Guerra at No. 2, though, is center fielder Manuel Margot. Acquired in the same trade last offseason that imported Guerra along with two other…

Players who get handed seven-figure deals on July 2 tend to get the most attention, but the history of signing Latin American players shows that many of the best players originally signed for smaller bonuses. With a focus on players who have yet to play a game in the United States and who signed for relatively inexpensive bonuses, these are under-the-radar sleepers to watch progress through every team’s international pipeline. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Dominican righthander Bryan Ozuna is already 22, but he was touching 97 mph already when he signed for $125,000 last year in July. He’s a sturdy 6-foot-1, 215 pounds but needs to work on his breaking ball and his command. ATLANTA BRAVES: A 5-foot-9, 165-pound, switch-hitting, Dominican center fielder, Randy Ventura (signed in February 2015 for $17,500) has…

Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period April 1-14. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed RHP Jay Muhammad. Released RHP R.J. Hively and SS Joaquin Arias. Loaned RHP Edward Concepcion to Tijuana of Mexican League. ATLANTA BRAVES: Re-signed OF Emilio Bonifacio. Released RHP Carlos Torres, C Kevin Reiher, 1B Barrett Kleinknecht, 2B J.J. Franco and 3B Franklin Azuaje. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Signed RHPs Eric Fornataro and Genison Reyes. Released RHPs Paul Demny, Gene Escat and Josh Walker; LHP Kevin Grendell and C Allan Bencid. Loaned LHP Daniel Rodriguez to Saltillo of Mexican League. BOSTON RED SOX: Signed LHPs Nik Turley and Wesley Wright and OF Justin Maxwell. Released RHP Brandon Show and OF Forrestt Allday. Loaned LHP Javier Rodriguez to Mexico City of Mexican League. CHICAGO CUBS:…

Three-time manager of the year Jim Leyland will manage Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in 2017, USA Baseball announced. Leyland, 71, managed the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers from 1986-2013 before stepping down in October 2013 after the Tigers were knocked out by the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. He has been a special assistant with the Tigers ever since. “It’s a great honor to be named manager of Team USA,” Leyland said in a news release. “I’m looking forward to working with USA Baseball on this challenge in my career. I’m excited to get started and flattered with this opportunity.” Leyland ranks 15th on the all-time wins list among major league managers with 1,769, and he led the Marlins to a World Series title…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA Several years before Kyle Seager established himself as one of Major League Baseball’s elite third basemen with the Mariners, he was a jock for all seasons in his native North Carolina. The calendar flipped from baseball in the summers to soccer in the fall to winters on the basketball court, where he spent most of his time launching jumpers from the perimeter and avoiding stray elbows in the lane. During a high school Christmas tournament about a decade ago, Seager and the Northwest Cabarrus High Trojans crossed paths with the Charlotte Christian Knights and a spindly guard with dazzling shooting and ballhandling skills. “He won’t remember me as much as I remember him, let’s put it that way,’’ Seager says. “He kept going further and further…

OLIVERA ARRESTED ON DOMESTIC CHARGES Braves outfielder Hector Olivera was arrested following a reported domestic dispute at the team’s hotel in Arlington, Va., last month and was placed on administrative leave by commissioner Rob Manfred. Manfred executed the same action during spring training against Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes, who was involved in a domestic abuse incident during the offseason but was not charged. He also suspended Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman 30 games for his role in a similar incident this past offseason. The league took no action against Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig after his role in a nightclub altercation. Olivera, 31, got a $62.5 million deal with the Dodgers after defecting from Cuba and was later traded to the Braves. He made his major league debut on Sept. 1 and…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel @baseballamerica.com The West Coast often likes to say it’s the Best Coast. In college baseball and draft terms, that often has been true. Southern California has won 12 College World Series championships; Arizona State has won five and produced more No. 1 overall draft picks (three) than any other school. Arizona (2012, its fourth CWS title) and UCLA (2013) went back-to-back for the Pacific-12 Conference in the current era, and Cal State Fullerton has won four national championships while Big West Conference rival Long Beach State has produced big league stars from Troy Tulowitzki, Jered Weaver and Evan Longoria to Matt Duffy and Marco Estrada. The West Coast has cool lingo. It has tradition. It has a core of fans who love their teams…

BOSTON Righthander Anderson Espinoza does not shy from ambition. The wildly talented 18-year-old believes in setting a bar high, a fact that becomes clear when he outlines his goals for the 2016 season. “My goals are big this year,” said Espinoza, who opened at low Class A Greenville, through translator Daveson Perez. “I want to start off in Greenville, pitch 50 or so innings, and then, hopefully, be promoted to High-A. “I want to make the Futures Game this year in San Diego, and, hopefully, I can have maybe two or three starts in Double-A. Those are my goals for the season.” Espinoza, who signed out of Venezuela for $1.8 million in 2014, knows he will have doubters. “I know this is a far-fetched goal,” he said. “There will surely…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ NEW YORK The Mets promoted shortstop Amed Rosario to Double-A Binghamton last September after high Class A St. Lucie was eliminated from postseason contention. Despite participating in the Eastern League playoffs in 2015, Rosario is back in the Florida State League to open 2016. The Mets believe the 20-year-old will benefit from finally being closer in age to his peers on the diamond. “For such a young guy, playing at a very competitive level, he just holds his own,” said first-year bench coach Dick Scott, who previously served as the organization’s director of player development. “He’s never been overwhelmed by the situation that he’s been in. “He’s just got all of the tools. His physicality is more pronounced…

PHILADELPHIA The rebuilding Phillies have a handful of young players in the majors and high minors who could eventually form the nucleus of a contender. For now, the organization must hold back that tide to allow for another year of development. This has translated into opportunities for players overlooked in other systems. For example, the Phillies’ Opening Day roster included three position players signed as minor league free agents—utility infielders Andres Blanco and Emmanuel Burriss plus outfielder Cedric Hunter—and three others originally procured via the Rule 5 draft. Philadelphia had previously hit on Rule 5 picks such as Dave Hollins in 1990, Shane Victorino in 2005 and regular center fielder Odubel Herrera in 2015, but the club never had carried two such players at once—until now. Outfielder Tyler Goeddel and…

CHICAGO As the White Sox waited out a rain delay at U.S. Cellular Field on April 10, pitching coach Don Cooper looked over at a corner of the clubhouse and beamed. “What I did tell him (in spring training) was, ‘You’re not that far away,’ ” Cooper said. “Boy, was I a prophet.” Cooper was talking about 24-year-old righthander Michael Ynoa, who joined the White Sox for one day when outfielder Adam Eaton was placed on the paternity list. “I’m still in shock,” the 6-foot-7 Dominican said after arriving from Double-A Birmingham. “I’m happy to be here, and thanks to the White Sox for giving me this opportunity.” Ynoa had his own locker and dressed with the White Sox, but he never made it to the field or bullpen because…

MINNEAPOLIS Mention righthander Lachlan Wells to Mike Radcliff, and the vice president for player personnel immediately mounts a defense for the . . . um, slightly built. “He’s not little, he’s slender,” Radcliff said of the latest Twins’ Australian prospect to draw attention. “Not every pitcher has to look like (6-foot-6) Kyle Gibson, you know.” True enough, and the Twins realize that better than most. Righthander Jose Berrios, their top pitching prospect, is barely 6 feet and 180 pounds. It’s just that Wells, perhaps 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds—“He’s about 170 now,” Radcliff said, defensively—strikes fear in few hitters as he takes the mound, especially with his glasses giving him a Clark Kent look. But then Wells throws his fastball, whipping his long left arm toward the plate, and the impression…

CINCINNATI When watching righthander Layne Somsen throw off the mound, it’s impossible not to immediately think of Tim Lincecum. The two have incredibly similar throwing motions, so much so that it’s hard to think it’s a coincidence. It is, Somsen said. “It’s just natural,” the 26-year-old said. “It’s how I developed how to throw.” Somsen hadn’t really paid attention to Lincecum until his freshman year at South Dakota State in 2009, the year Lincecum won his second straight Cy Young Award. “When I got to college, my coaches started talking because that’s when (Lincecum) started getting big,” Somsen said. “I’d go and watch him and, obviously, I’d see how he did, just simply because of the similarities. His is a little bit different, so I don’t take any mechanical stuff…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ARLINGTON Righthander Luis Ortiz sure can draw a crowd. Such was the case in late March when the 2014 first-round pick took to a back field at the Rangers’ spring home in Surprise, Ariz., for two innings of a minor league game. As the 20-year-old went to the mound, coaches, scouts and media moved closer to the backstop, as close as they could get, to catch a glimpse of the Sanger (Calif.) High product. They weren’t disappointed. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Oritz used his mid-90s fastball and his new favorite pitch, a changeup, to easily set down a group of Mexican minor leaguers. After an elbow scare in 2015 and an offseason working out with Brewers righthander Matt Garza,…

OAKLAND Some guys just seem to have that knack for getting noticed. For the Athletics, the last two years, it has been a budding outfielder named J.P. Sportman. Whenever Sportman came over to major league camp this spring to help fill a roster, he seemingly did something big, whether it was make a play in the field or get a hit. “He’s not afraid of these type of situations,” big league manager Bob Melvin said. “When you tell him he’s going into the games, he’s excited about it and not nervous. He’s really done a great job for us.” This spring, Sportman, 24, appeared in 10 games and went 3-for-6. He even made the traveling roster to the final spring games against the Giants, where he hit a double. He…

PHOENIX Of all the things center fielder Colin Bray accomplished at low Class A Kane County in 2015—he hit .310, recorded a .370 on-base percentage and stole 27 bases— it was something more rudimentary that he considers his proudest accomplishment. “Honestly, being on the field and being able to play for my team every day, I was proud of that,” said Bray, 22. “I just enjoyed being out there.” Bray knows what it’s like not to be out there. Nine games into his 2014 season, he smashed his foot into the bottom of the outfield wall, breaking the sesamoid bone. He missed the rest of the year. Fully healthy last season, Bray showed the Diamondbacks the sort of multi-faceted package they believed was possible when they drafted him out of…

SAN FRANCISCO Righthander Derek Law made a major league debut that was multi-generational in its significance. The Giants called him up from Triple-A Sacramento on April 15 to replace reliever Sergio Romo, who was placed on the disabled list with a strained flexor tendon. But getting called up is not the same as making a debut. Nobody understood that better than Law’s father Joe, a righthander who pitched for many years in the Athletics system. Oakland summoned him to the big leagues twice in 1988, and he spent a total of four days in The Show—but he never appeared on a major league mound. The closest that Joe Law came was in the first game of a road doubleheader against the Indians, when Dave Stewart was pitching with the flu…

College position players are always a highly valued commodity in the draft. Scouts can watch college players develop over several years, establishing a level of comfort in their evaluations that cannot be matched by prep players. Furthermore, evaluators can watch college players against strong competition each spring, as well as the summer, when many of the top collegiate prospects participate in highly competitive wood-bat leagues. Some positions are valued more than others in the draft process, with up-the-middle defenders often carrying the most potential. This year’s college class is light on shortstops and outfielders who could stick in center field at the next level, but college catching has emerged as a strength of the 2016 class. Miami catcher Zack Collins appears to be the top catching prospect in the class.…

Baseball Analyst, Senior Writer ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA The face of the so-called Chase Utley Rule is, well, Chase Utley. But the voice of the Chase Utley Rule? That would be a guy who hasn’t played an inning this year, but who already feels the cloud of baseball’s new sliding rule hanging over his team’s season. “I get asked about it every day,” said A.J. Hinch, frustrated manager of the Astros. “My players joke with me that I’m the spokesman for the rule now. “And you know what? I’m fine with that.” It was the first week of the season when the call that still makes no sense to Hinch and the Astros. The call that caused his team to lose a game in which “we only got 26 outs,” the manager…

The Lake Elsinore Storm, hosts of this year’s California-Carolina League all-star game, announced a major twist on the traditional all-star home run derby. The Midway Classic moves the home run contest to the deck of the USS Midway, a decommissioned aircraft carrier docked in San Diego. The South Atlantic League held a similar event in 2012, when the first round of its home run derby was held on the deck of the USS Yorktown in Charleston, S.C. “We knew what Charleston had done back in the day but it wasn’t anything like this. (Former Lake Elsinore president) Dave Oster was still here and we put in a request to host to the all-star game,” Storm GM Raj Narayanan said. “We wondered: What can we do to make a big splash?…

With the Nationals leaving Melbourne, Fla., and Space Coast Stadium as a spring training home, the future of the ballpark’s high Class A Florida State League tenant, the Brevard County Manatees, has been up in the air.’ Meanwhile in Kissimmee, Fla., as the Astros also said goodbye to their longtime spring training home and prepare to move to Palm Beach County, Osceola County Stadium looked to be left vacant. Kissimmee’s vacancy and the Manatees’ need for a new park have come together, and Kissimmee will have a Florida State League team again in 2017. The news was first reported by the Osceola News-Gazette and confirmed by Don Miers, the Osceola County director of events and facilities. “We have cleared all our hurdles. The deal’s been in place for a while,…

Columnist, MLB Network TEMPE, ARIZ. By the time there were 10 days remaining in spring training, Mike Morin thought he’d make it out of Arizona in the Angels bullpen, but he didn’t know it, not for certain. He was coming off a year in which he, Mike Scioscia and Billy Eppler understood that his peripheral numbers belied his 6.37 ERA, as he struck out more than 27 percent of the batters he faced, and the exit velocity against him was actually lower than that against Max Scherzer. He’d come in from one of those lazy, blazing hot days he wasn’t scheduled to pitch when over came Mike Trout. “Want to play golf this afternoon?” Trout asked. Morin did, but had to explain that his golf clubs were back at his…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ST. PETERSBURG Analysis of the Rays’ surprising three-team, 11-player trade that sent Wil Myers to the Padres in December 2014 typically focuses on what Tampa Bay got back: catcher Rene Rivera, who has since been released, and outfielder Steven Souza, who had an inconsistent rookie season in 2015. But Rays officials always point out that they also got Jake Bauers in the deal. The more Bauers hits, the more you see their point. After an impressive 2015 organization debut in which, as a teenager, he advanced to Double-A Montgomery, Bauers successfully handled an Arizona Fall League experiment in moving from first base to the outfield. As a result, he began 2016 in right field for the Biscuits, with…

NEW YORK When owner Hal Steinbrenner exited an owners meeting last August in Chicago, he was glad that general manager Brian Cashman didn’t sacrifice the organization’s top prospects to make a deadline deal. “I don’t want to give those kids up,” Steinbrenner said of righthander Luis Severino, outfielder Aaron Judge, catcher Gary Sanchez, first baseman Greg Bird and second baseman Rob Refnsyder. Severino and Bird were already in New York at the time. Judge, Refsnyder and Sanchez were at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. When the 2016 season opened, only Severino was in the big leagues, and there weren’t timetables for the others. Bird won’t play this year after having right shoulder surgery. Sanchez had a miserable spring and started the year at Triple-A, despite entering camp as the favorite to back up…

ATLANTA Speedy center fielder Mallex Smith learned quickly that the major leagues can be a school of hard knocks. In his big league debut on April 11, Smith recorded an infield single against the Nationals’ Max Scherzer in the second inning before suffering a cut above his left eye on a stolen-base attempt that required five stitches in the fourth frame. “What are the odds that my batting helmet comes off and cuts me on my first attempt?” said Smith, 22, who averaged 69 steals per season in the minors from 2013 to 2015. Smith received the call after the Braves placed Ender Inciarte on the disabled list with a left hamstring strain. Smith, who recorded a 1.201 OPS in 26 spring at-bats, could have two weeks or more to…

WASHINGTON The start of the 2016 season carried extra meaning for high Class A Potomac righthander Erick Fedde, who jumped to a new level in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Fedde had the operation just before the draft in 2014. Still, the Nationals took the Nevada-Las Vegas ace 18th overall, and he signed for $2.5 million. He didn’t make his pro debut until last summer, when he went 5-3, 3.38 in 14 starts at short-season Auburn and low Class A Hagerstown. Fedde struck out 59 and walked 16 in 64 innings while allowing two homers. This spring, Fedde showed team officials he was ready to jump to the Carolina League. The organization has established a program for rehabbing pitchers from Tommy John surgery that has worked for the likes…

DETROIT The Tigers liked Dominic Ficociello so much that they drafted him twice. But they still are not 100 percent sure which position he will play down the road. Ficociello will play primarily at first base at Double-A Erie in 2016, but he could find himself at any of the three other corner positions, too. “He’s very athletic,” director of player development Dave Owen said. “There may be times where he gets a little time at third base or maybe the outfield. That’s yet to be determined. He’s athletic and can run. He’ll surprise you. He runs better than he looks. He’s a good player.” The Tigers selected but didn’t sign Ficociello out of high school in the 23rd round of the 2010 draft, then picked him in the 12th…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MILWAUKEE Versatility is the best chance Colin Walsh has at sticking with the Brewers. Though considered primarily a second baseman when the Brewers selected him in the Rule 5 draft from the Athletics, Walsh is not a stranger to third base and left field. Thus, it was not a complete shock when the 26-year-old made his major league debut on Opening Day in left field. “That wasn’t expected,” big league manager Craig Counsell said of using Walsh to replace Ryan Braun in a double-switch. “I don’t think it’s something we anticipate a lot, but he has played left field as a professional. I anticipate it in situations like that. We had used both (extra) outfielders already.” During six…

PITTSBURGH The Pirates were criticized heavily in the offseason by the media and fans for not making a move to add a frontline starting pitcher following the retirement of A.J. Burnett, the loss of free agent J.A. Happ to the Blue Jays and the trade of Charlie Morton to the Phillies. General manager Neal Huntington, though, was confident the organization had enough depth to survive the losses. For example, at the outset of the season, all five pitchers in the Triple-A Indianapolis rotation rank among the top two dozen prospects in the system, headlined by No. 1 righthander Tyler Glasnow and No. 4 righty Jameson Taillon. The 22-year-old Glasnow returned to Indianapolis after making eight starts there at the end of last season, when he struck out 48 in 41…

HOUSTON Just a few hours after big league manager A.J. Hinch informed him he would not make the Opening Day roster, James Hoyt entered to pitch the eighth inning of the club’s final exhibition game against the Brewers. If the news he would return to Triple-A Fresno bothered Hoyt, it didn’t show. The 6-foot-6 righthander promptly retired the side in order, striking out Keon Broxton on a 94 mph fastball and Javier Betancourt on an 86 mph slider to cap a strong spring. “It’s tough being the 26th guy,” Hinch said. “If we would’ve gone (with) 13 pitchers, he’s an easy add because of the quality of stuff, the swing and miss.” The fact that Hoyt, 29, is on the doorstep of the majors is incredible in itself. Just four…

SEATTLE Three starts into his second stint at Double-A Jackson, righthander Edwin Diaz already looks like a pitcher who has adjusted to the higher level of competition. Through three starts, he had recorded a 1.69 ERA with 24 strikeouts, two walks and eight hits allowed in 16 innings. The 22-year-old Diaz tossed six shutout innings in the season opener, allowing two hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. A year ago, Diaz shined in seven starts at high Class A Bakersfield, going 2-0, 1.70, to earn a quick promotion to the Southern League, where he struggled to a 4.57 ERA in 20 starts. “The hitters are much better,” Diaz said. “If you make a bad pitch, they are going to hurt you.” Diaz maintained a strong strikeout rate— 8.9 per…

DENVER Righthander Matt Carasiti was miscast as a starter, where the four days after a bad outing could be mentally ruinous and lead to another poor start. But as a closer, the 24-year-old has thrived, and his velocity has leaped. “As a starter, he was 89-92 (mph),” player development director Zach Wilson said. “Even his first year of relief he was 91-94. Over the last year, he’s been 95-97.” Carasiti closed at St. John’s as a sophomore, so the move to the bullpen as a professional wasn’t completely foreign. Drafted in sixth round in 2012, Carasiti went 2-10, 7.94 in 20 starts at low Class A Asheville in 2013 and averaged 4.2 walks, 5.8 strikeouts and 13.2 hits per nine innings. He returned to Asheville as a reliever in 2014…

BARNEGAT, N.J. Dan McCoy is a baseball man. He’s been in the game for a long time. He was a catcher in high school, pitched at Rutgers. Dan coaches the baseball team at Barnegat (N.J.) High. He was there when his son, Mark McCoy, developed into a draftable lefthanded pitching prospect. Mark started his collegiate career at Wake Forest, before transferring to Rutgers and becoming a 29th-round pick in 2015. But during Mark’s senior year, Dan remembers watching another lefty, an eighth-grader. “I heard we had a kid in the middle school program, and he came up in the bullpen to throw for us,” Dan recalls. “I turned around and said to somebody, ‘This kid is as good as Mark is right now.’ And that was four years ago.” That…