Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, December 2 2016 i Baseball America

MARCH 15 1998  IN THIS ISSUE: Ben Grieve leads an infusion of young talent for the Athletics.  ALSO: With a new ballpark in the offing, Lou Piniella and the Mariners realize their World Series window is open now. The guts of the successful A’s lineups in the early years of the 21st century could be seen on the team’s 1998 Top 10 list. Future Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve led the list and third baseman Eric Chavez ranked No. 3, The list also included A.J. Hinch (No. 4) and Ramon Hernandez (No. 6), but most notably the No. 2 prospect was a future star in shortstop Miguel Tejada. Other notable No. 1 prospects included Angels third baseman/shortstop Troy Glaus and a thenhealthy Mariners lefthander Ryan Anderson. This was Tejada’s…

PHILADELPHIA Korea’s contributions to Major League Baseball have run the gamut in recent years. Jung Ho Kang, the crown jewel of Korean transplants, is an .800 OPS anchor in the Pirates’ order. Dae-Ho Lee of the Mariners flashed some power in 2016, with 14 homers in 104 games. The Orioles’ Hyun Soo Kim hit .302 without much pop, while Byung-Ho Park batted .191 for the Twins before a demotion to the minors and season-ending wrist surgery in August. The early results don’t bode well for his fouryear, $12.85 million contract. So who’ll be next on the list? The primary name on teams’ Korea radar has California roots, an outsized personality and enough of a mystery factor to suggest he could attract a crowd on this winter’s free agent market. His…

Cohen Promoted To AD, Hires Cannizaro Mississippi State promoted head coach John Cohen to athletic director, and Cohen then hired Louisiana State assistant coach Andy Cannizaro as his successor. Cohen, a Mississippi State alumnus, will take the reins of the athletic department following the departure of Scott Stricklin, who took over as the athletic director at Florida. Cohen, 50, spent 17 years as a head baseball coach including the last eight with the Bulldogs and five with Kentucky. He led Mississippi State to the 2013 College World Series. Cannizaro, who played at Tulane and briefly in the major leagues with the Yankees, spent just two full seasons as LSU’s recruiting coordinator after serving as a Yankees area scout. “Not many people have chances to be coaches in the SEC, and…

Baseball America’s Roland Hemond Award is one of our most prestigious, for several reasons. First, it has Roland’s name on it. We’re like anyone else in baseball; we want to be associated with Mr. Hemond. And we are proud to be so associated. Second, the Roland Hemond Award intends to honor recipients for their achievements in scouting and player development. BA’s goal is to cover the game at all levels from a scouting and player-development point of view. So this award really tries to honor the best of the best in the field that we purport to cover the most. When I reached out to this year’s winner, I was excited to make the call. I mean, Pat Gillick is in the Hall of Fame. A mutual friend gave him…

Viewed in a certain light, the Indians’ run to the World Series could be seen as charmed. Seemingly every time the Tribe lost a key piece—all-star left fielder Michael Brantley, starters Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, catcher Yan Gomes—an answer appeared. Young players stepped up to fill the holes, newly signed free agents quickly became leaders, and midseason reinforcements turned into heroes. The Indians’ Opening Day payroll ranked 21st in baseball, leaving the team with less margin for error than bigger-market clubs. Through it all, team president Chris Antonetti found answers whenever a player went down. Antonetti’s maneuverings make it harder to view the season as charmed or lucky. Instead, the Indians’ success looks more like the product of a steady hand at the controls of an organization built to…

When everyone looks back at the 2016 Rome Braves years from now, they may be remembered as one of the better minor league teams of the early 21st century. The rotation featured prospects in all six spots; that’s because it had too many prospects to settle for a five-man rotation. With third baseman Austin Riley and outfielder Ronald Acuna, the team had position prospects as well, and the bullpen had a number of hard-throwring relief aces. But midway through the 2016 season, those Rome Braves stunk. When the baby Braves went their separate ways for the all-star break in late June, Rome was 27-42, having lost five of its last six. The Braves were closer to the bottom of the South Atlantic League than the top. Acuna was hurt, Riley…

When you think baseball, you don’t think Alaska. But then you’d be missing out on some hardy individuals, such as Anchorage Quakes coach Len Story. Story’s day job is being the CEO of R&M Consultants, an engineering and surveying firm with locations in Anchorage and Fairbanks. But he has loved baseball since he was 6, thanks to his father, who coached him. He loves the game so much that he named his children Gehrig and Maris, and his stepson is named Maddux. He loves baseball so much he helped resurrect the travel ball Quakes team in 2014 after it had gone dormant. Story, 56, has been involved in coaching baseball in Alaska since 1999, and now coaches a team of 9- to 13-year-olds with a philosophy that stretches beyond the…

LOS ANGELES ANGELS It was a disheartening year in Anaheim. The Angels couldn’t overcome a slow start to the 2016 season, in part due to key injuries in the rotation, and the franchise recorded just its second losing season (74-88) in the last 13 years. An 8-19 record for June put the Angels far behind the pack at the season’s midpoint, and a 37-36 record after the all-star break wasn’t nearly good enough to get them anywhere close in the American League West race. With large contract obligations to Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson, Jered Weaver and the longdeparted Josh Hamilton already on the books, the Angels were not able to spend big in the free agent market heading into 2016. With the worst farm system in baseball and the organization’s…

TEXAS RANGERS For the fourth time in seven years, the Rangers won the American League West. They went 95-67 despite scoring just eight more runs than they allowed, pulling ahead in the division by pummeling the Astros (15-4) and going 12-7 against the Mariners. Yet the team that led the AL in wins exited the postseason quickly. The Blue Jays swept the Rangers 3-0 in the AL Division Series, the second year in a row that Toronto ended Texas’ season in the ALDS. In building the team, the Rangers have dipped heavily into the farm system. In three 2016 trade-deadline moves to bring back Jonathan Lucroy, Jeremy Jeffress, Carlos Beltran and Dario Alvarez, the Rangers shipped out righthanders Luis Ortiz and Dillon Tate, outfielders Lewis Brinson and Ryan Cordell and…

NEW YORK It’s never a good development when a college pitcher taken in the first round of the previous year’s draft is limited to 18 innings at high Class A and has his season end in late April. This is especially true when that pitcher might otherwise have surfaced in the big leagues in 2016. Yet, the positive side of James Kaprielian’s right arm injury was the location. “It was in the elbow, and if it needed to be fixed there is a process for that,” general manager Brian Cashman said of surgery. “The shoulder is different because you don’t know what to expect.” Kaprielian made three starts at Tampa, the last of which was April 21. After that the Yankees discovered inflammation and soreness in his elbow. In late…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ PHILADELPHIA Just before Christmas 2014, then-Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and pro scouting director Mike Ondo sent special assistant Bart Braun to the Dominican Republic to check out a Cuban catcher. After the workout, Braun called back to Philadelphia. “We’re not going to sign the catcher,” Braun told Amaro and Ondo, “but we might have found a pitcher.” That pitcher’s name is Sixto Sanchez and the righthander became one of the Phillies’ top pitching prospects in 2016. In just his second season on the mound, the 6-foot, 180-pound converted shortstop went 5-0, 0.50 in 11 starts in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, giving up just three earned runs in 54 innings. He allowed 33 hits, struck…

NEW YORK Center fielder Champ Stuart earned a promotion from high Class A St. Lucie to Double-A Binghamton in 2016. He then represented Great Britain in a World Baseball Classic qualifier in Brooklyn. He capped his season by participating in the Arizona Fall League, playing alongside Tim Tebow in the Scottsdale outfield. Stuart, a 2013 sixth-round pick from Brevard (N.C.), is bidding to become the first Bahamas-born player to reach the majors since Antoan Richardson appeared in a combined 22 games for the Braves and Yankees in 2011 and 2014. Before that, there had been a three-decade gap since Wil Culmer played seven games with the 1983 Indians. Stuart in recent years has spent his offseasons in the U.S., with his family occasionally visiting him. But he intends to finally…

CLEVELAND The Indians have a long history of developing front-office personnel that eventually moves on to other organizations, and it happened again at the end of 2016. After the World Series, the Twins officially hired assistant general manager Derek Falvey as chief baseball officer and executive vice president. The loss of Falvey, who had been a member of the Indians organization for nine years, resulted in restructuring of general manager Mike Chernoff ’s staff. Cleveland promoted farm director Carter Hawkins and director of baseball operations Matt Forman to assistant GM roles. Hawkins just completed his ninth season in the organization, while Forman is in his fourth year with the Indians. “(Falvey) was an incredible friend to us, and there was tremendous value to the organization with what he did,” Chernoff…

MINNEAPOLIS Aaron Whitefield was probably the best defensive infielder in his league, was an unusually smart baserunner and displayed a remarkable ability to hit to all fields, frequently with impressive power. Yet because of one minor detail, the Twins had virtually no competition when they decided to sign him in 2015. Oh, yeah: He was a softball player. “Hey, what’s so unusual about that?” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff joked. Whitefield’s parents are from New Zealand, Radcliff noted, “and (softball is) what they play there, so that’s what he learned. And obviously, if you’re really good at it, the skills can translate.” They have for Whitefield, who grew up in Australia and represented his country in international softball tournaments as a teenager. He’s 20 now, has played one…

BY C. TRENT ROSECRANS CINCINNATI The Reds sent a dozen of their top prospects to a two-and-a-half day leadership training event at Thayer Leader Development Group at West Point, N.Y., to help develop leadership skills among the organization’s youngest players. “Leadership is obviously a hot topic in all of sports,” farm director Jeff Graupe said. “The age old question is how do you develop leaders? “There’s a lot of methods you can try, a lot of things you do within baseball, but with the investment of putting these guys on field, we wanted to match that off the field with the nutrition program, with sports psychology, with all the sports science initiatives.” Cincinnati invited the following prospects to the event: righthanders Jonathon Crawford, Rookie Davis, Nick Hanson and Sal Romano;…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ OAKLAND When the Athletics acquired righthander Jharel Cotton, they knew he had a terrific changeup. What came next was a big surprise. In addition to that double-plus change, Cotton has developed a cutter that would also rank as a plus pitch. The combination can be devastating to hitters. “That little cutter is a big pitch for him,” pitching coordinator Gil Patterson said. “He pounds the strike zone. He’s got that unorthodox delivery, then it comes out at 88-90 (mph) and has that late cut at the end.” Cotton said he threw the cutter with the Dodgers. His Triple-A pitching coach Matt Herges insisted he throw it more often at the start of this season. “I got my feel…

SEATTLE Forget adjusting to the grind of a pro baseball season. Kyle Lewis is now dealing with the day-to-day monotony of injury rehab from major surgery. But in expected fashion, the Mariners’ top pick from the 2016 draft—No. 11 overall—is handling it with maturity and optimism. On July 19, Lewis suffered a ghastly knee injury sliding into home in a game for short-season Everett. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, as well as a torn medial and lateral meniscus in his right knee. “You can feel the pop and the not-normalfeeling you would get from a tweak or sprain,” said Lewis, 21. “It was a definitely a different kind of feeling, a different kind of pain.” At the time, he had hit .299/.385/.538 with eight doubles, five triples, three…

PHOENIX When Jared Miller was first told he was moving to the bullpen, he took it as a demotion. But after the success he enjoyed this season, the Diamondbacks lefthander can’t really argue with the move, even if he still believes he could start. “At first it was a pride thing,” said Miller, an 11th-round pick in 2014 out of Vanderbilt. “But I think they knew I was going to hit the ground running, and obviously I had a lot of success this year. “Maybe a move to the bullpen was what I needed; maybe it wasn’t. But I’m the type of guy who is going to go compete, and they gave me an opportunity to move quick. I just kind of ran with it. Relieving has kind of been…

SAN FRANCISCO Third baseman Ryder Jones is trying to add first baseman and left fielder to his résumé during his stint with Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League. The Giants’ second-round pick in 2013 hopes the variety will enhance his chances of reaching the big leagues. “Part of the reason why I’m trying to play a little first and a little left field is because the closer you get (to the majors), especially with a National League team, you want to show that you can play multiple positions,” said Jones, 22. While Jones did not play left field in a game, he worked quite a bit on learning the position. “The outfield is just completely different,” Jones said. “It’s a little harder to stay locked in because you’re so far…

The 2016 Arizona Fall League season boasted one of the better prospect crops in quite a few years, with far more than 20 legitimate prospects dotting the rosters of the six AFL teams. What stands out with the better players this year is their youth, starting with top prospect Gleyber Torres, who at 19 is the youngest player to earn league MVP honors, and continuing with top pitcher Michael Kopech, still just 20. To determine eligibility for the list, we used our usual standard of one plate appearance per team’s games played for hitters and one inning for every three games for pitchers. Among those not qualifying were Minor League Player of the Year Yoan Moncada (Red Sox), who got into just six games before leaving with a thumb injury,…

Major League Baseball grants free agency to all eligible players—major and minor league alike—five days after the conclusion of the World Series. Each player listed below is no longer bound to his 2016 organization by contract renewals—the standard Uniform Player Contract grants six—while having no successor major or minor league contract in place for 2017. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (25): RHP: Palmer Betts, Charles Brewer, Billy Buckner, Matt Buschmann, Matt Capps, Edward Concepcion, Terry Doyle, Edgar Garcia, Cole Johnson, Ryan Kussmaul, Jay Muhammad, Blake Perry, Luis Ramirez, Markus Solbach, Jency Solis. LHP: Angelo Almonte, Hector Hernandez. C: Dan Rohlfing, Mark Thomas. 1B: Justin Chigbogu. 3B: Travis Denker, Ed Lucas, Carlos Rivero. SS: Robelys Reyes. OF: Todd Glaesmann ATLANTA BRAVES (11): RHP: Maikel Cleto, Brandon Cunniff, Casey Kelly, Victor Mateo, Rob Wooten, Madison…

The offseason is just beginning, but it’s already clear that Brandiose has emerged as one of the winter’s biggest winners. A graphic design firm based in San Diego, Brandiose has helmed rebranding efforts for eight minor league clubs this offseason. Its transition list includes Binghamton (Eastern), which changed from the Mets to the Rumble Ponies, New Orleans (Pacific Coast), from Zephyrs to Baby Cakes, and Jacksonville (Southern) from Suns to Jumbo Shrimp. Brandiose also designed the logo for the Florida Fire Frogs (Florida State) after the franchise moved from Brevard County and ditched the Manatees moniker, as well as redesigning the Lynchburg Hillcats (Carolina) logo. The Staten Island Yankees (New York-Penn) are rebranding this offseason as well, and Brandiose will put together the new look for the team, whether it…

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. General managers across baseball largely declined comment on a proposed international draft at November’s GM meetings. For those willing to expand on their thoughts, there was a common theme that something needed to change in the way international talent is acquired, whether the solution is an international draft or not. “We’ve been very supportive of some of the reform in the international market,” Indians president Chris Antonetti said. “Primarily just because of some of the behaviors outside of the system that may not be conducive to what we want to represent in Major League Baseball. The way the current system is set up there is potential for teams or individuals to behave in a way that is not consistent with how we want to operate.” The news that…

BOSTON As a historic World Series and histrionic postseason give way to another season, it has been interesting to listen to the feedback. One club president with decades of leadership said, “In the end, we felt the teams with the most talent were the Cubs, Red Sox and Indians, and for two of them to come down to the 10th inning of the final game of the season illustrates that through injuries and fluky occurrences over seven months, it came down to justice.” Ask the Yankees and they will tell you that —as they scoured the Cleveland organization leading to the deal for Andrew Miller—the Indians were the most talented team in either league until they lost Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Corey Kluber at different times. Yankees general manager…

ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR Chicago Cubs MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Mike Trout, of, Angels MAJOR LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Corey Seager, ss, Dodgers MAJOR LEAGUE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR Chris Antonetti, Indians MAJOR LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR Terry Francona, Indians MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Yoan Moncada, 2b/3b, Red Sox HOK MINOR LEAGUE EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR Tom Kayser, Texas League MINOR LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE YEAR Dave Wallace, Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland Indians) ROLAND HEMOND AWARD Pat Gillick TONY GWYNN AWARD Augie Garrido INDEPENDENT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Art Charles, 1b, New Jersey (Can-Am) COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Kyle Lewis, of, Mercer COLLEGE COACH OF THE YEAR Jim Schlossnagle, Texas Christian HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR Mickey Moniak, La Costa Canyon High,…

Baseball America’s awards aren’t limited to what you see in this issue. Far from it. We’ve handed out nine other honors so far this year, including the Major League Player and Rookie of the Year, the Major League Manager of the Year and the College Player of the Year. Here’s a quick recap. MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Angels outfielder Mike Trout hit .315/.441/.550 in 159 games this season, chipping in with 29 home runs, 32 doubles, five triples and 100 RBIs. He stole 30 bases in 37 tries after making fewer than 20 attempts in each of the past two seasons. At BA we’ve run out of superlatives to describe the game’s best player, so we turned to the players and coaches who see him every day to…

After 25 years as the president of the Texas League, Tom Kayser made it known at last year’s Winter Meetings that 2016 would be his final season. Former Rangers executive Tim Purpura is taking over in 2017, but it’s clear that Kayser will leave a lasting imprint after a quarter century in the TL. Throughout those 25 years, the Texas League and minor league baseball have seen an immeasurable amount of change. “It’s like going from the horseless carriage to interstellar travel,” Kayser said, before noting how the sport has gone from an afterthought to, in some cases, the centerpieces of downtown rebirths. “We went places because they would take us in, as opposed to places that were particularly attractive,” he said. “ . . . Now, my lord, everything…

OAKLAND ATHLETICS The Athletics knew entering 2016 they were likely not going to contend in the tough American League West. The A’s did, however, expect to be competitive, but even that did not happen. Ace righthander Sonny Gray struggled, with no obvious underlying cause, and lefthander Rich Hill missed a month because of a blister, short-circuiting the rotation. A lineup that has lacked power and explosiveness since the trade of Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays never picked up steam and wound up ranking last in the AL in runs. (Two years ago, Oakland ranked third.) So when a promising 10-7 start turned into a 19-26 record in late May, it was time to start thinking about the future. Under Billy Beane, the A’s have always been aggressive when it…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ BOSTON Yoan Moncada’s remarkable ensemble of tools created optimism that he could leapfrog Triple-A Pawtucket and be ready to contribute in the big leagues down the stretch in 2016. So did the Minor League Player of the Year’s performance at high Class A Salem and Double-A Portland—he hit .294/.407/.511 with 15 home runs and 45 stolen bases. But after Moncada, who signed out of Cuba in 2015, struck out 12 times in his first 20 big league plate appearances, including nine in a row to end the season, he appears destined to open 2017 at Triple-A. “In July, we would have said we thought he would be ready for the big leagues (in 2017) to play,” president…

ST. PETERSBURG Righthander Brent Honeywell’s dominating performance in the Arizona Fall League’s prospect showcase—he struck out five of the six batters he faced—gave another chance for those in the industry to take notice of the Rays’ promising prospect. To Honeywell it was just another step. “That’s all I want to do, and there’s nothing else,” said Honeywell, 21. “I want my dad to see and my mom to see and all my family to see me pitching against those guys who are the best in the world.” Honeywell is on that path after a solid 2016 season in which, after a six-week disabledlist stint due to arm tenderness, he moved from high Class A Charlotte to Double-A Montgomery and helped the Biscuits into the Southern League playoffs. For the season,…

ATLANTA The Braves were not sure what they were getting when they acquired Dustin Peterson from the Padres two years ago as part of the package for Justin Upton. Peterson had been San Diego’s secondround pick in 2013 yet was struggling to establish himself in pro ball. Pre-draft scouting reports suggested that the Gilbert (Ariz.) High product and younger brother of Mariners prospect D.J. Peterson had the potential to hit, thanks to his quick hands and short swing that generates loft and backspin. The Braves converted Peterson from third base to left field, and he jumped out to a fast start at high Class A Carolina in 2015 before missing three weeks following the team’s bus crash that May. The 22-year-old Peterson experienced a breakthrough at Double-A Mississippi in 2016,…

WASHINGTON In the Arizona Fall League, righthanded reliever Ryan Brinley took advantage of his second chance this year to face upperlevel minor league batters. The 23-year-old struggled in his five-week stint at Double-A Harrisburg beginning in late June, but he showed a better repertoire with Glendale. That repertoire starts with a changeup that managers chose as the best in the high Class A Carolina League. Brinley, a 27th-round pick in 2015 from Sam Houston State, flashed an improved slider and touched 95 mph this fall, which helped earn him a spot in the AFL Fall Stars Game. “I had the good fortune to have him on our team very briefly when he got drafted,” said low Class A Hagerstown pitching coach Sam Narron, who also is one of Glendale’s pitching…

DETROIT For catcher Grayson Greiner, the 2016 season was nothing like 2015. That’s good news for the 6-foot-6, 220-pound backstop, who was a third-round pick in 2014. Greiner hit .183/.254/.250 at high Class A Lakeland in 2015, his first full season. That left him on the outside looking in when it came time for the Tigers to issue invitations to big league camp in 2016. But Greiner is certain to be in big league camp come February after a successful 2016 season. He hit .293/.339/.424 with seven home runs and 42 RBIs at three different stops, including a brief late-season appearance at Triple-A Toledo. “He scuffled a little bit last year in Lakeland and didn’t get on track for whatever reason,” farm director Dave Owen said. “This year, he came…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ PITTSBURGH The Pirates left Jose Osuna unprotected in the 2015 Rule 5 draft and the first baseman went unselected. They didn’t want to risk losing him this year. The 24-year-old Osuna hit a combined .279/.331/.457 with 13 home runs this season in 133 games between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. That prompted the Pirates to add him to the 40-man roster to prevent him from qualifying for minor league free agency. Osuna showed good pop—his home run total was deflated by playing his home games in two pitchers’ parks—which is in short supply in the organization The Pirates were particularly encouraged that the righthanded hitter showed better numbers at Indianapolis following his late-June promotion. He also hit .352…

MILWAUKEE The Brewers have not had much luck developing lefthanded pitchers, so it only made sense to see what Nick Ramirez might be able to do in that role. Milwaukee drafted Ramirez, 27, in the fourth round in 2011 out of Cal State Fullerton as a first baseman, but he also served as the closer in college, so he had pitching in his background. The Brewers drafted Ramirez to play first base, and the lefthanded hitter hit 93 pro home runs in six seasons while topping out at Double-A. He hit just .206/.316/.404 at Biloxi this season, however, and that prompted a meeting with organizational staff. All parties decided that Ramirez should try to pitch. So Ramirez reported to instructional league this fall and focused heavily on pitching. It certainly…

HOUSTON Garrett Stubbs is no stranger to comments about his size. He is 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, which for an infielder would not raise an eyebrow. But for a catcher? “I don’t really take any offense to it or anything like that,” said Stubbs, 23. “I try to use it to my advantage because guys see me back there and say, ‘Wow, that catcher’s small.’ I try to play bigger than what they see.” Regardless of his physical stature, the Astros are high on Stubbs, their eighth-round pick in 2015 and their closest-to-the-majors catching prospect. The Southern California product broke out in 2016 at high Class A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi, hitting a combined .304/.391/.469 in 86 games ,and could reach the big leagues as early as 2017. More…

ARLINGTON The Rangers were deemed one of the winners of the Aug. 1 trade deadline with a bevy of deals that cost them their top two pitching prospects and four first-round picks from their past four draft classes. The Rangers insist that their cupboard isn’t bare and that they could, if necessary, pull off an offseason trade for pitching help. Their sense is that lefthander Brett Martin would be asked about often in any negotiation. The 21-year-old put the finishing touches on his 2016 season with a three-start stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he played after missing a chunk of the regular season because of an elbow injury. The injury, he said, helped him learn what kind of pitcher he is and what he must to do to…

LOS ANGELES The Dodgers entered the 2016 season with the No. 1 farm system in the game. They then spent the summer squeezing the fruits of that system on the way to their fourth consecutive National League West division title. Rookies made 21.3 percent of the Dodgers’ plate appearances and pitched 29.6 percent of their innings, including a major league-high 70 starts. That number was beefed up by Japanese veteran Kenta Maeda. Two players—outfielder Andrew Toles and righthander Brock Stewart—began the season at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga but rose all the way to the majors. Toles, in particular, was on no one’s radar— manager Dave Roberts said all he remembered about Toles from his occasional spring training appearances was his beard. Yet Toles started in left field for the…

Projecting who will get picked in the major league Rule 5 draft is never easy. No two teams’ Rule 5 preference lists are alike because of differing needs, willingness to accept risk and the status of their big league rosters. But talent is talent, so our Rule 5 preview looks at which unprotected players stand out, without consideration to team need. To review, eligible players not protected on major league 40-man rosters can be taken in the major league Rule 5 draft. Those players have to remain on their new team’s major league roster throughout the next season, or be offered back to their original organization. The most notable trend going into this year’s Rule 5 is how the explosion of velocity at all levels of baseball makes it even…

With the 2017 draft still more than seven months away, there’s a lot that can change with this year’s top high school prospects. But as fall ball has come to an end in many parts of the country, here is how the 2017 prep class shakes out. Breaking Down The Top Five At the top of the class is Hunter Greene, a unique two-way talent who headlines a loaded year in Southern California. Greene, a UCLA signee, is more polished as a pitcher. The righthander has shown premium fastball velocity, reaching as high as 98 mph. The pitch also shows late life, exploding through the strike zone with late finish that makes Greene almost impossible to square up. His offspeed arsenal shows promised as well. Greene throws a hard two-plane…

 PHILADELPHIA The most significant postseason of modern times didn’t just crown a champion, bust a curse and leave millions of Americans wondering what they could do to get that “Go Cubs Go” song out of their heads. More than that, it opened a window— a window into where the sport of baseball has evolved and where it is going. So if you looked through that window, what did you see? You saw a sneak preview of the stars of the future on parade, for one thing. If you don’t believe that players like young shortstops Francisco Lindor and Corey Seager, flamethrowers Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Sanchez, precocious Mexican hurlers Julio Urias and Roberto Osuna and those young Cubs studs are going to leave a major impression on this game, you…

What About Abreu? With Albert Abreu moving to a system already having completed its Top 10 (the Yankees), would it be possible to get a taste of what his scouting report and outlook is considering he would have placed in the Top 10 here? JAMES THIVIERGE Abreu is a Top 10-caliber prospect who will not appear in a Top 10 in print because he was traded from the Astros before their Top 10 Prospects list was completed, to the Yankees, after their Top 10 appeared in print. Readers will be able to find Abreu in the Yankees chapter of the Baseball America Prospect Handbook, where we go 30 deep on the scouting reports for each team’s prospects. The Prospect Handbook goes to press in December, and players appear with whatever…

DENVER The Cubs put to rest a 108-year World Series championship drought, and the franchise is so deep in talent that it could afford to decline the option on righthander Jason Hammel and potentially lose center fielder Dexter Fowler to free agency without feeling an urgency to add an impact player. Not all clubs are so fortunate. The following challengers to the Cubs’ throne have voids that must first be filled this offseason: Rockies The Rockies have suffered through six straight losing seasons, compiling a National League-worst record of 420-552 (.432) during that stretch. However, they are in position to make a statement with the hiring of Bud Black as manager, and the commitment of ownership to expand the payroll. Colorado has as good a lineup and defense as any…

Winning a championship at any level is never easy. But the accomplishment becomes that much more difficult when a team goes through a prolonged losing streak. The Akron RubberDucks lost 12 consecutive Eastern League games at one point in 2016, one of the longest losing skids in the minors, but rebounded to not only make the playoffs, but also to win the franchise’s third EL championship since 2007 with a sweep of Trenton in the finals. Keeping the ship steady during the storm and then piloting it to a championship helped make Dave Wallace Baseball America’s Minor League Manager of the Year. In three seasons with Akron, Wallace has guided the RubberDucks to a 223-202 mark. “The staff and I just continued to believe in them and the work that…

On the day after Christmas, Round Rock Express (Pacific Coast) president Chris Almendarez and his two sons will board a plane, along with about 25 of their closest friends, and take the long, taxing journey to Lusaka, Zambia. Almendarez has made the trip twice before—but never quite under these circumstances. He expects the day of their arrival to be “one of the most emotional days” of their lives, a culmination of 16 months of emotional days—a proud accomplishment, but also a bittersweet reminder. The last time Almendarez went to Zambia was in December 2014, joined by sons Chase and Luke and wife Jana. The mission trip was a moving experience for the entire family, but particularly for Jana. Chris remembers how touched she was visiting with the orphans there. So…

HOUSTON ASTROS In the past two seasons, trusting the process and being patient has paid off for two long-suffering fan bases. Dayton Moore and Royals, the doorstop of the American League since the 1994 strike, finished off a seven-year rebuild with a World Series title in 2015. A year later, Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and the Cubs guided the Cubs to their first World Series victory in more than a century. And that leaves the Astros. Like the Cubs, the Astros have a title drought that is better described in decades than years. Houston’s 55 years in baseball without a title now counts as the third-longest in the game, behind only the Indians and Rangers franchises. And like the Cubs and the Royals, the Astros are now bearing the fruits…

SEATTLE MARINERS Everything changed for the Mariners in 2016. For an organization that has often struggled to win at the major league level or develop frontline homegrown talent, that was a good thing. Jerry Dipoto took over as general manager after the 2015 season and cleaned house. Dipoto replaced Jack Zdurencik, who was fired after seven seasons without a playoff berth, and brought in Scott Servais as manager, hired Andy McKay as farm director and made 12 trades before the season began. The result was the Mariners’ most successful season in years. They went 86-76 and remained in the hunt for an American League wild card until the season’s final weekend, while their second-place finish in the AL West was the franchise’s best since 2007. The Mariners’ success was even…

BALTIMORE The Orioles are preparing for life after Matt Wieters and their vision of the future includes top catcher prospect Chance Sisco. The only question is whether Sisco will be ready to break camp with the team in 2017 or need more seasoning at Triple-A Norfolk. Sisco, whom the Orioles drafted in the second round in 2013, appeared in just four games at Norfolk this summer, homering twice and driving in seven runs over 16 at-bats. The lefthanded batter turns 22 in February, but the Orioles will give him a chance to win a job in spring training. The Orioles are checking the free agent and trade markets for a veteran catcher available on a short-term deal, but Sisco has earned consideration. “We do like the depth that we have…

TORONTO Steve Sanders took over as the Blue Jays’ scouting director after breaking in with the Dodgers and developing as an executive with the Red Sox. Exposure to a wide array of approaches and philosophies ensures he won’t bring tunnel vision to his new role. “I don’t think there’s a certain type of player we’re necessarily going to target,” Sanders said. “Our goal every year is to take the best player available, and ultimately our job is to select players who are going to impact the Blue Jays at the major league level. “Some years that’s going to be a high school pitcher or a college bat or a college arm or a high school bat. What we’re going to have to weigh is who’s the best player available to…

MIAMI Lefthander Dillon Peters is going to spend his winter in Norman, Okla., which is a bizarre choice for a guy who played at Texas, the University of Oklahoma’s biggest rival. But there’s a reason why Peters, a 10thround pick in 2014, will find himself in the Sooner State. It’s Skip Johnson, who is in his first year as Oklahoma’s pitching coach after putting in 10 seasons at Texas. “If the best pitching coach in the nation is in Norman,” Peters said, “that’s where I’ll be.” The 24-year-old is coming off a breakthrough year. He went a combined 14-6, 2.38 in 24 starts at high Class A Jupiter and Double-A Jacksonville, striking out 7.3 and walking 1.4 per nine innings. Peters had Tommy John surgery after signing and returned for…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CHICAGO Catcher Zack Collins finished a long year with a brief run in the Arizona Fall League. The No. 10 overall pick in June enjoyed a standout career at Miami. In the AFL, he played just 10 games and batted .227/.393/.500 with six walks and eight strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. The White Sox were pleased with what Collins showed them this year. After a long collegiate season that ended in the College World Series, then 39 combined games in the Rook-level Arizona League and at high Class A Winston-Salem and an instructional league stop, Collins was a taxi-squad player with Glendale in the AFL. That means he was only activated for two games a week. That…

KANSAS CITY, MO. Shortstop Nicky Lopez, a fifth-round pick in June out of Creighton, knows his game. “One of the toughest challenges for us is getting guys to understand what their skill sets are and what type of player they should be,” assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said. “You get little guys with big swings and they have just enough power to get themselves in trouble. You get bigger guys with shorter swings and they’re trying to put the ball in play too much. “Nicky Lopez gets what he is. He understands what he’s supposed to do. Situationally he does well (by) moving runners, laying bunts down and taking an extra base. He does have power, but he doesn’t try to hit home runs. He’s just a good player.” Lopez…

CHICAGO The Twitter frenzy following the presidential election offered a quick reminder to Cubs officials that they have no formal social media policy for their minor leaguers. “Obviously, that’s something that’s going to be addressed during spring training,” farm director Jaron Madison said. Team president Theo Epstein has said more than once he respects and embraces differences of opinions and perspectives among players in the organization, and their rights to express themselves. But the Cubs also direct players, and other employees, on their responsibilities as representatives of the organization, including on social media. Some players in the organization, including Triple-A Iowa reliever Corey Black, took to Twitter after Donald Trump was elected. Black engaged followers at length in the hours and days after the election, criticizing postelection protesters. Madison didn’t…

GLENDALE, ARIZ. When Paul DeJong first took the field for grounders with his Arizona Fall League teammates, he noticed a numbers game stacked against him at third base. He was one of three players lined up there for grounders, while shortstop had only one player. He found out later that he was the second shortstop. “It was,” said DeJong, 23, “news to me.” A second baseman who moonlighted at catcher in college and a third baseman in pro ball, DeJong spent the entire fall as the Glendale starting shortstop. General manager John Mozeliak, sitting in the crowd for one of the AFL games, said that if the AFL goes well for DeJong he’ll open 2017 as the everyday shortstop at Triple-A Memphis. “I feel like I can let my feet…

ANAHEIM A change of scenery appeared to benefit Kevin Grendell, a 23-year-old lefthander who was an 11th-round pick of the Orioles in 2012 but whose career was derailed by a 50-game suspension for performanceenhancing drug use. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Grendell failed to advance past short-season Aberdeen in four seasons with the Orioles. He was released on April 7 and signed with the Angels the next day. Grendell began 2016 at low Class A Burlington in early May. By June, he was at high Class A Inland Empire. By August, he was pitching at Double-A Arkansas. The reliever went a combined 5-5, 2.64 in 41 games, striking out 92 and walking 35 in 61.1 innings and limiting opponents to a .171 average. “He missed a lot of bats,” farm director Mike…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ DENVER High Class A Modesto righthander Parker French led the California League in ERA and WHIP, stellar achievements even more notable given Modesto’s anemic offense and 60-80 record. French, 23, was the Rockies’ fifth-round pick in 2015 out of Texas. He began his first full season 2-1, 1.17 in four starts at low Class A Asheville before a promotion to Modesto. “He’s made a bigger jump developmentally this year than we all expected, which is a credit to him,” farm director Zach Wilson said. “He’s got a tremendous work ethic. He’s extremely mature in the way he goes about his work and who he is as a teammate and how he focuses on the things he needs…

SAN DIEGO The results were mostly subpar—a .157/.224/.329 line with two home runs in 16 games—but outfielder Michael Gettys welcomed the chance to work in the Arizona Fall League. “It’s been a good experience so far,” Gettys, a 2014 second-round pick, told MLB.com. “I’m playing against great players every day. You won’t see better competition until you get to the big leagues” The 21-year-old former Georgia prep is coming off his best season as a pro. True to draft projections that he could be an impact player, Gettys outperformed older competition at both low Class A Fort Wayne and high Class A Lake Elsinore this year, combining for a .305/.363/.442 line in 128 games. He hit 12 home runs and is in position to begin the 2017 season at Double-A…

Major league front offices were sorting out their Rule 5 preference lists as Thanksgiving approached. On Nov. 18, all 30 teams finalized their 40-man rosters in preparation for the Rule 5 draft at the Winter Meetings. And soon after that, all 30 teams received a list of the 1,656 players available in the major and minor league portions of the Rule 5 draft, giving teams plenty of choices. This year, the possible changes in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement also provide additional uncertainty. FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reported owners and players were discussing a proposal that would increase the major league roster size to 26 for the entire season in exchange for a smaller expanded roster in September, perhaps 28 or 29 active players, rather than 40. While nothing was finalized…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Oct. 28-Nov. 18. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed RHPs Erik Davis and West Tunnell and SS Kris Negron. Re-signed RHP J.R. Bradley. ATLANTA BRAVES: Signed RHPs Andres Avila, Elian Leyva, Ramon Morla, Danny Reynolds, Isaac Sanchez and Jordan Walden and Cs Armando Araiza and David Freitas. Re-signed C Braeden Schlehuber and SS Sean Kazmar. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Re-signed RHP Richard Rodriguez. Released RHP Rocky McCord, LHPs Yi-Hsiang Lin and Jeong-Hyeon Yoon and OFs Mike Odenwaelder and T.J. Olesczuk. BOSTON RED SOX: Signed LHP Edgar Olmos. Re-signed RHP Jacob Dahlstrand and 2B Ryan Court. 2B Josh Rutledge elected free agency. CHICAGO CUBS: Signed RHPs Seth Frankoff and Mario Meza. Re-signed RHPs Andury Acevedo, Cole Brocker and Nick Sarianides and…