Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, February 28, 2017 i Baseball America

MARCH 20 2011 IN THIS ISSUE: Nationals phenom Bryce Harper is the overwhelming choice at the top, but do our Top 100 voters differ? ALSO: Wake Forest coach donates kidney to save one of his players’ life. Four of Baseball America’s writers debated which of the nine Royals prospects featured in the Top 100 would have the brightest future. WILL LINGO: I put Mike Moustakas first because he has proven himself at the highest level (Triple-A), and because people in the Texas League thought his defense at third would be not just adequate, but solid. So I think that gives him a little bit more value than the other guys, though I think they all can be impact hitters. JOHN MANUEL: Perhaps I’m just riding the hot hand by ranking…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com jerrycrasnick@baseballamerica.com PHILADELPHIA C o m m i s s i o n e r Rob Manfred threw a charge into an uneventful news day in late January when he levied his punishment against the Cardinals for their part in an unprecedented computer hacking scandal against the Astros. The industry consensus: The Cardinals are lucky birds. They were forced to surrender the 56th and 75th picks in the 2017 draft to Houston and pay the Astros $2 million in reparations. But the picks won’t put a significant crimp in St. Louis’ talent pipeline, and the fine—the maximum allowed under major league rules—was more a symbolic gesture than a real bite in the wallet. That said, it’s hard to find many people in the baseball community who view the…

Baseball America correspondent Tom Haudricourt reported in January that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said the team is exploring purchasing the Carolina Mudcats, the team’s high Class A affiliate in the Carolina League. The Mudcats are currently owned by Steve Bryant, who also owns the Capital Outdoor Advertising company in Zebulon, N.C. Bryant has owned the team since 1989, when it was a franchise in the Double-A Southern League. The team, which plays at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, has changed affiliations three times since rejoining the Carolina League in 2012. The team started with the Indians, then switched to the Braves after the 2014 season and will begin play as a Brewers affiliate for the first time this season. Many teams now own their minor league affiliates—the Braves, for example,…

John Manuel Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel@baseballamerica.com Player comparisons can be tricky. They also are undeniably fun. When scouts used to make comps, it was with one task in mind: Paint a picture with words so that other scouts can picture the player you evaluated. That’s why Domonic Brown, a tall, lefthanded- hitting black outfielder, got compared to Darryl Strawberry. It wasn’t an attempt to say Brown was going to be like Strawberry. It was an attempt to say, “This guy looks like Darryl Strawberry in the batter’s box. Tall and skinny but with power.” As we now know, Brown was no Strawberry. But comparisons in the internet age sometimes seemed to mislead BA readers more than inform them. Physical comps would get interpreted as performance comparisons. For me,…

TORONTO | Blue Jays For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ TORONTO Bo Bichette’s swing features a leg kick reminiscent of Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson and a bat path that evokes a lumberjack in a forest. That combination leaves little doubt that the 19-year-old shortstop, a second-round pick last year, is at the plate to do damage. So far, Bichette has done just that. “That’s a big part of my game,” said Bichette, who hit .427/.451/.732 with four home runs in 22 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last year. “When I’m not as aggressive as I want to be, I start swinging at bad pitches. Being aggressive helps me be more selective as a hitter—it’s a weird combination, but it makes me…

Wade’s World Is Versatile NEW YORK The Yankees have what every organization covets: depth at shortstop. They have so much depth that Tyler Wade and Jorge Mateo could move to second base or the outfield. Wade has impressed the Yankees with his versatility, which increased when he played the outfield in the Arizona Fall League. “There is no question he will play in the big leagues,” general manager Brian Cashman said of the 22-year-old Wade, a fourth-round pick in 2013 out of high school in Murrieta, Calif. “He is extremely athletic. I was at a game in the Fall League where he was in right field and made a tough catch at the wall with ease. He hadn’t played the position much. I was shocked at how comfortable he was…

Back To Basics ATLANTA Ask righthander Touki Toussaint what the key to success is and chances are he will say to simply be yourself. That’s the advice he received during the first month of 2016 at low Class Rome A. He went 0-3, 12.66 in his first three starts, allowing 19 hits, nine walks and 16 runs in 10.2 innings. A heart-to-heart talk followed, which changed everything. “(Pitching coordinator) Chuck Hernandez and (Rome pitching coach) Dan Meyer sat me down and said, ‘This isn’t you. Let’s go back and look at high school video and get you back to being you,’” said Toussaint, a 20-year-old from Coral Springs, Fla. “I did that, saw what I was doing wrong, and everything started clicking from there.” In his final 24 appearances Toussaint…

Ready For The Quest WASHINGTON Though lefthander Tyler Watson bypassed college when he signed for a 34thround record $400,000, he carries himself like he is ready for life on his own. “Tyler is a professional in every sense of the word,” farm director Mark Scialabba said. “He works extremely hard at his craft, has great habits and is a student of the game.” Watson fully expected to attend Loyola Marymount, especially after the Nationals took him so late in the 2015 draft out of Perry High in Gilbert, Ariz. “I had my ID, knew my classes and was ready to go,” said Watson, 19. Instead, Watson signed before the mid-July deadline and went on to throw 13 innings in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League without allowing an earned run. Then…

Searching Far And Wide DETROIT The Tigers this offseason signed several players to minor league deals who played internationally in 2016. But that doesn’t signal a major change in philosophy, and it’s not the product of a major increase in scouting overseas. The Tigers simply found players they needed to fill holes. “It wasn’t any specific direction given or preconceived thoughts,” vice president of player development Dave Littlefield said. “It’s really just more based on the needs that we have, and the scouting reports and the analytical evaluation. As we combine all those things, that led us to a bunch of guys who had played in foreign leagues in the past. That was really more of how it came together.” No matter what the reason, it’s clear that the Tigers’…

PITTSBURGH | Pirates For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ PITTSBURGH After ranking as the organization’s top prospect heading into 2015 and 2016, righthander Tyler Glasnow slipped to No. 3 this season. However, Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage still believes he has the ceiling of a No. 1 starter. Searage is eagerly anticipating the start of spring training and the improvement he believes Glasnow will show after making his big league debut last season. “I think maybe about halfway through spring training, people are going to watch Tyler and go, ‘Holy schnikes!,’” Searage said. The 23-year-old Glasnow went 0-2, 4.24 in seven games, including four starts, in his debut. That followed an impressive 20-start performance at Triple-A Indianapolis in which he went 8-3, 1.87 in…

LeBoeuf Makes It Back MILWAUKEE When the Brewers assigned hitting coach Al LeBoeuf to Triple-A Colorado Springs for the 2017 season, he knew he had come full circle. And what a tormenting and scary circle it was. LeBoeuf was coaching at Triple-A Nashville in 2012 when he was diagnosed with blood cancer that also led to a rare neurological disorder called POEMS syndrome. The health issue was traced back to 1985, when LeBoeuf was playing at Triple-A Portland in the Phillies system and was drilled on the hip by a fastball. “I remember it to this day,” he said. “I played a couple more days and finally went to the trainer. I had X-rays taken and they said it was the worst bone bruise they had seen in 25 years.…

Astros Eager To See Alvarez HOUSTON The Astros invested heavily in the Cuban market last year, most notably signing 32-year-old Yulieski Gurriel to a five-year, $47.5 million deal and spending $4 million—$ 2 million for the signing bonus and $2 million in an overage tax—on 20-year-old lefthander Cionel Perez. But one of their more under-the-radar moves also injected a Cuban prospect into their system. This spring, the Astros will get their first in-person glimpses of 19-year-old first baseman Yordan Alvarez. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Alvarez, whom the Astros acquired from the Dodgers last year for reliever Josh Fields just prior to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, figures to be one of the more intriguing players in minor league camp in March. He spent last season in the Dominican Summer League. “We’ve…

Jackson Aims For Rebound SEATTLE Drew Jackson entered the 2016 season looking like the Mariners shortstop of the future. After a down season, the 23-year-old is now going to have to fight for his future job. Jackson, a 2015 fifth-rounder from Stanford, earned the Northwest League MVP in his pro debut at short-season Everett. He then skipped over low Class A Clinton in 2016 but struggled at high Class A Bakersfield. He hit just .258/.332/.345 with six home runs and 47 RBIs. Most discouraging was the fact that Jackson’s two prime assets—his speed and defense—didn’t translate into production on the field. He went just 16-for-24 in stolen bases after swiping 47 bags the year before, and he committed 30 errors at shortstop. Despite Jackson’s struggles, his manager Eddie Menchaca, who…

Young Lambert Shows Promise DENVER Peter Lambert had an eye-opening first full season last year at low Class A Asheville. The 19-year-old righthander allowed two or fewer earned runs in 18 of 26 starts while going 5-8, 3.96. He yielded 16 earned runs in seven innings in two appearances. Minus those outings, Lambert, a 2015 second-round pick out of San Dimas (Calif.) High, recorded a 2.95 ERA. “He’s just got a great feel to pitch, and he moves the ball in and out,” farm director Zach Wilson said. “He’s advanced with his fastball and his thought process as far as how to use it and where to put it. The most intriguing thing is that he’s already able to think and pitch that way and feel his way through a…

POWERED BY Each year, Baseball America polls scouting directors to select preseason High School All-Americans. The first team tends to be an accurate predictor of future Major League success. In 2007, for example, the first team included Jason Heyward, Madison Bumgarner, Rick Porcello and Matt Harvey. In 2016, 11 of the 13 first-team All-Americans were selected on the first day of the draft, with first overall pick Mickey Moniak leading the way. The group of players at the top of this year’s prep class is even better than last year’s. Talents like Hunter Greene and Royce Lewis are candidates to be selected with the first overall pick. Greene shows plus-plus raw power and promising infield actions, but his advanced repertoire of pitches has many evaluators liking him more as a…

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred stripped the Cardinals of their first two picks in the 2017 draft, awarded them to the Astros and fined the Cardinals $2 million— payable to the Astros—as punishment for the actions of St. Louis’ former scouting director, Chris Correa. Correa also was placed on the permanently ineligible list. He’s got bigger problems, though—he’s serving a 46-month sentence in federal prison, having pled guilty to five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer in January of 2016. Following that release and his own investigation, commissioner Manfred stripped the Cardinals of the 56th and 75th overall picks in the 2017 draft, awarding the picks to the Astros as compensation. St. Louis already had forfeited its first-round pick after signing free agent outfielder Dexter Fowler. Those…

Ankle Injury Forces Otani Out Of WBC Shohei Otani will not play for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, according to reports from his native Japan. The Kyodo news service quoted Japan manager Hiroki Kokubo as saying that Otani will be removed from Japan’s 28-man WBC roster because of a right ankle injury that has been bothering him since October. “The condition (of his ankle) hasn’t reached a level we had hoped. We’re not in a position where we can ask him to push it,” Kokubo told Kyodo. He also said that he notified Otani of the decision over the phone. The 22-year-old righthander has been participating in workouts in Arizona with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, his team in Japan’s Pacific League. Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama also said Otani…

Columnist, MLB Network BOSTON The Padres finished last in the National League West in 2016, and they are predicted to finish there again in 2017. But go back to last July. I remember walking the downtown and the waterfront on the Saturday before the All-Star Game and recounting that in 40-something years of all-star festivities, I had never experienced such a pregame weekend buzz as there was that weekend. Of course, San Diego itself—the streets and restaurants and building that followed Larry Lucchino’s vision when the Padres moved from out-of-town and out-of-date Qualcomm Stadium in 2004—is a place people who live in the Northeast dream of every January. Since they began as an expansion franchise in 1969, the Padres have always seemed trapped in a corner, surrounded by water to…

Prospect season never ends at Baseball America, but the Top 100 Prospects is the natural demarcation between one season to another. Countless conversations with scouts, coaches and team officials as well as many road trips over the past year lead to this list. And as soon as we put it in your hands, we begin working toward next year’s. The Top 100 is compiled with input from John Manuel, J.J. Cooper, Matt Eddy, Ben Badler, Kyle Glaser, Hudson Belinsky and Vince Lara-Cinisomo. PLAYER PHYLUM POWER/SPEED OUTFIELDERS MAJOR LEAGUE EXAMPLES: Mike Trout, Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Gomez, Adam Jones Some of baseball’s all-time greats embody this phylum of player, from Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays to Trout. Often the game’s most exciting players, power-speed players can make a difference with…

The old adage in baseball says you want to build your team up the middle. Based on the quality of the middleinfield crop that makes up the 2017 prospect class, it seems many teams have put that philosophy into action. With six of the top 16 prospects in the game, shortstop was a five-star position this year, while Yoan Moncada leads a sneaky-strong second base crop to a four-star rating. While the infield as a whole was up, pitching was down this year, which is reflected in our Top 100. With position players moving faster than ever and making more of an immediate impact, the strength of 2017 was decidedly in the field, particularly in the dirt up the middle. Catcher The top-heavy class features three backstops who can really…

Ready To Rebound BALTIMORE A simple game of catch held special significance for lefthander Chris Lee. One of the Orioles’ top pitching prospects is regaining his health after being sidelined for most of 2016 with a lat injury. Lee threw off flat ground during the organization’s annual minicamp in January. A series of mound sessions were next on his throwing progression. Lee went 5-0, 2.98 in eight games (seven starts) before the Orioles shut him down. “Last year was definitely an eye-opener,” Lee said. “You’ve just got to stay healthy because you never know when the game’s going to take you out. So treat every day like it’s your last. “I went into this offseason making sure I worked hard and prepared my body so this won’t happen again. I…

Lowe Handles Shift Well ST. PETERSBURG Top 2016 draft pick Josh Lowe did well with the myriad adjustments required in his first pro season. He dealt with the rigors of playing every day and the heightened level of competition while splitting time at two Rookie-level affiliates. When Lowe got to instructional league, the Rays threw an even bigger adjustment at him: a shift from third base to center field. And he seems to have that handled as well. “I was really open to it,” said Lowe, 19. “I knew before the draft it was a possibility. They told me on signing day that there was the potential of me going from third to the outfield. I just think that it’s going to help me along the way, especially if they’re…

Hard Work Pays Off MIAMI Third baseman James Nelson hit only one home run as a senior at Redan High in Stone Mountain, Ga. One year later, he hit .400 with 17 home runs at Cisco (Texas) JC. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Nelson said he has gained about 15 pounds since high school, in part because he didn’t begin lifting weights seriously until he got to college. But there’s something else at play with Nelson’s newfound power. The 19-year-old still is developing as a slugger. “He’s always been young for his grade,” said Jon Coyne, who was the recruiting coordinator at Cisco. “But he’s got big-time bat speed.” The Red Sox recognized that and drafted Nelson in the 18th round in 2015, but the prep shortstop looked at Boston’s depth chart…

CLEVELAND | Indians For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CLEVELAND Teenage outfielder Will Benson’s pro debut in the Rookie-level Arizona League was modest. In 44 games, the 2016 first-rounder hit .215/.326/.430, and just four AZL players recorded more strikeouts (60). However, Benson ranked sixth in the league with six home runs and also stole 10 bases, which is impressive given his 6-foot-5, 215- pound frame. The 18-year-old Benson clearly is a work in progress, but his strength and athleticism were two big reasons why the Indians used the 14th overall pick on the Atlanta high school product, who signed for $2.5 million. Benson ranks as the No. 7 prospect in the system. Like most players moving from prep baseball to the pro ranks, the…

Slow Start, Strong Finish SURPRISE, ARIZ. For righthander Todd Eaton, it is not how you start but how you finish. The 24-year-old gave up four runs on six hits—including two home runs, a double and triple—in two innings in his high Class A Wilmington debut last year on July 18. In his next 11 relief outings, Eaton allowed one earned run in 18.2 innings for an ERA of 0.48 with 18 strikeouts and five walks. The Royals then made Eaton, a 34th-round pick out of Southern Illinois in 2014, a late addition to the Arizona Fall League. In his first two appearances, he yielded five runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs, in two innings. In his final three appearances, Eaton pitched five scoreless innings, walked none…

Cubs Deal With Altered Rules CHICAGO Almost as soon as they took over the organization in the fall of 2011, Theo Epstein and his front-office team faced such a significant alteration in the amateur signing rules that they recalculated their plans for rebuilding the farm system. Five seasons later, it’s hard to argue that any team has capitalized to a greater extent on those new rules ushered in by the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement. Now, fresh off the franchise’s first World Series championship in 108 years, it’s worth watching how this management team navigates an even stricter set of amateur spending rules under the just-ratified CBA. “Bargain shopping?” mused Jason McLeod, the club’s top scouting and player development executive. “The CBA hamstrings us. Some of the larger-market teams just don’t…

Full Steam Ahead ST. LOUIS With suddenly two fewer draft picks than they planned, the Cardinals may alter who and how often they see some players, but not what they’re looking for or even when and where they deploy their scouts. On the eve of the Cardinals’ annual meeting with their area scouts and crosscheckers, they learned from Major League Baseball that they had been stripped of their first two draft picks in 2017 and fined $2 million. The punishments stem from former scouting director Chris Correa, who illegally accessed the Astros’ internal database. He is serving a 46-month prison term for his unlawful acts, and the commissioner found the Cardinals “vicariously liable” for Correa’s actions. The picks, Nos. 56 and 75, and the fine go to the Astros, but…

Barria Continues To Develop ANAHEIM Like many prospects, righthander Jaime Barria reported to instructional league in Arizona a few weeks after his season ended at low Class A Burlington. Only Barria didn’t pitch last fall. In fact, the 20-year-old barely picked up a baseball. “Physically, there’s still a lot of room for growth and development,” farm director Mike LaCassa said. “(Barria) came to instructional league to focus on conditioning and increasing strength. We believe that could lead to his stuff continuing to play up.” The goal for Barria, who signed for $60,000 as a 16-year-old out of Panama in 2013, is to match his command with his stuff. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Barria has a low- 90s fastball that induces a lot of weak contact, excellent feel for a changeup and…

LOS ANGELES | Dodgers For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ LOS ANGELES In the span of just six months, the Dodgers traded away four well-regarded righthanders. They dealt Jharel Cotton, Frankie Montas and 2014 first-rounder Grant Holmes to the Athletics (for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick) and then Jose De Leon to the Rays (for Logan Forsythe). But the system remains stocked with young pitchers thanks to the development of players like righthander Trevor Oaks. A seventh-round pick out of Division II California Baptist in 2014, Oaks progressed through three levels last season, going a combined 14-3, 2.74 in 24 starts with a 1.11 WHIP over 151 innings at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga, Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City. With buzz surrounding younger…

Urias Targets Strength Gains SAN DIEGO Second baseman Luis Urias won the batting title and MVP award in the high Class A California League last year after he opened the season as the circuit’s youngest player. Now, the 19-year-old looks to get stronger. Farm director Sam Geaney said Urias, who is listed at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, will work to “continue to get stronger to handle the rigors of long seasons. He’s had some soft-tissue issues (quadriceps, hamstring) in the past, so being on top of things in that regard is a priority.” Geaney added: “Baseball-wise, he’s in a good spot.” Showing improved strength last year, Urias hit six home runs after hitting none in his first 106 pro games. He batted .330/.397/.440 at Lake Elsinore last season, and for his…

Long before he was an Oriole, Dylan Bundy was one of the best high school pitchers scouts had ever seen. In 2010 as a 17-year-old high school junior with a low- to mid-90s fastball, he carried Owasso High to an runner-up finish in the state of Oklahoma, throwing 293 pitches over three games in four days. It was completely legal by the rules of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association. Those rules allowed a pitcher to throw up to 10 innings in any single day or a complete game, no matter how many innings that game lasted. Dylan’s older brother Bobby pitched 13 innings in an extra-inning game in 2007, according to the Tulsa World. While Dylan Bundy’s run with Owasso ended one win short of a state title, fellow…

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. Dallas Perez was a winner He won two state championships at American Heritage High in Plantation, Fla., one in baseball as an outfielder and one in football as a wide receiver. And in his first collegiate baseball season, he helped Nova Southeastern (Fla.) win its first national title. But despite all his talents, he wasn’t present on Feb. 3 as host NSU opened defense of its Division II national title. Instead, Perez’s name was on the wall in right-center field, and his infectious spirit in the hearts of many. Perez, 21, died in a car crash on Dec. 18. “It’s heart-wrenching,” said his father, Mario Perez. “I know how hard he had worked this offseason to be ready for this year, and now he won’t get that…

Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Jan. 21-Feb. 3. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed Cs Willians Astudillo and Josh Thole and OF Jake Goebbert. ATLANTA BRAVES: Signed RHPs Blaine Boyer and Kris Medlen and LHP Rex Brothers. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Signed OF Alex Castellanos. BOSTON RED SOX: Signed RHP Jorge Hernandez. CHICAGO CUBS: Signed RHPs Jim Henderson, Casey Kelly and Williams Perez and OF Todd Glaesmann. Re-signed RHP Frank Batista. Traded RHP James Farris and 2016-17 international bonus slot one ($563,700) to Rockies for RHP Eddie Butler and 2016-17 international bonus slot three ($351,900). CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Signed RHPs Mayckol Guaipe, Greg Infante and Anthony Swarzak and OF Peter Bourjos. CINCINNATI REDS: Signed LHP Mike McGee and 3B Zach Walters. CLEVELAND INDIANS: Signed OF Austin…

Baseball Analyst, Senior Writer ESPN.com Hey, remember the days when it actually used to be a big deal to be a home run hitter? Whatever happened to those days anyway? Mike Napoli would love to know. So would Chris Carter. Of the 18 free agents who landed in the marketplace this winter after thumping at least 20 home runs last season, more than half— 10, to be exact—were still unemployed entering January. Three of them still haven’t signed as of press time. And how bizarre was it to find the home run champs in both leagues—Mark Trumbo and Carter—still unemployed in the third week of January? Trumbo eventually re-signed with the Orioles. So if you take a step back and ask what all this means, it’s telling us something, isn’t…

EVERYONE The process we used to build the Top 100 Prospects list hasn’t changed in years. Baseball America’s staff submits personal Top 150 lists. Those lists are then synthesized (each writers’ No. 1 prospect gets 150 points while the No. 150 prospect gets a lone point). At that point, we spit out a very, very preliminary Top 100 ranked by the combination of personal Top 150s. On that preliminary list, we rank it once by composite score, but also by looking at median rank for each player to try to ferret out which players are consensus picks and which ones aren’t. And then we meet. Yankees righthander Chance Adams and Nationals outfielder Juan Soto ended up the last men out. Twins lefthander Stephen Gonsalves and Blue Jays first baseman Rowdy…

Columnist, MLB.com DENVER Even before the struggles of 2016 came to an end, Royals general manager Dayton Moore was emphatic that he was not about to oversee a major offseason overhaul of the team that ended a 30-year championship drought by winning the 2015 World Series. Yes, the window of opportunity was closing on the roster’s current core. The window hasn’t shut yet, and the Royals aren’t about to walk away from the remaining opportunity to add another title to the résumé. This may be the last hurrah for that initial nucleus that Moore and Co. put together upon their arrival from the Braves to restore a Kansas City franchise that had fallen on hard times. If it is, Moore wants it to have a chance at a championship goodbye.…

It was last summer that Dan Fabian got the word out. Late June, early July, he can’t remember the exact date. What the White Sox pro scouting director does remember is the message. With the White Sox already eight or nine games out of first place and on their way to a fourth straight losing season, Fabian texted his pro scouts across the country and told them to drop their major league coverage and forget equal coverage of the 29 other organizations. It was time to hone in on the top minor leaguers in the deepest systems in baseball. “There definitely was a transition,” Fabian said. “There was a night after a game that I remember starting to send a bunch of texts to our pro scouts. There were at…

After years of waiting, the Augusta GreenJackets (South Atlantic) appear to be closing in on the finish line to find a new home. The North Augusta, S.C., city council gave final approval, by a 6-1 vote, to what is called the Project Jackson master agreement in January. Project Jackson, if completed, will look like many of the new stadium developments popping up across the minor leagues. The new stadium will be the centerpiece of the development, surrounded by a mix of residential and commercial projects. “Ecstatic, ecstatic,” Greenjackets president Jeff Eiseman said. “We’ve been waiting for the green light for four years, and to finally have this happen, I’m still pinching myself.” The city’s website suggests the final project will include a 175-room hotel, offices, condominiums, apartments, townhomes and restaurants…

Taylor Has Majors In His Sights BOSTON Ben Taylor is making up for lost time. The 24-year-old righthander went undrafted as a junior at South Alabama, where he failed to impress out of the rotation in his first season following a transfer from junior college. But as a senior reliever in 2015, Taylor recorded a 1.48 ERA and 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings. That positioned him to be taken by the Red Sox in the seventh round. In his first full pro season in 2016, Taylor looked very much like the same pitcher who found his niche in his final year of college. Between high Class A Salem and Double-A Portland, he forged a 2.96 ERA with 11.2 strikeouts and 2.5 walks per nine. That performance earned him a spot…

PHILADELPHIA | Phillies For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ PHILADELPHIA New hitting coach Matt Stairs was able to gather first-hand intel on a few of the Phillies’ up-and-coming hitters during the organization’s weeklong prospect education seminar in January. He came away impressed with 23-year-old corner outfielder Andrew Pullin. “He’s got a very quiet approach, tremendous hands and a short, fluid swing,” Stairs said. “The scouting report is: You can’t beat him with a fastball—and I can see why. I’m excited to see him on a more regular basis in spring training.” The lefthanded-hitting Pullin is headed to his first big league camp as a non-roster invitee. He earned the look by hitting .322/.362/.522 with 14 home runs at high Class A Clearwater and Double-A…

Nido Breaks Through NEW YORK Catcher Tomas Nido withdrew from the Arizona Fall League after injuring a side muscle on the eve of his first game. Still, he completed a banner year in 2016 that included a Florida State League batting title and a place on the 40-man roster in November. Nido also threw out 42 percent of basestealers at high Class A St. Lucie, while hitting .320/.357/.459 in 90 games. “I think my strength is throwing people out,” said Nido, 22. “But I think I’ve gotten a lot better with my game-calling and trying . . . to get the pitcher through those six or seven innings and to minimize the damage. “I do my best to study the hitters beforehand. And, along with the pitching coach, we go…

Danish Learns From Mistakes CHICAGO Righthander Tyler Danish made his major league debut last season, so why has prospect star faded? One reason for the change in perception is the fact that the White Sox imported quality young arms this offseason, particularly righthanders Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Michael Kopech. Secondly, Danish showed he has plenty of room to improve after splitting the 2016 season between Double-A Birmingham, Triple-A Charlotte and Chicago. “I was not pleased with how I performed, but I learned a ton,” said Danish, 22. “I believe you have to make mistakes to learn. Last year, I learned I need to be more consistent in the zone. Just attack and don’t be scared. I know that I’m here for a reason.” Danish opened 2016 at Birmingham and…

Haley Savors Rule 5 Chance MINNEAPOLIS Righthander Justin Haley went to bed on Dec. 8 a member of the Red Sox organization. He woke up on Dec. 9 as an Angel. An hour later, he was a Padre. And by the time he ate breakfast he was a Twin. “It was a great morning, a lot of fun,” Haley said of his whirlwind tour courtesy the Rule 5 draft and two subsequent trades. “We celebrated three times.” As Haley prepares for his first big league camp, he’s still celebrating his good fortune. Only it’s not luck that landed him on a big league roster for the first time—he has been planning Rule 5 emancipation for months. “I went to winter ball (in the Dominican Republic) to make sure scouts saw…

Long’s Odds Are Better Now CINCINNATI Second baseman Shed Long spent the offseason working out alongside Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and all-star Francisco Lindor in Florida. During one of the sessions, he saw former Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight working out. A former prep football player in Alabama, Long couldn’t help but show off his skills as the baseball players ran passing routes as part of their conditioning drills. The same hands that made Long a good receiver also give him more power than you’d expect from someone who stands just 5-foot-8 and weighs 185 pounds. “I was blessed with great hands,” said Long, 21. “I’ve got real quick hands and I trust my hands when I’m hitting so much. The quicker you get to that ball, the farther…

TEXAS | Rangers For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ARLINGTON Second baseman Andy Ibanez doesn’t have any cautionary tales to tell about leaving Cuba in 2014. He did everything by the book in obtaining the necessary paperwork. He simply didn’t return home. The Rangers were the beneficiaries of Ibanez’s decision to defect when they signed him in July 2015 and watched as he climbed the organization’s prospect ranking in 2016. Next up for Ibanez, who dismantled the South Atlantic League at low Class A Hickory to open 2016 before moving to Double-A Frisco and then the Arizona Fall League, is continuing to gain experience and improve. The Rangers like Ibanez’s hitting ability foremost, though his defense at second base earned him a Gold Glove…

A’s Tap Sprague For Analytics OAKLAND All types of new statistics have been developed in recent years, from exit velocity off the bat to pitch repetition from the mound. Ed Sprague’s task as the organization’s new coordinator of instruction is to translate those numbers into something tangible for coaches and players. “I’ll be a liaison and an educator to the players about analytics, and how we’re using analytics,” Sprague said. “We’ll use the analytics more on the player-development side as well as in acquisitions.” His other duty will be to develop a consistent language throughout the system, so that all teams use the same terms for cutoffs and various other plays. Pitching coordinator Gil Patterson has been innovative in his use of advanced metrics for pitchers, and Sprague will further…

Clarke Goes Over The Top PHOENIX Taylor Clarke doesn’t know why he throws from such an extreme, over-the-top arm slot, and he can’t really point to a particular reason why he has such pinpoint control of his fastball. But those two attributes help make the 23-year-old righthander one of the more intriguing pitching prospects in the organization. “He can be perfect, and it’s a plus fastball,” minor league pitching coordinator Dan Carlson said. “He can dot spots.” In his first full season as a pro, Clarke went 12-9, 3.31 with 118 strikeouts and just 33 walks in 149.1 innings in 2016. He began the year at low Class A Kane County before rising all the way to Double-A Mobile. Clarke, a 2015 third-round pick from College of Charleston, said his…

Eager For Action SAN FRANCISCO After enduring a scary injury that forced him to miss more than two months last season, catcher Aramis Garcia is ready for 2017. “Beyond ready,” said Garcia, 24. The 2014 second-round pick from Florida International hit .264/.342/.431 with 15 homers and 66 RBIs in 2015 at both Class A levels, but his 2016 season was interrupted. Playing for high Class A San Jose at Rancho Cucamonga on May 22, Garcia tried to break up a double play while sliding into second base and suffered a season-altering injury. “I made a late decision to slide,” Garcia said, “and I just slid right into his knee . . . I just caught his knee right to the face.” That slide into second baseman Tim Locastro’s knee caused…

A longshot journey to the majors for Jake Sanchez might have begun with a short trip to his mother’s hometown. Sanchez, a nondrafted free agent who spent time in the independent Frontier League, is creating buzz with a dominant winter ball stint in Mexico. Sanchez, a 27-year-old Athletics righthander, was 1-0, 0.28 with 21 saves and 27 strikeouts against just five walks for Mexicali, helping the club win the Mexican League championship series against Los Mochis. That followed a breakout season for Double-A Midland after the A’s moved him to the bullpen in 2016. The real breakthrough came in the winter of 2015 when the Iowa Wesleyan alum decided to play in Mexico coming off a season when he had a 4.50 ERA as starter for Midland. He wanted to…