Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, May 23 2017 i Baseball America

MARCH 6, 1994 » IN THIS ISSUE: What did scouts say about Michael Jordan when he was in the minors? » ALSO: Manny Ramirez leads the Indians’ top prospects Twenty-three years ago, Michael Jordan left the NBA and tried his hand at minor league baseball. Now, Heisman Trophy winner and former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow is doing the same. What did scouts think about Jordan during his brief time on the diamond? Jordan led his Laney High junior varsity team by hitting .433 and later played varsity ball before becoming ineligible for his senior season by playing in the McDonald’s basketball all-star game. “Hitting is timing and rhythm, and what athlete has better timing and rhythm than Michael Jordan?” asks White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson, an all-state basketball player in…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com jerrycrasnick@baseballamerica.com PHILADELPHIA Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman struck up a friendship on the high school showcase circuit in 2006 and cemented it after the Braves chose them with the 14th and 78th picks in the 2007 draft. As minor league roommates, they shared visions of the long road ahead over box lunches on bus rides to the next town on the schedule. The rangy white first baseman from California and the African-American outfielder from suburban Atlanta were so inseparable that teammates referred to them as “Salt and Pepper.” Over a span of nine months in 2014, Salt and Pepper received an education in how economics can trump sentiment in the big picture. In February of that year, the Braves signed Freeman to an eight-year, $135 million contract…

HOUSTON REMOVES ROMERO FROM ROSTER Houston lefthander Seth Romero, the No. 18 prospect for the 2017 draft, was dismissed from the team after an undisclosed violation of team rules. Romero, who was leading the nation with 15.72 strikeouts per nine innings during a 4-5, 3.51 start, was suspended once last season and again in April 2017 before coach Todd Whitting made the move to cut him. “We wish Seth and his family the best of luck as he embarks on the next phase of his life and baseball career,” Whitting said in a statement. “We are fully focused on our remaining schedule and the current members of our program.” THOMAS, SANCHEZ BOTH DIE SUDDENLY Casey Thomas, a 34th-round pick of the Athletics last June from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel@baseballamerica.com Joe Maddon stated the obvious after a Cubs victory in Denver in early May. “Starting pitching drives the engine,” he told reporters after the game. “Don’t ever be deceived.” This mantra may as well be printed in every draft room heading into the 2017 draft in June. No matter which ballparks scouts visit across the country, and no matter how much they are on the lookout for bats, they all remember that starting pitching drives the engine of every organization, even in a changing game. And in an information and technology age, it seems like we should know more about what makes a starting pitcher. The baseball industry certainly knows how to develop velocity for pitchers; the game’s scouting and player development machinery is…

SAN DIEGO San Diego is known for something besides sunshine. It is a hotbed for baseball talent. And one position in particular stands out. The area has produced 25 major league catchers through the years. San Diego catcher Riley Adams is eager to be the next in that line. “I want to catch,” Adams said. “I love how involved you are in a game as a catcher. I get a feel for the umpire. I get a good vantage point seeing pitches. It helps me at the plate. I really enjoy catching just to get that feel for everything. “I’m not where I want to be catching, but I’m showing the right signs and progressing the right way.” Adams was voted a first-team Preseason All-American by major league scouting directors.…

A new wave of international signings begin on July 2. It’s not only the opening of the 2017-18 signing period, it’s also the start of the new rules that place hard caps on what teams can spend on international amateurs. Beginning this year, each team will get a bonus pool of $4.75 million, $5.25 million or $5.75 million. Teams can trade for up to an additional 75 percent of their original bonus-pool allocation, but unlike in past years, they’re not allowed to simply blow past their pools. These are some of the top 16-year-old prospects to watch who will be eligible to sign this year on July 2. DANIEL FLORES, C Flores is one of the best international amateur catching prospects to come along in years. He’s 6-foot-1, 190 pounds…

With the Orioles committed to finding young, high-ceiling pitchers with minor league options remaining, striking a deal for righthander Miguel Castro seemed like a natural move. The Orioles acquired Castro from the Rockies in April for a player to be named or cash. The 22-year-old showed enough promise two years ago to be included in the package that netted the Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Castro, who signed with Toronto out of the Dominican Republic in 2012 and made his big league debut at age 20, has recorded a 6.12 ERA and allowed seven home runs in 32.1 big league innings. Executive vice president Dan Duquette pounced on the opportunity to upgrade the pitching depth in the system. The Orioles don’t spend big on arms, so they must draft and…

As a reliever with minor league options on the fringes of the big league bullpen, righthander Danny Barnes understands he can expect a season of shuttling back and forth between Triple-A Buffalo and Toronto. The 27-year-old also realizes the frequent up and downs can have a detrimental effect on his continued growth, which is something he has planned for. “I’m not trying to develop anything pitching- wise, (but) more routine-wise, because this is different than anything I’ve done in the past,” Barnes said during a one-game popin with the Blue Jays as the 26th man for a doubleheader. “To me, it’s more about being consistent. I’m trying to perfect a routine, so if I have to be somewhere, I can get myself ready to play that day, because you never…

Righthander Jeff Brigham grew up on University of Washington athletics. “We used to ‘sailgate’ to the football games,” said Brigham, who was preceded at UW by his parents and his brother. “We had a boat, and we’d dock it a couple hundred yards from Husky Stadium.” Now, Washington basketball has produced Markelle Fultz, a candidate to go No. 1 overall in the NBA draft in June. “It’s super exciting to see fellow Huskies having success,” said Brigham, 25. Brigham’s draft day was in 2014—the Dodgers selected him in the fourth round— but the ex-Huskies standout is hoping he has a breakthrough year. But first he’s focused on making his 2017 debut. Brigham had Tommy John surgery in July 2012 but had bounced back in pro ball. The Marlins last year…

CHICAGO WHITE SOX After hitting the reset button and trading stars Chris Sale and Adam Eaton for seven prospects at last year’s Winter Meetings, the White Sox said they were no longer going to rush any of their young players. Righthander Dane Dunning is an obvious exception. One of three pitchers acquired from the Nationals for Eaton, Dunning opened the season at low Class A Kannapolis and overwhelmed the competition. Chicago also acquired Triple-A righthanders Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in the deal. In four starts with the Intimidators, Dunning went 2-0, 0.35. The 22-year-old allowed just 13 hits in 26 innings and recorded 33 strikeouts and walking just two. Dunning pitched so well that he earned a quick promotion to high Class A Winston- Salem. He tossed five scoreless…

Don’t confuse 23-year-old outfielder Jorge Bonifacio with his older brother Emilio, who has played 11 years in the majors. “I’m a different player,” Jorge said. “I know I can’t run like my brother can. My brother is fast. I can steal bases, but not like him. His game is different than mine. I try to hit the ball as hard as I can to get a homer, double or get a base hit.” Jorge, whom the Royals called up in April, homered in his second big league game and hit 19 last season at Triple-A Omaha. Royals manager Ned Yost batted Bonifacio third in the order in just his second big league game. He has the power to hit 20 homers annually in the majors. Bonifacio’s first call upon learning…

When third baseman Jeimer Candelario got his World Series ring while at Triple-A Iowa in April, it gave him as many World Series rings as big league hits. But despite hitting .340 through his first 28 Triple-A games, Candelario’s future with the club might be the hardest to project among any of the system’s prospects. “Sometimes guys like that force you to do things,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “We just have to evaluate how he fits among the guys that we have. “With guys like (Candelario), it’s difficult when you’re playing within a group that has young players on the major league level also playing well.” Nobody knows that better than Candelario, 23, who signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2010 and counts patience among his best virtues.…

The prediction from a Cardinals evaluator came shortly after seeing righthander Dakota Hudson pitch at Mississippi State, on the eve of his first-round selection by the club. Hudson’s slider, the official said, is going to move fast. He didn’t mean to the plate. He meant through the system. The 22-year-old Hudson has kept pace with such projections. He arrived at Double-A Springfield less than a year after being the 34th overall pick and fit in well with the organization’s prospect-rich Texas League rotation. Through six starts, Hudson recorded a 3.41 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 11 walks in 34.1 innings. He has the sink and cut on his fastball to aid his slider, and that combination could speed his arrival to the majors as a reliever, even as it intrigues…

What seemed like an innocuous deal at the 2016 trade deadline could reap huge dividends for the Angels. That’s if Jesus Castillo, the 21-year-old righthander acquired from the Cubs for veteran reliever Joe Smith, continues to develop like he has since last season. Castillo’s strong start at low Class A Burlington this season—he recorded a 2.37 ERA in his first four starts, allowing 13 hits, striking out 22 and walking two in 19 innings—to earn a promotion to high Class A Inland Empire in May. “He has a good delivery, a great feel to pitch at such a young age, a projectable body and a little deception in his delivery—the ball really gets on hitters,” farm director Mike LaCassa said. “That combination makes him an intriguing arm, one we’re excited…

COLORADO ROCKIES Ryan McMahon began the season back at Double-A Hartford where once again he showed a knack for playing a new position—along with a vastly improved offensive approach. Drafted in the second round in 2013 as a third baseman, McMahon initially played first base last season and finished with 67 games at each corner. Rockies infield instructor Stu Cole called McMahon “a natural” at second base when he began playing there in spring training. “That may be his best defensive position,” Hartford manager Jerry Weinstein said, “because he’s got a plus arm, and it helps you on cutoffs and relays and it helps you turning double plays. I think he likes playing second base, but he’s good at first and he’s good at third, too. I think (for the)…

No Padres prospect slipped farther than shortstop Javier Guerra in 2016. He entered the season ranked as the system’s top prospect but finished it on the disabled list after hitting a high Class A California League-worst .202. The Padres, however, remain higher than the industry on the 21-year-old even as he endures a slow start (.164, 40 strikeouts in 110 ABs) as he repeats Lake Elsinore. “We continue to be very bullish on Javy as a player and as a kid,” farm director Sam Geaney said. “As gifted as he is defensively, he definitely has the tools to be a very good offensive player as well.” Guerra’s lefthanded swing—quick, fluid and efficient—produced 15 home runs as a 19-year-old at low Class A Greenville in the Red Sox system in 2015.…

Roger Staubach served five years in the Navy before starting his Hall of Fame NFL career. David Robinson had his tour cut to two years before going onto to star in the NBA. Griffin Jax can only hope for similar success. The Twins righthander, a third-round pick last June from Air Force, may have to wait at least two years before he can fully pursue his goal of becoming a pro baseball player. The Twins gambled on Jax after a 2016 policy change by the Department of Defense seemed to allow him—and other service academy athletes—to immediately play a professional sport. But in late April, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis ruled that academy athletes would be required to serve two years of active duty before requesting the Ready Reserve status…

Columnist, MLB Network petergammons@baseballamerica.com BOSTON Last year, Andrew Benintendi, Alex Bregman and Dansby Swanson all reached the majors in their first full seasons as professionals. The same was true of 2014 draft picks Michael Conforto and Kyle Schwarber, who opposed one another in the 2015 National League Championship Series. While high school products like Mookie Betts, Manny Machado, Corey Seager and Mike Trout developed into major league superstars, the odds of finding another player like them in the draft are remote. No matter how promising this year’s high school class looks—headlined by Hunter Greene, Royce Lewis, Austin Beck and MacKenzie Gore—they won’t all turn out to be stars. Agent Scott Boras has his ideas on the subject of high school players turning pro, and they’re ideas scouting directors and Major…

COLUMBIA, S.C. Baseball America provided readers with a scouting report of basketball star Michael Jordan in March 1994 before the beginning of what turned out to be his one season in professional baseball in the White Sox system. Jordan, who was 31 at the time and had just claimed three consecutive NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, hit .202/.289/.266 in 127 games at Double-A Birmingham. Tim Tebow may not be as accomplished as Jordan, but his celebrity immediately translated into robust crowds for the Mets, who signed the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner last September. Fans flocked to see Tebow, whether at instructional league or the Arizona Fall League last year or at big league camp or in the low Class A South Atlantic League this spring. (See Page 34 for…

Baseball America updated its preseason Top 100 Prospects list in mid-May to account for the graduations of players such as Andrew Benintendi and Dansby Swanson, but also to update the rankings based on feedback from scouts who now have a month of extended spring training and a little more than a month of the minor league season to evaluate players. Because it’s so early in the season, we made only modest adjustments to player rankings. More significant chances will take place in our Midseason Prospect Update in July. But some players have made cases to move up or move down with their performances so far. ON THE RISE YOAN MONCADA, 2B, WHITE SOX (NO. 1, UP ONE SPOT): The prize the White Sox acquired in their trade of Chris Sale…

At Ohio State, righthander Travis Lakins featured an intriguing four-pitch mix. But at high Class A Salem last year he emphasized his fastball, curveball and changeup at the behest of the Red Sox. The 2015 sixth-rounder seldom used his trademark pitch: a slider-cutter hybrid. Lakins struggled to a 5.93 ERA in 2016 before a stress fracture in his elbow ended his season at the end of July. Though he didn’t require surgery, and the Red Sox and Lakins express confidence that it won’t be a recurring issue, he spent three months not throwing. Now once again healthy, the 22-year-old Lakins has made three changes that have resulted in a strong start at Salem this season. First, he moved from the first-base side of the rubber to the third-base side, a…

NEW YORK METS First baseman Dominic Smith has a habit of improving with each promotion, so his sizzling start at Triple-A Las Vegas could hardly be characterized as a surprise. The 21-year-old hit .337/.382/.484 with two home runs, six doubles and 15 RBIs in 24 April games. Smith hit so well that Mets fans had begun clamoring for his callup to potentially bolster the big league lineup. But team officials expect Smith, the 11th overall pick in the 2013 draft, to play a full season at Las Vegas. The Mets have a glut of options at first base with Lucas Duda, Wilmer Flores, T.J. Rivera and Jay Bruce. “I think Dom is going to be a good player,” said Mets manager Terry Collins, who has watched Smith in spring training…

Righthander Mark Leiter Jr. got an up-close look at a dream come true when his spring-training roommate Brock Stassi made the Phillies’ Opening Day roster, completing a climb that began as a 33rd-round pick in 2011. Three weeks later, Leiter’s own dream came true when he was summoned to the majors. He opened the season by allowing one run with 11 strikeouts through 5.1 relief innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Leiter’s story, like Stassi’s, has an underdog quality. The righthander was lightly recruited out of high school in Tom’s River, N.J., and went on to pitch at New Jersey Tech, where he developed physically, caught the eye of area scout Paul Murphy and was selected in the 22nd round in 2013. Over five pro seasons, Leiter recorded a 3.38 ERA…

An outstanding rookie season doesn’t guarantee a player anything the following year. Just ask outfielder Tyler Naquin. Naquin went from being the starting center fielder on a World Series team as a rookie to being the odd man out in the Indians’ outfield a year later. In a move that was a surprise to some, but only a mild one, Cleveland optioned Naquin to Triple-A Columbus less than two weeks into the 2017 season. It was a dramatic turn of events for the 25-year-old, who produced one of the franchise’s most memorable moments on Aug. 19 last year when he became the first Indians player in 100 years to hit a walk-off insidethe- park home run. Naquin earned the American League’s rookie-of-the-month distinction in June and July. Overall, he hit…

The Twins received damaged goods when they made their 24th-round selection in the 2015 draft, but they didn’t mind. It might be the only way they could have wound up with Jaylin Davis. “He would have gone in the top 10 rounds for sure,” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff said, “except for that.” “That” is an unfortunate dive for a fly ball just a month into Davis’ junior year at Appalachian State, an admirable effort that wound up tearing the labrum in his right shoulder. He needed surgery, ending his season and hampering his draft prospects. But the Twins had scouted Davis for two years already and chose him anyway, figuring that surgically repaired shoulders heal, albeit slowly. “We knew he would miss a year getting it fixed,…

Derrin Ebert, now the pitching coach at low Class A Dayton, likes to tell the story of when he was in Rookie-level Billings and righthander Tyler Mahle threw a complete game on just 80 pitches. Afterward, Ebert tossed him his pitch counter as a souvenir. Mahle has picked up a couple of other souvenirs along the way, including several from his April 22 perfect game for Double-A Pensacola against Mobile. It was Mahle’s second no-hitter. He held Jupiter hitless last June in his final start for high Class A Daytona. Against Mobile this year, Mahle needed just 88 pitches to get through his perfect game. He struck out nine. Reds big league catcher Devin Mesoraco, on a rehab assignment but not catching that day, was so impressed that he offered…

OAKLAND ATHLETICS Prior to the 2016 draft, scouting reports portrayed Logan Shore as a righthander with pedestrian ability and extraordinary performance. At the college level, his intensity and smarts made up for his mundane pitch quality. As Shore began his first full professional season, it did not look that way anymore. The Coon Rapids, Minn., native had surprised the Athletics with his ability. And he surprised himself with something else: His velocity jumped since he signed as a 2016 second-round pick out of Florida. In the Southeastern Conference, Shore typically sat in the high 80s and occasionally touched 90 mph. This year he was pitching at 92 mph and has hit 95 at high Class A Stockton. “If I knew why, I’d have everybody doing it,” joked pitching coordinator Gil…

For outfielder Ben Gamel, the opportunity so long delayed finally arrived in late April. Now it’s up to him: Can he translate his minor league success to the big leagues? Gamel hit .288/.419/.390 through 18 games at Triple-A Tacoma when recalled on April 26 after the Mariners jettisoned the underperforming Leonys Martin and saw Mitch Haniger sidelined by a strained oblique. Mariners manager Scott Servais signaled plans for Gamel, a lefthanded batter, by starting him the first night against Tigers lefthander Daniel Norris. “He’ll have good at-bats for us,” Servais said. “He finds a way to battle and fight even against good lefthanded pitching. He’s always done that.” Gamel, 24, responded a day later by driving in the winning run in the ninth inning of a 2-1 victory against Detroit.…

Whenever Double-A Jackson outfielder Victor Reyes looks overpowered at the plate, he doesn’t look that way for long, at least not from what his hitting coach Jason Camilli has seen. “Maybe he gets his doors blown off for one pitch, a fastball gets on him,” Camilli said, “but he adjusts right after, and on the next pitch, he makes that adjustment and gets himself on time and gives himself a chance. Every time he goes up to the plate, I feel very, very confident he’s going to have a good at-bat.” The 22-year-old Reyes is known for his ability to find the barrel, and in his first exposure to Double-A he got off to a great start by hitting .346/.384/.506 through 20 games in April. The Diamondbacks acquired the switchhitting…

Control and command rate as perhaps the two main elements for righthander Tyler Beede to achieve the most cherished “C” word for any minor league player: callup. The 14th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Beede averaged 4.7 walks per nine innings in his three years at Vanderbilt. After experimenting with different deliveries over the years, Beede discovered one that worked for him before the 2016 season. “I finally found that rhythm,” said Beede, 24. “I finally found that repeatable mechanic. It’s really helped me with commanding the zone and controlling my pitches.” At Double-A Richmond last season, Beede cut his walk rate to 3.2 per nine while leading the Eastern League with a 2.81 ERA. Of course, control and command aren’t solely a function of mechanics. “Yeah, it is…

Baseball Analyst, Senior Writer ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA As Rob Manfred turns his ultra-sharp focus on baseball’s pace-of-game “problem” these days, here’s one question that keeps getting in the way: If this is such a big problem, how come it doesn’t stop 73 million people a year from paying real American money to attend major league baseball games— not to mention another 41 million from spinning through the minor league turnstiles? The answer: Because new polling data—compiled for ESPN by the digital insights company, Toluna—tells us it isn’t those people who think there’s a problem. It’s actually all those people who aren’t at the park, the ones sitting at home with a clicker or smart phone in their hands—or not watching at all—who are more likely to be telling this sport these…

To Play Or To Stay? What are the steps for a college player to be in the scouts’ view if he doesn’t participate in summer league? PIETRO OLIVA, @PJOP28 That’s a good question to ask, but it’s hard to generalize too much without knowing the particular circumstance for the individual player. If it’s a pitcher who was carrying a heavy workload all spring for his college team, it makes sense to take some significant time off from pitching to rest and recover while working on focused weight training. On the other hand, a pitcher or position player who played only sporadically during the spring would be better served to get innings or at-bats in a summer league, because you’re not going to get better (or usually catch a scout’s eye)…

Columnist, MLB.com DENVER John Lynch’s first love always was football. But he liked baseball— a lot. After two years as a backup quarterback and then being moved his junior year to safety at Stanford, John Lynch decided the time had come to be realistic about his future. It wasn’t, he figured, in football. If he couldn’t play in college, how was he ever going to play in the NFL? His future was in baseball. And in the summer after his junior year the expansion Marlins, still a year away from their first big league game, used their selection in the second round of the 1992 draft on him, signed him and sent him to their short-season affiliate in Erie. “He said he wasn’t going to go back to Stanford and…

Ron Morris’ new book tells the story of the unlikely rebirth of the Durham Bulls in 1980, and the franchise’s growth into one of the most successful operations in the minor leagues. But it’s much more than a baseball story. The book also looks deeper at all the amazing things that sprang from the Bulls’ success, including a renaissance in the city itself, the overall boom in the minor leagues, and even the rise to prominence of a certain baseball publication. In this excerpt, however, we flash back to the days before the Bulls’ return to Durham, when things were still very much touch and go. A few weeks before the 1980 season I had a chance meeting with Walt Sorgi, whose claim to baseball fame in Durham was that…

Near the end of last spring, when Mississippi State’s draft-eligible players were starting to weigh whether they were ready to start their professional careers, then-head coach John Cohen and thenhitting coach Nick Mingione sat down for a meeting with Brent Rooker. Rooker was in the midst of a strong finish to his redshirt sophomore season. He would end up hitting .324/.376/.578 with a team-high 11 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Southeastern Conference regular-season champions. If he wanted to, he would have the chance to go out in the draft, though likely not on the draft’s first day. So when Rooker met with Cohen and Mingione, they advised him to stay in college. “You need to come back here and be the SEC player of the year because you’re…

GREENSBORO, N.C. Less than two years ago, righthander Ian Anderson and lefthander Braxton Garrett were travelling the world together with USA Baseball’s 18U National Team. They were each part of a supremely talented staff that defeated Japan to win the gold medal. The following June, the Braves took Anderson with the third overall pick in the draft, and the Marlins took Garrett four spots later at No. 7 overall. The high school pitchers’ paths crossed once again this May when they pitched on consecutive days at Greensboro’s First National Bank Field. Against Greensboro, Anderson showed the stuff that put him among the elite as an amateur. His fastball sat between 93-95 mph and touched 97. His curveball, thrown in the high 70s with 11-to- 5 shape, showed hard bite at…

TAMPA BAY RAYS The Rays liked what they were getting when they acquired righthander Chih-Wei Hu from the Twins in the 2015 trade-deadline deal of reliever Kevin Jepsen. Hu then gave them more reason to be excited with a dazzling performance in the 2016 Futures Game, when his fastball ticked into the upper 90s. After opening the 2017 season at Triple-A Durham and then being called up as a bullpen reinforcement, Hu continued to show the Rays what’s to come. They just have to decide at some point whether to keep him in the rotation or move him full-time to the bullpen. The 23-year-old Hu, whom the Twins signed out of Taiwan in 2012, has the repertoire to remain a starter. He combines a low-90s fastball with an impressive changeup,…

The Yankees farm system got rich last summer, then got richer still in the offseason. New York acquired its top two prospects— shortstop Gleyber Torres and outfielder Clint Frazier—when they cashed in closers Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller last July. Then on Nov. 17, the Yankees sent catcher Brian McCann and $11 million to the Astros for two young arms capable of pushing radar guns into the high 90s. Righthanders Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman didn’t draw the same level of attention as Torres, Frazier or others, but they did help push the Yankees’ system to No. 2 on this year’s organization talent rankings. Abreu, in particular, is off to a scintillating start to his Yankees career. In three games (two starts) at low Class A Charleston, Abreu struck out…

No team has been more aggressive on the international market the last two years than the Braves. Yet the under-the-radar signing of Dominican outfielder Randy Ventura in February 2015 could be as beneficial as any recent acquisition. The 19-year-old jumped to an impressive start at low Class A Rome this season by hitting .359/.419/.397 in 22 April games. His combination of speed, feel for the game and ability to put the ball in play has caught the eye of the South Atlantic League. The switch-hitting Ventura has attracted comparisons with second baseman Ozzie Albies for his quick-twitch skills and the electricity he brings to the field. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound Ventura is spending most of his time this season in right field but has the ability to play anywhere in the…

By showing an improved curveball and using his changeup as a wipeout pitch, righthander Jaron Long has become a more successful pitcher since he was released by the Yankees in April 2016. “I think with some people, it just takes a little longer—takes more reps,” said the 25-year-old Long, who went 2-3, 2.20 in five April starts at Double-A Harrisburg with 23 strikeouts and five walks in 28.2 innings. “Some people come into their own at different points in their careers.” The Yankees signed Long in August 2013 as a nondrafted free agent out of Ohio State. He made it as far as Triple-A in their system. The 6-foot, 190-pound Long is the son of Mets hitting coach Kevin Long, who served the same role for the Yankees from 2007-14.…

The Tigers have long believed that Australian third baseman Zac Shepherd would eventually hit for power. The 21-year-old now appears to be headed in that direction. Shepherd hit six home runs in a span of just 10 days early this season at high Class A Lakeland. He hit .310/.398/.560 in April. Shepherd hit 15 home runs in 2016 at Lakeland in what otherwise was a forgettable offensive season. He hit just .186 and struck out 159 times in 121 games. The Tigers believe the power numbers will go up and are hopeful the strikeout numbers will go down. “He’s got power,” farm director Dave Owen said. “Will he have some swing and miss? I wouldn’t think anything alarming. Some guys, when they start putting power numbers up . . .…

MILWAUKEE BREWERS On the surface, it would seem a bit aggressive to send an 18-year-old catcher to low Class A Wisconsin the year after he was drafted. The way the Brewers viewed Mario Feliciano, however, they didn’t consider him your average teenager behind the plate. “Mario showed enough during his debut season last year (in the Rookie-level Arizona League) as well as in spring training to convince us that, despite his age, that he was ready for the challenge of beginning the season with Wisconsin,” farm director Tom Flanagan said. “Our field coordinator and roving catching instructor Charlie Greene has worked very hard with Mario and was very bullish on his readiness for the Midwest League.” In the early going, that confidence was well founded. Through 17 games with the…

It seemed like the longest of long shots when the Pirates signed Dovydas Neverauskas in 2009. The righthander was the first player ever signed from Lithuania when scout Tom Randolph spotted him at Major League Baseball’s European Academy in Italy. The only ethnic Lithuanian to play in the major leagues was outfielder Joe Zapustas with the 1933 Philadelphia Athletics, but he grew up in Boston. Yet nearly seven years after signing, Neverauskas made it to the major leagues on April 24 when he was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis. He did not arrive at PNC Park until the sixth inning but was quickly put into the game and allowed one run in last two innings of a 14-3 loss to the Cubs. Neverauskas described his debut as “awesome” and hopes…

The organization’s best pitching prospects are either knocking at the door, like Triple-A Fresno righthander Francis Martes, or a long way from Houston, like high Class A Buies Creek righty Franklin Perez. But while Double-A Corpus Christi starter Dean Deetz is not regarded as a top prospect, the Astros also see major league upside in the 23-year-old righthander. Deetz recorded a 0.66 ERA through three games (two starts) in April, while striking out 13 and walking three in 13.2 innings. He allowed just four hits, including no home runs. “He’s one of our sleepers, really,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said. “He’s a guy who not many people have talked about.” Listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Deetz throws his fastball in the 93-94 mph range and has dialed it up…

As much as righthander Connor Sadzeck would like to move on from the outing he had on Opening Day for Double-A Frisco, he has embraced his less-than-stellar debut and is carrying it with him this season. Sadzeck faced five batters on April 6, retiring none of them and walking four. Just 12 of 30 pitches he threw were strikes. But from that mediocrity came the realization that Sadzeck needed to return to his hard-throwing ways. Rather than guide the ball to the catcher, he has set out to throw the ball through the catcher. It was hard to argue with the initial results, which reinforced that going forward, the 25-year-old Sadzeck could be a big-bodied power starter in the majors rather than a hard-throwing reliever. “I like being the guy…

When the Dodgers signed Cuban righthander Yaisel Sierra to a six-year, $30 million contract in February 2016, they expected him to be earning that money at the major league level pretty quickly. So did he. “Yes, everyone who signs has that dream, to ultimately end up in the big leagues,” Sierra said through a translator. “You go out there, you do your job and give 100 percent but things don’t always go your way.” The 25-year-old Sierra is one of a wave of investments the Dodgers have made in Cuban talent that has paid limited dividends. Sierra split last season between high Class A Rancho Cucamonga and Double-A Tulsa. A starter and reliever in Cuba, he pitched in both roles last season and recorded a combined 5.89 ERA and 1.48…

As a baseball player, Tim Tebow draws plenty of skepticism—see our scouting report on Page 10. But general managers around the low Class A South Atlantic League have no doubts about his ability to bring people to the park. The Tebow effect is real, and when it comes to attendance, it’s spectacular. In the first month of the season, Tebow’s Columbia Fireflies played in front of an average of 4,856 fans every time they took the field. Columbia has obviously been the biggest beneficiary of the Tebow effect. The Fireflies led the SAL with an average of 5,103 fans per game, which was the second-highest in Class A. That’s 1,400 fans per game more than the team averaged over the same stretch last year when the Fireflies were opening a…