Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, June 6 2017 i Baseball America

JANUARY 21, 2014 » IN THIS ISSUE: Cuban slugger Jose Abreu heads the White Sox’s Top 10 Prospects » ALSO: Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant and Joey Gallo represent Las Vegas The White Sox made a splash with their signing of Cuban outfielder Luis Robert, just like they did four years ago with Jose Abreu. Before the White Sox signed Cuban first baseman Jose Abreu to a six-year, $68 million contract, the largest payout in franchise history, executive vice president Kenny Williams and special assistant Marco Paddy traveled to the Dominican Republic to personally watch the 6-foot-3, 255-pounder perform in a showcase event. Even before the 26-year-old Abreu played in the first of two games, Williams was blown away. “I’ve seen a lot of great ones over my 32 years of…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com jerrycrasnick@baseballamerica.com NEW YORK Before Mets righthander Noah Syndergaard hit triple digits on the radar gun this season or outfielder Yoenis Cespedes launched his first light-tower home run, both players took part in training regimens that fell under the category “don’t try this at home.” Syndergaard opened a window into his offseason program in a February interview with “Men’s Fitness Magazine,” which chronicled his fondness for “squat heavy’’ days and a protein-heavy diet highlighted by a venison, buffalo, sweet potato hash, avocado and egg-laden concoction known as the “bowl of doom.” If a 98 mph fastball was lethal, Syndergaard concluded, he could take his game to even greater heights by reconfiguring his body and throwing even harder. The plan worked—to an extent. Syndergaard averaged nearly 99 mph through…

MANFRED REVAMPS COMPETITION PANEL Four managers, two general managers and two Hall of Famers are among 16 people named to Major League Baseball’s revamped competition committee. Only Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro remains from the 14-man panel formed by former commissioner Bud Selig in 2009. The players are represented by Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar and John Smoltz. The managers are Joe Girardi of the Yankees, Buck Showalter of the Orioles, Mike Matheny of the Cardinals and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers. The GMs are the Mets’ Sandy Alderson and Jerry Dipoto of the Mariners, and club presidents Theo Epstein (Cubs), Chris Antonetti (Indians) and David Samson (Marlins) also are part of the committee. Other club executives include Pirates president Frank Coonelly, Rangers managing partner Ray Davis, Nationals principal owner…

An area scout was discussing his region. But based on conversations with scouts around the country, he may as well have been talking about the whole 2017 draft class. “I feel like a beachcomber with a metal detector,” he said, “and all I keep finding is a broken earring here or there.” Scouts do not expect to look back at the 2017 draft with fondness. But they will look back and find big leaguers, even impact big leaguers, who came out of this class. They’re just harder to find, and a bit less obvious. That’s the consensus of opinion as the industry hurtles toward draft day. The first two rounds (and supplemental rounds) are held on June 12, followed by rounds three through 40 on June 13-14. The Twins select…

Usually, come June, the question every major league team and scouting department is asking itself is: “Which player should we draft?” This June, that question has an added wrinkle. Now, it’s: “Which version of which player should we draft?” Two-way players aren’t unique to the 2017 draft class; two-way amateur players have been rampant since the dawn of the game. What is unique to this year’s class, however, is the number of players who are legitimate top-scale prospects as both pitchers and position players. In a sense, they’re two pro prospects jammed into one. Louisville’s Brendan McKay and Sherman Oaks, Calif., prep product Hunter Greene are the most notable players within that phylum. The Twins have scouted both as potential No. 1 overall picks. But in the top 100 draft…

California Baptist is a small, private university in the suburban hamlet of Riverside, Calif., that up until five years ago competed athletically in the National Christian College Athletic Association. Now, the baseball program’s ascent through the college ranks is about to result in a piece of history. Cal Baptist is in position to become just the second Division II program to have a pitcher drafted in the top 10 rounds four years in a row. Trevor Oaks (seventh round, 2014), Adam Hofacket (10th, 2015) and Tyson Miller (fourth, 2016) got the streak started, and Lancers righthander Garett King is expected to be picked by the end of day two this year. To this point, the only D-II program to have a pitcher selected in the top 10 rounds four years…

The Orioles gave righthander Jordan Kipper a chance to hop on the Triple-A Norfolk to Baltimore shuttle after they acquired the 24-year-old in a trade. The Orioles acquired Kipper from the Angels on May 6 for righthander Damien Magnifico in the latest in a series of trades and waivers claims for the Orioles since the final days of spring training. “Jordan Kipper is a terrific competitor, and he has a good sinker and slider in combination with very good control,” executive vice president Dan Duquette said. Kipper recorded a 4.02 ERA in four years in the Angels system while working mostly as a starter. Los Angels drafted him in the ninth round in 2014 out of Texas Christian. Kipper went 2-1, 1.74 in five starts at Double-A Mobile with 18…

Lefthander Ryan Borucki’s second run at high Class Dunedin began much more promisingly than his first, and the difference is all in the deception he restored in his pitching motion. The 23-year-old, who attended high school in Mundelein, Ill., dropped a turn at the start of his delivery a year ago when he debuted at Dunedin and paid for it. He allowed 10 home runs and ran up a 14.40 ERA in 20 innings before a demotion to low Class A Lansing. It was there Borucki connected with pitching coach Jeff Ware, now the organization’s pitching coordinator, and during their video work he realized that hitters simply had an easy time seeing the ball out of his hand. The solution was to restore the turn, and eventually he took off.…

The Marlins’ long wait to get 23-year-old lefthander Brett Lilek back on a mound appeared to be nearing an end. A second-round pick out of Arizona State in 2015, Lilek had not pitched since May 31, 2016, when he worked a scoreless inning of relief at low Class A Greensboro. He lost most of the 2016 season to biceps tendinitis and arm fatigue, but he believes the problem is merely shoulder soreness. “I’m trying to stay positive, but it wears on you,” said Lilek, a native of the Chicago area who was one semester away from graduating ASU with a degree in communications. “When you’ve been an athlete your whole life, you don’t want to be sitting in the stands. You want to play.” Lilek, who said he has never…

CLEVELAND INDIANS For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ The Indians knew they were going to have to be patient when they selected lefthander Brady Aiken with the 17th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Two years later, they remain patient because results had not materialized. Aiken’s search for the velocity and electric stuff he showed as a San Diego high school senior in 2014, when he was selected No. 1 overall by the Astros, continued this year at low Class A Lake County. Aiken’s backstory is well known, from the impasse in negotiations with Houston to Tommy John surgery in March 2015 while attending the post-graduate program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., to being selected in the first round by Cleveland three months…

The Royals signed first baseman Chris DeVito as an eighth-round pick in 2016 out of New Mexico. He didn’t take long to make his mark in pro ball this season. The 22-year-old DeVito, who bats lefthanded, began the season at low Class A Lexington but earned a quick promotion to high Class A Wilmington. He hit .347/.374/.702 with a South Atlantic Leagueleading 11 home runs in 30 games prior to the bump. “He’s really had an unbelievable start,” assistant general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We knew he had power. For guys who have that tool, it’s all about trying to access that tool. But he did a great job. “He did it with some guys around him who were struggling, and he still remained patient. He was waiting for his…

Ian Happ’s versatility at the plate helped keep him in the majors twice following his May 13 callup. The 2015 first-rounder from Cincinnati, 22, now needs to improve his defensive versatility. Happ started games at all outfield positions in his first two weeks in the majors after playing primarily second base in the minors. His best position had been the batter’s box. Happ homered to the pull field and drew a walk in his debut, doubled to the opposite field and beat out an infield single in his second game, then homered the opposite way and drew a bases-loaded walk in his Wrigley Field debut. But more than the combination of power, plate discipline and speed, his comfort level speaks to a 14-year commitment to switchhitting and an approach that…

Back before he returned to the major leagues as a manager, Mike Matheny did some consulting and coaching for catchers—and at least one hometown favor. A friend asked him to take a look at a catcher at Lafayette High in suburban St. Louis, but that would not be the last time Matheny had an eye on Luke Voit. “He just continues to put up numbers,” Matheny said. Matheny saw Voit again at Missouri State, where the manager’s son Tate (who now plays in the Red Sox system) also played. He now sees Voit, a 22nd-round pick in 2013, on his doorstep. No player in the system had done more in the first two months of the season to enhance his status. Voit hit .348/.436/.613 with eight home runs through 43…

Righthander Bobby Wahl can consistently pitch at 95 mph— both up and down in the strike zone and inside and outside. But what could make the reliever most successful is that he can throw three other pitches when the situation dictates. “We want him to be a power pitcher, not just a thrower,” pitching coordinator Gil Patterson said. “He has the ability to throw his breaking ball, and he can bounce his curve when he needs to.” By adding a changeup and a cutter-slider hybrid to his mix, Wahl has enough to keep hitters off balance. “I like his whole repertoire,” Athletics manager Bob Melvin said. “He has a cutter that can be a slider at times.” The 6-foot-4, 233-pound Wahl got the call to the majors in May, where…

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ After he hit 13 home runs as a Vanderbilt junior last year, Bryan Reynolds could have been perceived as a power-hitting outfielder. That perception wasn’t why the Giants took the switch-hitter with their top pick (No. 59 overall in the second round) in 2016. “His athleticism, first and foremost,” general manager Bobby Evans said, regarding what prompted San Francisco to select Reynolds. “He’s an excellent athlete who should be able to develop the tools in every facet of the game—from arm strength to being a defender to his bat and potential for power, though that may or may not be his longterm game.” He homered six times while hitting .313 in 56 games last year…

Outfielder Trayce Thompson slogged through months of rehab for two stress fractures in his back—only to be assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. His manager Bill Haselman said the 26-year-old showed no signs of frustration. “He’s the first one in to the clubhouse every day,” Haselman said. “He’s totally professional, and he’s been working real hard on his swing. If you didn’t know his batting average, you wouldn’t know (he opened the season in a deep slump). “I hope the younger guys on the team see it and learn from it.” It might be a long time before Thompson’s batting average is worth looking at after an 0-for-32 start to the season—which included eight hitless at-bats during a brief big league callup in April—and 2-for-61 anchor over the first…

Tennessee coach Dave Serrano resigned at the end of the Volunteers’ season. Serrano is one of 12 coaches in history to lead two programs to the College World Series and has an overall record of 446-299-1 in 13 years as a head coach. But he was never able to get over the hump at Tennessee, where he is 157-160 in six seasons. The Volunteers finished 27-22, 7-18 in Southeastern Conference play. They missed regionals for the 12th straight season. In a release, Serrano said he and Tennessee athletic director John Currie had a conversation about the program. “I have no regrets about taking on this challenge six years ago,” Serrano said. “It was a job I always coveted. My time living in this great community includes some of the best…

Columnist, MLB Network petergammons@baseballamerica.com BOSTON Pirates righthander Gerrit Cole pitched brilliantly on May 17 at home against the Nationals. He allowed three hits and one run over seven innings against the National League’s top offense. Then again, Cole had consistently achieved this season. He recorded a 2.84 ERA through nine starts, with a 1.02 WHIP and strikeout rate of 7.9 per nine innings. Cole feels healthy this season, which is apparent in his velocity readings. He had averaged 96.1 mph and peaked at 99.9. He has studied and worked to make himself a multi-dimensional pitcher who, in his May 17 start, threw 26 of 38 changeups, knuckle-curveballs and sliders for strikes. Cole’s minor league mentor Jim Benedict, now the vice president of pitching development for the Marlins, tells his coworkers…

There are a few ways to think about pop-up draft prospects in the spring. Sometimes, they’re players who had limited exposure; they didn’t play in any big showcases or play for heavily scouted high school or travel teams. But as the spring began, word spread about them quickly, and they performed well when scouts came to see them. In this year’s draft class, Texas prep outfielder Mason House and North Carolina prep shortstop Greg Jones fit into this category. Sometimes players are known by scouts prior to the season, and they get much better in the spring. Their stocks have risen, but they didn’t pop up in the sense that they were unknown prior to the spring. At the top of the draft, North Carolina prep prospects Austin Beck and…

Kevin Merrell Grows Into Tools As Bulls’ Shortstop TAMPA In May, South Florida junior shortstop Kevin Merrell was featured on Tampa’s Fox-13 television affiliate, which had fun and went to the archives. It was 2008. Merrell’s Citrus Park all-star team was playing in the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pa. For Merrell, seeing the old clips was like an out-of-body experience. He struggled to remember many of the details. He did recall hitting a gametying home run against Connecticut when Citrus Park was down to its final two outs and facing elimination. “We came back to win, we got to stay for five more days and we missed some school,” Merrell said with a smile. “Those are tremendous memories.” The tremendous memories have continued for Merrell. He has developed…

A less-than-dominant junior year at Maryland left righthander Mike Shawaryn on the board in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. That’s when the Red Sox pounced. Boston believed he had more upside in his arsenal than he had shown as a junior because he was pitching to contact in order to work deeper in games. One year earlier, Shawaryn looked like a potential early-round pick based on his standout sophomore year and solid showing for Team USA. Shawaryn struggled in spring training, which convinced the Red Sox to let him gain comfort in a five-day routine at low Class A Greenville. His first start of the year was dismal. He yielded nine runs in just two innings. Yet over his next seven starts, Shawaryn forged a 1.85 ERA with…

WASHINGTON NATIONALS For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ Shortstop Carter Kieboom can hit for a power. He showed that in a three-home run game on April 30 at low Class A Hagerstown—but that’s far from the only tool that the 2016 first-round pick had displayed this year. “He shows a controlled aggressiveness,” Suns manager Patrick Anderson said. “I was just happy with how he stayed within himself and got good pitches. He was able to drive the ball to right field on that last (home run), and that was real impressive.” Anderson also has seen improved defense from the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Kieboom, who signed for $2 million after being drafted 28th overall out of Walton High in Marietta, Ga. “He has really adapted to…

The turnaround of righthander Tyler Pill gave the organization an unexpected arm to consider for an opening on the major league staff. Pill struggled in previous tries at Triple-A Las Vegas, but through six starts this year he went 2-1, 2.04 with 19 strikeouts and 10 walks in 39.2 innings. The 27-year-old began the year with two starts at Double-A Binghamton. The early success of Pill—whom the Mets selected from Cal State Fullerton in the fourth round of the 2011 draft—might be a case of him becoming more aggressive. “Every time he came up here, he couldn’t break that wall between Double-A and Triple-A,” Las Vegas pitching coach Frank Viola said. “He put himself in a position where he was behind in the count, nitpicking, and that ball was just…

After an up-and-down first full season as a professional, righthander Carson Fulmer landed on stable ground. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft out of Vanderbilt, Fulmer opened last season as a starter at Double-A Birmingham. Even though he went 4-9, 4.76 with the Barons, strongly suggesting more work was needed, the White Sox called him to Chicago to help repair a ravaged bullpen right after the all-star break. Fulmer predictably struggled, recording a 8.49 ERA in eight relief appearances before being optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. “I got kicked around a little bit,” Fulmer said. Wrapping up last season at Charlotte, Fulmer returned to the rotation and worked closely with Knights’ pitching coach Richard Dotson, who is now the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator. “(Dotson) definitely helped me…

Digging out from an unexpectedly slow start to his third pro season was encouraging enough for first baseman Zander Wiel. Doing it with five stitches in his face? “That was impressive,” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff said of the Twins’ 12th-round pick in 2015. “I felt bad for the guy. He killed it in spring training, looked like he was going to take right off and then got off to a terrible start. And once he finally got going, he got hit in the face by a pitch.” The 24-year-old Wiel, who starred for Vanderbilt’s College World Series championship team in 2014, missed a game at high Class A Fort Myers after the beaning required stitches—but only one game. The Twins believe that’s an example of his determination…

Even with their early-season trouble fielding a healthy rotation, the Reds did not regret their decision to trade Dan Straily to the Marlins. Straily had stabilized the Marlins’ rotation this year like he did the Reds’ rotation last season, when he led the team in innings. That’s OK. The Reds love what they’ve seen from 24-year-old Dominican righthander Luis Castillo, the top prospect in the January trade that also included reliever Austin Brice, a righthander who already had logged appearances in the Cincinnati bullpen. Castillo made a positive first impression by showing off a 100 mph fastball in big league camp. He earned an assignment to Double-A Pensacola. Farm director Jeff Graupe said he was impressed with Castillo’s intelligence and work ethic, two things that are more difficult to learn…

LOS ANGELES ANGELS For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ Righthander Luis E. Diaz earned a quick promotion to Triple-A Salt Lake in late April. All it took to achieve that was a three-start stretch at Double-A Mobile in which the 25-year-old allowed no earned runs on just eight hits in 17 innings. He struck out 21 and walked six. While Diaz ran up a 7.65 ERA through his first four Pacific Coast League starts, the 6-foot-4, 285-pound righty maintained a strong strikeout-to-walk ratio of 19-to-5 in 20 innings. That fueled hopes that Diaz has the stuff to remain on the radar. “The strikeouts, the low walks, the good four-pitch mix . . . it’s an interesting package,” farm director Mike LaCassa said. “What our…

Two center-field prospects previously known for their speed and defense had created a stir in the Mariners organization. Ian Miller, 25, batted .336/.379/.454 through his first 37 games at Double-A Arkansas after reaching Double-A in each of the past two seasons. Braden Bishop, 23, batted .316/.412/.432 through 38 games at high Class A Modesto after advancing from low Class Clinton last season. The Mariners selected Miller, a lefthanded batter, in the 14th round of the 2013 draft out of Wagner. His plus-plus speed drew attention this spring as a possible late-season (or even postseason) threat as a pinch-runner. “He’s very confident,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He’s kind of on the map if you need a guy late in the year. He’s still got things to work on in his…

Low Class A Kane County righthander Jon Duplantier is the kind of pitcher Rich Sauveur hasn’t come across too often in his years as a minor league pitching coach. The 22-year-old Duplantier boasts a fourpitch mix, command, mound presence, intelligence and the ability to make adjustments on the fly. That is a rare combination of attributes for a pitcher in his first full season. “This kid is going to move very quickly,” said Sauveur, Duplantier’s pitching coach. Through seven Midwest League appearances, Duplantier went 3-0, 0.74 with 48 strikeouts and eight walks in 36.1 innings. Viewed as an injury risk out of Rice, Duplantier slid to the third round last year, where the Diamondbacks grabbed him with the 89th overall selection. “For us to get him in the third round,”…

Tall and lanky at 6-foot-5, lefthander Joey Lucchesi certainly looks the part. His stuff also passes the sniff test. Lucchesi throws a low-90s fastball and a 12-to-6 curveball that both play up because of his strong command. The 23-year-old’s delivery made him unhittable at times at high Class A Lake Elsinore. Lucchesi initiates his delivery by lifting his arms above his head, then he pauses midmotion, then he hurriedly kicks his leg high and bursts toward the plate. “His motion is so funky . . . that hitters can’t time it up,” Lake Elsinore teammate Eric Lauer said last fall. “They can’t load (their swings) because nothing’s going to be in sync with his windup and how long it takes, how intricate it is. He’s a mechanical genius. “But just…

Three of the most successful high school lefthanders ever drafted in the first round entered pro ball within the span of 10 years. That trio shares at least one thing in common: All three were physically mature even as teenagers. Those wins above replacement (WAR) totals, as calculated by Baseball-Reference.com, rank among the seven highest ever for prep lefthanders selected in the first round. (No. denotes overall pick in draft.) The teams drafting Sabathia, Kershaw and Bumgarner required no assurances of future physical gains or additional velocity, for they all regularly reached the mid-90s as high school seniors. North Carolina prep MacKenzie Gore is the top high school southpaw in this year’s draft class, but at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, he doesn’t physically resemble Sabathia, Kershaw or Bumgarner. Then again,…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel@baseballamerica.com Since very early in the spring, Hunter Greene and Brendan McKay have been the top two prospects in the 2017 draft class. As the draft approached, though, much had changed. Greene stopped pitching in April. McKay added a cut fastball and saw his fastball velocity back up. Can a pitcher throwing with that velocity, even one as accomplished as McKay, be drafted No. 1 overall in an era where some teams consider a 90-91 mph fastball merely average for lefthanders? And what if he’s more under consideration now as a first baseman, what with 15 home runs and on-base skills? The official mock draft of the Draft Preview issue has the answers: 1 TWINS: Minnesota appeared to be leaning toward McKay as a hitter…

Just How Good Is Luis Robert? Where will new White Sox prospect Luis Robert fit into the Top 100 Prospects? PETE ERICKSON, @PERICKSON7 Sorry Pete, you’ll have to wait until early July when we update our Top 100 Prospects list again to find out exactly where Robert will rank, but it is safe to say he’ll figure prominently in the mix. Robert has been on scouts’ radars for quite a while. He figured prominently in Ben Badler’s roundup of top Cuban prospects back in 2014, when he had just turned 17. While you wait, here is Ben’s most recent scouting report on the latest top Cuban prospect to sign: Robert has the talent of a first-round pick if he were in the draft. He has a strong, lean frame at 6-foot-3…

Columnist, MLB.com DENVER Former big league umpire Steve Palermo loved life, even in his final days, even when he was clinging to each remaining breath in his battle with the cancer that finally won the battle on May 14. Palermo’s struggle was apparent. He didn’t make it to spring training this year, but it wasn’t his choice. In a mid- February call to make sure we would get together in Arizona to talk about his wife’s insistence that we do a book together, he mentioned the doctors had him on hold because of his health. Palermo never made it to Arizona. Determined as he was in life, he met a hurdle he couldn’t get past: cancer. But Palermo didn’t give up easy. The fact the 67-year-old was still working for…

NEW YORK YANKEES For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ Righthander Chance Adams began the year at Double-A Trenton, but the Yankees believe the 22-year-old could be in the big league rotation next Opening Day. Adams breezed through Double-A this season, going 4-0, 1.03 in six starts, on his way to a mid-May promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That puts him on track for a possible 2017 callup. “Anybody who is at Double-A has a chance,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said when asked if there was a possibility Adams, a 2015 fifth-round pick from Dallas Baptist, could pitch his way to the big leagues this year. While injuries and adjustment periods make young pitchers unpredictable, the Yankees might find themselves relying on homegrown arms like Adams…

Shortstop Jake Cronenworth hit .322 in the first half of 2016 at low Class A Bowling Green, but he stumbled to a .171 mark after an in-season promotion to high Class A Charlotte. Then Cronenworth, a 2015 seventh-round pick from Michigan, showed something even more promising for his future by working hard during instructional league to make adjustments to his swing and approach. Rapping hits in the Stone Crabs’ first 22 games this season served as good evidence that Cronenworth has the potential to be a special hitter. “To me, that’s a great sign because he had a rough second half of the season,” farm director Mitch Lukevics said. “We brought him to instructional league to our hitter’s camp, and now look at where he’s at. “I think it’s a…

The 21st overall selection in the 2012 draft, righthander Lucas Sims could be the poster boy for player development. In each of the past three seasons, Sims has spent part of the campaign making improvements after experiencing rough patches at that level the year before. In 2016, he ran up a 7.56 ERA during a twomonth stint at Triple-A Gwinnett before finding his rhythm back at Double-A Mississippi. Sims wound up ranking fifth in the minors with 159 strikeouts, but his inconsistent control led to 92 walks. The 2017 campaign had been a different story at Gwinnett. The 23-year-old Sims, who attended high school in Snellville, Ga., went 4-0, 2.16 through seven starts with 42 strikeouts and nine walks in 41.2 innings. Opponents hit just .171. “To his credit, we…

The game often came easily for shortstop J.P. Crawford as he climbed the ladder in the Phillies system. His combination of athleticism and instincts helped establish him as one of baseball’s top prospects. But the start of the 2017 season offered something new for the 22-year-old: A slump that saw him hit just .183/.299/.238 through his first 35 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. After just five hits in his first 56 at-bats, Crawford ramped up his video study. While looking at his swing from 2015, when he hit .288 at high Class A Clearwater and Double-A Reading, he noticed his hands had migrated downward. He moved them back and up and started noticing a difference. “I’m able to drive some stuff and feel a lot more comfortable at the plate,”…

Righthander Kyle Funkhouser’s velocity is back, but no pitcher strikes out 14.1 batters per nine innings with only one pitch. Funkhouser had seen an uptick in velocity as he continued to work to develop the secondary pitches that the Tigers hope will lead him into the big league rotation down the road. Funkhouser struck out nine batters in three of his first four starts at low Class A West Michigan and recorded 49 strikeouts in 31.1 innings through seven starts. “He’s got some good weapons,” director of player development Dave Owen said. “He’s a four-pitch guy: fastball, curveball, changeup and slider.” The Dodgers made Funkhouser a firstround pick in 2015, but he returned to Louisville for his senior season. A drop in velocity and command issues resulted in the Tigers…

PITTSBURGH PIRATES For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ Righthander Mitch Keller entered phase two of his development as an elite prospect. The 21-year-old began his ascent last season, when he made a mechanical change to his delivery. Keller held his glove firmly above his belt, which enabled him to better locate his fastball to both sides of the plate. He recorded a 2.35 ERA in 24 starts, mostly at low Class A West Virginia, while striking out 9.5 and walking 1.3 batters per nine innings. He ascended to the No. 1 prospect ranking in the system. Keller finished last season with two dominant starts for high Class A Bradenton in the Florida State League playoffs. Back at Bradenton this season, Keller was learning to…

The Brewers waited patiently for lefthander Nathan Kirby to get his pro career going. They will still be waiting well into the second half of this season. The Brewers hoped the 23-year-old Kirby would be ready to pitch early in 2017 after he missed last season following Tommy John surgery he had in September 2015. However, Kirby’s elbow began bothering him again while he pitched in extended spring training. An exam revealed Kirby had ulnar neuritis, so he had surgery to reposition the ulnar nerve. That procedure sometimes is done during Tommy John surgery, but it was not considered necessary until he began experiencing discomfort this spring. The latest setback was expected to sideline Kirby for another two or three months. This is the way things have gone since the…

Outfielder Kyle Tucker heard from older, pro-playing brother Preston after hitting just nine home runs last season at low Class A Quad Cities and high Class A Lancaster. The touted 20-year-old Kyle, who bats lefthanded, shouldn’t be subject to any more brotherly ribbing in the future, at least as it pertains to his power numbers. After an offseason in which the Tampa prep product added about 15-20 pounds to his lanky 6-foot-4 frame, Tucker began tapping into the power potential the Astros believed was present when they drafted him fifth overall in 2015. In one early May weekend in Myrtle Beach he launched four homers in two games. Tucker should shatter the career high in home runs he set last season by the all-star break, regardless if he’s still at…

Stories like the one Austin Bibens-Dirkx can tell about his journey to the big leagues don’t come along very often, but when they do, they all generate plenty of good feelings. A 32-year-old rookie righthander, Bibens- Dirkx twice played in independent leagues to keep alive his dream of reaching the majors. He did that on May 7, when the Rangers called him up from Triple-A Round Rock, and he made his debut 10 days later. “This is a dream come true,” said Bibens- Dirkx, a 16th-round pick by the Mariners from Portland in 2006. “It’s been a grind. I’ve seen all the highs and all the lows. I’m happy, and I can’t even put it into words, really.” At the time of his callup, the Rangers bullpen was the biggest…

High Class A Lancaster corner outfielder Sam Hilliard looks like a particularly keen draft pick by the Rockies scouting department. Colorado selected Hilliard in the 15th round in 2015 out of Wichita State. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound lefthanded batter has an eyeopening skill set. “He definitely has a chance to be a five-tool player at the major league level,” farm director Zach Wilson said. At low Class A Asheville last season, Hilliard hit .267/.348/.449 with 17 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 42 attempts. He struck out 29 percent of the time in this full-season debut. Hilliard looked like a more mature hitter this year in the California League, his strikeout rate improving to 22 percent. Through 38 games this year, Hilliard batted .359/.429/.599 with seven homers and 13 stolen…

While teams prepare for the draft, they have another opportunity to add a wave of amateur talent to their farm systems over the following month. The 2017-18 international signing period opens on July 2, the date when teams begin signing top prospects from Latin America, with the Dominican Republic and Venezuela dominating the marketplace. Each team has a bonus pool of $4.75 million, $5.25 million or $5.75 million. While teams are allowed to trade up for an additional 75 percent of their original pool allocation, they are no longer able to blast through their bonus pools like they did under the previous system. After highlighting some of the top prospects to watch for July 2 in our last issue, here are more of the top 16-yearold prospects teams have their…