Innholdsfortegnelse for 11-3 NL EAST TOP 10s/TRAINING AND NUTRITION i Baseball America

john.manuel@baseballamerica.com One of my first jobs at Baseball America involved the 1996 Draft Report Cards. Instead of jumping in, calling scouting directors and going over their draft lists, at that time I was most involved in finding photos. In those pre-Internet days, that meant calling the high schools or colleges for every player, often calling the player’s home, and asking them to send photos. I think I still remember our FedEx account number (since discontinued). I distinctly remember Matt Halloran, a Virginia high school shortstop drafted 15th overall by the Padres, sending in a yearbook photo of himself. He was smiling in a tuxedo, and he’d signed the back with the added scroll, “Keep it—it will be worth a lot some day!” Unfortunately for both of us, it didn’t work…

1. TREVOR ROGERS, LHP BORN: Nov. 13, 1997. B-T: L-L. HT.: 6-6. WT.: 185. DRAFTED: HS—Carlsbad, N.M., 2017 (1st round). SIGNED BY: Scott Stanley. TRACK RECORD: One of the oldest prep players in the 2017 draft class, Rogers was a top performer during the 2016 summer showcase circuit before seeing rather inconsistent results as a senior against inferior New Mexico competition. Selected as the 13th overall pick, Rogers signed with the Marlins for $3.4 million. Rogers, who is the cousin of former Marlins outfielder Cody Ross, did not pitch in a competitive game as a professional, though he did partake in several bullpen sessions. The organization contends Rogers is healthy and would have likely pitched in instructional league if not for Hurricane Irma canceling instructs altogether. SCOUTING REPORT: Pitching from…

1. VICTOR ROBLES, OF BORN: May 19, 1997. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-0. WT: 185. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2013. SIGNED BY: Modesto Ulloa. TRACK RECORD: Robles continues to speed through the minors, while making adjustments at every level on both sides of the ball, which makes his $225,000 signing bonus in 2013 a huge bargain. He started 2017 with high Class A Potomac and excelled before earning a promotion to Double-A Harrisburg, where he was one of just four 20-year-olds in the Eastern League. Robles has been one of the most impressive players in every minor league in which he has played. He handled the advanced pitchers in the EL with aplomb by lowering his strikeout rate to 14 percent while continuing to walk at fair clip and hit for a…

tracy.ringolsby@baseballamerica.com In a postseason that became a showcase for the 2011 draft, Yankees first baseman Greg Bird stepped to center stage in the midst of the Yankees knocking off the Indians in the American League Division Series. It wasn’t a told-you-so moment. That isn’t Bird’s way. The emotion he showed when he delivered that seventh- inning home run that provided all the offense in the Yankees’ 1-0 victory in Game 3 of the ALDS said plenty. “He is a pretty calm guy, so to show the excitement that he showed obviously tells me it was important to him to go out there and demonstrate to people that he is healthy,” Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer said, “and he could do it on the big stage.” Oppenheimer knows Bird. He scouted…

peter.gammons@baseballamerica.com There’s no way to measure how Justin Verlander would have finished the 2017 season were he still in Detroit. General manager Al Avila and manager Brad Ausmus understood what going to Houston might mean to him. They know Verlander, appreciate and admire that he is a moment guy, that with the Astros position players and fellow alpha personalities like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel that it would drive him. Verlander is fearless. He is one of those rare persons who is totally at ease with who he is and lives for the thrill of walking up a mound in the first inning like Mick Jagger taking the stage. Ausmus, an 18-year big league veteran, caught someone like that—Roy Oswalt. In one of Bill James’ most fascinating essays,…

SEPTEMBER 1981 Ken Dayley led Triple-A pitchers with 162 strikeouts while teaming with Steve Bedrosian to form a dominant lefty-righty combo atop the Richmond rotation. Lefthanded starting pitching prospect Ken Dayley was hailed on the September 1981 cover of Baseball America as a “Future Star in Atlanta.” He had just completed a season at Richmond in the Triple-A International League with a 13-8 record and 3.33 ERA. Years later, Dayley would achieve a modicum of stardom as a reliever with the Cardinals, rolling up 20 consecutive scoreless innings in the postseason that included World Series appearances in 1985 and 1987. In an 11-year major league career, Dayley had what he said he believes to be the quickest return—six months, two weeks—from Tommy John surgery and saw his career short-circuited by…

Presented by We kick off division-by-division Top 10 Prospects rankings this year with the National League East. For each organization, we identify the 10 prospects with the highest ceilings, with consideration given to the likelihood of reaching those ceilings. To qualify as a prospect, a position player cannot exceed 130 big league at-bats, while a pitcher cannot exceed 50 innings or 30 relief appearances. These thresholds mirror major league rookie qualifications. This year we introduce WAR to the discussion. For top prospects and draft picks of the decade, we display Baseball-Reference.com wins above replacement. ORGANIZATION TALENT RANKINGS Last Three Years BRAVES Notable Graduations: Double-play combo SS Dansby Swanson (1) and 2B Ozzie Albies (2) and LHP Sean Newcomb (8) gained valuable experience. Trending: tu Still one of the best. MARLINS…

1. ANDRES GIMENEZ, SS BORN: Sept. 4, 1988. B-T: L-R. HT.: 5-11. WT.: 176. SIGNED: Venezuela, 2015. SIGNED BY: Robert Espejo/Hector Rincones. TRACK RECORD: The Mets acknowledged Gimenez’s talent by signing him for $1.2 million in 2015, when he ranked as the No. 2 prospect on the international market, but they now hold his athleticism, maturity and work ethic in similarly high regard. After hitting .350 in his pro debut in 2016, when he led the Dominican Summer League with a .469 on-base percentage, he skipped domestic short-season ball entirely to make his U.S. debut at low Class A Columbia in late April 2017. As one of four 18-year-old regular position players in the South Atlantic League, Gimenez more than held his own, ranking 12th in the league with a…

Boomer White’s decision to transfer from Texas Christian to Texas A&M after the 2014 season was a shocking move in the sport. He was a starter for two seasons and was coming off a sophomore season during which he was the Horned Frogs’ second-leading hitter and helped lead the team to the College World Series. After sitting out the 2015 season, White went on to star in 2016 for Texas A&M. He was named an All-American and the Southeastern Conference player of the year, and he helped the Aggies to super regionals, where, in a twist of fate, they were upset by TCU. White said his decision to transfer was not baseball related; he was instead looking to finish his college experience at his dream school. But it was also…

HAVE A QUESTION? @jjcoop36 askba@baseballamerica.com Q You reference “plus“ too much when describing players’ performances. Why not use good, greater, etc.? —RUSSELL SCHROEDER A One can find many references to plus tools in the average issue of Baseball America. It’s a scouting term, which is why we use it. If you ask a scout about a shortstop’s arm or any tool, they will generally answer with some reference to the 20-to-80 scouting scale. It’s the standard lexicon of scouts, and most of the grades can be summarized by either a number or a descriptor. The slowest player in baseball is a 20 runner. Aroldis Chapman’s fastball is an 80. While generally scouts just refer to numbers on the scale, they also use terms like well below-average (30), below-average (40), fringe-average…

1. RONALD ACUNA, OF BORN: Dec. 18, 1997. B-T: R-R. HT.: 6-0. WT.: 180. SIGNED: Venezuela, 2014. SIGNED BY: Rolando Petit. TRACK RECORD: Acuna’s father Ron was a long-time Mets minor leaguer. But from an early age, the elder Acuna knew that his son would likely end up the better player. Ronald signed for $100,000, choosing the Braves over the Royals, and was advanced enough to begin his pro career in the U.S. in 2015. Acuna missed much of 2016 with of a thumb injury and began 2017 at high Class A Florida. The Braves were confident he was ready for an in-season promotion—and they were right. Acuna blitzed through Double-A Mississippi in just two months and was even better for Triple-A Gwinnett, earning Minor League Player of the Year…

1. J.P. CRAWFORD, SS BORN: Jan. 11, 1995. B-T: L-R. HT.: 6-2. WT.: 185. DRAFTED: HS—Lakewood, Calif., 2013 (1st round). SIGNED BY: Demerius Pittman. TRACK RECORD: Crawford is the top prospect in the organization for the fourth straight season, but it hasn’t been a smooth ride up the ladder. The No. 13 overall pick in 2013 made fast progress initially, reaching Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2015. Yet when Crawford spent most of 2016 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he struggled, and when he returned to the IronPigs in 2017 his poor performance continued. By June 10, his slash line had dropped to .194/.313/.252. He took the next nine days off to rest a nagging groin strain and take a mental break, and when he returned he looked like a different…

jerry.crasnick@baseballamerica.com Every baseball transaction comes with a corresponding human benefit or cost. I couldn’t help but think about that side of the equation with the news that Braves general manager John Coppolella had suddenly resigned his position at the end of the regular season. The professional ramifications are stunning: A prominent executive and decision-maker for one of Major League Baseball’s signature franchises had amassed a list of transgressions so egregious and wide-ranging that he was forced to clean out his desk and leave the building. I’m sure the following thought occurred to executives and scouts throughout the game in the aftermath of the Coppolella news: If Padres GM A.J. Preller, an executive who’s earned a reputation for envelope-pushing, had never incurred anything more than a 30-day suspension without pay and…

Five of the 10 postseason participants received sizable contributions from prospects. In fact, two teams wouldn’t have qualified for the playoffs without the help of their farm systems. The Yankees and Rockies received the most voluminous prospect payouts, in terms of wins above replacement, and in those cases, player development made all the difference between playing October baseball and watching it on TV. 1. NEW YORK YANKEES 13.2 WAR Aaron Judge (8.1) hit a rookie-record 52 home runs, but he wasn’t the lone prospect standout in the Bronx. Lefthander Jordan Montgomery (2.9) and reliever Chad Green (2.7) also shined. 2. COLORADO ROCKIES 7.4 WAR The Rockies ranked fifth in the National League in park-adjusted ERA+ (111) while being paced by second-year starter Jon Gray and rookies Kyle Freeland (3.3), German…

JOHN “JACK” BRYSON, a righthander in the Cubs, White Sox and Washington Senators organizations from 1940-49, died Sept. 20 in Porterville, Calif. He was 93. MILTON BOYER, a lefthander in the Cardinals organization from 1946-48 and one of the seven famous baseball- playing Boyer brothers, died Sept. 30 in Kokomo, Ind. He was 88. ROBERT COLEMAN, a minor league outfielder in the New York Giants organization from 1945-48, died Oct. 3 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. He was 91. WILLIAM “BILL” CONNELLY, who played in the Appalachian League for the Washington Senators organization in 1946, died Oct. 1 in Plymouth, Mass. He was 93. ENDA DUMMERTH, who played for the Minneapolis Millerettes and Racine Belles in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in 1944 and was honored by the Hall…