Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, January 29, 2016 i Baseball America

FEBRUARY 13 2005 IN THIS ISSUE: Twoway stars Micah Owings and Brian Bogusevic lead Tulane to the No. 1 preseason ranking. ALSO: Tennessee’s Luke Hochevar and Nebraska’s Alex Gordon also star on the college landscape. News travels fast in New Orleans. “The thing you have to realize about this town is it’s the largest small town in America,” Tulane coach Rick Jones said. “If I have green beans for lunch, 15 people know about it by 6 o’clock in the evening.” So it’s no surprise that before Jones woke up on the morning Baseball America named Tulane the preseason No. 1 team, he already had eight voicemail messages waiting on his cell phone. Tulane lost in the super regional at eventual national champion Cal State Fullerton a year ago, but…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA As Justin Upton accrued the necessary service time to move closer to free agency, two questions predominated. How many teams would pursue him, and how high would the price tag soar? Amid the incessant news vacuum since Upton first appeared on the market, the lack of buzz has generated a different question: Where is the love? The planets all seemed to align properly for Upton as free agency beckoned. He hit the open market in November as a 28-year-old, three-time all-star who could provide consistent production at a time when offense is extremely hard to find. Two months into the process, the market was lagging enough that his agent, Larry Reynolds, released a statement to dispel the notion that Upton might be willing to consider a…

PIONEER, HOFER IRVIN DIES AT 96 Monte Irvin, one of Major League Baseball’s first black players and the second-oldest living Hall of Famer, died on Jan. 11 at his home in Houston. He was 96. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum made the news of Irvin’s death public on Jan 12. “Monte Irvin’s affable demeanor, strong constitution and coolness under pressure helped guide baseball through desegregation and set a standard for American culture,” said Jeff Idelson, president of the Hall of Fame. “His abilities on the field as the consummate teammate are undeniable, as evidenced by World Series titles he contributed to in both the Negro and Major leagues, and a richlydeserved plaque in Cooperstown. He was on the original committee that elected Negro Leagues stars to the…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel @baseba llamerica.com No division in baseball has less history than the American League West. Only the Athletics existed before 1962; Oakland is their third stop. The A’s and the Angels (2002) are the only ones to have won World Series championships; every other division has at least three past champions. The Rangers came close in 2010 and 2011, losing back-to-back World Series. The Mariners have had some of the greatest players in baseball and division history—heck, at one time they had Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez and Alex Rodriguez on the same roster, for three seasons. Houston has its own history, including a World Series appearance in 2005, but most of it came in the National League. The division-champ Rangers and wild-card…

The Dodgers are banking that the performance will eventually match the stuff on Cuban righthander Yaisel Sierra. The team has an agreement to sign Sierra for six years and $30 million, according to MLB.com, a contract that is exempt from the international bonus pools. Sierra, 24, ranked as the No. 13 player on Baseball America’s list of the Top 20 Cuban players still on the island last April. Sierra’s athletic frame (6-foot-1, 170 pounds), clean arm action and pure stuff are promising, though his results never matched his potential in Cuba. At his best, Sierra has looked like a midrotation starter. Yet last season in Cuba, Sierra posted a 6.10 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 31 walks in 70 innings as a reliever, leading the league with 11 wild pitches.…

HOUSTON ASTROS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Jeff Luhnow. Farm director: Quinton McCracken. Scouting director: Mike Elias. If the Astros have their way, the 86-win 2015 season that ended in the American League Division Series will be remembered as a sign that their plan was on schedule. It was a step forward, but only a first step. After three straight sub-60 win seasons and a basement-dwelling 70-win season in 2014, the Astros came the closest of any playoff team to knocking off the World Series champs. The Astros were six outs and a four-run lead away from eliminating the Royals in Game Four of the ALDS. Kansas City’s seven-run outburst in the final two innings propelled the Royals to their first World Series title in 30 years. In the process it…

SEATTLE MARINERS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Jerry Dipoto. Farm director: Andy McKay. Scouting director: Tom McNamara The Blue Jays and Mariners came into the major leagues together in 1977 as expansion brethren. They were linked together again this year because when Toronto reached the postseason, it left Seattle with the game’s longest postseason drought. That absence, since the club’s record-setting 116-win season in 2001, has made the Mariners grow fonder for free agent fixes, and the signings of Robinson Cano in 2014 and Nelson Cruz for 2015 were supposed to help push Seattle back to the top of the American League West. Cruz hit 44 homers in a boffo first season at Safeco Field. Cano started poorly but rallied to post a season that would look good on the back…

BALTIMORE The Orioles like the catching depth in their minor league system. Alex Murphy wants to be a part of it again. Murphy, 21, had sports hernia surgery last year and appeared in just 49 games at three levels. He had surgery on his left shoulder the previous year, playing his final game on Aug. 15. Murphy ranked among the RBI leaders in the low Class A South Atlantic League before missing three months due to the surgery. “It was a little unfortunate,” Murphy said. “Kind of unlucky there, but not really much you can do about it. Just hope to prevent it for next year.” Returning to the field in mid-August, Murphy went 10-for-24 with five doubles, two home runs and four RBIs in his final six games at…

TORONTO During an organizational meeting early in the offseason, the Blue Jays put their potential roster for Triple-A Buffalo on a board and saw a gaping hole for the Bisons rotation. “There were five guys named ‘blank,’ ” team president Mark Shapiro said. “The guys named blank don’t contribute many innings. We had to deal with that challenge.” Those blank spaces were filled in late December by the signings of Roberto Hernandez, Brad Penny, Scott Copeland and Wade LeBlanc to minor league deals with invitations to spring training. Combined with an earlier minor league deal with Scott Diamond, the Blue Jays now have depth. “All five of those guys have major league experience, have had success in the big leagues in some capacity,” assistant general manager Andrew Tinnish said. Hernandez,…

NEW YORK Righthander Alex Palsha nearly was perfect at short-season Brooklyn last season. A 27th-round pick in 2014 from Sacramento State, he limited New York-Penn League opponents to one run in 25 innings. He allowed 10 hits and nine walks while striking out 34 in 22 relief appearances. The run—and lone blown save in 14 chances—came in the ninth inning of the Cyclones’ game on Aug. 16, the final day of the first half. Palsha was set to travel to the league’s all-star game. “It was definitely a bummer,” Palsha said. “It’s one of those things you definitely have in the back of your mind, thinking about.” The 23-year-old throws a fastball that tops out at 95 mph. He also makes use of a curveball and a changeup. He had…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CHICAGO From the minute he was selected with the No. 8 overall pick in last June’s draft, Carson Fulmer’s future role with the White Sox has been debated. Is he going to emerge as a starting pitcher? A reliever? “I view myself as a starter,” said Fulmer, who was 13-2, 1.82 in 17 starts at Vanderbilt last season. “I feel like I’ve built a really good endurance level. I feel like I’ve been able to keep my stuff late into games and that was definitely something I had go out and pitch to prove. But starting, relieving, whatever’s going to help the team and help them win a bunch of ballgames is the biggest thing for me. I’m definitely…

KANSAS CITY Andrew Edwards has what the Royals are seeking as a reliever. Edwards, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound righthander who was a 19th-round 2013 draft pick out of Western Kentucky, throws hard. “We love power arms,” said Royals low Class A Lexington pitching coach Carlos Reyes, who tutored Edwards in the Arizona Fall League. “We want hard throwers. We want them to come in there and go after hitters. “He’s got a heavy fastball. Imagine trying to catch a bowling ball thrown at you. When you’ve got velocity and heaviness on the ball, it takes your fastball to another level.” Reyes said Edwards touched 98-99 mph in the AFL, but primarily works at 95. “At the beginning of the year back in A-ball, they told me I was up to 100…

CHICAGO The Cubs this winter have emphasized in their minor league instruction a loud message in efforts to prepare players to last the extra month of a major league season when they get the opportunity: Prepare for two extra months. “We talked about that this year,” farm director Jaron Madison said, “planning for our guys to play for eight months and get deep into the year. Minor league guys start the first week of April and are pretty much done the first week of September. It’s about getting those guys mentally and physically prepared to get through September and hopefully October.” Three of those guys—Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber—all debuted after the season started and as a group were managed down the stretch to help prevent them from…

ST. LOUIS After a few years of learning the landscape and a few failed attempts to land talent from it, the Cardinals reached abroad and into Asia this January to find the reliever they desired. The Cardinals signed Korean closer Seung Hwan Oh to a one-year deal and made what they hope is a significant stride into a market they have explored and have wanted to find a way to exploit. Oh, 33, had 80 saves and a 2.25 ERA total in the past two seasons with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s major league, and he had sought a chance to prove himself in the majors. The Cardinals believe he can be the chief setup man for closer Trevor Rosenthal. As we stated all along we felt like we wanted…

ANAHEIM The numbers would indicate that 20-year-old outfield prospect Natanael Delgado took a step back in 2015. Delgado, who signed with the Angels out of the Dominican Republic in 2013, compiled a .301/.333/.464 slash line with three home runs, 21 RBIs, 34 strikeouts and five walks in 38 games for Rookie-level Orem in an injury shortened 2014. The lefthanded-hitting Delgado was promoted to low Class A Burlington in 2015 and compiled a .241/.276/.355 slash line with six homers, 46 RBIs, 104 strikeouts and 19 walks in 108 games. “His strikeouts were high, and his walks are low,” said Bobby Scales, the former farm director who was recently promoted to special assistant to the general manager. “Hopefully, that’s something we can clean up.” Delgado’s swing also needed to be cleaned, and…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ SAN DIEGO Petco Park favors pitchers, but home runs to left field are relatively easy to come by in the Padres’ downtown home. While the inviting left-field seats aren’t why general manager A.J. Preller has targeted so many righthanded sluggers, they’re a piece of the puzzle Jabari Blash, 26, is one of Preller’s recent additions, arriving with three other selections from the Rule 5 draft. Blash hit 32 home runs last year with Mariners affiliates between Double-A and Triple-A. “Jabari is a guy who was regarded as one of the big power threats in the draft five years ago,” Preller said. “I think that power is playing out in games. We were looking to replace a little righthanded power.…

LOS ANGELES In choosing Dave Roberts as their new manager, the Dodgers’ decision-makers praised his energy, enthusiasm and openmindedness to the progressive direction the organization plans to take. The same qualities were apparently at the forefront when assembling the minor-league staff as well. The Dodgers announced their group of minor league managers for the 2016 season, and it is a decidedly younger group. Of the six—Bill Haselman at Triple-A Oklahoma City, Ryan Garko at Double-A Tulsa, Drew Saylor at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga, Gil Velazquez at low Class A Great Lakes, Shaun Larkin at Rookie-level Ogden and John Shoemaker in the Arizona League—four are 36 years old or younger. Only Haselman (50) and Shoemaker (59) return from 2015 when five of the six managers in those positions were 48…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Dec. 23-Jan. 7. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed LHP Wesley Wright. ATLANTA BRAVES: Signed RHPs Jhoulys Chacin, Kyle Kendrick and Alexi Ogando and LHP Alex Torres. Released RHPs Clayton Cook, Francisco Gonzalez and Felix Marte; LHP Matt Bywater and OF Kelvin Estevez. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Signed RHP Paul Demny. Re-signed SS Paul Janish. Released Cs Shawn McGill and Kyle Moore. CHICAGO CUBS: Signed RHP Cole Brocker and 1B Jesus Guzman. Sold OF Jesus Loya to Monterrey of Mexican League. CHICAGO WHITE SOX: Signed RHP Charlie Shirek. Released RHP Tony Bucciferro. CINCINNATI REDS: Signed RHP A.J. Morris, 1B Patrick Leyland, SSs Carlos Triunfel and Beamer Weems and OFs Stephen Wallace and Jordan Yallen. Re-signed 2B Ray Chang. Traded LHP…

Chris Correa, the Cardinals’ former scouting director who was fired in July after just six months on the job, pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to federal charges related to his involvement in hacking into the Houston Astros’ computer network. Correa entered his guilty plea to five charges of unauthorized access to a protected computer in front of U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Hughes in Houston, as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. The maximum penalty on each of the five counts is up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution. Correa’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 11. “Yes, your honor, I accept responsibility for my mistakes,” Correa told Judge Hughes, according to the newspaper. Correa said he broke into the Astros’…

Paul DePodesta, a front office baseball executive since 1997 and most recently the Mets’ vice president of scouting and player development, is changing teams—and sports. DePodesta was hired by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns as chief strategy officer, as the team made over its front office and coaching staff. According to a team news release, DePodesta will be responsible for “assessing and implementing best practices and strategies that will provide the organization with the comprehensive resources needed to make optimal decisions.” He and new general manager Sashi Brown—a Harvard graduate like DePodesta— will report to owner Jimmy Haslam. “We are fortunate to bring in Paul, an extremely talented, highly respected sports executive who will add a critical dimension to our front office,” Haslam said in a news release. “His approach and…

Columnist, MLB Network BOSTON Of course Aroldis Chapman is a gamble, a huge gamble. He also is the most prolific strikeout reliever that ever strolled out of a major league bullpen, and the Yankees add to a dominant bullpen that included Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances. Yankees manager Joe Girardi immediately named Chapman the closer, with a suspension pending for his involvement in an alleged domestic violence incident. When Brian Cashman made the deal, he and Hal Steinbrenner knew they’d hear from people repulsed by domestic violence. They know Chapman could be suspended by Rob Manfred. They know there is a chance something will go haywire in New York. But they got the most overpowering reliever in the history of baseball from the Reds for practially nothing. And if Chapman…

National Writer Baseball America bbadler @baseba llamerica.com The Reds having an agreement to sign 21-year-old Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez is no surprise. The word for months had been that the Reds were the favorites to sign him. With Rodriguez becoming a free agent on Jan. 11, he and the Reds are now in agreement to sign for $6 million, with a source confirming that Rodriguez will sign his contract during the current 2015-16 signing period rather than wait for the new bonus pools to kick in on July 2. While not unexpected, it is still an enormous price to pay, both in terms of the money the Reds will spend and opportunity cost. The Rodriguez signing will put the Reds well over their international bonus pool, resulting in a 100-percent…

LOS ANGELES ANGELS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Billy Eppler. Farm director: Mike LaCassa. Scouting director: Ric Wilson The Angels continue to maintain a contending major league team without much support from their minor league system. It remains to be seen whether that strategy will translate into consistent success, but Los Angeles once again challenged for a playoff spot in 2015. The Angels won 13 fewer games and missed out on a wild card spot by one game while finishing 85-77 and in third place in the American League West. Star center fielder Mike Trout again powered the Angels offense, hitting a career-high 41 home runs and leading the AL with a .590 slugging percentage and .991 OPS. He finished runner-up in AL MVP balloting for the third time in four…

TEXAS RANGERS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Jon Daniels. Farm director: Mike Daly. Scouting director: Kip Fagg Coming off a disastrous 2014 season with the third-worst record in baseball, the Rangers at least had hope that better health could reverse their fortune in 2015 after injuries ravaged the team the previous year. Then before the 2015 season even began, Yu Darvish went down for the year with Tommy John surgery and Jurickson Profar had shoulder surgery that would wipe out his second straight season. Derek Holland threw one inning in April before going on the disabled list with a shoulder injury. By May 3, the Rangers were 8-16 and looked like they might stay in last place in the American League West the rest of the season. Instead, the Rangers stayed…

BOSTON It wasn’t hard to daydream with Williams Jerez. From the time Red Sox northeast area scout Ray Fagnant started following him in the summer before his senior year of high school, Jerez stood out for his physicality and five-tool skill set, while also receiving tremendous marks for makeup. In one showcase contest at the Yankees’ spring training facility, Fagnant recalled, Jerez went 5-for-5 with a long homer, a triple, threw out a runner from the outfield and made an impact on the bases. “He did everything,” Fagnant said. “He obviously showed some high school raw vulnerability to breaking balls, like they all do, but he showed all the makings of a top-flight prospect. … The big question mark with him, like everybody else, was how well the tools were…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ATLANTA The Braves opened a gaping hole at shortstop in November when they traded Gold Glover Andrelton Simmons to the Angels for pitching prospect Sean Newcomb and Chris Ellis. Atlanta filled that hole a month later—at least in the long term—by acquiring shortstop prospect Dansby Swanson, as well as big league outfielder Ender Inciarte and Triple-A righthander Aaron Blair, in the deal that sent Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks. A product of Marietta (Ga.) High in metro Atlanta, Swanson attended Vanderbilt and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft. The 22-year-old was well known to scouting director Brian Bridges and special assistant Roy Clark and fits every criteria the organization sought in building for the future.…

PHILADELPHIA The Phillies traded two closers in 2015 and will hold auditions for the role in spring training. Down the road, the job could belong to Jimmy Cordero, a righthander with a fastball that can reach triple digits. The 24-year-old is one of two power-armed relievers from the Dominican Republic who the Phillies acquired from the Blue Jays for outfielder Ben Revere in July. The other is 21-year-old righty Alberto Tirado, whom Philadelphia left exposed in the recent Rule 5 draft, but he went unselected. The book on Cordero is similar, though he is older, more advanced and was added to the 40-man roster in November. He made 45 appearances at high Class A and Double-A in 2015, recording a 2.55 ERA to go with 8.6 strikeouts and 3.2 walks…

CLEVELAND Early in the offseason, the names of several of the Indians’ top prospects surfaced in the usual cascade of trade rumors that enveloped the Winter Meetings. Feeling, however, that the organization was in a good spot with a replenished minor league system and a major league roster that includes a starting rotation that has three key and coveted pitchers under club control for multiple years on club-friendly contracts, Indians officials resisted the temptation to trade any of those assets in their quest to bolster the offense on the major league team. Righthanders Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar are the leaders of the rotation, and the names of Carrasco and Salazar, in particular, were frequently mentioned in trade rumors. Indians officials chose not to trade the two young…

MINNESOTA Randy Rosario ranks 22nd among Twins minor league prospects in the new Baseball America Prospect Handbook. That doesn’t surprise Mike Radcliff. “I can understand why this guy doesn’t appear on anyone’s top 10 or top 20 lists,” said Radcliff, the Twins’ vice president for player personnel. “He’s been hurt, and he probably doesn’t jump out at you on paper. But as an organization, we have a lot of belief in his ability. We think he’s absolutely a future big league starting pitcher.” Minnesota proved that faith by placing Rosario, a 21-year-old Dominican lefthander, on its 40-man roster. It was a surprise move for a pitcher who has yet to rise above low Class A Cedar Rapids in five seasons. “When you put a guy on the roster, it means…

CINCINNATI Everyone knows the Arizona Fall League features many of the game’s top talents, but something that is often overlooked is that it also features some of the best young umpires, many with major league experience. For some of the younger players—especially pitchers—in the AFL, it’s their first taste of a big league strike zone. It was for Reds righthander Nick Travieso, and among the many things that impressed Derrin Ebert, the Reds’ pitching coach for their Rookie-level Arizona League team and Travieso’s Peoria team in the AFL. “The strike zone is different than what they see normally in the Florida State League,” Ebert said. “It’s one thing that’s overlooked, it’s one thing I was impressed with the tighter strike zone. Travy is an aggressive guy, he’s not going to…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ARLINGTON The debate about which Rangers prospect had the best 2015 season boils down to two players: Nomar Mazara and Lewis Brinson. Joey Gallo has an argument, to a degree. After all, he actually played in the majors, and at times played very well before a difficult stretch at Triple A. But Mazara and Brinson, outfielders on the rise, had the best campaigns among players who didn’t spend time with the big club. In Brinson’s case, he finally showed the potential that comes with being a first-round pick. The 29th overall pick in 2012 excelled at three levels in 2015 and finished the year by hitting .300 in the Arizona Fall League. Playing a level away from the majors…

OAKLAND Starting as a 16-year-old in high school, Justine Siegal had a dream. She wanted to coach professional baseball and show that a girl could teach the boys a thing or two. That dream came true in the Fall of 2015 when Siegal served as a coach at the Athletics’ instructional league camp in Mesa, Ariz. She filled the role of a regular coach, hitting grounders and throwing batting practice, plus teaching a seminar on continuing education. “I loved every minute of it,” Siegal said. “It’s just that I love baseball. With the A’s, I felt like I was part of a family.” Her work ethic and determination impressed the coaches around her. “She’s a good person with a big heart,” farm director Keith Lieppman said. “Her own story is…

PHOENIX Not only did the December trade of Ender Inciarte and prospects help the Diamondbacks land No. 2 starter Shelby Miller from Atlanta, it also opened an outfield spot. At least a little bit of the move, it seems, had to do with the strides young outfielder Socrates Brito made last season. “He’s got the right heartbeat,” Arizona manager Chip Hale said after the trade was consummated. “(Brito) knows how to breathe. Nothing seems too big of a deal for him.” The Diamondbacks’ plan is to start secondyear Cuban emigre Yasmany Tomas in right field to go with A.J. Pollock in center and David Peralta in left, but Brito’s short stint as a callup last September opened their eyes. Brito, 23, slashed .303/.324/.455 with three doubles, a triple and a…

SAN FRANCISCO It was beginning to look like a lost year for righthander Clayton Blackburn. He didn’t get much of an opportunity to impress Giants coaches in major league camp because of shoulder tendinitis. Then he stayed in Arizona when the minor league seasons began. When he reported to Triple-A Sacramento, he was 2-3, 4.50 in his first seven starts—including a nine-run blasting at Albuquerque that served as a rude introduction to the Pacific Coast League. But then three things happened: Jake Peavy reported to Sacramento for a rehab assignment, then Matt Cain followed shortly thereafter, and Blackburn took a three-week break from the rotation. He was able to refresh his mind, and he had access to two of the organization’s smartest starting pitchers to help him. Blackburn returned to…

Baseball Analyst, Senior Writer ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA Ken Griffey Jr. was more than just a Hall of Famer. He was a maker of magic. The swing. The glove. The smile. As magical as any wave of David Copperfield’s wand. And on Jan. 6, 437 Hall of Fame voters had a message for Griffey and a message for all of us: Magic rocks. Magic works. And magic is what earns a man 99.3 percent of the vote, the highest percentage of any candidate who has ever reached this ballot (and should have earned 100 percent, of course). That, obviously, was the most important thing we learned, on a night when Griffey and Mike Piazza teamed up to turn this into the third consecutive Hall of Fame election to send multiple players to…

SWAPPING PROSPECTS Disregarding whether they would approve it, what would be five prospect-for-prospect trades you could envision helping both teams moving forward? MATT HUML, LOUISVILLE, KY. Thanks, Matt, for a great question. Prospect-for-prospect challenge trades rarely happen. More often prospects are traded for big leaguers, but that doesn’t mean we can’t sketch out some realistic trades (on paper at least) that move prospects who can help both teams. Space won’t permit me to break down all five trades here, but here’s a look at the top proposal as well as four other trades that make some sense. Red Sox trade 2B Yoan Moncada to Mets for LHP Steven Matz and SS Luis Carpio. This is the blockbuster of all these offerings. Moncada is one of the best position prospects in…

Columnist, MLB.com DENVER Tom Mooney was working at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, Calif., in 1981, rubbing shoulders with the wealthy, still wanting to live his lifelong dream of being involved in baseball. “It was all I ever wanted to do growing up,” said Mooney, who had played the game through junior college and coached at the high school and American Legion levels. And the next thing Mooney knew, he had walked in the back door and found himself very much involved in baseball. Mooney was a Seattle Mariners area scout in 1987, and he put in the first and the strongest recommendations for the franchise on a high school prospect named Ken Griffey Jr. The Mariners used the first overall pick in the draft that June to…

Here’s the story of two excellent, twosport stars and the difference between baseball and football. Jeff Samardzija was one of those rare players who was truly good enough to be a pro football or pro baseball player. When he finished his four years at Notre Dame, he was the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards. Twice, he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the best receiver in college football. He was also an excellent pitcher, going 21-6, 3.82 with the Irish. Samardzija was an NFL draft prospect as a receiver and a baseball prospect as a pitcher. He chose baseball in part because the Cubs gave him a guaranteed $10 million, but also because he was considered only one of the top 10 wide receiver prospects in…

OAKLAND ATHLETICS ORGANIZATION OVERVIEW General manager: Billy Beane. Farm director: Keith Lieppman. Scouting director: Eric Kubota. The Athletics’ latest attempt at a roster makeover fell flat in its first season, but the good news is that help is on the horizon. Coming off three straight early playoff exits, punctuated by an epic collapse at the end of 2014, general manager Billy Beane blew things up. The A’s made seven trades during the 2014-15 offseason, most of them exchanging veterans for prospects. Stalwarts like Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss and Derek Norris headed out the door. Donaldson’s loss proved the most painful, as the third baseman’s stardom reached new heights after he was dealt to Toronto, where he won the American League MVP award and helped the Blue Jays reach the AL…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ NEW YORK When Hal Steinbrenner included Gary Sanchez and James Pazos in the list of prospects the Yankees labeled untouchable before the trade deadline last July, there was a certain amount of head scratching. Catcher Brian McCann was in the second of a five-year deal and John Ryan Murphy was looking like he would be a regular someday. So, where was the chance for Sanchez to play? Pazos is a lefty reliever who started the season on Double-A Trenton’s disabled list with a shoulder issue. Lefty relievers Justin Wilson and Chasen Shreve were pitching well, were 27 and 25, respectively and not making budget-busting salaries. Now with Murphy traded to the Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks and Wilson…

ST. PETERSBURG Change can be good sometimes, as the Rays showed by shuffling their minor league coaching corps in 2015. The Rays kept their staffs largely intact for 2016, returning the same managers to all seven domestic affiliates. “Stability is important to us,’’ farm director Mitch Lukevics said. “We have managers up and down the system that are not only good teachers, but good leaders of men. Stay with what works.’’ Under that plan, Jared Sandberg returns to manage Triple-A Durham for his second season, Brady Williams to Double-A Montgomery for his third season, Michael Johns to high Class A Charlotte for his second, Reinaldo Ruiz to low Class A Bowling Green for his second, Tim Parenton to short-season Hudson Valley for his third, Danny Sheaffer to Rookie-level Princeton for…

MIAMI The way righthander Austin Brice pitched on June 29 for Double-A Jacksonville, he could have been effective against a big league lineup. That’s the opinion of Dave Berg, who spent seven years in the majors as a utility infielder and served as Suns manager in 2015. Brice struck out a career-high 13 that day and gave up only one hit—a single—as he pitched eight scoreless innings. During one stretch, he retired 20 consecutive batters, 12 of them by strikeouts. He did all this against Biloxi, the Brewers affiliate that had ripped Jacksonville pitchers for 11 runs in the previous game. “Austin has great stuff—the ball coming out of his arm is electric,” said Berg, who also coached him at low Class A Greensboro in 2013. “He has a plus…

WASHINGTON First baseman Jose Marmolejos transformed himself from a nondrafted free agent to the Nationals’ minor league player of the year in 2015. Therefore, this season will be all about building on that success. Marmolejos, who signed with Washington in June 2011 out of Broward (Fla.) CC, made the low Class A South Atlantic League postseason all-star team in 2015. He hit .310/.363/.485 with 11 home runs and 87 RBIs in 124 games at Hagerstown. He led the system’s full-season minor league batters in average, on-base percentage and slugging. Farm director Mark Scialabba said the 6-foot-1, lefthanded batter has “developed a very effective, consistent approach at the plate and showed the ability to thrive with runners on base.” While at South Broward High in Hollywood, Fla., in 2010, Marmolejos was…

DETROIT Shane Zeile has been sidetracked a bit by injuries while making the tough transition from college infielder to professional catcher. But his strong arm and desire to make the move successfully have the Tigers believing that he has a bright future. Zeile, a fifth-round pick out of UCLA in 2014, has seen limited playing time. “He keeps getting nicked up,” said Dave Owen, the Tigers’ director of player development. “He’s had little injuries here and there, but I’ll tell you what, here’s a guy who can really throw . . . He’s working on his footwork. He’s working on receiving. He’s working on a lot of things, obviously, to be able to catch, but he’s got the one thing you look for and that’s a guy that can throw.…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ PITTSBURGH Jameson Taillon was one of the participants in the Pirates’ annual fan festival in mid-December. Signing autographs and posing for pictures in a convention center across the Allegheny River from PNC Park is the closest the righthander has come to pitching in the major leagues. Now 24, Taillon is getting antsy to make his debut. It is closing on six years since the Pirates used the second overall pick in the 2010 amateur draft to select him from The Woodlands High in suburban Houston, and he has missed the past two seasons because of injuries. “I think by midseason I should be ready,” Taillon said of reaching the majors. Taillon tore an elbow ligament during spring training in…

MILWAUKEE It wasn’t that long ago that Boston Red Sox fans wondered what would happen to third base prospect Garin Cecchini with Will Middlebrooks blocking him at the bigleague level. Now, both players will be in the Brewers’ spring camp. “The baseball world can change pretty quickly,” general manager David Stearns noted. Within a span of five days in December, the Brewers acquired Cecchini in a cash deal with Boston and signed Middlebrooks to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Middlebrooks, 27, became a free agent when San Diego failed to tender him a contract at the Dec. 2 deadline. Once considered a top prospect, Middlebrooks had a strong debut with Boston in 2012, batting .288 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs over 75 games.…

HOUSTON In a blockbuster deal in which the Astros unloaded the top overall pick in the 2013 draft and two pitchers with majorleague service time, Panamanian shortstop Jonathan Arauz was the least known player who changed addresses when the Phillies sent closer Ken Giles to the Astros. Arauz joined Giles with the Astros in exchange for Mark Appel, Vince Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer and minor league righthanders Harold Arauz and Thomas Eshelman. It could be several years before anybody knows if the Astros paid too much for Giles, but Jonathan Arauz’s development could ultimately make the deal more than a one-for-five. Some scouts believed Jonathan Arauz, 17, was the top amateur in Panama when he signed with the Phillies for $600,000 as a 16-year-old in 2014. Most teenagers from Panama, the…

SEATTLE When Mariners pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Peoria, Ariz., on Feb. 19, Danny Hultzen will come with a new role: relief pitcher. “I’ve already spoken to him,” general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “We are going to try a new avenue. He’s going to come to spring training with the idea we are going to deploy him as a bullpen guy and see how it works.” It’s not surprising, considering his injury struggles the past three seasons. Hultzen, 26, has made a total of 10 starts the past three seasons (seven in 2013 and three in 2015) because of shoulder problems. After trying to rehab back to health in 2013 and failing, Hultzen had shoulder surgery on Oct. 1, 2013 to repair damage to his rotator cuff,…

DENVER Lefthander Tyler Anderson is confident the second stress fracture in his left elbow that caused him to miss all of 2014 is fully healed. Confirmation came in the Rockies’ Dominican Instructional League program where Anderson recovered quickly from two three-inning starts. Anderson, 26, was the Texas League pitcher of the year in 2014 when he went 7-4, 1.98 in 118 innings for Double-A Tulsa. He missed two starts that year in May with left elbow soreness, which caused him to leave after three innings in a championship-round playoff game in September. “I never started throwing,” said Anderson, the 20th overall pick in the 2011 draft. “Just took the time off, and I first got a CT scan in January. And it showed there wasn’t much healing. With a bone…

NASHVILLE As the 2016 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention began at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, the Division I coaches had their annual meeting to discuss some of the pressing issues in the game. The ABCA is pushing for several pieces of reform that it thinks will benefit baseball coaches, beginning with two rule changes expected to be voted on this year. Both affect the NCAA-enforced “quiet period” during recruiting and hold wide support among the coaches, according to an ABCA survey. The proposed rule changes would prevent coaches from working for outside camps or clinics during the quiet period and would extend the quiet period in the fall by a week to enable coaches to be on campus when the players begin the fall semester. ABCA executive director Craig Keilitz…