Innholdsfortegnelse for December 30, 2014 i Baseball America

NEARING NIMMO TIME? When do you think Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo will make his major league debut? Do you see him as a top-of-the-order hitter? DARYL HAUCK, @DARYLHAUCK Nimmo is the only player ever to be drafted in the first round out of Wyoming. Not surprisingly, it took the 2011 pick a little longer to climb the ladder than a first-rounder from Florida or California. The Mets were aware of that and sent him to the short-season New York-Penn League for his full-season debut. Nimmo started to catch up in 2013, and in 2014 he emerged as one of the best players in the high Class A Florida State League during the first half of the season, when he hit .322/.448/.458 for St. Lucie. He struggled after a midseason promotion…

BALTIMORE The Orioles added two players to their 40-man roster at the deadline prior to the Rule 5 draft, selecting the contracts of righthanders Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson. Wright, 24, went 5-11, 4.61 in 143 innings and 26 starts at Triple-A Norfolk. However, he posted a 0.30 ERA in his last four starts and carried a no-hitter into the final inning of his last two games. Wright, a third-round selection in 2011 out of East Carolina, has gone 29-21, 4.08 in four minor-league seasons. Wilson, 25, won the organization’s Jim Palmer minor league pitcher of the year award in 2014 after going a combined 14-8, 3.67 in 167 innings at Double-A Bowie and Norfolk. He was 10-5, 3.72 in 97 innings with the Baysox and 4-3, 3.60 in 70…

ATLANTA The recent emergence of Alex Wood at the major league level has overshadowed the lack of lefthanded pitching found throughout the Atlanta organization. That situation was bolstered in 2014, however, with the development of Yean Carlos Gil, who was added to the 40-man roster. Signed as a 19-year-old out of Venezuela in 2010, Gil received attention during his debut a year later when he was tabbed the Braves’ pitcher of the year in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. In addition to going 2-3, 2.91, he led the circuit with 63 strikeouts, ranking second with 8.18 strikeouts per nine innings. A year later he worked five games out of the bullpen at Class A Rome before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He rebounded quickly from the procedure and pitched in 13…

CHICAGO When the White Sox made a threeway trade with the Red Sox and Tigers on July 31, 2013, the keys to the deal were getting right fielder Avisail Garcia from Detroit and unloading starting pitcher Jake Peavy’s remaining $20 million in salary on Boston. Taking a closer look now, Chicago likes the trade even more thanks to the ascent of righthander Francellis Montas. Even though he was limited to 81 innings in 2014 after having meniscus surgery on his left knee in April and a similar procedure on his right knee in June that kept him out of the Futures Game, Montas showed enough to be added to the White Sox’s 40-man roster. “He had a couple of knee issues this year, both of which have been resolved and…

CHICAGO Duane Underwood’s teammates say he could crush a whole pizza his first year in professional ball. It might have been one of his greatest achievements in the year after the Cubs drafted him in the second round in 2012. And it showed. “I had a little weight gain last year,” said the righthander, who earned a new nickname from the other pitchers on the staff. “I took that as motivation. Nobody wants to be called ‘Chunky Butter.’ ” So Underwood did something about it— after a couple “stern” talks with team officials— getting with a nutritionist, one of the organization’s trainers and dropping almost 30 pounds. “The difference I saw in Duane this year was his commitment to his work and his commitment to the game of baseball and…

OAKLAND Whenever Garvin Alston needs a little help with sports psychology, he can look across the dinner table and get a few tips from his wife, Natasha. “She’s helped me more than she’ll ever know,” Alston said. Natasha teaches advancedplacement psychology at Mountain Pointe High in Phoenix, as well as advising her husband. Alston expects to have far more questions with his new promotion. The Athletics named the 42-year-old Alston as their minor league roving pitching instructor, replacing Scott Emerson, who moved up to the big league coaching staff. Alston has been serving as the organization’s rehabilitation coordinator, working with players coming back from injury. “I’m beyond excited,” Alston said. “I’ve been looking at this position for a long time. I’ve been watching how guys like Ron Romanick, Gil Patterson…

DENVER Lefthander Tyler Anderson, the 20th overall pick in 2011 out of Oregon, was the only player the Rockies added to their 40-man roster. Unlike his first two pro seasons, Anderson had the advantage of health in 2014 when he went 7-4, 1.98 for Double-A Tulsa and was named Texas League pitcher of the year. “Being healthy allows you to work on stuff and allows you to throw the way that you’re capable of throwing and it allows development,” Anderson said. He dealt with a sports hernia in 2012 at low Class A Asheville that required surgery after the season. Left shoulder soreness sidelined Anderson for nine weeks at high Class A Modesto in 2013. He did miss two starts in late May with left elbow soreness. It flared up…

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. It took years, but the Rays took a longawaited step forward in their quest for a new ballpark by reaching agreement with St. Petersburg mayor Rick Kriseman for permission to look at sites across the bridges in Tampa. The deal gives the Rays three years to seek and settle on a new site in either Pinellas or Hillsborough county and establishes a payment schedule for them to leave Tropicana Field before the 2027 end of their use agreement for the domed stadium. The deal still is subject to approval by the St. Petersburg city council, and Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg made clear the potential ramifications of a “no” vote, saying that if there isn’t a stadium under construction in the next few years, he would look…

BOSTON Portland, Maine, is widely considered a gem of a city, and almost invariably, Red Sox minor leaguers enjoy their stays in Double-A. Nonetheless, Travis Shaw can hardly be faulted for becoming restless there. “I was ready,” Shaw admitted. Shaw, whose tremendous first full season with high Class A Salem earned him a promotion to Double-A Portland in August 2012, spent a month there (.227/.353/.427) at the end of his age-22 season, struggled through a full year in Portland in 2013 (.221/.342/.394) before excelling there to open the 2014 season (.305/.406/.548). Finally, that performance earned Shaw a bump to Triple-A Pawtucket in May. The 24-year-old—who experienced a breakthrough after the 2013 season when he implemented a leg kick to improve his ability to stay back and drive the ball to…

NEW YORK Righthander Rob Whalen raced to a 4-0, 1.80 record and four appearances with low Class A Savannah to open the 2014 season. He then developed a MRSA infection at the base of the middle finger on his pitching hand, sitting on a tendon. It required antibiotics, a 20-minute surgical procedure and four days in the hospital to treat. Whalen, a 12th-round pick in 2012 out of high school in Haines City, Fla., did not return to the South Atlantic League for more than 12 weeks. He nonetheless finished the season 9-1, 2.01 with a .192 opponent average in 11 appearances (10 starts) spanning 63 innings with Savannah. Whalen made up for the lost regular season innings as part of the organization’s Arizona Fall League contingent. “After the injury,…

DETROIT Dixon Machado has always been a glove-first shortstop. It is extremely likely that he always will be. But he recently showed some prowess at the plate, too. Machado, 22, broke through for his best season by far at the plate while playing for Double-A Erie for a good chunk of the 2014 season. The Tigers added Machado to their 40-man roster prior after the season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. “I was encouraged with Dixon’s improved hitting this year,” Tigers assistant general manager Al Avila said. “The main reason for his improvement was that his body is finally showing signs of getting stronger. Dixon has a sound hitting approach and a good swing.” Avila said it isn’t that Machado put on a substantial amount of weight…

MILWAUKEE It was hardly surprising when the Brewers added righthander starter Taylor Jungmann, righthanded closer David Goforth and shortstop Yadiel Rivera to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, since they are three of Milwaukee’s top prospects. The real surprise was the fourth player added—lefthander Michael Strong. Entering the 2014 season, Strong was not ranked among the Brewers’ Top 30 prospects. Strong, who turned 26 after the season, burst onto scene with a strong season at high Class A Brevard County, going 2-2, 2.37 with four saves. He struck out 84 batters in 80 innings. The Brewers were so encouraged by Strong’s showing, they sent him to the Arizona Fall League. The 2011, 10th-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State continued his solid work there, posting…

ARLINGTON Josh McElwee comes from a town in South Carolina that he claims few from outside the state have ever heard of and from a college few have heard of . But more and more people outside of the Rangers organization are starting to hear about the righthander from Andrews, S.C., who went to Division II Newberry (S.C.) and who signed in 2012 for $1,000 as a 20thround draft pick. McElwee, 25, capped a three-level season with a stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he continued to impress as part of a deep group of young Rangers bullpen arms. “We’re very deep at that position,” McElwee said. “The only way to look at it is you’ve got to control what you can control, stick to the process and wait…

LOS ANGELES Andrew Friedman was convinced he had the right man for the job. He just wasn’t sure if it would be the right job for the man. “The only question for me was whether it was something he wanted to do,” Friedman said of offering Gabe Kapler the job as Dodgers’ farm director. “Once he said it was something he wanted to do, I would bet on him to have a significant impact on our player development.” Kapler fits the profile of the people Friedman has surrounded himself with this offseason since taking over as president of baseball operations—bright, energetic and open-minded to new ways of doing things. But Kapler is hardly your typical farm director. He earned almost $10 million during a 12-year big league career. Kapler did…

D-BACKS HIRE LADNIER The Diamondbacks filled the last scouting director vacancy of the offseason, hiring former Royals scouting director Deric Ladnier. He replaces Ray Montgomery, who became vice president of scouting for the Brewers. Arizona picks first overall in 2015, the first time the franchise has had that selection since it took Justin Upton No. 1 overall atop the loaded 2005 draft class. Ladnier has worked for the Nationals for the past six years, most recently as a special assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo. He served as a scouting director before, with the Royals for the 2001-08 drafts. His time with Kansas City yielded first-round selections such as Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer, as well as since-traded Zack Greinke and 2006 No. 1 overall pick…

TORONTO Devon Travis was still seeking a comfortable zone at the plate as he prepared for his first full season in the Tigers’ organization. The Tigers drafted him in the 13th round in 2012 from Florida State, where he used a spread-out stance . “I had never really been comfortable when I was hitting,” Travis said after the Blue Jays acquired him in a trade that sent outfielder Anthony Gose to Detroit. “That was just kind of the way I hit my whole life. I was a little more spread out and kept it more simple. I wanted to be a little more comfortable and the guy I hit with in the offseason, Bryan Alveari, my high school hitting coach, he just tells me, grab a bat and get comfortable.…

WASHINGTON For lefthander Matt Grace, a move to the bullpen has been his ticket to the 40-man roster. Grace, who had been a reliever on a loaded UCLA staff, tried starting as a professional through 2012. Then he went back to a relief role, which has helped speed his way to the verge of the big leagues. As a 25-year-old last season, he went 5-1, 1.17 in 77 innings in Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse. After Grace followed up that summer with a 3.18 ERA in 11 innings in the Arizona Fall League, he received a call from general manager Mike Rizzo and farm director Mark Scialabba telling him he would be protected from the Rule 5 draft. Righthander A.J. Cole, infielder Wilmer Difo and outfielder Brian Goodwin also were…

KANSAS CITY On the surface, Jorge Bonifacio’s 2014 statistics did not merit putting him on the Royals’ 40-man roster. Bonifacio, a corner outfielder, hit .230/.302/.309 in 566 plate appearances with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He struck out 127 times in 505 at-bats, while stroking just 28 extra-base hits with four home runs. But there are other numbers that warranted adding Bonifacio, the younger brother of major league infielder and former Royal Emilo Bonifacio. Bonifacio did not turn 21 until June 4 and had just four plate appearances—drawing walks in three of them—against pitchers younger than him in the Texas League. He also has demonstrated patience, drawing 50 walks, which ranked 10th in the league. “Obviously, when he fills into his potential he has an impact bat,” Naturals manager Vance Wilson said.…

ST. LOUIS While the move for outfielder Jason Heyward garnered headlines in November, it was two subtle moves that might also reshape the Cards’ major league roster. St. Louis signed infielder Dean Anna and traded for infielder Ty Kelly. “We’re adding to our depth,” general manager John Mozeliak said. The Cardinals added Anna and Kelly to their 40-man roster, and they intend to let a group jostle for at least one Opening Day vacancy on the bench. Anna, 28, made his major league debut in 2014 with the Yankees and split his season between two Triple-A teams, the Yankees and Pirates. Overall, he hit .207/.325/.308, but he’s one year removed from leading the Pacific Coast League in batting at .325. Kelly, 26, brings an intriguing mix to the audition. A…

HOUSTON When it was time to set the 40-man roster and brace against the Rule 5 draft, Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow saw it as a no-brainer to protect hard-throwing righthander Vincent Velasquez. He also jumped at the chance to protect Ronald Torreyes even though he admits the diminutive infielder may not project as an everyday player. For a while on Nov. 20, however, the Astros stunned the industry by initially deciding not to add hard-throwing righthander Michael Feliz to the 40-man roster until almost an hour before the deadline to protect players. Luhnow said a prospective trade that fell through was the reason the Astros initially didn’t protect Feliz, 21, when they announced the additions of Velasquez and Torreyes earlier in the day. Whatever the case, it’s clear the…

SAN FRANCISCO There are plenty of World Series rings floating around San Francisco these days, and Steven Okert hopes to claim one before it’s all said and done. For now, though, he’s got a pretty sweet championship belt. He picked up that prize in June when he appeared in the California League-Carolina League all-star game in Wilmington, Del. Okert took the mound in the ninth with a one-run lead and two runners on base, then promptly recorded three outs on nine pitches to earn the save—along with the belt, which Cal League manager Denny Hocking presented to the team’s MVP. Okert was a flashy exception in what otherwise was a disappointing year for Giants pitching prospects. The 23-year-old lefthander led the farm system with 24 saves, including 19 with high…