Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, July 31,2015 i Baseball America

Rank The Draftees If June draftees and international players who signed recently were eligible for Baseball America’s Midseason Top 50 Prospects, how many of them would make it? Where would they appear on the list? JOHN FINLEY, CHAGRIN FALLS, OHIO, Ah, the question we hear every year at this time. First let me explain why we don’t include draftees in the Midseason Top 50. This list is already volatile, but adding recent draftees who often haven’t played pro ball would make it significantly more so. Add them and we are comparing players whose track record consists only of amateur action (largely with metal bats) versus pro players. It’s not impossible, but it adds some noise to the rankings. Even by this winter, we’ll have a significantly larger amount of information…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com CINCINNATI On a glorious day in Cooperstown last July, three great managers stood on a podium and were celebrated for their excellence. Joe Torre, Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa gave speeches reflecting on their journeys and thanking all the players, coaches, family members and others who helped make it possible. For their successors—men who carry the banner for the managerial profession with the 30 major-league teams—the act of making it through the day without a crisis seems to qualify as an achievement. If the summer of 2014 was a high point for the profession, the first three months of the 2015 season have been a steaming pile of indignity. Consider the all-around carnage that major league managers have been subjected to since Opening Day: Two weeks…

AKRON ELIMINATES BASEBALL PROGRAM Akron will eliminate its baseball program, effective immediately, the school announced in July. The move comes as part of a $40 million plan to reduce expenses. Those reductions will be coupled with increased tuition and undergraduate fees as the school attempts to address what it says is a $60 million deficit in its bottom line. Baseball is the only sport the school is dropping. The rest of the savings are expected to come from laying off 215 school employees and reducing spending in other areas. Players are eligible to transfer immediately and will be eligible to play elsewhere next season. The Zips went 27-30 overall, 13-14 in the MAC this spring, finishing in fourth place in the MAC East. Akron last made regionals in 1996. It…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel@baseballamerica.com CINCINNATI They used to tell Trea Turner he wouldn’t make the junior varsity team, or later the varsity team at Park Vista High. They said he couldn’t make his travel ball team, and indeed, he was cut once from the team. They said he’d never get a college scholarship, and then they said it wouldn’t be to an Atlantic Coast Conference school, which was his goal. Indeed, Turner and his family set a date for accepting Florida Atlantic’s early, substantial offer. North Carolina State assistant coach Chris Hart called on that morning, and Turner gave FAU coach John McCormick the bad news later in the day. They said he wouldn’t get drafted, and not only was Turner drafted, but the Pirates, keyed by then-area…

If a team wants to pick off the best prospects in the international market, 2016 is the year to strike. Ther are already 10 teams that won’t be allowed to sign pool-eligible players for more than $300,000 next year, with five clubs from last year (the Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees) that will be in their second year of penalties and five new teams going over this year. With the Orioles, Marlins and Athletics all shying away from seven-figure bonuses—and especially with the Marlins and A’s both in position for top-five bonus pools next year—that essentially wipes out nearly half the market as contenders for the top highprofile international prospects next year, with many of the traditional big spenders like the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs on…

BOSTON Jonathan Aro’s first three games in the big leagues did not proceed in ideal fashion. The 24-year-old righthander made his big league debut on June 25 and allowed one run, then got touched for two and then three runs in his next two contests, before being optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket. Yet the mere fact that Aro had reached Boston represented a remarkable outcome for a player who never imagined reaching the majors when he signed for $10,000 as a 20-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2011. After all, the baseball fates had already seemingly offered him a verdict. Aro thought he was close to signing with the Dodgers in 2008, but he contracted mosquito-borne Dengue fever and landed in the hospital for three weeks, after which he was…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ATLANTA Lefthander Manny Banuelos made his major league debut on the same day he was selected to participate in the Triple-A all-star game. In other words, he is living up to the expectations the Braves had when they acquired him from the Yankees in January for relievers David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve. Banuelos might even be exceeding his own expectations. Matched up against Nationals ace Max Scherzer in his debut, the 24-yearold native of Mexico limited the Nationals to two hits over 52⁄3 shutout innings before departing with dehydration. “I’ve been waiting for this moment for years and years,” Banuelos said. Signed by the Yankees as an international free agent in March 2008, Banuelos pitched in just six…

PHILADELPHIA The Phillies have lost a catching prospect, but they hope to have gained a firstbase prospect. After Tommy Joseph suffered several concussions behind the plate, the Phillies converted him from catcher to first base. “We’re not going to expose him to that type of risk,” director of player development Joe Jordan said. “Tommy is very excited about the move and anxious to get back on the field playing again.” The 24-year-old was a second-round pick of the Giants in 2009. The Scottsdale, Ariz., prep product joined the Phillies in July 2012 as the centerpiece of the Hunter Pence trade. Joseph immediately became the Phillies’ top catching prospect, but a concussion and a wrist injury that required surgery limited his playing time in 2013 and 2014, so he slipped on…

CHICAGO Terance Marin got caught up in a numbers game during spring training. When the White Sox lined up their rotations at Triple-A Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham, there wasn’t a spot for Marin. Instead of releasing the 25-year-old righthander, Chicago loaned him to Tijuana of the Mexican League. “When I was in Mexico, I honestly didn’t know if I was going to get a call back here,” Marin said. When Charlotte righthander Chris Beck suffered elbow discomfort in early June, Marin did get a call—znd he is making the most of the chance. He tossed 29 scoreless innings over his first five games (four starts) with the Knights, and was 3-0, 1.73 with 19 strikeouts and seven walks in 42 innings. “A big part of that is definitely the catchers,…

KANSAS CITY Shortstop Dusty Coleman had languished seven years in the Athletics system and was not regarded as a prospect. Coleman spent most of the past three seasons at Double-A Midland, where he was a Texas League all-star in 2013 and 2014, but he had played in just 16 Triple-A games. For his career, he hit .238/.316/.392. “There were definitely times where I was like, ‘Am I called to do this still?’ ” Coleman said. “I felt like God was still tugging at me saying, ‘Hey baseball is still going to give you a shot.’ And here I am.” Coleman signed with the Royals as a minor league free agent in January and thrived in his new surroundings. He combined to hit .303/.383/.469 with 17 doubles, a triple and seven…

CINCINNATI Kyle Waldrop attended the pregame luncheon at the Southern League all-star game in late June when farm director Jeff Graupe called him. “I’ve got good news and more good news,” Waldrop remembered Graupe telling him. The first bit of good news was that the Reds were promoting him from Double-A Pensacola to Triple-A Louisville. The other good news was that he’d be part of the Futures Game. “My parents were there and my wife. It was awesome,” Waldrop said. “It was the best-case scenario.” The 23-year-old corner outfielder/first baseman was one of three Reds prospects selected for the Futures Game. For Waldrop, lefthander Amir Garrett and outfielder Yorman Rodriguez, the event takes on extra significance because the game will be played in Cincinnati. “It’s going to be unbelievable,” Waldrop…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ANAHEIM Kaleb Cowart’s career didn’t just stall at Double-A Arkansas in 2013 and 2014. It veered off the road and into a ditch, the third baseman’s struggles at the plate so severe that he not only abandoned switch-hitting for a while but considered parlaying his strong arm into a move to the mound. A 2010 first-round selection from high school in Adel, Ga., Cowart annually ranked as one of the Angels’ top prospects when he embarked on an assignment to Arkansas in 2013. He returned to the Texas League the following season but produced a cumulative batting line of just .222/.286/.312 with 12 home runs and 22 percent strikeouts. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Cowart, who turned 23 in June,…

SEATTLE Ketel Marte won’t think about the missed opportunity. But if not for a bad slide into second base, he might be in the big leagues. Sitting in the dugout of Great American Ball Park before the Futures Game, the 21-year-old shortstop discussed the injury that kept him sidelined for five weeks at Triple-A Tacoma. On May 31, Marte took off for second base on a groundball hit by Jesus Montero. He slid into the bag awkwardly and then felt an awful pain in his thumb. “I was running and sliding when I was too close to the base,” he said. “I don’t know what happened.” The thumb was fractured and Marte headed to the disabled list. The 6-foot-1, 165-pound switch-hitter had been playing well enough—leading the Pacific Coast League…

PHOENIX The Cron family has produced two big leaguers, and a third might be on the way. High Class A Visalia first baseman Kevin Cron, son of Diamondbacks minor league hitting instructor Chris Cron, put together a June to remember. He hit .291/.330/.602 with 11 doubles, seven homers and 23 RBIs and led the classification in doubles and extrabase hits (18) while finishing fourth in homers and fifth in RBIs. “It started in spring training—he came in and he just hit,” farm director Mike Bell said. “He’s just a good hitter. He’s able to use the field, and he’s got power to all fields.” The massive, 6-foot-5, 257-pound Cron demonstrated his advanced approach in a game at San Jose during the first week of July. Down in the count 0-2,…

SAN FRANCISCO Outfielder Ryan Lollis was the pure organizational player, moved by club officials up and down the system to patch roster holes, with little regard to his personal development. Sometimes that worked to his benefit, like when he jumped from high Class A San Jose to Triple-A Fresno for 50 games in 2012. Usually it did not. A 37th-rounder in 2009 out Missouri, the 28-year-old found himself back at San Jose to begin this season, batting eighth in the lineup, even though he’d held his own at Double-A Richmond the previous two years and was five or six years older than most of his teammates. Lollis said he understood. The Giants had a lot of guys they wanted to play every day this season at higher levels. “It’s kind…

After producing 21 first-round picks in the last two years, nearly doubling its 10-year average, it seems inevitable that this year’s version of USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team would suffer a falloff in talent. Team USA had a shorter summer schedule this year and stayed close to its base at the National Training Complex in Cary, N.C., throughout its slate. The team went 9-8, its worst record in the 32 years statistics exist for the CNT, though it won both its series against Cuba and Taiwan. Team USA also provided a pair of signature highlights against the Cubans, with Tanner Houck, A.J. Puk and Ryan Hendrix combining for a no-hitter in the first game of the series and an 11-1 victory on the Fourth of July in Charlotte’s BB&T Ballpark…

Baseball Analyst, Senior Writer ESPN.com CINCINNATI Wow. We’ve already reached the allstar break? How’d that happen? I could swear I was just rubbing in my spring training sunscreen application like 20 minutes ago. But it’s time for our annual midseason awards gala, so . . . the envelope please. NATIONAL LEAGUE MVP: Bryce Harper, Nationals. With all due appreciation for the awesome and ridiculously underrated Paul Goldschmidt, this was the easiest choice on the whole board. The Nationals without Bryce Harper this year are the Machine without Florence, the E Street Band without Springsteen. No one else in this lineup has an .800 OPS, a slugging percentage over .435 or even 10 home runs. Anthony Rendon, Jayson Werth and Ryan Zimmerman haven’t spent one day together on the field all…

MAY 10 1982 The Mets rotation may soon include a trio of first-round picks. New York had similar hopes for their outfield in the 1980s. When it comes to Darryl Strawberry, Billy Beane and Terry Blocker, the pillars of potential in the Jackson Mets outfield this year, the nerves begin riding piggyback. Never before, say the New York Mets organization, have three No. 1 picks signed by one organization played in the same outfield on the same team in the minor leagues. Never before, figures Jackson Mets GM Mike Feder, have such high-priced bonus babies put their wallets side-by-side. And if the Mets scouts are worth their stopwatches . . . never before in the history of the Jackson Mets has so much potential talent grazed the Smith-Wills outfield in…

CARY, N.C. By stepping on the field against Canada in July at the USA Baseball National Training Complex with the letters “USA” across his chest, Albert Almora embarked on his seventh journey as a member of Team USA. Those seven appearances rank as the most in the history of USA Baseball, passing current Astros manager A.J. Hinch’s six. “I’m just honored, and it’s a privilege to have this uniform across my chest and to be able to do this so many times,” said Almora, the Cubs outfield prospect who ranked No. 7 in the organization entering the season. “I’m hoping to continue to do it for the rest of my career. I’m super honored and I’m humbled.” Almora’s latest journey with Team USA comes as part of the pro team…

Columnist, MLB Network BOSTON The first call came less than an hour after Jerry Dipoto quit as Angels general manager, with many more to come over the days that followed. Essentially, every message was similar to the very first call, from a general manager who said, “the days of the Mike Scioscia managers are a thing of the past. It’s no longer about the manager, it’s about the organizational whole.” “Today, it’s a complex, collaborative effort,” another GM said. “The manager and GM are partners. The general manager oversees the totality, of professional and amateur scouting, of all things evaluated, of development and analytics, conditioning and the health and wellness. He oversees the company. The manager has input into the roster, but the general manager runs it, and the manager’s…

When Nick Williams played at low Class A Hickory, scouts liked to compliment his amazingly quick hands while also noting that he seemed to have little idea of what pitchers were trying to do to him. As one scout put it, Williams’ hands managed to make up for a lot of mistakes. That was the story of the 2013 Hickory Crawdads. The Rangers let the team go out and play while not worrying about things like a two-strike approach. That team will be remembered as one of the best prospect groups in recent years with Williams, Joey Gallo, Lewis Brinson, Ryan Rua and Nomar Mazara. “See it, hit it. We led the league in strikeouts and home runs,” Williams said. But Williams and his teammates have made adjustments since then.…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ TORONTO Lefthander Matt Boyd’s rapid surge to Toronto was halted abruptly by a sevenrun, no-out beating he sustained from the Red Sox on July 2, but the 24-year-old insisted the nightmare start and immediate demotion to Triple-A Buffalo will only help him in the long run. “Count on me learning from this and being better from this—it won’t happen again,” Boyd said shortly after being optioned back to the Bisons. “I’m really looking forward to it. I’m champing at the bit. You guys will see me here again.” Boyd’s seven runs allowed against Boston— on six hits and a walk—are tied for third-most allowed by a starter without recording an out in big league history. However, the blowup…

NEW YORK If Jeff Hendrix grows to resemble the player he followed growing up, then the Yankees will look back fondly at their 2015 draft class for taking the Oregon State center fielder in the fourth round. Jacoby Ellsbury attended Oregon State, played center field and always has been an above-average runner. Hendrix has all three boxes checked on his réumé “I grew up watching him,” said Hendrix, who started his professional career at shortseason Staten Island. “I emulated how he played. There are some similarities. I liked the way he played.” Ellsbury met the OSU team last offseason when he visited the Corvallis, Ore., facilities, and if Hendrix develops like Ellsbury, a Red Sox first-round pick in 2005, the Yankees will be more than pleased. Hendrix was anxious to…

MIAMI Lefthander Justin Nicolino, in the view of big league manager Dan Jennings, has proven he can pitch effectively in the majors. Nevertheless, the Marlins optioned Nicolino to Triple-A New Orleans on July 2 when they made room for ace Jose Fernandez, who returned from Tommy John surgery. But that doesn’t take away from what the 23-year-old accomplished in his two starts. On the road in Cincinnati, Nicolino pitched seven scoreless innings against the Reds, allowing four hits and two walks. The Dodgers, though, roughed him up for six hits and five runs in four innings. “He can stay (in the majors) now,” Jennings said. “He only had a couple of bad pitches that ended up costing him. He just needs to go back down (to Triple-A), refine his strike…

WASHINGTON Righthander Austen Williams had not faced much adversity this season at low Class A Hagerstown. When he has had problems, though, he didn’t shy away from his two-seamer and four-seamer. “I try not to panic,” the 22-year-old said. “I like to pitch off my fastball and stick with my game plan.” That faith in his low-90s fastball helps explain why farm director Mark Scialabba is high on the makeup shown by the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Williams. The 2014 sixth-round pick out of Texas State went 8-1, 2.10 with 63 strikeouts and 14 walks in 73 innings with the Suns. Williams pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and one hit allowed at the South Atlantic League all-star game in Asheville, N.C. He also allowed five runs in four innings in…

CLEVELAND The recall of righthander Cody Anderson wasn’t a noisy one, but he made plenty of noise once he arrived. The Indians called up the 24-year-old on June 21, when he became the fifth pitcher to audition for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. He wasted no time making an impression. Anderson tossed 72 scoreless innings against the Rays in his debut. The Indians won 1-0, but Anderson didn’t figure in the decision. However, he did figure in the decision in his second start eight days later, also against the Rays, when he flirted with perfection by retiring the first 19 batters he faced. He earned the win in that game, holding Tampa Bay to one run on two hits in eight innings while improving to 1-0, 0.57 on…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MILWAUKEE When the Brewers relocated their Triple-A affiliate from Nashville to Colorado Springs before the 2015 season, they knew batting statistics would be skewed for the better and pitching numbers for the worst. Righthander Taylor Jungmann became Exhibit A for the club’s pitching prospects. The 25-year-old’s numbers at Colorado Springs before being called up by the Brewers in June certainly were not pretty. In 11 outings (nine starts), he went 2-3, 6.37 with a 1.52 WHIP and .272 opponent average. Accordingly, when Jungmann was summoned to fill the rotation spot for the injured Wily Peralta, expectations were modest at best. That’s not the way Jungmann viewed the opportunity, however. “I would hope guys expected me to throw well,…

PITTSBURGH The most surprising thing about Deolis Guerra is that he is just 26. The righthander seems so much older because he fell off the national prospect radar seven seasons ago with a disastrous turn in the high Class A Florida State League. Heading into that fateful 2008 season, though, Guerra ranked as the No. 35 prospect in baseball. The Mets had just traded him and three other players—including outfielder Carlos Gomez—to the Twins for two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. Guerra never made it to the majors with the Twins. In fact, he seemed to have almost completely faded from view before the Pirates signed as a minor league free agent in November. Pittsburgh called up Guerra from Triple-A Indianapolis on June 27 and he pitched five scoreless…

HOUSTON High Class A Lancaster first baseman A.J. Reed, who has been one of the top sluggers in the minors since rounding into shape in late April, readily admits he reported to spring training in March overweight, stunning Astros officials when he tipped the scales at 285 pounds. The 6-foot-4 slugger excelled at Kentucky while playing at around 245 pounds last year when he won the Baseball America College Player of the Year and the Golden Spikes awards. The 2014 second-round pick took much of the offseason off, and it showed. “I had a rough spring training,” he said. “I just wasn’t where I needed to be, physically. It was a big year learning for me in the offseason. It shows me where I need to be next year and…

ARLINGTON Not since they took Mark Teixeira with the No. 5 overall pick in 2001 had the Rangers had a top-five draft pick. Texas scored UC Santa Barbara righthander Dillon Tate, the top available pitcher, at No. 4 overall and followed up on day two by selecting the pitcher many thought would be the best available. Righthander Michael Matuella just won’t be available until next season. The Rangers plucked the former Duke ace with their third-round pick (78th overall) and signed him for $2 million two months after he had Tommy John surgery. Every prospect comes with some risk, and the Rangers were willing to gamble on the 21-year-old Matuella’s upside as a front-ofthe-rotation starter. “He has that kind of arm, that kind of stuff,” scouting director Kip Fagg said.…

DENVER Following a familiar developmental path, the Rockies promoted shortstop Trevor Story to Triple-A Albuquerque after surging ahead at Double-A New Britain. He hit .281/.373/.523 in 256 at-bats for the Rock Cats with 10 homers, 40 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. The Rockies drafted Story 45th overall in 2011, a supplemental first-round pick for the loss of Octavio Dotel. Story hit just .233 at high Class A Modesto in 2013, but he returned there in 2014 to hit .332/.436/.582 in 50 games. That earned him a promotion to Double-A, where he hit .200 over 56 games. He returned to that level this year and has excelled, but even when he hit for a low average, his power remained on display. “He’s earned the opportunity for a greater challenge,” general manager…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period June 26-July 8. Numbers in parentheses indicate draft round. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed LHP Alex Young (2). Released RHP Blake Beavan. Traded RHP Parker Frazier to Athletics for cash. Acquired RHP Chris Oliver, LHP Josh Taylor and international bonus slot one ($1,352,100) from Phillies for international bonus slot one ($3,590,400). ATLANTA BRAVES: Signed RHP Mike Soroka (1), LHP Hunter Cervenka and SS Angel Perez. Released RHPs Cole Brocker and Jordany Santana and OF Jeyson Cabrera. Traded RHP Caleb Dirks and OF Jordan Paroubeck to Dodgers for international bonus slot three ($249,000). Traded RHP Garrett Fulenchek to Rays for international bonus slots three and four ($494,200). Traded RHP Aaron Kurcz to Athletics for international bonus slot four…

ST. LOUIS The Cardinals terminated the contract of their scouting director, Chris Correa, as investigations continue into alleged hacking of a Houston Astros database. A Cardinals attorney, James G. Martin, confirmed the move to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, saying Correa already had been on an “imposed leave of absence.” Martin declined to comment on the reason to Post-Dispatch reporter Robert Patrick. And Martin would not say whether any employee has admitted hacking the Astros, citing ongoing investigations by the club, Major League Baseball and the FBI. Correa declined to comment. In a prepared statement, Correa’s lawyer, Nicholas Williams, wrote: “Mr. Correa denies any illegal conduct. The relevant inquiry should be what information did former St. Louis Cardinals employees steal from the St. Louis Cardinals organization prior to joining the Houston…

Columnist, MLB.com CINCINNATI D.J. LeMahieu remembers showing up at the ballpark in Daytona early one afternoon in the middle of the 2010 season. Richie Zisk, the manager of the Cubs’ former high Class A affiliate in the Florida State League was in the batting cage in an otherwise empty ballpark, taking swings against the pitching machine. “He was hitting line drives in every direction,” LeMahieu said, “and he would scream, ‘It’s not that hard. Hitting’s not that hard.’ ” It was, Zisk said, a message he wanted to get across to the young prospects he was in charge of for the summer. “I wanted to drive home the point,” Zisk said recently. “It was about talent and dedication. It was not a matter of playing ability. It was about mental…

BALTIMORE The Orioles don’t hesitate to shuttle their pitchers between the majors and the top two levels of their farm system to fill various needs. In other words, righthander Zach Davies just needs to wait his turn. He earned a ride north from Triple-A Norfolk—if only for a game. The 22-year-old appeared in the Futures Game in Cincinnati, recording two outs in a U.S. team win, and has grabbed the attention of big league manager Buck Showalter, who already has started rookies Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson this season before they were optioned back to Norfolk. Davies, a 26th-round pick in 2011 out of high school in Gilbert, Ariz., went 3-5, 2.70 in 16 games (15 starts) with the Tides. He struck out 71 batters in 83 innings. “Keep in…

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. The results during R.J. Harrison’s 10 years of running Rays drafts have, like with most teams, been mixed. But there was never any question about how hard he worked and how much he cared, and the Rays acknowledged that in announcing he would become senior advisor for scouting and baseball operations and that former assistant Rob Metzler would become scouting director. “These changes reflect both our confidence in the direction of our amateur scouting department and our hope for its continued evolution,” president of baseball operations Matt Silverman said. “I am grateful for R.J.’s leadership of the department through this year’s draft and for the past 10 seasons. It’s only because of his guidance and mentorship that we are in position to take these next steps.” Metzler…

NEW YORK High Class A St. Lucie first baseman Dominic Smith’s batting average stood at just .194 on May 17. Then the 2013 first-round pick out of Serra High in Gardena, Calif., put together a 16-game hitting streak. Smith hit .304/.352/.435 through 76 games with a Florida State League-leading 27 doubles. He also ranked among the FSL’s best in terms of slugging percentage and with 31 extra-base hits and 53 RBIs. “Dom has continued to display an advanced feel for hitting,” vice president of scouting and player development Paul DePodesta said. “Playing in the Florida State League at just 20 years old, he’s continued to hit for a high average while adding significantly more power, though that part of his game will only continue to evolve over the next five…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MINNEAPOLIS The scoreboard at Rookie-level Elizabethton’s Joe O’Brien Field is just to the right-field side of center, roughly 400 feet away from home plate. Not many baseballs ever fly that far in the Appalachian League. Amaurys Minier hit a ball that glanced off the top of that board, though, in his fifth game with the team, striking a Giancarlo Stanton-style rocket launch that soared toward Kentucky. The blast ended a 13-inning game that lasted past midnight, and served as a sobering reminder of why the Twins signed Minier for $1.2 million when he was just 16. “He’s got real, raw power,” vice president for player personnel Mike Radcliff said. “It’s legit. It’s plus power, the kind that gets…

DETROIT In April, righthander Jeff Ferrell was just another starter at Double-A Erie. By the end of June, he was closing games at Triple-A Toledo, before earning a callup to the big league bullpen in early July. A 26th-round pick in 2010 out of Pitt (N.C.) CC, Ferrell made only one start in April due to a shoulder issue, and he eased back into action in the bullpen upon his return in May. He pitched so well there that his days as a starter might be over. “He came out of the bullpen and really did a nice job,” farm director Dave Owen said. “One thing led to another and we just kind of left him there. He just kind of gradually worked to the back end of the bullpen.”…

CHICAGO Two years ago, the Cubs organization was so thin in catching that they scoured the system for candidates to switch to the position, and a 33-year-old J.C. Boscan was the best they could do for a September callup as an emergency backup. “Now we’re trying to figure out how to get guys enough at-bats,” farm director Jaron Madison said of a catching position that has become an area of strength in the organization. Certainly, that strength could be measured in part by fast-ascending Kyle Schwarber, the No. 4 overall pick out of Indiana last year. But while he’s the system’s top hitter, Schwarber is not close to the top catcher. Even at that, his improvement over the past year had president of baseball operations Theo Epstein raving: “We’re convinced…

ST. LOUIS When the Cardinals have waded into the international talent pool, they have done so often with as much commitment to the pursuit as they have pocketbook. Righthander Carlos Martinez took them through a year-long effort to find the necessary paperwork so that they could sign him after his one-year suspension. Outfielder Oscar Taveras received a relatively small bonus for his bat, which the Cardinals nurtured. And righthander Alex Reyes was worth the bidding war because their interest in him had roots in New Jersey, where he lived before relocating to the Dominican Republic. Righthander Alvaro Seijas lured them with ability unavailable to them elsewhere. “We asked ourselves if we could get a pitcher of his high level in an international draft, picking (in the lower third of the…

OAKLAND It’s taken Chad Oberacker five long years to hone his skills in the minors, but the lefty-hitting outfielder suddenly has the Athletics wondering if this late bloomer could emerge as a big boomer. His performance at Double-A Midland— he hit .291/.353/.429 with 18 doubles, four homers and 10 steals through 70 games—was as much about his improved approach and mental game as anything. “I have a more mature approach at the plate,” said Oberacker, 26. “I swing at pitches I can hit rather than at pitches that I see.” That is what the A’s preach—patient hitters wait for their pitch, rather than squandering an at-bat swinging at balls out of the strike zone. “That’s something the organization tries to instill in us, and it’s finally paying off for me,”…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ LOS ANGELES When A.J. Ellis was coming back from knee surgery last May, he headed to extended spring training camp in Glendale, Ariz., looking to get some work in games to prepare for his return to the Dodgers. He got more than he bargained for one afternoon in 22-year-old righthander Jose De Leon. “It was one of those deals where I was going to catch five innings and hit every inning,” Ellis said. “So I had to face (De Leon) every inning because he was working the first five innings. He owned me. He was nasty. And every at-bat it was like he was featuring something different. He knew what he was doing.” Hitters in the high Class…

SAN DIEGO Shortstop Ruddy Giron has hardly been playing like the youngest player in the low Class A Midwest League. The 18-year-old hit .304/.350/.480 with eight home runs through 50 games one year after being slowed by injuries and hitting just .168 in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Now that Giron is hitting balls hard and showing sure hands and good arm strength, the Padres say they’re not surprised. “First and foremost,” farm director Sam Geaney said, “it starts with the kind of person he is. He’s one of the best workers in the organization. He sets a tremendous example for everyone—whether it’s in the weight room or on the field.” Two years ago, senior advisor Randy Smith likened Giron to Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, who began his career as…

Two decades ago, Cuban baseball was the great unknown. There was plenty of talent on the island playing in Serie Nacional, but scouts couldn’t get there to see it. So they had to settle for glimpses of big league ready players at international tournaments. Every now and then, a player would sneak out of the country and come to play in the majors—like Ariel Prieto, Livan and Orlando Hernandez. But the great mass of players were still as much mysteries as players could be in the 21st century. Then slowly, the unknown became the known. Aroldis Chapman, Alexei Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo, Jose Iglesias, Leonys Martin and more came to the States as the trickle of Cuban talent became a torrent. Nowadays it’s easy for teams to watch broadcasts of Serie…