Innholdsfortegnelse for Friday, December 25, 2015 i Baseball America

WHO’S IN CENTER? Do you see Braves keeping both Ender Inciarte and Mallex Smith, and if not, which one would you guess gets moved? KEVIN LYON, @KILOGREY It’s hard not to like the significant haul of talent the Braves got back in the trade that sent Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks. There’s Dansby Swanson, the No. 1 pick in June’s draft. There’s Aaron Blair, a solid midrotation righthander prospect who could be ready to pitch in Atlanta’s rotation in 2016, and there is Inciarte. Inciarte has put together back-to-back solid seasons in the Diamondbacks’ outfield, but he fits much better in Atlanta as one of his best attributes–his center field defense–is wasted on a team that also has A.J. Pollock. Inciarte’s value to a team comes from his defensive ability…

NASHVILLE Don Mattingly will be working with limited resources in a lowprofile environment in his transition from the Dodgers to the Marlins. Judging from Miami owner Jeffrey Loria’s history of paying managers that he no longer employs, the drama quotient between the two venues appears to be a wash. When Mattingly tracks the meteorological trend in his career arc, it points increasingly toward an outerwear-free existence. “I’ve been fortunate,” Mattingly said. “I went from New York to L.A. and now South Beach. The next stop is Cuba, I guess. I’m going warmer. I’m not going colder.” It has been two months since Loria, acting definitively on his Donnie Baseball man-crush, hired Mattingly with a four-year contract to replace Dan Jennings, who followed Mike Redmond, who succeeded Ozzie Guillen, who followed…

MLB MAKES FIRST TRIP TO CUBA SINCE ’99 Major League Baseball returned to Cuba for the first time since 1999 with a mid-December goodwill tour. Joe Torre, MLB’s chief baseball officer, and Hall of Famer Dave Winfield, now a special advisor to players’ union chief Tony Clark, spearheaded group that included big league players originally from Cuba, such as Brayan Pena, Jose Abreu, Yasiel Puig and Alexei Ramirez, plus Clayton Kershaw, Miguel Cabrera and Nelson Cruz, among others. The trip is the first for MLB since the Orioles played an exhibition game against the Cuban National Team in March 1999. “Major League Baseball is very fortunate to have an opportunity to play a constructive role in the improvement of our country’s relations with Cuba,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a…

Editor in Chief Baseball America Some players are more prepared for life after baseball than others. Just because they are prepared for life after baseball, though, doesn’t mean they want to get to life after baseball any sooner than they must. Like a lot of Stanford alumni, Colin Walsh is well educated and well prepared if he has to go get a real job. He obtained his undergraduate degree in a bit more than three years, in a program called management, science and engineering. He obtained a master’s in his baseball off seasons since the Cardinals drafted him in 2010, in civil engineering with a focus in green energy. With that kind of background, Walsh probably would be expected to know a lot about baseball’s arcane rules and procedures, including…

The Rule 5 draft Class of 2014 deserves an apology. In these pages last year, we tried to take a look at which Rule 5 picks would stick on their new big league rosters all season. And considering the lengthy history of the Rule 5, it seemed likely that three or four of the 14 picks would make it. But last year proved to be historic with 10 players making teams and an 11th (Daniel Winkler) who still can. It’s too early to say if last year was an aberration or a sign that teams are better at making Rule 5 picks, but scanning this year’s list, there do appear to be a number of players with good shots to make contributions to their new clubs. Player are listed here…

NASHVILLE In a quick, simple and unanimous vote, Pat O’Conner was re-elected as the president of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, better known as Minor League Baseball. This is the third term for O’Conner, who ran unopposed. After a quick acknowledgement from each of the 16 leagues, the vote was taken, registered and made official. The third consecutive win for O’Conner extends his term for four more years. “I want to thank you for this honor you’ve bestowed upon me with this re-election as president of Minor League Baseball,” O’Conner said in his brief remarks. “I’m truly humbled by your united support and the confidence you’ve shown in me and the direction we’ve chartered for our organization.” Afterward, a few league representatives had kind words for O’Conner and…

BOSTON RED SOX As the Red Sox sank toward a second consecutive last-place finish in 2015 for the first time since 1929-30, they arrived at a point of crisis. The unexpected bliss of a World Series championship in 2013 had receded sufficiently that the status quo with the front office became untenable to the team’s owners. And so Boston hired Dave Dombrowski, two weeks after he was fired by the Tigers, as the team’s president of baseball operations on Aug. 18. Ben Cherington, the architect of that 2013 club—but also the man in charge of three lastplace finishes in four years—declined the invitation to stay on as general manager, leading to far-reaching change in the organization. Yet the last-place finishes and poor moves at the big league level obscured a…

TORONTO BLUE JAYS The Blue Jays didn’t win the World Series, falling to the Royals in six games of the American League Championship Series. But they did have the most eventful, most dramatic season and offseason in the game. Toronto had three seasons, essentially. In the first half, particularly in April, the Jays used rookies liberally. Dalton Pompey played center field, Devon Travis second base, 22-year-olds Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris earned rotation spots and 20-year-olds Miguel Castro and Roberto Osuna pitched high-leverage innings out of the bullpen. That version of the Jays couldn’t get going, despite Josh Donaldson playing at an MVP level in front of sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. The Jays were 48-49 as late as July 28 when general manager Alex Anthopoulos shook up the…

BOSTON In high school, Michael Chavis made a sport of launching pitches onto the road behind his home park at Sprayberry High in Marietta, Ga., taking aim at the passing cars. That power in high school established him as one of the top hitters in the 2014 draft. But while he entered pro ball with plus raw power, the rawness was evident, both in his first month in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Leage in 2014, then through the first half of 2015 at low Class A Greenville. There, he hit .207/.271/.358 in the first half while striking out in just more than one-third of his at-bats. He had never been compelled to develop an offensive approach in high school, given that he could reliably just wait for a cookie. Such…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ MIAMI High Class A Jupiter manager Brian Schneider said Marlins lefthander Jarlin Garcia “always has a big smile on his face.” And why not? Garcia was added to the Marlins’ 40-man roster and figures to start the 2016 season at Double-A Jacksonville, closing in on a potential major league debut. “You have a lefthander who tops out at 95, 96 (mph), and he made the Futures Game—it was a good move to protect him,” Schneider said of Garcia, 22. “He has matured as a pitcher, and we’re just waiting for him to continue to develop.” Garcia, whom the Marlins signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2010, is listed at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, but Schneider believes he is…

PHILADELPHIA In Andrew Knapp and Jorge Alfaro, the Phillies have two strong catching prospects in the upper levels of their system. If both continue to progress, a position change could one day be necessary for one of the players. But that time is not now. “That could happen,” said new general manager Matt Klentak . “But we view both of these guys as catchers. I hope both are so good this becomes an issue. But for now we’re pleased with their development and their talent.” Knapp, 24, won the Paul Owens Award as the organization’s top minor league player in 2015 largely by hitting .360 with 11 homers, 56 RBIs and a 1.050 OPS in 55 games at Double-A Reading. The switch-hitter was the team’s second-round pick out of California…

CLEVELAND It’s a good time to be an outfielder in the Indians’ outfield-depleted system. So Tyler Naquin is playing the right position. The hard part for Naquin is staying healthy. Left fielder Michael Brantley is expected to start next season on the disabled list as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. The other outfielders on the Indians’ 40-man major league roster are Abraham Almonte, Lonnie Chisenhall, James Ramsey, Jerry Sands and Naquin, who was added to the 40-man roster on Nov. 20. Depending on what the club does during the winter, there could be one or two outfield spots available during spring training next year. One of the candidates will be Naquin, who has been hampered by injuries the last two years, but when healthy has shown flashes of what…

MINNEAPOLIS Anybody could have been watching. Scouts wander in and out of camps during fall instructional league, taking a look at as many players as they can, and under normal circumstances, one might have gotten a glimpse of a high-socked lefthander firing 95-mph fastballs in Twins camp in October. “We made sure that didn’t happen,” said Mike Radcliff, the Twins’ vice president for player personnel. “We’ve got a lot of fields down there. There’s always an empty one.” Why the secrecy? Mason Melotakis was testing his elbow, less than a year after Tommy John surgery and just two months before he might be exposed to the Rule 5 draft. The Twins wanted the the lefthander’s condition to remain a mystery, just in case. In the end, the cloak-and-dagger workouts were…

CINCINNATI Few players in the Arizona Fall League had more hanging on their performance than righthander Stephen Johnson. Before going to the AFL, the Reds really didn’t know too much about the 24-year-old they acquired in the August trade of Marlon Byrd with the Giants. He pitched just six games with Double-A Pensacola , throwing just nine innings, all scoreless. But that was hardly enough information to decide whether he would go on the 40-man roster . So the Reds sent Johnson to the AFL. “The one that took some more evaluation was Johnson, because we didn’t really see enough of him after we acquired him from the Giants,” said Walt Jocketty, the Reds president of baseball operations. “That’s one of the purposes of putting him in the fall league…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ HOUSTON A.J. Reed recently got rid of all his social media accounts, so he didn’t know the Astros had parted with starting first baseman Chris Carter until a day after the club decided against tendering the slugger a contract. Reed learned of the Carter news when a friend from the Arizona Fall League sent him a screen shot of the news via text. The 22-year-old stands to benefit from Carter’s departure because he and Jon Singleton are likely to compete for the open first base job in spring training. “I don’t want to say it’s good for me or it’s not,” Reed said of Carter’s departure. “I’m going to go into spring training with the same mindset and get…

SEATTLE The Mariners removed lefthander Danny Hultzen from the 40-man roster, but the excision of the No. 2 pick in the 2011 draft wasn’t exactly unexpected. Hultzen has been hampered by shoulder issues the past three seasons and was out of minor league options. Because of his injury issues and lack of options, Hultzen cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Tacoma. The organization must decide on whether he will receive an invite to major league spring training following another lost season. In 2013, Hultzen was 3-1, 2.78 in his first four starts with Tacoma and appeared on the verge of joining the Mariners. But shoulder stiffness before his fifth start shut him down. After a lengthy rest and recover period, Hultzen made a June 22 rehab start and…

PHOENIX Gabby Guerrero’s lineage is solid. As a youngster, he spent part of his summers in the U.S. with his uncle Vladimir, a future Hall of Fame candidate. Uncle Wilton also spent eight seasons in the majors. Guerrero, 21, continued to build on his accumulated knowledge in the Arizona Fall League, where he finished strong after joining the organization in a June 3 trade that sent Mark Trumbo and Vidal Nuno to Seattle for Welington Castillo, Dominic Leone, Guerrero and Jack Reinheimer. Guerrero hit .300/.364/.440 in 13 games, finishing the season on a six-game hitting streak. The Diamondbacks were impressed enough to add him to the 40-man roster. “Gabby had a great Fall League,” farm director Mike Bell said. “He showed how well his raw tools play against baseball’s best…

SAN FRANCISCO Arizona residents often welcome the start of November because it means an end to 100-degree temperatures. But Ray Black was still bringing triple-digit heat. The Giants’ righthander was the talk of the Arizona Fall League. His fastball has topped out at 104 mph. The only other player, majors or minors, to throw a pitched that fast in the past five years is Aroldis Chapman. When Black entered a game, players lined the rails of both dugouts and fans nearby the scouts section peered at the radar guns like they were transfixed by a viral video. “To me it’s not just the velocity,” farm director Shane Turner said. “It’s the angle and the finish on the ball. When he’s right, he makes 100 look like 115.” Black, 25, was…

Unless they are kicking it in the Bahamas or somewhere else tropical, baseball players don’t usually have big weeks in late November. But how else to describe what happened to Jonathan Villar —and what he made happen—in four days from Nov. 19-22? First came news that he could not control but welcomed: The Astros, needing to clear room on the 40-man roster, traded him to the Brewers for righthanded pitching prospect Cy Sneed. Then, as if to reinforce to his new Brewers bosses that they made a good decision, Villar went 5-for-7 with a homer, a triple, two walks, a stolen base, three runs scored and three RBIs in two dynamic Dominican League games here. Villar led the Aguilas Cibaenas to the inaugural Serie de las Americas title at Marlins…

NASHVILLE It’s one of the defining moments of every baseball offseason. No, not the arrival of the Winter Meetings. We’re talking about the stampede for the exits at the end of every Winter Meetings. And why is that? Because so much gets talked about—and so little of it actually gets done. So as we watched 30 teams rush for the revolving doors of Opryland, it was hard to tell from afar which teams were thinking, “Mission accomplished,” and which were thinking, “Yikes, what a waste of time.” So that’s where we come in—with the 2015 edition of the Winter Meetings Winners and Losers. The Winners DIAMONDBACKS: Forget the funny money the Diamondbacks spent on Zack Greinke. Forget all the heads shaking over what they gave up to trade for Shelby…

NASHVILLE Amanda Hopkins has been around baseball her entire life. As the daughter of longtime scout and former Rangers scouting director Ron Hopkins and the sister of minor leaguer Ross Hopkins, she has seen the scout’s life and the baseball life up close for years. Now she will become a trailblazer. Hopkins has been hired by the Mariners’ as a full-time area scout. Hopkins is believed to be the first full-time female scout to be hired by a club in decades, though complete records are hard to come by. Edith Houghton and Bessie Largent were the first female scouts. In Largent’s case, she and her husband Roy Largent were a husband-wife team who scouted for the White Sox from 1925-1943. They were both paid as full-time scouts by the White…

Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from baseball for gambling will not be lifted by Major League Baseball, commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Dec. 14. In March, shortly after he officially took office upon the retirement of longtime commissioner Bud Selig, Manfred said he would consider Rose’s application for reinstatement. Rose was barred from baseball in 1989 after Major League Baseball—in the report from John Dowd—concluded he bet on games while managing the Reds. Rose, 74, met with Manfred less than three months ago, The New York Times reported. Manfred decided to keep in place the ban. The Hall of Fame voted in 1991 to bar entry to all players who are banned from the game. In his decision released on Dec. 14, Manfred wrote, “It is not at all clear to…

NASHVILLE It’s not possible to apply analytical logic to all things baseball. But there was logic to the Marlins at least talking to more than a halfdozen teams about Jose Fernandez. “We’d be crazy not to listen,” Marlins president David Samson said. So word leaked about Fernandez. Team X, Y or Z would be mentioned, and general manager Michael Hill would offer the antiphonal response, “We are not shopping Jose Fernandez.” One Dodgers official said, “If we gave them what they wanted, we wouldn’t have one young pitcher left in our organization,” and they moved on. Before the Diamondbacks made the Shelby Miller deal—giving up 2015 No. 1 pick Dansby Swanson—they talked to the Marlins about Fernandez, and were told they’d have to trade five of their best young pitchers…

NASHVILLE It started with Cal Ripken Jr., accepting an award that bears the name of an old friend. It ended with Bud Selig doing likewise. In between, Theo Epstein accepted one award (for Cubs Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant) and introduced another (Manager of the Year Joe Maddon) while fiddling with his phone. It looked like he was scrolling through his notes, but as the Cubs team president watched Maddon’s acceptance speech, news broke on social media that his team had signed Ben Zobrist as a free agent while trading infielder Starlin Castro to the Yankees for infielder Brendan Ryan and righthander Adam Warren. That’s what it’s like at the Baseball America Awards Gala, which hit high notes and higher notes in its second year back on the Winter…

NEW YORK YANKEES With only one World Series championship since 2000, the Yankees can’t look down on any playoff appearance anymore. So 87 wins and a Wild Card Game at Yankee Stadium were positive steps forward for a franchise that had not reached the postseason since 2012. With a team burdened by the high-dollar, high-age players whose productivity had begun to dip, that looks like an accomplishment. First baseman Mark Teixeira, DH Alex Rodriguez and lefthander C.C. Sabathia combined to make $70.5 million in 2015, for more than 32 percent of the team’s total payroll. And while they certainly didn’t live up to their contracts, the trio, Teixeira and Rodriguez especially, produced far more than even the most pinstriped of prognosticators could have predicted. Teixeira swatted 31 homers in 111…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ST. PETERSBURG Righthander Taylor Guerrieri has had plenty to be excited about as he worked his way back from July 2013 Tommy John elbow surgery to reclaim his place among the Rays’ top prospects. But nothing matched the late November news that the 2011 first-round pick was being added to the 40-man roster. “It was almost the same level of excitement as getting drafted,’’ Guerrieri said. “I was pumped. It was great to know they believed in me enough to protect me and potentially, possibly, have a chance at the 2016 roster hopefully late in the season. Who knows? So I was really excited to say the least.’’ The Rays have reason to be excited, too, after handling Guerrieri…

NEW YORK The Yankees traded for the Twins’ Aaron Hicks in November, and he projects as the club’s fourth outfielder, which leaves 2015 rookies Slade Heathcott and Mason Williams as depth options. Barring a trade, Ben Gamel’s chances of reaching the Bronx in 2016 appear slim. Still, the Yankees believed they would have lost the lefthanded-hitting Gamel in the Rule 5 draft had they not added him to the 40-man roster. “He can swing the bat, can play left, center and right and had an above-average season at Triple-A,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said of the 23-year-old Gamel, who was named a postseason International League all star and the IL’s rookie of the year. “Without a doubt he would have been selected (in the Rule 5 draft) and would have…

ATLANTA The Braves’ roster continued its ongoing facelift in November when Atlanta traded outfielder Cameron Maybin to the Tigers, eight days after shipping shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Angels. While veteran shortstop Erick Aybar and top prospect Sean Newcomb, both acquired in the Simmons deal, are expected to have the greatest impact , the Braves believe the pair of lefthanders obtained from the Tigers will contribute to the team’s rebuilding effort as well. Ian Krol, who has spent parts of the past three seasons in the majors, and Gabe Speier give the organization two lefthanders one year after after the farm system was nearly barren of them. Krol will compete for a job in the Atlanta bullpen while Speier is a candidate for a relief role with high Class A…

WASHINGTON Spencer Kieboom heads into 2016 with a spot on the Nationals’ 40-man roster and with a newfound swing. Kieboom, a 24-year-old catcher already known for his receiving and leadership skills, worked on subtle changes at the plate in the Arizona Fall League. After he trusted himself enough to implement them, he found encouraging results. “We just watched video and simplified some stuff,” Kieboom said. “I had been fighting myself up top, but now I feel like I found one of the last pieces of the puzzle. The first time I used the new swing, I hit a home run.” Then Kieboom went to the dugout and gave a knowing smile to his manager, Tripp Keister. Keister managed him at high Class A Potomac and also in the fall with…

DETROIT Lefthander Jairo Labourt recorded an ERA above 5.00 in 2015. He has never pitched above high Class A. So some were surprised that the Tigers added the 21-yearold to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The fact that they did says a lot about how highly they think of Labourt. They simply did not want to risk losing him. “He’s got a lot of weapons to work with,” Tigers farm director Dave Owen said. “He’s going to be fun to watch. He passes all the tests. He’s just a good-looking kid—a big, strong kid. It’s easy to project on him.” The Tigers obtained Labourt at the trade deadline—along with fellow lefthanders Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd—from the Blue Jays in exchange for David Price.…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ ST. LOUIS To take a stride forward in his career, Cardinals prospect Patrick Wisdom first had to take a few steps backward. “I think that’s a good analogy,” the third baseman said. “At first (the demotion) was a mixed bag of emotions, all the way from anger to excitement. Then I was really eager to get down there, to get to work. I understood eventually how it would help out.” Wisdom spent the 2015 calendar year at, essentially, four different levels. He started the season at Double-A and end ended it in the Arizona Fall League, but in between had two re-assignments to levels usually reserved for newcomers, not hitters into their third season with an organization. The club…

MILWAUKEE Would righthander Jacob Barnes have been added to the Brewers’ 40-man roster without a standout performance in the Arizona Fall League? “That’s a good question,” said new general manager David Stearns. “I don’t know the answer to that. The fact that he performed well in Arizona following a strong season certainly made our decision easier. A 14th-round pick in 2011 out of Florida Gulf Coast, the 25-year-old Barnes was a standout reliever for Surprise. In eight outings covering 12 innings, he allowed no runs on six hits and three walks with 17 strikeouts. It wasn’t until the AFL championship game against Scottsdale that Barnes finally allowed a couple of runs. But his performance certainly caught the attention of scouts, which cemented the Brewers’ decision to protect him. With a…

ANAHEIM The departures of lefthander Sean Newcomb and righthander Chris Ellis, who went to the Braves in the Andrelton Simmons trade, focused more attention on 22-year-old righthander Victor Alcantara. That might seem like a stretch for a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder who went 7-12, 5.63 in 27 starts at high Class A Inland Empire last season and whose walk rate of 3.8 per nine innings, while an improvement over the previous two seasons, is still a little high. But while the farm system is thinner now than it has been at any point in the last decade, Alcantara clearly has big-league potential, which is why the Angels recently added him to their 40-man roster. “He throws 98 mph—it’s a big arm, a big fastball with some sinking action,” said Bobby Scales, who…

ARLINGTON Just about every member of the Rangers’ development staff felt that 2015 was going to be a breakout year for righthander Sam Wolff. A sixth-round pick in the 2012 draft from New Mexico, Wolff had a terrific offseason and had fine-tuned his repertoire of pitches. He was going to be a starter again, one with the chance to rise through the system. Then, his Achilles tendon popped a week into spring training, and 2015 was suddenly lost. “It was heartbreak at the beginning of the year,” farm director Mike Daly said. “It took him a day or two where he kind of felt sorry for himself, and then he got back to it. That’s the kind of kid he is.” Wolff tried to make the most of his misfortune,…

LOS ANGELES With Zack Greinke signing with the Diamondbacks and Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy rebounding from surgeries , the Dodgers’ clear focus this winter is on fortifying their starting rotation. Despite those issues, however, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he feels more secure about the organizational depth at starting pitching than he did when he took over a year ago. “This offseason is different than last in that going into next year, we feel much better about our pitching depth that will be in (Triple-A) Oklahoma City,” Friedman said. “ We have a number of guys that we like that will be there and that is a big difference for us next year compared to this year just in terms of the depth that we’ll have…

JUNE 4 2007 IN THIS ISSUE: We ran down the top 100 prospects for the 2007 draft, headlined by David Price and Matt Wieters. » ALSO: David Dawson took a look at the rise of late Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson, when he was in low Class A Here was our scouting report on Vanderbilt standout David Price: “Price entered his junior season as the best amateur player in the country and reinforced his reputation with a dominant season. He has the complete portfolio of athleticism, stuff, makeup and a proven track record. HOW TO REACH US MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 12877, Durham, NC 27709. STREET ADDRESS: 4319 S. Alston Ave. Suite 103, Durham, NC 27713. E-MAIL ADDRESS: letters@baseballamerica.com. PHONE: (919) 682-9635; (800) 845-2726 FAX: (919) 682-2880. SUBSCRIBERS: To find when…

Bobby Heck watched from afar while the Astros became the talk of baseball in 2015. A team that lost 416 games the four previous seasons, the Astros claimed an American League wild card spot, knocked off the Yankees in the AL Wild Card Game, and took the eventual World Serieschampion Royals to the full five games in the AL Division Series before being eliminated. And they did it with a homegrown nucleus. For Heck, that was the treat. Heck is now a special assistant with the Rays, but a part of him remains with the Astros, where he was the scouting director for five drafts (2008-12), which led to the acquisition of 11 of the 25 players who appeared for Houston in the postseason. Heck is quick to caution that…

NASHVILLE Coming off one of the most successful Rule 5 draft outcomes ever, teams watched and learned. Last year, 10 major league Rule 5 draft picks stuck with the teams that selected them, and an 11th still could, a massive jump from the average of three players who have remained with their new clubs in the previous decade of Rule 5 drafts. So this time around teams made it the busiest Rule 5 draft since the modern era began in 2006, when teams were given an extra year before players had to be protected on 40-man rosters. A large part of the jump could also be attributed to a change in philosophy. The old model for Rule 5 picks was to take a highceiling, projectable player with an eye on…

BALTIMORE ORIOLES The Orioles had a disappointing 2015 season. Coming off a 96-win season in 2014 in which it won the American League East by 12 games, Baltimore went 81-81 and finished in third place, 12 games behind the Blue Jays. There was no postseason, though the club did post a fourth consecutive .500 or better season. And after a 14-year run of losing seasons, the Orioles’ 355 wins since 2012 leads the AL. The club is at a bit of a crossroads heading into the winter, however. Baltimore had six key free agents—with Chris Davis, Wei-Yin Chen and Gerardo Parra still on the market—and if it lost most of them, a farm system that was ranked near the bottom of the sport may not have the reinforcements ready. Orioles…

TAMPA BAY RAYS The Rays entered 2015 with cautious optimism, despite much of the organization going through a state of transition. After nine years at the helm, manager Joe Maddon opted out of his contract and joined the Cubs. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman made a similar move, leaving the Rays for the cachet of filling the same role with the Dodgers. As an organization, the Rays’ lack of resources has prevented them from holding on to premium talent over the long haul, and that trend bore its head in the front office following the 2014 season. With Friedman’s departure came the promotion of team president Matt Silverman, a Harvard-educated rising star. Silverman reconfigured the organization quickly, installing former major leaguer catcher Kevin Cash as manager and making several…

BALTIMORE The Orioles have remained patient with righthander Parker Bridwell through his inconsistencies, refusing to trade him and viewing him as one of their better pitching prospects. Their commitment to him deepened when they placed him on the 40-man roster to protect him in the Rule 5 draft. Bridwell went 4-5, 3.99 in 18 starts at Double-A Bowie this season. He’s 26-41, 4.83 in six minor league seasons since the Orioles chose him in the ninth round of the 2010 draft out of Hereford (Texas) High. Bridwell, 24, didn’t pitch after July 26 due to elbow tendinitis and he received a plateletrich plasma injection, but he’s resumed throwing. Many of the reports following Bridwell’s starts indicate that his stuff would play in the major leagues. Orioles manager Buck Showalter has…

TORONTO The strong progress made by Blake McFarland and Brady Dragmire during the 2015 season earned the righthanders 40-man roster spots. McFarland, 27, climbed up the depth chart by going 3-3, 1.72 with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings in 38 games for Double-A New Hampshire, and then struck out 10 more in 10 2/3 innings at Triple-A Buffalo. The nondrafted free agent out of San Jose State heads into his fifth full pro season having “put himself on the map as a guy that definitely could go to the big league level and give them some help over the course of the season,” minor league field coordinator Doug Davis said. “He’s been a little bit of a late bloomer, and he lets his hard work and results speak for themselves,”…

NEW YORK Seth Lugo was working out at the Mets’ complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in mid-November when player development director Dick Scott personally delivered good news. Lugo was being added to the 40-man roster, along with Brandon Nimmo, Robert Gsellman and Jeff Walters. “It shows me hard work is paying off, and the dedication is not for nothing,” said Lugo, a 34th-round pick in 2011 out of Centenary College in Louisiana, who had planned to complete a geology degree and pursue a career in the oil and gas industry had he gone undrafted. Lugo, 26, went a combined 8-7, 3.84 in 24 starts between Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas in 2015. He struck out 127 and had a 1.25 WHIP in 136 innings. “I would have liked…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports/ CHICAGO Heading into the Arizona Fall League, Adam Engel was confident he had the speed and defensive skills to compete with some of baseball’s brightest prospects. The bat was the big question, but Engel broke out in a big way. “It feels good to have hard work pay off,” said Engel, who led the AFL with a .403 batting average, .523 on-base percentage and .642 slugging percentage while winning MVP honors. “I’m a big believer that if you get the right information from the people around you and you really work at it, you give yourself a chance to have success. It’s been a confidence -builder and it just confirms that I’m getting the right information. It feels good…

KANSAS CITY Not surprisingly, the Royals added righthander Kyle Zimmer and outfielder Bubba Starling, a pair of first-round picks the organization signed for a combined $10.5 million, to the 40-man roster in November. A surprise first-time addition to the big league roster was middle infielder Ramon Torres. Torres, who turns 23 in January, has made a steady climb in the minors after the Royals signed him at age 16 in 2009 out of the Dominican Republic. He began 2015 with high Class A Wilmington, hitting .257/.287/.323 in 71 games before being promoted on July 6 to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where his numbers improved to .275/.338/.402. “I love the kid,” said Royals minor league pitching coach Carlos Reyes, who also was the Saguaros pitching coach on Torres’ team in the Arizona…

CHICAGO If arms from the Cubs system begin to break through in 2016, the way team president Theo Epstein predicts, righthander Pierce Johnson should have a lot to say about that. The first pitcher drafted under Epstein’s stewardship, in 2012, Johnson was added to the 40-man roster this winter, is expected to open the season at Triple-A Iowa and could be poised for a 2016 debut if he’s able to finally shake the injury bug. “This is going to be a really big year for him, just to prove to himself he can stay on the field and stay healthy all year,” farm director Jaron Madison said, pointing out a series of spring and early-season non-arm injuries (lat, hamstring, oblique). “He’s had slow starts to years, but once he gets…

PITTSBURGH No current or former baseball player has appeared on ABC’s ratings hit “Dancing With The Stars.” Perhaps Pirates second base prospect Max Moroff will someday become the first, in light of attributing his breakout season in 2015 to a suggestion by Double-A Altoona hitting coach Kevin Riggs. Moroff began wiggling his hips while waiting the pitch in order to create rhythm before the start of his swing. “Dancing with the pitcher,” Moroff said. Moroff, 22, hit .293/.374/.409 with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases in 612 plate appearances. The Pirates named him their Minor League Player of the Year—Baseball America chose Triple-A Indianapolis/Altoona first baseman Josh Bell—and Moroff was also the second baseman on the Eastern League’s postseason All-Star team as he helped the Curve reach the playoffs.…

OAKLAND For as long as Heath Fillmyer can remember, he dreamed of playing shortstop in the major leagues. He played the position through high school and during his freshman year in junior college. Destiny—and baseball scouts—had a different plan. As a freshman at Mercer County (N.J.) JC, the 6-foot-1, 180 pound Fillmyer filled in at closer and pitched 7 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. This was enough to induce the Rockies to draft him in the 28th round in 2013—as a pitcher. The lifelong shortstop could take the hint. He returned for his sophomore year and moved full-time to the mound where he went 9-0, 0.68 . That was enough for area scout Ron Vaughn and the Athletics to call his name in the fifth round in 2014…

For statistics, organization reports, prospect lists and recent drafts, check out: baseballamerica.com/t/organization-reports DENVER Outfielder Raimel Tapia unexpectedly played in the Arizona Fall League and seized the opportunity. He was scheduled to return home and play in the Domincan Winter League but instead went to the Fall League to replace outfielder David Dahl, who was sidelined with knee soreness. Dahl was scheduled to be the Rockies’ priority player with Salt River, and Tapia filled that role, getting 91 plate appearances in 23 games. “I didn’t want him to go the Fall League and not play,” farm director Zach Wilson. Tapia, 21, hit .330/.341/.466 in the AFL, picking up where he left off at high Class A Modesto. There he hit .305/.333/.467 with 34 doubles, nine triples, 12 homers, 71 RBIs and 26…

SAN DIEGO The Padres used their farm system last offseason to spur a “win now” push. Now, in the aftermath of their seventh losing season in eight years, they’re stockpiling a system in dire need of both prospect depth and impact talent. General manager A.J. Preller acquired six prospects by trading relievers Craig Kimbrel and Joaquin Benoit in November. The influx of talent will help replenish a system from which Preller dealt more than 10 prospects last offseason. By getting Red Sox shortstop Javier Guerra, who spent 2015 at low Class A Greenville, in the four-for-one deal involving Kimbrel, the Padres obtained a potential long-term answer at a position where they had no advanced prospects. Guerra immediately becomes San Diego’s top prospect at shortstop. “To really get to a championship…

Major league teams are waiting to see whether they will have the opportunity to negotiate a contract with Japanese righthander Kenta Maeda, who has expressed his desire to make the jump to the American majors but would still have to be made available through the posting system by the Hiroshima Carp. Multiple reports from Japan indicate that the Carp are willing to post Maeda, but the paperwork has not been turned in by mid-December. Maeda, will play the 2016 season at 28, is coming off another strong season in Nippon Professional Baseball, winning his second Sawamura Award (the Japanese equivalent of the Cy Young) after winning his first one in 2010. He has been scouted extensively in Japan and during international tournaments, including the 2013 World Baseball Classic. Maeda has…

Transactions Transactions involving minor league players, i.e. those not on 40-man rosters, covering the period Nov. 21-Dec. 10. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Signed RHPs Joel Payamps, Juan Torres and Taylor Wright; 3B Luis Frias and OF Anthony Cheky. Re-signed RHP Blayne Weller and LHP Hector Hernandez. Traded RHP Aaron Blair, SS Dansby Swanson and OF Ender Inciarte to Braves for RHP Shelby Miller and LHP Gabe Speier. ATLANTA BRAVES: Signed RHPs David Carpenter and Ethan Martin and LHPs David Holmberg and Michael O’Neal and OF Ronnier Mustelier. Traded RHP Shelby Miller and LHP Gabe Speier to Diamondbacks for RHP Aaron Blair, SS Dansby Swanson and OF Ender Inciarte. BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Signed RHP Todd Redmond, LHPs Jeff Beliveau and Zack Dodson, 1B Ji-Man Choi and OF Rubi Silva. Re-signed RHPs Pedro Beato and…