Innholdsfortegnelse for Monday, July 18 2017 i Baseball America

AUGUST 09 2009 » IN THIS ISSUE: Giancarlo (then Mike) Stanton climbed up our Midseason Prospect Update. » ALSO: We identified our minor league all-star teams. Matt Wieters and David Price began 2009 as the No. 1 and No. 2 prospects, but both were in the majors as of our midseason update. Many of the minors’ top prospects have already been promoted to the majors, leaving a pair of 2007 draft picks, Braves outfielder Jason Heyward and Marlins outfielder Mike Stanton, vying for the top spot. The two faced off in early July in the Double-A Southern League. Heyward went 6-for-15 in his first four games, while Stanton already had 29 games at the Double-A level and hit his sixth Southern League homer in the fourth game of the series.…

Baseball Writer, ESPN.com jerrycrasnick@baseballamerica.com Before Corey Dickerson became a fantasy stalwart and a budding allstar with the Rays, he was recognizable for the company he kept. Upon arrival at the ballpark, the left fielder rarely went anywhere without a bat in his hand. When Dickerson wasn’t spraying line drives in the cage, he was roaming the Rockies’ clubhouse with a Tucci model TL-271 in his grip. Or sitting at his locker, holding the barrel with two fingers and lightly pinging it at the top to locate the sweet spot. Or cleaning it with alcohol or tape remover to detect precisely where he had made contact the previous game. Or weighing it. Or taping the handle depending on how sore his hands were on a given day. Amid the daily maintenance,…

ANGEL HERNANDEZ SUES MANFRED, MLB Major league umpire Angel Hernandez sued the league and commissioner Rob Manfred on July 3, alleging racial discrimination because he had been passed over for promotions and postseason assignments. Hernandez, 55, who is Cuban, claimed he was passed over for World Series assignments despite high marks on evaluations. The suit also charges that even though Hernandez was made a temporary crew chief, it has never been made permanent. “The selection of these less qualified, white individuals over Hernandez was motivated by racial, national origin and/or ethnic considerations,” the lawsuit states. Hernandez has been an umpire since 1993. The lawsuit seeks back pay and unspecified compensatory damages. Major League Baseball, through a spokesman, said the league was aware of the suit but declined further comment. ROSE…

CHICAGO CUBS BEST PLAYER: Dylan Cease, RHP, low Class A South Bend (21) BIGGEST LEAP FORWARD: Dillon Maples, RHP, high Class A Myrtle Beach (25) “He’s always had potential and always shown flashes of what he could do, but he could never put the pieces together . . . He’s really just taken off and excited everyone so far. Except for the hitters.” —CUBS FARM DIRECTOR JARON MADISON ON MAPLES CHICAGO WHITE SOX BEST PLAYER: Yoan Moncada, 2B, Triple-A Charlotte (22) BIGGEST LEAP FORWARD: Micker Adolfo, OF, low Class A Kannapolis (20) “I have developed a new approach that really helps me stay on the ball a lot longer. I don’t have to key on fastballs . . . I’m really trying to trust my hands a lot more.” —MICKER…

BRICE TURANG, SS SANTIAGO HIGH, CORONA, CALIF. The top-ranked high school player to start the 2018 draft cycle is Southern California shortstop Brice Turang, who plays for Santiago High in Corona, Calif. Turang did not play at Perfect Game National, the first major showcase immediately following the 2017 MLB Draft, but he has a long track record at top events. Many scouts got their first 2017 look at him in Cary during the Tournament of Stars. Turang had a solid, but not spectacular performance over his four games at TOS, hitting .267 (4-for-15) with one double, four walks and a pair of strikeouts—after striking out just once during his junior season with Santiago in California’s Southern Section. Turang’s skills were quickly apparent on the field, in batting practice, pregame infield…

Columnist, MLB Network petergammons@baseballamerica.com The summer solstice arrived and the sun rose on Buzzard’s Bay on three remarkable facts: ▀ Two rookies named Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger led their leagues in home runs, 51 between them, and Bellinger didn’t make it to L.A until April 25. ▀ The three best records and widest run differentials in the National League belonged to the Rockies, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Oh yes, and Nolan Arenado, Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt were already lining up MVP candidacies. ▀ The Red Sox were in first place, which in late June is like being one place in line ahead at a Starbucks. The fact that Coors Field could turn into a summer-opening, pennant-race game drawing 35,016 on a Monday night was remarkable because the two great players,…

The hottest trend for hiring head coaches in the Southeastern Conference has been hiring assistant coaches from other schools in the league. Seven schools—half the conference— have combined to hire eight coaches in the last 20 months, and Alabama made two coaching changes. Five of the new hires were assistant coaches at other SEC schools. South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner did not follow that trend, however, when he hired Mark Kingston as head coach. Kingston has never coached in the SEC and spent the past three seasons as head coach at South Florida. Kingston said he was grateful for the opportunity to take over South Carolina. “The last thing I have to talk about with our team all the time is to stay humble and stay hungry,” he said…

Columnist, MLB.com Joe West was reminiscing about the memorable moments of what became the 5,000th regular-season major league game he has umpired, in a career that began back in September 1976. Moments like Albert Pujols’ 400th home run and Willie McCovey’s 500th. “Lot of guys today don’t know who Willie McCovey was,” he said. There was Nolan Ryan’s fifth of seven no-hitters, the no-hitter Clay Buchholz threw in his second big league start for the Red Sox back on Sept. 1, 2007, and Felix Hernandez’s perfect game on Aug. 12, 2012. “The great thing about this job is you witness a piece of history every day,” West said. Like the first ejection of Bud Black’s managerial career, back when the current Rockies manager was with the Padres on May 31,…

For the best power prospect in baseball, look no further than Eloy Jimenez. The Cubs’ precocious 20-year-old corner outfielder was limited to 35 games due to injury through the end of June, but in that time hit seven doubles, six homers and slugged .500 for high Class A Myrtle Beach. That doesn’t count his signature moment, and maybe the signature moment of the minor leagues this year. At the Carolina League home run derby in June, Jimenez launched a home run off a light tower in left-center field, smashing a stadium light, a la Roy Hobbs in “The Natural.” The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Dominican already draws comparisons from coaches and evaluators with Miguel Cabrera. Others prefer Giancarlo Stanton. The one hiccup in Jimenez’s development has been injuries. He missed the first…

Midseason Hardware All selections and quotes gathered by BA correspondents. Statistics through June 30. Each player listed at primary level during the first half, with age in parentheses. MORE PROSPECT UPDATES: BA subscribers can access midseason reports for all 30 teams at http://bba.am/VPjx97 ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS BEST PLAYER: Marcus Wilson, OF, low Class A Kane County (20) “From the day he was drafted to where he’s at right now, he’s probably the most improved player in the organization . . . He’s about as textbook as they get in terms of hunting your pitch.” —DIAMONDBACKS MINOR LEAGUE HITTING COORDINATOR CHRIS CRON ON WILSON BIGGEST LEAP FORWARD: Jon Duplantier, RHP, low Class A Kane County (22) COLORADO ROCKIES BEST PLAYER: Brendan Rodgers, SS, high Class A Lancaster (20) “His ability to hit…

The Mets promoted Tim Tebow to the Florida State League, meaning he has played his last game in the South Atlantic League. On pure baseball terms, it’s fair to say that a 29-yearold outfielder who hit .220/.311/.336 is as forgettable as a prospect could be. But at the box office, Tebow is the greatest star the South Atlantic League has ever seen. When we first wrote about the “Tebow Effect” on fan attendance a little over a month ago, we calculated that Tebow was worth roughly 2,200 fans per game whenever the Columbia Fireflies hit the road. Since then, the Tebow Effect grew. In comparing what teams have drawn in games where they played host to Columbia versus the rest of their home games without Tebow, it now appears that…

TOP 10 COLLEGE PROSPECTS FOR 2018 TOP 10 HIGH SCHOOL PROSPECTS FOR 2018 The page turned from the 2017 draft to the 2018 draft season quickly. From the Perfect Game National Showcase to the opening of summer collegiate leagues to USA Baseball’s June events—the 18U Tournament of Stars and trials for the Collegiate National Team—scouts had little time to catch their breath, but they did get an early look at the 2018 draft class. The early favorite to be the top player drafted next year is Florida righthander Brady Singer who went 2-0, 2.57 with 21 strikeouts and just three walks in 14 innings to help lead the Gators to their first College World Series title. Singer’s top competition to go No. 1 overall comes from Southern California shortstop Brice…

Before this summer, the latest Mitch Berryhill had started a baseball game was at 8 p.m. That changed when the Cal State Fullerton-bound Berryhill received a call from his future coach Rick Vanderhook advising him to take his talents to Fairbanks for the summer, and play for the Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska Baseball League. Alaska is a bit different from Berryhill’s home state of Utah, where he attends Salt Lake JC. It took a few weeks for him to settle into his new surroundings and adjust to some of the changes, most notably the extra hours of daylight. During the late spring and early summer, the sun stays up substantially longer in Alaska than most parts of the country. As the calendar approaches the summer solstice, the sun never…

First from 2000? Which player will be the first to reach the majors who was born in the 2000s? EDMUND JEIONOWSKI I love this question, because so many factors go into answering it. On one hand, I could pick the best draft prospect born in 2000 who is not yet in pro ball. That player could move quickly once he’s drafted. Or I could pick a Latin American prospect who signed at age 16 and has already made it to the U.S. as a 16- or 17-year-old this year. Based on recent history, I’m going to pick an international signee. The youngest player on a major league Opening Day roster this year was Padres catcher Luis Torrens, a Yankees international signee from 2012 whom San Diego acquired last year as…

Editor in Chief Baseball America johnmanuel@baseballamerica.com Once upon a time, the draft was just half the battle. Then came the hard part—signing the players. Just read Allan Simpson’s epic Ultimate Draft Book. It’s six pounds worth of stories about the draft, and roughly three of those pounds seem to detail stories of difficult signings of draft picks. That’s no longer the case. Just as every draft since 2012 has had a signing deadline, this year’s draft has one, too—and this year it’s earlier than ever on July 7. That was just after Baseball America went to press, and in the past, we would have stopped the presses, held the issue up a day or two and made sure to get all the signings in print. What we do know is…

As contemporary college teammates, Kevin Newman and Scott Kingery have understandably long been linked. Newman was the star recruit of Arizona’s 2012 class. Kingery walked on. Newman was the Wildcats’ everyday shortstop as a freshman, hitting .336 while walking more than he struck out. From that first day on campus, he was the capable shortstop who could put the bat on the ball. Kingery was raw. He didn’t have a clear defensive position, and his bat was not as Division I ready. But from that first day, Kingery had more tools than Newman. He hit .261 that freshman year while bouncing around between outfield spots and even playing some DH. For scouts, it was high floor versus high ceiling. Newman was a smooth shortstop. Kingery was a plus-plus runner with…

Midseason Hardware All selections and quotes gathered by BA correspondents. Statistics through June 30. Each player listed at primary level during the first half, with age in parentheses. MORE PROSPECT UPDATES: BA subscribers can access midseason reports for all 30 teams at http://bba.am/VPjx97 ATLANTA BRAVES BEST PLAYER: Ronald Acuna, OF, Double-A Mississippi (19). BIGGEST LEAP FORWARD: Brett Cumberland, C, low Class A Rome (22) “He was arguably the most dangerous hitter in the (South Atlantic League), and he’s really improved his catching.” —BRAVES GENERAL MANAGER JOHN COPPOLELLA ON CUMBERLAND BALTIMORE ORIOLES BEST PLAYER: Austin Hays, OF, high Class A Frederick (21) BIGGEST LEAP FORWARD: Tanner Scott, LHP, Double-A Bowie “When he throws a couple balls, he can get the ball back in the strike zone. In the past, that wasn’t the…

2 MILLION: The total live audience watching Game 2 of the CWS finals, which is the most-watched second game of the finals in five years. The viewership of the finals as a whole, which also nears 2 million, is up 72 percent from the 2016 CWS finals. 1,120,000: The average total live audience for the 16 games of the CWS, which is up 56 percent from the 2016 CWS. 357,646: The total attendance of the 2017 CWS, which is the most in a single CWS, passing the 2015 total of 353,378. 23: The total number of home runs hit in the CWS, the highest since the event moved to TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in 2011. The previous high was 15, set in 2015. Just 10 homers were hit in 17…

Designing Mike Trout’s fourth signature cleat started in Nike’s research lab, with a fresh take on a plate design derived from work already done for NFL players and track stars at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. “When you see an athlete like Mike who is such a powerful, explosive guy, it is easy to overbuild something if you don’t have any information,” Nike senior footwear designer Jeff Rasmussen said. “Using computational design and Mike’s pressure map data, we were able to build him the strongest, lightest cleat.” Roger Chen, Nike’s senior director for digital innovation, pulled in Trout’s foot pressure map data, as discovered in Nike’s Sports Research Lab, to look at how force moves through the baseball star’s feet. That data informed the design for Nike Baseball in the…

Because of its history, tradition and exclusivity, the Hall of Fame resonates emotionally with virtually all baseball fans. But the venerable institution has one blind spot: The impact of players born in the 19th or early 20th centuries are overstated compared with players born after. The Hall is aware of this imbalance. Hall chairman of the board Jane Forbes Clark addressed the issue in 2016 when announcing the Hall’s new era committees. The committees will consider the cases for players who have fallen off the writers’ ballot on a more consistent basis than the old veterans committee did. “Notably, there are twice as many players in the Hall of Fame who debuted before 1950 as compared to afterward, and yet there are nearly double the eligible candidates after 1950 than…