Innholdsfortegnelse for October 19, 2018 i Baseball America

A handful of cross-checkers were in South Holland, Ill., just south of Chicago. They were there to see Mark Mulder, at the time a pencil-thin, 6-foot-5 lefthander for Thornwood High armed with an 87 mph fastball. Afterward, when Mulder took the passenger seat in his father’s car, the disappointment of a less-than-stellar performance could not be hidden. “Do you think you can really make it in this baseball thing?” the father asked his son. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” Mulder said. Even after a courtesy pick in the 55th round of the 1995 draft, Mulder remained steadfast on playing in the major leagues. Three years later, following a stellar career at Michigan State, he earned a $3.2 million bonus from the Athletics as the No. 2 overall pick in 1998. The…

NORTHWEST LEAGUE 1. JOEY BART, C SALEM-KEIZER (GIANTS) AGE: 21. B-T: R-R. HT.: 6-3. WT.: 220. DRAFTED: Georgia Tech, 2018 (1) After a standout junior season at Georgia Tech in which he led the Atlantic Coast Conference in batting average and finished among the top three in on-base and slugging percentage, Bart was taken second overall in the June draft, just behind Auburn righthander Casey Mize. He got a quick tune-up in the Rookie-level Arizona League but otherwise spent the entirety of his pro debut in the NWL. Bart was expected to be one of the most advanced hitters in the league, and he delivered. He showed an easy swing with exceptional barrel control that allowed him to hit 13 home runs, which was tied for third in the league.…

ARIZONA LEAGUE 1. BRAYAN ROCCHIO, SS AZL INDIANS AGE: 17. B-T: B-R. HT: 5-10. WT: 150. SIGNED: Venezuela, 2017. Rocchio’s reputation for advanced instincts and game awareness preceded his early July arrival in the Arizona League. His intelligence and feel earned him the nickname “The Professor.” A quick, compact hitter with plus speed, good hands, feel for the barrel and a balanced approach from both sides of the plate, Rocchio earned at least plus grades as a hitter from talent evaluators. He also showed more power in the bat than expected for his size, so he should add more power as his body matures and strengthens. His current average range and average arm play up because of advanced instincts and solid actions on the field. “He’s a step ahead of…

@JCRASNICK Every young player can use an experienced tour guide in navigating his first stretch run. For Indians outfielder Greg Allen, that knowing voice emerged during an August game in Boston. As the Cleveland players took the field in the bottom of the eighth inning, a veteran teammate sidled up and told him to enjoy the big-game atmosphere and pay close attention as the sellout crowd at Fenway Park broke into its nightly rendition of “Sweet Caroline.” The veteran player, Francisco Lindor, is eight months younger than Allen. But the gesture came as no surprise to Lindor’s Indians teammates, who have seen him carry himself with a maturity and professionalism beyond his years since his debut as Cleveland’s shortstop in 2015. “He’s been a natural-born leader since he set foot…

Minor League Baseball announced last month that 40,450,337 fans attended its games in 2018 season, a drop of 1,382,027 fans compared to last season. MiLB was understandably quick to point that it was unusually cold this April, with 73 games that started with a game-time temperature below 40 degrees. There were zero games in April 2017 that started that cold. On top of that, there were also fewer games played. After a request by Major League Baseball, the Triple-A leagues and Double-A Eastern League cut their number of scheduled games from 142 to 140. Those lost dates can explain roughly 400,000 of the attendance drop. Those facts are undeniable, but dig a little deeper and weather and lost dates don’t fully explain the 2018 attendance report. The total attendance for…

KENNETH “KEN” CAMPBELL, a minor leaguer who played in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League and for the New York Giants and Reds organizations from 1951-53, died April 15 in Rochester Hills, Mich. He was 90. PETE D’AMBROSIO, who played in the Mountain State League in 1941 and also umpired in the minors before becoming an NBA referee, died June 18 in Media, Pa. He was 98. ROGER FULTON, who played in the Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League in 1951, died April 23 in Kellogg, Idaho. He was 86. THOMAS “TOM” GIULIANO, a minor league second baseman who played for the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics organization 1949-57, died June 19 in Nanuet, N.Y. He was 88. DIZZY HIGGINBOTTOM, a minor league lefthander who pitched for the Reds and Cubs organizations from 1954-55 and 1957-59, died…

APPALACHIAN LEAGUE 1. WANDER FRANCO, SS PRINCETON (RAYS) AGE: 17. B-T: B-R. HT.: 5-10. WT.: 189. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2017. Franco signed with the Rays for $3.825 million as the No. 1 prospect in the 2017 international class and exceeded all expectations in his 2018 pro debut. He dominated the Appy League despite being more than three years younger than the average hitter by leading the league with 85 hits and 57 RBIs. He ranked fourth in average (.351) and third in slugging (.587). Franco has a loose, easy swing from both sides of the plate, and many scouts believe he could develop a plus-plus hit tool, which is a testament to his elite bat control at such a young age. He rarely swings and misses, and his strikeout rate…

GULF COAST LEAGUE 1. LUIS GARCIA, SS PHILLIES AGE: 17. B-T: B-R. HT: 5-11. WT: 170. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2017. Garcia was one of the premium international prospects a year ago when the Phillies signed for $2.5 million after he trained with Carlos Guzman, whose program that year also had Mets shortstop Ronny Mauricio, the No. 2 prospect on this list. Highly regarded for his fielding ability as an amateur, Garcia not only played slick defense in the GCL but also won the batting title (.369) and ranked third in the league in on-base percentage (.433). Garcia is a smooth, graceful defender at shortstop with quick feet, great hands and a plus arm. He has the ability to make the flashy barehanded play, though unlike a lot of young shortstops,…

@TRACYRINGOLSBY There’s something missing from this picture. Mike Trout was called out by commissioner Rob Manfred because Trout isn’t enough of a self-promoter? That doesn’t compute. Trout is arguably the best player in the game. I say arguably because I could easily make the case that Nolan Arenado deserves that distinction in light of the completeness of his game, which even has players from a different generation admitting that Arenado well could be the best third baseman the game has ever seen. But then Arenado isn’t a self-promoter, either. So I guess he wouldn’t fit whatever it is Major League Baseball feels is important for its star players to possess. Just what is it that Trout doesn’t do? He plays the game hard and with a high level of skill.…

As Baseball America prepares to release its new Before They Were Stars book this fall, we provide a sneak preview of some of the players who, in retrospect, were just born to be stars. It was obvious even when these players were teenagers that they were bound not only for the major leagues, but also for major league stardom. These so-called perfect prospects ranked No. 1 in virtually every minor league (League) and organization (Org) in which they played. We handpicked 10 of the brightest prospects of the past four decades and excerpted contemporary scouting reports to show how highly they were regarded before they were stars. GARY SHEFFIELD, SS LEAGUE NO. 1: Pioneer (1986), California (1987) ORG NO. 1: Brewers (1987, 1988, 1989) “Strong body,” Visalia manager Dan Schmitz…

HAVE A QUESTION? @jjcoop36 askba@baseballamerica.com Q Which team has the most players on League Top 20 Prospect lists? —BRYAN RAMSEY, CHICAGO, ILL. A The Padres and the Rays ranked at the top of our most recent organizational talent rankings, and they also lead the way on the number of players on the League Top 20 Prospect lists. San Diego had 22 prospects that cracked Top 20s while the Rays had 19. No other team had more than 15 players named to Top 20s. Total count of prospects on Top 20s is not a perfect metric by any means. Players who were promoted in season can qualify for multiple lists (Twins SS Royce Lewis and White Sox OF Eloy Jimenez were No. 1 prospects in a pair of leagues). Also, it’s…

NEW YORK-PENN LEAGUE 1. GILBERTO CELESTINO, OF TRI-CITY (ASTROS) AGE: 19. B-T: R-L. HT.: 6-0. WT.: 170. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2015. The toolsy Dominican put up excellent numbers before being traded to the Twins for reliever Ryan Pressly at the deadline. In just 34 games, Celestino hit .323 while also stealing 14 bases. His on-base percentage was a sparkling .387, which would have been good for sixth in the league if he had enough at-bats to qualify. Celestino has an above-average hit tool, a solid understanding of pitch recognition and developing power. He also plays a solid center field. Celestino begins his swing with a big timing step, but he gets his foot down on time and seems to have few issues with balance or timing. He demonstrated an advanced…

PIONEER LEAGUE 1. GRANT LAVIGNE, 1B GRAND JUNCTION (ROCKIES) AGE: 19. B-T: L-R. HT: 6-4. WT: 220. DRAFTED: HS—Bedford, NH, 2018 (1s). Pioneer League managers and scouts covering the league were universally effusive in their praise for Lavigne, a supplemental first-round pick. The New Hampshire high school product stood out for advanced plate discipline and pitch recognition, traits that were well beyond his years for a high school draftee from a cold-weather state. “He has an advanced approach for what he’s trying to do,” Grand Junction manager Jake Opitz said. “He’s not trying to do too much a lot of times. For a young kid able to use the whole field, that’s an impressive feat.” Lavigne is more hit over power now, with opposite-field, gap-to-gap pop. With strength to his…

The Cubs signed Mexican righthander Florencio Serrano for $1.2 million on July 31, 2017, about a month after last year’s international signing period opened. Serrano, who was 17 at the time, ranked as the No. 29 international prospect for 2017. He was the No. 4 pitching prospect in his class and the top player available in Mexico. A little more than a year later, Serrano is no longer with the Cubs. That’s because Major League Baseball did not approve his contract and ended up suspending the entire signing system for Mexican League players, with major changes likely coming there. What happened? Nearly every player in Mexico who joins a major league organization was previously under contract with a Mexican League team, which then transfers those rights to the signing MLB…

@JOE_SHEEHAN One of my favorite moments of the 2017 playoffs came during the American League Division Series between the Astros and Red Sox. It was Game Four, and Chris Sale was dueling Justin Verlander in the seventh inning of a 2-2 game, with Boston’s season on the line. It was the kind of classic playoff theater that called to mind great World Series pitchers’ duels of the past: Jack Morris taking on John Smoltz in 1991, Bob Gibson and Mickey Lolich in 1968, Whitey Ford and Lew Burdette in 1957, and on back through baseball history. Except, it was nothing like that. Neither Sale nor Verlander had started the game, and neither would finish it. Each had been called out of the bullpen a day before their scheduled start to…