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Top Prospects in Spring Camps: Part VI

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As our series on top prospects in spring camps comes to an end, we take a look at the best prospects who spent time in Major League Spring Training with the St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals.

With the regular season already a week old, we have seen some top prospects make an impact on their big league clubs already and some others receive call-ups just days into the season.

St. Louis Cardinals

The 2011 World Series champions have a farm system ripe with talent, with some prospects breaking through in recent years to make major impacts in the show.

From their 2013 top prospects list, the following players spent time in Major League camp with the Cardinals this past spring:

Right handed pitcher Shelby Miller, right handed pitcher Trevor Rosenthal, infielder Kolten Wong, right handed pitcher Tyrell Jenkins, first baseman Matt Adams, left handed pitcher John Gast, right handed pitcher Michael Blazek, right handed pitcher Maikel Cleto, right handed pitcher Eric Fornataro and right handed pitcher Jordan Swagerty.

From this group, Miller, Rosenthal and Adams all made the Opening Day roster for St. Louis. Miller is the team’s fifth starter and Rosenthal is pitching out of the bullpen. Adams is backing up Allen Craig at first base and provides pop off the bench.

 

 

Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Wil Myers.

Tampa Bay Rays infielder Wil Myers.

Tampa has seen some of its top prospects graduate to the big leagues over the past handful of seasons and they have made major impacts, especially on the pitching staff.

As we continue further into the first month of the season, the Rays have quite an impressive crop of top prospects waiting in the wings. The group that spent time in Major League camp includes outfielder Wil Myers, right handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi, right handed pitcher Chris Archer, short stop Hak-Ju Lee, left handed pitcher Enny Romero, left handed pitcher Mike Montgomery, right handed pitcher Alex Colome, short stop Tim Beckham, and left handed pitcher Felipe Rivero.

Texas Rangers

Texas has some talented prospects knocking on the doors of the big leagues, including short stop Jurickson Profar, third baseman Mike Olt, left handed pitcher Martin Perez, right handed pitcher Wilmer Font, right handed pitcher Justin Grimm, right handed pitcher Roman Mendez, right handed pitcher Neil Ramirez, right handed pitcher Nick Tepesch, and infielder Leury Garcia.

From this list, Grimm, Tepesch, and Garcia are all on the Major League roster right now for the Rangers.

 

 

Toronto Blue Jays

The top prospects from the Toronto system that spent time in big league camp this past spring include left handed pitcher Sean Nolin, right handed pitcher Josh Stilson, catcher A.J. Jimenez, and infielder Ryan Goins.

This is a very underwhelming crop of prospects, especially since the first player to appear in camp hits the MLB.com list for Toronto at number eight.

Washington Nationals

Washington fans are going to be enjoying baseball in the Nation’s capital for quite a long time with the current active roster and the top prospects down on the farm.

The players on the top 20 list who spent time in spring camp include third baseman Anthony Rendon, right handed pitcher Nate Karns, outfielder Eury Perez, left handed pitcher Matt Purke, third baseman Matt Skole, first baseman Chris Marrero, right handed pitcher Christian Garcia, and catcher Sandy Leon.

 

 

Top Prospects in Spring Camps: Part IV

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Milwaukee Brewers Wily Peralta. Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Milwaukee Brewers Wily Peralta. Credit: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

With Opening Day finally upon us, we bring you the fourth installment of our top prospects in spring camps. Since we lost a lot of time, we are bringing you comprehensive lists of top prospects who spent time in their organization’s big league camps this spring, whether or not they made the Opening Day roster.

Today, we take a look at the camps of the Milwaukee Brewers, the Minnesota Twins, the New York Mets, the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics.

Last night, the Houston Astros won their American League debut against the Texas Rangers, and this afternoon saw a full slate of games kick off the 2013 season for the remainder of the league.

As the excitement of Opening Day continues, we begin this installment with the Milwaukee Brewers, who wound up adding starter Kyle Lohse late in camp to bolster their rotation.

 

 

Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee fans are excited for the 2013 season especially since Lohse was added to the rotation late in camp. That excitement boiled over on Monday when the Brewers walked off in the 10th against Colorado on Opening Day.

The top prospects who spent time in Brewers camp this spring include right handed pitcher Wily Peralta, right handed pitcher Tyler Thornburg, right handed pitcher Johnny Hellweg, first baseman Hunter Morris, left handed pitcher Jed Bradley, second baseman Scooter Gennett, outfielder Logan Schafer, right handed pitcher Hiram Burgos, outfielder Khris Davis, outfielder Caleb Gindl, and right handed pitcher Ariel Pena.

Out of this group, Peralta, Davis, and Schafer made the team’s Opening Day roster.

Both Davis and Schafer made pinch hitting appearances on Monday afternoon against the Rockies.

Minnesota Twins

Twins fans are wondering how 2013 is going to play out after the team traded two of its starting outfielders in the off-season. Denard Span was sent to the Nationals and Ben Revere was sent to the Phillies. The Twins Opening Day starter, Vance Worley, was acquired in the Revere deal.

Top prospects who spent time with the big club during Spring Training include right handed pitcher Alex Meyer, right handed pitcher Kyle Gibson, outfielder Oswaldo Arcia, outfielder Aaron Hicks, right handed pitcher Trevor May, infielder Danny Santana and right handed pitcher Ryan Pressly.

From this group, Hicks and Pressly made the Opening Day roster. Hicks is the starting center fielder for the Twins while Pressly will be pitching out of the bullpen.

The Twins have a lot of nice prospects waiting in the wings, with some of them possibly breaking into the big leagues this season if the Twins struggle or have to deal with injuries to major pieces.

 

 

New York Mets

Mets fans still have hope for the 2013 season despite the news that Johan Santana would require season-ending surgery and the massive trade with the Blue Jays. They have a nice crop of prospects that are starting to break through onto the Mets active roster, so there is still plenty to be hopeful about this season.

R.A. Dickey, Mike Nickeas and Josh Thole were all traded to the Blue Jays for a package of prospects and catcher John Buck.

The team’s top prospects who spent time in big league camp this spring include catcher Travis D’Arnaud (acquired in Dickey trade), right handed pitcher Zach Wheeler, right handed pitcher Jeurys Familia, third baseman Wilmer Flores, right handed pitcher Rafael Montero, right handed pitcher Hansel Robles, outfielder Cesar Puello, right handed pitcher Cory Mazzoni and shortstop Wilfredo Tovar.

From this list, Familia is the only one to make the Opening Day roster. Others from the list are very close, such as D’Arnaud and Wheeler, who could be fixtures at Citi Field by the time June rolls around this season. The pitching staff is already missing four players, including Santana, who are on the disabled list. Those players are Frank Francisco, Shaun Marcum, and Jenrry Mejia.

New York Yankees

New York Yankees Gary Sanchez. Credit: The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees Gary Sanchez. Credit: The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees fans had a lot to worry about during Spring Training when news broke that Alex Rodriguez would miss a large chunk of time.

Then news broke that Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, and Derek Jeter would all begin the season on the disabled list.

Phil Hughes and Michael Pineda are also on the shelf, deflating the pitching staff.

To make matters worse, the Yankees lost their Opening Day game to the Red Sox by a score of 8-2 with C.C. Sabathia on the hill.

The team’s top prospects who made appearances this spring in big league camp include catcher Gary Sanchez, outfielder Tyler Austin, outfielder Slade Heathcott, left handed pitcher Manny Banuelos, right handed pitcher Mark Montgomery, outfielder Zoilo Almonte, outfielder Ramon Flores, right handed pitcher Jose Ramirez, left handed pitcher Nik Turley, right handed pitcher Bryan Mitchell, right handed pitcher Brett Marshall, right handed pitcher Adam Warren, catcher Austin Romine, right handed pitcher Dellin Betances and right handed pitcher Tom Kahnle.

Of all these top prospects to spent time in camp, Adam Warren was the only one to make the Yankees Opening Day roster.

 

 

Oakland Athletics

Oakland enjoyed an incredible 2012 season, claiming the AL West crown and falling in five games to the Tigers in the ALDS. They look to secure another AL West title in 2013 in what is an improved division.

Oakland’s top prospects to spend time in big league camp this spring include right handed pitcher Dan Straily, outfielder Michael Choice, outfielder Grant Green, right handed pitcher Sonny Gray, outfielder Michael Taylor and right handed pitcher Arnold Leon.

Straily is the only prospect to make the A’s Opening Day roster. He will be the fifth starter for Oakland in 2013.

The fifth installment in this series will examine the top prospects who spent time in big league camps with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the San Diego Padres, the San Francisco Giants and the Seattle Mariners.

Top Prospects in Spring Camps: Part I

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MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Chicago Cubs

Arizona shortstop Didi Gregorius Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

As we inch closer to spring camps opening in Florida and Arizona, we have put together an outlook for the top prospects of each Major League team who will be in those camps.

Will they make the squad out of Spring Training? Will they be sent to the minors knowing that they are just a month or two away from the big leagues? We cannot answer these questions, but we can provide you with a look at the top prospects who have received invites to their parent teams’ camps. This is the first installment in our six-part series.

 

 

Arizona Diamondbacks

Arizona’s camp will feature some newcomers to the organization, especially top shortstop prospect Didi Gregorius, who came over from the Reds in a three-team deal that sent former top prospect Trevor Bauer to the Indians. Gregorius is considered as the team’s shortstop of the future, but is not guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster. Aside from Gregorius, who is on the 40-man roster, will be joined by a very talented group of youngsters, some who have Major League experience.

Tyler Skaggs and Adam Eaton will be battling in camp for roster spots, Skaggs in the rotation and Eaton as a regular in the outfield. Eaton could make the team as a starting outfielder with the trades of Justin Upton and Chris Young during the off-season. Skaggs made six starts in 2012 for the D’backs and could figure into this year’s rotation.

Other top prospects either on the 40-man roster or who have received invitations to camp include Nick Ahmed, Matt Davidson, Chris Owings, Zeke Spruill, Evan Marshall, A.J. Pollock and Chase Anderson. All of these players appear on the Diamondbacks’ top 20 prospect list found on their website. Of the 20 listed, half of the list will be in big league camp this year. Ahmed and Spruill were acquired from the Braves in the Upton trade.

Atlanta Braves

Julio Teheran

Atlanta Pitcher Julio Teheran Credit: Daniel Shirey-US PRESSWIRE

Atlanta is entering a new era, post-Chipper Jones, with two Upton brothers leading the way in the outfield.

B.J. was added via free agency and Justin was added via a trade with Arizona.

In that trade, the Braves also unloaded Martin Prado, Randall Delgado, and a couple of prospects.

In Atlanta’s camp, located in Lake Buena Vista, there are still some very intriguing prospects left who will appear in big league camp this year.

 

 

Atlanta’s number one prospect, Julio Teheran, heads the list and is on the 40-man roster. Catcher Christian Bethancourt is the number two prospect and is on the 40-man roster. He could see significant playing time to begin the regular season at the Major League level if Brian McCann is not healthy enough to go on Opening Day.

Other top prospects who are either on the 40-man roster or who have received invitations to camp include J.R. Graham, Sean Gilmartin, Alex Wood, Todd Cunningham, Juan Jaime, Aaron Northcraft, Joe Terdoslavich, and Evan Gattis. Out of the top 20 list, these players account for half of it. From this group, Atlanta fans very well could see Teheran, Bethancourt, and even Gilmartin at the big league level in 2013.

Baltimore Orioles

Following a surprising 2012 season and playoff appearance, the Orioles are looking to remain competitive in the AL East in 2013. Baltimore’s crop of top prospects is very impressive and the list is led by Dylan Bundy, who made his Major League debut last year after flying up the organization’s Minor League ladder. L.J. Hoes is also on the top prospect list and he made his ML debut last year as well for the O’s.

Other top prospects in camp worth watching this spring include Kevin Gausman, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jonathan Schoop, Xavier Avery, Mike Wright, Steve Johnson and Mike Belfiore. The Orioles are loaded with excellent pitching talent in their system, with most at the lower levels, so 2013 will be a major development season for their big arms.

Boston Red Sox

The only Red Sox prospect from their top 20 list on their website to play in the Majors last year was shortstop Jose Iglesias. He struggled at the plate in 25 games, hitting .118. He might see a lot of time in the Majors this season for new manager John Farrell and some of his counterparts from the system could be fighting for playing time as well.

The rest of the top 20 list in big league camp includes Jackie Bradley, Allen Webster, Deven Marrero, Drake Britton, and Christian Vazquez. This is one of the smaller groups of prospects in big league camps so far in 2013 across the league. It is going to be interesting to see how Iglesias responds to his struggles last year and builds towards more playing time this season.

 

 

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Chicago Outfielder Jorge Soler Credit: Michael O’Day/Icon SMI

Chicago Cubs

Chicago saw some of its prospects graduate to the big leagues last year, one of whom is being relied on to take over the everyday catching duties in 2013 in Welington Castillo.

The Cubs have signed some interesting players this off-season in the hopes of beginning the rebuilding process under Theo Epstein. Top prospects who will be in big league camp who have Major League experience include Brett Jackson, Arodys Vizcaino (made ML debut with Braves in 2011), Josh Vitters, and Alberto Cabrera.

Other prospects from the Cubs top 20 list who will be in camp via the 40-man roster or as a non-roster invitee include Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, Christian Villanueva, Matt Szczur, and Robert Whitenack. The Cubs have a ton of impressive raw talent in their system, with a couple of the guys on the verge of breaking the starting lineup in Chicago for good in the coming years.

Keep a close eye on Jackson and Vitters this year, who could see a ton of playing time if the injury bug bites and the Cubs struggle. Vizcaino missed all of 2012 due to Tommy John Surgery, but was still included in the trade deadline deal that sent Reed Johnson and Paul Maholm to the Braves. The Cubs also received Jaye Chapman, who made his ML debut with Chicago last year, in the deal.

Stay tuned for the second installment of this series, which will look at the top prospects in the big league camps of the Chicago White Sox, the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Indians, the Colorado Rockies and the Detroit Tigers.

Baseball Blowups

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Baseball has been America’s past-time for quite some time now and it has provided fans all over the country with exciting moments.

Those have included no-hitters, perfect games, walk-off homeruns, record breaking homeruns, underdog stories, surprising stories and many other exciting moments throughout the illustrious history of the sport.

But, with every great moment on the diamond comes an embarrassing one. [Read more…]

Me? Pitch?

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Five Major League Baseball players have asked their manager this question during the 2009 season and that number will surely increase as the season wears on into the summer months.

Blowouts are common in the Majors each year and when some of those blowouts, also known as laughers, get really out of control managers will turn to one of their position players to save the rest of the pitching staff when the game is out of reach. [Read more…]