In the third installment of our feature regarding the top prospects in big league camps this spring, we look at the Astros, Royals, Angels, Dodgers, and Marlins.

Even though all of the camps have ended and Opening Day is upon us, it is still interesting to take a look at the top prospects who received time in Major League camp, even if they did not make a Major League Opening Day roster for the 2013 season.

As we count down the hours until the first game of the season, between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, one can only wonder how many of these top prospects will make an impact at some point during the season this year either for their current franchise or for another one. This will be the first American League game for the Astros.

Out of the five teams we preview in this post, the Astros have the best crop of top prospects, with almost half of them being acquired through trades over the past three-plus years.

 

 

Houston Astros

Not a single player on the Astros top 20 prospect list has Major League experience yet. This could change rather quickly if the Astros struggle this year and want to see what their future holds.

The top prospects who spent time in big league camp for Houston include outfielder George Springer, right handed pitcher Jarred Cosart, second baseman Delino DeShields, right handed pitcher Brad Peacock, shortstop Jonathan Villar, catcher Max Stassi, outfielder Robbie Grossman and catcher Carlos Perez.

Of the top prospects who spent time in Astros big league camp, Springer and DeShields are the only players Houston drafted themselves. The rest came over in trades with the Phillies, Blue Jays, Pirates and Athletics. Cosart came over from the Phillies in the Hunter Pence deal and Villar came over from the Phillies in the Roy Oswalt deal. Peacock and Stassi came over from the A’s in the Jed Lowrie deal. Grossman came to Houston from Pittsburgh in the Wandy Rodriguez deal. Perez joined the Astros in the 10-player trade with the Blue Jays last year.

Kansas City Royals

The Royals have a nice crop of top prospects, some of whom could see themselves in Kansas City this year to complement an already strong lineup and no what seems to be an impressive pitching staff.

The Royals made some interesting moves in the off-season, sending a group of players, including Wil Myers, to the Tampa Bay Rays for James Shields.

The top prospects in the Royals camp this spring included left handed pitcher John Lamb, left handed pitcher Donnie Joseph, second baseman Christian Colon, left handed pitcher Chris Dwyer and outfielder David Lough. Lough is the only top prospect with Major League experience who spent time in big league camp this spring. He played 20 games for the Royals in 2012, hitting .237.

Number one prospect Bubba Starling was not invited to big league camp, but he just made his professional debut in 2012 after being drafted in 2011. In 53 games, Starling hit .275 with 10 homeruns and 33 RBIs.

The left handed pitchers on this list who spent time in big league camp are very impressive and could be called upon to pitch out of the bullpen at some point this season in Kansas City.

 

 

Los Angeles Angels

Angels fans received a pleasant surprise this off-season when former Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton joined the division-rival Angels to team with Albert Pujols and Mike Trout in an incredibly dangerous lineup. The City of Angels should enjoy an unbelievable season of baseball with the upgrades that the Angels and the Dodgers have made this off-season.

Top 20 prospects who spent time in Angels camp include third baseman Kaleb Cowart, left handed pitcher Nick Maronde, second baseman Taylor Lindsey, Kole Calhoun, third baseman Luis Jimenez, outfielder Randal Grichuk, outfielder Travis Witherspoon, right handed pitcher A.J. Schugel, shortstop Eric Stamets and second baseman Alex Yarbrough.

Maronde pitched in 12 games for the Angels in 2012, which was his first professional season after being drafted in 2011. He climbed the professional ladder quickly, going from the Class A Advanced California League to the Majors. He pitched to a 1.50 ERA in 12 appearances totaling six innings for the Angels.

Calhoun also saw time with the big club in 2012, hitting .174 in just 21 games. Maronde did not make the team out of Spring Training, but he should be one of the first callups should the Angels need a reliever during the season.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles is primed to win the West after major moves at the trade deadline in 2012 and a massive off-season that saw them add Zack Greinke to an already formidable starting rotation.

They have some impressive prospects waiting in the wings, with some just months away from the bigs if injuries strike outside of the one to Hanley Ramirez.

Top prospects who saw time with the big club during Spring Training for the Dodgers this year include outfielder Yasiel Puig, right handed pitcher Matt Magill, catcher Tim Federowicz, right handed pitcher Chris Withrow, left handed pitcher Paco Rodriguez and outfielder Alex Castellanos.

Two of the players on this list made the team out of camp, Federowicz and Rodriguez. Federowicz will serve as the backup catcher to A.J. Ellis. He appeared in three games with the Dodgers in 2012. Rodriguez will be a lefty out of the bullpen and he appeared in 11 games spanning 6.2 innings in 2012 for LA. He pitched to a 1.35 ERA. He was the first member of the 2012 draft class to reach the Majors.

 

 

Miami Marlins

Marlins fans will not have much to cheer about in 2013 as the team traded away Hanley Ramirez at the deadline last year along with Anibal Sanchez, Omar Infante and Randy Choate. Then, in the off-season, they shipped Jose Reyes, Emilio Bonifacio, John Buck, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson to the Blue Jays.

The only major cogs left on the roster are Giancarlo Stanton and Ricky Nolasco. They are surrounded by low-key free agent signings and prospects they received in some of those trades as well as prospects they have drafted and developed.

In camp this year were right handed pitcher Jose Fernandez, outfielder Christian Yelich, outfielder Jake Marisnick, left handed pitcher Andrew Heaney, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria, outfielder Marcell Ozuna, left handed pitcher Adam Conley, second baseman/shortstop Derek Dietrich, catcher Rob Brantly, catcher J.T. Realmuto and left handed pitcher Brian Flynn.

Of these players, Fernandez, Hechavarria and Brantly are on the team’s Opening Day roster. Fernandez will be in the rotation while Brantly and Hechavarria are in the lineup for game one versus the Washington Nationals in D.C. on April 1. In 25 starts in the minors in 2012, Fernandez had a record of 14-1 and an ERA of 1.75. He had not pitched above Class-A and was preparing to pitch at Double-A when he was called up on Sunday.

Fernandez was added when starters Nate Eovaldi and Henderson Alvarez were placed on the disabled list. He is scheduled to make his Major League debut against the New York Mets on April 7 at Citi Field.

Stay tuned for our fourth installment of this series, which will take a look at the top prospects who spent time in big league camps this spring with the Milwaukee Brewers, the Minnesota Twins, the New York Mets, the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics.