Futures Game: World

(#) in parenthesis equals ranking according to Baseball America.

Position Players:

Alcides Escobar: Milwaukee Brewers (1). 6-1, 180. R/R. 22 yr old. Medium frame that can add quite a bit more muscle and should be able to get up to 195 without losing any speed. Stance has a little crouch and is open just a touch. He twitches his elbows together as he awaits for the ball to come. His trigger is a cocking of the bat and a stride that is more of a leg kick and appears to go down right where it was initially setup. Good looking hitter with good bat speed and appears to have the ability to control the strike zone and shows some bat control. Above average arm defensively. Will look to bunt for hits and appears to be about average at it right now.


AB's
1) Infield single to catcher. Speed (4.18 to 1st) beat the throw and he moved to 2nd on a throwing error. Pitch was a curve on the inner third at his knees.
2) F-9. Pitch was a FB on the outside corner and Escobar hit it somewhat hard on a fly ball to Heyward. About 20 feet in front of the warning track.
3) 6-3. Soft grounder right at Espinosa. Curveball down and in appears to be the spot against Escobar to get him to roll over. 4.5 to 1st, was extremely slow out of the box.
4) 1B. Got a slider on the inner half at the knees and punched it up the middle. Infield single.

2009 Stats:
AAA: .296-.348-.417, 3-28, 30-7

Tyson Gillies: Seattle Mariners (20). 6-2, 190. L/R. 20 yr old. Medium frame that should be able to get up to 205 and is more of an athletic build. Stance is very similar to that of Brian Giles, though not as crouched. Hands are held a little behind his shoulder and he is slightly open. Trigger is a quick, small stride to square himself up and a little cockin of the bat. Will look to bunt for hits. Plus-plus speed and stole 2 bases in this game, once on a Matusz pick off where he beat the throw to 2nd and then stole 3rd without a throw.


AB's
1) Foul bunt (3.69 to 1st, ran hard the whole time) and then grounded out weakly to 2B (4.06 to 1st). Pitch was a fastball in and a little up.
2) Bunt single to 2B. Great bunt that was by the pitcher towards the line. No chance at getting him. (3.41 to 1st on this drag bunt)
3) 5 pitch walk. Didn't really work anything, just got walked.
4) K Looking. 2 Great SL's from Reckling that may have been off the plate, but he got the calls.

2009 Stats:
A+: .323-.431-.465, 6-26, 23-13

Alex Liddi: Seattle Mariners (UR). 6-4, 186. R/R. 20 yr old. Big frame that can add a lot more muscle. Stance is similar to that of a right handed Russell Branyan. Open stance with a little lean back on his back leg. A little bat wiggle and holds the bat about even with his back shoulder. Trigger is a stride to even himself out and then another stride to get some pop into it while he cocks the bat a touch. Can fly open at times offensively. Swung through a 1-0 change and a 3-1 fastball from Matusz. Has the look of a future middle of the order bat.


AB's
1) 5 pitch walk. Didn't get a real pitch to take the bat off his shoulder for.
2) 9 pitch walk. Very composed and didn't chase anything.
3) F-9. Weak fly out to Stanton in RF just in front of the 2B. Was a hittable FB from Parker that he just missed.


2009 Stats:
A+: .355-.401-.639, 20-75. 7-3

Rene Tosoni: Minnesota Twins (18). 6-0, 194. L/R. 23 yr old. Medium frame that can add a little more muscle and get up to 200. Stance is slightly crouched and open a touch. Hands are behind his back shoulder with a more generic bat location. Trigger is a lean back and a little stride with a cocking of the bat. Shows solid average bat speed and the ability to turn on a fastball. Pretty left handed swing.

AB's
1) 2B. Liner that bounced about midway past 1st base and was misplayed by Carter into a 2B. Not hit insanely hard.

2009 Stats:
AA: .278-.387-.480, 10-51, 6-5

Barbaro Canizares: Atlanta Braves (UR). 6-3, 240. R/R. 29 yr old. Big frame that is maxed out. Surprised he is here, as there had to be some other touted 1B prospects that would have been a better choice without big league time. Fairly straight up, straight on stance with very little movement with his bat. Trigger is a big stride and a cocking of the bat. Looked pretty bad on a changeup and looks like a hitter who will struggle against pitchers that can change speeds well. Looks like he tries to pull everything and struggles on pitches on the outside corner. Does have the ability to go the other way with 2 strikes on him.

AB's
1) Line drive single to RF. Medium hit ball that fell just in front of Jason Heyward. Pitch was a fastball on the outer third of the plate.
2) 6-4-3 DP. Fastball on the inside corner that got in on him. A medium ground ball to SS. Did not hustle out of the box at all.

2009 Stats:
AAA: .323-.387-.497, 10-47. 1-0
ATL: .235-.235-.294, 0-0, 0-0

Dayan Viciedo: Chicago White Sox (2). 5-11, 240. R/R. 20 yr old. Small frame that looks to be pretty maxed out with no visible bad weight. Stance is slightly open, fairly straight up with a little bat wiggle with his bat head being held flat over his shoulder. Trigger is a cocking of the bat and a stride. He looks like a guy who will be packing some power as he gets used to the advanced level of pitching. Error was on a bad throw and appeared to take it a little lackadaiscally.


AB's
1) 1-3. 1st pitch fastball that he got a good swing on, just hit a 1-hopper back to Kelly.
2) 2B. Got a fastball in the middle of the plate and pounded it to deep right center. Fliner liner hard that hit just shy of the warning track.

2009 Stats:
AA: .262-.301-.354, 6-47, 5-2

Jesus Montero: New York Yankees (2). 6-4, 225. R/R. 19 yr old. Big frame that can add a little more muscle, but not much. Fairly straight up stance and he is slightly open. Bat is held at about a 45 degree angle over his back shoulder. He leans back on his back leg a little bit to help him keep his weight back. As his trigger, he brings his foot to straighten himself out and then as the pitch is coming he strides and he also cocks the bat. Good quick swing that shows power to all fields (at the very least projectable power to all fields). Can get over aggressive at times. Shows a strong arm behind the plate and better fundamentals, but can be a little slow getting the ball out. A little cocking action to his throws.


AB's
1) FC 5-4. Weak groundball that he rolled over on. Pitch was a curve down at his knees and he was fooled and just tried to hit, as his bat speed was noticeably slower on that pitch. 4.73 down the line.
2) 6-3. Got a 1st pitch fastball on the outside corner that he hit a medium chopper to mid short.
4.88 down the line.


Pop Times: 1.87 (SB by Jennings)


2009 Stats:
A+: .356-.406-.583, 8-37, 0-0
AA: .287-.353-.472, 5-15, 0-0

Carlos Santana: Cleveland Indians (1). 5-11, 190. S/R. 23 yr old. Small frame that can add maybe a little more muscle, but not much, maybe 195. (LH)Similar to Weglarz with his hand placement and is a somewhat open stance with a slight crouch. His trigger is a toe tap, then another stride if he chooses to swing and a cocking of the bat. Similar to Pablo Sandoval to me with his setup. Controls his at bats very well. Strong arm behind the plate with a little cocking action that slows him down just a touch.


AB's
1) F-8. Fastball on the outer corner at his knees that he hit a medium fly out to the LCF gap.
2) 6 pitch walk. Missed some hittable pitches, but worked the walk.


Pop Times: 1.89 (to 2nd on PO)

2009 Stats:
AA: .266-.394-.494, 14-58, 0-1

Nick Weglarz: Cleveland Indians (3). 6-3, 245. L/L. 21 yr old. Big frame that is pretty maxed out and he is a big, strong dude. He looks like a linebacker as opposed to an outfielder. He has a slightly open stance with a little crouch and has both elbows up and the bat basically over his head at a 60 degree angle. Trigger is a stride to even himself up and a cocking of the bat. Shows above average bat speed and good raw power potential.


AB's
1) Hit by Pitch. Didn't lean into it or anything, just nothing he could do.
2) 5-3. Weak groundout to third on a fastball at the knees.
3) F-7. Fastball at his knees on the outside corner that he hit a fliner fly about 10 feet shy of the warning track in left (oppo).

2009 Stats:
AA: .247-.384-.471

Kyeong Kang: Tampa Bay Rays (27). 6-2, 200. L/L. 21 yr old. Medium frame that can get up to at least 220. Stance is similar to that of Matt Stairs. He is slightly open and a little straight up with his hands holding the bat almost in front of his body almost even with his back shoulder. Trigger is a cocking of the bat and a stride where the leg appears to go in a circle. Swing is similar to that of Akinori Iwamura.


AB's
1) Popped out to pitcher. Fastball was in on his hands and popped it up.

2009 Stats:
A: .278-.354-.443, 2-22, 5-2

Brett Lawrie: Milwaukee Brewers (3). 5-11, 200. R/R. 19 yr old. Small frame that can add a little more muscle, but not much. Built kid. Stance is open with a crouch and hands held in front of his back shoulder in front of his body. Think Jeff Bagwell is he was more open and not as crouched. Trigger is a cocking of the bat and a little bit of a leg kick with his stride foot coming close and then extending towards the pitcher, similar to a pitcher with a drop and drive delivery. Swing can get long and looks like the bat goes in a circular motion, definite hitch in there. He cocks the bat, and then drops it and then starts his swing, a lot of wasted motion.


AB's
1) Weak groundout to 1st. 4.18 down the line and shows good speed. Fastball on the outside corner.
2) F-7. Medium fly to Heisey in LF. Fastball on the inner third and in the middle of the inner 3rd belt high. Latos got away with one.
3) 2B. Got a change belt high on the outside corner and ripped a fliner fly to the left field warning track, just missing a wall ball.


2009 Stats:
A: .266-.351-.468, 9-44, 14-8

Wilmer Flores: New York Mets (2). 6-3, 175. R/R. 17 yr old. Big frame that can get up to at least 205. Looks extremely thin right now and is purely projectably. Stance is fairly straight and straight up. Trigger is a stride and a cocking of the bat. Looks like he could be a future stud and shows average bat speed right now. A little over aggressive, but nothing you wouldn't expect from a 17 year old. Did not run real hard out of the box. Not a hustler. Not the most agile fielder in the world and looks like he is still trying to get used to his body.


AB's
1) 4-3. Medium to slightly hard grounder hit to Young. Pitch was a fastball down at his knees on the outside corner in a 1-0 count.
2) 6-3. Medium grounder right at Espinosa for an easy 6-3.

2009 Stats:
A+: .281-.319-.358, 2-23, 1-0

Starlin Castro: Chicago Cubs (7). 6-1, 160. R/R. 19 yr old. Medium frame that can add a lot more muscle, at least to 200. Straight on stance with a very slight crouch. Has a bat wiggle to him and holds the bat over his back shoulder. Trigger is a leg kick and a cocking of the bat. Made a nice play on a hard rip at him by Heyward. Looks pretty slick with a slightly above average arm.


AB's
1) 1B on a soft groundball to the pitcher. Changeup down and well off the plate that fooled him, but used his speed to leg out a hit. 4.26 to 1st.

2009 Stats:
A+: .308-.337-.406, 3-31, 16-7

Luis Durango: San Diego Padres (UR). 5-9, 160. S/R. 23 yr old. Small frame that can get up to at least 175. (LH)Slightly open stance with a little crouch. Holds the bat over his his back shoulder at a 45 degree angle. Kind of choked up and understands his game, to hit the ball on the ground and run. Will look to bunt for hits in any count and utilizes the Rafael Furcal run up and slap swing as well. Trigger is a stride to square himself up when the pitcher begins his delivery, a stride where the heel hits the ground first (I assume to help him stay back) when the pitcher is about to release and a cocking of the bat. (RH) Fairly straight on stance where he has a slight crouch. Bat is held over his back shoulder fairly flat. Trigger is a step back, then a step forward and a cocking of the bat. Will bunt from this side as well, though he shows it early. Another guy that stole a base on a lefty pick off and just beat the ball there.


AB's
1) K Looking. Beautful FB from Drabek that started on the inner half and ran back over the inside corner.
2) Bunt 1B. Used his speed to beat Duffy to the bag by a ton. Fast Mother F****r. 3.53 from the right side, borderline unhuman.

2009 Stats:
AA: .289-.395-.329, 0-16, 28-15

Pedro Baez: Los Angeles Dodgers (13). 6-2, 195. R/R. 21 yr old. Medium frame that can get up to at least 215. Slightly crouched, fairly straight on stance. Very quiet stance and the bat just rests right above his back shoulder. Trigger is a stride and cocking of the bat. Good bat speed, but swing can get a little long. Looks to mash when ahead in the count and will be overaggressive at times. Needs to work on seeing the SL and letting it go.


AB's
1) 5-3. Grounded out weakly to Vitters on a FB on the outside corner.

2009 Stats:
A+: .283-.327-.447, 10-57, 4-1


Pitchers: W-L ERA, IP-H-BB-K

Neftali Feliz: Texas Rangers (1). 6-3, 190. R/R. 21 yr old. Big frame that can get up to at least 205 comfortably. Worked completely out of the stretch. High 3/4 release. Generates very easy velocity and doesn't look like there is much effort there at all. Can be inconsistent with his arm slot and can drop down to 3/4. Very clean classic drop and drive delivery with no real red flags from the stretch. Appears to over throw at times, causing his command to suffer and his front shoulder to fly open. Fastball has good run in on righties with some sink. SL is a 2-7 with okay bite that he isn't yet consistent with. Not a real strikeout pitch, more of a get me over type offering. Change is pretty straight with some late fade from lefties and a little late sink, but not a real good offering. 2nd one looked better, but level of fade and sink isn't good enough to be a swing and miss offering. Will throw it to lefties as an out pitch and will throw it 3-2. Average command of his fastball (but good control) and will miss in the strike zone to hitters. Slider and change command can be inconsistent, but looks to be only slightly below average.


1st: FB (97-101), SL (79-81), CU (89) - 4 FB (2 to Young, Jennings, Wallace)

2009 Stats:
AAA: 4-5 3.50, 69.1-63-28-64

Yohan Flande: Philadelphia Phillies (UR). 6-2, 170. L/L. 23 yr old. Medium frame that can add a lot more muscle and get up to at least 200. Over the top release with a classic over the top delivery as a lefty. Very quiet delivery that generates very easy velocity. Slider is a kind of flat 10-4 with solid bite. Slider is his out pitch to lefties. Will throw 3-2 sliders. Primary fastball is a cutter with good cut and shows a little sink. Slider isn't quite good enough to be an out pitch in the majors and needs to tighten it as he advances. Change is a straight change that looks like his cutter of his hand and a has a little late fade from righties. Showed above average command of his repetoire, though none were above average major league offerings yet.


2nd: Cut (90-91), SL (82-85), CU (85)-CUT (Alvarez), SL (Flowers), CU (Espinosa)

2009 Stats:
A+: 7-1 2.52, 82-72-24-67
AA: 0-1 7.07, 14-17-5-8

Francisco Samuel: St. Louis Cardinals (21). 6-2, 185. R/R. 22 yr old. Medium frame that can add a lot more muscle and get up to at least 205. Over the top release. Drop and drive delivery with a slow leg kick and then almost a little hesitation right before he fires forward. High effort delivery. Worked from the stretch. Fastball has good run in on righties with some sink. Command can be inconsistent and can spike fastballs or just miss off the plate or paint the corner. Fastball has enough run that he can't consistently throw it for a strike. Really struggles to hold runners. Slider is a 2-7 with good bite that he is able to throw at a righties ankles with precision, but struggles to throw it for a strike. It can also show one plane cutter like movement at times.

Time to Plate on Steal: 1.5 (FB), 1.5 (SL)


3rd: FB (94-97), SL (88-89) - FB (Young), SL (Carter)

2009 Stats:
AA: 3-3 4.76, 34-26-30-40

Leyson Septimo: Arizona Diamondbacks (26). 6-0, 150. L/L. 24 yr old. Small frame that can add a lot more muscle, at least to 180. Drop and drive delivery with a high 3/4 arm slot and some cocking action on the back take. Can drop his arm slot on occasion and that flattens his slider out a little. Slider is a 11-5 with above average bite. FB is a straight 4-seam that is pretty explosive. Slider is his out pitch. Change has some fade from righties with good sink. Does not show an ability to throw strikes with it, but it could be an out pitch. He showed above average command of his FB-SL combo and below average command of his change.


3rd: FB (94-96), SL (80-85), CU (85-87) - 3 FB (Heisey, Flowers 2), 2 SL (Alvarez, Heisey)

2009 Stats:
A+: 2-1 3.52, 38.1-29-26-44
AA: 0-0 0.00, 1-1-1-4 (1 game)

Jhoulys Chacin: Colorado Rockies (2). 6-3, 200. R/R. 21 yr old. Medium frame that can add a little more muscle, probably about 220. Classic drop and drive delivery. Puts a lot of pressure on his back knee, as he puts almost all his weight on his back leg. Fastball has above average run in on righties with good sink. Fastball flashes plus with excellent movement. Changeup has good late sink and some fade from lefties and is a plus pitch. Just a filthy offering that can elicit a ton of swings and misses. Very late movement to it makes the hitter commit early. Curveball is a big breaking 12-6 that is sharp enough to be a strikeout pitch. Slider is a sharp 2-7 that has similar pitch f/x to his curve, but is sharp and has good bite. Will throw back-door 3-2 sliders to lefties.


4th: FB (90-94), CU (84-86), CB (81), SL (80-82) - FB (Young), 4 CU's (he only threw 4, everyone was a swing and miss, Espinosa 2, Young, Jennings), CB (Jennings)

2009 Stats:
AA: 7-6 3.43, 94.1-84-32-80

Luis Perez: Toronto Blue Jays (17). 6-0, 205. L/L. 24 yr old. Medium frame that can add a little more muscle, probably 215 at most. 3/4 release. Quiet delivery, though it gets a little herky jerky right after separation. Starts with his foot already turned and is facing home plate. Glove breaks a little high, which adds both deception and stress to his arm. Out of the stretch, leg comes straight up. Whether that is to freeze a baserunner or not, it looks interesting as his body just hovers there for a second. SL is a sharp 10-4 with good bite and is a sweeping slider. Fastball has good run in on lefties with solid sink. Changeup falls off the table and has excellent late sink. Home run was a slider that stayed middle in for Castro to just annihlate. He showed above average command of all his offerings and just made the 1 mistake to Castro.


5th: FB (91-93), SL (80-81), CU (82-83) - FB (Jones), SL (Carter), CU (Carter)

2009 Stats:
AA: 6-6 3.18, 102-87-40-81

Chia-Jen Lo: Houston Astros (12). 5-11, 181. R/R. 23 yr old. Small frame that can probably get up to 195. Worked out of stretch. Typical Asian delivery with a slight pause at his leg kick. Generates a very good hip turn, allowing him to maximize his velocity. Over the top. Fastball has a little run in on righties with a little late sink. CB is a 12-6 with excellent late movement to it. Has above average depth and shows an ability to throw it for strikes. Threw one for a strike, then bounced or hung the others. Command can come in bunches. Threw 8 straight balls at one point. Did look like he got frustrated on the mound. Overall, he had average command of both his pitches.


6th: FB (91-95), CB (73-75) - FB (Sizemore)

2009 Stats:
A+: 1-0 1.78, 25.1-10-13-36
AA: 0-1 4.05, 13.1-13-8-13


DID NOT PLAY: Manny Baneulos (Yankees), Junichi Tazawa (Red Sox, rain delay caused him to not pitch)