First 2 Weeks of June (Final Post)

This will be the final blog posting, as I have gained a position with a major league team and this blog will now no longer have info put in it.

Boston Red Sox (Pitchers):
About the only Low-A series I watched involved Greenville. First the pitchers. RHP Stolmy Pimentel, who is just 19 at the time of his pitching, showed like a top 15 prospect. He is very advanced and while he doesn't have great raw stuff, his command is very good. He features a sinking fastball he can spot, a 12-6 curveball that shows potential and a change that will flash as a plus pitch. I think there is some more velocity there and he projects as a # 3 starter to me. RHP Leandro Marin worked with an explosive 4-seamer that he had some inconsistsent command of and a 2-7 slider with some bite that shows potential though it can be a hanger. Profiles as a solid middle reliever with the chance to be a set-up man. RHP Stephen Fife impressed in a matchup against Jordan Lyles, where he threw 5 no hit innings before being yanked. He features a good looking sinking fastball and a 12-6 downer curve that can be an out pitch that he needs to improve a bit in burying. His other 2 pitches (a 2-7 slider with okay bite and a change that shows potential that he struggles to throw for strikes) are a bit further behind. Profiles as a solid # 4 or # 5 starter or as a solid middle reliever. RHP Michael Lee is a massive 6-7 guy, but doesn't appear to have the overpowering stuff that is normally expected from a guy like that. Throws a fastball, curve and change and is an organizational arm. LHP Mitch Herold is a 23 year old who operates with an okay fastball and a slurve that is a little loopy which he also appears to tip based on his arm action. More of an organizational arm.

Cleveland Indians:
RHP Brandon Hynick is your typical Indians pitcher and the Indians tend to value the pitchability factor higher then most and Hynick is another example. Acquired from the Rockies, Hynick's best projection has him as a # 4 or # 5 starter. He operates with a fastball that looked to be at 88-90 that he could spot, a 12-6 curve that he could spot but isn't good enough to be an out pich, a splitter with above average diving action and an okay slider. LHP Nick Hagadone is the opposite. While he has yet to be extended (and thus hasn't developed his change as much as a pitcher normally has by now) he operates with a plus fastball and a sharp 11-5 slider with good bite that he struggles to throw for strikes but can bury. His change is a bit further away. Profiles as a lefty reliever in the mold of Matt Thornton (with a better breaking pitch) or as a lefty starter similar to that of Derek Holland. He should get every chance to prove he can't start. Now the hitters (for the record, it seemed just about everyone on this team was a prospect).

Boston Red Sox (Hitters): Editing mistake and don't want to retype everything.
1B Anthony Rizzo is a legitimate 1B prospect and features a beautiful left handed swing. More gap power now, but I think he should hit 15-20 homers as a pro and profiles to hit for a .300 or better average. Grade 55 overall. OF David Mailman is a guy I really like and think his stick is pretty good, one based on lining the ball into the gaps and just hitting the ball all over the field. His bat needs to carry him though, as I see him being limited to LF defensively. 3B Will Middlebrooks still has a lot of tools, but no pitch recognition ability and a longer swing and don't see him as anything more then an organizational player (and a guy who has been hyped way too much). OF Mitch Dening profiles to me as a 4th OF who can play some CF. Still raw and needs to make some adjustments with his swing (heavy pull guy) and defensively (bit of a slow first step). They had 2 pretty good catchers in Ryan Lavarnway and Tim Federowicz. Lavarnway looks like he may struggle with good fastballs as he moves up the ladder and looks a bit awkward behind the plate as a bigger catcher (6-4) who may have knee problems. He does have very good power though. Federowicz is the opposite, as he is a guy who looks to slot very well into the 2nd spot of the order and looks to his the ball around the field with some gap power. Think he profiles as a solid backup catcher. SS Ryan Dent profiles as an utility infielder who can play everywhere and hit for a little average but not much power and is another organizational guy. OF Pete Hissey is another raw OF with a pretty left handed line drive based swing that may project for some pop if he hits the weight room and adds some muscle. Similar to Kalish with a lesser build.

Colorado Rockies:
CF Chris Frey actually impressed me, though his stats were nothing special. I think he can be the strong-side of a platoon in CF (maybe paired with Reed Johnson somewhere) and provide a solid batting average and slightly above average defense with good speed. LF Matt Miller looks to be nothing more then an organizational guy who is limited to LF and doesn't offer much power. INF Jonathan Herrera is a solid utility infield option who can play some short, but not play there full time and is a better fit at 2B. Will never hit for much power.

Detroit Tigers:
RHP Brooks Brown, who was acquired for C James Skelton from the D'Backs, looks the part of a sinkerballing righty. Brown worked at 86-91 with his fastball, 78-81 with his slider and 78-81 with his change. His sinker was solid, but neither off-speed pitch does much for me and he struggles to locate his stuff. He needs another year in AAA to try and get to his ceiling as a # 4 or # 5 starter or as a solid middle reliever.

Houston Astros:
RHP Henry Villar put up video game strikeout numbers, but don't expect those to last. He features a fastball with good late run in on righties, an average change and a slightly above average slider with solid bite. I think he could be a solid middle reliever, but want to see him pass the AA test.

Los Angeles Dodgers:
LHP Armando Zerpa was their top pick in the Rule 5 draft from the Red Sox low A team and he shows potential as a LOOGY and has a 50/50 chance of sticking with the big league club. He has a slinging arm action with a sinking fastball and a sweeping slider.

San Francisco Giants:
LHP Aaron King is another big armed lefty who appears to throw a hard fastball, but is very raw. He has quite a bit of command issues and still needs to develop a changeup. Profiles as a solid lefty reliever with a mid 90's fastball and a sweeping slider. SS Ehire Adrianza is very, very toolsy, but has a lot of maturing to do in regards to putting muscle on his body. His swing can get long, but nothing unexpected for a player of his age. Projects to be a pretty solid all-around shortstop as long as he adds some muscle to his frame (55 grade overall). OF Wendell Fairley was a guy I really liked when they drafted him, but he is fighting to just get himself into plans as being an organizational guy. He has a fast swing, but he struggles to recognize pitches or to get his front foot down, slowing his ability to recognize pitches. Best case for him now is to be a 4th OF unless he makes some big time improvements. C Matt Klimas projects to me as an organizational catcher, a guy who you stick in AAA and just wait and see if something happens to necessitate a call-up. Profiles as an average back-up catcher.

Toronto Blue Jays:
C J.P. Arencibia had his first real step back this past year. He still shows his great power bat (projecting to hit for 15-20 home runs in the majors) but he can not recognize sliders and is a very aggressive hitter who will get himself out. This year is the year he shows whether he is just another good defense, power hitting back-up catcher or one who has the ability to adjust and be a solid starter. My money is on the back-up.

Washington Nationals:
RHP Ryan Mattheus, who was acquired from the Colorado Rockies for Joe Beimel, went down with an arm injury that will likely cost him most or all of the upcoming 2010 season. Before the injury, he featured a fastball, slider and splitter. His fastball looked to be at about average to slightly above major league average in regards to velocity, but was pretty straight that he missed with in the middle of the plate. Both his slider (which is his out pitch) and his splitter flash as slightly above average, but he isn't consistent with them.

I will now be breaking down a couple things before the start of the season (and my job) in this order:

1) Break down as many of AAA Durham's home games with pitchers of note to get an idea on their stuff and velocities.

2) Break down as many of AAA Syracuse's games with all players still on the Nationals roster.

3) Break down as many of Low-A Lexington's games to get an idea for the next wave of guys.

If you have any questions on any of this or have a specific player you want me to look at, feel free to let me know at kaytea@bluffton.edu