Most teams have made their final cuts of spring training over the past few days. This means that the remaining players not cut will more than likely spend the remainder of the spring with their respective teams. We’ve listed below the more noteworthy prospects who have been sent back to the minors:
Pirates prospect Steve Pearce will be making the full transition from first base to right field, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports. The Pirates gave the news to Pearce on Monday morning, moments after they met with 12 players to send them down to Minor League camp. Pearce was relieved that the subject of his meeting was different.
“I thought I was adios,” Pearce said afterward.
This can be seen as mildly good news since Pearce, while leading the team in HRs, RBIs, and total bases this spring, would have had a tough time making the team at first with Adam LaRoche expected to be around for years to come. Pearce still isn’t likely to start however because Xavier Nady is at right field for now, and GM Neal Huntington has made it pretty clear that Pearce won’t be on the team as a bench player.
“That’s not in their best developmental interest,” Huntington said. “If there is regular opportunity for regular at-bats, then it makes sense for them to be on our club. If not, it makes sense for them to be in the Minor Leagues.”
So, unless Xavier Nady gets traded soon, Pearce will probably start in the Minors and could get called up mid-season once he has more at-bats under his belt. Fantasy managers should look to pick him up off the waivers when he does.
Guess who leads the Pirates in HR, RBI and SB this spring? It’s not Jason Bay, nor Adam LaRoche. It’s 25-year-old 1B/OF prospect Steve Pearce, with 18 SB, 8 RBI, and 3 HR. He’s been working hard and tearing it up, trying to impress the coaches enough that they will be forced to include him on the Pirates 25-man roster for the start of the 2008 season.
“Right now, I know what they are saying, but I’m still going to come out here every day and fight for a job.”
If he keeps on playing the way he has been, it will be very hard for the higher-ups in Pittsburgh to ignore this kid. He’s not draftable in your fantasy leagues yet, but keep an eye on him as the season progresses. He could be one of those lightning in a bottle waiver wire pickups we all love.
Mets’ starting OF Moises Alou is going to miss at least 4-6 weeks with a hernia. While this is bad news for Mets fans, it could be good news for prospect Fernando Martinez. With all the injuries affecting the Mets starters, there may be a need to expedite the call-ups of their prospects.
Dbacks RHP Max Scherzer had a rough outing today. He gave up 3 ER in two innings with 2 HR, 4 H and a wild pitch. He did also have 4 K, showing signs of his ability. ESPN’s Keith Law doesn’t think Scherzer has the command or durability to be a starter, but thinks he could be a solid reliever.
The Nationals reassigned 16 players to their minor league camp today. Among the 16 were southpaw prospects Ross Detwiler, the 6th overall pick in the Draft, and Josh Smoker. We might see Detwiler as a September call-up again, but more than likely he won’t join the rotation until 2009. Smoker is only 19, so he’s got a few years down on the farm before he’ll be fantasy relevant.
According to the ESPN Spring Training Blog, Marlins skipper Fredi Gonzalez expects to see Cameron Maybin back in the lineup sometime this week. Good news for Maybin, as he’ll need all the time he can get if he’s going to win that CF job.
Kosuke Fukudome has been struggling at the plate so far this spring. Cubs new manager Lou Piniella is going to try moving Fukudome from 3rd to 2nd in the lineup, hoping that it will put the Japanese import at ease. Fukudome’s defense has been top notch all spring, however. As long as Fukudome remains at the top of that stacked Cubs order, he’s in line for a great rookie season.
Very interesting article today in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about 3B prospect Neil Walker. Apparently the Pirates organization has issued a challenge to Walker to get in better shape to be able to handle the rigors of a full season at 3B. Walker has encountered injury or late-season fatigue in each of his pro seasons. He’s only 22, though, so hopefully he can turn things around and realize the lofty projections scouts have put on him.
Astros’ prospect Felipe Paulino continues to impress new Houston manager Cecil Cooper as he battles for a spot on the team’s rotation. Cooper said that Paulino’s outing was the second most impressive all camp, behind only Wandy Rodriguez. If Paulino makes the rotation, he could be a major sleeper this year.
An injury update today on Orioles’ pitching prospect, Troy Patton, and it isn’t good. Nothing conclusive has been released yet, but all indications are that Patton will miss the 2008 season because of his shoulder. This is a real bummer too, as Patton was practically a shoe-in for a roster spot.
Giants IF Eugenio Velez had 3 SB in their game against the Cubs today. That gives the speedster 5 already in spring training. The Giants’ infield is still in total flux. Velez could definitely be a fantasy sleeper in the SB category if he’s given enough chances.
Should Atlanta’s new CF Mark Kotsay get injured, the Braves have plenty of top prospects ready to take his place. Top rated prospect Jordan Schafer has impressed Bobby Cox so far in camp, and some think he could be called up this summer. Fellow prospect Brandon Jones is the current front-runner for the 4th OF position, but coaches say speedster Josh Anderson is challenging him for that title.
Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote a great story about Pirates OF prospect Steve Pearce. The kid has mashed at every level, and is continuing to do so this spring. But GM Neal Huntington still thinks the club will start Pearce at AAA this year. It’s no slight against Pearce’s abilities; according to Huntington it’s more about the team already having veteran outfielders in place. Keep an eye on this guy when he does get the call-up.
The Rockies 3B prospect, Ian Stewart, continues to struggle a bit with the transition to 2B. He’ll need to figure this transition out if he plans to make it in Denver any time soon; Atkins has 3B nailed down for the foreseeable future, as does Tulo at SS.
Max Scherzer, The DBacks top draft pick in 2007, pitched two innings today and gave up a monster bomb to Joe Crede. But, it was the only hit he gave up.
Mariners’ OF prospect Wladimir Balentien had quite a game today. He hit 2 HR with 3 RBI. In the same game, Padres 3B/OF prospect Chase Headley hit a 2-run HR with 4 RBI.
Lisa Winston of MLB.com reports that the top prospect in the Pirates system,
Andrew McCutchen, is ready to make a big splash this year. At 21 years old, he’s got it all; speed, power, and defense. Last year in Double-A Altoona he had a slow start, but hit over .300 from July on with 10 homers, 48 RBIs and 17 steals. When he got moved to Indianapolis he hit .313.
Check out these two videos highlighting McCutchen’s bat speed and explosive acceleration
Although they probably won’t be ready for big-league action until 2009, Pirates RHP Yoslan Herrera and LHP Danny Moskos have already shown that they may not be too far away. Jim Molony of MLB.com reports that Herrera pitched two scoreless innings for the win and Moskos pitched a perfect inning in relief as Pittsburgh beat Manatee Community College 5-0 on Wednesday. Pirates manager John Russell praised the 21-year-old Moskos for making adjustments in the unseasonably cold weather, keeping the ball down and throwing strikes. Moskos, last year’s fourth overall pick out of Clemson, will most likely begin the season in Class A after averaging over a K/9 last season between Rookie Ball and Class A. Herrera is listed on the Pirates 40-man roster, but will most likely develop more at AA-Altoona, where he went 6-9 with a 4.69 ERA.
According to Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com, 1B/OF Steve Pearce will most likely begin the season at AAA-Indianapolis. Baseball America’s #89 prospect hit .294 in his one-month cup of coffee with the Pirates last season, but will start the 2008 season in AAA where he can be assured of playing every day. Pearce started last year at A-Lynchburg, but tore through the Pirates system, ending the year with AAA-Indianapolis. He was eventually named MLB.com’s Minor League Player of the Year, hitting a combined .333, with 31 HR and 113 RBI. Fantasy owners should note that although he begins the season on the farm, his skills will not keep him there for long and he could end up with the big club before the summer ends.
Now that spring training is well underway, here is some buzz from around the camps:
Pirates prospect Brad Lincoln is making a return from reconstructive elbow surgery from April 3, 2007. Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that the 22 year old threw his first bullpen session Jan. 28.
While it might be a year or two away, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers made a very strong deal when they traded away Mark Teixeira for prospects including short stop Elvis Andrus and pitcher Neftali Feliz. Both players are 19. Andrus has tremendous fielding and offensive potential and will most likely start at Double A Frisco this year. Feliz throws 95 mph with “no effort”, however the Rangers will probably bide their time with him to make sure he fully matures.
Clay Buchholz bedazzled the Red Sox slugging section on Tuesday, facing David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Mike Lowell in a 40 pitch session, says Rob Bradford of the Boston Herald. Buchholz was “filthy” according to Kevin Cash. He is penciled in to start Sunday against the Twins. Needless to say, this is a sleeper stud that you should definitely draft in your fantasy league this year.
“Ladies and Gentlemen… Elvis has left the building.”
