Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News writes that Rockies 2B Jayson Nix already has the awareness of a veteran after making his major league debut this week. Nix drew a two-out, bases loaded walk in the eighth inning to force in the go-ahead run in Colorado’s 2-1 victory over St. Louis. A one-time organizational top-prospect and the Rockies’ first pick in the 2001 draft, Nix finally got his chance to play this year after seven years in the minors. Once considered a bit suspect, Nix is well on his way to solidifying his starting role at 2B. Although there is an uncharacteristically large amount of depth at 2B in fantasy leagues this season, owners in NL-only and deeper mixed leagues should keep Nix on their radars as he may be part of that great depth by the end of the season.

According to Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News, Franklin Morales was named the fifth starter by manager Clint Hurdle. Jeff Francis will start the season opener against St. Louis and Morales will make his first appearance on April 6th against Arizona. Morales was 1-2 this spring with a 6.65 ERA.

Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports that manager Clint Hurdle has named prospect Jayson Nix as starting second baseman. Nix is batting .300 this spring and beat out veteran Marcus Giles for the job.  While he has hit pretty well this spring, it is his glove that earned him this promotion.  Unless your fantasy league rewards for defense or you’re in a deep NL-only league, don’t expect much from Nix.

Thomas Harding of MLB.com argues that the velocity drop seen with Rockies SP Franklin Morales this Spring is actually a good thing.  He argues that when Morales is throwing in the low 90-s he has an easier arm action on his fastball, one that he uses when throwing his breaking ball.  I could definitely see how this could make his breaking ball far less effective, but it doesn’t change the fact that Morales has really been struggling with his consistency more than anything else this spring.

Earlier this week we listed the top prospects getting cut from the Rays, Indians, Pirates, Nationals, Rockies, Rangers, Red Sox, Twins, Angels, and Orioles.  We’ve listed below a handful of prospects who have been cut since then.

• Beau Mills, 3B/1B, Indians
• Trevor Crowe, OF, Indians
• Matt LaPorta, OF, Brewers
• Phillipe Aumont, RHP, Mariners
• Robinzon Diaz, C, Blue Jays
• Charlie Morton, RHP, Braves
• Tyler Flowers, C/1B, Braves
• Brett Sinkbeil, RHP, Marlins
• Lance Broadway, RHP, White Sox
• Rick Porcello, RHP, Tigers
• Dexter Fowler, OF, Rockies
• Chris Nelson, SS, Rockies
• Jeff Samardzija, RHP, Cubs
• John Bowker, OF, Giants

Top prospect Franklin Morales had a very rough outing on Friday. In 2.2 IP Morales surrendered 9 runs (5 ER) on 10 hits, 2 HR, 2 BB and a balk. It was a far cry from his strong outing against the Giants earlier in the week. It also doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the Rockies starting rotation. Rockies’ skipper Clint Hurdle had this to say about Morales making the rotation:

“Today wasn’t his best outing. But he didn’t make the club after his last start, and didn’t not make the club after this start. The most exact way to put it is that he has work to do. Does he still have time to get back on track to pitch in the season? Sure he does. All he’s got to do is have one good outing next time and your story will be different.”

Obviously Morales’ lofty ranking on our 2008 rookie sleeper list is largely contingent on him starting for Colorado. We’ll monitor this situation closely to see if Morales can pull his act together.

As usual, some great prospect tidbits out of a few blog entries by ESPN’s Keith Law (Link to first entry; Link to second entry). Law is in Arizona with his family, and these are a few notable comments he had about a few prospects he watched play. Gives you a more scout-like perspective of how these guys are playing.

• Law saw Angels’ top pitching prospect Nick Adenhart pitch four innings against the A’s. His two best pitches, a late-action two-seamer fastball and a deep breaking curveball, both looked very good and were well used by Adenhart. His third pitch, a changeup, wasn’t performing quite as well. Adenhart will need to develop his ability to use this pitch if he’s to realize the lofty projections anointed him.
• We’ve mentioned the huge three-run bomb that A’s prospect Daric Barton hit in his first game back after injuring his wrist. Well, Law cautions that we shouldn’t get too excited about this HR as it was hit off of non-prospect Matt Wilhite, whose arm-slot is uber conducive to a swing like Barton’s.
• Bad news on one of our top rookie breakout candidates, Rockies’ SP Franklin Morales. We were excited by the news that Cook and Hirsch had both been temporarily shelved, seemingly opening a door in the rotation for Morales. Law noticed, however, that Morales’ velocity was way down at a point in the spring where most pitchers are getting up to their normal speeds. Law spoke with a scout who had noticed the same thing in his previous start as well. Let’s be clear, it was Morales mid to high 90’s velocity coupled with his devastating slider that made him look so good last year. If he doesn’t have that stuff back come season start, Morales could be in a world of hurt.
• We’ve also noted that Rockies prospect Jayson Nix appears to be the front runner for the starting 2B job. Law thinks it will be a short-lived tenure for Nix, though. He notes that Nix’s swing is too long, and he struggles to connect with any decent fastball or breaking ball.
• Law also watched Giants flamethrower Erik Threets in one inning of work. Law wasn’t too enamored with Threets, who surprised him with a solid inning of work. Threets is throwing in the mid to high 90’s, but doesn’t have a second pitch to back it up.

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:

• Wade Davis, RHP, Rays
• Jake McGee, LHP, Rays
• Adam Miller, RHP, Indians
• Chuck Lofgren, LHP, Indians
• Mike Aubrey, 1B, Indians
• Danny Moskos, LHP, Pirates
• Collin Balester, RHP, Nationals
• Tyler Clippard, RHP, Nationals
• Garrett Mock, RHP, Nationals
• Ross Detwiler, LHP, Nationals
• Greg Reynolds, RHP, Rockies
• Casey Weathers, RHP, Rockies
• Max Ramirez, C, Rangers
• Chris Davis, 1B, Rangers
• German Duran, 2B, Rangers
• Elvis Andrus, SS, Rangers
• Justin Masterson,  RHP, Red Sox
• Michael Bowden, RHP, Red Sox
• Deolis Guerra, RHP, Twins
• Jordan Walden, RHP, Angels
• Matt Wieters, C, Orioles

• The Rockies have two vacant spots in their starting rotation and left hander Frankie Morales is pitching like he wants to fill one of them. Morales threw 3 innings Wednesday, allowing 1 earned run and walking 2 in a respectable outing against a solid White Sox lineup, and went 4 innings on Sunday giving up 1 run, 3 hits, and a walk against the Giants.  He felt good about his command and feels like his secondary pitches (changeup and curve) are rounding into form. Catcher Yorvit Torrealba and Manager Clint Hurdle are please with the 22-year-old’s development, although he has a tendency to get a little energetic when he’s ahead in the count.  The extra effort he exerts to finish hitters off tends to elevate his pitches in the zone, something Morales has been working on with veteran Torrealba.  One would expect that a few more starts will help him temper his two-strike exuberance.
• Clay Buchholz has been working to correct his mechanics, specifically straightening out the arch in his back on delivery. Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell seems to think that this, and maybe some first inning jitters, are causing him to leave pitches up in the zone. Whatever the reason, in his last two outings, Sunday and Friday, the young right-hander has been knocked around for 7 total runs, including home runs on consecutive pitches to the Twins’ Justin Morneau and Craig Monroe. Still, the kid has stupendous stuff, and that is likely to get him through a period where he finds out how mistake pitches are punished by major league hitters. If he doesn’t start the season in the Red Sox rotation, it won’t be long before earns his spot.
• Sometimes you just have to put conservative attitudes aside and look at what’s right in front of you.   19-year-old Clayton Kershaw has all the makings of a future star: high 90s heat, a power curve, and a changeup that he really only needs to use 4 or 5 times a game… and he’s left-handed.  Dodgers catcher Russell Martin’s praise begins to answer questions about the risks of turning the kid loose in the big leagues sooner than later.  If his mechanics are so sound and his delivery is so relaxed, there doesn’t appear to be much of an injury risk.  Combine that with his pitch arsenal, and there’s not a whole lot of downside.  In his first appearance with the big league ST camp yesterday Kershaw faced three players, and he retired all three of them.  Ken Gurnick of MLB.com says it’s a three way race for the 5th spot in the Dodgers’ rotation, with Esteban Loiaza as the clear front-runner.

• 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.
• In the same game, Giants 2B prospect Travis Denker had a double and a HR with 3 RBI. Denker was the player to be named in the Mark Sweeney trade with the Dodgers. He is not regarded as a top prospect, but with a strong spring and the Giants current IF situation, I guess anything is possible.
• Top 10 overall prospect Franklin Morales knows that he isn’t a shoe in for the Rockies’ opening day rotation. With his incredible upside he has to be considered the favorite at this point, but he could easily lose his spot to one of the veterans in camp if he shows any signs of weakness. It doesn’t help that his main competition, Josh Towers, had a great outing today.
• 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.