Off-season Divisional Prospect News

[TheCrew07]

Normally I've waited until the regular season to share prospect news outside of the Brewer of the organization, but the most recent Reds' article had some interesting tidbits:

 

The Reds have told Lorenzen, a first-team All-American as an outfielder and closer at Cal State-Fullerton, that he’s only pitching. His career as an center fielder... ...is over.

 

...Still, the Reds see value in him as a starting pitcher and invited him to big league camp this spring with the idea of him starting.

 

The environment in the Reds clubhouse has helped as he said he’s talked to Reds lefthander Tony Cingrani, another former college-closer-turned-starter by the Reds. Cingrani, taken in the third round of the 2011 draft, made his big league debut in 2012 and was 7-4 with a 2.92 ERA in 23 games and 18 starts last season.

Here's hoping he ends up as a bullpen option, another closer turned #2 starter like Cingrani wouldn't be good for us.

 

• Righthander Jose “Jumbo” Diaz is noticeably less jumbo this season. The 6-foot-4 Diaz said he weighed 347 pounds when he started his diet this offseason and reported to Reds camp at 276 pounds.

Regardless of his prospect status, that's an admirable accomplishment!

[TheCrew07]

On second thought I'll just start pushing prospect news as I come across it.

 

Heredia Comes To Camp Looking More Svelte

[TheCrew07]

Q&A: Stephenson running up Reds' ladder

[TooLiveBrew]

On second thought I'll just start pushing prospect news as I come across it.

 

Heredia Comes To Camp Looking More Svelte

Keep it coming! You're a machine.

[jerichoholicninja]

This has to be posted about Jumbo Diaz.

 

One of the reasons I love baseball is because it is the ultimate everyman sport. You can take as little care of yourself as David Wells, and still make millions of dollars a year as an “athlete” because all you have to do is hurl a ball 95 mph or hit it 410 feet. That’s why I absolutely adore 350-pound pitcher Jose “Jumbo” Diaz for stealing third base for his Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

Now, there is a three-fold amazingness to this clip. It isn’t just the fact that Diaz, a pitcher roughly the size of Vince Wilfork, stole a base. It was the nutty things that had to happen for him to get there.

 

A) There was absolutely no conceivable reason Jose Diaz should have been batting in the first place. He is a minor-league relief pitcher making his second ever professional at-bat. He was in the lineup as a second baseman though, and when your number is called, you’ve just gotta suck it up and answer.

 

B) By the grace of God, Diaz made contact. Of course, it wasn’t great contact and a first baseman had to make an error to allow Diaz to reach safely, which is more commonplace in the minors, but it was no ordinary minor-league first baseman playing for the Louisville Bats – it was a rehabbing 2010 NL MVP Joey Votto. Votto bobbled the ball trying to field it, and overthrew the pitcher covering first, allowing Diaz to advance to second.

 

C) Not only did he attempt to steal third — he did so cleanly, without a throw from the defense. That wound up being costly as Diaz was driven in by the very next batter.

 

So he’s not exactly Rickey Henderson, I get it. He didn’t do much to really produce the stolen base, but look how excited he is, and look how in-stitches all of his teammates are. It’s a moment the big fella will always have.

 

http://www.sportsgrid.com/mlb/watch-a-350-pound-minor-league-pitcher-steal-third-base-cleanly-and-not-hurt-himself/

[TheCrew07]

Jordan Swagerty is a RHP and 2nd round draft pick from 2010.

 

Does Cardinals Prospect Have His Swagger Back?

[TheCrew07]

Cubs' Bryant goes yard for first spring hit

[TheCrew07]

Polanco blasts solo shot in Pirates' win

[nate82]

Not a divisional prospect but the Twins prospect Miguel Sano to have Tommy John surgery.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/north/story/twins-prospect-sano-to-have-tommy-john-surgery-030114

[TheCrew07]

Not a divisional prospect but the Twins prospect Miguel Sano to have Tommy John surgery.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/north/story/twins-prospect-sano-to-have-tommy-john-surgery-030114

 

There is already a separate Sano thread started earlier today, please direct conversation there and keep this strictly a divisional prospect thread.

[TheCrew07]

A bunch of prospect stat lines from across the league below the mini story.

 

Olt comes through for Cubs in the clutch

[jjkoestler]

Thanks for all the links, Crew07. Keep them coming.

[TheCrew07]

Waiting for a remote install to finish is incredibly boring and tedious work, so I thought I'd post the top 10 prospects for the division prospects from BA, BP, and FanGraphs while I sit here doing nothing. I excluded the Brewers as we have a separate thread dedicated to our own.

 

Baseball America

2014 Chicago Cubs Top 10 Prospects

2014 Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects

2014 Pittsburgh Pirates Top 10 Prospects

2014 St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Prospects

 

Baseball Prospectus

Chicago Cubs Top 10 Prospects

Cincinnati Reds Top 10 Prospects

Pittsburgh Pirates Top 10 Prospects

St. Louis Cardinals Top 10 Prospects

 

FanGraphs

2014 Top 10 Prospects: Chicago Cubs

2014 Top 10 Prospects: Cincinnati Reds

2014 Top 10 Prospects: Pittsburgh Pirates

2014 Top 10 Prospects: St. Louis Cardinals

[TheCrew07]

Live arms: Projecting NL rookie hurlers

[TheCrew07]

Ask BA: The Top 100 Prospect Also-Rans, From A.J. Cole To Yorman Rodriguez

[Kelbysdaddy]

Having 5 prospects at 100-150 kinda makes me feel better about only 1 top 100.

[TheCrew07]

Catching up...

 

Cubs prospects Baez, Olt tee off in loss

 

Cubs' Bryant, Indians' Lindor sent down

 

Hamilton remains hot for Cincinnati

 

Bucs send Taillon down in first wave of cuts

 

Reds' Hamilton steals two against Mariners

[jerichoholicninja]

I wonder how much Dusty Baker rubbed off on Bryan Price. Hamilton is going to steal 60+ bases but probably have an OBP about .300. Dusty would hit him leadoff 162 times, hopefully for the Reds sake Price is smarter than that.

[TheCrew07]

Cubs’ Diligence Pays Off On Jen-Ho Tseng (Video)

[TheCrew07]

Alcantara boasts perfect day at plate

[TheCrew07]

Pirates option Polanco to Indianapolis

[TheCrew07]

Cards' Taveras, Red Sox quintet among cuts

[TheCrew07]

I admit I have no rational reason behind the fact that I read minoring in twitter every single time it is posted, but I do.

 

Minoring in Twitter: How players survive long bus rides

[TheCrew07]

Red-hot Wong smacks three hits for Cards

[TheCrew07]

Cubs' Baez blasts fourth spring home run