2014 Regular Season Divisional Prospect News

[TooLiveBrew]

TC07, hope you don't mind me taking the liberty of starting this. Felt this tidbit warranted discussion, & time is right to move away from an 'offseason'-titled thread.

 

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Pirates beat writer Bill Brink tweet:

 

Jameson Taillon will have Tommy John surgery.

 

From the Pirates' official Twitter account:

 

Jameson Taillon has been diagnosed w/an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow & has elected to have Tommy John Surgery

[TheCrew07]

I'm not surprised, it was looking that way based on the "forearm injury" reports, just like "elbow tendonitis" or any other generic injury term for a pitcher's throwing arm.

 

That's too bad for him and the Pirates, obviously setting his development back at least a year, but that's really good for the big league Brewers as it means the Pirates don't have any impact reinforcements coming.

 

Now that I'm thinking about it, instead of dropping the divisional news in the LRs I'll use this thread, good idea TLB.

[TheCrew07]

MiLB's story, I'm sure BA will have one on this as well.

Pirates' Taillon to have Tommy John surgery

 

You know the Brewers could have just about taken any pitcher besides the 2 they did in the first round of the '11 draft and it would have worked out wonderfully. Robert Stephenson starts right where he left off, he's not long for the minors, if he stays healthy he could be in the Red's rotation next year.

Wahoos' Stephenson fans career-high 11

 

Already discussed in yesterday's LR as this was our A+ squad on the wrong end... Tayler Scott was a 5th round (HS) pick of the Cubs in 2011.

Scott shines in Florida State League debut

 

CJ Edwards continues to impress for the Cubs since being acquired from TX... every once in a while Daniels make's a trade that's just awful.

Edwards cruises in Double-A debut

[TheCrew07]

Of course right after I hit submit... here's BA's story on Taillon.

 

Pirates’ Taillon To Have Tommy John Surgery

[TheCrew07]

A very detailed look at the pitching in the Cubs system

[TheCrew07]

Scroll down to the "Quick Pitches" portion of the article for many divisional prospect updates. The video is on some White Sox prospects.

 

Minor League Roundup: Hawkins Is Starting Fresh (VIDEO)

[TheCrew07]

Oddly they posted the chat before the actual Hot Sheet. Here's the link to the chat.

 

Prospect Hot Sheet Chat With Matt Eddy (April 11)

[TheCrew07]

Ya, the Memphis outfield is loaded, I hate being jealous of the Cards.

 

Piscotty, Redbirds pack offensive punch

[TheCrew07]

Many here will remember Darren, hopefully he has a speedy recovery.

 

Fresno's Ford carted off field after collision

[TheCrew07]

Missed this earlier in the week. Kyle Helisek was a 30th round pick of the Cards in 2012.

 

Helisek puts up zeros in FSL debut

[TheCrew07]

Also missed this earlier in the week, I posted an article in the off-season thread about Michael Lorenzen of the Reds, last year's 1st round (38th) selection. The Stars will see him this season.

 

Lorenzen finds routine in the rotation

[TheCrew07]

Still catching up but Ben Lively was a 4th round selection of the Reds last year.

 

Lively near perfect in Cal League debut

[TheCrew07]

Tyrone Taylor in the team photo!

 

Prospect Hot Sheet (April 11): Pederson’s Tool Set Plays At Triple-A (VIDEO)

 

4. Robert Stephenson, rhp, Reds

Team: Double-A Pensacola (Southern)

Age: 21

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 1 GS, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 SO

 

The Scoop: What’s not to like about a starting pitcher with a 95-100 mph fastball, a freeze-your-brain curveball and a useful changeup? Stephenson carved a path through the Tennessee lineup in his 2014 debut. Only one hitter pulled a ball against him and only two balls left the infield.

10. Tim Cooney, lhp, Cardinals

Team: Triple-A Memphis (Pacific Coast)

Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 2-0, 0.73, 12 1/3 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 12 SO

 

The Scoop: Cooney has put himself a short step from the big leagues less than two years after being drafted. His first two starts of 2014 have done nothing to slow his momentum. In his first outing—against an Iowa club that includes No. 5 overall prospect Javier Baez—Cooney pitched shutout ball over six innings with nine strikeouts. In start No. 2, against Omaha, Coone went 6 1/3 innings, giving up just five hits and a run with five punchouts.

11. James Ramsey, rf/cf, Cardinals

Team: Double-A Springfield (Texas)

Age: 24.

Why’s He Here: .464/.516/.857 (13-for-28), 6 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 BB, 4 SO

 

The Scoop: In another system, Ramsey would be adjusting to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League right now. But with Oscar Taveras, Randal Grichuk, Stephen Piscotty and Tommy Pham in Triple-A, Ramsey gets to take a second swing at the Texas League. With a .251 average last year and 108 strikeouts, Ramsey had some room for refinement. So far, so good.

 

IN THE TEAM PHOTO

 

Tyrone Taylor, cf, Brewers. Milwaukee could use some good news out of its farm system. Taylor’s hot start for high Class A Brevard County has helped, as the 20-year-old is hitting .321/.406/.571 with seven doubles through seven games.

[TheCrew07]

Plenty of divisional notes including Arodys Vizcaino of the Cubs and his impressive return to action this week.

 

Minor League Roundup: It’s Friday, Friday

[TheCrew07]

Oddly they posted the chat before the actual Hot Sheet. Here's the link to the chat.

 

Prospect Hot Sheet Chat With Matt Eddy (April 11)

 

Cal Guy (Cal): Stephenson, Giolito, and Sanchez are all off to good starts to the season. Who do you think goes on to have the best career?

 

Matt Eddy: I think I’d take Stephenson, though I’d love to study the issue more. If you grade the stuff as more or less equal, Stephenson has three things going for him: 1. he ranks highest on the Top 100 Prospects, 2. he has a clean bill of health with no injury trouble to date, and 3. he’s advanced rapidly in tje minors without missing a beat.

Peter (Toronto): Did Piscotty'slack of power keep him off the list or just not enough slots to go around. Thanks

 

Matt Eddy: He had a strong week at Triple-A Memphis, batting .414 with 3 2B, 3 BB, 1 SB and 8 RBIs. Only a numbers game kept him out of the top 20, but you could make a strong case for his inclusion.

Shawn (Manitowoc, WI): If Tyrone Taylor's doubles start going over the fence on a more consistent basis, what kind of player can Brewer fans be looking at. His profile seems to remind a lot of a guy like Joc Pederson.

 

Matt Eddy: The Florida State League is such a tough environment for young hitters with power that I thought Taylor’s week was one of the most impressive, with 7 2B, a 4/3 BB/SO ratio and plenty of hard contact. I see what you’re going for by invoking Pederson, but I’d prefer to find a RH-hitting comp.

JP (Tkts): Who do we see in MLB first, Gregory Polanco or Archie Bradley?

 

Matt Eddy: Travis Snider has a couple homers and a serviceable .333 OBP as the Pirates’ RF, while the D-backs just signed Randy Wolf to a minor league deal to provide depth. If we read the tea leaves, Given that, plus the fact that he could be one pitcher injury away from a promotion to Arizona, I’d say Bradley is closer.

Gregory Polanco (Indianapolis, IN): What did I do wrong?

 

Matt Eddy: Extra experience facing crafty Triple-A pitchers never hurt anybody, but of course every organization is mindful of one number over all others when it comes to prospects: 172. That’s the number of days that constitute a full season of service time. So long as Polanco logs anything fewer than 172 days this year, then he’ll finish the 2014 season with less than one year of service. Therefore, the Pirates retain his rights through 2020, instead of 2019.

[TheCrew07]

Tribe's Polanco extends hit streak to eight

[TheCrew07]

Redbirds' Taveras heats up after cool start

[TheCrew07]

Shaping up to be a tough year pitching wise for the Pirates. Taillon needs TJ, Glasnow still hasn't returned from a non throwing issue (I want to say back or hamstring), and now Heredia leaves early.

 

Heredia pulled with shoulder discomfort

Pirates No. 10 prospect taken out after throwing one pitch for Power

[TheCrew07]

Almora breaks out in Florida State League

Cubs prospect homers, drives in three runs following team meetings

[TheCrew07]

Weiss legs out inside-the-park grand slam

Pirates infielder uses wheels to record first pro roundtripper for Power

[TheCrew07]

Plenty of Divisional notes in this one, MH already quoted the Clint Coulter part in today's LR.

 

Minor League Roundup: The Weekend

[TheCrew07]

I-Cubs place Baez on disabled list

Top prospect injured while fielding grounders in batting practice

[TheCrew07]

IL notes: Prospects abound at Triple-A

Pirates' Polanco, Phils' Franco start season in International League

 

Interesting quote:

 

Riggleman, who last season had two of the Reds' top prospects in outfielder Billy Hamilton and pitcher Tony Cingrani, said his experience is that pitchers move more quickly to the Major Leagues than hitters.

 

"In a perfect world, you would like position players to get 300-500 at-bats, even though they are doing well and playing well," Riggleman said. "With pitching, need arises so much in the Major Leagues, it seems teams are having to call on young prospects to pitch quickly. If they are throwing strikes and their arms are in good shape, there's no holding them back."

 

Riggleman added that watching the "stuff" of a pitcher will generally tell you if he can make the jump to the next level, but position players are a little less certain.

 

"With a prospect, you generally assume they can play their position," Riggleman said. "In terms of evaluation, you just don't know if a guy will hit in the big leagues until they play in the big leagues.

 

"Even for guys who get to the big leagues quickly, there's a chance they may not hit at that level."

[TheCrew07]

More on Taillon from the Pirate's beat writer, also the Glasnow DL stint is a back issue.

 

Taillon’s Season Ends Before It Begins

[TheCrew07]

The Cubs are continually looking to expand their pitching base.

 

Arms Race Not Over For Cubs