MLB Prospect Watch

Prospect Action - 5/31/12

Triple-A

• Mike Montgomery has struggled this season, but his latest start on Thrusday showed us why the Royals consider him to be such a big part of their future, notes Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com, as the lefty threw no-hit baseball into the sixth inning before getting tagged for a solo homer by Cubs prospect Brett Jackson.  Wil Myers also homered in the game in support of Montgomery.
• Tom Koehler threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings, picking up his sixth win of the season, says Alex Cassara of The New Orleans Times-Picayune.  Koehler has now turned in a quality start in six of his last seven starts.
• Mariners 3B prospect Vinny Catricala hit a home run off of Diamondbacks prospect Pat Corbin, reports Mike Curto of The [Tacoma] News Tribune.  After a hot spring, Catricala has struggled in Triple-A this season, batting just .223 and now with just three home runs on the season.

Double-A

• Bryce Brentz went 5-for-5 with three doubles on Thursday, says Andrew Pentis of MilB.com, as the Red Sox prospect brought his batting average above the .300 mark to .306.  Brentz continues to hit, still stikes out too much and continues to display no control over the strike zone.  Much like his first-half last season when he batted .359 in Low-A ball, Brentz is once again benefiting from an unsustainable BABIP that's sitting over .400.
• Yankees OF prospect Cody Johnson hit his 14th home run of the season, which leads the Eastern League, notes The Erie Times-News.  Johnson continues to strike out, with 61 whiffs in 45 games, 
• Zack Wheeler threw seven innings, allowing just one run and striking out eight, reports Ashley Marshall of MiLB.com.  The Mets prospect improved to 5-2 on the season and lowered his ERA to 1.88.

High-A

• Brandon Workman continues to go deep into games (by minor league standards), throwing six innings for the second straight start, according to Danny Wild of MiLB.com, this time allowing just two hits and fanning six.
• Bobby Borchering and Chris Owings both homered in support of David Holmberg, who struck out 10 batters in seven strong innings, but it wasn't enough of a cushion for their bullpen, who blew his lead and ultimately the game.

Low-A

• Not known for his speed, Tigers first base prospect Aaron Westlake ripped a game-tying triple on Thursday, notes MLive.com.
• Jose Fernandez continued his dominance of the South Atlantic League, as the Marlins prospect struck out eight batters in six more scoreless innings, writes David Heck of MiLB.com.
• Gary Sanchez continues to make his case for a promotion, blasting two more home runs on Thursday, adds Heck.

 

The Marlins Options for Matt Dominguez

In March of 2011, Matt Dominguez headed to Jupiter, Florida with a legitimate chance to make the then Florida Marlins major league roster as the team's Opening Day third baseman.  The team didn't have a great internal option at the hot corner, wasn't expected to be terribly competitive, and Dominguez's defensive reputation at third base was enough to make up for the questions surrounding his bat.

That March didn't go as planned for Dominguez.  Even though the offensive expectations for him were pretty low, he hit poorly enough to lose the battle to a Greg Dobbs/Wes Helms platoon.  To make matters worse, about a week later in a Triple-A pre-season game, Dominguez was hit in the elbow by a pitch, causing him to miss the entire month of April.

The unfortunate two-month stretch did little to dinge Dominguez's status as a prospect, which, while not among the game's elite minor leaguers, still has him pegged as a major league regular.  Upon return from injury, he hit .258/.312/.431 in his first taste of Triple-A, which, while not extraordinary, was on par with his career norms.

At his best, Dominguez is projected to hit between .250-.270, between 15-20 home runs and play gold glove-caliber defense at third base.  The problem now for the Marlins, is that third base is occupied until at least 2014.

The now Miami Marlins kicked off an active off-season by signing free agent shortstop Jose Reyes, moving incumbent shortstop Hanley Ramirez to third base, and as a tertiary result, effectively ending Dominguez's career as the Marlins everyday third baseman before it ever started.

Back in Triple-A again, the now 22-year-old (and still perfectly young for his level) Dominguez has gotten off to a slow start thanks to a a little poor luck on balls in play (.233 BABIP), hitting just .225/.276/.357 thus far.  Two months of poor offense, however, still hasn't done much to diminsh the fact that Dominguez still has a future in the major leagues.

It just likely won't be in Miami.

The Marlins have a number of options with Dominguez.  They are, by no means, at the point where they need to move him.  At just 22, Dominguez could still develop further as a hitter, and while he'll likely never hit enough for his bat to carry him, it clearly doesn't have to.  Some added offensive potential, however, could take him from major league regular to borderline all-star, so even if that possibility is slight, it might behoove the Marlins to keep Dominguez in Triple-A for a while longer just in case.

Another possibility revolves around the fact that the Marlins will likely be in contention for a playoff spot this season, and currently have a third baseman who is still learning the position.  Dominguez could be a nice fit on this team in August and September as a defensive replacement for Ramirez in late innings.

The does have some holes on the major league roster, however, the biggest of which is in their bullpen, and Dominguez could be a nice option for them to make a trade without jeopardizing their future.

Let's face it - teams that are considering the Marlins as a trade deadline partner are going to ask first about Jose Fernandez and Christian Yelich, but unless the return is something substantial, the Marlins shouldn't part with either one of those former first-rounders.  Dominguez, however, could be a nice fit for teams when they explore their next option.

The Oakland A's, for instance, could have a few relievers that pique the Marlins interest come July.  Grant Balfour and early season feel-good story Ryan Cook could make nice additions to the Marlins bullpen, and the team doesn't currently have long-term solution at third base.  They would likely have interest in Dominguez.

The Minnesota Twins could also be a fit.  I know fans in the Twin Cities seem to be enamored with Danny Valencia, but his .494 OPS isn't quite cutting it for me, and it will still be a few years before Miguel Sano is anywhere near Target Field, if he's even still playing third base by that time.  Catcher/first baseman Ryan Doumit could be a nice fit for the Marlins bench and uncertain situation at first base, so there could be a potential fit there as well.

And this is the situation as we begin the month of June.  By the trade deadline, there could be more teams on the "seller" side of the equation, giving the Marlins more options.

If they choose to make a move.  They have a number of options with Dominguez, and it will likely come down to what they are offered in return for him.  The Marlins are in the envious position of not having their hand forced.  They do not need to move Dominguez, and could even see him contribute in the majors this year in a specific role.  But if they choose to upgrade their major league roster, they have a perfect trade piece that can help another team immediately without altering their future plans.

 

Twins Organizational Depth: Help from the Farm for Big League Problems

This week, Matt Fazio will give an overview of the Minnesota Twins.

The Minnesota Twins abysmal start raises questions as to where the problem lies. The 18-32 Twins have the worst record in the American League at the end of May. Though the Twins finished in last place in the Central in 2011 (63-99), the team was plagued with injuries to their key stars: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. The Twins made the playoffs back-to-back years in ’09 and ’10 and many thought that with a healthy lineup, they would at least compete in the Central this season.

Offensive talent such as Mauer and Morneau, and even newcomers like Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit are producing, yet the Twins continue to struggle. Though the bats could do more, the pitching has been the Twins fundamental problem for the 2012 season. The Twins currently have the worst ERA in all of baseball with a 5.25. The four starters on the team with more than five starts all have an ERA of at least 5.46. Francisco Liriano (7.20), Jason Marquis (8.47), Nick Blackburn (8.37), and Carl Pavano (5.46) are a combine 6-17. And to add to that atrocity, Anthony Swarak (5.75) and Liam Hendriks (9.00) give the team's six starters a total record of 6-23. On top of their starting pitching, the majority of their bullpen has struggled as well. Their closer Matt Capps is 0-3 with a 3.79 ERA. Alex Burnett is the only relief pitcher to have logged over 10 innings with an ERA under 3.00.

It is because of this dire need for pitching that I will discuss some of the options through the farm system of the Twins. Despite being a winning organization, they are not often known for big signings in the offseason. If the Twins want to be competitive it will have to start with pitching; and more than likely that will have to come from internal options.

According to MLB.com’s Top-20 rankings for the team, only three of the Twins top ten prospects are pitchers. The most alarming part about that is one of their top three pitchers, Hendriks, has already made it to the show and to this point has not been successful. In his eight career starts at the big league level, Hendriks is 0-4 with a 7.40 era. Moreover, he only has 25 strikeouts in 41.1 innings. A 5.4 SO/9 rate is disconcerting after his lowest SO/9 in the minors was 7.2.

While Hendriks was in the top 10, Kyle Gibson was ranked as the Twins’ top pitching prospect (although he did not make MLB Top 100 Prospects). Gibson had a break out year in 2010 posting a 2.96 ERA and an 11-6 record playing in A+, AA, and AAA. Punching out 126 batters in 152.0 innings. Like Hendriks, Gibson’s SO/9 numbers continued to go down as he made his way to higher levels. This is common among young pitchers.  Though his strong showing in 2010 was promising, Gibson had a wretched season in 2011. A 4.81 ERA accompanied with a 3-8 record in only 18 starts. His season was cut short due to arm trouble and Tommy John Surgery. To date, Gibson has not pitched a game yet in 2012 as he is still recovering.

Like Gibson, Adrian Salcedo is also on the disabled list. Though it seems Salcedo’s injury is not long-term, the 21-year-old is 0-1 in 7 starts with a 5.64 ERA this season. Though he is still young, most believe that his talent level is best suited as a back-end of the rotation type of starter rather than a true impact pitcher at the top of the rotation.

Outside of the top three pitching prospects for the Twins, AAA starter Scott Diamond has already made an impact with the big league club. Though Diamond only has five starts for the Twins, he has posted a 2.27 ERA and a 3-1 record. Also, a 21:4 strikeout to walk rate helps to get him off on the right foot. Diamond’s strong start could go a long way for a staff with such issues as the Twins.

One player on the rise that is not known as a top tier prospect is B.J. Hermsen. Drafted in the 6^th round of the 2008 draft, Hermsen is 22 and has made substantial progress in the minors. The 6'5" righty posted a 3.33 ERA with 101 strikeouts in 151.1 innings in 2011 in A- and A+. His 13-8 record in 25 starts also shows that even at a young age, he can go deep into games. His solid year in ’11 along with a stellar 0.78 ERA in his first 4 outings in A+ in 2012 earned Hermsen the promotion to AA. Hermsen’s 2.68 ERA in his first 6 starts is promising, but the fact that he is averaging over 7 innings per outing shows maturity and likely the ability to skip levels quickly. A 23:2 strikeout to walk ratio also shows his command.

And although this may not help the Twins’ immediate future, they have some promising talent down in Fort Myers their A+ affiliation. The Miracles have Pat Dean, 22, showing promise. Though he was playing in Double-A in 2011, his marginal numbers had him beginning ’12 in Fort Myers. Already having logged 63.1 innings, Dean has a 4-2 record with a 2.70 ERA. Perhaps his demotion will be used as a wakeup call to get him back into the mix for a long-term solution to Minnesota’s pitching problems.

After giving an overview of the Minnesota Twins’ obvious weakness and their options through the farm system, I think it is safe to say that help is not on the way. Hopefully Diamond can continue his early success and establish himself as a fixture in the Minnesota rotation, but for the time being, it would seem that veterans like Pavano and Liriano need to step-up and get back to their winning ways if they want to give this team any shot at a redeeming season. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the Twins end up passing on an established bat in the draft next week and decide to go with another arm instead. 

 

Injury Update - Venditte, Mummey

• Pat Venditte has a big decision to make regarding his future.  The Yankees switch-pitcher reportedly has a torn labrum in his right shoulder, according to The Scranton Times-Tribune, which makes for a tough decision, given that he still has another healthy arm to pitch with.  For most pitchers, season-ending surgery would be the only option, but since Venditte is a switch-pitcher, he has the option to keep pitching with just his healthy left arm and hope that rest is enough of a remedy for his right arm.  The problem, however, is that the general opinion on Venditte is that he's not a good enough pitcher from either side to get by without constantly having the platoon advantage against hitters.  
• Trent Mummey is back on the DL, his second trip there this season, says Tucker Blair of Orioles-Nation.com.  Mummey spent most of last year on the on the DL as well with symptoms related to a concussion.  During his brief time the field last year, the Orioles 4th round pick from the 2010 draft has hit .292/.373/.478 between Low and High-A ball, but this season, back in High-A Frederick, Mummey struggled, hitting just .244/.337/.344.

 

The Phillies Recent Draft History

The Phillies recent run of success has much to do the success of their drafting in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.  They hit on five straight first round picks (although 2001 pick Gavin Floyd ultimately had success elsewhere), and Pat Burrell, Brett Myers, Chase Utley and Cole Hamels (the Phillies 1^st rounders in ’98, ’99, ’00 and ’02, respectively).

During that stretch, the Phillies never picked later than 17^th in the first round.  Thanks to their success, and spending on the free agent market, they haven’t picked that high since.

The team has had just one first round pick since 2008, and have changed their organizational philosophy since their successful stretch a decade ago.  Given their depth in the majors the past few years and lack of first round picks, the Phillies have instead focused on toolsy high school players whose ceilings are high, but so is their risk.

Below are the Phillies top picks since 2008 (Name, year, round)

• Anthony Hewitt (’08) 1
• Zach Collier (’08) 1s
• Jason Knapp (’08) 2
• Anthony Gose (’08) 2
• Kelly Dugan (’09) 2
• Jesse Biddle (’10) 1
• Perci Garner (’10) 2
• Larry Greene (’11) 1s
• Roman Quinn (’11) 2
• Harold Martinez (’11) 2

What you see in this group is a collection of high-risk/high-reward players.  Martinez and Garner are the only college player among them, making it a risky group as a whole.

The 2008 draft, in which the Phillies had four picks in the top 71, represented a change in philosophy in Philadelphia.  The major league team had just made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years and were on their way to their first World Series win in 28 years.  The major league team was loaded with young stars, and drafting players who were soon to be major league ready wasn't a necessity the way it is for many teams.

The Phillies used all four of their picks on high school players, with the riskiest among them being Hewitt.  At the time, Baseball America said about Hewitt:

"There's also a huge risk that he simply won't hit in professional ball: his raw bat was overmatched against quality pitching on the showcase circuit last summer, and though he dominated vastly inferior prep competition this spring, he still struggles to recognize breaking balls and can get locked up at times by ordinary fastballs. But then he'll crush a ball 450 feet and give scouts a glimpse of his prodigious upside."

Unfortunately for the Phillies, that scouting report hasn't changed, and Hewitt, now in his fourth full season, has hit his way into non-prospect status.

Collier never had the power potential of Hewitt, but he was thought to be less of a risk as a pure hitter.  Instead, Collier has a career .245 average to his name and has hit just two home runs as a professional. 

Knapp and Gose have had better success, but neither is with the Phillies organization.  Knapp was drafted as a hard thrower with flawed mechanics, a trend which continued into pro ball, but worked at the lower levels.  He was included in the Phillies deal to get Cliff Lee from the Indians in July of 2009, and was the highest-ceiling player included in that deal, but his mechanical issues have led to injuries and he's thrown just 40 innings as a member of the Indians organization, and none since September of 2010.  His future is in jeopardy.

Gose has developed into the potential Gold Glove center fielder the Phillies envisioned when they drafted him, he's just doing it in the Blue Jays farm system.  Included in the Phillies deal to acquire Roy Halladay before the 2010 season, Gose has not developed into a dynamic hitter, but he's hit enough that, when combined with his plus defense, he's a valuable commodity.

WIthout a first-rounder in 2009, the Phillies selected Kelly Dugan with their first pick in the second round.  Projected to develop power down the road, The Phillies have seen only a glimpse of that this season, as Dugan is in full-season ball and is slugging over .400, both for the first time in his career.  Dugan isn't a bust, but still has a long way to go to project to ever reach the majors.

Jesse Biddle is the best prospect of the bunch, and even though he was not a consensus first rounder when he was drafted, he's pitched like one since.  The prep lefty has a 3.13 career ERA and has struck out a batter an inning, and he is off to another good start this season in the Florida State league.  Of the list above, Biddle is the only one that the Phillies can begin to count on in their future plans.

Perci Garner entered this season having thrown just 34 innings since being drafted.  Because he split time with football at Ball State, Garner is similarly raw compared to the other Phillies draft picks despite his college experience.  He's starting right now in the minors, but his two-pitch mix and lack of command (31 walks to 30 strike outs this season) signal an eventual move to the bullpen if he wants to make it anywhere near the majors.

Greene and Quinn both fall back into the Phillies mold of raw position players, to the point that neither has played a professional game yet and have spent their time in the organization in extended spring training.  Greene is a raw power hitter whose entire value is in his bat, while Quinn is an undersized shortstop who is still learning to switch-hit.  The Phillies are likely wise to have kept both players in extended spring training as long as they have, but these kinds of picks are the reason the Phillies have yet to see any rewards from recent drafts.

Lastly, Martinez is a player that was drafted largely what he did early in his college career (with the old metal bats), but saw his power disappear his junior year, and hasn't found it in pro ball.  Despite his draft status, he hasn't hit for power or average or controlled the strike zone.  His career .697 OPS doesn't bode well for him becoming a major league third baseman.

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Luckily for the Phillies, they've done a much better job in the later parts of the draft than they have in the early rounds.  The 2008 draft, whose early picks won't produce any talent in Philadelphia, did give the Phillies starter Vance Worley (3) and reliever Mike Stutes (11), as well as top prospect Trevor May (4), former top prospect Jarred Cosart (38), who helped bring Hunter Pence to Philly, and interesting pitching prospects Julio Rodriguez (8) and Jonathan Pettibone (3s).  The Phillies could ultimately have found four legitimate major leaguers out of that bunch, three of which should actually play in the organization.

The team may not get anything out of Dugan, but the 2009 draft was hardly a missed opportunity, as Jonathan Singleton (8) was another major part of the Pence deal, while Brody Colvin (7) still has strong prospect potential and Aaron Altherr (9) hasn't amounted to much offensively yet, but the team still loves his athleticism.

The same late-round talent hasn't risen out of the 2010 draft, and it's too early to judge the 2011 draft, but the Phillies have had a strong track record with late-round college pitchers.  The team is once again without a first round pick in 2012, and they continue to be frugal on the international market, so they will need to have the same late-round success if they want to replenish a farm system that has been depleted with trades and missed opportunities.

 

Blogs Track Teams - 5/30/12

• Alen Hanson went 3-for-4 with a home run, notes Tim Williams of PiratesProspects.com, who breaks down the Buccos organization.
• TalkingChop.com briefs us on the Braves system, including a rough outing by David Filak.
• PineTarPress.com recaps the Royals organization, including a monster day at the plate for Jorge Bonifacio.
• Mike Mahtook went 3-for-5 and Josh Sale homered, writes RaysProspects.com, who runs through the Rays organization.
• Max Stassi knocked two doubles, says AthleticsFarm.com, who has all of the A's action, including a below-average start for Dan Straily.
• Jedd Gyorko hit his fifth home run since being promoted to Triple-A, writes Bill Center of The San Diego Union-Tribune, who has all of the Padres prospect results.
• Joe Kelly continues to have good starts, despite not striking out a lot of batters, notes FutureRedBirds.net, who catches us up on the Cardinals farm system.
• Doug Gray of RedsMinorLeagues.com runs through the Reds system, including a strong start for Kyle Lotzkar.

 

Prospect Action - 5/30/12

Triple-A

• After a slow start to the season, Blue Jays top prospect Travis d'Arnaud has been red-hot of late, and continued his offensive outburst on Wednesday with a 3-for-5 game with a double, notes David Heck of MiLB.com.  d'Arnaud is now slugging .603 this season.
• In a pitching matchup of struggling prospects, Dellin Betances outpitched Jacob Turner, as the Yankees prospect advanced to 3-4 on the season while the Tigers righty dropped to 0-1.  Both pitchers battled their control, with Betances walking four in six innings but limiting the damage to just two earned runs, while Turner walked five in as many innings but allowed a home run.

Double-A

• Michael Choice broke out of a slump with a 4-for-5 night that included a home run, says Robert Emrich of MiLB.com.  After hitting 30 home runs last year, the A's 2010 first-round pick has hit just four home runs this season and is slugging just .353.
• Kyle Skipworth hit for the fifth straight game, as the Marlins catcher collected two more hits on Wednesday, notes Jeff Elliott of The Florida Times-Union.  Despite his recent short-term success, however, Skipworth continues to lead the Southern League in strikeout rate, whiffing at a rate of over 32 percent.

High-A

• Drake Britton struck out seven over six innings to complete a May in which the Red Sox lefty posted an ERA of 2.10, says David Heck of MiLB.com.  Britton gave up just six earned runs over four starts in the month of May, but his season ERA still sits at 5.80.
• Trayce Thompson blasted a three-run homer on Wednesday night to help lead his fellow White Sox prospects to vistory, according to The Winston-Salem Journal.  For Thompson, it was his sixth home run of the season, but he's still striking out in around 30 percent of his plate appeareances, a rate which is way too high for any amount of power production, and especially for someone slugging just .429.
• Chad Jenkins got outpitched by B.J. Hermsen on Wednesday, as the Twins righty earned his third win of the season by tossing 8 2/3 innings and allowing just two runs.  Jenkins made it through just four innings and allowed a home run to Aaron Hicks, the sixth bomb of the season for the Twins former first-rounder.

Low-A

• In a ridiculous offensive day for the Yankees affiliate in Charleston, catching prospect Gary Sanchez knocked two doubles and a grand slam as part of a seven-RBI day, while outfield prospect Tyler Austin 5-for-5 with a double and a triple, says Andrew Pentis of MiLB.com.  Sanchez has hit well this season but his power has not been there, with just five blasts on the season.  Austin, on the other hand, has hit for more power than expected, slugging .661 this year despite his strikeout numbers and a 53-to-22 strikeout to walk ratio.
• Rangers second base prospect Rougned Odor chimed in with three hits, including a double, notes The Hickory Daily Record.  Odor, in his first full season, is establishing himself as a legitimate prospect within an already deep Rangers system, hitting .300/.363/.494 on the year.  He's not controlling the strike zone the way Jurickson Profar did last year, but that may be an unfair bar to set for Odor.

 

Simmons Promoted, Not Ready for Majors

Resist Braves fans.  Resist the temptation.  Walk away from the light.  And most importantly, to not let your knees jerk.  Because I know they are ready.

The Braves are ready too.  They’re ready to hand the reigns of their defense over to Andrelton Simmons, whether he’s ready or not.

I watch the games too, and I get it.  Tyler Pastornicky is not an every day shortstop in the major leagues, and likely never will be.  The Braves knew this entering the season, and his .605 OPS and .270 wOBA have done nothing to open their eyes to the problems that come with him playing the most important position on the diamond full time.

And yes, I know he’s last in the league (small sample size alert!) in virtually every defensive statistic available (which wouldn’t be damning evidence by itself, but certainly doesn’t help Pastornicky in this case), and watching him in person hasn't been much better.

Lastly, I know it seems that there's a solution ready that seems like it will solve all of the Braves problems.  And defensively, it might.  Andrelton Simmons is a really good shortstop.  Right now.

But he could end up being a really good player, and soon.

He won’t, however, if the Braves call him up now.

The Braves did the right thing this spring, despite the obvious fact that Simmons outplayed Pastornicky for a three-week stretch in March against a bunch of guys who are currently in Double-A.  Which is exactly where the Braves sent Simmons, and he’s developing quite nicely.

Simmons has always had a reputation as a defense-first player, and he’ll likely never shed that, equally because he may never hit enough and because he may just be that good defensively.  In 2011, Simmons brought his offense a step closer to his defense by hitting .311/.351/.408 in a full-season in the Carolina League.  While his batting average led the league (in fact, he was the only qualifier to break the .300 mark), his weighted on-base average (wOBA) of .338 left him 15^th in the league, thanks to his free-swinging ways and general lack of power.

The Braves were trilled with the development of the former second round pick, however, given that he split his time in junior college between the plate and the mound.  But batting an empty .311 in A-ball hardly translates to enough offense in the major leagues, no matter how good a player’s defense is.

This season, however, Simmons has taken yet another step forward.  He’s doubled his walk rate without his strikeout totals getting out of hand.  In fact, he’s leading the Southern League in walk-to-strikeout ratio as one of only three regulars with more walks than strikeouts.

What’s happening this season in Mississippi is not reason to promote Simmons to the majors, however.  It’s a sign that he’s developing into what could be a potentially valuable player.  A plus-defensive shortstop who is a league-average hitter is a valuable commodity in the major leagues (think Elvis Andrus).  Simmons’ recent developments in plate discipline this season suggest that the potential for him to become such a player rests much closer to the surface of his game than was originally thought.  But it's not there yet.

The risk of calling him up now is that his development stops right where it is, rather than seeing where this arc is headed.  At this point, Simmons has still had just 200 plate appearances in the upper minors, and none in Triple-A.  If you want to make the argument that his success this season, coupled with the Braves need at the major league level, should warrant a promotion to Triple-A to see if his new offensive game comes with him, I wouldn’t argue to strenuously.  Such a move could set the Braves up to have Simmons in the majors by August, assuming he continues to hit.

But instead, the Braves are setting themselves up for a stretch run early and don’t think they can get by with Pastornicky, even for just one year as they seemed to plan entering this season.  Instead, they are going to jump Simmons to the majors now when he’s just beginning to hit his stride as a minor league hitter, a move that seems motivated more by panic over their recent 8-game losing streak and an impatient fan base rather than sound reasoning.

Simmons has a chance to be a real player for the Braves future and not just another name in the revolving door of players that have come and gone during their two decades of success.  But by abandoning their pre-season plan because Pastornicky’s struggles have been more glaring than they expected, and in turn rushing Simmons to the majors now, they’re running the risk of ruining the future of a potentially valuable part of their core because they’re three games out of first place at the end of May.

I hope I'm wrong.  I hope Simmons comes to Atlanta, maintains the plate discipline he's shown in Double-A, hits .300, and gives Braves fans everything they've been hoping for.  Becuase I follow prospects for a living, I always root for their success, regardless of team affiliation or fandom.  And more than anything, I hope that teams allow prospects to develop properly into the player that each deserves to become.  It doesn't seem like the Braves are giving Simmons that chance because they've decided they need him too badly right now.

It’s a shortsighted move, and it could ultimately cost them.

 

 

Prospect Action - 5/29/12

Triple-A

• Matt Harvey earned his fifth win of the year, allowing just one run in six innings, according to The Columbus Dispatch, but the outing was yet another example of the Mets top prospect not being ready for the majors, as he walked four batters during the outing.  
• Pirates lefty Rudy Owens earned his third win of the season on Tuesday, striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings, and outdueling Rays prospect Chris Archer, who fanned eight batters of his own in the loss, writes Nancy Zinni of PiratesProspects.com.
• Andrew Carraway got hit hard, as the Mariners prospect gave up seven runs in five innings in his fourth Triple-A start, notes Mike Curto of The [Tacoma] News Tribune.

Double-A

• Kyle Skipworth continued his hot hitting with a single and a double on Tuesday, giving him hits in four straight games and raising his batting average to .215, notes The Florida Times-Union.  It's not enough to get too excited about, considering Skipworth is repeating Double-A this season, but the Marlins will take any positive signs surrounding their former first-round pick who has struggled to this point in his professional career.
• Jared Mitchell homered, says Dennis Lin of The Birmingham News, the fourth of the season for the resurgent White Sox former first-rounder.

High-A

• Jimmy Nelson evened his record at 4-4 on the season, as the Brewers prospect struck out five over six innings while allowing just one run.
• Billy Hamilton stole two more bases in support of Reds teammate Tony Cingrani, who earned his fifth win of the season, giving up just one run in 5 1/3 inning, which brought his season ERA up to 1.11.

Low-A

• Mike Foltynewicz gave up just one run over seven innings, and got run support from fellow Astros prospect Delino DeShields, Jr., who homered in the game, reports The Lexingotn Herald-Ledger.  But Foltynewicz was outpitched by Giants prospect Clayton Blackburn, who took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out nine.
• The Marlins continue to use Austin Brice and Jose Urina in a tandom this season, but the set-up appears to be working for now, as the duo struck out 14 batters on Tuesday, says Danny WIld of MiLB.com.
• Zach Cone blasted a triple and a homer to help his Rangers teammates to a 9-0 victory, according to The Hickory Daily Record.  He even drew a walk, something which has been an issue for the 2011 first-rounder since becoming a professional.

 

Prospect Potent Potables - Wheeler, Lindor, Mejia

• Ryan Wheeler may have competition for the title of "third baseman of the future" from within his own farm system, but his success in Triple-A this season could make him a part of the team's immediate future, especially as a platoon option, notes Jim Shonerd of Baseball America.  Shonerd is hitting .322/.368/.528 this season, but just .262/.333/.333 against lefties.  The Diamondbacks, however, are getting little production from the hot corner this year, but starting third baseman has a career OPS that is 132 points higher against lefties, so he and Wheeler could form a nice platoon for this season.
• Few doubted the ability of Francisco Lindor, especially defensively, but the Indians have been equally as impressed with the maturity and leadership of the 18-year-old Puerto Rican native, writes Bill Lubinger of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Lindor has made just five errors at shortstop in 43 games, and has hit .292/.343/.431, but needs to improve his plate discipline, having walked just 13 times in 211 plate appearances, as compared to 29 strikeouts.
• The Mets still don't know how they are going to use Jenrry Mejia when he gets back to the majors, says Michael Baron of MetsBlog.com.  Mejia made the major league team as a reliever in 2010, but was sent down during the season to be stretched out as a starter, only to be shut down to have Tommy John surgery later in the year.  Now that he's back pitching, the obvious choice seems to leave Mejia in the bullpen, given his high-effort delivery and injury history, but apparently the Mets are still undecided.