Baseball America Hot Sheet -- April 24th

Last week I failed to post or comment on the first Baseball America Hot Sheet of the year (Buster Posey at #1, Josh Reddick at #2) since I was working on acquainting myself with the Southern Atlantic League, but I wanted to be sure to mention it this week.

I won't cover the entire list from week 2, but if you're interested, you can check out the complete article at Baseball America.

1. Michael Stanton -- We all might as well get used to seeing Stanton's name, because next year he'll either be in the majors or be the #1 prospect in all of baseball. I've written about Stanton before, and I felt that though he struck out a lot, he was very capable of keeping his K%/BB% ratio under 2.0, which along with his power would put him somewhere between Adam Dunn, Andruw Jones, and Alex Rodriguez. So far this season, Stanton has maintained a K%/BB% of 26%/15% or 1.7, indicating that his increased plate discipline and offensive production at the end of last season was indeed the real deal (.300/.430/.660, 18 home runs in 209 plate appearances). Expect very big things from this guy.

2. Jason Knapp -- A relative unknown up until about 5 days ago, Knapp struck out 14 hitters in 7 innings during his last start. At 18 years old, his 15 K/9 ratio is extremely impressive even if he does have just over his 18 innings at A ball. Keep in mind that Tim Lincecum only pitched 28 innings at advanced A ball and posted a K/9 of 15.6 with a BB/9 of 3.9 at the age of 22. If Knapp reaches the 30 or 40 innings pitched mark with his K/9 still above 12.5, his comparable players would include Rick Ankiel, Dwight Gooden, and Nolan Ryan.

3. Desmond Jennings -- Jennings has been around a while now, so I won't say much about him. Very good plate discipline, good power, and lots of speed. Interestingly enough, one of his closest offensive comparables is Wally Joyner.

4. Jesus Montero -- My gut tells me that Montero is going to cool off soon, but he might not, so we'll just wait it out and see. He's kept his strikeout rate low this year, so maybe he's refined his plate approach a bit.

5. Casey Kelly -- I wasn't really sure why Baseball America chose Kelly for the #5 spot, but it's their hot sheet, so whatever. A 19 year old at low A, Kelly has good control and an above average groundball rate, but doesn't look too interesting to me as a pitcher. I don't think he's going to be a very good shortstop either.

That's all I'm going to cover for now. If you want to see the whole list, check it out at Baseball America, and have a great weekend!

Baseball America Hot Sheet for the Week of August 22nd-28th

Hey guys, I apologize for not posting lately. I'm trying to balance a lot of stuff right now, but I haven't forgotten about you!

Anyways, here's the Hot Sheet from the past week as well as my comments.

1. Brett Wallace, 3b, Cardinals -- Everyone knew this guy could hit, but I was almost certain that the move to AA would slow him down a bit. Guess not. 14 for his last 35, with 3 home runs, and 4 doubles. I thought he would walk more than he has, but it's a small sample size.

2. Kyle Blanks, 1b, Padres -- Blanks is still putting up some very good numbers, but he has a huge road block in the way of his future career with the Padres who goes by the name Adrian Gonzalez. I'd love to see Gonzalez get traded to a team with a more hitter friendly ballpark and then watch Blanks take over at first base for the Pads.

3. James Darnell, 3b, Padres -- Good numbers, but I'll still not sure about Darnell. Wait until we see him against A or AA ball pitching.

4. Brian Bogusevic, CF, Astros -- Why was this guy pitching for so long when he could swing the bat like he has over the past couple of weeks? Maybe he's just on a hot streak, but maybe not. The next Rick Ankiel? Who knows (but probably not).

5. Pedro Baez, 3b, Dodgers -- A few good weeks of production don't compensate for being 20 years old and struggling to escape rookie ball.

6. Buster Posey, C, Giants -- Posey will hit where ever he goes, but why didn't the Giants start him at low A instead of the AZL League?

7. Ivan DeJesus, 2b/SS, Dodgers -- The Dodgers need young middle infield talent, but I'm not real high on DeJesus. Good skills, but he won't be a star.

8. Kris Medlen, rhp, Braves -- There isn't much to look forward to if you're a Braves fan, so let's hope Medlen keeps up the good work and makes it to the big leagues in a year or so. My only concern is his GB%, which has dive-bombed since moving to a starting role.

9. Brad Holt, rhp, Mets -- Why is Holt still in short-season rookie ball? Move him up already so we can see him against some better competition.

10. Neftali Soto, 3b, Reds -- Good stick, but will he play at third? If I'm the Reds, I'm looking for more power.

11. Madison Bumgarner, lhp, Giants -- Bumgarner absolutely owns the Hot Sheet. It should be called the "Bumgarner Sheet."

12. Wade Davis, rhp, Rays -- Glad to see Davis pick it up in AAA.

13. Wilson Ramos, C, Twins -- Joe Mauer need not fear Senor Ramos.


That's it folks. I'll post more tomorrow if I get a chance.




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Baseball America Hot Sheet: Week of August 1st-7th

It's here! The Friday afternoon Hot Sheet! There are some good names on the list, so let's get to it.

1. Mike Moustakas, 3b, Royals -- Perhaps Moustakas is finally living up to the hype. He certainly has been very productive lately 7 extra base hits in 26 plate appearances. I'm not sold on Moustakas quite yet, but he's beginning to grow on me.
2. David Price, lhp, Rays -- After going 12 innings with 17 strikeouts, 4 walks, and only 1 earned run, Price deserves to be at the top of this list. But, his numbers still aren't as great those posted by younger pitchers in AA this season. Here's the stat line of 21 year old pitcher in his last 3 AA starts of the year (I'll let you guess who it is...): 15 IP, 21 K, 3 BB, 2 ER, 56% GB%.
   
3. Lars Anderson, 1B, Red Sox -- I know I don't share popular opinion on this one, but I like Anderson over Travis Snider. Anderson has such a better plate approach, and I think he'll succeed faster in the majors than Snider.
4. Chris Tillman, rhp, Orioles -- Have the Orioles had solid pitching prospect over the last few years? I haven't taken the time to look into it myself, but I think Tillman is probably the best they've had in a long time.
5. Logan Morrison, 1B, Marlins -- Another great hitter coming up through the Marlins system. What a surprise. Morrison has a lot more power than people give him credit for, and he's got a fantastic approach at the plate. But now the question is, would I take Lars Anderson or Logan Morrison?
6. Ivan DeJesus, 2B, Dodgers -- Not a bad hitter, but not enough upside at second base to make me take a closer look.
   
7. Yamaico Navarro, SS, Red Sox -- It's amazing what playing in the Cal League can do to a player's stats. From .280/.341/.412 at A ball to .379/.400/.589 at A+ ball, all in the same year? I hope Red Sox fans aren't drinking the water.
8. Madison Bumgarner, lhp, Giants -- Baseball America now has Bumgarner listed as a 19 year old, but he spent almost the entire year pitching at A ball as an 18 year old, while posting a 1.62 ERA and a 125:18 K:BB ratio. Absurd. I am concerned about his depressed GB% compared to earlier in the year, but it's not a major issue when you're striking out 30% of the batters you face and most of them are a couple of years older than you.
9. James McDonald, rhp, Dodgers -- At 23, McDonald would have to put up some insane numbers to impress me. He's not bad, but his stuff isn't good enough to make him much more than a #3 or #4 starter in the majors.
10. Carlos Santana, C, Indians -- Another player performing well, but just a bit too old to make me want to know more.
11. Jesus Montero, C, Yankees -- Here's the kind of prospect I like. Succeeding at a level well above his age, and power to boot. Montero is 6'4" and 225 lbs at 18 years old! What are they feeding this kid?
12. Tyler Flowers, C, Braves -- I still don't know where Flowers fits into the Braves future plans. On any other team, he would be a prime catching prospect. But the Braves tend to be knee deep in catchers at the moment, and Flowers doesn't really have the bat to play first base, so what do you do with him?
    
13. Brandon Erbe, rhp, Orioles -- I spoke too soon about Chris Tillman. Erbe is better. So, when was the last time the Orioles had 2 good pitching prospects?

And that's it. Now it's time for Olympic baseball. ...Read more

Baseball America Hot Sheet: Week of July 26th - July 31st

The list is out! It's Friday! I'm halfway through finals! It's a good thing!

So, let's get down to it, and do this thing. Here are the top 13 for this week...

1. Brandon Wood, 3B, Angels -- I was really hoping the Braves could pry Wood away from the Angels in the Teixeira trade, but I guess the Angels realize that Wood is just too good. He's been ridiculous the past few weeks, and he certainly has power to spare, but his strikeout rates are still a problem.
   
2. Matt Wieters, c, Orioles -- Need a catcher? How about the best catcher since Mike Piazza? Then Wieters is your man.
   
3. Mark Trumbo, 1B, Angels --While still a bit of an unknown, Trumbo is definitely on the way up in the Angels system. Good power, but the defense and OBP will keep him from being stellar.
   
4. Tim Alderson, rhp, Giants -- I'm working on a Top 10 Giants Prospects list for next week, so I'll hold my comments on Alderson until then.
   
5. Travis Snider, lf, Blue Jays -- What if the Pirates had landed Snider in a trade for Jason Bay? An outfield of Snider, Andrew McCutchen, and Steve Pearce would have been a sight to behold in a few years. Still, too many strikeouts, and not quite enough power to make up for it right away. Believe the hype, just not all of it.
   
6. Shooter Hunt, rhp, Twins -- Do the Twins really need another superb pitching prospect? Why can't they share the love with the Royals, or some other team that really needs a good group of young pitchers?
   
7. Mike Moustakas, 3B, Royals -- I've ragged on Moustakas a little bit, but I have to admit that his July numbers are pretty good. Could he be better? Yes, absolutely. Will he be a big time slugger in the majors? My gut says no, but maybe at some point.
   
8. Jharmidy DeJesus, 3B, Mariners -- The Mariners have a good history of spending big bucks on international talent, so I trust that they knew what they were doing when they dropped $1 million on this kid out of the Dominican Republic. It's way too early to make any projections for DeJesus, but it'll be fun watching him over the next few years.
   
9. Elvis Andurs, ss, Rangers -- The Rangers have put together a nice group of prospects, and Andrus will make a solid every day player in Texas. Decent all around skills, but nothing that really jumps out.
   
10. Madison Bumgarner, lhp, Giants -- I've already said a lot about Bumgarner, and he'll also make an appearance on the upcoming Giants Top 10 list.
    
11. Peter Kozma, ss, Cardinals -- Congrats to Kozma on making the list, but I'm actually more interested in his teammate Brett Wallace.
    
12. David Price, lhp, Rays -- Like Bumgarner, I've already said a lot about Price. My biggest question is why a guy with a 99 mph fastball isn't racking up more strikeouts in AA?
    
13. Zach McAllister, rhp, Yankees -- Good numbers all around, and way better than Ian Kennedy.

So, that's it for this week. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to let them be heard. I'll be done with finals Wednesday morning, and then I'll be free to focus on baseball 100%.



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Baseball America Hot Sheet: Week of July 18th - 25th

Here are the names, along with commentary on each player (if I have any). Feel free to add your own thoughts and opinions.

1. Brandon Wood, ss - Wood has been up and down over the last couple of years, but he's got good talent and will be a major league starter one day soon. There are rumors that the Braves would like to get Wood in a trade for Teixeira, but I'm not sure how accurate that rumor is.
2. Brett Anderson, lhp - Should be on everyone's radar by now.
3. Allen Craig, 3b - Not a bad player, just not a very high ceiling.
   
4. Tim Alderson, rhp - I like his make-up and his numbers, especially in the California League. Hopefully, we'll see Alderson and Madison Bumgarner starting back to back in AA next season.
5. Brad Holt, rhp- At 21 years old, big numbers are easy to come by in rookie ball. But Holt's strikeout totals and the emergence of a decent curveball make him a great pitcher to watch in 2009.
   
6. Jeff Samardzija, rhp - Looking good as of late, but not a good long term track record. Not very interested in follosing Mr. Samardzija.
   
7. Jesus Montero, c - While not one of the better catching prospects of the last decade, Montero could easily fill in for Jorge Posada in a few years.
8. Scott Campbell, 2b - Decent hitter, but not much to get excited about here.
9. Wladimir Balentien, of - Isn't this guy in the majors yet? Guess not. What's the hold up?
10. Ben Revere, cf - While I'm amazed at Revere's .400+ average on the season, I'm not certain that he'll have what it takes to be a major league starter anytime soon. I'm not saying it won't happen, I just want to see him maintain his contact rates at a higher level before I jump on the bandwagon.
11. Dextr Fowler, cf - Same concerns with Fowler as with Revere. Looks good on paper and in theory he should work out in the majors, but doesn't have many back-up tools to rely on should his contact rates see a significant drop.
12. Austin Gallagher, 3b - Good stats, but I'm not expecting big things.
13. Sean O'sullivan, rhp - Not bad stuff, but not great. Should be a good middle of the rotation type starter in a few years.

So that's my take. Have at it, y'all.


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