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Post by Tigers GM on Jan 3, 2014 20:05:18 GMT -5
Intial Prospects - Sickels grades pending
Jesse Biddle ( Phi ) Cory Spangenberg ( SD ) Rafael De Paula ( NYY ) Micah Johnson ( CWS ) Victor Roache ( MIL ) Zoilo Almonte ( NYY ) Daniel Norris ( TOR ) Francisco Mejia ( CLE ) David Dahl ( COL ) Rossel Herrera
Tigers Prospects as of June, 2013
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Tigers GM
Transactions Board
Posts: 167
Staff Member
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Post by Tigers GM on May 11, 2014 9:37:12 GMT -5
A tad late, thank Sickels Concussion
1) Nick Castellanos, 3B, Grade B+: Borderline A-. Given his youth he projects as a strong regular and could very well develop into a genuine star, although I remain uncertain about exactly what type of hitter Castellanos will become in the long run. I can see him producing less batting average/OBP than expected, while eventually producing more isolated power and home runs.
2)David Dahl, OF, (COL)Grade B+: Borderline B. Lost season last year due to suspension and injury but all the tools are here, could be a 20/15 guy in this park, good fielder, seems to do everything well (or better), off to a good start so far in ’14.
3)Jesse Biddle, LHP,(PHI) Grade B+: Borderline B. Needs to get the walks down and sharpen command. If that happens I still see a mid-rotation arm. Pitched through whooping cough last year, which likely had a negative effect of some kind. That can leave you weakened for months.
4)Daniel Norris, LHP,(TOR) Grade B: I had him as a B- a year ago despite a rough ’12 season, so a more effective ’13 moves him up a notch. Chance to be a four-pitch starter if his command continues to sharpen
5)Rosell Herrera, SS-3B,(COL) Grade B: Borderline B-. Do not be deceived by .343 average at Asheville. There are a lot of questions here: can he play shortstop? Will the bat be enough if he moves to third base? Will his strike zone judgment hold up against better pitching? At the same time it is possible to be too skeptical, and he did show a broad array of potential talents last year. But he is more solid prospect than future star in my view.
6) Micah Johnson, 2B, Grade B-(CWS): Blazing fast, although sharp slippage in overall production between Low-A and High-A was notable and his defense needs considerable work. There’s been some talk he could move to the outfield, which would make some sense if Semien and Anderson develop as expected.
7) Victor Roache, OF,(MIL) Grade B-: Borderline B. Enormous power and hit much better in the second half after finally recovering from wrist problems. Questionable defense and high strikeout rate preclude higher grade until we see him against better competition, but has the most impact potential among Brewer bats.
8) Jonathon Crawford, RHP, Grade B-: 2013 first-rounder from Florida features plus fastball and slider, dominates when his mechanics are right, which they aren’t always. May wind up as a reliever in the long run but upside is quite high.
9) Devon Travis, 2B, Grade B-: Hit .350 with 16 homers in A-ball, excellent plate discipline, stole 22 bases, played good defense. Rorschach test player. How did he last until the 13th round in the ’12 draft? Is he an underrated athlete who was unfairly skipped over in the draft due to his 5-8 size? Or is he just a polished poor tools college guy beating up low-level pitching? What you think of Travis says more about you than it does about Travis. Personally I like him: I had him rated as a Sleeper Alert guy entering last season, not just because of his numbers but because I thought the tools were underrated, too. He certainly lived up to that. Let’s see how he does in Double-A.
10) Corey Knebel, RHP, Grade B-: University of Texas reliever should zip through the minors rapidly with mid-90s heat and wicked curveball. His changeup isn’t bad either and he could probably start arsenal-wise though unconventional high-effort mechanics make the bullpen a better fit in my view.
11) Bruce Rondon, RHP, Grade B-: Hard-throwing closer candidate will miss ’14 with Tommy John surgery.
12) Eugenio Suarez, INF, Grade B-: Very effective in A-ball, had some contact issues in Double-A but I still like the total package here including solid defense and a chance to hit for average with more pop than many middle infielders.
13)Francisco Mejia, C,(CLE) Grade C+: High-upside catcher from Dominican hit .305/.348/.524 in Arizona Rookie League at age 17. Needs to improve plate discipline, but has potential to hit for power and average at higher levels, also has good defensive tools. It will be interesting to see if they push him as quickly as they’ve pushed some of their other Latin American prospects.
14) Tyler Collins, OF, Grade C+: Hurrah! On the opening day roster. Added power at the expense of contact/average/OBP last year in Double-A. It will be interesting to see which approach wins out in Detroit and how patient they will be if he struggles.
15) Daniel Fields, OF, Grade C+: Better tools than Collins and also had a solid year at Erie. Oddly, everyone seems to be forgetting about him right when he finally figures out what he’s doing. He’s always had the tools and it wasn’t his fault that the Tigers jumped him to High-A too soon a few years ago. He should be a workable fourth outfielder in time.
16) James McCann, C, Grade C+: Excellent defensive catcher with a lukewarm bat. I can’t prove it without a time machine, but I think he could have some surprisingly good offensive years in his late 20s. Even if he doesn’t his glovework should result in a big league career of respectable length.
17) Hernan Perez, INF, Grade C+: Suddenly hit for average last year in the high minors though not in Detroit. For me he profiles as a utilityman with a solid glove and occasional periods of respectable hitting, though some people like him a lot better than that.
18) Drew VerHagen, RHP, Grade C+: Vanderbilt sinkerball specialist was solid in High-A (2.81 ERA, 35/27 K/BB in 67 IP) and Double-A (3.00, 40/17 K/BB in 60 IP). Eats innings, keeps the ball down and suppresses home runs. Low K/IP ratio is a caution flag for higher levels, but he could make it work as a fourth starter or a reliever.
19) Jeff Thompson, RHP, Grade C+: 2013 third round pick, University of Louisville right-hander is big (6-6), very athletic, has reasonable velocity and a chance for three solid big league pitches, which sounds like a bunch of other Tigers prospects. He tends to get lost in the shuffle but he shouldn’t.
20) Kyle Lobstein, LHP, Grade C+: Doesn’t throw hard, but has a good curveball and changeup, pitched well in Triple-A last year (3.48 ERA, 65/25 K/BB in 72 innings). Has a chance to be a fifth starter under the right circumstances.
21) Joe Jimenez, RHP, Grade C+: Undrafted high school free agent from Puerto Rico was a steal for just $100,000: he could have been a fifth round pick but scared everyone off with bonus demands. Fanned 24 in 18 innings in rookie ball and has the velocity to back that up at higher levels. Credit to the Tigers for staying with this one; he could leap up the lists this year.
22) Javier Betancourt, SS, Grade C+: Hit .333/.379/.441 in rookie ball and is making the jump to full-season West Michigan this year at age 18. Contact hitter with a lively bat, signed for $200,000 out of Venezuela, nephew of Edgardo Alfonzo. May wind up at second base but bat looks highly interesting.
23 )Rafael De Paula, RHP,(NYY) Grade C+: Extremely effective in Low-A but High-A hitters exposed flaws with his command and secondary pitches. A lot of people jumped off the bandwagon but his fastball is so good that he can be a useful bullpen asset even with erratic secondaries.
24) Endrys Briceno, RHP, Grade C: 22-year-old from Venezuela generates really nice scouting reports despite unimpressive track record. Hits mid-90s and reportedly shows potential with slider and changeup. His 4.47 ERA and 65/51 K/BB in 117 innings in the friendly Midwest League were his best marks since reaching North America and the first time his ERA was below 5.00. Poor K/IP and H/IP ratios do not match reports of plus stuff. Certainly a high-ceiling arm, but either the numbers will improve to match the reports, or the reports will eventually weaken to match the numbers. Some sources are making a full-court press predicting a massive leap forward, others are less enthusiastic. It will be interesting to see who is right.
25) Buck Farmer, RHP, Grade C: Georgia Tech ace pitched well in NY-P League (3.09 ERA, 33/7 K/BB in 32 innings) which was not unexpected given feel for his craft. Doesn’t have exceptional stuff but knows how to pitch and will probably move through A-ball quickly.
26) Domingo Leyba, INF, Grade C: Led Dominican Summer League in OPS. DSL performance is usually not particularly predictive, but the scouting reports are good and he could take a large leap forward on subsequent lists. I am by nature cautious about DSL and VSL players until we see them in North America, thus his ranking here.
OTHERS: Ramon Cabrera, C; Casey Crosby, LHP; Calvin Drummond, RHP; Steven Fuentes, INF; Bryan Holaday, C; Jordan John, LHP; Jordan Lennerton, 1B; Melvin Mercedes, RHP; Steve Moya, OF; Jose Ortega, RHP; Wilsen Palacios, RHP; Zac Reininger, RHP; Raph Rhymes, OF; Jose Valdez, RHP; Kevin Ziomek, LHP ;Cory Spangenberg, 2B (SD); Zoilo Almonte, OF (NYY)
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