Bullpen Banter Top 10 Center Fielders

1. Mike Trout
2. Desmond Jennings
3. Aaron Hicks
4. Brett Jackson
5. Michael Choice
6. Trayvon Robinson
7. Engel Beltre
8. Jared Mitchell
9. Joe Benson
10. Anthony Gose

MIKE TROUT

Al Skorupa: Mike Trout is about as good a prospect as there is in the game right now. Impact defender in CF. High average hitter. Fantastic speed already translating to big SB numbers. Great approach at the plate. The power doesn’t rank up there with his other tools, but there is good reason for optimism on that front. Trout also savaged the competition in leagues where he was younger than the competition. He exploded onto the scene with a .362/.454/.526 slash line in the difficult-to-hit-in Midwest League (just don’t tell Trout, Will Myers or Nick Franklin that!). Trout snuck up on many people because he came from a cold weather state out of high school. He didn’t get the exposure sun belt prospects or players at major colleges & universities do. Between the tools and the performance he showed in 2010 there is now every reason to think he will spend a decade or more among the best CFs (if not players) in baseball. Trout looks like the rare kind of player who can be a game changer with all five tools.

Michael Herrick: I'm still not completely in love with Trout as so many other people are, but that said he was an easy choice to headline this list. He should be an above average hitter in center and at worst an average defender. I think there is a legitimate chance he ends up in RF sooner rather than later once he reaches the majors, as the less wear and tear on his body would be a big benefit for his bat long term. I'm curious to see him against better pitching in AA at some point in 2011, to see just how good his approach is.

Jeff Reese: I have a hard time seeing right field in Mike Trout's future. His present and future speed grades out as a pure 80, while his arm strength - one of his weakest tools - is merely fringe-average. I can envision a scenario where Peter Bourjos is the better defensive option in center field, but I would expect that to push Trout to left field rather than right. Even if that were to happen, he would be one of the best defensive left fielders in baseball (negating most of the loss in positional value).

Bullpen Banter Top 10 Corner OF

Bullpen Banter's Top 10 COF Prospects of 2010
Click above to be directed to BullpenBanter.com

1. Bryce Harper
2. Josh Sale
3. Jaff Decker
4. Oswaldo Arcia
5. Kyle Parker
6. Michael Taylor
7. Yorman Rodriguez
8. Marc Krauss
9. Eric Thames
(T)10. Nick Weglarz
(T)10. Thomas Neal

OSWALDO ARCIA

AS: Arcia is superficially similar to Harper. Power is the calling card here. The difference being that what questions exist about the rest of Harper's game go twice (or more) for Arcia. With the added risk that his approach at the plate is poor. I can see arguments for ranking him higher... and I can see arguments for ranking him lower. He's one of those guys who its very hard to pin down right at this moment in time. I really wish I had even 3 months more of data to go on here. Maybe 100 ABs in another league. I would have been able to take a firmer stand on what exactly we're looking at. As of now you just need to be aware he's a kid with substantial upside.

MH: Oswaldo Arcia is another guy that is going to be carried by his bat. He showed very good power in Rookie Ball, but his other numbers were inflated by an unsustainable BABIP. His plate discipline needs work, as his walk rate much too low. His K rate was fairly high on it's own, but he'll need to get that in check as he moves up the ladder and faces better pitchers. Still, he'll turn 20 early next season and the power is real. There is potential here, he's just quite a few years away from making an impact.

JR: I placed Arcia a few spots lower than this on my list. As Al and Mike noted, the bat is what makes him intriguing, while the rest of the package lags behind. What really surprised me is the love that Arcia got compared to Guillermo Pimentel. I view them as almost identical prospects. Both are international free agents needing significant refinement in their approach to the plate whose bat will have to carry them.

AS: It was my impression when I started working on this that Pimentel is less toosly and even more one dimensional than Arcia. I'm less sure of that at this point, though. I'll definitely do some digging and put some more thought into this for our top 100 list. There probably isn't all that much difference between them, I agree... but then again, from #5 on my list through, say, my 15th ranked corner outfielder I don't see a whole lot of difference.

MARC KRAUSS

MH: Krauss is built like a linebacker and plays defense about as well as you'd expect from a guy that size. His bat is what will carry him(sensing a theme on this list yet?), though he may be better suited to 1B or DH at the MLB level. He has 25 HR pop in his bat and showed decent plate discipline in the Cal League. Next year will be a test for him as moves out of an extremely hitter friendly league and faces better pitching.

JR: Krauss is almost certainly destined for first base, but the amount of prospects who profile best at first base in the Diamondbacks' organization (Goldschmidt, Borchering, Davidson, Wheeler) may mean he gets a longer look in left field. Luckily for him, Krauss continued to show a good bat through his first full professional season. He will have to keep up that kind of production to be of Major League value.

AS: Speaking of one dimensional corner guys... Same as above. Bat promising. Glove not so much.

2011 Project Stats Infielders and Catchers

1B James Loney .290 15HR 88RBI 74Runs 51BB 10SB 152GM
1B Michael Cuddyer .270 20HR 90RBI 76RBI 55BB 3SB 152GM
2B Dustin Pedroia .315 18HR 78RBI 110Runs 64BB 15SB 152GM
2B Bill Hall .240 17HR 80RBI 74Runs 43BB 10SB 142GM
SS Elvis Andrus .290 1HR 61RBI 110Runs 70BB 42SB 148GM
SS Jed Lowrie .285 17HR 81RBI 90Runs 75BB 7SB 142GM
3B Ryan Zimmerman .310 31HR 100RBI 91Runs 75BB 0SB 152GM
3B Casey Blake .260 16HR 70RBI 60Runs 41BB 0SB 125GM
IF Felipe Lopez .271 9HR 60RBI 65Runs 32BB 10SB 110GM
C AJ Pierzynski .280 12HR 65RBI 51Runs 25BB 0SB 130GM
C Jarad Saltalamachia .255 16HR 60RBI 51Runs 36BB 0SB 125GM
DH Travis Hafner .265 15HR 51RBI 39Runs 41BB 0SB 81GM

2011 Project Stats Outfielders

These are number I think they can hit next year if they play the predicted games. Some may fall short and some may supass these numbers.

Overall my OF's have pretty good pop but lack of steals could be a real problem.

OF Jay Bruce .280 34HR 100RBI 85Runs 60BB 5SB 155Gm
OF Travis Snider .260 25HR 75RBI 70Runs 55BB 10SB 140Gm
OF Nick Markakis .295 12HR 85RBI 90Runs 80BB 12SB 155GM
OF Manny Ramirez .290 18HR 80RBI 65Runs 75BB 0SB 120GM
OF Ryan Sweeney .300 1HR 65RBI 75Runs 45BB 7SB 130GM
OF Alfonso Soriano .255 24HR 80RBI 75Runs 35BB 8SB 130GM
OF JD Drew .270 18HR 80RBI 75Runs 70BB 130GM

2011 Top 100 Prospects

http://www.deepleagues.com/?p=2248

Deep League just relesed there top 100 list. Here is how the Heroes ranked.

3. Mike Trout—OF, Angels
21. Mike Minor—P, Braves
44. Tanner Scheppers—P, Rangers
71. Chris Dwyer—P, Royals
79. Alexander Colome—P, Rays
80. Derek Norris—C, Nationals
100 Oswaldo Arcia—OF, Twins

Also her is a list of former Heros that made the top 100
8. Julio Teheran—P, Braves
30. Miguel Sano—3B, Twins
49. Alex White—P, Indians
66. Arodys Vizcaino—P, Braves
68. Dellin Betances—P, Yankees
87. Anthony Rizzo—1B, Padres
98. Andrew Brackman—P, Yankees

Trade 12/7/2010

Kelly's Heros
1st rd (2012)
2nd rd 20th overall

Gi Zo's Gets
SP Julio Teheran
3rd rd (2012)

Jay Bruce Resigns with Reds

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports that the Reds have signed outfielder Jay Bruce to a six-year, $56 million contract extension.

Zach Lee

The Kelly's Heroes have 3 picks in the top 10 in the upcoming CPL draft. With the top 4 picks locks in draft we have a good idea who will be left when the Heros pick at 6th, 7th and 10th.

The Heroes are looking at Lee with either the 7th or 10th overall. Now that he picked baseball and signed for over $5 million he could be an 1 or 2 a starter in the future.

Lee is a star quarterback who has committed to LSU to play both football and baseball, but if he put word out tomorrow that he was willing to sign and focus exclusively on the world's greatest sport, he'd go off the board in the top 50 picks next month.

Lee will show three pitches, with the changeup already flashing plus, and his fastball velocity is likely to increase as he fills out and if he dedicates himself to baseball.

He has a really bright future if and when he chooses baseball, but if he's not interested in a pro career now, doesn't that say something about the kid's commitment to football and/or school? Buying him out of LSU isn't the solution, and I think he'll be a top-20 guy in 2013.

Drew Pomeranz

The Kelly's Heroes have 3 picks in the top 10 in the upcoming CPL draft. With the top 4 picks locks in draft we have a good idea who will be left when the Heros pick at 6th, 7th and 10th.

The Heroes are looking at Pomeranz with either the 7th or 10th overall. Worry that he may be a thrower then a pitcher. But upside of an #1 or #2

Drew Pomeranz, lhp Born: Nov. 22, 1988 • B-T: R-L • Ht: 6-5 • Wt: 230 Drafted: Mississippi 2010 (1st round) • Signed by: Chuck Bartlett


Background: The younger brother of Cardinals 2003 third-round pick Stu Pomeranz, Drew almost signed with the Rangers out of high school as a 12th-rounder in 2007. He set the career strikeout record at Mississippi and was the 2010 Southeastern Conference pitcher of the year despite having to deal with a mild pectoral strain in May. He recovered to become the first college pitcher drafted in 2010, going No. 5 overall and signing for $2.65 million at the Aug. 16 deadline.

Scouting Report: Pomeranz has two plus pitches in his fastball and curveball. His fastball sits in the low 90s and touches 95 mph. It has good life and the deception in his delivery makes it tough to track the ball out of his hand. His breaking ball is even more devastating, a knuckle-curve with hard 12-to-6 action. Pomeranz dominated college lineups when he threw his curve for strikes, though he still must to corral his control after walking 4.4 batters per nine innings as a junior. He has flashed a solid-average changeup at times and will need to use it more as a pro.

The Future: Pomeranz could follow the path of 2009 first-rounder Alex White, debuting in high Class A with the chance for a quick promotion to Double-A. He could be in Cleveland by 2012, profiling as a frontline starter if he improves his changeup, control and command.

Chris Sale

The Kelly's Heroes have 3 picks in the top 10 in the upcoming CPL draft. With the top 4 picks locks in draft we have a good idea who will be left when the Heros pick at 6th, 7th and 10th.

The Heroes are looking at Sale with either the 7th or 10th overall. Worry that he may be a RP but if that happens will be a closer on the upside. #1 CHW prospect.

1. Chris Sale, lhp Born: March 30, 1989 • B-T: L-L • Ht: 6-6 • Wt: 172 Drafted: Florida Gulf Coast, 2010 (1st round) • Signed by: Joe Siers

Background: Sale not only became the first player from the 2010 draft to reach the big leagues, but he also overpowered the likes of Joe Mauer and Jim Thome and finished the season closing games for a contender. His quick rise couldn't have been forseen when he came out of Lakeland (Fla.) High. The Rockies selected him in the 21st round of the 2007 draft, but he failed to attract interest from Florida's college powers and wound up at Florida Gulf Coast, which started its program in 2003. He got off to a rough start, with an awful fall ball season where his only usable pitch was his changeup. He worked out of the bullpen as a freshman, then lowered his arm slot that summer and improved the velocity and life on his pitches. He exploded as a prospect by ranking as the top talent in the summer Cape Cod League after his sophomore season, then went 11-0, 2.01 with 146 strikeouts in 103 innings last spring. Some clubs rated him as the best college pitching prospect in the 2010 draft, but teams also worried about his asking price, making him available to Chicago with the No. 13 overall pick. The White Sox adhere to MLB's bonus guidelines more than any club, and they signed Sale for the slot recommendation of $1.656 million—along with the promise that he'd get every opportunity to race through the minors. He made his big league debut on Aug. 6, faster than any draftee since the Reds' Ryan Wagner in 2003.

Scouting Report: Sale has the stuff and lanky build to be a facsimile of future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, throwing three plus pitches from a low three-quarters delivery. His fastball ranged from 90-95 mph with outstanding late life when he worked as a starter in college, and he averaged 96 mph coming out of the bullpen in the majors. He hit 100 mph three times in one game against the Royals. Chicago considered his changeup his best pitch when it drafted him—GM Ken Williams compares it to Mark Buehrle's—but he didn't use it much while working out of the bullpen. Sale used his slider more as a reliever, and it also played up, sitting in the high 80s and topping out at 90. That was important as his slider was questioned coming into the draft. His command is solid, though his arm angle leads to times when he doesn't stay on top of his pitches and leaves them up in the zone. Sale is unusually poised, capable of making adjustments on the fly and pitching out of trouble. It would have been understandable if he had arrived wide-eyed in the big leagues, but like a young Buehrle, he seemed oblivious of his surroundings. Some scouts wonder how durable Sale will be because of his skinny frame, arm action and low slot. He has no history of arm problems, however.

The Future: Despite his immediate impact on their bullpen, the White Sox plan on developing Sale as a starter. He'll get the chance to make their rotation out of spring training, though it's more realistic to expect him to open the season at Triple-A Charlotte. If he stays healthy, he has the stuff to be a frontline starter or a closer.

Michael Choice

The Kelly's Heroes have 3 picks in the top 10 in the upcoming CPL draft. With the top 4 picks locks in draft we have a good idea who will be left when the Heros pick at 6th, 7th and 10th.



The Heroes are looking at OF Michael Choice with either the 7th or 10th pick? Need to see more on him, we like the fax he was a college guy and srushed it in he's small amount of minor league time he got after signing.



Michael Choice, of Born: Nov. 10, 1989 • B-T: R-R • Ht: 6-0 • Wt: 215
Drafted: Texas-Arlington, 2010 (1st round) • Signed by: Armann Brown
Background: After batting .413 as a sophomore, Choice hit .383 as a junior in 2010 to win the Southland Conference batting title. He also led NCAA Division I with 76 walks and set Texas-Arlington's career home run record with 34. He passed Hunter Pence as the highest-drafted player in school history when the A's took him 10th overall, and he signed for a slightly over-slot $2 million in late July.
Scouting Report: Choice generates plenty of leverage and bat speed, giving him raw power that rates a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. Oakland believes he can hit for a solid average as well, but his swing is unorthodox with a lot of moving parts. Scouts worry about his swing plane and believe he could be prone to high strikeout totals. Choice played center field in his pro debut and has enough speed to possibly stick there for the time being. He needs to clean up his routes on fly balls and probably will end up on a corner in the long run, with his arm strength fitting better in left field than right.
The Future: Choice's swing has worked thus far, so the A's aren't going to touch it yet. He could be in for a big offensive year as he heads to the hitter-friendly California League to start his first full season.

Josh Sale

The Kelly's Heroes have 3 picks in the top 10 in the upcoming CPL draft. With the top 4 picks locks in draft we have a good idea who will be left when the Heros pick at 6th, 7th and 10th.



The Heroes are leaning on drafting Josh Sale right now with th 6th or 7th overall




Josh Sale BA Scouting Report
Drafted: HS—Seattle, 2010 (1st round) • Signed by: Paul Kirsch
Background: Sale had a single-digit handicap in golf, though he swung righthanded. The first player in the history of the Area Code Games to hit for the cycle, Sale was one of the best high school hitters available in the 2010 draft. A Gonzaga recruit, he went 17th overall and signed for $1.62 million at the Aug. 16 deadline. He saw his first pro action in instructional league.
Scouting Report: The top prep power hitter in the 2010 draft, Sale projects as a significant run producer and a corner outfielder. He generates incredible bat speed and shows a great feel for the strike zone while employing a patient approach. He has good present strength, which makes sense considering his father was a competitive natural powerlifter. He also has impressive hand-eye coordination, though he does have a few flaws in his swing, including a high back elbow and an early stride. He has the makeup and work ethic to make those adjustments, and he should be able to do so without compromising his power. His speed, defensive ability and arm strength are all fringy, so while he works hard, he'll probably wind up in left field.
The Future: Sale's offensive prowess gives him the potential to move quickly, though the Rays rarely rush high school signees. Because he signed late, he'll likely make his pro debut at Rookie-level Princeton in June.

Top 25 Prospects by OFP has 3 Heros on it

http://projectprospect.com/article/2010/12/06/top-25-prospects-by-ofp

This list is based purely upon OFP (Overall Future Potential)

6. Mike Trout 60 Impact player; Frequent all-star

9. Julio Teheran 59 Quality No. 2-3 starter or closer

20. Tanner Scheppers 55 Quality No. 2-3 starter or closer

Pedroia Healing

During an appearance on WEEI in Boston on Wednesday, Dustin Pedroia said that his surgically-repaired left foot is nearly 100 percent.

"I saw Dr. Theodore today," said Pedroia, who had a screw inserted in his foot in September. "The CT scan looked great, and he said I'm pretty much 99.9 precent healed. That's as close to 100 as we're going to get." Pedroia was cleared to begin jogging and will build up to sprinting. Barring a setback, he should enter spring training with no restrictions.

Trade Dec 1st 2010

The adding of 2012 1st round picks moves forward.

Ball Busters Gets
2nd rd #24
3rd rd #44

Heros Gets
2012 1st rd pick

BA loves Scheppers

Listed #3 in he system and #2 SP in 2014. Very Nice to see, also best fastball and curve ball n the system.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS:

1. Martin Perez, lhp
2. Jurickson Profar, ss
3. Tanner Scheppers, rhp
4. Robbie Erlin, lhp
5. Engel Beltre, of
6. Michael Kirkman, lhp
7. Mike Olt, 3b
8. Luis Sardinas, ss
9. Jake Skole, of
10. Miguel de los Santos, lhp

BEST TOOLS:
Best Hitter for Average Jurickson Profar
Best Power Hitter Mike Olt
Best Strike-Zone Discipline Chris McGuiness
Fastest Baserunner Leury Garcia
Best Athlete Jordan Akins
Best Fastball Tanner Scheppers
Best Curveball Tanner Scheppers
Best Slider Michael Kirkman
Best Changeup Miguel de los Santos
Best Control Robbie Erlin
Best Defensive Catcher Jose Felix
Best Defensive Infielder Jurickson Profar
Best Infield Arm Leury Garcia
Best Defensive Outfielder Engel Beltre
Best Outfield Arm Engel Beltre

PROJECTED 2014 LINEUP:
Catcher Kellin Deglan
First Base Mitch Moreland
Second Base Jurickson Profar
Third Base Mike Olt
Shortstop Elvis Andrus
Left Field Nelson Cruz
Center Field Josh Hamilton
Right Field Engel Beltre
Designated Hitter Ian Kinsler
No. 1 Starter Martin Perez
No. 2 Starter Tanner Scheppers
No. 3 Starter Robbie Erlin
No. 4 Starter C.J. Wilson
No. 5 Starter Derek Holland
Closer Neftali Feliz