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Archive for Minor Leagues

One Heck of a Catch

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Sunday, July 10th, 2011

Forget the bevy of relievers, mediocre starting pitchers and middle infielders that will be swapped by the end of July. We’re only 9 days into a month often consumed by the trade deadline, and the best mid-season acquisition has already been made, I can guarantee you. The Angels’ decision to call up outfield prospect Mike Trout should solidify any center field questions in Anaheim following the injuries to Peter Bourjos and give a much-needed shot in the arm to one of baseball’s least productive offenses.

Well, who is Mike Trout?
The 25th overall pick out of high school in 2009, Trout immediately burst onto the scene with the Angels’ organization. In his first season of professional baseball, he hit .352 at age 17. The next season, Trout batted .341. By the start of 2011, he sat atop many lists of the best prospects in the game; even ahead of Bryce Harper.

Why is he so highly touted?
Mike Trout is insanely fast. Consider: Ichiro, at 5 feet 11 inches and 170 pounds, runs from the batter’s box to first base in roughly 3.85 seconds. Trout has been timed as fast as 3.75 seconds,[1] and he is 6 feet 2 inches and 220 pounds. Read More→

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The Future Seems Bright In Pittsburgh

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Sunday, June 26th, 2011
PR can flat out rake

The Red Sox are now in second place. This weekend, Boston headed to Pittsburgh and lost the first 2 games of the series to the Pirates. Paul Maholm and Jeff Karstens each pitched well enough to slow down the sizzling Red Sox offense, while both Andrew McCutchen and Neil Walker carried the team offensively.

Right now, the Pirates are just 3 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central and 4 games behind the Braves for the Wild Card spot at 39-37.  But what if?

What if Pedro Alvarez (left), the Pirates’ top prospect and Opening Day starter at third base, begins to hit?  Despite all their successes, the Pirates rank only 23rd in the Major Leagues with 50 HRs. Alvarez, the second overall pick in 2008 from Vanderbilt, has long been tabbed with 30-35 HR potential.

What if the Pirates could trot out a real ace every 5 days? No disrespect to the current Pirates staff, which has totaled the 9th best ERA in all of baseball, but the group of Karstens, Maholm, Morton, Correia and McDonald isn’t dominant. Pittsburgh ranks 27th in strikeouts and roughly 15th in both hits allowed  and shutouts. Well, the Pirates will soon have at least one ace. Jamison Taillon is inching closer to the Major Leagues.  He was hailed as the defacto best pitcher in the 2010 draft class, with a quality three pitch repertoire that’s highlighted by a mid-to-upper 90s fastball. What’s more? Taillon is just 19 years old and measures nearly 6 foot 6 inches and 225 pounds, so durability shouldn’t really be an issue. Read More→

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We’re Back with Baseball!

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Monday, June 6th, 2011

After more than a 6 month layoff, NextGen Sports has returned. We apologize for the lengthy gaps between posts, but such is the life of students. We urge you to follow us at NGS in the coming months, as we breakdown the summer sports scene.

Our first post comes from the world of baseball. With the Amateur Draft beginning tomorrow, the Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves with the number one overall pick. Although the 2011 Draft doesn’t appear to have a once in a generation-type talent, such as Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg, Pirates’ General Manager Neal Huntington is faced with a variety of options. Does he pair UCLA hurler Gerrit Cole with last year’s #2 overall selection Jamison Taillon for a potentially elite tandem on the mound, or does Huntington choose hard-hitting Rice 3rd baseman Anthony Rendon. Eventually, we decided the following….

GC

Gerrit Cole could form a dangerous tandem with Jamison Taillon in Pittsburgh

With the #1 Pick, the Pirates will select Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA. Cole’s talent is undeniable. The 28th overall selection of the New York Yankees in 2008, Cole possesses a fastball that can reach 99 MPH and excellent breaking stuff. Coupled with a frame of 6 foot 4 inches and 220 pounds, he should be very durable.

At UCLA, Cole posted 9 quality starts (6.0+ IP, 3 ER or fewer) in 16 outings as a junior, and his control dramatically improved. Yet, his ERA was just 3.31. Some scouts wonder if Cole, statistically only a very good pitcher at the collegiate level, is truly deserving of the number one overall selection. I believe the answer to this question is an emphatic yes. The Pirates’ alternative is Anthony Rendon, but Pittsburgh already has Pedro Alvarez at third base.

Although I do not believe Gerrit Cole is the next Stephen Strasburg, as ESPN Keith’s Law wrote recently, he projects to be a #1-caliber starting pitcher in the Major Leagues.

Read More→

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A Minor Souvenir City

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Friday, August 6th, 2010

When scouts evaluate baseball prospects, power is one of the most important tools. The presence of a player able to hit a home run in each at-bat is vital to a team’s success, just look at the major leagues right now. The Yankees, Rays and Padres have the three best records in baseball, anchored respectively by the combination of Rodriguez and Teixeira in New York, Evan Longoria in Tampa Bay, and star firstbaseman Adrian Gonzalez in San Diego. In this post, however, Edgar Walker takes a look at the most powerful prospects at each level of minor league baseball, from Triple-A down to Rookie League.

Triple-A: J.P. Arencibia, C, Las Vegas (Blue Jays)- Arencibia (left) is your protoypical power-hitting catcher. A big guy with a big swing, he has power to all fields and has shown it consistently throughout his minor league career. With 27 dingers in his first full season (2008) and 21 last year, Arencibia has stepped up his game even higher this year in Triple-A, blasting 31 big flies in only 95 games. Plus those gaudy home run numbers, he’s accumulated 117 doubles in his time on the farm, showing that if he doesn’t hit the ball quite far enough to get over the fence, he still hits it pretty far. Read More→

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New York’s New Hopes

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Saturday, July 31st, 2010

As the Mets sink deeper in the NL East, general manager Omar Minaya grows increasingly desperate. Local media continues to badger him with questions concerning manager Jerry Manuel’s future, and the time to make a trade is waning. With coveted pieces, namely Cliff Lee and Dan Haren, out of the picture, Minaya looks to supplement a lackluster roster with youth from the farm system, which already produced starting first baseman Ike Davis, to hopefully catch the streaking Braves.

Historically, the Mets organization has been synonymous with catchers. Names, such as Joe Torre, Gary Carter, and Mike Piazza, all have been ingrained with the success of the franchise. The Mets hope Josh Thole (left) can add his name to the list. A 13th round draft pick in 2005, he entered professional baseball unknown to many. He lacked the innate baseball talent of fellow former top prospect, Joe Mauer, and Thole had not dominated the amateur ranks. Four years later, however, he has developed into one of the minor league’s best hitters. Although Thole is not in the Ted Williams mold, in terms of prowess at the plate, he possesses a knack for getting on base. Of course, walks are a speciality of the Breese, IL native. Read More→

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