March 7, 2013

Minor League Update

Games of March 6, 2013

by Jason Martinez

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Notable prospect performances from March 6, 2013.

NL EAST

Miami Marlins

• Alex Sanabia, SP: IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, K. Off to a strong start this spring (4.1 IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, 4 K), Sanabia could push for a bullpen job or possibly even a rotation spot if they can start stretching him out.

Philadelphia Phillies

• Tommy Joseph, C: 3-for-4, 2B. Gearing up for this first Triple-A season with a 6-for-13 start to the spring, including a pair of singles against Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg on Wednesday.

Washington Nationals

• Anthony Rendon, SS: 1-for-3, HR (3). Now 8-for-20 in the spring with three homers and three doubles, Rendon also made a start at shortstop, which could indicate that the Nats want to see if he handle a possible utility role later in the season.
• Erik Davis, RP: IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 3 K. The 26 year-old has a tough task in trying to crack the Nationals’ 25-man roster, but he’s making quite an impression so far with 4.2 scoreless innings, seven strikeouts, and only a hit and two walks allowed.

 

NL CENTRAL

Chicago Cubs

• Junior Lake, 3B: 2-for-3, 3B. With Ian Stewart out nursing a quad injury and Luis Valbuena the other candidate for the third base job, it shouldn’t be too tough for Lake to put himself in the mix if he has a few more multi-hit games in the next couple of weeks. He’s raw but his power, speed, and arm are impressive.

Milwaukee Brewers

• Hunter Morris, 1B: 1-for-2, HR (1), BB. He’s only a few good weeks away from winning the temporary first base job to start the season and he’s now 3-for-5 with a homer and double after an 0-for-13 start.
• Khris Davis, OF: 2-for-3, HR (2), 2 RBI. Limited to left field defensively, Davis will have to be very impressive at the plate if he’s going to be anything more than a fourth or fifth outfielder in the big leagues. He’s now 6-for-20 with two homers this spring.

St. Louis Cardinals

• Matt Adams, 1B: 1-for-1, HR (2). A pinch-hit homer against Marlins reliever Ryan Webb puts Adams at 8-for-17 this spring, although it’s still very likely he’ll be back in Triple-A Memphis to start the season unless an injury occurs to a regular.
• Oscar Taveras, OF: 2-for-3, HR (2), 2B, 2 RBI. The best hitter in the minors, arguably, is 9-for-27 with two homers and two doubles as he continues to show that he probably doesn’t need much more time, if any, in the minors before he’s ready for the show.
• Trevor Rosenthal, SP: 2 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, K. After a rough spring debut, Rosenthal has bounced back with two strong outings to stay in the mix for the fifth starter’s spot that’s up for grabs with Joe Kelly and Shelby Miller also in contention. NOTE: Manager Mike Matheny has confirmed that Rosenthal will be a reliever so he'll either win a spot in the major league bullpen or, I assume, he'll pitch out of the Triple-A rotation.

 

NL WEST

Los Angeles Dodgers

• Zach Lee, SP: 2 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, K. The 87^th ranked prospect in baseball, according to BP, Lee wasn’t fooling many hitters in his two-inning stint. He did keep his opponent off the scoreboard, however, which he didn’t do when he allowed two earned runs in his first inning of the spring.

 

AL EAST

New York Yankees

• Zoilo Almonte, OF: 1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI. Another regular for the Yankees, Mark Teixeira, will start the season on the DL and now one of the top candidates for the left field job, Juan Rivera, is also a candidate for the first base job. So Almonte goes from long shot to slightly less of a long shot as long as he keeps hitting.
• Vidal Nuno, SP (D.R.): 4 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 4 K. Pitching for the Dominican Republic against his Yankee teammates, Nuno continued to impress with no-hit ball over four scoreless innings. The 25 year-old lefty had allowed one earned run over five innings with two walks and nine strikeouts in spring action before joining his WBC team. 

 

AL CENTRAL

Minnesota Twins

• Aaron Hicks, CF: 2-for-2, HR, RBI, BB. As long as Darin Mastroianni is playing half-way decent baseball – he’s 4-for-11 with three doubles this spring – the Twins will likely start Hicks in Triple-A no matter how well he performs over the next few weeks. The 23 year-old center fielder is 7-for-22 in spring action before his unofficial 2-for-2 in today’s exhibition against Puerto Rico.
• Jose Berrios, SP (Puerto Rico): IP, 0 R, H, 0 BB, K. The second highest-ranked pitcher (7^th overall) in the organization, Berrios is an 18 year-old who had ridiculous numbers in his first season of pro ball (1.17 ERA, 30.2 IP, 15 H, 4 BB, 49 K between two rookie levels) after being taken 32nd overall in the 2012 draft.

 

AL WEST

Los Angeles Angels

• Kaleb Cowart, 3B: 2-for-2, 2B, 3 RBI. Hitless in March (0-for-7), Cowart broke out against Team Italy with a three-run double in the first inning and a single in his other at-bat.