November 22, 2013

Minor League Update

International Winter League Games and 40-Man Roster Additions of November 21

by Jeff Moore

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Prospect of the Day: Billy Hamilton, CF, Reds (Cangrejeros de Santurce, PRWL): 3-6, K, 3 SB. Now that’s a Billy Hamilton-esque game. The Reds speedster has struggled to get on base this winter, thus negating his speed, but he’s still a game-changer when he does. He also threw a runner out at second base from the outfield.

• Eddie Rosario, 2B, Twins (Indios de Mayaquez, PRWL): 1-4, R, HR, BB. After three hitless games and a suspension announcement, Rosario finally got on the board with his first home run of the winter, including his 80 Arizona Fall League at-bats.
• Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Astros (Cangrejeros de Santurce, PRWL): 3-5, 2 K. Singleton is coming around after a disappointing season, and his three-hit day on Thursday makes him .361/.611/.694 over his past 10 games.
• Joc Pederson, CF, Dodgers (Cardenales de Lara, VWL): 0-4, 4 K. The roller-coaster winter for Pederson continued with a game in which he struggled to make contact. In addition to his high walk totals, Pederson also racks up strikeouts in bunches.
• Ender Inciarte, CF, Diamondbacks (Aguilas del Zuila, VWL): 1-4, R, HR. Inciarte doesn’t clear the fences very often, but he has lived in the gaps this winter.

On a slow day on the international front (the Dominican Winter League was off), we thought it was a good time to fill in this space with some in-person scouting reports of a few players recently added to their respective teams’ 40-man rosters. All three reports come courtesy of our own Ronit Shah.

• Juan Duran, OF, Reds: The 6-foot-7, 205-pound Duran is still learning how to fully coordinate his body. While Duran’s length helps him with his easy plus raw power, it will always be the greatest hurdle for his pure hit tool as the swing is very long. He hasn't shown a willingness to shorten his swing in two-strike situations, and will struggle adjusting to breaking pitches. Otherwise, he gets down the line well for a man of his size and can display plus arm strength from right field, depending on his effort level and ability to synchronize his throwing mechanics.
• Pedro Baez, RHP, Dodgers: Baez’s arm strength is his strongest attribute, as his fastball can sit 94-96 MPH with some movement. While he found himself a victim at times due to the hitter-friendly confines of the California League, Baez’s lack of deception in his delivery did him no favors against even High-A hitters.
• Jarret Martin, LHP, Dodgers: At 6-foot-4, 227 pounds, Martin is an imposing physical presence on the mound. He can pump his fastball regularly at 95 MPH and can rear back for 97 MPH with natural lefty run. Martin will turn to his 84-86 MPH slider when he’s looking to put a batter away. It does have two-plane break, but is inconsistent as of right now.