The Astros in the end got something for Carlos Lee in the form of two decent but far from spectacular prospects.
The 12th pick in the 2007 draft,
Matt Dominguez has had several teases offensively, but it's never quite all come together for him, as he's a career .252/.321/.410 hitter in 548 minor league games, including an ugly .234/.291/.357 line at Triple-A New Orleans. While he has size and average power, there are issues with his approach and the length in his swing, and he's a below-average runner. The good news is that he's a remarkable defensive third baseman, with true Gold Glove potential thanks to outstanding instincts, soft hands and a strong, accurate arm. Now in his sixth year in the minors with little reason to think he's going to become enough of a hitter to play every day for a first-division team, his best hope might be for a career in the mold of
Pedro Feliz.
Rasmussen was a second-round pick in 2010 out of UCLA who some thought could move quickly in a bullpen role, but the Marlins have tried to develop him as a starter with mixed results. At five-foot-nine, he's more than a bit undersized, but he has a clean, easy arm action that delivers low-90s fastballs and a plus slider that is his out pitch. He'll mix in a curveball and changeup, but both are fringy offerings, leading to more questions about his future role. His command and control are inconsistent, and because of his size, his fastball can get straight. If he develops as a starter, he's no more than a back-end type, but he's more likely to end up as a solid middle reliever.
Bubba Starling, OF, Royals (Rookie-level Burlington): 3-for-6, 2 HR (2), 3 R, 6 RBI, 3 K.
It's weird how many people seem to have written off Starling before his career even began. Maybe it's his age, and maybe it's the generally miserable state of Royals fans these days, but Starling still has jaw-dropping tools and while he started this year in Rookie-ball instead of Low-A, he'll still
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