Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1847Draft de Novatos 2012
Code: Select all
[b]Picks ESTRELLAS ORIENTALES (1ros) Picks TOROS DEL ESTE (2dos)[/b]
Eq/Gral Jugador Pos. Org Eq/Gral Jugador Pos. Org
1 1 Miguel Sano 3B Minnesota 1 2 Alen Hanson SS Pittsburgh
2 7 Yeison Asencio OF San Diego 2 8 Jose Ramirez SS Cleveland
3 13 Daniel Mateo SS Kansas City 3 14 Fran Garces PZ San Diego
4 19 Fidel Peña C Arizona 4 20 Ramon Moral 3B Seattle
5 25 Eswarlin Jimenez PZ LA Angels 5 26 Robinson Yambati PD Kansas
6 31 Roberto Gomez PD Tampa Bay 6 32 Melvin Mercedes PD Detroit
7 37 Raul Alcantara PD Oakland 7 38 Carlos Contreras PD Cincinnati
8 43 Jose Rosario PD Chicago Cubs 8 44 Hector Neris PD Phillies
9 49 Raymond Nuñez 1B NY Yankees 9 50 Jose Fernandez SS Houston
10 55 Oliver Zapata OF Chicago Cubs 10 56 German Medina 1B St. Louis
11 61 Jefri Hernandez PD Colorado 11 62 William Carmona 1B Phillies
12 67 Luis Felipe De La Cruz PD San Diego 12 68 Manuel Carmona PD Cleveland
13 73 David Mota PD Oakland 13 74 Enmanuel De Leon PD Pittsburgh
14 79 Wilton Rodriguez PD NY Yankees 14 80 Ruddy Vanheydoorn C Independiente
15 85 Omar Javier PD Independiente 15 86 Cristian Moronta C Houston
16 91 Jharmidy De Jesus IF Seattle 16 92 Joel De La Cruz PD NY Yankees
17 97 Carlos De Los Santos 2B Detroit 17 98 Joan Montero PD Pittsburgh
[b]Picks GIGANTES DEL CIBAO (3ros) Picks LEONES DEL ESCOGIDO (4tos)[/b]
Eq/Gral Jugador Pos. Org. Eq/Gral Jugador Pos. Org.
1 3 Hansel Alberto SS Texas 1 4 Gregory Polanco RF Pittsburgh
2 9 Maikel Franco 3B Phillies 2 10 Jose Vinicio SS Boston
3 15 Guillermo Pimentel OF Seattle 3 16 Juan M. Castillo C St. Louis
4 21 Duaner Jones 3B San Diego 4 22 Rafael Montero PD Mets
5 27 Adalberto Mejia PZ San Francisco 5 28 Angel Baez PD Kansas City
6 33 Domingo Tapia PD Mets 6 34 Bob Britton 3B Baltimore
7 39 Willy Paredes PD Arizona 7 40 Radhames Quezada PD Cincinnati
8 45 Juan Guzman PD Boltimore 8 46 Felix Santos PD Phillies
9 51 Wirkin Estevez PD Washington 9 52 Enosil Tejeda PD Cleveland
10 57 Michael Antonio SS Kansas City 10 58 Luis Paulino PD Phillies
11 63 Ruben Mejia PD San Diego 11 64 Jose Monegro PD Texas
12 69 Wilson Rivera PD Atlanta 12 70 Jefry Castillo C Texas
13 75 Junior Arias SS Cincinnati 13 76 Nelson Gonzalez PD Colorado
14 81 Francisco Valera PD Cleveland 14 82 Yucarybert De La Cruz 2B NY Mets
15 87 Richard Vargas PD Seattle 15 88 Diego Gonzalez OF Phillies
16 93 Yari Sosa PD Phillies 16 94 Jose Jimenez C LA Angels
17 99 Roberto Reyes OF St. Louis 17 100 Daniel Lopez PD Texas
[b]Picks TIGRES DEL LICEY (5tos) Picks AGUILAS CIBAEÑAS (6tos)[/b]
Eq/Gral Jugador Pos. Org. Eq/Gral Jugador Pos. Org.
1 5 Jorge Bonifacio OF Kansas City 1 6 Keury De La Cruz OF Boston
2 11 Jose Garcia SS Boston 2 12 Willy Garcia OF Pittsburg
3 17 Zach Britton PZ Baltimore 3 18 Victor Payano 2B Texas
4 23 Julio Ramos PZ Oakland 4 24 Andy Fermin PD Blue Jays
5 29 Gilbert Gomez OF Mets 5 30 Lay Batista PD LA Angels
6 35 Raul Navarro SS Arizona 6 36 Yimi Garcia PD LA Dodgers
7 41 Jose Dominguez PD LA Dodgers 7 42 Jose Ureña PD Miami
8 47 Miguel Chalas PD Baltimore 8 48 Juan Crousset OF Colorado
9 53 Onassis Sirrett PD Japon 9 54 Leonardo Castillo 2B Cleveland
10 59 Willy Paulino PD St. Louis 10 60 Danny Vicioso C Seattle
11 65 Gabriel De Jesus Arias PD Phillies 11 66 Joel Lima PD LA Dodgers
12 71 Gustavo Pierre SS Blue Jays 12 72 Hendry Jimenez 2B Washington
13 77 Jose Valentin PD Japon 13 78 Nefi Ogando PD Boston
14 83 Frank Santana PD Arizona 14 84 Jose Cuevas 3B San Francisco
15 89 Xavier De Los Santos PD Cleveland 15 90 Santo Perez PD Texas
16 95 Ruben Sosa 2B Houston 16 96 Felix Cabrera 2B San Diego
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1848Peoria hitting coach, Soler share more than game
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com | 08/23/12 1:00 PM ET
APPLETON, Wis. --
Someday, Barbaro Garbey will sit down with Jorge Soler, the Cubs' 20-year-old phenom, and tell him a story.
Garbey, 55, now the hitting coach for the Class A Peoria Chiefs, will talk about what life was like in Cuba and how he fled the country in 1980, along with 125,000 people who had nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Garbey was 23 then, and he had been a member of the Cuban baseball team that won the 1976 amateur World Series.
"When I came over from Cuba, I came on the 'Freedom Flotilla' in 1980, and we were only allowed to bring what we had on, no jewelry, nothing," Garbey said. "I wore the same pants for about a month and a half."
Garbey had no family other than a cousin in New York, and he had to stay in a refugee camp for two months while going through the immigration process. At one point, Garbey was switched to a military base. (Soler waited out his lengthy immigration process at someone's home.)
The Tigers knew Garbey's baseball background. They didn't have him go through a tryout, but the club signed the infielder/outfielder out of the refugee camp in June 1980. Garbey was assigned to Class A Lakeland. A utility player, he helped Detroit get to the World Series in '84, batting .287 that season.
Soler signed a nine-year, $30 million contract with the Cubs this summer. Asked whether his contract was close to that, Garbey laughed. He signed for $2,500 with progressive bonuses for each year in the Minor Leagues.
What Garbey and Soler do have in common is the difficult task of transitioning to a new country.
"I didn't speak any English, and we didn't have many Latinos in the Tigers organization at that time," Garbey said. "I was lucky to be with some good American teammates, and they really helped me a lot."
Garbey roomed with catcher and North Carolina native Dwight Lowry, who helped the young outfielder adjust to life in a foreign country. They watched television, ate together, traveled together. Soler is rooming with Cuban catcher Yaniel Cabezas and has player/coach Kenny Socorro to help as interpreter while with the Chiefs.
"It's different now," Garbey said. "At that time, there weren't many Latinos in the organization. There are more Latinos on this [Chiefs] team than there were in the whole Tigers organization. It'll be more difficult for [Soler] to concentrate and learn English, because he speaks Spanish all the time [with Cabezas and others]. In my time, I couldn't speak Spanish with anybody. I'm glad I did it. It made it easier to go through the transition."
The Cubs picked the perfect coach to help Soler begin his pro baseball career.
"Barbaro has been through what he's gone through -- I can't think of a better place to send him," said Cubs hitting coordinator Tom Beyers.
But Garbey hasn't talked about Cuba to Soler. Not yet.
"We've been with him for a week," Garbey said Sunday while the Chiefs were preparing for a game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. "We haven't had time to talk about things. We're just focused on what he needs to do. We're just focused on baseball."
Because the immigration process took so long, the focus has been to get Soler back in game shape. After he signed in late June, he played 14 games with the Cubs' Rookie League team in Mesa, Ariz., then joined the Chiefs on Aug. 10. Their season runs through Sept. 3, and Soler may then play in the instructional league in Mesa in October or the more challenging Arizona Fall League.
Garbey sees the potential in Soler to be an impact player.
"He can be really good," Garbey said. "We have to remember he's only 20, and he really didn't play with the national Cuban team, the elite team. He was one of the prospects to make the Cuban team. You can see his potential. He has a little more to learn, the way we play baseball here, what the organization expects from him."
It's little things, like Soler's footwork in the outfield, baserunning, his approach at the plate. Soler is fast, but a little gangly -- like a colt -- when he runs.
"He has a long stride," Garbey said. "He has an idea -- he has the instincts but the technique is not there yet."
There's no question Soler is a five-tool player -- he can hit for power, hit for average, field, throw and has speed on the bases. But he also possesses other characteristics that Garbey likes.
"He has the five tools, and the best thing about him is he's very coachable, very humble," Garbey said. "He's a good teammate. When you do that, the transition will be easier for you, because everybody wants to work with you, everybody wants to try to help you."
Someday, Garbey and Soler will talk. For now, the goal is to help the young outfielder as he takes his first steps toward the Major Leagues.
"If he makes it to Chicago, people will like what he brings to the table very much," Garbey said. "He has good bat speed, incredible power. When he hits the ball, people get out of the way.
"The only thing he has to continue to do is be more disciplined at the plate, pitch selection, and understand who he is and how they're going to pitch to him. He will be great."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com | 08/23/12 1:00 PM ET
Someday, Barbaro Garbey will sit down with Jorge Soler, the Cubs' 20-year-old phenom, and tell him a story.
Garbey, 55, now the hitting coach for the Class A Peoria Chiefs, will talk about what life was like in Cuba and how he fled the country in 1980, along with 125,000 people who had nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Garbey was 23 then, and he had been a member of the Cuban baseball team that won the 1976 amateur World Series.
"When I came over from Cuba, I came on the 'Freedom Flotilla' in 1980, and we were only allowed to bring what we had on, no jewelry, nothing," Garbey said. "I wore the same pants for about a month and a half."
Garbey had no family other than a cousin in New York, and he had to stay in a refugee camp for two months while going through the immigration process. At one point, Garbey was switched to a military base. (Soler waited out his lengthy immigration process at someone's home.)
The Tigers knew Garbey's baseball background. They didn't have him go through a tryout, but the club signed the infielder/outfielder out of the refugee camp in June 1980. Garbey was assigned to Class A Lakeland. A utility player, he helped Detroit get to the World Series in '84, batting .287 that season.
Soler signed a nine-year, $30 million contract with the Cubs this summer. Asked whether his contract was close to that, Garbey laughed. He signed for $2,500 with progressive bonuses for each year in the Minor Leagues.
What Garbey and Soler do have in common is the difficult task of transitioning to a new country.
"I didn't speak any English, and we didn't have many Latinos in the Tigers organization at that time," Garbey said. "I was lucky to be with some good American teammates, and they really helped me a lot."
Garbey roomed with catcher and North Carolina native Dwight Lowry, who helped the young outfielder adjust to life in a foreign country. They watched television, ate together, traveled together. Soler is rooming with Cuban catcher Yaniel Cabezas and has player/coach Kenny Socorro to help as interpreter while with the Chiefs.
"It's different now," Garbey said. "At that time, there weren't many Latinos in the organization. There are more Latinos on this [Chiefs] team than there were in the whole Tigers organization. It'll be more difficult for [Soler] to concentrate and learn English, because he speaks Spanish all the time [with Cabezas and others]. In my time, I couldn't speak Spanish with anybody. I'm glad I did it. It made it easier to go through the transition."
The Cubs picked the perfect coach to help Soler begin his pro baseball career.
"Barbaro has been through what he's gone through -- I can't think of a better place to send him," said Cubs hitting coordinator Tom Beyers.
But Garbey hasn't talked about Cuba to Soler. Not yet.
"We've been with him for a week," Garbey said Sunday while the Chiefs were preparing for a game against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. "We haven't had time to talk about things. We're just focused on what he needs to do. We're just focused on baseball."
Because the immigration process took so long, the focus has been to get Soler back in game shape. After he signed in late June, he played 14 games with the Cubs' Rookie League team in Mesa, Ariz., then joined the Chiefs on Aug. 10. Their season runs through Sept. 3, and Soler may then play in the instructional league in Mesa in October or the more challenging Arizona Fall League.
Garbey sees the potential in Soler to be an impact player.
"He can be really good," Garbey said. "We have to remember he's only 20, and he really didn't play with the national Cuban team, the elite team. He was one of the prospects to make the Cuban team. You can see his potential. He has a little more to learn, the way we play baseball here, what the organization expects from him."
It's little things, like Soler's footwork in the outfield, baserunning, his approach at the plate. Soler is fast, but a little gangly -- like a colt -- when he runs.
"He has a long stride," Garbey said. "He has an idea -- he has the instincts but the technique is not there yet."
There's no question Soler is a five-tool player -- he can hit for power, hit for average, field, throw and has speed on the bases. But he also possesses other characteristics that Garbey likes.
"He has the five tools, and the best thing about him is he's very coachable, very humble," Garbey said. "He's a good teammate. When you do that, the transition will be easier for you, because everybody wants to work with you, everybody wants to try to help you."
Someday, Garbey and Soler will talk. For now, the goal is to help the young outfielder as he takes his first steps toward the Major Leagues.
"If he makes it to Chicago, people will like what he brings to the table very much," Garbey said. "He has good bat speed, incredible power. When he hits the ball, people get out of the way.
"The only thing he has to continue to do is be more disciplined at the plate, pitch selection, and understand who he is and how they're going to pitch to him. He will be great."
Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings, and you can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1849CARACAS. -
Zulia Aguilas
Reported on the permission granted by the Cleveland Indians in the case of pitcher Elvis Araujo.
Zulia Aguilas
Reported on the permission granted by the Cleveland Indians in the case of pitcher Elvis Araujo.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1850Quakes Pull to Within One of Wild Card
Mike Lindskog - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
08/27/2012 12:54 AM ET
Rancho Cucamonga, CA -
A four-hit night from Yasiel Puig and a three-run homer from Angelo Songco propelled the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to their second-straight win against the San Jose Giants in a 10-7 decision at the Epicenter.
Songco hit a game-tying home run off of San Jose starter Jack Snodgrass which knocked the left-hander out of the game for good. The bomb came on a 2-2 count and was Songco's sixth blast in 40 games with the Quakes in 2012.
Puig had missed four straight games due to a bruised right heel, but it clearly didn't affect the Cuban defector who managed to leg out two infield-singles along with the two doubles and two RBIs he notched in the victory. The outfielder is hitting .361 in 10 games in Rancho Cucamonga.
Mike Lindskog - Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
08/27/2012 12:54 AM ET
Rancho Cucamonga, CA -
A four-hit night from Yasiel Puig and a three-run homer from Angelo Songco propelled the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes to their second-straight win against the San Jose Giants in a 10-7 decision at the Epicenter.
Songco hit a game-tying home run off of San Jose starter Jack Snodgrass which knocked the left-hander out of the game for good. The bomb came on a 2-2 count and was Songco's sixth blast in 40 games with the Quakes in 2012.
Puig had missed four straight games due to a bruised right heel, but it clearly didn't affect the Cuban defector who managed to leg out two infield-singles along with the two doubles and two RBIs he notched in the victory. The outfielder is hitting .361 in 10 games in Rancho Cucamonga.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1851JORGE SOLER
Jorge Soler (Cubs) is also doing well.
Code: Select all
Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS
PEO MID .315 13 54 8 17 4 0 2 13 27 3 6 2 0 .351 .500 .851
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1852Overall numbers for Yasiel Puig
Code: Select all
Team League AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS
RC CAL .361 10 36 8 13 2 0 0 3 15 6 5 6 3 .465 .417 .882
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1853Crucito Mieses agrees to terms with the LA Angels
Posted August 23rd, 2012 by DPL & filed under DPL News, Featured Post, Transactions.
Crucito Mieses reaches an agreement to start his professional career. Mieses was a DPL All-Star and selected to the DPL Elite Travel Team during the 2012 season. He also participated on the Dominican Republic’s 2011 RBI World Series Championship team with teammate Gustavo Cabrera. Both Cabrera and Mieses trained with Christian “Niche” Batista in Santo Domingo.
Mieses is a tall, wiry, RHP with a lot of projection. Crucito’s body type resembles Guillermo Mota, The 16 year old RHP is 6’3” 185lb; he has easy arm action with a lot of leverage and his FB velocity works 86-88mph with downhill life. He has shown feel for CB and CH but he’s still in the development stages of consistency for effectiveness. The LA Angels and Mieses agreed to terms for $180,000. He will start his professional career in the Dominican Summer League in 2013.
Congratulations to the LA Angels, Christian Batista and the Mieses family.
Posted August 23rd, 2012 by DPL & filed under DPL News, Featured Post, Transactions.
Mieses is a tall, wiry, RHP with a lot of projection. Crucito’s body type resembles Guillermo Mota, The 16 year old RHP is 6’3” 185lb; he has easy arm action with a lot of leverage and his FB velocity works 86-88mph with downhill life. He has shown feel for CB and CH but he’s still in the development stages of consistency for effectiveness. The LA Angels and Mieses agreed to terms for $180,000. He will start his professional career in the Dominican Summer League in 2013.
Congratulations to the LA Angels, Christian Batista and the Mieses family.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1854Jose Mateo agrees to terms with St Louis Cardinals
Posted August 24th, 2012 by DPL & filed under DPL News, Featured Post, Transactions.
Jose Mateo is 6’3 180lb born on Sep 29 1995, developed by trainer Carlos Guzman in San Pedro de Macoris. Carlos is known for training top July 2 players in recent years the likes of Jairo Beras-TEX, Dunal Jones-SD, Ariel Ovando-HOU just to name a few.
Mateo’s delivery and arm action are sound, his FB velocity works is in the mid 80′s but can reach back and run it up to 90-91mph on occasion. He has a feel for a CB and shows signs of a quality future pitch; his CH is deceptive, though he needs to use it more on a consistent basis for development. He was a 2012 DPL All-Star where he showed pitch-ability and missed a lot of bats. Mateo hasn’t thrown more than 3 Inn per outing in the DPL but he has shown enough consistency to be worthy of a professional opportunity. Jose is still a project but has the needed attributes to be special arm down the road. The Cardinals DR scouting supervisor Angel Ovalles followed Mateo’s development through the DPL season as he showed abilities and projection at an early age of 15 years old. Cardinals International Director Moises Rodriguez, Cesar Geronimo and other Cardinal executives recent traveled to the DR to evaluate a number of players, one of which was Jose Mateo. He projects as a starter with a good feel for 3 pitches and will more than likely start his professional career in the Dominican Summer League unless he improves his velocity and shows consistency to play in the US. The contract is still awaiting MLB investigation process to be official.
Congratulations to the St Louis Cardinals, Carlos Guzman and the Mateo family.
Posted August 24th, 2012 by DPL & filed under DPL News, Featured Post, Transactions.
Mateo’s delivery and arm action are sound, his FB velocity works is in the mid 80′s but can reach back and run it up to 90-91mph on occasion. He has a feel for a CB and shows signs of a quality future pitch; his CH is deceptive, though he needs to use it more on a consistent basis for development. He was a 2012 DPL All-Star where he showed pitch-ability and missed a lot of bats. Mateo hasn’t thrown more than 3 Inn per outing in the DPL but he has shown enough consistency to be worthy of a professional opportunity. Jose is still a project but has the needed attributes to be special arm down the road. The Cardinals DR scouting supervisor Angel Ovalles followed Mateo’s development through the DPL season as he showed abilities and projection at an early age of 15 years old. Cardinals International Director Moises Rodriguez, Cesar Geronimo and other Cardinal executives recent traveled to the DR to evaluate a number of players, one of which was Jose Mateo. He projects as a starter with a good feel for 3 pitches and will more than likely start his professional career in the Dominican Summer League unless he improves his velocity and shows consistency to play in the US. The contract is still awaiting MLB investigation process to be official.
Congratulations to the St Louis Cardinals, Carlos Guzman and the Mateo family.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1855Natanael Delgado agrees with the LA Angels
Posted August 25th, 2012 by DPL & filed under DPL News, Featured Post, Transactions.
Natanael Delgado is 6’1″ 175lb born October 23, 1995 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. Although Delgado is from San Cristobal he trained with former CLE Indians and PIT Pirates scout Josue Herrera in Santo Domingo. During the start of the 2012 DPL season there was much speculation on what type of player Delgado would project to be and where he would land. He’s a left hand power guy with athletic ability and arm strength to play Right Field. The question marks and concerns were due to his lack of speed and physical maturity although he showed flashes of raw power and a consistent Left handed swing. Delgado didn’t mature as fast as the other guys in the 2012 July 2nd class but in the last 6 month of the season his body began to mature and his true power started to shine. Delgado’s body is lean and well proportioned with room to fill out his frame.
He’s a polished hitter from the left side with a sound, aggressive approach and creates some bat speed with power to the pull side. Delgado was a 2012 DPL All-Star and selected to the DPL Elite Travel Team; during our spring training trip he hit a grand slam off the right field foul pole in Peoria AZ off a hanging curveball, it was a good illustration of what his skills are.
Angels International Director Mark Russo spent a lot of time in Dominican Republic evaluating and following all Dominican Prospect League players in 2012, during his recent trip to DR the Angels started to make their moves. The LAA and Delgado agreed to terms for a contract value of $280,000, the contract is still contingent upon MLB investigation and visa approval.
PERFECT GAME REPORT / PG Grade: 9
He’s a 6.9 runner who shows some outfield arm strength (85 mph) and has fundamentally sound defensive actions as a corner outfielder. If Delgado played in the United States he’d be the type of player who every major college in the country would have significant interest in recruiting, as he wouldn’t have the tools to be a high draft out of high school but would be a potential impact college player and a fourth-to-sixth round pick as a college junior.
Congratulations to the LA Angels, Josue Herrera and the Delgado family!
Posted August 25th, 2012 by DPL & filed under DPL News, Featured Post, Transactions.
He’s a polished hitter from the left side with a sound, aggressive approach and creates some bat speed with power to the pull side. Delgado was a 2012 DPL All-Star and selected to the DPL Elite Travel Team; during our spring training trip he hit a grand slam off the right field foul pole in Peoria AZ off a hanging curveball, it was a good illustration of what his skills are.
Angels International Director Mark Russo spent a lot of time in Dominican Republic evaluating and following all Dominican Prospect League players in 2012, during his recent trip to DR the Angels started to make their moves. The LAA and Delgado agreed to terms for a contract value of $280,000, the contract is still contingent upon MLB investigation and visa approval.
PERFECT GAME REPORT / PG Grade: 9
He’s a 6.9 runner who shows some outfield arm strength (85 mph) and has fundamentally sound defensive actions as a corner outfielder. If Delgado played in the United States he’d be the type of player who every major college in the country would have significant interest in recruiting, as he wouldn’t have the tools to be a high draft out of high school but would be a potential impact college player and a fourth-to-sixth round pick as a college junior.
Congratulations to the LA Angels, Josue Herrera and the Delgado family!
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1856Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012
Over and out: Noriatsu Osaka hits a two-run homer against the U.S. in the fifth to put Japan ahead 12-2 and invoke the mercy rule in the Little League World Series final on Sunday. AP PHOTOS
Japan routs U.S. team to win Little League World Series title
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, pennsylvania —
Noriatsu Osaka hit three homers and tripled as Japan limited Goodlettsville, Tennessee's potent lineup to two hits in a 12-2 victory Sunday to win the Little League World Series title.
On top of the world: Pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya (above) carries the Japanese flag during a victory lap after his team's 12-2 win over the United States in the Little League World Series championship game on Sunday in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Noriatsu Osaka ended the game with a two-run homer in the fifth inning that put the mercy rule into effect for the team representing Japan from Kitasuna, in Tokyo, which also won the LLWS title in 2001.
In a symbolic gesture, Japan's players jogged the traditional postgame victory lap carrying the flags for both their home country and the United States.
"We had such a great time in Pennsylvania and we really played a good game today. It was kind of a 'thanks,' " the 12-year-old Osaka said through an interpreter.
Starting pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya struck out eight batters in four innings and added an RBI single for the Tokyo team, representing Japan. The game ended in the fifth inning after Osaka's third homer made it a 10-run game that invoked the "mercy rule".
"We thought we played the best in the tournament so far, especially to win by the 10-run rule in the finals," said 12-year-old Rintaro Hirano, who homered in the fourth to make it 10-1.
It was a bittersweet final game for two teams that grew close during their two weeks in South Williamsport. They exchanged customary postgame handshakes at the plate before Japan received the World Series championship banner and took its warning-track run.
"Tennessee was our best friends in the U.S. division," Kiyomiya said.
There were so many highlights, including five home runs off Tennessee pitching.
That was more than enough offense for 13-year-old ace pitcher Kiyomiya. The right-hander with the hitch in mid-delivery pitched like a big-league ace in allowing just one hit.
Regardless, this is still a banner year for Goodlettsville after its exhausting 24-16 victory Saturday over Petaluma, California, for the U.S. championship. That game set a record for most combined runs in the World Series.
The thrilling victory kept the Tennessee players and their families up late into the night.
"(The parents) must have partied harder than the kids did," manager Joey Hale said. "I knew we'd be flat today."
Tennessee lost a 10-run lead in the bottom of the sixth of that game before scoring nine times the next inning to finally put away Petaluma in a Little League classic. Even more impressively, Butler had three homers and a record nine RBIs.
"It feels really good and it was really great," Butler said simply about his hitting exploits. He said his three homers Saturday were the longest he had hit all season.
Its pitching depth sapped, Tennessee turned to right-hander Justin Smith to start against Japan — the first time the 12-year-old had pitched in the World Series or in Southeast regional tournament.
"Everybody knew our pitching was depleted and we were bound for a letdown," Hale said. "I'm not saying we were going to beat Japan. I think they were the best team here at everything by far, pitching, hitting. But I think last night is how we want to be remembered."
While his players danced around in delight after the game, skipper Yoichi Kubo teared up. He kept his composure after managing a team that won the World Series in 2001, "but I was crying this time when we won this game as world champion," he said.
Over and out: Noriatsu Osaka hits a two-run homer against the U.S. in the fifth to put Japan ahead 12-2 and invoke the mercy rule in the Little League World Series final on Sunday. AP PHOTOS
Japan routs U.S. team to win Little League World Series title
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, pennsylvania —
Noriatsu Osaka hit three homers and tripled as Japan limited Goodlettsville, Tennessee's potent lineup to two hits in a 12-2 victory Sunday to win the Little League World Series title.
On top of the world: Pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya (above) carries the Japanese flag during a victory lap after his team's 12-2 win over the United States in the Little League World Series championship game on Sunday in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Noriatsu Osaka ended the game with a two-run homer in the fifth inning that put the mercy rule into effect for the team representing Japan from Kitasuna, in Tokyo, which also won the LLWS title in 2001.
"We had such a great time in Pennsylvania and we really played a good game today. It was kind of a 'thanks,' " the 12-year-old Osaka said through an interpreter.
Starting pitcher Kotaro Kiyomiya struck out eight batters in four innings and added an RBI single for the Tokyo team, representing Japan. The game ended in the fifth inning after Osaka's third homer made it a 10-run game that invoked the "mercy rule".
"We thought we played the best in the tournament so far, especially to win by the 10-run rule in the finals," said 12-year-old Rintaro Hirano, who homered in the fourth to make it 10-1.
It was a bittersweet final game for two teams that grew close during their two weeks in South Williamsport. They exchanged customary postgame handshakes at the plate before Japan received the World Series championship banner and took its warning-track run.
"Tennessee was our best friends in the U.S. division," Kiyomiya said.
There were so many highlights, including five home runs off Tennessee pitching.
That was more than enough offense for 13-year-old ace pitcher Kiyomiya. The right-hander with the hitch in mid-delivery pitched like a big-league ace in allowing just one hit.
Regardless, this is still a banner year for Goodlettsville after its exhausting 24-16 victory Saturday over Petaluma, California, for the U.S. championship. That game set a record for most combined runs in the World Series.
The thrilling victory kept the Tennessee players and their families up late into the night.
"(The parents) must have partied harder than the kids did," manager Joey Hale said. "I knew we'd be flat today."
Tennessee lost a 10-run lead in the bottom of the sixth of that game before scoring nine times the next inning to finally put away Petaluma in a Little League classic. Even more impressively, Butler had three homers and a record nine RBIs.
"It feels really good and it was really great," Butler said simply about his hitting exploits. He said his three homers Saturday were the longest he had hit all season.
Its pitching depth sapped, Tennessee turned to right-hander Justin Smith to start against Japan — the first time the 12-year-old had pitched in the World Series or in Southeast regional tournament.
"Everybody knew our pitching was depleted and we were bound for a letdown," Hale said. "I'm not saying we were going to beat Japan. I think they were the best team here at everything by far, pitching, hitting. But I think last night is how we want to be remembered."
While his players danced around in delight after the game, skipper Yoichi Kubo teared up. He kept his composure after managing a team that won the World Series in 2001, "but I was crying this time when we won this game as world champion," he said.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1857LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES - JAPAN - FINAL STATS
Code: Select all
Player P AVG G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SF SH SB CS DP E
Kiyomiya, K P .667 5 12 6 8 2 0 3 6 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hirano, R RF .625 5 8 3 5 0 0 2 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Aoyama, S 3B .538 5 13 3 7 0 1 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Osaka, N 2B .526 5 19 6 10 3 1 4 11 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ishida, Y P .357 5 14 3 5 1 0 1 3 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Code: Select all
Player G GS CG IP H R ER BB SO W L SV 2B 3B ERA
Oshima, S 1 0 0 1.0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Osada, R 1 1 0 5.0 4 1 0 2 7 1 0 0 2 0 0.00
Motegi, H 1 0 0 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
Osaka, N 5 0 0 9.0 5 1 1 1 17 1 0 1 2 0 0.67
Kiyomiya, K 2 2 0 6.2 1 1 1 2 15 2 0 0 0 0 0.90
Ishida, Y 2 2 0 10.0 7 2 2 0 17 1 0 0 2 0 1.20
Code: Select all
Player Pos GP PO A FPCT
Aoyama, S 3B 5 8 3 1.000
Osada, R P 5 1 0 1.000
Ishizuka, Y 3B 5 0 2 1.000
Miyashita, T 1B 5 5 0 1.000
Osaka, N 2B 5 4 5 1.000
Hidaka, S C 5 2 0 1.000
Motegi, H 2B 5 4 6 1.000
Oshima, S CF 5 4 1 1.000
Ishida, Y P 5 1 4 1.000
Takahashi, D LF 5 1 0 1.000
Kiyomiya, K P 5 11 0 1.000
Irie, T C 5 53 6 .983
Hirano, R RF 5 2 0 .667
Kagami, K P 5 0 0 .000
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1858Like a well-oiled machined. Maybe the Indians could grab a few lessons from these kids.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1859Rotation for Caracas Lions have several major leaguers
Carrasco will serve as a starter and reliever Rondon | Photo: Nile Jimenez
CARACAS. -
Los Leones del Caracas have three grandeligas Creoles in the October rotation . Luis Avila, president of the Leones, said yesterday that the Cleveland Indians authorized Carlos Carrasco to pitch for the cats. "Both Carlos Carrasco and Hector Rondon received permission from the Cleveland Indians to pitch until 1 December," the official said. Avila said Armando Galarraga is also expected in October, but said no date was set. With Galarraga, Carrasco and Guillermo Moscoso, the Lions could have three Venezuelan major leaguers on staff. About Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, the cats await the first of September for an answer.
CARACAS. -
Los Leones del Caracas have three grandeligas Creoles in the October rotation . Luis Avila, president of the Leones, said yesterday that the Cleveland Indians authorized Carlos Carrasco to pitch for the cats. "Both Carlos Carrasco and Hector Rondon received permission from the Cleveland Indians to pitch until 1 December," the official said. Avila said Armando Galarraga is also expected in October, but said no date was set. With Galarraga, Carrasco and Guillermo Moscoso, the Lions could have three Venezuelan major leaguers on staff. About Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, the cats await the first of September for an answer.
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller
Re: Winter/Fall/Latin/Asian Ball
1860AFL rosters loaded with variety of top prospects
The Arizona Fall League will be commemorating its 20th anniversary thoughout this fall's campaign, and once again, the elite finishing school for prospects has assembled an impressive collection of Minor League talent to celebrate in style.
A total of 24 players currently on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospect list are on the rosters announced on Wednesday, led by Minors stolen-base record holder Billy Hamilton of the Reds, Anthony Rendon of the Nationals and the Marlins' Christian Yelich, all of whom are in the top 30.
Hamilton, who set the single-season Minor League stolen-base record this year and has 154 steals as of Tuesday, will be trying out a new position in Arizona. A shortstop up until this point as a professional, Hamilton will be seeing time in the outfield while playing for the Peoria Javelinas. Many scouts believe Hamilton is best suited for center field, and this could be the first step toward a full-time transition to the outfield for the speedster.
Changing positions is nothing new for Fall Leaguers. Just ask Grant Green. The A's prospect, No. 76 on the Top 100, will be playing for the Phoenix Desert Dogs for the third consecutive season. And he'll be doing so at his third position. The former first-rounder was still a shortstop when he made his first AFL appearance in 2010. A year ago, he played the outfield after moving to center midway through the '11 season. This time, Green will see time exclusively at second base after playing there for most of the final month of the Minor League season.
"It's a good opportunity to not just show the A's, but show everybody I can play multiple positions," Green said about his third AFL tour. "They told me it'll be just to play second. I like that aspect in that I won't have to play short or outfield again. I'll be able to work with our roving infield instructor, get more comfortable with the position, get more game-time innings in rather than practice. That's what I'm really happy about. You still want to win every game possible, but if you make a mistake here or there, it's not life or death in the Fall League."
There may have been a part of Green that wasn't thrilled about heading to Phoenix for a third straight season, but the pros outweighed the cons for the 24-year-old, who hopes to earn a spot on Oakland's 40-man roster this offseason.
"I understood where they were coming from, but at the same time, I've been there three years and it would've been nice to have a full offseason," Green said. "But I completely understand where they're coming from and what they want me to do. If it's going to help me with the organization, let's roll with it."
Fellow infielder Kolten Wong of the Cardinals feels the same way. The 2011 first-round Draft pick and current No. 87 prospect is certainly feeling the impact of his first full season. But there was no hesitation when the second baseman out of the University of Hawaii was asked about playing for the Surprise Rafters.
"The way I look at it, everyone playing in the big leagues, they're playing the same amount of games and they're pushing through it," said Wong, who's spent the year with Double-A Springfield. "If I want to do that as my job, I have to be able to do that. I'm just going to keep playing and do my best. The Cardinals want me to get a significant amount of games to get me ready to handle a long season. I was excited when I got the call, I wanted to see how many games I could play, how much I could push myself. I wanted to push myself to get ready."
Over the past few years, the Fall League has had a growing number of recent draftees participate to get them ready for their first full seasons of pro ball.
In 2011, No. 1 pick Gerrit Cole and No. 2 pick Danny Hultzen headlined a list of five first-rounders from that June's Draft. With the signing deadline then in mid-August, the AFL often proved to be the first unofficial taste of professional baseball for these future stars. With the new rules, particularly the earlier signing deadline, this year's Draft class got to go out and play, making it less likely for them to head to Arizona. As a result, there are only two 2012 draftees currently on rosters: No. 3 overall pick Mike Zunino of the Mariners and the Rays' Richie Shaffer (No. 25). There are, however, a total of 33 former first-round picks from Drafts over the years heading to Arizona.
Players from 10 countries -- Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, South Korea and Taiwan -- will also be on hand.
The biggest objective for the AFL, which begins play on Oct. 9, is to get participants ready for the big leagues, of course. All the players on this year's rosters know the track record of the league: that a large majority of alumni go on to play in the big leagues, many in the following season.
"They're sending me up there to see if I can handle it," Wong said. "Whenever that call comes, I'll be ready and excited. Until that time, I'm just going to be trying to get better. I'm a little tired, but my body feels really good."
Player eligibility rules:
Roster size is established at 35 players per team.
Each Major League organization is required to provide seven players, subject to the following eligibility requirements:
All Triple-A and Double-A players are eligible, provided they are on Double-A rosters no later than Aug. 15. Each organization is permitted to send two Class A Advanced-level players in addition to the current allowance of two "A exempt" players (who are under contract as of Aug. 15). Foreign players are allowed as long as the player is not on his native country's primary protected-player list.
No players with more than one year active or two years total of credited Major League service as of Aug. 31 (including Major League disabled-list time) are eligible, except a team may select one player picked in the most recently concluded Major League Rule 5 Draft.
Each team is allotted 20 pitchers, but only 15 are designated "eligible" each gameday.
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com and writes a blog, B3. Follow @JonathanMayoB3 on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Mesa Solar Sox Active Roster
Pitchers
Michael Belfiore BAL
Tyler Clark DET
Jarred Cosart HOU
Eric Eadington LAD
Matt Hoffman DET
Chia-Jen Lo HOU
Michael Morrison DET
Red Patterson LAD
Chris Petrini BAL
Luke Putkonen DET
Dae-Eun Rhee CHC
Kevin Rhoderick CHC
Steven Rodriguez LAD
Zach Rosscup CHC
Clay Schrader BAL
Alex Sogard HOU
Nicholas Struck CHC
Mike Wright BAL
Tony Zych CHC
# Catchers
Gorman Erickson LAD
James McCann DET
Brian Ward BAL
# Infielders
Javier Baez CHC
Nick Castellanos DET
Jiovanni Mier HOU
Jonathan Schoop BAL
Jonathan Singleton HOU
Aaron Westlake DET
Rafael Ynoa LAD
# Outfielders
Bobby Borchering HOU
L.J. Hoes BAL
Joc Pederson LAD
Yasiel Puig LAD
Rubi Silva CHC
George HOU
Matthew Szczur CHC
Phoenix Desert Dogs Active Roster
# Pitchers
Nick Bucci MIL
Gary Daley OAK
Grant Dayton MIA
Brian Flynn MIA
Shawn Haviland OAK
Kyle Heckathorn MIL
Johnny Hellweg MIL
Brett Hunter OAK
Lenny Linsky TB
Santo Manzanillo MIL
Scott McGough MIA
Jimmy Nelson MIL
Cory Rasmus ATL
Chris Rearick TB
C.J. Riefenhauser TB
Gus Schlosser ATL
James Simmons OAK
Zeke Spruill ATL
Kirby Yates TB
# Catchers
Mathew Kennelly ATL
Jacob Realmuto MIA
Max Stassi OAK
# Infielders
Nick Ahmed ATL
Tim Beckham TB
Miles Head OAK
Hak-Ju Lee TB
Hunter Morris MIL
Edward Salcedo ATL
Richie Shaffer TB
# Outfielders
Khris Davis MIL
Grant Green OAK
Kyle Jensen MIA
Kevin Kiermaier TB
Brock Kjeldgaard MIL
Christian Yelich MIA
Scottsdale Scorpions Active Roster
# Pitchers
Shawn Armstrong CLE
Buddy Boshers LAA
Ryan Chaffee LAA
Brandon Cumpton PIT
Trey Haley CLE
T.J. House R-L CLE
Kevin JohnsonLAA
Nick Maronde LAA
Matt Packer CLE
Tyler Waldron PIT
# Catchers
Alex Monsalve CLE
Carlos Ramirez LAA
Austin Romine NYY
# Infielders
David Adams NYY
Kaleb Cowart LAA
Matt Curry PIT
Gift Ngoepe PIT
Ricky Oropesa SF
Joe Panik SF
Ronny Rodriguez CLE
# Outfielders
Gary Brown SF
Randal Grichuk LAA
Slade Heathcott NYY
Adalberto Santos PIT
Travis Witherspoon LAA
Peoria Javelinas Active Roster
Pitchers
Logan Bawcom SEA
Logan Darnell MIN
Robbie Erlin SD
Kyle Gibson MIN
Drew Hayes CIN
Jay Johnson PHI
Casey Kelly SD
Tyler Knigge PHI
Bobby LaFromboise SEA
Curtis Partch CIN
James Paxton SEA
Kevin Quackenbush SD
Colby Shreve PHI
Kyle Simon PHI
Carson Smith SEA
Matthew Stites SD
Caleb Thielbar MIN
Michael Tonkin MIN
# Catchers
Chris Herrmann MIN
Tommy Joseph PHI
Mike Zunino SEA
# Infielders
Cody Asche PHI
Vinnie Catricala SEA
Nick Franklin SEA
Nathan Freiman SD
Didi Gregorius CIN
Billy Hamilton CIN
Donald Lutz CIN
Stefen Romero SEA
Cory SpangenbergSD
Jeudy Valdez SD
# Outfielders
Evan Bigley MIN
Zach Collier PHI
Rymer Liriano SD
Nate Roberts MIN
Salt River Rafters Active Roster
# Pitchers
Chase Anderson ARI
Paul Demny WSH
Isaiah Froneberger COL
Christian Garcia WSH
Evan Marshall ARI
Kevin Munson ARI
Ryan Perry WSH
Andre Rienzo CWS
Cory Riordan COL
Santos Rodriguez CWS
Eric Smith ARI
Taylor Thompson CWS
Coty Woods COL
# Catchers
Lars Davis COL
Jose Gonzalez COL
# Infielders
Tyler Bortnick ARI
Matt Davidson ARI
Ryan Goins TOR
Jason Martinson WSH
Chris Owings ARI
Anthony Rendon WSH
Carlos Sanchez CWS
Andy Wilkins CWS
# Outfielders
Brian Goodwin WSH
Jake Marisnick TOR
Kent Matthes COL
Kyle Parker COL
Kevin Pillar TOR
Trayce Thompson CWS
Surprise Saguaros Active Roster
# Pitchers
Seth Blair STL
Edwin Carl KC
Miguel De Los Santos TEX
Ryan Fraser NYM
Sam Freeman STL
Chase Huchingson NYM
Brock Huntzinger BOS
Jon Keck KC
Adam Kolarek NYM
Justin Marks KC
Chris Martin BOS
Gregory Peavey NYM
Jimmy Reyes TEX
Ryan Rodebaugh TEX
Ben Rowen TEX
Pete Ruiz BOS
Kevin Siegrist STL
Boone Whiting STL
# Catchers
Kellin Deglan TEX
Cody Stanley STL
# Infielders
Orlando Calixte KC
Leury Garcia TEX
Alex McClure KC
Chris McGuiness TEX
Daniel Muno NYM
Luis Sardinas TEX
Kolten Wong STL
# Outfielders
Bryce Brentz BOS
Darrell Ceciliani NYM
Brian Fletcher KC
Whit Merrifield KC
Mike O'Neill STL
Cesar Puello NYM
The Arizona Fall League will be commemorating its 20th anniversary thoughout this fall's campaign, and once again, the elite finishing school for prospects has assembled an impressive collection of Minor League talent to celebrate in style.
A total of 24 players currently on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospect list are on the rosters announced on Wednesday, led by Minors stolen-base record holder Billy Hamilton of the Reds, Anthony Rendon of the Nationals and the Marlins' Christian Yelich, all of whom are in the top 30.
Hamilton, who set the single-season Minor League stolen-base record this year and has 154 steals as of Tuesday, will be trying out a new position in Arizona. A shortstop up until this point as a professional, Hamilton will be seeing time in the outfield while playing for the Peoria Javelinas. Many scouts believe Hamilton is best suited for center field, and this could be the first step toward a full-time transition to the outfield for the speedster.
Changing positions is nothing new for Fall Leaguers. Just ask Grant Green. The A's prospect, No. 76 on the Top 100, will be playing for the Phoenix Desert Dogs for the third consecutive season. And he'll be doing so at his third position. The former first-rounder was still a shortstop when he made his first AFL appearance in 2010. A year ago, he played the outfield after moving to center midway through the '11 season. This time, Green will see time exclusively at second base after playing there for most of the final month of the Minor League season.
"It's a good opportunity to not just show the A's, but show everybody I can play multiple positions," Green said about his third AFL tour. "They told me it'll be just to play second. I like that aspect in that I won't have to play short or outfield again. I'll be able to work with our roving infield instructor, get more comfortable with the position, get more game-time innings in rather than practice. That's what I'm really happy about. You still want to win every game possible, but if you make a mistake here or there, it's not life or death in the Fall League."
There may have been a part of Green that wasn't thrilled about heading to Phoenix for a third straight season, but the pros outweighed the cons for the 24-year-old, who hopes to earn a spot on Oakland's 40-man roster this offseason.
"I understood where they were coming from, but at the same time, I've been there three years and it would've been nice to have a full offseason," Green said. "But I completely understand where they're coming from and what they want me to do. If it's going to help me with the organization, let's roll with it."
Fellow infielder Kolten Wong of the Cardinals feels the same way. The 2011 first-round Draft pick and current No. 87 prospect is certainly feeling the impact of his first full season. But there was no hesitation when the second baseman out of the University of Hawaii was asked about playing for the Surprise Rafters.
"The way I look at it, everyone playing in the big leagues, they're playing the same amount of games and they're pushing through it," said Wong, who's spent the year with Double-A Springfield. "If I want to do that as my job, I have to be able to do that. I'm just going to keep playing and do my best. The Cardinals want me to get a significant amount of games to get me ready to handle a long season. I was excited when I got the call, I wanted to see how many games I could play, how much I could push myself. I wanted to push myself to get ready."
Over the past few years, the Fall League has had a growing number of recent draftees participate to get them ready for their first full seasons of pro ball.
In 2011, No. 1 pick Gerrit Cole and No. 2 pick Danny Hultzen headlined a list of five first-rounders from that June's Draft. With the signing deadline then in mid-August, the AFL often proved to be the first unofficial taste of professional baseball for these future stars. With the new rules, particularly the earlier signing deadline, this year's Draft class got to go out and play, making it less likely for them to head to Arizona. As a result, there are only two 2012 draftees currently on rosters: No. 3 overall pick Mike Zunino of the Mariners and the Rays' Richie Shaffer (No. 25). There are, however, a total of 33 former first-round picks from Drafts over the years heading to Arizona.
Players from 10 countries -- Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Puerto Rico, South Korea and Taiwan -- will also be on hand.
The biggest objective for the AFL, which begins play on Oct. 9, is to get participants ready for the big leagues, of course. All the players on this year's rosters know the track record of the league: that a large majority of alumni go on to play in the big leagues, many in the following season.
"They're sending me up there to see if I can handle it," Wong said. "Whenever that call comes, I'll be ready and excited. Until that time, I'm just going to be trying to get better. I'm a little tired, but my body feels really good."
Player eligibility rules:
Roster size is established at 35 players per team.
Each Major League organization is required to provide seven players, subject to the following eligibility requirements:
All Triple-A and Double-A players are eligible, provided they are on Double-A rosters no later than Aug. 15. Each organization is permitted to send two Class A Advanced-level players in addition to the current allowance of two "A exempt" players (who are under contract as of Aug. 15). Foreign players are allowed as long as the player is not on his native country's primary protected-player list.
No players with more than one year active or two years total of credited Major League service as of Aug. 31 (including Major League disabled-list time) are eligible, except a team may select one player picked in the most recently concluded Major League Rule 5 Draft.
Each team is allotted 20 pitchers, but only 15 are designated "eligible" each gameday.
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com and writes a blog, B3. Follow @JonathanMayoB3 on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Mesa Solar Sox Active Roster
Pitchers
Michael Belfiore BAL
Tyler Clark DET
Jarred Cosart HOU
Eric Eadington LAD
Matt Hoffman DET
Chia-Jen Lo HOU
Michael Morrison DET
Red Patterson LAD
Chris Petrini BAL
Luke Putkonen DET
Dae-Eun Rhee CHC
Kevin Rhoderick CHC
Steven Rodriguez LAD
Zach Rosscup CHC
Clay Schrader BAL
Alex Sogard HOU
Nicholas Struck CHC
Mike Wright BAL
Tony Zych CHC
# Catchers
Gorman Erickson LAD
James McCann DET
Brian Ward BAL
# Infielders
Javier Baez CHC
Nick Castellanos DET
Jiovanni Mier HOU
Jonathan Schoop BAL
Jonathan Singleton HOU
Aaron Westlake DET
Rafael Ynoa LAD
# Outfielders
Bobby Borchering HOU
L.J. Hoes BAL
Joc Pederson LAD
Yasiel Puig LAD
Rubi Silva CHC
George HOU
Matthew Szczur CHC
Phoenix Desert Dogs Active Roster
# Pitchers
Nick Bucci MIL
Gary Daley OAK
Grant Dayton MIA
Brian Flynn MIA
Shawn Haviland OAK
Kyle Heckathorn MIL
Johnny Hellweg MIL
Brett Hunter OAK
Lenny Linsky TB
Santo Manzanillo MIL
Scott McGough MIA
Jimmy Nelson MIL
Cory Rasmus ATL
Chris Rearick TB
C.J. Riefenhauser TB
Gus Schlosser ATL
James Simmons OAK
Zeke Spruill ATL
Kirby Yates TB
# Catchers
Mathew Kennelly ATL
Jacob Realmuto MIA
Max Stassi OAK
# Infielders
Nick Ahmed ATL
Tim Beckham TB
Miles Head OAK
Hak-Ju Lee TB
Hunter Morris MIL
Edward Salcedo ATL
Richie Shaffer TB
# Outfielders
Khris Davis MIL
Grant Green OAK
Kyle Jensen MIA
Kevin Kiermaier TB
Brock Kjeldgaard MIL
Christian Yelich MIA
Scottsdale Scorpions Active Roster
# Pitchers
Shawn Armstrong CLE
Buddy Boshers LAA
Ryan Chaffee LAA
Brandon Cumpton PIT
Trey Haley CLE
T.J. House R-L CLE
Kevin JohnsonLAA
Nick Maronde LAA
Matt Packer CLE
Tyler Waldron PIT
# Catchers
Alex Monsalve CLE
Carlos Ramirez LAA
Austin Romine NYY
# Infielders
David Adams NYY
Kaleb Cowart LAA
Matt Curry PIT
Gift Ngoepe PIT
Ricky Oropesa SF
Joe Panik SF
Ronny Rodriguez CLE
# Outfielders
Gary Brown SF
Randal Grichuk LAA
Slade Heathcott NYY
Adalberto Santos PIT
Travis Witherspoon LAA
Peoria Javelinas Active Roster
Pitchers
Logan Bawcom SEA
Logan Darnell MIN
Robbie Erlin SD
Kyle Gibson MIN
Drew Hayes CIN
Jay Johnson PHI
Casey Kelly SD
Tyler Knigge PHI
Bobby LaFromboise SEA
Curtis Partch CIN
James Paxton SEA
Kevin Quackenbush SD
Colby Shreve PHI
Kyle Simon PHI
Carson Smith SEA
Matthew Stites SD
Caleb Thielbar MIN
Michael Tonkin MIN
# Catchers
Chris Herrmann MIN
Tommy Joseph PHI
Mike Zunino SEA
# Infielders
Cody Asche PHI
Vinnie Catricala SEA
Nick Franklin SEA
Nathan Freiman SD
Didi Gregorius CIN
Billy Hamilton CIN
Donald Lutz CIN
Stefen Romero SEA
Cory SpangenbergSD
Jeudy Valdez SD
# Outfielders
Evan Bigley MIN
Zach Collier PHI
Rymer Liriano SD
Nate Roberts MIN
Salt River Rafters Active Roster
# Pitchers
Chase Anderson ARI
Paul Demny WSH
Isaiah Froneberger COL
Christian Garcia WSH
Evan Marshall ARI
Kevin Munson ARI
Ryan Perry WSH
Andre Rienzo CWS
Cory Riordan COL
Santos Rodriguez CWS
Eric Smith ARI
Taylor Thompson CWS
Coty Woods COL
# Catchers
Lars Davis COL
Jose Gonzalez COL
# Infielders
Tyler Bortnick ARI
Matt Davidson ARI
Ryan Goins TOR
Jason Martinson WSH
Chris Owings ARI
Anthony Rendon WSH
Carlos Sanchez CWS
Andy Wilkins CWS
# Outfielders
Brian Goodwin WSH
Jake Marisnick TOR
Kent Matthes COL
Kyle Parker COL
Kevin Pillar TOR
Trayce Thompson CWS
Surprise Saguaros Active Roster
# Pitchers
Seth Blair STL
Edwin Carl KC
Miguel De Los Santos TEX
Ryan Fraser NYM
Sam Freeman STL
Chase Huchingson NYM
Brock Huntzinger BOS
Jon Keck KC
Adam Kolarek NYM
Justin Marks KC
Chris Martin BOS
Gregory Peavey NYM
Jimmy Reyes TEX
Ryan Rodebaugh TEX
Ben Rowen TEX
Pete Ruiz BOS
Kevin Siegrist STL
Boone Whiting STL
# Catchers
Kellin Deglan TEX
Cody Stanley STL
# Infielders
Orlando Calixte KC
Leury Garcia TEX
Alex McClure KC
Chris McGuiness TEX
Daniel Muno NYM
Luis Sardinas TEX
Kolten Wong STL
# Outfielders
Bryce Brentz BOS
Darrell Ceciliani NYM
Brian Fletcher KC
Whit Merrifield KC
Mike O'Neill STL
Cesar Puello NYM
“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller
-- Bob Feller