Cleveland Sports Forum

Naquin among Tribe's representatives in AFL

ATLANTA --

The Arizona Fall League will feature a handful of standouts from within the Indians' farm system this year. Heading the Cleveland class will be outfielder Tyler Naquin.

Naquin, who was the Tribe's first-round selection in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, will join catcher Tony Wolters and second baseman Joe Wendle with the Surprise Saquaros. Class A (low) Lake County pitching coach Steve Karsay fill also fill the same role for the AFL's Surprise squad. Catcher Jake Lowery will suit up for the Peoria Javelinas.

The Indians have yet to announce the participating pitchers from their affiliates.

There will be plenty of eyes on Naquin during his first taste of the AFL.

"He had a great start to his career," said Indians assistant director of player development Carter Hawkins. "He really bought in to the process and has made adjustments to be successful at the upper levels. He's played hard all year and we feel like this is just a natural progression from [Double-A] Akron to see this competition.

"We feel like he'll be really successful out there and it can springboard him into next year."

Naquin, 22, has spent 119 games between Class A (high) Carolina and Double-A this season, hitting .273 with a .341 on-base percentage and a .419 slugging percentage. Entering Tuesday, the outfielder had 10 homers, 46 extra-base hits, 15 stolen bases, 48 RBIs and 76 runs on offense, and 11 assists from center field.

Wendle has hit .295 with 15 homers and 59 RBIs through 100 games for Class A Carolina, while Lowery has posted a .264 average with 31 extra-base hits and 31 RBIs through 78 games between Carolina and Akron. Wolters, who has hit .283 with 16 extra-base hits and 29 RBIs in 75 games at Carolina this year, is continuing a transition to catcher from the middle infield.

"The more we can get him back behind the dish, the better he's going to be," Hawkins said. "And the more he can be around older players, and guys that really know what it's like to play that position at the upper levels, the better it's going to be for him. We certainly think he can handle the competition."

Selective posting is OK, but I'd like to know who this source says the other three are. One I believe is Aguillar. Who else and who's the poster?

Around the Farm: August 24, 2013

By Tony Lastoria

August 25, 2013

Around the Farm takes a quick look at some of yesterday’s performances by Indians prospects throughout the system. The positions listed below are where the player was playing in yesterday’s game.

Kenny Mathews (SP, Mahoning Valley): 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K. The first real hiccup for Mathews who is still very early in his pro career. He gave up more earned runs in this one outing than he had given up the entire season in nine starts before it. Even with the tough outing his numbers look great as he is 0-2 with a 2.87 ERA in 10 starts, and in 31.1 innings he has allowed 26 hits, no homers, 10 walks and has 30 strikes. The ability to throw strikes, keep the ball in the yard and get strikeouts will get you noticed, especially when you are left-handed.

•Ryan Rohlinger (SS, Columbus): 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI. Ryan is not much of a prospect but continues to play well. As a roster fill in he’s had a nice season hitting .264 with a .708 OPS.

•David Cooper (DH, Columbus): 0-for-3, BB. He has played just two games (1-for-7) with Columbus after hitting .440 with a 1.041 OPS in six games in Arizona. He should be in Cleveland by week’s end.

•Jeremy Hermida (RF, Columbus): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 K. Hermida has actually had a solid Triple-A season with 86 walks and .371 on-base percentage.

•Chun-Hsiu Chen (LF-1B, Columbus): 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, 2 K. It has been a struggle for Chen since the start of July as he hit just .188 with a .517 OPS in July and so far in August he is hitting .174 with a .517 OPS.

•Trevor Bauer (SP, Columbus): 5.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R/ER, 3 BB, 8 K. Bauer threw 109 pitches and only 62 of them for strikes (56.9% strike rate). Once again he was pitching behind in the count all night. He might have one final start on Thursday and then his season could be over.

•Vinnie Pestano (RP, Columbus): 0.2 IP, 0 R, 2 K. Pestano faced two batters and mowed down both. He’s been okay since his return to Columbus as he is still trying to work out some kinks in his mechanics and be more consistent.

•Jose Ramirez (SS, Akron): 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K. The steady Ramirez continues to produce and is one of four non-40 roster players in consideration for a big league call this September.

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I don't think the "consideration" comes without some thought behind it, Civ.

This winter, Ramirez was one of the youngest players in the Dominican winter league. He played against a lot of MLB, AAAA, AAA, and AA player and more than held his own. He was the youngest player to play in the Series del Caribe.

He's had a credible season at Akron. He wasn't intimidated at all. He did skip High "A" ball. He's currently batting .276 which means this is the first time in his short pro career that he won't hit .300 or better. He leads the Eastern League in stolen bases by nine with a total of 38 and he missed the better part of two weeks with a leg injury. He's walked 38 times and struck out 40 times. That a neat ratio. Until a week or so ago, he walked more times than he struck out. That was for the entire season.

I'm hoping he returns for another season of winter ball, this time to try and improve upon his "power" numbers.

I'm hoping he returns for another season of winter ball, this time to try and improve upon his "power" numbers.

Certainly the best place for PEDs !

Ramirez would be most useful at this stage of his career as an alternative to Carrera as a pinch runner.

So he and Aguillar are two of the four non-roster players Tony thinks could be promoted; the other two are?

I could imagine Kyle Crockett with a shot although he was drafted just this June. His AA ERA of 0 equals his NYPL ERA. Only blemish was a run or two while he passed through Carolina. Another Lefty in the bullpen cannot hurt. Also likely to come up for that role: Hagadone and House.

I also expect the entire CLippers bullpen to migrate to Cleveland: Lee, Langwell, Pestano, Hagadone and Wood almost for certain. Maybe Guilmet. Less likely Bryan Price although he's had a good season. Conceivably Clay Rapada since he's another lefty.

2013 Instructional League roster and schedule

By Tony Lastoria

August 28, 2013

The 2013 Fall Instructional League gets underway in about two weeks out in Goodyear, Arizona. Over a span of a month around 50 players will participate in weight training and conditioning drills, on-field instruction, and play in 14 games until it wraps up on Monday October 14th.

This is a time when a lot of the players selected in the 2013 Draft, key Latin signings, and other players acquired throughout the season get exposed to the spring training environment. It is also a time when the player development staff gets to sit down with the new players and work on things to get them prepared for the offseason and make the adjustments needed for the next season.

This will allow young players like Casey Shane, Sean Brady, Clint Frazier, Leandro Linares and others to get more game experience in a highly instructinal enviroment that also provides the opportunity to play in games. Instructional League also allows some players that had injury issues throughout the season (like Elvis Araujo) to make up some much needed time they lost.

It is also important to note that several of these players will be playing in the Arizona Fall League and some listed will be using Instructional League simply to get ready for the AFL which begins on October 8th. We already know the position players going as they are Tony Wolters, Jake Lowery, Tyler Naquin and Joey Wendle, but the pitchers have yet to be determined.

As a sidenote, the Parallel League - or more commonly known as Advanced Instructional League - is not back this season for a variety of reasons.

Here is the Instructional League roster and schedule:

Schedule
Roster

Breaking down the September callup options for the Indians

By Tony Lastoria

August 27, 2013

The Indians players enjoyed a much needed off day on Monday, but on the off day the organization was still hard at work in the offices at Progressive Field. They paid special attention to the action at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus on Monday night as they continue to evaluate September callup options for the stretch run.

With just a few days until the September 1st callup date the Indians will be adding some reinforcements from the minors. They have already been discussing options internally and have been paying special attention to those players over the past two weeks, some getting a visit from various front office personnel to get a firsthand account of them rather than rely on the reports being submitted by the player development staff on site each day.

As a reminder, rosters are expanded in September to allow major league teams to have more than the normal 25-player limit where teams can have up to 40 players on the roster. No team ever has a full roster of 40 players in September, and not every player on the 40-man roster is automatically called up. Teams need to discuss the players that are on the 40-man roster and on optional assignment in the minors and determine if they are ready to help at the big level, and if they are not they simply are not called up. There are also a few players not currently on the 40-man roster that the Indians are considering adding for the stretch run.

The discussions on who exactly the Indians will call up will continue throughout the week in preparation for the first wave of players expected to be immediately called up on Sunday the 1st. You can expect a few relievers to be a part of that initial group and possibly a position player or two. After that, the rest of the callups should arrive after the minor league season ends on Labor Day, which means another wave of players should arrive on Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Here are the players up for consideration to be called up in September, including those not presently on the 40-man roster, and a detailed explanation why they are or are not being considered for a call to Cleveland:

Pitchers

The Indians have a plethora of relief options to add this September, and they will likely add at least a half dozen arms. Unfortunately, because of the depth of arms they have, some very deserving players are going to get slighted. Here is a look at the pitchers up for consideration:

Josh Tomlin (RHP): This appears to be a slam dunk as the Indians activated him from the 60-day disabled list when they really did not have to and could have just kept him on it the rest of the year so they could use the 40-man spot on another player that can help now. He is scheduled to make a start on Tuesday with Triple-A Columbus, and after that it is anyone’s guess how soon he is up in Cleveland. He could come up on Sunday when rosters expand and take Danny Salazar’s spot in the rotation (innings limit), be called up on Sunday simply as a long relief option, or the Indians may just wait and have Tomlin make one more start with Columbus on Sunday and then call him up as a long relief and spot starting option shortly after that. Either way, he should join the team by this time next week. He’s looked good so far in his rehab as in eight appearances he owns a 2.08 ERA (17.1 IP, 12 H, 0 BB, 12 K), but until he faces major league pitching it remains to be seen just how effective he will be considering he is barely a year away from elbow surgery.

Preston Guilmet (RHP): Guilmet has been very good down the stretch where in seven appearances this month he has thrown 10.0 shutout innings and allowed just 3 hits, 1 walk and has 10 strikeouts. He’s been great all year piling up a 1.73 ERA, 2.0 BB/9, and 10.3 K/9 in 47 appearances at Triple-A Columbus, and he’s been up in Cleveland already a few times and made just two appearances. He won’t excite you with his stuff as he has a low 90s fastball but he has some very good command of all of his pitches and gets great leverage on hitters with the deception and angle his unique over-the-top arm slot creates. He should be a part of the first wave of relievers to help add some length to the pen.

Vinnie Pestano (RHP): My how the mighty have fallen. Pestano has not been himself this year and the Indians finally ran out of patience a few weeks ago when they optioned him to Columbus. His issues this season have been well documented as he has struggled with his velocity and command which have resulted in a large spike in his home run rate (1.6 HR/9) and walk rate (5.1 BB/9). Those are numbers that deep into the season are just not acceptable, especially when you have right-handed relief options aplenty in the minors, so he has been in Columbus for about a month to try and get his delivery right and find the lost life on his fastball. The reports have been mixed as he has looked good some outings but then bad in others (4.22 ERA, 3.4 BB/9, 9.3 K/9), and just from a team standpoint he will probably be recalled but have his opportunities limited the rest of the season.

Matt Langwell (RHP): Langwell is what former manager Eric Wedge would call a grinder. A guy that won’t wow you with his physical tools or his stuff, but a guy that just goes out there and competes, has a lot of toughness, and gets results. He has already been up a few times this season and has had another good year in the minors compiling a 2.31 ERA, 2.9 BB/9 and 7.7 K/9 in 40 appearances at Columbus. He’s a guy that is on the fringe of the 40-man roster, so he will need to continue to get results when given opportunities as there are several right-handed relievers waiting to take his spot. He should come up on Sunday and his performance this September could go a long way at proving whether he stays on the roster this offseason or not.

C.C. Lee (RHP): Lee has made a successful return from elbow surgery this season piling up a 2.67 ERA, 3.0 BB/9, and 11.7 K/9 in 26 appearances in the minors this season, most of them at Columbus. He had a brief callup to Cleveland earlier in the year, and with his unique sidearm slot and good fastball-slider combination and him being one of the Indians top relief prospects, he should get some much needed experience down the stretch in Cleveland as a September callup. However, with all of the depth they have in the pen they may just opt to shut him down and consider it a successful first season back from injury.

Kyle Crockett (LHP): Crockett has rocketed up the system, and he may not be done as the Indians are seriously considering adding him to the roster for the stretch run, something that is almost unheard of for a player drafted just over two months ago. The Indians had him completely skip High-A Carolina a few weeks ago and go right to Double-A Akron, a sure-fire sign that he is in consideration for a major league opportunity right now. The numbers speak for themselves as in 19 appearances he has a 0.40 ERA, 1.6 BB/9 and 11.9 K/9. He just has such exceptional command and is very tough on lefties, something that the Indians could use in Cleveland. He is one of three players the organization is considering adding to the 40-man roster before the end of the season, and he could be a guy that helps fill their left-handed relief need for a long time.

Bryan Price (RHP): Price is having a sensational season, but looks to be on the outside looking in for a September callup simply because of a numbers game. He has been money in August compiling a 0.60 ERA in eight appearances and in 15.0 innings has allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and has 16 strikeouts. For the season he owns a 2.13 ERA, 1.9 BB/9 and 10.9 K/9, which are outstanding numbers for a reliever. He has pedigree as a former high level prospect, but he fell in priority over the prior two seasons due to injuries and inconsistency. He’s reestablished some of his value, and his low-to-mid 90s fastball and plus slider have been true weapons for him this season. But, again, with so many relievers ahead of him on the totem pole and limited space on the 40-man roster, his time for a major league opportunity will probably not come this season.

Blake Wood (RHP): Wood has pitched very well in the minors in his return from elbow surgery as he has a 2.49 ERA and 11.4 K/9 in 28 relief appearances this season, but the walk rate (6.0 BB/9) is concerning and probably will be something that ultimately keeps him from being a September callup. With so many options at their disposal it is hard to see the Indians calling up more than six or seven pitchers and not just callup guys to call them up, which is why I believe that Wood won’t be recalled.

T.J. House (LHP): House has been great in August (2-0, 2.49 ERA, 4:22 BB/K) and has really had a solid season (8-11, 4.10 ERA, 26 GS). He continues to improve his strike throwing ability and he gets a good amount of swing and miss from the left side. He is a guy that the Indians could call up as a long relief option or an additional lefty in the pen the rest of the way; however, the addition of Tomlin might keep him from long man consideration and the Indians may go in a different direction for additional lefty relief help. Even still, he’s proven his value and if he is not called up he has established himself as a major league pitching option for next year.

Nick Hagadone (LHP): Hagadone has kind of been forgotten after his earlier struggles in Cleveland (5.33 ERA, 5.7 BB/9, 8.2 K/9) but he has put together a solid season in Columbus where in 24 appearances he is 2-2 with a 2.48 ERA and has a 5.3 BB/9 and 13.7 K/9. There is no denying his power stuff and his ability to get swing and miss, but command continues to plague him. Like with Wood, the high walk rate may be what prevents him from being called up, not to mention it seems the organization has lost some faith in him.

Austin Adams (RHP), Clay Rapada (LHP), Trevor Bauer (RHP) and Matt Packer (LHP): Adams has returned well from shoulder surgery as his velocity has returned to the upper 90s and his curveball looks great, but there are just too many right-handed relievers in front of him – which is why he has stayed in Akron so long. Rapada has pitched very well, but with the Indians so desperate for left-handed pitching and not yet giving him an opportunity it is a clear indication they do not consider him a major league option and that the Yankees let him go for a reason. At the moment the Indians do not have a need for a starter, and if they do then Tomlin or Carlos Carrasco would probably fill that role, so it is unlikely that Bauer is recalled. Packer has also rebounded well from injury and had a nice season, but again, there are other options above him at this point. He’s definitely added himself to the major league mix next season.

Hitters

David Cooper (1B): The Indians picked up Cooper about two weeks ago and reports said that if he is not added to the 40-man roster by the end of August he can elect to become a free agent. Given that we are just four days away from that deadline, it appears that he will be added to the roster by Sunday. The Indians picked him up because of his bat but he was available because he is coming off serious back surgery. It remains to be seen if he can hold up, but he is hitting .371 with a .878 OPS in nine games. Now, it should be noted a lot of that came in rookie ball action and he has also not shown much power which may be him compromising for his repaired back. That is what the Indians need to see in their evaluation of him before making a decision on whether to roster him, but considering his low cost, the upside if he is healthy, and such little downside if he is not, I have to believe the Indians will roster him and have him on the major league roster in September – provided he checks out health-wise.

Jesus Aguilar (1B): Aguilar has had another good season and he just reached 100 RBIs on the season on Sunday, which is a fantastic feat in the minors. But RBIs in the minors don’t mean much as far as major league ability goes nor do they offer any help in projecting future success. It should be noted that even with the high RBI total, he’s actually had a worse season this year hitting .272 (.280 in 2012), .349 on-base percentage (.372 in 2012), .425 slugging percentage (.461 in 2012) and .774 OPS (.833 in 2012). The Indians like his right-handed power and production and are considering him for a roster spot this September, but that’s a long shot as he is probably not ready and may still be a year away.

Jose Ramirez (INF) and Juan Diaz (INF): The Indians want to add another utility infielder to the roster in September, but the one on the 40-man roster (Diaz) is just not very useful as he offers very little with the bat, has no speed, and is inexperienced at any other position but shortstop. He is hitting just .243 with 8 HR, 44 RBI, .666 OPS and has a poor 43-126 walk to strikeout ratio this season, which is why the Indians are seriously considering calling up Ramirez as their utility option. That’s the role he will probably fill in the future and maybe as soon as the start of next season, so they may want to get an extended look at him now. He is a plus defender and could even just be a late inning baserunning option because of his excellent speed and smarts on the bases. He has tons of experience in winter ball so the lack of Triple-A experience is not a problem, and he is hitting .277 with 3 HR, 37 RBI, .686 OPS and outstanding 38-40 walk to strikeout rate. That speed, defense, versatility and ability to be a tough out on pitchers is what has him in the mix, and if he is called upon he very well may end up taking Diaz’s spot on the 40-man roster.

Tim Fedroff (OF), Jeremy Hermida (OF) and Matt LaPorta (1B/OF): Fedroff has had a poor year at the plate (.652 OPS). His offensive the last two seasons (.793 OPS in 2011 and .879 OPS in 2012) is what got him rostered and without it he just is not valuable on a roster because is not fast enough or good enough defensively to be a late game replacement as a specialist. If the Indians want to add a guy from the left side with some power, good approach and major league experience, it might be Hermida. He is hitting just .249 but thanks to 87 walks he has a very good .371 on-base percentage to go along with 17 homers and 65 RBI. There is an outside chance that if they do so that he could take Fedroff’s spot on the 40-man roster. LaPorta is hitting .246 with 8 HR, 23 RBI and .793 OPS in 38 games with Columbus, but as much as fans may want to give one last look at him, it appears that when Columbus’ season ends on Monday that the Indians will not call him up and he will quietly leave the organization this offseason as a minor league free agent.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

He has tons of experience in winter ball so the lack of Triple-A experience is not a problem,

[ Tony took the words right out of my mouth ]

Have a great and safe weekend all !

Last set of Wednesday box scores of the season:

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20130828

Highlights and lowlights:

AAA House 6-10-4-1-4-5 and shutout relief 1 IP each by Lee 2k, Guilmet 1k, Hagadone 0k
David Cooper 0-3 hitting 176; Diaz 2 walks

AA: nonprospect Brett Brach 6 shutout innings, and 1 shutout IP each by Brett Myers, Kyle Crockett, Bryce Stowell. Ramirez singled and walked. Naquin 0-5, is 1 for his last 30, avg 196, did get a chance for a steal but he was caught; he's 1 of 4 in AA. Time for fall break.

Carolina: 12-11 victory in 7 innings, paced by 3 hits each from OFs Bryson Myles (20th double), Jordan Smith 27th and 28th doubles

Lake County: 11-2 loss. Robbie Aviles who has had a pretty good back from surgery year watches the ERA rise dramatically with 3 innings pitched, 8 runs allowed. Levon Washington finishing healthy, with 2 hits. Tom Hamilton's kid with 2 of his own, after an awful start is up to 235.

Mahoning Valley: One of the few young pitches not on Instructional League roster, Cole Sulser with another fine outing, 6-2-1-1-1-10. Nellie Rodriguez singles and his 9th homer.
Indians top minor league name Sicnarf Loopstock with 2 hits, crashes the Mendoza line.
Indians nominee for worst player in the minors with a very competitve night:
Brian Ruiz 0-3 with 2 strikeouts. Average is now .129. And he has no peripherals; on base pct 174; slugging even worse, 153. Which combines for an outstanding OPS of 327. A fine-looking 6-3 190 OF from Cleveland may well be about finished with his pro career

Arizona: Dvone McClure who missed about a month, in his second game back went 0-4 with 2K. Promising 2012 OF pick from high school hasn't proven much in his first two summers in Rookie Ball. Casey Shane 5 innings, 2 runs. And in a major new development, former 4th round pick, 3B Kyle Bellows is now a pitcher, He threw 2 shutout innings.

Final Thursday of the Minor League Season, Arizona league is done already

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x&sid=milb

AAA: Bauer with another bizarre line: 5-4-2-2-7-5. Shutout innings each by Pestano, Wood, Rapada, Langwell

AA: Naquin arises from the dead with 2 hits. Moncrief says dead, after two terrific months in August he's hit 205 with OPS 574. Monsalve 2nd homer, 2 hits, stays at 300. Urshela 2 hits at 272. Aguillar a pair of hits and two more RBI, that makes 103.
Trey Haley allows 4 in the 11th. Is his roster spot available for the taking? He's on the 40-man

High A: 2 hits for Myles (.292), Smith (.286_) and Wolters (.286). Smith with 2b #28 but only 5 homers for the RF. Ryan Merritt 4 runs in 4 innings in his second Carolina start.

Low A: DJ Brown, a 6-6 RH in his second start is solid: 5-4-1-1-0-6. 2.71 ERA for the usually-a-reliever
Levon Washington just makes it under the wire with his 1st homer of 2013. C Eric Haase with a pair of doubles and a single; good power hitter he has 21 doubes, 3 triples, 14 homers; fans 30% of his ABs

Short Season: Rare display of offensive prowess by the Scrappers as they manage a 2-1 victory. Pitcher stars were 20 year old LH Kenny Matthews 4-5-1-1-1-5 ERA 2.80 35/11 K/BB. 22 year old RH Trevor Frank, retired all 6 he faced, 3 on strikes, 39 K vs 1 BB. But the fact that he's working at this level and in relief makes you assume he's not a big deal. We'll see where he opens next year.

MLB.com already has an Indians Top 20 prospect list. It looks like the preseason list with some 2013 draftees snuck in, since it lacks players like Luis Lugo and Nellie Rodriguez who make big moves forward in 2013. FWIW:

1. Lindor, obviously
2. Bauer, obviously not
3. Frazier
4. Paulino, he won't crash out of the list after his full season debut but he'll drop farther than 4th
5. Naquin
6. Salazar, obviously he'll be No. 2 unless he uses up his rookie eligibility
7. Cody Anderson, maybe so, he had a good 2012 and moved up to AA
8. Ronnie Rodriguez, so so season in his AA debut, struck out less, homered less
9. Dace Kime, I think he ought to rearrange those vowels
10. Mike Brown, complete flop in Lake County debut, regrouped partially in Arizona return
11. Luigi Rodriguez, injured almost all season
12. Tony Wolters, didn't do badly in his debut as a catcher
13. Jose Ramirez, No. 4 on Joe's list; I assume he'll pass over R Rod in middle IF class
14. Levon Washington, stayed healthy the last 2 months and hit well, but he needs to start moving up
15. C C Lee, probably should be higher, although "only a reliever"
16. Kyle Crockett, jetting upward in the months after being drafted, another reliever who should be some spots higher than this
17. Devon McClure, little displayed when not injured in return to Arizona
18. Jesus Aguillar, homers dropped, RBI soared, still not a great prospect, but higher than this
19. Alex Monsalve, catcher missed more than half the season but has hit well since he arrived in Akron
20. I don't know who my notes are referring to as "S.B." Oh, yeah, Sean Brady, high school lefty who did quite well in Arizona. Their description: "Brady's fastball sits in the upper-80s to low-90s. He mixes it with a curveball and changeup, both of which are promising. He has a clean delivery and has a good feel for his whole arsenal. Brady's advanced stuff and understanding of pitching help make up for his lack of projection. He could move faster than most high school" Sounds like he doesn't have an especially high ceiling but he has looked good in his debut.

Besides Lugo, a big lefty who excelled against older opposition in Short A, and Rodriguez another 19 year old who handled older pitchers well at the same level [after a poor debut earlier in Lake County] some others who could rate in the top 20 include RH Dylan Baker who fared much better in his second season than Brown did; 17year old catcher Francisco Mejia who showed good power to go with excellent defensive skills.
Maybe Giovanny Urshela who never walks, has medium power, hits 270 and fields brilliantly -- those skills may offer more than Chisenhall can. Bunch of other 2013 draftees pitched well in debuts, but dont' really know if Kenny Matthews, Trevor Frank, Matt Whitehouse have talent that projects.

Arroyo, Frazier highlight AZL All-Stars

Pair of first-rounders earn first honors in Rookie-level circuit

Clint Frazier ranked fourth in the AZL with a .506 slugging percentage this season.

For many young ballplayers, the Arizona League provides their first taste of professional baseball in the United States. For a select few, it can also represent the first time they're rewarded for their play in affiliated ball as well, and that's precisely what happened this week.


The Rookie-level circuit announced its 2013 All-Star team Thursday, led by league MVP Christian Arroyo.

Arroyo -- the first-round pick (25th overall) of the Giants in this year's Draft -- owned a .326/.388/.511 slash line in 45 games in the Rookie-level circuit this season. The 19-year-old shortstop, who shares an All-Star spot at the position with Franchy Cordero (Padres), led the Arizona League with an .898 OPS, 18 doubles and 39 RBIs and tied for first in slugging percentage. He is listed as San Francisco's No. 8 prospect, according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.

He was joined on this year's All-Star team by fellow first-rounder (fifth overall) Clint Frazier, who nabbed one of the three outfield spots on this year's team. The center fielder, who turns 19 on Sept. 6, owned a .296/.362/.506 line with 11 doubles, five triples, five homers and 28 RBIs in 44 games with the Arizona Indians. The Tribe's No. 3 prospect's .506 slugging percentage ranked fourth among the circuit's sluggers.

Turns out Arizona team wasn't finished yet. They became the only Tribe farm team to reach the playoffs but lost in the 1-game quarterfinal despite 5 shutout innings from S.B. Frazier went 1-4. Mejia ditto. McClure hitless in 4. Now they take a break until instructional league.

Here are the final Friday boxes

http://www.milb.com/scoreboard/index.js ... d=20130830

Not a lot interesting to report. Hagadone gets the AAA loss as Lee lets his baserunner score.
Good relief pitching AA from Armstrong 2 IP, Stowell 1, Flores 2.
Robert Whitenack who's trying to get back to prospect form he once had with the Cubs saves his best work for the last, 6 1 hit shutout innings for Carolina.
RH Caleb Hamrick 5-5-3-1-0-2 for Scrappers.

Offense: Aguillar singles home 2 more,RBI total is 105. Moncrief with 2 singles, a walk and a steal.
Tony Wolters with one single and 3 rbi..
That's about it.