Have Prospects Will Travel: Taillon Time In Savannah
Thursday night, Pirates prospect Jameson Taillon is slated to toe the rubber in Savannah and Scouting The Sally will be there with bells on! With West Virginia games slated Thursday and Friday, along with Lexington Saturday, I’ll be able to scout a handful of players I would have missed otherwise. A little over a month [...]
Prospect Video: Jonathan Meyer, 3B, Houston Astros
Prospect video and thoughts on Houston Astros prospect Jonathan Meyer.
Prospect Video: Juan Minaya, P, Houston Astros
Juan Minaya struggled through his age-19 season, but the Houston Astros farmhand showed the makings of a potential big leaguer.
Scouting Report: Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros
Without much time to prepare to scout the Lexington Legends prior to heading to the park, I knew little about the roster after former early round picks Jiovanni Mier and Tanner Bushue. In a move uncharacteristic of me, I threw the question out to “tweeps” hoping to be thrown a name or two as I hurried to make sure I at least had rosters, the radar gun, and video camera. If I remember correctly, it was @AppyAstros who first mentioned Altuve was a nice player after seeing him a number of times in the Appalachian League. Of course my first reaction was, “seriously?” since his listed height of 5’5″ probably leaves him as the shortest prospect in minor league baseball. After watching him play multiple times, I understand why he has gained prospect cred including placement in Baseball Prospectus’ Houston Astros Top-11 Prospects.
STS’s Best: The Second Basemen v.2010
Second base is the position I consider the most difficult to rank at the lower levels of minor league baseball since there are truly very few strong second base prospects to go around. Of the five players listed, Two are current shortstops who may wind up sliding across the diamond. Another pair may need to move to third base or the outfield due to a lack of defensive chops. With the talent level of middle infield prospects being down across minor league baseball as a whole, the South Atlantic League was certainly not impervious to that trend.
Scouting Report: J.D. Martinez, OF, Houston Astros
The South Atlantic League MVP, J.D. Martinez crushed to the tune of .362/.433/.598 in only 88 games. And while this moved him from 20th round afterthought to sleeper worth mentioning, Martinez’ play in the double-A Texas League is what truly sparked the prospect conversation. With a .302/.357/.407 line against age appropriate competition, his 50-game sample has earned him some legitimate prospect cred.
Game Report: Tanner Bushue, P, Houston Astros
Earlier this season, I had the opportunity to catch a start by Houston Astros prospect Tanner Bushue. Entering 2010, the former second rounder was ranked as the second best pitching prospect in the system behind 2008 Lexington Legend hurler Jordan Lyles. While Bushue did not disappoint from a projection standpoint, his present stuff was more reminiscent of a control artist and not the young power pitcher he was billed to be.
Dynasty Dud: Jiovanni Mier, SS, Houston Astros
In my 2009 dynasty league prospect drafts, I lusted after Jiovanni Mier as a true shortstop with power potential. While he wasn’t a first round pick, I would have nabbed him in the second round in multiple drafts had he not gone earlier.
Scouting Report: Jiovanni Mier, SS, Houston Astros
Heading into the 2010 season, Houston Astros shortstop prospect Jiovanni Mier was on my short list of players I simply had to see. The 21st pick in the 2009 draft, Mier posted strong power numbers in the Appalachian League leading which lead to top-100 rankings and Nomar Garciaparra comparisons. By the conclusion of the four-game set, Mier had underwhelmed to the point of questioning his prospect status and how much, if any, his bat will play at upper levels.
Scouting The Sally Memorial Day Chat
Join me for an impromptu chat at 8:30 PM EST to talk “Sally” prospects from the Pirates, Astros, Rangers, Mets, Giants, and Braves. I’ll be chatting up until my appearance at 10 PM EST on NYBD Radio. I’ll be talking Mets and the possibility of adding star left-hander Cliff Lee of the Seattle Mariners. Scouting [...]