Prospect Video: Brett DeVall, P, Atlanta Braves
In a year in which he seemed to finally string together a number of consecutive starts, 20-year old Brett DeVall of the Atlanta Braves turned in a relatively solid ninety innings of work before tiring late in the season. From a velocity standpoint, DeVall’s arsenal did not differ much from my previous report back in [...]
Pulling a “Thole” and More Minor League Memories
I keep this box in my attic of most of the programs and scorecards from my years of being a baseball fan. Every October, I bring the box down, go through the contents, add stuff that I accumulated throughout the season and then put the box back into the attic.
New York Mets Wilmer Flores Heads the List for Top “Sally” Third Base Prospects
2010 was a good year for the South Atlantic League in terms of third base prospects as a plethora of young Latin American talents worked their way into and through the league. Additionally, the league played host to first round pick Kolbrin Vitek for the last couple week of the season, as well as 2009 second round Nolan Arenado, who has the best power/contact combination of any bat in the league.
STS’s Best: The Catchers v.2010
With the minor league baseball offseason upon us, it’s time to take a look back at high profile prospects from across the “Sally” and how they fared this season. To begin, let’s take a look at the five “big name” catching prospects in the South Atlantic League this season from a scouting standpoint since I had the opportunity to watch each play in 2010. I’ll also name drop a couple of prospects to watch out for in 2011 and beyond who may not be on your radar yet as a prospect fan.
Scouting Report: Christian Bethancourt, C, Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves catching prospect Christian Bethancourt had arguably the most impressive set of tools I saw all season. With a .253/.280/.332 line, the production has obviously not matched the skill set as Bethancourt has struggled in his first taste of full season baseball. At 18, Bethancourt is likely to repeat the “Sally” in 2011 to continue working on his offense and receiving skills. However, Bethancourt’s arm is big league ready and could quickly become the stuff of legend.
Atlanta Braves Prospect Christian Bethancourt Shows Growth at the Dish, as well as Behind It.
The first game I went to last season was started by Mets prospect Kyle Allen, making his first Sally League start. Here’s this young kid from Florida on a cold, blustery night in Rome facing a major league Hitter, rehabbing Atlanta Braves catcher David Ross, and not having much success. Allen looked completely overmatched against Ross and he was. Showcasing one pitch that evening, a decent two-seem fastball, Ross sat on the pitch and hit a ball over 400 feet for a home run.
Adding Robinson Lopez a Coup for the Chicago Cubs
If asked to identify major areas of weakness in the Chicago Cubs minor league system prior to the 2010 season, my answer would have been athleticism and ceiling. With the addition of former Braves fireballer Robinson Lopez (Scouting Report), along with the recent acquisition of Evan Crawford (Scouting Report), the Cubs have used a late [...]
Scouting Report: Robinson Lopez, P, Chicago Cubs
Braves prospect Robinson Lopez entered the 2010 season as a sleeper in an organization filled with high ceiling pitching prospects. In seeing his best professional outing where he dominated the Savannah Sand Gnats to the tune of eight strikeouts in three innings pitched, Lopez had his potential on full display and left a fantastic first impression.
Scouting Report: Edward Salcedo, SS. Atlanta Braves
For the past couple of years, Edward Salcedo was rumored to be an elaborate internet hoax. With only a single video of Salcedo taking batting practice on YouTube and a scant few photographs, his not signing as a 16-year old led to even more questions. Earlier this year, Salcedo finally emerged from the shadows signing with the Atlanta Braves for a 1.6 million dollar bonus.
Introducing the “Hoover Line”
Yesterday evening I was fortunate enough to take in game one of the Rome Braves at Savannah Sand Gnats with Martin Gandy, Gondeee over at Talking Chop. While talking through a number of Braves prospects, including J.J. Hoover who I referred to as “the most average prospect I’ve ever seen.” On the surface, this might [...]