Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2021 i Baseball America

TRIPLE-A EAST The mammoth, 20-team Triple-A East League incorporates all 14 of the franchises from the old Triple-A International League and adds six clubs from various sources. Four franchises come from what was the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, though the Midwest-based Iowa, Memphis, Nashville and Omaha clubs were always imperfect fits for the PCL, which absorbed several Triple-A American Association franchises in 1998 following the dissolution of the AA. Triple-A East is rounded out by St. Paul, a formerly independent franchise joining affiliated ball, and Jacksonville, which previously operated at Double-A. Because of its sheer number of teams, Triple-A East League members will play schedules concentrated with the same six regional opponents—or pods—in 2021. * Relocated from Pawtucket WHAT’S NEW? ■ Worcester begins its first season as Boston’s Triple-A affiliate…

Minor League Baseball is coming off a canceled season, is returning with 40 fewer affiliated teams, is now governed by Major League Baseball and is starting a month later than planned because of the pandemic. So when we say that there’s yet another big change coming to the minor leagues in 2021, we understand those who feel a bit overwhelmed. But the new scheduling format, with six-game series and a universal offday, is significant. It could be a one-year, coronavirus-driven adjustment that is soon forgotten. Or it could completely change the way the minors are scheduled. This year, every full-season affiliated team will play a six-game series followed by an off-day. Every league but Triple-A West chose to have their off-day on Monday, which means that—weather-permitting—everyone but that one 10-team…

When it restructured the minor leagues, Major League Baseball created West Coast leagues at Triple-A, High-A and Low-A by porting over what were the Pacific Coast, Northwest and California leagues. However, no West Coast minor league exists at Double-A to serve West Division major league organizations. The closest any Double-A affiliate comes to the Pacific Ocean is Amarillo, Texas, which is two time zones away. As a result, many West Division clubs face grueling travel both to and from Double-A affiliates. No team will rack up more frequent flier miles than the Giants, whose prospects trek from High-A Eugene to Double-A Richmond and back to Triple-A Sacramento. The total distance to drive between those affiliates is 5,656 miles. The Rockies (4,790), Mariners (4,547) and Angels (4,081) also have High-A, Double-A…

Jose Abreu, Yoan Moncada, Yasmani Grandal and Luis Robert are White Sox players with a common bond. They all were born in Cuba. The pipeline extends into Chicago’s minor league system and includes outfielder Yoelqui Cespedes, righthander Norge Vera and shortstop Yolbert Sanchez. Third baseman Bryan Ramos is another young talent born in Cuba who feels right at home in the organization. “I think the success that these players have had with us in the past and are currently having with us—it helps,” White Sox international director Marco Paddy said. “I think that every Cuban player in the market can see how well Jose and Moncada and now Luis have adjusted to our system, and they like the city and the organization.” Having just turned 19 years old, the 6-foot-2,…

The Astros do not hesitate to shift prospects around the diamond in hopes of enhancing their versatility and, perhaps, making it easier to find a spot in Houston. Pedro Leon came to an organization reeling from the loss of a homegrown center fielder. Leon was not expected to replace George Springer immediately, but the 22-year-old Cuban center fielder is viewed as a fast riser. Leon has above-average speed, oozes with athleticism and has an 80-grade arm. All those attributes translate to shortstop, where Carlos Correa, another homegrown Astros star may soon depart. In a brief cameo at big league spring training, Leon split his time between shortstop and center field. Houston signed Leon when the international period opened on Jan. 15, inking him for $4 million, the largest bonus in…

The Twins’ front office debated an important topic last summer: Would the season lost to the coronavirus pandemic delay the development of their best prospects more at the plate, or in the field? After hosting their best players from the lower minors at instructional league in October, they were in agreement that, according to president of baseball operations Derek Falvey, “the lost season has affected offensive progress a little more than defensive development.” Part of the reason for that observation? They watched third baseman Seth Gray spear, rifle and dive for baseballs around their camp in Fort Myers, Fla. Gray, a 2019 fourth-rounder from Wright State, can play shortstop and is a passable outfielder. But the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Gray’s play at third base has the Twins, who have committed to…

Physically, Noelvi Marte certainly looked the part last summer at the alternate training site, working alongside Gold Glove shortstop J.P. Crawford. And the 6-foot-1, 181-pound Marte was 18 years old at the time. He turned 19 in October. But then he took some at-bats against Mariners big league lefthander Marco Gonzales, and he fielded rocket grounders at shortstop that would be tough to handle for anybody, let alone someone who has never played a minor league game in the United States. Marte dominated his first professional season in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, when he hit .309/.371/.511 with 18 doubles, nine homers and 17 stolen bases in 65 games. But the intention of bringing Marte to Seattle last summer was strictly for more hands-on development during the coronavirus pandemic.…

No Blue Jays’ prospect got tongues wagging quite the way Alek Manoah did during spring training. The 23-year-old righthander drafted 11th overall in 2019 from West Virginia was simply overpowering in seven innings across three outings—two of them against regular season-caliber Yankees’ lineups. He struck out 15 while allowing one hit and zero walks. After a summer spent at the alternate training site made it difficult to assess where he stood, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Manoah’s dominance suggested that his arrival to the majors is on the horizon. “It’s been pretty good for me just to understand that the stuff plays. Just go out there, be yourself,” Manoah said. “You don’t need to be too much. You don’t need to shoot yourself down. Just go out there, stay level-headed and just…

Outfielder Brennen Davis noticed how focused Cubs’ hitters were when they stepped into the batting cage and went through their routines. The 2018 second-rounder from Basha High in Gilbert, Ariz., felt welcomed by the veteran outfielders in big league camp. The hope is that he can finally take these learning experiences into a full season. “It’s been unbelievable just being around the guys,” Davis said. “And being in a winning atmosphere and around guys who do the work the right way and get the job done. Because that’s ultimately the kind of player you want to be—somebody who can come in and contribute right away.” It doesn’t matter all that much whether the 21-year-old Davis starts this season at Double-A Tennessee or High-A South Bend. Rather than individual statistics, the…

Outfielder Luis Rodriguez signed with the Dodgers for $2.67 million out of Venezuela at age 16 in 2019. It was the largest bonus the Dodgers have ever given to an international amateur. Now that Rodriguez is 18, the Dodgers feel like they can remove the bubble wrap. Rodriguez has spent most of his two years in the system working out at the team’s Dominican Republic complex. Travel restrictions prevented him from joining instructional league in Arizona, so the 6-foot-2, 175-pound Rodriguez’s only game action since signing came during the Dominican instructional league last winter. This spring, Rodriguez is headed to Arizona for minor league training camp. “We’re really excited to get him over here, get him stateside and working with our staff and continue the development that’s been going on…

Khalil Lee went hitless in 18 plate appearances with nine strikeouts in his initial spring training with the Mets, but organization officials liked what they saw in their first real look at the 22-year-old outfielder. Acquired from the Royals in a three-team deal that included the Red Sox over the winter, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound Lee’s speed was hard to miss. “Now, I just think he needs time to see upper-level pitching and make his adjustments in the game,” Mets scout Tony DeFrancesco said. “But he’s definitely a guy who fills a need.” In a farm system thin on upper-level prospects, Lee figures to receive action at Triple-A Syracuse and ideally become a depth option in the major leagues by the end of the season. In 129 games for Double-A Northwest…

The meaning behind lefthander Zack Thompson’s number this spring was both clear and heavy. Thompson, a 2019 first-round pick from Kentucky, realized that when he saw the jersey hanging in his locker at spring training. He slipped on the jersey bearing the number that carries a lot of weight in St. Louis. The Cardinals felt the time was right to reissue No. 57, last worn by Darryl Kile, and that Thompson was the right pitcher to inherit it. The number had been unused and unofficially retired since Kile’s death during a road trip in the 2002 season. Kile, who was 33, had a profound influence on his fellow starters and began some of the cohesive habits that carry on two decades after his death. “The significance of what Darryl Kile…

Corner infielder Drew Mendoza has a statistics degree from Florida State, so he can appreciate the importance of analytics in baseball. But he said, “I definitely think the game is won on the field with athleticism. It’s won by people.” As a non-roster invitee to big league camp, the 23-year-old showed signs of tapping into his power potential. In the first game, he doubled off Cardinals lefthander Genesis Cabrera and made a barehanded spear of a bad-hop grounder to first base. “Drew is making a great impression on our staff in big league camp,” Nationals farm director Mark Scialabba said. “He’s improving his contact points by creating a more direct bat path and leveraging the baseball much better. He’s learning how to sync up his lower half properly, and as…

FORMER BALLPLAYERS REFLECT ON PRO SUCCESS AND FAILURE Yonder Alonso left the University of Miami in 2008 as an All-American, two-time participant in the College World Series and first-round pick who would go on to sign a $4.55 million major league contract with the Reds. Without some wise foresight and guidance from his parents, Alonso might have left the school a week into his freshman year, or not even attended at all. Drafted by the Twins in the 16th round out of Coral Gables (Fla.) High in 2005, Alonso very much wanted to leave his scholarship to his hometown Hurricanes behind and turn pro. He was confident in his abilities as a powerful, lefthanded-hitting first baseman, and felt he could get to the big leagues in two to three years.…

On March 11, Major League Baseball announced sweeping rules changes to be implemented in the minor leagues in 2021. ■ Triple-A: The size of bases will increase from 15-by-15 inches to 18-by-18 inches. By doing so, MLB expects the slightly shorter distance between bases will lead to a higher success rate on stolen bases and more infield hits on grounders and bunts. ■ Double-A: Efforts will be made to limit shifting and the ways teams can position their infielders. All teams must have at least four players on the infield during play, which is defined as having both feet “completely in front of the outer boundary of the infield dirt.” If the results of the rule change are deemed positive in the first half, the league may require teams to…

A few years from now, some minor league outfielder will be unaware of how good he has it. Somewhere, at some Class A stadium in Illinois or North Carolina or Oregon, he’ll step into the batter’s box against a young pitcher at the moment when day melts into night. Maybe he will strike out. Maybe he’ll smash a ball to the wall. But it will be a fair fight—batter versus pitcher. And then he’ll wander out to center field. There will be a ball hit into the gap, one of those high flies that sails deep into the night sky. He’ll track the ball the entire way, run it down and start to jog in with the third out nestled in his glove. As normal as that might seem, it…

The MiLB.TV interface and app is expected to remain the same for 2021, but the internet broadcasts in some cases will look better. Part of Major League Baseball’s takeover of governance of the minor leagues includes new minimum requirements for MiLB.TV broadcasts. In 2021 and beyond, broadcasts must have three or more cameras, instant replay, a scorebug and player identification graphics. For 2022, all broadcasts must be in high definition. Back in 2019—which was the most recent year of MiLB.TV thanks to the canceled 2020 season—12 of the 100 teams that broadcast games did not have any graphics. There were 20 teams that did not broadcast in high definition. Instant replay and the camera requirements will also require some teams to upgrade their equipment and staff games with more production…

Lefthander Zac Lowther’s best work in big league camp came after he was optioned. The Orioles placed Lowther on their travel roster for a March 24 game against the Red Sox and dumped him in a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth inning. No sense easing him into the grind. Lowther, a 2017 second-rounder from Xavier, induced a line drive to second base and double play grounder. He retired all eight batters he faced. Nine outs recorded on 34 pitches. A manager who was impressed. “First time I’ve really seen him for an extended period in game action and I thought he really threw the ball well,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I like the way he commanded his fastball, attacked hitters. Threw some changeups for strikes.” The 24-year-old Lowther…

Bo Naylor impressed the Indians leading up to the 2018 draft, when they used the 29th overall pick on the high school catcher from St. Joan of Arc Catholic High in Mississauga, Ont. Naylor further impressed team officials at the alternate training site last year, and in spring training this year the 21-year-old opened still more eyes. As a non-roster invitee to major league camp, he went 4-for-10 with a home run. At Low-A Lake County in 2019, the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Naylor hit .243/.313/.421 with 11 home runs in 107 games. But Naylor’s biggest thrill may have been an early-morning text he got from his mother last Aug. 31. “Her text said, ‘Your brother just got traded,’” Naylor said. “I immediately thought, ‘Oh my God,’ and I said, ‘To who?’…

First baseman Nick Pratto needed the 2020 minor league season that never happened to redeem himself after a rough 2019 campaign. The 2017 first-rounder from Huntington Beach (Calif.) High was one of several prospects who struggled significantly at High-A Wilmington. He batted .191/.278/.310 in 125 games with a 35% strikeout rate. The 22-year-old went right to work in the fall of 2019. Royals hitting instructors helped him develop a new approach and mindset at the plate, creating a more efficient bat path to allow his bat to get into the zone sooner. The improvement for the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Pratto continued in 2020 with his work at the alternate training site and later at the instructional league at Kauffman Stadium. The rest of the baseball world got a spring training sneak…

Yankees catching coordinator Aaron Gershenfeld had worked with Austin Wells, the club’s 2020 first-round pick out of Arizona, for months. They talked over Zoom. They spoke on the phone. They examined video. But the coronavirus pandemic and the cancellation of the minor league season stopped them from connecting in person. Then Gershenfeld and the Yankees’ player development department finally got their hands on the 21-year-old Wells when big league camp opened. “From Day One,” Gershenfeld said, “he’s impressed.” That’s music to the ears of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who hopes the 6-foot-2, 220-pound lefthanded hitter will be the Yankees’ catcher of the future. Drafted No. 28 overall and signed for $2.5 million, Wells can hit. His quick, powerful swing projects to carry him through the farm system. This spring,…

No one doubts that 23-year-old Shane McClanahan could have helped the Rays out of the bullpen at the start of this season. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound lefthander fired 100 mph fastballs and snapped off wicked breaking balls during spring training. But the Rays have the big picture—and bigger plans—in mind for the 2018 first-rounder from South Florida. Specifically, the Rays want to use McClanahan as a starter, which is why he was optioned to the minor leagues with two weeks left in spring training. “He’s got a chance to be really special,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. There’s also a health element to the Rays’ decision. McClanahan had Tommy John surgery in college. He worked at three levels in 2019, then after spending most of last summer at the alternate training…

It’s hard to pitch much better in spring training than righthander J.B. Bukauskas did, and his performance created optimism that the D-backs have an impact arm knocking on the door. Well, maybe more than just knocking. “How I describe it is, he’s going to knock the door down,” D-backs pitching coach Matt Herges said. “He’s going to kick it down.” The 6 foot, 208-pound Bukauskas logged 7.2 innings, allowing no runs on three hits. He issued no walks and struck out 14. And he didn’t do it purely by overpowering hitters with his mid-90s fastball. The 2017 first-rounder from North Carolina also got swings and misses on both his slider and changeup. The D-backs acquired Bukauskas in July 2019 as part of the return from the Astros for righthander Zack…

The last time righthander Hunter Greene pitched in a minor league game was July 26, 2018. He injured his elbow and after an attempted rehab process he had Tommy John surgery in April 2019. Without a minor league season in 2020, the 21-year-old Greene didn’t get back on the mound again until he joined the alternate training site in July. “It was awesome because there were a lot of guys who were home who didn’t have the opportunity to go out and play and be around a high level of guys,” the 2017 first-rounder from Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, Calif., said. “For me, it was nice to go in and get my innings, but my biggest takeaway was kind of learning more of the big league life and…

Few major league organizations have as many quality outfield prospects as the Marlins. Ten of the organization’s Top 30 Prospects are outfielders, more than its National League East rivals, the Braves, Mets, Nationals and Phillies. JJ Bleday, Jesus Sanchez and Monte Harrison could soon form the Marlins’ starting outfield. Backing them up are Kameron Misner, Connor Scott, Peyton Burdick, Jerar Encarnacion, Griffin Conine and the Mesa brothers, Victor Jr. and Victor Victor. “I didn’t know the actual number, but I believe it because of what I saw in instructional league,” said the 23-year-old Conine, whose father Jeff Conine was known as Mr. Marlin. “We’re stacked in the outfield. “If you play the percentages, plenty of those 10 will pan out. I’m glad the organization didn’t sign a bunch of veterans.…

Phillies manager Joe Girardi’s focus is on the big league club, but he’ll be taking a peek down the ladder to see how center fielder Johan Rojas is progressing this season. “He’s a plus-plus defender and a plus runner,” Girardi said. “He has a chance to be a special player. I believe there’s Gold Glove potential there. So offense becomes really important—maturing as an offensive player. “He has bat speed. He has a ton of tools. He’s very coachable and picks up on things quickly.” Rojas, 20, attended spring training and often found himself picking up late innings in Grapefruit League games. In the final week of camp, he stole two bases and had two hits, including a walk-off game-winner, against the Yankees. When the 6-foot, 175-pound Rojas wasn’t in…

Shortstop CJ Abrams began his pro career with a 20-game hitting streak after the Padres selected him sixth overall from Blessed Trinity High in Roswell, Ga., in 2019. He jumped from the Rookie-level Arizona League to Low-A Fort Wayne by season’s end, only to have a shoulder injury halt his season. The coronavirus pandemic further slowed Abrams’ fast track in 2020—but not the Padres’ ambition. He spent all summer at the alternate training site and much of the spring in the Cactus League. And he won’t turn 21 until October. “I don’t even think about it,” the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Abrams said this spring. “I just go out there and see the ball, hit the ball, make the plays in the field. It’s not much of a transition in my head.”…

Most of the attention for new international signings tends to go to the players who sign for the biggest bonuses. Yet when it comes to projecting players who are signing at 16, things can change quickly, and there are factors beyond a player’s ability or future projection that have an impact on his signing bonus. We have published more than 200 reports on international signings from this year’s class, which opened on Jan. 15 and runs through Dec. 15. These are 15 players who signed for under $500,000 (focusing mostly on players who got low six-figures or less) who are prospects with breakout potential. 1. JOSE FERNANDEZ SS, D-BACKS Fernandez is a Venezuelan shortstop with a tall, lean, ultra-projectable frame at 6-foot-3, 165 pounds, with an exciting mix of skills…

VICTOR BARON, a catcher who played in the minor leagues from 1958-61 and in ’66, died March 18. He was 82. MIKE BELL, a third baseman who had 27 at-bats with the Reds during the 2000 season before working for the D-backs in various roles for 13 seasons and most recently serving as bench coach for the Twins, died March 26. He was 46. Bell was the younger brother of Reds manager David Bell and part of one of the great baseball family dynasties that includes the brothers’ father Buddy, an all-star third baseman of the 1970s and ’80s; and grandfather Gus, an all-star outfielder of the 1950s and ’60s. BOBBY BROWN, a third baseman and shortstop who played in the major leagues for eight years from 1946-52 and in…

What happened to the elite junior college hitter in the draft? It went almost unnoticed because of the many other alterations to the 2020 draft, but last year was the first time in 25 years that no junior college hitters were drafted in the first five rounds. It does not appear to be a one-year aberration. Over the past decade, juco hitters have steadily disappeared from the early rounds of the draft. The last first-round junior college hitter was shortstop Tim Anderson, taken 17th overall by the White Sox in 2013. Since Anderson, no juco hitter has been selected in the top 50 picks. Over that same period, 2014 to 2020, four junior college pitchers were drafted in the first round. From 2000 to 2010, there were 82 juco players…

The MLB Statcast metric “barrels” has quickly become the standard by which analysts gauge players’ power. Knowing how frequently a major league hitter makes ideal contact to do damage, as measured by exit velocity and launch angle of batted balls, tells us a lot about what type of power production can be expected. For years, major league organizations have had the tools to develop advanced proprietary metrics based on batted-ball data, including bar-rels-style metrics for minor league hitters. Because that information is not publicly available, I developed the next-best thing: estimated barrels for minor league hitters. Estimated barrels allows fantasy managers to project power performance from prospects and thus generate leads for possible dynasty targets. In 2019, the most recent minor league season for which we have data, Yordan Alvarez,…

For the first month of the 2021 season, minor league operators are confident they will be serving one of the most appreciative fanbases they’ve ever seen. After a completely lost 2020 season, fans will be thrilled simply to walk back into a ballpark. Green grass, a beer, a hot dog and a baseball game are all signs that normalcy is slowly returning to an increasingly vaccinated United States. That will be enough to thrill fans who have been away for a long time. The first month of this year’s minor league season is expected to be the honeymoon period of all honeymoon periods. Teams will throw open their gates and welcome fans back with universal appreciation. Everyone will (mostly) happily endure physical distancing, mask-wearing and plenty of coronavirus-enacted rules. Simply…

FRANCHISES ON THE MOVE Worcester Red Sox The Triple-A Red Sox affiliate relocated from Pawtucket, R.I., to central Massachusetts and is now about a 45-minute drive to Fenway Park. Fredericksburg Nationals The Nationals’ former High-A Potomac affiliate moved about 30 miles south on Interstate 95 to Fredericksburg, Va., and joined the Low-A East League. Rocket City Trash Pandas The Mobile franchise kept its Angels affiliation and Double-A status but relocated nearly 350 miles north on Interstate 65 to Madison, Ala., outside Huntsville. Wichita Wind Surge The former New Orleans franchise moved to Wichita, Kan., and dropped from Triple-A to the Double-A Central League while also changing affiliations from Marlins to Twins. 2021 TEAMS WITH NEW BRANDS OLD Lakewood BlueClaws Pawtucket Red Sox NEW Jersey Shore BlueClaws Worcester Red Sox 2020…

For the Red Sox, spring training offered an intriguing glimpse of one of the more fascinating prospects in the system. Outfielder Gilberto Jimenez presents dazzling possibilities but with a significant amount of development in front of him, given that the 20-year-old arrived in spring training yet to play full-season ball. Because Jimenez lost a year of development to the coronavirus pandemic, working out on his own in the Dominican Republic through the summer, the Red Sox wanted to bring him to camp to work with big league coaches and learn a big league routine. The 5-foot-11, 212-pound Jimenez opened eyes. Though the switch-hitter is only a few years into employing a lefthanded swing, he delivered competitive at-bats against far more advanced pitchers, going 3-for-13 with a pair of doubles, three…

It’s a moment every baseball player looks forward to. Ask lefthander Tarik Skubal about his major league debut last August and you can hear the smile in his voice. Skubal’s debut wasn’t without its warts. He gave up four earned runs to the White Sox over a pair of frames, but for the 24-year-old, it was another link in his development and the challenge was a welcome one. “I thought everything was positive,” Skubal said. “I know I didn’t put up great numbers … but you learn from those types of experiences. I didn’t really care about the results. I still don’t. I just want to learn from trying to (see) what I need to get better at and how I need to prepare.” Where some players would look forward…

The sprinkling of at-bats he got this spring belies the impression Jeremiah Jackson made on the coaching staff. The 21-year-old shortstop left an indelible mark despite going 0-for-11 with five strikeouts. “There’s no question in my mind he’s a big league player,” manager Joe Maddon said. “How far in the future, I don’t know, but this is one of those guys when you watch him closely and start breaking it down, you know he’s gonna be pretty good.” Jackson was a rail-thin 6 feet, 165 pounds when the Angels picked him as a 2018 second-rounder from St. Luke’s Episcopal School in Mobile, Ala. He showed eye-popping power in his first full season, batting .266 with 23 homers and 60 RBIs in 65 games for Rookie-level Orem in 2019, but he…

The Athletics simply cannot wait to see more of shortstop Logan Davidson. Already, there is more of him to see. Since joining the organization as a 2019 first-rounder from Clemson, Davidson has added 15 pounds of muscle through strenuous training. At 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, he is developing into a strong hitter with good baseball sense. Now he needs the games to show what he can do after a long summer at the alternate training site. “Logan’s been great (in spring training),” A’s farm director Ed Sprague said. “He’s picked up right where he left off.” The 23-year-old has plus tools, but he has something else that intrigues Oakland: baseball smarts. Davidson is a sound, instinctual player with a sense of the game. That may come from growing up with a…

Third baseman Josh Jung isn’t going to miss much of the minor league season after a simple procedure to help stabilize a stress fracture in his left foot. The typical player needs six to eight weeks to get back on the field. Even if Jung, the Rangers’ top prospect, needs eight weeks, he likely would miss about two weeks of games. The bigger issue, though, is the impact the March 22 surgery could have on his major league debut. Most expected that the 23-year-old Jung, drafted eighth overall out of Texas Tech in 2019, would join the Rangers in July or early August following the July 31 trade deadline. That remains possible, Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels said. “He, along with several other of our players, could have…

Shortstop Braden Shewmake emphasized adding weight over the winter. It didn’t translate to immediate production during spring training, but the 2019 first-rounder from Texas A&M believes it will yield results in time. “This offseason it was a big deal for me,” Shewmake said. “I finished at the alternate site around 185 pounds or so. I got up to 205 before I came down here (to Florida). So putting on weight was a big deal for me. “But at the same time, (I wanted to) stay fast and stay quick. We were able to do all of those things, so that was a huge plus.” The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Shewmake is entering his first full minor league season. After getting drafted in 2019, he split time between Low-A Rome and Double-A Mississippi,…

The sidearm delivery is different but not rare. What sets reliever Justin Lawrence apart is he can reach 100 mph from that angle with a sinking fastball that sits in the 96-98 mph range. In eight Cactus League appearances, Lawrence allowed seven hits and five walks with three strikeouts in 7.1 innings. “The way he’s thrown the ball, it gives us a great deal of hope that we have something on our hands in the future,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. The 26-year-old righthander complements his fastball with a slider, primarily a hard sweeper at 85-86 mph. Hard contact is a rarity against Lawrence, who has allowed 15 home runs in 197.1 innings since the Rockies drafted him in the 12th round in 2015 out of Daytona Beach (Fla.) JC.…

Players yet to make their official pro debuts aren’t expected to show up in big league spring training and make people say, “Wow!” That’s exactly what center fielder Garrett Mitchell did in spring camp. The 2020 first-rounder from UCLA, whose pro debut was postponed when the coronavirus pandemic shut down the minor leagues last year, performed in Cactus League games like a seasoned veteran. Getting more opportunities than originally expected, playing in 18 of the Brewers’ first 22 exhibition games, the 22-year-old showed no signs of being an untested player. He batted .385 (10-for-26) with a home run, four RBIs and a .429 on-base percentage. Not too shabby for a player who fell to No. 20 in the draft in part because of concerns about his Type 1 diabetes. “This…

The Pirates believe Oneil Cruz can be a shortstop in the major leagues. That didn’t stop them from giving him a look in center field at spring training. The experiment started early, when a few player development staff members mentioned to Pirates general manager Ben Cherington that Cruz looked like a natural when shagging fly balls in the outfield during batting practice. “I don’t think there’s anything we’ve seen from Oneil, metrically or observationally, that tells us he can’t play shortstop in the big leagues, even though he looks different than most major league shortstops,” Cherington said. “We believe he can. “Bigger than that, we want to give him the best chance to make a difference for the Pirates in the major leagues.” Cruz stands 6-foot-7 with an athletic frame.…

Certain numbers understandably fuel fans’ enthusiasm for seeing shortstop Marco Luciano at Oracle Park as soon as possible. There’s his 6-foot-2, 178-pound frame and his .322/.438/.616 slash line in the Rookie-level Arizona League in 2019. There’s also the elite exit velocity—119 mph—he registered on a home run he launched off Rockies lefthander Ryan Rolison in an instructional league game. There’s one other number that should pump the brakes on the thought of Luciano reaching the majors in the near future: 19, his age. “Luciano has a long way to go,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “Nineteen is the calendar age, but he also is a teenager in his physical development and also is a teenager in his experience.” Luciano’s inexperience showed in Cactus League play. He was 3-for-23 with 15…