Innehållsförteckning för December 21, 2018 från Baseball America

@BaseballAmerica @BaseballAmerica BaseballAmericaMag ReadBA WHERE IN THE WORLD … … IS BEN BADLER? THE ULTIMATE DRAFT BOOK MAKES A GREAT GIFT BA founding editor Allan Simpson has collected the best information from our rich archives and assembled it in the ultimate draft compendium. You’ll get complete draft lists from every year, with signing information, biggest successes and busts and all the stories that make draft history so rich. Now just $19.95 store.BaseballAmerica.com SCOUTING SEASON NEVER ENDS Senior writer Ben Badler went to Aruba in November to attend the Major League Baseball Venezuela showcase, featuring prospects for the 2019 and 2020 signing periods. Shortstop Moises Paiva (left) stood out. Badler also checked out Nations Baseball Showcase and HPPI showcase for Venezuelan prospects and traveled to the Dominican Republic for MLB’s Trainer…

Projected Future Grades On 20-80 Scouting Scale HIT: 55. POWER: 45. SPEED: 70. FIELD: 60. ARM: 70. 1. VICTOR VICTOR MESA, OF BORN: July 20, 1996. B-T: R-R. HT: 5-9. WT: 163. SIGNED: Cuba, 2018. SIGNED BY: Fernando Seguignol. TRACK RECORD: The son of Victor Mesa, who was one of the top Cuban baseball players of the 1980s and ’90s, Victor Victor Mesa was the No. 1 international free agent in 2018. The Marlins signed him and his 17-year-old brother Victor Mesa Jr. in October. Victor Victor signed for $5.25 million, which was the largest bonus in the 2018-19 international free agent class. The 22-year-old outfielder has been playing in Cuba’s top professional league, Serie Nacional, since he was 16. While playing against much older competition, Mesa produced a .275/.334/.378…

Projected Future Grades On 20-80 Scouting Scale HIT: 60. POWER: 55. SPEED: 70. FIELD: 60. ARM: 60. 1. VICTOR ROBLES, OF BORN: May 19, 1997. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-0. WT: 190. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2013. SIGNED BY: Modesto Ulloa. TRACK RECORD: The only thing that could have halted Robles’ rapid ascent to the major leagues was injury, and of course that’s what set the top-ranked talent back in 2018. Robles gruesomely hyperextended his left elbow during a game with Triple-A Syracuse in early April and didn’t return to the International League until July 27. He hit .269/.345/.386 in 36 games with Syracuse before earning a September callup to the big league club, where he looked right at home and hit .288/.348/.525. SCOUTING REPORT: While Robles overflows with above-average tools, what…

For analysis of all 30 organizations’ 40-man roster decisions, potential Rule 5 draft picks and scouting reports about offseason trades, visit BaseballAmerica.com/majors @JCRASNICK Not every pitcher has the genetics or good fortune to emulate Justin Verlander, a physical marvel with the ability to fling 95 mph fastballs and generate swings and misses seemingly at will at age 35. Longevity in the profession is often a product of recognizing limitations, adjusting and getting the job done with middling velocity as time passes. Just ask Felix Hernandez how challenging that process can be. Somewhere along the way, economic considerations factor into the equation. At one stage or another, even pitchers with Hall of Fame-caliber portfolios have to put their egos and curiosity aside and stay put for a measly $30 million a…

Associate editor Josh Norris argues that the Amarillo franchise’s Sod Poodles nickname is more conventional than it first appears. Search Sod Poodles at BaseballAmerica.com FlightScope services 30 countries with its missile-tracking radar. But it has far more clients in baseball, where its accuracy and versatility allows its portable FlightScope Strike technology to track data from a pitched ball, a batted ball and, soon, the bat itself. “We are highly accurate indoors and outdoors,” said David Mayberry, baseball application specialist for FlightScope. “We track the projectile, whether a missile or golf ball or baseball or softball. We track the full flight of the ball, from release point to where it lands.” Using a multi-frequency 3D Doppler tracking radar, the FlightScope Strike has the flexibility—because it isn’t a camera-based system—to work indoors…

WAR stands for wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference.com. DNS indicates a draft pick who did not sign. Round number is included in parentheses for top draft picks selected after the first round. ORGANIZATION TALENT RANKINGS Last Three Years ATLANTA BRAVES NOTABLE GRADUATIONS: OF Ronald Acuna Jr. (1), LHP Max Fried (8), LHP A.J. Minter (15), RHP Dan Winkler (NR), RHP Shane Carle (NR), LHP Jesse Biddle (NR) TRENDING: ▾ Acuna cruised to the NL Rookie of the Year award, while Minter and his fellow rookie relievers pitched in big spots. MIAMI MARLINS NOTABLE GRADUATIONS: OF Lewis Brinson (1), 3B/OF Brian Anderson (6), OF Magneuris Sierra (7), LHP Dillon Peters (11), RHP Trevor Richards (22), RHP Pablo Lopez (25), LHP Caleb Smith (NR), RHP Elieser Hernandez (NR), RHP Tayron Guerrero…

Projected Future Grades On 20-80 Scouting Scale HIT: 60. POWER: 50. SPEED: 50. FIELD: 60. ARM: 60. 1. ANDRES GIMENEZ, SS BORN: Sept. 4, 1998. B-T: L-R. HT: 5-11. WT: 161. SIGNED: Venezuela, 2015. SIGNED BY: Robert Espejo/Hector Rincones. TRACK RECORD: When international scouting director Chris Becerra left the Mets to join the Red Sox after the 2018 season, he left the organization stocked with high-upside shortstops. Gimenez succeeded Amed Rosario as the system’s No. 1 prospect, and Ronny Mauricio has a chance to succeed Gimenez in a year or two. Gimenez ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the 2015 international signing class and three years later had reached Double-A Binghamton, where he held his own as a teenager. He accelerated his timetable in 2018 by taming the pitcher-friendly…

@TRACYRINGOLSBY Brian Snitker is a real-life feel-good story. ballots. At the age of 63, Snitker was selected as the National League Manager of the Year after leading the Braves to a surprising NL East title. He was the only manager named on all 30 writers’ Snitker was 60 years old when he was promoted from the minor leagues to serve as Atlanta’s interim manager 39 games into the 2016 season. He was the choice of Hall of Fame skipper Bobby Cox. And Snitker had the support reinforced a year ago when the Braves brought in a new general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, who reaffirmed Snitker’s managerial duties. He left no regrets for anyone in the Braves’ front office when he guided the club to 90 wins and into the post-season for…

HAVE A QUESTION? @jjcoop36 askba@baseballamerica.com Q Who were the best players who went unpicked in last year’s Rule 5 draft? —JUDY RISING, @BASEBALLGODS16 A Now that teams are poring over lists of eligible players for the 2018 Rule 5 draft, it’s also a time to reflect on what could have been. There’s no guarantee that if these players listed below had been picked that they would have had the same success. Five of the seven players on this list received significant minor league time before being promoted. But it is notable how well some unprotected players from last year’s Rule 5 draft performed. 1. Max Muncy, 1B/2B, Dodgers Muncy quickly became one of the Dodgers’ best hitters in 2018. 2. Josh James, RHP, Astros James fixed a sleep apnea problem,…

Projected Future Grades On 20-80 Scouting Scale HIT: 50. POWER: 70. SPEED: 40. FIELD: 60. ARM: 70. 1. AUSTIN RILEY, 3B BORN: April 2, 1997. B-T: R-R. HT.: 6-2. WT.: 220. DRAFTED: HS—Southaven, Miss., 2015 (1st supp). SIGNED BY: Don Thomas. TRACK RECORD: In high school, Riley was a thick-bodied, strong-armed pitcher/third baseman. Because of Riley’s thick trunk and arm strength, most scouts viewed him as a pitching prospect, and he would have played both ways if he had made it to Mississippi State. But the Braves believed in his bat and his work ethic and drafted him as a hitter. Riley has cut out junk food and focused on conditioning as a pro. As a result, he has slimmed down and is now markedly more athletic and nimble. After…

Projected Future Grades On 20-80 Scouting Scale FASTBALL: 70. SLIDER: 60. CHANGEUP: 60. CONTROL: 70. 1. SIXTO SANCHEZ, RHP BORN: July 29, 1998. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-0. WT: 210. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2015. SIGNED BY: Carlos Salas. TRACK RECORD: Sanchez originally trained in the Dominican Republic as a shortstop, but his arm was better than his bat, so he moved to the mound. At a tryout for a Cuban catcher, the Phillies were instead drawn to Sanchez, an eligible 16-year-old pitcher who had quick, easy arm action and a fastball that reached the low 90s. They signed him shortly after that for $35,000. Sanchez spent his first year getting acclimated in the Dominican Summer League, then had a breakthrough in 2016 in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he led…

The Baseball America College Pod features interviews with notable figures around the college game, such as Auburn coach Butch Thompson. BaseballAmerica.com/podcasts In an attempt to identify the top college coaching prospects, Baseball America periodically compiles a list of the top head coaches under 40 and surveys head coaches to compile a list of the top assistant coaches with bright futures as head coaches. After presenting our list of the top 10 assistant coaches last year, this year it is time to revisit the top up-and-coming head coaches. The first list, compiled in 2001, included future stars such as UCLA’s John Savage (then restarting the UC Irvine program), the late Keith LeClair (East Carolina) and Louisiana-Lafayette’s Tony Robichaux. The most recent list, compiled in 2012, was topped by Oklahoma State’s Josh…

@JOE_SHEEHAN One didn’t have to look far this October to see the value of spending in free agency. J.D. Martinez, signed to a five-year deal last winter, was the missing piece for the Red Sox offense, a top-five MVP finisher and Silver Slugger winner for a World Series champion. Lorenzo Cain, also the recipient of a five-year contract, was one of the best players for a Brewers team that led the National League in wins and nearly reached the World Series. David Stearns and Dave Dombrowski took risks, Mark Attanasio and John Henry wrote checks, and the resulting wins were critical. For many front offices and ownership groups, though, free agency is an exercise in risk avoidance. Whatever the wealth of owners, the money from TV deals, the growth in…