Innehållsförteckning för December 28, 2018 från Baseball America

HAVE A QUESTION? @jjcoop36 askba@baseballamerica.com Q Is playing both football and baseball professionally a viable option for Kyler Murray? —DOUG @HDOUGLASOTTO A Because Murray is a quarterback, I would say no. If he was a running back or corner-back, a job-sharing role might be possible. It’s hard to envision any NFL team being willing to make a part-time player a starting quarterback because reps and practice time are so valuable. In baseball, Murray is already behind in at-bats compared with his peers in the 2018 draft. Splitting time would make playing catch-up even more difficult. Murray has publicly said that his plan is to join the Athletics, who drafted the outfielder ninth overall out of Oklahoma, for spring training. And there are plenty of logical reasons to stick to that…

1. NICK SENZEL, 3B/2B BORN: June 29, 1995. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-1. WT: 205. DRAFTED: Tennessee, 2016 (1st). SIGNED BY: Brad Meador. TRACK RECORD: From the day he arrived at Tennessee, Senzel showed he was special. He batted cleanup for the Volunteers from his first game as a freshman, starred for three years there and in the Cape Cod League and became the highest drafted player in school history. Senzel’s fast track to the big leagues has been slowed by position switches and ailments. Vertigo ended his 2017 season early. With Eugenio Suarez signed to an extension, the Reds tried Senzel at shortstop and second base in spring training 2018 before junking the shortstop plan when he reported to Triple-A Louisville. A further bout of vertigo cost Senzel much of…

1. ALEX REYES, RHP BORN: Aug. 29, 1994. B-T: R-R. HT.: 6-3. WT.: 175. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2012. SIGNED BY: Rodney Jimenez/Angel Ovalles TRACK RECORD: Reyes has flashed elite stuff since signing with the Cardinals for $950,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, but staying on the mound has been a persistent problem. He missed a month in 2015 with shoulder soreness, served a 50-game suspension in 2016 after testing positive for marijuana and missed the entire 2017 season after having Tommy John surgery. His return in 2018 was cut short too. After a yearlong recovery from TJ and four minor league rehab starts, Reyes returned the majors with a start in Milwaukee on May 30 but was removed after just four innings as his velocity cratered. Tests revealed…

@JCRASNICK Brodie Van Wagenen has a real gift for commanding the room at a news conference. He has terrific hair, looks sharp in a dark suit and red power tie and speaks in a firm, authoritative tone that gives Mets fans license to dream of the glory days of Darryl, Doc, Mex and the Kid. Or at the very least, Matt Harvey carrying a gem into the ninth inning and things going swimmingly until Lucas Duda threw wide of home plate and Eric Hosmer crushed everybody’s hopes with a head-first slide in Game 5 of the 2015 World Series. You watch him in action and think, “This guy must have been pretty darned formidable in a salary arbitration hearing.” After years of selling clients on his services and teams on…

@STEVERUSHIN Over the holidays, when “It’s a Wonderful Life” is on TV and baseball isn’t, it’s possible to imagine—like George Bailey, gazing on the world without him—that baseball never existed. Without baseball, there are no Ballpark Franks because there never were any ballparks and people seldom eat franks. A backward K is a typographical error. A few of us—plumbing the deeper recesses of YouTube—fondly recall NBC golf announcer Vin Scully. But otherwise we live in a bleak Pottersville, and it isn’t named for Mike Potter, because the 1977 St. Louis Cardinals never existed, so he never played five games for them. Without baseball, you’ve never known anyone named Sparky, Stump, Stubby, Stick, Mickey, Champ, Bump, Pumpsie or Heinie, and you know half as many Busters. The only Mookies you’ve ever…

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. CHICAGO CUBS NOTABLE GRADUATIONS: C/1B Victor Caratini (4), 3B David Bote (12). TRENDING: ◂▸ The Cubs hope their 2018 draft class will help restock a lower-tier farm system. CINCINNATI REDS NOTABLE GRADUATIONS: RHP Tyler Mahle (4), OF Jesse Winker (5), Phillip Ervin (19). TRENDING: ▴ The Reds keep stockpiling high first-round picks, and the fruits from those drafts should begin impacting Cincinnati in 2019 and 2020. MILWAUKEE BREWERS NOTABLE GRADUATIONS: RHP Brandon Woodruff (1), OF Brett Phillips (5), RHP Freddy Peralta (9), RHP Taylor Williams (NR). TRENDING: ▾ Prospect graduations of Peralta and Woodruff—and Josh Hader in…

1. KESTON HIURA, 2B BORN: Aug. 2, 1996. B-T: R-R. HT: 5-11. WT: 190. DRAFTED: UC Irvine, 2017 (1st). SIGNED BY: Wynn Pelzer. TRACK RECORD: The Brewers considered Hiura the top college hitter in the 2017 draft and did not hesitate to take him with the ninth overall pick, despite a problematic elbow that relegated him to DH as a junior at UC Irvine. He signed for a below-slot $4 million and was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona League to undergo a throwing program with the intent of getting him in the field regularly as soon as possible. The Brewers’ confidence in Hiura’s offensive ability has already been rewarded. He soared from high Class A to Double-A in his first full season, hitting at each level and earning a Futures…

@TRACYRINGOLSBY In the early years of Larry Walker’s time on the Hall of Fame ballot, a writer who once covered Walker wrote about how much he enjoyed watching Walker’s skills in action, but that he wasn’t a Hall of Famer because he wasn’t serious enough about the game. A few years later, when the writer wanted to talk to Walker, he apologized for what he had written, but the damage had been done. Walker is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the ninth time this year, having never received as much as 35 percent support from voters despite a career that is one of the most impressive in the history of the game. Didn’t take the game seriously enough? Because he smiled and wasn’t afraid for fans and media…

DONALD “DON” BOENKER, a righthander who pitched in the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League for the Indians organization in 1953 and then pitched in the Northwest League in 1956, died Aug. 3 in Iowa City, Iowa. He was 87. FREDERICK “FRED” CALIGUIRI, a righthander who pitched for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1941and ’42, died Nov. 30 in Charlotte. He was 100. In his two seasons in the majors, Caliguiri made 18 appearances (seven starts) for the A’s, going 2-5, 4.52 with 27 strikeouts in 79.2 innings. At the time of his death, he was recognized as the oldest living major leaguer. JACK CAMPIONE, a reliever who pitched in the Evangeline League in 1954, died Aug. 15 in Lafayette, La. He was 86. JOSE CASTILLO, a second baseman who played for the Pirates, Giants…

@BaseballAmerica @BaseballAmerica BaseballAmericaMag ReadBA VIVA LAS VEGAS Blue Jays top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. traveled to Las Vegas to accept his Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year award during the annual Minor League banquet at the Winter Meetings. Guerrero later posted about the honor on his Instagram account. BA national writer Ben Badler was there to record the moment. @ben.badler BA BOOKS ROUND OUT YOUR BASEBALL LIBRARY Complete your collection with Baseball America’s line of signature books for 2019. Prospect Handbook: $34.95 Almanac: $25.95 NEW! Before They Were Stars: $34.95  Directory: $31.95 Super Register: $84.95 Go to: store.BaseballAmerica.com…

1. NICO HOERNER, SS BORN: May 13, 1997. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-1. WT: 200. DRAFTED: Stanford, 2018 (1st). SIGNED BY: Gabe Zappin. TRACK RECORD: While he was never a thumper during his three seasons at Stanford, Hoerner stood out for his ability to make consistent quality contact. He never had a strikeout rate higher than 12.5 percent in any season. He also showed aptitude with wood bats by hitting better than .300 in both the Northwoods and Cape Cod leagues. Combine those skills with his leadership qualities up the middle, and it was an easy call for the Cubs to draft Hoerner 24th overall and sign him for $2,724,000. His pro career started with a bang when he hit the first pitch he saw in the Rookie-level Arizona League for…

1. MITCH KELLER, RHP BORN: April 4, 1996. B-T: R-R. HT: 6-3. WT: 195. DRAFTED: HS—Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 2014 (2nd). SIGNED BY: Matt Bimeal. TRACK RECORD: Keller’s velocity spiked about 10 mph between his junior and senior years of high school, and the mid-90s fastball he displayed at showcase events instantly made him a major prospect. A second-round pick, he was committed to North Carolina but was lured into pro ball by the Pirates’ $1 million bonus offer. He had instant success in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League but missed much of 2015 with forearm trouble. He returned in 2016 and struck out 131 batters and walked just 18 in 124.1 innings at low Class A. He made the high Class A Florida State League all-star team in 2017 before…

It is only natural for an incoming general manager to want to make a splash. After all, in most cases, a new GM is brought in from the outside because the major league team is struggling and needs a jolt. For new GMs who come in from other organizations, that often means trading top prospects for established big league talent. There is a long history of incoming GMs making such moves in their first offseasons with their new team. This year’s iteration is new Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen trading two of the Mets’ top five prospects, outfielder Jarred Kelenic and righthander Justin Dunn, in a package to the Mariners for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. The move was panned by Buster Olney, Ken Rosenthal and others, and if history…