Innehållsförteckning för October 2021 från Baseball America

Bailie Brown has experienced a lot of firsts this year. She became the first woman to graduate from Syracuse University’s sport analytics program. She earned her first job in the industry she always dreamed of working within—as a baseball operations apprentice with the Astros—and she got her first glimpse of applying her education to her chosen profession. Brown’s primary hope is that there aren’t any lasts on the horizon. “I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given, and I definitely have my professors and peers to thank for helping me get through (the program at Syracuse), but at the same time it saddens me that I was the first one,” Brown said. “That there weren’t girls immediately there with the creation of the program … “While I’m proud to…

C M.J. MELENDEZ | ROYALS TRIPLE-A OMAHA Melendez overhauled his stance, swing and approach at the alternate training site in 2020 and re-emerged this year as one of the minors’ top power hitters. Melendez led the minors with 41 home runs, ranked second with a .628 slugging percentage and fifth with a 1.011 OPS while rising from Double-A to Triple-A. He did it all while playing 79 of his 119 games at catcher, where he threw out 31% of basestealers and impressed with his athleticism behind the plate. 1B NICK PRATTO | ROYALS TRIPLE-A OMAHA Like Melendez, Pratto overhauled his swing at the Royals’ alternate training site last year and blossomed into a prolific power hitter. He ranked third in the minors with 34 home runs, tied for fourth with…

Looking for the game’s brightest young stars in 2021? Just turn your attention to the Triple-A East, the 20-team behemoth that preserved the old 14-team International League while bringing aboard six other franchises, four from what was the Pacific Coast League. By season’s end, four of the game’s five best prospects—Adley Rutschman, Bobby Witt Jr., Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene—reached Triple-A and qualified for our list. So, too, did Wander Franco, who opened the year as baseball’s No. 1 prospect at Durham before climbing to Tampa Bay in late June. The incredible prospect depth at Triple-A East made it exceptionally difficult for breakout names like Juan Yepez (Cardinals) and Dalton Kelly (Rays) to receive notice. It’s also why multiple Top 100 types, such as Cristian Pache, Drew Waters and Nolan…

Eleven teams in Double-A Northeast were holdovers from the Eastern League. The exception was Somerset, which the Yankees plucked from the independent Atlantic League to supplant Trenton. The league featured some of the premier prospects in baseball. Bowie and Erie were of particular interest because each featured a recent No. 1 overall pick. Adley Rutschman, the top pick in 2019, formed a battery with top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez for much of the year in Bowie, while 2020 top pick Spencer Torkelson drew plenty of interest in Erie alongside Riley Greene. Even past the top names, Double-A Northeast featured extraordinary depth. Sixteen players on the end-of-season Top 100 Prospects qualified for the list. 1. Adley Rutschman, C Bowie (Orioles) AGE: 23. B-T: B-R. HT: 6-2. WT: 216. DRAFTED: Oregon State,…

The High-A East featured an embarrassment of prospect riches this season. Ten Top 100 Prospects ranked among the league’s top 10 prospects and two more just missed the list: Astros catcher Korey Lee and Pirates righthander Quinn Priester. Cade Cavalli and Anthony Volpe stood out the most to league managers, with Cavalli having the arsenal and poise of a frontline starter and Volpe showcasing the tools and instincts of a future above-average middle infielder. Brooklyn led the way with three top 10 prospects—Francisco Alvarez, Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty—a trio that stood out to managers for the players’ impressive tools as well as in-game performance. Righthander Taj Bradley, the No. 3 prospect in the Low-A East, just missed the innings threshold to qualify for the list, as did Hudson Valley…

The last time the Low-A Southeast League took the field, it was called the Florida State League. And it was High-A. And it had 12 teams. And balls and strikes were called exclusively by humans. All of that changed in 2021, a year after the pandemic wiped out the season and MLB realigned the minor leagues. Low-A Southeast lost two teams to contraction and served this season as a testing ground for the automated ball-strike system, which went through tweaks as the season went along. A number of players stood head and shoulders above the rest. In the early going, that group included Tampa shortstop Anthony Volpe and Palm Beach third baseman Jordan Walker, first-round picks in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Dunedin shortstop Orelvis Martinez mashed in the middle months,…

It was an unusual year in the Florida Complex League. The league formerly known as the Gulf Coast League retained its Rookie classification and kept the same number of teams: 18. While the flavor of the league was similar, it was also different. With the lost 2020 season and MLB cutting out short-season leagues, players from both the 2020 and 2021 draft classes were in the FCL making their pro debuts, while multiple signing classes of international players filled the league for their first official pro action or their United States debuts. Several prominent 2021 draft picks do not appear on this list because they didn’t meet the playing time cutoffs to be eligible, including Marlins shortstop Kahlil Watson, Phillies righthander Andrew Painter, Rays shortstop Carson Williams and Pirates outfielder…

In the fall of 2005, Mitch Sokol got a call from his Las Vegas-based associate scout Glen Evans. There was a player he had to see. There was only one drawback. The player was in the seventh grade. “I said, ‘Whoa, I mean, jeez, Glen, I don’t really go see seventh graders,’” said Sokol, the Nationals’ area scout for the Four Corners region and Las Vegas. “And he goes, ‘Just trust me. Come see this kid.’” Bryce Harper was worth the trip. Harper has been in the spotlight since his earliest teenage years. Baseball America highlighted him as “possibly the country’s best hitter” for his age when he was 12. Scouts labeled him a prodigy at 15, and he was dubbed “Baseball’s Chosen One” when he graced the cover of…

Alan Hull has spent more than a decade working in baseball. He began as a minor league video coordinator, moved up to a video scout for the Blue Jays, became the Rays’ area scout for Northern California and now works as the Braves’ crosschecker for the Northwest. Among the players he scouted for the Rays were Joe Ryan and Sammy Long, both of whom made their major league debuts this year. Hull joined the Baseball America podcast to discuss signing both pitchers and the emotion of having his first two major leaguers debut in the same season. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full podcast at BaseballAmerica.com. Baseball America: You scouted and signed Sammy Long for the Rays in 2016 (in the…

ADLEY RUTSCHMAN C, ORIOLES #2 TRIPLE-A EAST #1 DOUBLE-A NORTHEAST WANDER FRANCO SS, RAYS #1 TRIPLE-A EAST JULIO RODRIGUEZ OF, MARINERS #2 DOUBLE-A CENTRAL #1 HIGH-A WEST While Minor League Top 10 Prospects rankings aren’t the last word on future stars, they were the first prospect rankings to appear in Baseball America when it launched 40 years ago. Founding editor Allan Simpson had a network of minor league correspondents in place from the beginning in 1981. That October, in the 10th issue of BA ever printed, the first league-by-league prospect rankings appeared. Those rankings included scouting reports for the top 10 prospects in every full-season minor league, gleaned primarily from conversations with league managers and scouts. Short-season leagues were incorporated into the coverage in 1982. The first volume of rankings…

The Triple-A West got a significant makeover as part of MLB’s restructuring of the minor leagues. Formerly known as the Pacific Coast League, the league dropped from 16 teams to 10. Iowa, Memphis, Nashville and Omaha—all members of the PCL since 1998—moved to the more geographically convenient Triple-A East. San Antonio dropped down to Double-A, as did New Orleans when it relocated to Wichita. Fresno, which had been in the PCL since 1998, dropped to Low-A and was replaced by Sugar Land, a former independent league team that moved to the ranks of the affiliated. The reduction in teams meant a reduction in players, and thus a reduction of talent relative to previous seasons. Standouts such as Jarred Kelenic and Keibert Ruiz ensured the league still had headliners, but the…

The Southern League dropped two franchises and became Double-A South but was otherwise the same hot, humid, pitcher-friendly league it has always been. No affiliated league saw fewer runs scored per game in 2021. Dropped from the league were Jacksonville, which moved to Triple-A, and Jackson, which lost its affiliation. Mobile relocated to Rocket City in Madison, Ala., where the park played small. Just two Double-A parks saw more home runs. The prospect depth in the league was below-average, even for an eight-team league, though a number of pitchers stood out to scouts. In particular, the crop of lefthanders was strong, led by the Reds’ Nick Lodolo, the Angels’ Reid Detmers and the Marlins’ Jake Eder. Braves catcher Shea Langeliers and Reds shortstop Jose Barrero have the type of up-the-middle…

Major League Baseball eliminated the short-season level of the minor leagues but kept the Northwest League to serve its West organizations. The league was elevated in classification and renamed High-A West. Six of the eight NWL affiliates survived, the exceptions were Salem-Keizer and Boise, which were dropped. The pandemic threw High-A West an added wrinkle, because the league has the only international affiliate in the minors. Because the Canadian border remained closed deep into the season, Vancouver used Hillsboro as its home park all year. Though six teams may not be an ideal long-term setup, it meant that High-A West fans got plenty of chances to see some of the circuit’s top talent. That was especially true in the early going, when Everett boasted a roster that could easily make…

Everything changed in 2021 for the league formerly known as the California League. The league’s name changed to Low-A West. The level changed from High-A to Low-A. The composition of the league changed, with Fresno replacing Lancaster as the league’s eighth team as part of MLB’s minor league restructuring. The rules of the league changed, too. Low-A West was used as a testing ground for experimental rule changes designed to increase the place of play, with 15-second pitch clocks instituted in June and pitchers limited to two pickoff attempts per plate appearance. With the rule changes in place, the league’s average time of game was 2 hours, 43 minutes, a reduction of 20 minutes compared to 2019. Against that backdrop, the talent in the league was as strong as ever.…

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Rylan Bannon knew he had to make up significant ground during the season, with a prolonged slump and oblique injury threatening to ruin any chance of a callup. The wisest approach was to just get back to being himself. And hit lots of home runs in the process. Bannon, primarily a third baseman at Triple-A Norfolk, belted 10 homers in a span of 10 games beginning Aug. 11. “It’s no secret that I’ve been going through some struggles the past month or so,” said Bannon, acquired from the Dodgers in the July 2018 Manny Machado trade. “To see some hard work paying off, trusting the process of going through all those struggles and learning from it, it’s been awesome.” Norfolk hitting coach Tim Gibbons has worked on the…

When Royals director of hitting performance Alec Zumwalt first saw Bobby Witt Jr. in person, what stood out to him immediately was his personality. Whether Witt was in the lineup or slotted in at DH or taking a day off, he was always smiling. There was an easygoing, exciting presence to Witt that was infectious to everyone watching him and playing with him. But when Zumwalt got more hands-on with Kansas City’s 2019 first-round pick, he quickly realized the immense talent of the high school shortstop from Colleyville, Texas. “The kid’s skill set is amazing,” Zumwalt said. “I have told a lot of people this, but right from the start the thing that stood out to me was how he could simplify what was so hard for most people—and most…

Here is a top 10 ranking of Minor League Top 10 Prospects broken down by decade. Consideration is given to prospect esteem, in the form of multiple No. 1 league rankings, which are listed here, and subsequent MLB value. The abbreviations for minor leagues and levels are as follows: Triple-A American Association (AA), International (IL), Pacific Coast (PCL) Double-A Eastern (EL), Southern (SL), Texas (TL) High-A California (CAL), Carolina (CAR), Florida State (FSL) Low-A Midwest (MWL), South Atlantic (SAL) Short-season New York-Penn (NYP), Northwest (NWL) Rookie Appalachian (APP), Pioneer (PIO) Rookie complex Arizona (AZL), Gulf Coast (GCL) 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s…

The Texas League was renamed Double-A Central and added two teams, both of them coming from Triple-A. San Antonio and Wichita joined the league, the latter after relocating from New Orleans. The league had two of the most talented teams in the minors this year. In the first half of the season, Northwest Arkansas’ roster stood out thanks to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., first baseman Nick Pratto and catcher MJ Melendez. After the Royals prospects moved to Triple-A, the Mariners’ affiliate in Arkansas became the team to watch thanks to the promotions of outfielder Julio Rodriguez, righthanders Matt Brash and George Kirby and lefthander Brandon Williamson. Northwest Arkansas managed to win the Double-A Central championship even after losing so many stars to in-season promotions. The league as a whole was…

A lot changed in the minor leagues between the last pitch of 2019 and Opening Day 2021. The entire player development apparatus was overhauled, teams were cut and leagues took on new names and classifications. The former Midwest League became High-A Central, it’s classification changing from Low-A to High-A. The league dropped from 16 teams to 12. One constant was the high talent level in the league, topped by Spencer Torkelson, the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. Torkelson started slowly but quickly lived up to his billing as an advanced hitter with huge power. He wasn’t the only high-end prospect to spend time in High-A Central. The Dodgers sent more prospects through the league than any organization. Great Lakes featured four top 10 prospects: third baseman Miguel Vargas,…

The Low-A East featured four Top 100 Prospects among its top 10 prospects—Gunnar Henderson, Nick Yorke, Taj Bradley and Daniel Espino—and an impressive group of players who took big steps forward and raised their stock during the 2021 season. Joey Estes, Dustin Harris and DJ Herz were not highly touted coming out of the 2019 draft, yet all three turned in impressive seasons and earned praise from league managers for their play. Charleston, the top team in the league with an 82-38 record, finished tied for the most prospects in the top 10 with two (Bradley, Curtis Mead), along with Delmarva (Henderson, Colton Cowser) and Down East (Harris, Luisangel Acuña). Due to the depth of talent in the league, there were notable omissions from the list, such as Carolina outfielder…

The Arizona League was renamed the Arizona Complex League following MLB’s restructuring of the minor leagues. The Rookie classification remained the same, but the number of teams shrunk from 21 in 2019 to 18 this season, with the Giants, Brewers and Royals each fielding two squads. With the draft moving from June to July, the ACL was a tale of two seasons. Rosters in the first half consisted mostly of Latin American players, making the league feel more like an extension of the Dominican Summer League. As draft picks signed and joined the league in the second half, league more closely resembled a cross between Rookie ball and the old half-season level. Eleven first-round picks from the 2021 draft made their professional debuts in the ACL. In order of selection,…

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Shortstop Geraldo Perdomo wasn’t just back to looking like his old self. The 21-year-old shortstop looked better than ever. Perdomo struggled badly with Double-A Amarillo through early July, hitting just .151 in 47 games. That prompted the D-backs to transfer him to the development list and bring him back to their spring training facility in Scottsdale, Ariz. For nearly a month, Perdomo worked to revamp his swing and regain his confidence. It appeared to be a successful stint. Upon returning to Double-A on Aug. 5, the switch-hitting Perdomo slashed .321/.406/.530 in 35 games, marrying his strong approach with a newfound ability to drive the ball with power. D-backs farm director Josh Barfield said Perdomo’s high-end exit velocity is up 6 mph from its previous peak. As a member…

2010 Harper blasts 31 home runs as a 17-year-old hitting with wood at JC of Southern Nevada. His “top-of-the-scale power” and strong personality help make him the most celebrated prospect in the 45-year history of the draft. The Nationals select him No. 1 overall. 2011 Harper enters the season as the No. 1 prospect in baseball despite no professional experience outside the Arizona Fall League. The 18-year-old lives up to the advance billing by ranking as the No. 1 prospect in the Low-A South Atlantic and Double-A Eastern leagues. 2012 Harper opens the season in Triple-A but quickly gets called to Washington at age 19. He hits .270/.340/.477 with 22 home runs and 18 stolen bases to capture National League Rookie the Year honors. 2015 Harper turns in his signature…

BILLY BOWMAN, a righthander who pitched in the minor leagues in 1953 and from 1955-59 before later serving as a coach for the Astros, died Aug. 21. He was 90. AUDREY HAINE DANIELS, who starred in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, threw multiple no-hitters and was later inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, died Sept. 11 in North Ridgeville, Ohio. She was 94. BILL FREEHAN, a catcher who played in the major leagues in 1961 and from 1963-76, spending his entire career with the Tigers, died Aug. 19 in Petoskey, Mich. He was 79. Freehan made 11 all-star teams during his career, won five Gold Gloves, finished top three in MVP voting twice and won a World Series in 1968. He posted a .262/.340/.412 slash line with…

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