MINOR LEAGUE/PROSPECTS Thread

Locastro has solid week, Bellinger homers
by Eric Stephen | True Blue LA — 11 hours ago

Dodgers infielder Tim Locastro had a busy week in the Arizona Fall League, playing all six games for the Glendale Desert Dogs, highlighting what was a 1-5 week in the desert.

Locastro started four games at second base, entered another game at pinch hitter and played the final five innings at second, and played in another game as a pinch runner.

He was 6-for-14 (.429) with a walk and five RBI, driving in a run in four different games. Locastro scored twice and stole one base in two attempts during the week.

Cody Bellinger hit his first home run of the AFL, a two-run shot on Tuesday against Rays prospect Brent Honeywell, a right-hander. Bellinger was 2-for-10 (.200) with that home run, a double and two walks in three games during the week, driving in two. He played one game in center field, one at first base and once at designated hitter.

In addition, here is some Bellinger swing video from 2080 Baseball:



Willie Calhoun had a light week, going 2-for-5 in his two games, both at second base. Here is video of Calhoun taking batting practice during the week, from Mike Rosenbaum of MLB Pipeline:



Alex Verdugo struggled at the plate, going 1-for-14 with a walk, but perhaps the most notable aspect of his week was starting two of his four games in right field, and played another two innings in another game in right field. Verdugo during the 2016 season for Double-A Tulsa played 76% of his defensive innings in center field and the other 24% in right.

Verdugo is 4-for-23 so far in the AFL but has only struck out twice.

Alec Dopp✓@AlecDopp
Hate to beat a dead horse, but I've now tallied 28 swings from
Alex Verdugo in three games without one whiff. #Dodgers
3:24 PM - 17 Oct 2016​

Here is more BP footage from Rosenbaum, this time of Verdugo:



On the pitching side, Chris Anderson struggled again in his Friday start, allowing six runs (five earned) in three innings, including a home run, with two walks and two strikeouts.

The rest of the pitching week:

Joe Broussard: 2 games, 3 IP, 3 runs (2 earned), strikeout
Ralston Cash: 2 games, 2 scoreless IP, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts
Corey Copping: 2 games, 2⅓ IP, 3 runs (2 earned), 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Old friend alert

Frankie Montas, dealt to Oakland in the Rich Hill/Josh Reddick trade, has six scoreless innings so far in the AFL, with six strikeouts and no walks, a pair of three-inning relief outings for the Mesa Solar Sox. He was limited to just 16 minor league innings in the regular season thanks to rib resection surgery in February then a stress fracture in his rib in June.

Jim Callis at MLB.com profiled Montas on Thursday:

Montas breezed through the fifth through seventh innings, allowing just one hit while retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced. He sat at 98-100 mph with his fastball and at 88-90 mph with his cutter/slider while also mixing in a few changeups. He threw 29 of 42 pitches for strikes, fanning five batters.

"I missed a lot of time during the season," said Montas, a 23-year-old right-hander now with the Athletics. "This is going to help me get back to where I was and to work on what I need to work on to get better. I'm mostly getting innings and working on a changeup. I'm also trying to get my confidence back and throw more strikes."

​

 

We are so lefty heavy.

 

eli whitney thinks this is racist

 

true blue la's review of our top 20 prospect's 2016...

http://www.truebluela.com/2016/10/28/13451686/2016-top-dodgers-prospects-season-review

 

yeah was a bit understated
i think bellinger is another stud in the making
i think toles is for real, just hoping he can learn to handle lefties
alvarez could be an ace, but probably more a solid 2
buehler still too early to tell imo
but for me, the wild card is stewart
i think he has all sorts of upside/potential and has almost been overlooked

 

bellinger, verdugo and calhoun all made it :woot:

Fall Stars Game rosters include 16 Top 100 prospects
by Jonathan Mayo | — October 31, 2016

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For the past 25 years, the Arizona Fall League has been a place to see some of the best up-and-coming talent around baseball. For the past decade -- edition No. 11 arrives on Saturday -- that talent has been funneled onto one field in the Fall Stars Game.

The AFL's version of the Futures Game will take place at Surprise Stadium at 5 p.m. local time (8 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast on MLB Network and streamed live MLB.com and once again will feature many of the game's top prospects. A total of 16 members of MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 prospects list are on the rosters released by the league on Monday, with an additional 21 players from team Top 30s to once again make the Fall Stars Game a veritable who's who for prospects.

Noticeably absent from the game is No. 1 prospect Yoan Moncada, whose Fall League season officially came to an end on Friday when the Red Sox decided to shut him down due to his thumb injury. That makes the Yankees' Gleyber Torres, at No. 17 overall, the top-ranked player participating in the game. The 19-year-old has also been one of the top performing prospects in the AFL this season, carrying the fourth-best OPS (1.077) in the league into Monday's competition.

Cubs phenom Eloy Jimenez (No. 23) and the Indians' Bradley Zimmer (No. 25) round out the top 25 prospects, all on the East squad. The A's Franklin Barreto (42), Brewers outfielder Brett Phillips (62) and Anthony Alford (86) of the Blue Jays are the other Top 100 players on the East roster.

While the West doesn't have as high-ranked prospects, it does have more, nine Top 100 players in total. The roster also has the four Top 100 pitchers slated to participate in the game. The Rays' Brent Honeywell (No. 39) will start the game for the West (Giants prospect Chris Stratton gets the ball for the East), and he's joined by the Astros' pair of Top 100 arms in the Fall League, No. 29 Francis Martes and No. 70 David Paulino. Michael Kopech (No. 67) of the Red Sox is the fourth of that very talented quartet.

Offensively, the West roster has the Dodgers trio of Cody Bellinger (No. 31), Alex Verdugo (No. 45) and Willie Calhoun (87), Twins shortstop Nick Gordon (47), Mariners outfielder Tyler O'Neill (59) and Harrison Bader (82) of the Cardinals.

Four of these players know what this kind of setting is like, having played in the Futures Game just this past July in San Diego. Jimenez and O'Neill played for the World Team, while Calhoun and Cardinals catcher Carson Kelly suited up for the United States squad.

Fans have the opportunity to add more talent to these rosters in the Final Two Fan Vote. The Cubs' Ian Happ (No. 21 overall), Mets No. 3 prospect Gavin Cecchini and Yankees No. 7 Miguel Andujar are the candidates for the East roster, while the West has Red Sox's No. 12 prospect Mauricio Dubon, White Sox No. 14 Courtney Hawkins and the Reds' Brandon Dixon on the ballot.

If last year's rosters are any indication, this year's Fall Stars Game will once again be an excellent predictor of players who will impact the big leagues next season. Last year's contest included the Yankees' Gary Sanchez and the A's Sean Manaea, among others.​