The Situation: With the worst bullpen in the major leagues as measured by ERA, the Cardinals are in desperate need for relief help. Just as they turned to right-hander Trevor Rosenthal down the stretch and in the playoffs last year, the Cardinals will again turn to a young, hard-throwing right-hander in Carlos Martinez.

Background: Previously known as Carlos Matias, Martinez failed a background inspection and was suspended for a year by Major League Baseball rather than being allowed to sign with the Red Sox in in 2009. After the suspension was up, the Cardinals gave him a massive payday, ponying up a $1.5 million signing bonus. Pitching in the Dominican Summer League in 2010, Martinez started 12 games en route to posting a miniscule 0.76 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 59 innings.

The Situation: Though he has played only 10 games above High-A, the Marlins are looking to 22-year-old outfielder Marcell Ozuna to fill the void left created by Giancarlo Stanton’s trip to the disabled list with a hamstring injury. The Marlins added Ozuna to their 40-man roster over the offseason, which made the decision to call him up now that much easier. The 22-year-old, who was ranked no. 10 on BP’s Marlins Top 10 list by, was hitting .333 with five home runs and 15 RBI in 10 games for Double-A Jacksonville.

Background: Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2008, Ozuna debuted with the Marlins’ DSL affiliate that summer, posting a .279 batting average while knocking 14 doubles and six home runs as a 17-year-old. Playing in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2009, Ozuna continued to excel at a young age, this time hitting .313 in 55 games and blasting another 22 doubles and five more home runs. After starting with Low-A Greensboro in 2010, Ozuna broke a bone in his left wrist, forcing him to miss the next two months. After recovering, Ozuna tore through the New York-Penn League, leading the league in home runs (21) and runs batted in (60). The Marlins gave him another crack at Low-A in 2011, and he handled it well, posting a .266/.330/.482 line in 131 games. After a promotion to High-A for the 2012 season, Ozuna nearly duplicated his batting line (.266/.328/.476) while leading the Florida State League in home runs (24) and RBI (95).

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The Situation: Rockies infielder Chris Nelson could not duplicate the success he experienced in 2012, posting a .242/.282/.318 line in 22 games this year, and the club designated him for assignment over the weekend. Nelson’s departure opened the door for Arenado, ranked third on the Rockies Top 10 list by Baseball Prospectus over the offseason, to make his major-league debut on Sunday.

Background: Drafted in the second round in 2009, Arenado raked at every stop through his first three years in the minor leagues. His professional debut in the Pioneer League was a rousing success, with an even .300 batting average and 17 extra-base hits in just 54 games. Pushed to the Low-A South Atlantic League as a 19-year-old in 2010, Arenado responded with a performance worthy of top-prospect praise, highlighted by a .308/.338/.520 line in 92 games. Promoted another level in 2011, Arenado hit .298 with 32 doubles and 20 home runs in the High-A California League. The jump to Double-A in 2012 proved a little difficult for him, as he “struggled” to the tune of a .285 batting average, 36 doubles, and 12 home runs. Through 18 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs this season, he was hitting .364/.392/.667.

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The Situation: Starter John Lannan was injured during his last start on Wednesday, forcing the Phillies to look to the minor leagues for support. With left-hander Adam Morgan having just pitched in Triple-A, the team will turn to their eighth-ranked prospect in right-hander Jonathan Pettibone.

Background: The Phillies gave Pettibone an aggressive $500,000 signing bonus as a third-round pick in 2008 and assigned the 17-year-old right-hander to the Gulf Coast League for one start in his debut summer. In 2009, Pettibone moved on to the New York-Penn League, where he tossed 35 1/3 innings with a 5.35 ERA as one of the younger players in the league. The Phillies continued to promote him a level at a time as he moved to Low-A in 2010 and put together his first truly successful season, posting a 3.49 ERA in 131 1/3 innings.

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The Situation: With a doubleheader scheduled on Sunday against the Royals, the Red Sox require a spot starter to help bolster the starting rotation. With Webster rested and pitching extremely well in Triple-A, he gets the call to make his big-league debut.

Background: Acquired as part of the package sent to the Red Sox in exchange for Josh Becket, Carl Crawford, and Adrian Gonzalez, Webster may end up the most important piece of that deal for the Sox. Drafted by the Dodgers in the 18th round of the 2008 draft, Webster has endured an up-and-down professional career. After breezing through the lower levels during his first three seasons as a pro, Webster hit a bump in the road when he reached Double-A as a 21-year old in 2011. In 91 innings with Chattanooga that summer, the right-hander was touched up for a 5.04 ERA and over 10 hits per nine innings.

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The Situation: After an impressive 127 2/3 innings with the Brewers in 2012, right-hander Mike Fiers has fallen flat on his face to start the 2013 season. As a result, the Brewers will give fellow 2009 draftee Hiram Burgos a try in the rotation. Burgos will be called up in time to make his major-league debut against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.

Background: A native of Puerto Rico, Burgos was drafted by the Brewers in the sixth round of the 2009 draft. The then-21-year old product of Bethune-Cookman College scuffled to a 5.62 ERA in his professional debut with rookie-level Helena. After showing significant improvement in a return trip to Helena in 2010, Burgos was promoted to Low-A, where he posted a 4.48 ERA in 74 1/3 innings split between the rotation and bullpen. Burgos struggled again in 2011, sporting a 4.89 ERA in 22 High-A starts and allowing 142 hits in just 119 2/3 innings.

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The Situation: Not even two years after being drafted out of Rice, left-hander Tony Cingrani is on his way to the big leagues to help fill a significant void in the Cincinnati Reds rotation. Johnny Cueto, the club’s top starter, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained muscle in his back, creating an opening for Cingrani to return to the majors after making three relief appearances last fall. Cingrani has gotten off to a blazing start for Triple-A Louisville, hurling 14 1/3 innings across three starts, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out 26 batters.

Background: Drafted in the third round in 2011, Cingrani had found success in the bullpen after struggling as a starter in his first year (2010) at Rice. As a senior, Cingrani posted a 1.92 ERA and fanned 62 batters in 52 innings out of the bullpen. The Reds moved him to the rotation after he signed and he responded with a spectacular 1.75 ERA in 13 starts for rookie-level Billings. Jumping two levels to High-A in 2012, Cingrani torched the hitter-friendly California League with a 1.11 ERA in 10 starts, punching out 71 hitters in 56 2/3 innings. After a promotion to Double-A, Cingrani continued to succeed with a 2.12 ERA and a strikeout rate north of 10 per nine innings. The Reds purchased his contract in September and he allowed a solo home run in five innings while striking out nine hitters.

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The Situation: As outfielder Wilkin Ramirez heads to New York for the birth of his second child, the Twins will call up 21-year-old Venezuelan Oswaldo Arcia to take his place. Ranked fourth in the Twins’ farm system, Arcia has gotten off to a blazing start by hitting .414/.500/.793 in his first nine Triple-A games. Ramirez is expected to be away from the team for three days, giving Arcia a brief window to make an impression and start to lay claim to a position that will likely be his long term.

Background: Signed as an international free agent in 2007, Arcia has raked throughout his professional career. After two solid seasons in the rookie-level Dominican Summer and Gulf Coast Leagues, Arcia exploded onto the scene with an MVP performance in the Appalachian League in 2010, backboned by a massive .375/.424/.672 triple-slash line. The Twins started him in Low-A in 2011, and while he missed time with an elbow injury, his performance forced the organization to promote him to High-A before the conclusion of the season. Back in High-A to start the 2012 season, Arcia hit .309 with 26 extra-base hits in just 55 games, forcing another promotion. Once in Double-A, Arcia turned his offensive output up a notch with a .328/.398/.557 line in 69 games.

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Even as baseball fans and those within the industry gain a deeper understanding of statistics, one number remains largely misinterpreted and misunderstood. The elite post atop the traditional 2-8 (or 20-80) scouting scale, the 8 represents the territory so far to the right on the scouting bell curve that few scouts dare to tread there. It represents only the most elite of tools and should always be respected.

As a young scout learning the ropes in the mid-2000s, I didn’t immediately understand the significance of this extreme end of the scouting scale. But gradually, my respect for it grew as I began to understand its scarcity. In 2012, I watched countless games from high school to the pros. I spoke to scouts and industry insiders at all levels of baseball. And only very rarely did I hear mention of an elite-level tool.

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Every year teams protect their own players from the Rule 5 Draft and search for a diamond in the rough among the unprotected players in other organizations. While there are historical Rule 5 success stories like George Bell, Johan Santana, and Dan Uggla, those occurrences are few and far between. Many players selected in the annual draft have intriguing tools or the overall potential to contribute at the major-league level, most fade into obscurity and are rarely heard from again. This year’s draft, which took place this morning in Nashville and in which 15 players were picked, will likely be no different in that respect, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some interesting storylines to watch as the 2013 season approaches.

Favorite Pick: Josh Fields (RHP, Houston Astros) – Many in the industry were surprised when Fields was not protected by the Red Sox. The 27-year-old right-hander finished the season strong by not allowing a run in 10 appearances with Triple-A Pawtucket and then continued to show well in the Arizona Fall League. His fastball-curveball combination is big-league ready and his command has improved to the point that he can hang with the big boys. He has a setup reliever ceiling and could pitch in that role by the end of the season.

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