Wow Milb Fantasy leagues #want. I would say those with Billy Hamilton and Mike Olt have not been the happiest.

I have not heard a specific report on Puig since he was on an absolute tear this spring. You are on to the main point when it comes to Puig, the maturation of the hit tool will define his future role.

Thanks Jim, when I completed the update milb must not have updated his numbers.

I think he is just a third-baseman. I don't think the range would fit up the middle.

Thank you. You may be upset I will not have one this Friday. I will be back in the glorious area of Delmarva with shaky internet connection. I will come back with a current update on the current Hickory bunch though.

That was not the way I interpreted it. I think they are just shifting him around, and seeing how he adapts to different positions.

All pitchers in the low minors that do not produce high strikeout rates give me an uneasy feeling. The reports on Nicolino have been steady though, he has a plan on the mound.

I'll let Buxton get to Double-A before I start projecting his call up date.

I should clasify the statement about Rosario. He has the ability at the plate to become a first division 2B. Rosario will need to continue to show the ability to play 2B defensively.

Brown's bat never really developed; looked very 4/5 outfielderish ceiling last season.

Sadly I have Greene in NP territory.

He might be getting aggressive early in the season; still a SSS(small sample size). I am all about hard contact though.

I love him.

very believable; worked 90-94 with life in spring; fast arm; mechanics needed a little cleaning up. Overall, I liked Glasnow the most of the young arms I saw for the Pirates this spring (did not see Heredia).

I hate Chris Mellen. Therefore I hate all Red Sox prospects, ask Sean Coyle.

That is what I figured... I can adapt, but my goal is to give updated information on lesser known quality prospects.

The numbers seem to lean toward the fact that his command has improved. I have not talked with anyone that has seen him, but if I was forced to point the improvement toward something specific it would be the command.

I mean I mentioned him 3-4 starts in a row? The stock is on the rise big time. The Fastball/curveball combo has easy plus potential. Also, the change continues to improve. Only a low-2 high 3? That is a pretty lofty ceiling and is nothing to be disappointed about.

I would say he has a chance to be in the conversation. The curveball is serious; fastball sits in the low 90s with life. As long as the changeup and the command continue to take steps forward top 100 is not out of the question.

very welcome figured you would enjoy it.

Oh no problem. I love discussion believe me anytime it can get started up I'm all ears.

I understand that everyone has different things they look for. My philosophy when writing this every night its to provide the most information I can for the readers. A majority of the time that is in the form of players in the lower minors. However, I do not shy away from including players in the upper minors. I was not including post-prospects previously, but I understand that could be useful for many people. I think the main point I am trying to get at that seems to be going a little unnoticed is that the amount of actual "prospects" in Triple-A are limited. Believe me anyone that has a good/bad night in Triple-A that is a legitimate prospect will be included.

Are we all hard, cold and unimaginative today? Just messing of course, just understand by the time prospects reach AA it is much easier to draw the line with prospects and non prospects. Therefore, the number of actual prospects at the upper minors is slimmer than in the lower minors.

All levels are always checked. As always all relevant prospects will checked(will include relevant post prospects).

Well you guys finally caught on to this. I figured it would not be long, but I am a sucker for the lower minors. A majority of my contacts cover the lower minors, I find the lower minors more interesting, and I think that Triple-A numbers can get very misleading. If I hear a specific thing from a source I will make sure I include it in the MLU, but I may be wrong in saying I always thought people were more interested in the up and comers as opposed to the prospects playing the waiting game in Triple-A. This may be just my philosophy, and I am willing to adapt if that is what you(the readers) would like.

I addressed the Olt issues in a few MLU's. I figured the point was out there that he is struggling mightily. He is getting his eyes checked, but Jason Cole wrote about him a few ten pack's ago if you want to take a look for more information. When it comes to Cole, it is tough because I saw him at his best last year. I went so far as to saying his stuff looked like Verlander's, in a final interview I had with a team (maybe that is why I am writing here and not there lol). I have not seen him this year, but I always find it hard to believe he does not dominate every start with stuff like his.

I'm not worried about Myers. The swing has some miss in it. I have never thought he is a role 7 type player, but I think he has a floor of being a role 6 and maybe a touch more.

If you dig through my articles and look at my spring training notes, a scout had a nice quote about Greene.

agree with this other than Bradley being average to above average. Bradley is a role 6 guy for me.

Polanco can make loud contact, but I think at the Major League level he is 10-15 HR guy. The arm may be solid average(55), but when I saw him in spring it was good but not anything super special.

I have not. When I saw Gausman, Urrutia was not yet in Bowie. I should match up with him in some point in the near future.

Sunday may in fact have been Jenkins best start as a professional. I talked to a scout that was luke-warm on Jenkins.

wow... these trades by teams that I follow always get me.

I love the back reading. As a sneak preview Coyle will be in MLU tomorrow.

The tools are always the first thing I focus on when looking at a prospect. I observed Williams during roughly 10 games this spring. During this observation I saw some things that made me question his makeup. I do not believe it would be right for me to talk about specifics on this platform. The DUI really does not factor in on what I think of Williams makeup. For me, analyzing a players makeup is solely looking at his baseball makeup. I want to see how he approaches the game, how he communicates with teammates, what his attitude is like while receiving instruction, and what his overall attitude is like.

No; saw naquin for 12 at-bats + batting practice every day; a lot of wrist/hand movement in load; present hand speed; will need a pretty major swing overhaul to iron out the swing.

Trust and believe he has them. Lets hope they will disapate as he matures. The DUI factors in minimally.

They both have small frames with power. It may be setting the bar a little high to even throw Coyle's name out against someone like that.

I like what I see from Cecchini; future big league starter.

I saw Burns a lot this spring. For me he is a fringy guy. He does not have that one tool that stands out and says "Hey I'm a big leaguer!"

Both; pulling off everything; pitch recognition not where it needs to be; would be better served at a lower level.

Did I just get somewhat compared to Keith Law and Kevin Goldstein Wow.. going to take a bit to process this.

Think bigger picture than the MLU for Sean Coyle. I don't know if you have the Twitter Machine, but I am sitting on Salem for the next three days. I spoke very highly of him. Do not worry something is in the works.

I think the 60 grade is good for this. I've seen reports of many athletes taking it to a higher level.

"The Lobber"

2 HBP; 20 Balls and 9 strikes.

He should be. I knew I missed the game as soon as I submitted the article to the editor. Check the most recent MLU for the write-up on Franco. I made sure that I put my overall thoughts of him in there for everyone to see.

Thanks, I try to be as realistic as I can when it comes to prospect analysis. When it comes to the Astros, I think Correa is the SS of the future. I look at Fontana as more of a utility option.

Winston-Salem is coming to Wilmington this weekend. Last season I developed a bit of a crush toward Trayce Thompson. This year I'm focused on Hawkins.

Hey no problem believe me you are not the first nor last person to do that. I thank you for the kind words. I figure this would be a good place to make sure everyone knows that Daniel Rathman deserves a lot of credit. He polishes my writing on a nightly basis.

Just for the note I love questions like this. I'll take Wacha on both ends. I like the frame and secondary offerings better. Small framed starters really make me nervous.

He is very confusing; saw plenty of bat speed and a better approach this spring. Gumbs has struggled out of the gates so I am hoping he can right the ship here soon. I would say I have concerns right now on what the overall hit tool will be.

Thanks; I think Gumbs could play short, but I want him to start hitting in games before I worry about how I can get him in a big league lineup.

Yes; triple-a is filled with players who do not have the skills to stick on a big league roster. However, these players have the necessary baseball instincts(plate discipline in this case) to continue to play at a high level professionally. I do not get to see many professional games, but I looked up Rosenthal's numbers. I would focus more on the 11 K in 9.2 IP, and the fact that his BABIP is currently .414.

I want to see him try second. I'm not convinced he will have the feet to play there, but I've always been interested in the idea of them moving him to second; profile works a lot better there.

I will do some research see what I can find out. Depending of the severity of the bruise two weeks is not overly long.

I will see Hawkins next weekend. I should have more insight on him after the three game series.

For the life of me I thought Triunfel had to many big league at-bats to qualify. I'll get him on the list at some point.

check out yesterday's column.

who is this Taveras fellow you speak of?

I saw Jason Adam pitch last year the fastball was 90-93; could get straight; left up in the zone; CB 75-78; used for strikeout pitch; CH 82-84; flashes ability to be a quality pitch; developing confidence. Adam, a very hard working player, profiled as a back-end starter for me. Wilmington is a friendly park for pitchers, and the more hitter friendly environments of the Texas League could be trouble. Adam must command his fastball down in the zone, if he leaves fastball elevated hitters will hit the mistake out of the park.

Thank you!

When I saw Gary Brown last season I graded him as a 4/5th outfield type. I know that many in the industry believed that he had first division potential. That is the reason that I put "can't miss".

Solid-average for me is normally a 55. In some instances it will just mean a little more than 50, but in this case it is a 55.

Yeah, that would be pretty crazy. 7-41 with 14 strikeouts thus far for Bogaerts.

Talked to someone at the start really liked both secondary's. He had the change-up slightly ahead, but as you know with any pitcher might have just been the night and the feel he had going for the specific pitch.

Right now I believe they just want him to get at-bats and stay off the disabled list. Many scouts I have talked to believe he will be able to make the transition to second if needed. The infield in Washington is a bit crowded at the moment, but things like these tend to figure themselves out.

I would say SSS. I need to see Taylor do it at the MLB level before I change my tune.

Currently more people know the name and how much draft bonus money he received. He shows the raw power, but swing can get lengthy. He is back on the road in the right direction, but I can only currently consider him a fringy prospect.

Nothing about Matt Hobgood's performance was disappointing. Matt Hobgood is disappointing. The fact that he is still in Low-A won't put a smile on Orioles' fans faces. Givens has converted to a reliever, but it is hard to get him a mention on here unless he starts putting up extreme strikeout numbers.

Talk about a Freudian slip. My loyalty to the Blue Jays has been exposed.

Both, Baez is a player who knows he has elite skills. Some may take it as a negative, but I enjoy a player who walks the confidence/cockiness line. In order to be successful at the Major League level you have to believe no one can stop you.

And one of my buddies has assured me Adam Dunn is a hall of famer......

3ks.... Come on now, you kno I can't put a guy with a 3k outing in the list. Sanchez will have a start that gets him on here shortly.

My fault, I was so juiced up from the Gausman start my typing ability suffered.

Long story short, Bell and his adviser (Scott Boras) sent a letter to all 30 clubs saying that Josh was going to further his education (University of Texas) no matter where he was selected in the draft, and no amount of money would sign him away from that commitment. The draft comes and he is selected with the first pick of the second-round by the Pirates. Moving forward the story stays the same and he is still planning on going to college until around a half hour before the deadline when rumors circulate that the Pirates may have something in the works. Five minutes before it leaks that the Pirates offered $5 million and Bell accepted.

Something deep inside me tells me he has a shot to be better than Billy Hamilton. I have zero credibility to say this because I've never seen Hamilton.

Is diamond above or below platinum?

Cingrani has had two fantastic starts in Triple-A. I had him as the Pitching prospect of the day in his first start, and his second start is nothing to sneeze at. It will be interesting to see how/when the Reds utilize him at the big league level.

After watching him play football it looks like he has a much brighter future on the gridiron.

I would not be surprised if the Royals decide to move Eibner to the mound after this season if things do not figure themselves out.

I can't speak to the Dahl point until the full story is told. For Matzek, the fact that he fanned five kept him off of "The Bad" list.

Thanks for pointing this out.

Oh I believe it! Quinn was 3.62 and it was not a do or die run.

If anyone cares I am open to change the titles. I tend to lack #sparkle and I thought it would not be a bad idea to ask the people who actually read the article. "The good", "the bad", and "the ugly" can stay for as long as they need to, but if anyone has an idea feel free to make a suggestion. (Looking to include a title for prospects of the day also)

Sorry if the wording was confusing. My point is that Bradley will typically be able to affect the game by using his intangibles and instincts.

Thanks Lloyd! I believe the column will become even more thorough once the minor league season gets started.

Left-handed excuse the typo.

Thank you all for the kind words about the article. I believe Jason Parks has assembled a Prospect Team that will give you the absolute best coverage. I personally cannot wait to get the ball rolling.

Nessy showed power all the way to Right-Center Field, and shows solid bat-to-ball abilities. If I were to grade him after this spring I would say his future projections are somewhere in the vicinity of: hit 45, power 55, run 30, and a 60 defensive profile. These are future projections, he still needs plenty of polish before we are talking about a finished product. I do believe Nessy will do everything in his power to reach and/or exceed his given ceiling. I still worry about his ability to reach his potential though, just because he is only a 19 year-old who still has countless of number of skills he needs to work on. If you want a comp, I believe Nessy looked like a slightly less physical Salvador Perez.

From what I gathered, Jimenez has not played yet this spring because "He is still tender." I believe he had TJ at some point last year

When I talk about Santiago Nessy being a player that stuck in my mind positively, Josh Bell will be his counterpart. I, along with all scouts covering this group of four, were underwhelmed by Bell's abilities. One scout said, "It is a really a shame he missed last year because he needed that to stay on the developmental curve." The underlying problem for Bell is that his timing was completely off. He was essentially picking the ball out of the catchers mitt. From what I gather as an amateur he had Major-League bat speed, and from the 15 or so at-bats I saw him this spring I did not see that. He may have just had a bad few weeks this spring, and could easily tap back into that raw ability he once showed. I am just saying that his performance on the field left a major impression on me. A different scout had an interesting way of putting it, "The fact that Scott Boras was able to get this kid $5 million in the draft speaks why he is the best in the business."

I saw both walking around in camp, but sadly I was never in attendance for either actually throwing. The rumor I heard was that they will attempt to push Shane Watson to Low-A Lakewood to start the season.

Hey mark, I just heard rumblings from a few Front-office people that they were planning on keeping Stroman in Hi-A as a starter. I believe they will try this method to start, but do not be surprised if he is bumped up very quickly. If Stroman is moved to the bullpen I think he has the ability and polish to make it to the majors by late July/ early August.

Thank you, but also make sure you thank Ben he is an 80 editor.

Yes, Stroman will start his season working out in extended spring training.

Keep the Questions coming! I am leaving the Sunshine state now driving 16 hours straight to New Jersey. Yes, I will admit I am from New Jersey. I will answer all questions when I get back to a computer.

Everything you said is correct. The swing needs to be toned down, and with his long limbs it is going to be pretty hard for his swing not to have a little length. All of that being said, I am a believer he is a blue-chip prospect in my eyes.

He was playing and I saw him swing and miss a lot if that helps. It really is a shame because I totally understand what the Phillies saw when they selected him.

Nessy is the player that will stick in my head from this trip. I believe the other night I had a dream about him walking out to the mound to calm down Alberto Tirado, speaking only in spanish, after getting squeezed by the umpire. Then he looked over to Andy Burns and told him "Let's Go!", in English, on his way back behind the plate.

After re-reading before submission I figured I would have to clarify my thoughts on Hanson. I am absolutely a fan of his and I believe his future is bright. I believe he will have to move over to the right-side of the infield, the power may be play a little below average, and quality breaking-balls gave him trouble so the hit tool may be more solid-average than plus. Overall, after bringing up all the negatives about his game, Hanson still has plenty of ability. I just believe do not believe he is the next Robinson Cano.

Wright works to the extreme 1st base side of the rubber, little funk in the delivery, and it could have been his first outing so a little more velo might be in there. Overall I wouldn't expect wonders from Wright organizational profile with the ceiling of an up and down LOOGY if needed.

I have heard that the Dodgers will attempt to move one of the extra starters, but in-division trading is always touchy .

From the articles I have looked at Singleton will have to serve the suspension. If he serves the suspension he will stay back and get his work in in extended spring for the duration of the suspension.

The Rockies are making it interesting aren't they? I'll put the odds at 70/30 in favor of Arenado starting in the season in Colorado Springs.

Looks like he will be from all the information I can gather.

Hey I said I thought nakajima starts on the bench it looks like that will be the case atleast to start the yesr.

Thanks, it means a lot. If you enjoy in-depth write-ups I'll send a little spoiler alert that I have an in-depth article on what I have seen in Florida coming up soon.

From what I saw of Tepesch I think he will do enough to stay in the rotation. Off the top of my head I believe I graded him out as a future 4/5 starter from what I saw from him in a few starts last year.

No you are not way off at all. I saw Tepesch throw a no hitter last year in Wilmington so I feel confident in saying I saw him at his best. The cutter is atleast solid average and can create a lot of weak contact. I'm intreguided by the Rangers selecting Tepesch to be the number 5 man. He may not have "wow" stuff, but he's going to battle everytime he is givin the ball.

I wouldn't think so. I believe they will let Arenado get more seasoning in Colorado Springs if everyday at-bats are not available in Colorado.

Thank you very much. I can't wait until the season gets started so we can add some variety to this list.

I think we may have a winner.... Sadly I have no prizes to offer you.

Did he have a nice smile? I've never personally seen him, but the reports I've seen don't scream Major League regular. Defensive profile is very limited and bat is not elite.

I have heard really good things about d'Arnaud this spring. I do not believe he will start the year with the big club. The knee injury last year limited his Triple-A at-bats, and I do not think it would be beneficial to start his service time clock before June.

I would believe both start in the minors. As you said the most important thing with these guys is to get a consistent amount of at-bats.

Scott, I'll let one of the Jason's tackle that question. They are seeing Martin first hand every day. I am seeing action in Florida.

Not a problem. I will put tomorrow's in alphabetical order. During the season I may tinker with a few different ways to organize, but will maintain alphabetical order throughout.

I do not, but I am taking all suggestions on order. I know KG used alphabetical, and I like the way that works. I was also contemplating grouping pitchers and position players.

Thank you darts, You will see one tomorrow morning same time same place.

Your wish is my command will be an every day thing from here on in.

Austin is a city in Texas, obviously breaks the tie.

#want

good catch, for the life of me I thought it was a one year deal with Ichiro. Essentially my point was that the Yankees have the necessary means to fill gaps long term.

Hey John it wasn't me dinging you. You bring up great points when it comes to injuries. As a person who had shoulder troubles I understand that the road to recovery is much less clear as compared to elbow injuries. I have no exact numbers for you, but the way its always been explained to me it is much easier to fix elbows than shoulders. I hope this is the sort information you are looking for.

I'm bullish on Gumbs I think he starts in Hi-A. He has the potential to shoot up this list.

Hey thanks for the good words. The reason I left out Pineda is based on the fact that I have not heard a single positive report on him since he was traded to the Yankees organization. The shoulder injury really worries me. Also I am worried about the body which could get away from him. All in all Pineda has the raw ability to be on this list, but I ran into to many question marks to feel confident about placing him in the top 10.

I saw him play one series last season with Lynchburg. He needs to stay on the field, but even if he was healthy I wouldn't consider him close to the top 10.

For me I'd put Delgado behind Cahill in front of Goldy.

Yes, consideration was given to put Graham over Teheran. I like Teheran mildly better because like you said he is a full year younger and has been in the upper minors.

I saw Chris Hawkins take BP last few days not impressed with the bat. I would not imagine he cracks the top 10 again. I have not seen Jake Anderson or AJ Jimenez play yet. Scouts rave about Jimenez's defense, but I believe he's slides into more of a backup catcher profile.

I saw Chris Hawkins take BP last few days not impressed with the bat. I would not imagine he cracks the top 10 again. I have not seen Jake Anderson or AJ Jimenez play yet. Scouts rave about Jimenez's defense, but I believe he's slides into more of a backup catcher profile.

Cuthbert not close to this list

Offense really isn't the issue look at profar on D compared to machado

1s Halladay, lee, hamels, price, verlander, kershaw, lincecum, Cain, darvish, Felix, and weaver. May be a little bold on price and darvish I believe they have the start to a body of work for a 1.

No mike wright parks I liked what I saw from him low ceiling high floor type guy

Jason next time you are back in Wilmington I'm sure we will have more #celerywant convos.... And the non Texan that is Dylan Bundy

Saw Marisnick this summer kid is a Future star big long strong and can run I'm sold haven't seen Gary brown but I would have to think he is near him in the prospect stratosphere.

Hey saw Petricka start twice was 89-92 wasn't very impressive

Any reports on Ryan kussmaul who had a great year in the Carolina league..... Let me guess all deception in a pitchers league?

I've seen Bethancourt many many times.... how much do you question the want?