Videos from Arizona State/Auburn, Part 1

Sophomore Zach Wilson, one of ASU's top offensive threats

Star sophomore Zack MacPhee

Ballyhooed prospect Hunter Morris

Matt Newman

Riccio Torrez

Brian Fletcher showed off his big-time bat speed and an uppercut, homer-oriented swing that led to whiff after whiff.

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Videos from Arizona State/Auburn, Part 2

Junior Seth Blair

Xorge Carrillo showed patience and a plan at the plate in this game.

Junior Kevin Patterson displayed his power and propensity to whiff.

Kole Calhoun

Merrill Kelly

Cole Nelson

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Videos from Arizona State/Auburn, Part 3

Sophomore Johnny Ruettiger, the nephew of "Rudy."

Touted freshman Jake Barrett

Sophomore closer Jordan Swagerty

Drew Maggi

Mitchell Lambson (Yep.)

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Auburn at Arizona State, March 12-13

I am extremely late in posting this, but there's this thing called school... Anyway, I went to Packard Stadium a few weekends ago for two Arizona State/Auburn games. The Sun Devils, one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the country, displayed their deep, dangerous lineup. The Devils took Friday night's game, 9-8, on the strength of a six-run 5th inning.

The Sun Devils then routed Auburn on Saturday night, 16-7. They could certainly use injured ace Josh Spence, but the Devs are undoubtedly for real. ASU doesn't have any true boppers, but their lineup is full of patient, line-drive hitters. Packard Stadium is also a legit venue, so this pair of games was spectacular. It doesn't get any better than college baseball.

Barry Bonds, Reggie Jackson, Dustin Pedroia, Andre Ethier, Brett Wallace, Mike Leake...the list of former ASU stars goes on and on.

John Hancocks from ASU ace Josh Spence and stud freshman Andrew Aplin

I also have videos galore from the series, which I will share in an upcoming post.

Reds at Cubs, March 13

I went to see the Reds/Cubs game last Saturday at HoHoKam Park in Mesa. (Here is the box score from the game, which the Cubs won handily.) This NL Central contest was a real delight to take in, due in no small part to the numerous prospects and young big leaguers who played.

I was pumped to see Starlin Castro and Yonder Alonso in the starting lineups

I arrived nearly 3 hours before game time and had ample time to kick back and watch batting and infield practice

Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro was my primary focus. The Dominican Republic native has been anointed as the team's top prospect, and some want the 19-year-old to begin the season in the majors. (I would give Castro at least a few more months of minor league seasoning. He only has 120 plate appearances above Single A and can only offer the Cubs an empty batting average at this point. Castro makes contact with ease and his wOBA last season hovered around .340, but he has yet to post a .400 SLG or a walk rate above 6.0% in full-season ball. Chicago should keep the talented youngster in the minors rather than unnecessarily rushing him, but I digress.) Castro has a knack for contact, and while he hasn't developed much power yet, he had a solid showing in BP.

Castro grounded out thrice in actual game action:

Castro's defense is generally praised, but the 6-0, 190-pounder is not an above-average runner and whether he possesses the range necessary for shortstop remains to be seen. Here he is taking grounders before the game:

Starlin Castro

Starlin Castro (alongside Aramis Ramirez)

Hak-Ju Lee, Chicago's other premier middle infield prospect, also received a couple at-bats in the game. Lee hit .330/.399/.420 with 25 SB in the Short-Season Northwest League in 2009.

I snapped lots of photos of Cincinnati players, but unfortunately didn't see Aroldis Chapman.

OF Drew Stubbs

OF Chris Heisey

3B Juan Francisco and OF Wladimir Balentien

Jim Adduci, an unheralded 24-year-old outfielder with limited power but who put up a .362 wOBA in Double-A last season, started in right field for the Cubs. Spring results are meaningless, but Adduci put good swings on a few pitches.

Juan Francisco provided the fireworks for the Reds. I still doubt a player with a career MiLB 3.8 BB% and .311 OBP will be an above-average big league bat, but Francisco's power is simply prodigious and he put it on display with a pair of homers against the Cubs:

Contrary to what the pre-game lineup stated, Logan Watkins did not get the start for the Cubs. Instead, Darwin Barney got the nod at second base. Barney looked good with a diving stop and a couple of line drives, but I was hoping to get the chance to see Watkins. Both are promising middle infield prospects with steady defensive skills, but ultimately I wonder if their bats will be loud enough for them to surface as big league regulars. Watkins (.065) and Barney (.076) had meager showings in the IsoP department in 2009. The former entered Saturday's game for one AB and went down looking:

Logan Watkins at second base

Hard-hitting 1B Yonder Alonso, Cincinnati's #1 prospect:

Here are a couple more vids and pics from the game.

Todd Frazier

Drew Stubbs

Yonder Alonso

White Sox at Angels, March 12

The first game I saw in Arizona (here is the box score) was Friday afternoon at Tempe Diablo Stadium. It was a high-scoring game, with the White Sox downing the Angels, 10-7. Many big-name stars, including Jake Peavy, Torii Hunter, Kendry Morales, and Alex Rios, shined, but I focused on the young players of course. The biggest news involved White Sox outfielder Jared Mitchell. A 1st-round pick last year, Mitchell injured his ankle making a catch in left field and figures to be out for the season. It is a shame, as Mitchell is arguably Chicago's top prospect and will miss a full season of reps. An ankle injury is also particularly concerning for a player whose best tool is his blazing speed. As a side note, Mitchell's grab was the most spectacular piece of defensive work I've ever seen in person. The fleet-footed LSU product sprinted back and robbed Juan Rivera of extra bases while crashing into the wall and holding onto the ball. I regret not getting that on video. Here's hoping Mitchell has a speedy recovery and comes back at full strength next year.

This game wasn't teeming with prospects, but a few got some PT. Diminutive Angels 2B Alexi Amarista, a sleeper who hit .319/.390/.468 with 38 SB at Low A Cedar Rapids last season, got one at-bat. The 20-year-old Venezuelan has solid control of the strike zone, and posted a 50-61 BB-K ratio in 2009.

Angels C Hank Conger, a former 1st-round pick and arguably the team's top prospect, also entered for a late-game AB.

White Sox #5 prospect Brent Morel, who hit .281/.335/.453 with 16 HR in his first full season at High A Winston-Salem in 2009, started at third base. Morel (6-2, 220) isn't overly athletic or flashy, but he is a solid, well-rounded player.

I got several more videos from this game (though I wasn't in the front few rows so they are not as good as from other games). Here is White Sox OF Jordan Danks (Chicago's #4 prospect):

Here are 3B/1B Dayan Viciedo and OF Stefan Gartrell, a couple of big, power-hitting righties on whom I am not very high:

Last but not least, here is budding White Sox star Gordon Beckham. He posted a stout .351 wOBA as a 22/23-year-old rookie last season.

Arizona Fall League: One of Baseball's Best-Kept Secrets

Though it doesn't captivate the mainstream audience, it's tough for any fan who follows prospects to ignore the Arizona Fall League. It's an under-the-radar, easily accessible venue for prospects, and it's chock-full of the best in the minors each year. Baseball America's latest Scout's Diary puts it perfectly; I encourage you to read it. A quick summation: "Why do fans flock to spring training games, paying top dollar for tickets, hotel rooms and flights, when they can visit the same warm city and the same ballparks in the fall for much less money and hassle and see many of the same great, young players?" I wonder the same thing.

ESPN's Keith Law shares a similar sentiment: "You'll be one of maybe 100 fans at a day game, and maybe 300-400 at a typical night game. In any one game you'll see at least a half-dozen guys who project as above-average major leaguers or more. Getting around is easy. Unlike spring training you can duck out of an AFL stadium after BP, grab a bite to eat, and be back for first pitch".

I persuaded my sister to check out a game, what with me being 1,400 miles away from the action, and she did not disappoint. Here are dozens of great shots from the October 17th Peoria-Mesa matchup. Braves OF Jason Heyward and Marlins OF Mike Stanton were the top two attractions, but there were many other excellent prospects on the rosters. Unfortunately, Cubs SS Starlin Castro, Red Sox SS Jose Iglesias, Reds RHP Mike Leake, Braves LHP Mike Minor, and others did not appear in this game.

Mesa's home stadium is HoHoKam Park, the spring training site of the Cubs

Heyward is the top prospect in baseball for me

The 20-year-old is polishing his game in Arizona

He'll be in Atlanta next year

Heyward drew a walk and stole a base this game

I don't think it's possible to go overboard on pictures when a future superstar is inches away

Mike Stanton and his 80 raw power get loose on deck

Cubs 3B Josh Vitters and Twins OF Rene Tosoni are behind Stanton

A fearsome sight for minor league hurlers: Mike Stanton strolling to the plate

Stanton takes a vicious hack

Stanton launched a homer this game that left the entire stadium--reportedly over 430 feet

Boston's Casey Kelly, better known for his pitching exploits, is playing shortstop in the AFL

Kelly is a pretty good infield prospect, but he will realize his future is on the mound soon

Yonder Alonso, the #1 prospect for the Reds

Craig Kimbrel, an electric Braves righty who finished second in MiLB K/9 this season

Canadian slugger Nick Weglarz, of the Indians

Marlins OF Bryan Petersen (#2) is putting his name on the map in the AFL

Padres C Mitch Canham, the O-State Balla himself

The scouts' section

Only a smattering of fans are seeing tomorrow's stars

Blue Jays 1B David Cooper and Padres OF Cedric Hunter, both of whom saw their stock drop in 2009

Indians infielder Carlos Rivero

And lastly, it's a little off-topic, but it's never too early to start getting ready for the next college baseball season. BA's list of top recruiting classes was released a few days ago, with Florida, Stanford, and Arizona State grabbing the top three spots. Check out the full list here.