July 2 International Prospect Update
It's been a busy time for the minds at Baseball America recently with the MLB Draft taking place last week, but BA's Ben Badler has a different focus in his most recent piece, profiling more of the top names available in this year's class of July 2 international prospects. Here's a look at some of the highlights, though Badler's actual piece offers far more depth and information, as well as scouting videos…
- The Red Sox have shown heavy interest in left-handed hitting Venezuelan outfielder Freddy Rodriguez, who is training at Carlos Guillen's baseball academy. Rodriguez runs the 60-yard dash in 6.8 seconds and some scouts think he projects well enough to play center field.
- The Nationals have shown strong interest in Dominican third baseman Anderson Franco, although he will have to wait until Aug. 15 to sign due to the fact that he's not yet 16 years of age. The switch-hitter has big raw power and a strong throwing arm.
- Dominican shortstop Lucas Tirado has become one of the Dodgers' main targets. The 16-year-old played in the Under Armour All-American game at Wrigley Field last season and figures to be in line one of the summer's biggest bonuses. Badler notes that he has a nice left-handed swing, but his other tools are questionable.
- The Brewers are very intrigued by Dominican outfielder Nicolas Pierre, who many project to be able to stay in center field. Badler notes that he doesn't have one standout tool but is solid across the board.
- Badler also profiles shortstop Carlos Hiciano and right-hander Mayky Perez, though he doesn't list specific suitors for any of those highly regarded talents.
Nationals Sign Mark Lowe
The Nationals announced (via Twitter) that they have signed veteran right-hander Mark Lowe to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Syracuse. The Nationals mark the third organization that Lowe, a client of Frye McCann Sports, has been a part of this calendar year.
Lowe was signed and released by both the Dodgers and Angels earlier this year. He saw big league action with the Angels — his third Major League team — but allowed 12 runs in 11 2/3 innings on 11 hits and 11 walks with only seven strikeouts.
Lowe used to sit at 95-96 mph with his fastball as a member of the Mariners and Rangers from 2009-11, but his once blazing heater averaged 92.9 mph this season. In 274 1/3 innings for the Mariners, Rangers and Angels, Lowe has a 4.17 ERA with 7.7 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
White Sox Outright Leyson Septimo
Here are today's minor moves from around the league…
- The White Sox reinstated left-hander Leyson Septimo from the 60-day disabled list and outrighted him to Triple-A Charlotte, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). The 27-year-old allowed eight runs in 14 1/3 innings for the South Siders last season and has a 5.17 career ERA in the minor leagues with 10.6 K/9 but a whopping 7.6 BB/9.
Blue Jays Release Henry Blanco
The Blue Jays announced that they have released catcher Henry Blanco. The 41-year-old was designated for assignment last week to make room for Andy LaRoche, who was DFA'd earlier today for Chien-Ming Wang's arrival.
Blanco appeared in 15 games for the Blue Jays this year and started as catcher in 13 of those contests. For his career, Blanco owns a .226/.291/.366 slash line across 16 years for the Dodgers, Rockies, Brewers, Braves, Twins, Cubs, Padres, Mets, D'Backs, and Blue Jays.
Mariners Promote Mike Zunino
The No. 3 overall selection from last year's draft is on his way to the Majors. Larry Stone of the Seattle Times tweets that top prospect Mike Zunino will be on the next plane to Seattle to join the Mariners. 
Zunino, 22, ranked as the No. 17 prospect in baseball prior to this season according to Baseball America's Top 100 list. He placed 23rd on MLB.com's Top 100, and ESPN's Keith Law ranked him 18th in a recently updated edition of his Top 25 prospects (Insider required). Law notes that while Zunino has struggled, he's also the only hitter from last year's draft who has already advanced to Triple-A.
Zunino has indeed struggled, batting .238/.303/.503 with 11 homers in 47 games for Triple-A Tacoma this season. The former Florida Gator is striking out quite a bit (28.4 percent), though his average has likely been partially deflated by a .277 BABIP. It's hard to believe Zunino could be any worse than the .202/.276/.322 batting line produced by Seattle catchers thus far, but Dave Cameron of Fangraphs and the U.S.S. Mariner questions the motives behind the move, opining that Zunino hasn't earned his call-up (Twitter links).
The Mariners have waited long enough with the promotion to delay Zunino's free agency by a full season, but he could still be eligible for Super Two status, given the projected service time cutoff of two year, 119 days. If he stays in the Major Leagues for the remainder of the season, Zunino will earn 112 days of service time. With this promotion, he joins Kevin Gausman and Michael Wacha as the only first-round selections from the 2012 draft to have reached the Majors.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants Seek Pitching; Interested In Nolasco, Norris
The Giants are already looking hard at the trade market in search of a starter, officials who speak regularly with club decision-makers tell Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com. This is a somewhat unusual development for San Francisco, as they haven't made a major trade for a starter since acquiring Sidney Ponson 10 years ago.
Two specific names that the Giants have checked into, writes Knobler, are Ricky Nolasco and Bud Norris. Neither inquiry has resulted in serious negotiations to this point. The Giants aren't likely to limit their search to those two names, either:
"Anybody that's trading pitching, they're on," one of the officials said. "They want somebody quality."
The Giants opened the season with a rotation consisting of Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito. Vogelsong struggled all season and is on the DL with a fractured hand. Lincecum hasn't rediscovered his Cy Young form, and improbably, Cain has been the worst of the healthy group. Zito, as Knobler notes, has a pristine 1.94 ERA at home but the worst road ERA of any pitcher with at least four starts — 10.19.
Higher profile names on the trade market would include Josh Johnson and Matt Garza, though Knobler notes that Giants general manager Brian Sabean has typically steered clear of players with health issues.
A’s Sign First-Rounder Billy McKinney
The Athletics have signed first-round pick Billy McKinney for a bonus of $1.8MM, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). Oakland signed the high school outfielder nearly $100K under slot, as Baseball America previously reported that the assigned value of the No. 24 selection is $1,893,500.
McKinney, who is being advised by the BBI Sports Group, ranked 27th on BA's Top 500 draft prospects, 34th on Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Top 100 and 28th on Keith Law of ESPN's Top 100 (Insider required). All three outlets praise his smooth swing, with BA calling it "one of the sweetest swings in the draft." Mayo feels that McKinney may be the best high school bat in the draft. He projects to hit for both average and power, but his below-average speed and arm will limit him to corner outfield duties.
McKinney is the third member of this year's first-round class to sign. He marks the second straight high school bat taken by the A's, as Oakland selected high school shortstop Addison Russell in the first round of the 2012 draft.
How Much Could Roy Oswalt Earn?
The Rockies opened the season as surprise contenders, and they remain just two games out of first place in the NL West. That's thanks largely to an offense that has hit a combined .273/.334/.449 and scored the third most runs (317) in MLB this season, however.
Colorado's rotation pitched to a reasonable 4.24 ERA in the season's first month, but they've posted a 4.75 mark over the past 30 days and a 5.35 mark in the past two weeks. The team recently released Jon Garland and has very little to show for its investment in Jeff Francis. Jhoulys Chacin has spent time on the disabled list already this season, and it's fair to wonder how many innings Jorge De La Rosa will be able to throw after totaling just 31 in 2012.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post writes that help could be on the way, as Roy Oswalt is pitching well at Double-A Tulsa and could make a return to the Major Leagues as soon as next week. Oswalt is scheduled for what could be his final minor league start on Friday.
The 35-year-old right-hander, who signed a minor league deal with the Rockies in May, has a 2.88 ERA with 18 strikeouts and six walks in 25 innings for the Drillers thus far. Renck notes that he threw 95 pitches (62 strikes) in his most recent outing. His fastball sat at 92 mph and his topped out at 95.
Oswalt's contract contains an out clause that can be triggered on June 18. If he's not added to the Major League roster within three days of exercising that clause, he must be granted his release. Because he's currently slated to pitch on June 14, a June 19 promotion seems like a logical target. So how much could he earn, if that's when he's promoted?
Oswalt is set to earn the pro-rated version of a $2.3MM base salary when on the big league roster. If called up on June 19, that would mean the veteran would earn roughly $1.3MM for the remainder of the season (assuming he stays on the roster). On top of that, Oswalt is slated to receive a $400K roster bonus, and he has incentives for number of starts and innings pitched. Those incentives max out at 18 starts and 110 innings pitched, and they can earn Oswalt an additional $1.35MM and $1.25MM, respectively.
It's possible for Oswalt to reach both of those caps, though he would likely need to make all of his starts and average just over six innings per turn to do so. For comparison, Justin Verlander made 19 starts from June 19 through season's end last year, and he totaled 136 2/3 innings in that time. All told, if Oswalt is promoted next week, sticks in the rotation and pitches well, he could earn roughly $4.3MM from the Rockies in 2013.
Blue Jays Designate Andy LaRoche For Assignment
The Blue Jays have designated Andy LaRoche for assignment to clear a roster space for Chien-Ming Wang, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter).
LaRoche, 29, appeared in just one game for the Jays this season and went 0-for-4. The infielder is a former top prospect who ranked on Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list each year from 2005-08, placing as high as No. 19. However, in parts of six Major League seasons (1,336 plate appearances), he's hit just .226/.304/.336 with 22 home runs. LaRoche, who has spent time with the Dodgers, Pirates, A's and Blue Jays, was originally a 39th-round selection by the Dodgers in the 2003 draft. He is the younger brother of Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche.
Rockies, Gray Expected To Complete Deal Today
Jonathan Gray, the No. 3 overall pick in this year's draft, is in Denver and expected to complete a deal with the Rockies today, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter links). The assigned pick value of the No. 3 overall slot is $5,626,400, according to Baseball America.
Gray, a right-hander out of Oklahoma University, is advised by BBI Sports Group. The 6'4", 245-pounder was the top-ranked talent in the draft according to Baseball America, second according to MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo and third according to ESPN's Keith Law. Nearly every mock draft from experts around the Internet had Gray coming off the board with one of the first two picks.
Gray spent the season as the Sooners' Friday starter, flashing a fastball that hit triple digits and showing the ability to maintain that velocity deep into his outings. His slider is considered by BA, Mayo and Law to be a plus pitch as well.