Two of the best three prospects to graduate to the Majors this year are Dodgers products, Kyle Glaser of Baseball America writes. Shortstop Corey Seager and lefty Julio Urias rank Nos. 1 and 3 on BA’s list of the top ten graduated players, with only Trea Turner of the Nationals between them. Seager, of course, will almost certainly be the NL Rookie of the Year and is an NL MVP candidate after batting .308/.365/.512 while playing outstanding defense this season. Urias pitched just 77 innings for the Dodgers this season, but he only recently turned 20, and Glaser notes that his next step toward becoming a frontline starting pitcher is to build up his workload. Here are more quick notes on prospects.
- The Mets’ signing of Tim Tebow to a minor league deal with a $100K bonus has received criticism lately, and it appears those criticisms could get louder, to judge from recent comments from a scout to NJ.com’s Randy Miller. “He’s pretty much a rookie ballplayer who’s 29. And I’m being nice,” said the scout, who watched Tebow in the Arizona Fall League. “He’s got a long ways to go. These guys are obviously way better than him.” The scout also criticized most elements of Tebow’s game, noting that Tebow struggled to hit fastballs and that Tebow might have to lose weight in order to play better defense. Tebow is currently hitting 0-for-9 with two walks in the AFL.
- Former Rangers prospect and 2010 15th overall draft pick Jake Skole is on the opposite direction on Tebow’s path, heading from the diamond to the University of Georgia football program, according to Rusty Mansell of 247sports.com. Skole, who was born and raised in Georgia, will play a defensive position, although it’s unclear which one. As SportsDay’s Evan Grant notes, the Rangers released Skole in 2015, and he played in the Yankees organization this season. In parts of seven seasons in the minors, the former outfielder batted .227/.325/.330, topping out at Double-A and also receiving a 50-game PED suspension.
Dodgers have a nice core coming with Seager, Pederson, Urias, and Deleon coming. The Cubs have the best core, and the Red Sox are not far behind. The Yankees have a good core on the way also. Nats core is great, with Turner, Harper, Taylor, and Ross. They have some issues in the playoffs that I can’t put my finger on. Maybe they are just losing, with the playoffs being outlier. Losing Strasburg really hurt them down the stretch.
The scary part is all of those teams are large market teams that can go out and spend money to complement their young stars.
Taylor? Michael Taylor?? He’s a 4th OF at best. I wouldn’t consider him part of their future core over guys like Giolito or Rendon
No way the Yankees or Nats should be mentioned in the same list as the Cubs, Red Sox or Dodgers with regard to young core groups.
He said good core on the way for the Yankees. Now right now, on the way. Which is very possible.
It is scary how good of a core the Red Sox have in Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, Benintendi, Moncada, Swihart, Rodriguez, Shaw, and Kopech. In overall depth it probably challenges the Cubs.
Red Sox have tons of position talent, but no pitching.
probably no coincidence that that describes the Cubs perfectly as well….
Which is why the Red Sox finished fourth in the AL in ERA. Thanks for your opinion. Next time, make an observation with some basis in actual facts, please.
Is that why the Cubs lead the league for a starting 5? Yeah, your comment makes tons of sense….
Except the conversation is about young talent, not overall talent. The Cubs have tremendous depth at the positional level, but pitching-wise, there’s not a ton of young talent poised to be the core of the team.
All those players are from the old regime, same thing happened in TB, then the guy left. It’s like getting adopted by a family that won the lotto
I wish Pederson would start studying opposing pitchers more. It was said in an article a few months back that he doesn’t do that. He has so much power in his swing too.
Tebow playing horribly shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Funny the venom towards Tebow yet may people loved the fact that Micael Jordan tried playing professional baseball at the young age of 31.
I think it’s because Jordan did it for his late father, whereas Tebow did it because the NFL wasn’t really an option anymore.
You seriously going to try and tell me that the (arguably) best athlete of all time and a failed QB are on the same tier of athleticism?
Tebow’s not an athlete, he’s a cartoon character. To think the Mets wasted an important space on one of these teams is so typically Mets it hurts to try and think of reasons why they’d even bring this up, let alone go through with it.
If Tebow wanted baseball’s respect, he’d have gone to Indy ball and proven himself before any of this nonsense ever got this far. He was a sign for promotional reasons only.
Jordan played double A and, while he wasn’t good, he wasn’t horrible. Tebow is playing against 18 year olds and he is horrible. Big difference.
No one knew how Jordan would do befor he started. Not comparing the athletes in skill. Comparing middle aged athletes that neither had played baseball in years and decide to give it a go. Really, the difference is many more liked Jordan then the liked Tebow in their former sport before they played baseball. Nobody beat up Jordan when he struggled but people had bashed Tebow before he was even signed. Most who bashed him hated him before and will hate him no matter what. He could progress over the next couple pf seasons and turn out to be a great player and people would still hate him. To me, it makes no difference to me that the Mets took a flyer on him. Many minor leaguers come and go every season so he is not stealing a spot from any other player. No real reason to get all bent out of shape over him
Jordan had actually been noteworthy as a player
the venom directed at Tebow is because he’s getting special treatment he hasn’t earned and doesn’t deserve
And the fact that he gets $100K from owners who won’t pay the people he’s playing with even the equivalent of minimum wage to be better at their jobs then he is, simply because he’s better PR, is a story that probably needs to be discussed more than it is
So none of the other guys playing in the AFL got $100k bonuses? Give me a break. It makes no matter to me who the owners of the team I am a fan of decide to sign as long as a good percentage pan out. Many are signed for big money without “earning” it. How many16-18 year old Latin players get signed to bonuses every year for well over $100k and never get out of the rookies leagues. You are working too hard to make up reasons to be mad. As clean says, who cares??
they got their bonuses for being good at baseball in college… not skipping college baseball entirely to go embarrass themselves in the NFL for 5 years. They also didn’t get 100K to make baseball their part time job while being a TV analyst on the weekends..
And all the other players getting that money are doing it with the expectation that they’ll actually one day help put a quality product on the field… after putting i years of hard work to refine their craft and actually become productive baseball players
they’re not getting it to just show up, draw a few extra fans to a minor league stadium, stink like week old fish… then catch a plane back to the SEC Network studios… again, all while the owners enabling this sideshow are lobbying congress to pass laws allowing them to treat the players actually working hard like slave labor.
Tebow as a baseball player IS a joke. one that’s not funny, because his legion of humorless zombie-like fans take every little criticism leveled at him as motivated by something other than the fact that he has never been good at pro sports.
Many kids get millions in bonuses playing in high school and never play in college. Many never pan out after getting the big money. Happens all the time in baseball. Tebow signing doesn’t affect the career of any othe player trying to make it in pro ball. If the Mets don’t care neither should you. Getting upset about it won’t make the Mets release him.
those same kids don’t quit baseball for 10 years, then get it just because they’re a famous name. THEY also go to rookie ball, not the AFL, because THEY have to prove they don’t stink before the zombie horde takes to the internet to defend them….
I care because 1) i like good baseball and 2) i like to see the players who earned their roster spots get treated like human beings
I will vent my displeasure about the Mets idiocy whenever and wherever i like, out of hopes that maybe, just maybe, other teams don’t cheapen the game i enjoy this badly in the future.
Complain all you want. MLB teams will still be signing 16-17 year old kids to hundreds of thousands in bonuses every year and several will ever even reach it to rookie league that is based in the US. All the yelling in the world will not alter how teams operate. Just checked an Tebow has not been released nor has he been sent home from his AFL assignment. Your rants are not helping or working. Probably not even making you feel better either.
It’s baffling that people care so much about the financial endeavors of these teams. If they want to spend $100K on a failed QB, why does that matter so much to you? It’s not your money.
The anger does boggle the mind.
as stated before, because they do it while pleading poverty when the other minor leaguers who actually need the money want a living wage. They claim they can’t, it’ll bankrupt them… but hey, let’s give the baseball equivalent of a dancing bear 100K instead, THAT we can afford.!
Admit that you don’t like that he preaches Jesus. Just admit it. It’s his religion you have an issue with. Stop the fake outrage.
People hate Tebow because he openly prays and talks Jesus. You can’t talk Jesus out loud because the mafia certain religion nuts that hate Jesus come by and try to marginalize anyone dare promoting Jesus.
“because they do it while pleading poverty when the other minor leaguers who actually need the money”
How many of those players signed equal or larger signing bonuses? I would guess a decent portion of the AFL guys signed large signing bonuses out of the draft or as amateur FA signings.
Oohhhhh. The writers are critical of the Tebow signing. Who cares?
My point exactly. The Mets signed him so no one should care except for maybe a Mets fan that worries way too much about low level minor league players or a former Mets player, like yourself Cleon.
Writers can criticize him as a player, they can criticize the Mets for giving him an AFL spot, or the money they gave him. They can even call it a PR stunt, I don’t care.
But when guys like Keith Law publish articles (that are behind a pay-wall, mind you) stating that he doesn’t deserve to be in professional baseball reveals the utter vitriol that is not only unnecessary, it’s unprofessional.
what has Tebow done to deserve to be IN pro baseball? failing as a QB doesn’t entitle him to a roster spot. Much less in something like the AFL, which is a prime showcase league for actual minor leaguers looking to break through
What has Law, or anyone else for that matter, said about the man that isn’t true? He’s a cheap PR stunt that leaves a bad taste in the mouth of a lot of baseball fans.
You opinion and you are entitled to it. As I said above, ranting and raving about Tebow will not make the Mets release him. Sports writers ranting and raving about it will not make the Mets release him. By the way, do you really think every player in the AFL are stars in the making? Several this year will never make it to the Bigs. Several more will make it for a cup of coffee. Being named to an AFL roster never has guaranteed anything.
It’s a minor leaguer’s best chance at getting noticed because the games are swarming with scouts from all teams. You do well there, you can become prime trade bait even if you have no place on your own organization.
and some other Mets players isn’t getting his chance just so this joke can go 0-fer-the-season and grab a few non-baseball related headlines.
This whole sad story is just more proof that the Wilpons should be forced to sell the Mets for the good of the league’s future…
I’m not answering questions about what makes someone “deserving” to play baseball, because I’m not baseball’s gatekeeper. It’s not my role or job to determine what makes someone deserving to play, and I don’t think it’s the role of any journalist.
If the Mets want to play him, let him play. It’s actually kind of comical that people are so upset at him playing.
Yo, petrie, hate to tell you all of these guys have been noticed already. This is not the old days when clubs could try to hide players. This here intersweb thingy has game feeds for every team to see every player. scouts are at every game. They all talk too. Every team knows about every player.
you should stop trying to be snarky about things you clearly have no understanding of. it doesn’t make you look good in a purely text-based format
and since when isn’t it a journalists role to call out bad ownership in the sport he covers? they’re not just there to write the score and tell you whatever the ownership wants you to hear.
If you don’t like this arrangement, avoid places that attempt to be serious sports news and stick to the amateur blogs. They won’t distract you with deeper thoughts about the sport and attempt to make you a smarter fan.
Nice job moving the goal posts, petriedish. (Or is it only you who can be condescending?)
I never said it wasn’t role of a journalist to call out bad ownership. At all. I said it wasn’t their role to decide who is and is not worthy of playing baseball. Criticize ownership all you want, but when you get into the ultra-arbitrary realm of deciding who is and isn’t worthy of playing, you get yourself in a dicey situation.
What does or does not make a person “deserving” to play? I’m not talking about playing in the AFL, but just simply playing professional baseball?
The outrage over this is beyond comical, actually. It’s to the point where I actually feel bad for the human beings who care so deeply that someone is playing a game. It’s his decision and the Mets. I really don’t understand why you are so outraged by this.
The hand-eye skill set in basketball would make it a little easier to try their luck at baseball than a football player. I have always thought the AFL was overrated because positions are “drafted” and not earned. If a professional player really wants to see what he is made of, play winter ball. Winter ball is like the real world, if you don’t produce, you go home. Too much coddling is done out in the AFL. A player may get better physically, but that type of baseball does little to toughen up a player for the rigors of the big leagues. It is more of a showcase league in my opinion.
Bet there are more scouts watching winter league games than AFL games too. You are probably right about the hand eye thing with Basketball.
you’d be wrong.
all the top scouts are at the AFL because that’s where they can see the most impact prospects facing other impact prospects.
foreign Winter Leagues are mostly failed major leaguers and teenagers, guys years away from being relevant. and domestic winter ball activities are team-only events not opened to rival scouts.
Seaver is NOT an outstanding defensive shortstop. He has limited range and has just under 20 errors. And anyone who knows Dodger Stadium, it’s very hard for a Dodger to be assessed an error.
Seager, not Seaver.