1/14/2007

Checking in on Prospect Insider

Jason Churchill has a few things of note that are from more than a week ago, but they are new to me:

First
MiLB Notes: High Desert, Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s roster candidates are very similiar to those above with High Desert, with the exception of [Tony] Butler and Chris Tillman.

Righthander Michael Schilling is also likely to land with the T-Rats, as is Jose Suriel and possibly a few of the arms from the Peoria roster, such as Nate Adcock, Terrence Parker and Doug Salinas.

Offensively things could be pretty damned dynamite. This is where Halman, Avila and Peguero should begin their 2007 seasons, but we have learned how smart the Mariners front office is when concerning the development of their prospects, specifically the bats.

Alex Liddi COULD see some time here, too, if for no other reason than to get his bat going early rather than a long, extended spring training before the short seasons begin.

Catcher Jair Fernandez could end up at either Class A stop.

There has been some talk about how quickly the Mariners want to get their international gems, infielder Carlos Truinfel and outfielder Mario Martinez, into the states to gain experience and begin their trek to Mariner stardom as soon as possible, but at 16 and 17 years of age, I can’t see them starting the year anywhere but Peoria.

Truinfel hasn’t been seen by a whole lot of people but from all I can gather, his physical tools are matched by his desire and acumen for learning how to take instruction and put it into play in game. Yes, at 16, he’s already being taught how to use film to help his swing.

Martinez is a very athletic talent who could end up playing anywhere but shortstop or catcher, depending on how his bat plays out.


and in a separate post

Minor League Notes: Tacoma, West Tenn

Jason also has started his top 50 prospects in the Seattle system list. He begins today counting down prospects from 50 to 41. Here is something to remember about this. Jason does not slot the prospects from 50 to 21. The ranking begins at number 20. Here are the names Jason has from 50-41 with some of his notes.

Jason Snyder, RHP - Snyder just needs to stay healthy to give himself a chance. His ceiling is probably as a back-end, spot starter or middle reliever, but a sound right arm has more juice in it than that.

Welington Dotel, OF - Not a ton to say about Dotel except that he’s a bit fo a free swinger - surprise - and that he won’t don a uniform until June at the earliest after serving out his suspension for testing positive for a banned substance. Dotel, 21, will have to massively cut into his strikeout rates to remain any sort of a prospect, but his power (7 HR, 23 XBH, .469 SLG @ PEORIA) is intriguing and he can hold down a corner outfield spot.

Israel Nunez, C - Sometimes referred to as Francisco, Israel Nunez is a late-blooming backstop who put up plus offensive numbers in the VSL last summer. The 6-1, 205-pound Mexican-born catcher bats from the right side and hit .324/.420/.414 with 13 walks and just 10 strikeouts in 38 games.

That’s the good news. The bad news is, he was 20 all season and turned 21 in September. His time is running out and it’s unclear whether he’ll hit the states this upcoming summer or not.

Eddy Fernandez, LHP - Another Latin talent putting up good numbers but also running out of time… Fernandez is very intriguing and it’s a bit of a surprise that he didn’t taste the US last season.

At 20, the Dominican native went 8-2 with a 1.06 ERA including three complete games and a shutout. He logged 68 innings, giving up just 46 hits (.193 BAA) fanning 73 and walking just 10.

Miguel Marquez, RHP - Perhaps the first actual prospect in the group, Marquez features a four-seamer in the 88-91 range and split-finger that he’s been known to fall in love with and is still learning to command.

The 19-year-old Venezuelan made 12 starts in the VSL last summer, tallying 56 2/3 innings and allowing 49 hits (no home runs). He struck out 53 but issued 29 walks.

Kallian Sams, OF - There’s not much available on Sams, except the M’s claim that he has the “athletic abilities you want in an outfielder, even if they are surrounded by raw baseball skills.”

Sams, 20 and from the Netherlands, is expected to bring his all-around game to Peoria this summer. I was told that he won’t get past the Cal League, so he’s truly one of those wait-and-see athletes who may or may not ever translate their big-time physical tools into baseball success.

Anthony Phillips, 2B - Phillips, 16, along with Sams, was just signed this past July and may also see time in Peoria, probably at second base.

He’s listed at 5-9, which means he’s probably 5-7 3/4, so we’ll see how that turns out.

He’s said to have quite the swing and plays the game the way former (that hurts to say) M’s prospect Chris Snelling did. That is never a bad thing.

Gregorio Rosario, RHP - Rosario is the most projectable pitcher in this group at 6-4, 185 and just 18 years of age. He made 13 starts in the DSL a year ago and piled up 68 1/3 innings allowing 67 hits (2 HR), striking out 62 and issuing 25 walks.

Rosario’s fastball already sits in the 86-88 range with “acceptable” movement. As he matures physically, his velocity could reach into the low-to-mid 90s, setting up his breaking ball, which is an overhand curve.

Chia-an Huang, RHP - This one is mystery. Tons of ability, built like a tank, hitting 90-93 as a teenager, but he’s yet to make an impact any level due to off field issues.

Huang can pitch, but it seems he can’t get on the field, or in the country, to use his fastball-slider-forkball combo on bats in the states.

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