More Prospects

I'll let Jim Callis explain what Baseball America is doing before getting into any potential Rattler alumni or Brewers on The 32nd Team. I'll even leave in their link.

In 2003, we began a tradition of compiling all of the extra scouting reports that were written for the Prospect Handbook but didn't quite make it into the book. Sometimes trade acquisitions squeeze other prospects out of a Top 30, and sometimes we just change our minds. We called the group of extra players The 31st Team. Last year, as a premium for people who buy the Handbook directly from us, we included a supplement with a bonus prospect for each team. So that now functions as The 31st Team. But we still have leftover scouting reports, hence the creation of . . . The 32nd Team.

The inaugural edition of The 32nd team featured 17 players, several of whom graduated to the 2010 Prospect Handbook. The most notable was Mariners third baseman Alex Liddi, who led the minor leagues with a .345 batting average last season. This year's 32nd Team consists of 25 players. That brings the final count of Handbook-related scouting reports to 958: 30 for each team, 30 more in the bonus supplement, two Cuban defectors in the Appendix and this, The 32nd Team.

Now, for the ex-Rattlers on their list:

Nathan Adcock, rhp, Pirates
Born: Feb. 25, 1988. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 190. Drafted: HS—Radcliff, Ky., 2006 (5th round). Signed by: Brian Williams (Mariners).
Adcock joined the Pirates in a seven-player deal last July, as Pittsburgh sent Jack Wilson and Ian Snell to the Mariners and received Adcock, Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno and minor league righthanders Brett Lorin and Aaron Pribanic. The trade liberated Adcock from the hitter-friendly high Class A California League, but he didn't pitch any better after making a move to the Carolina League. The Pirates put Adcock on a strict pitch count after the trade because he occasionally had been bothered by elbow tenderness in 2008 and 2009. He can dial his fastball up to 94 mph, though it normally sits at 88-92. He has smooth mechanics and could throw harder if he adds strength. He also has a hard curveball and changeup that both need refinement. To find success against more advanced hitters, he'll have to throw more strikes and locate his pitches better in the zone. Adcock needs to make a lot of strides if he's going to cut it as a starter, and he may project better as a reliever. He likely will begin 2010 in Double-A.

Efrain Nieves, lhp, Brewers
Born: Nov. 15, 1989. B-T: L-L. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 175. Drafted: HS—Gurabo, P.R., 2007 (7th round). Signed by: Manolo Hernandez/Charlie Sullivan.
Nieves had his ups and downs when he got his first taste of full-season ball in 2009. He appeared a bit fatigued early in the season, perhaps from pitching in winter ball. He lost the feel for his curveball and changeup, making him a one-pitch pitcher in many outings. That proved to be a problem because he can't overpower hitters with a fastball that sits at 88-91 mph. Nieves must rely on command and mixing his pitches. His changeup may be his most reliable pitch, and he also throws a curveball and a slider. He pitched well for Puerto Rico at the World Cup in September, showing good poise for a teenager. Nieves must continue to work on hitting his spots to prove he can be a starter at the top level. Otherwise, he might have to settle for being a lefthanded specialist out of the bullpen. He'll spend 2010 at high Class A Brevard County.

Adcock played with the Rattlers in '07 and '08. Nieves was a Rattler last season.

A couple of pitchers

Nathan Adcock ('07, '08) gets a write up in his hometown newspaper.

Nathan Adcock endured something he never had to go through since he picked up a baseball at a young age.

Last season was a trying time for Adcock. While pitching for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the Seattle Mariners’ Class-A farm team, he felt a sharp pain in his right elbow after throwing an 0-2 curveball on June 25. His arm began to tingle all the way up his long right arm. Adcock threw one more pitch and called for the trainer.

Adcock’s season, which was off to a solid start, was over in the blink of an eye. The Seattle Mariners elected to shut down the former fifth-round pick after he was diagnosed with an elbow strain.

“It was hard,” said Adcock, a former North Hardin standout and Kentucky’s Mr. Baseball in 2006. “I was depressed. I’ve never had any arm trouble. I want to compete and I’ve always wanted to pitch when it’s my turn. It was real frustrating. I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never had anything like that happen.”

Although he had a 2-5 record at the time of the injury, Adcock posted a 3.72 earned run average in 77 1/3 innings. He had lowered his hits allowed and walks, while his strikeouts rose from his previous season with the Timber Rattlers.

Any goals for the 2008 Opening Day starter?

“Stay healthy,” Adcock said. “I feel fresh now. I feel good. Just being back in baseball and being able to pitch again is going to be fun.”

He is hoping to start the season with High Desert and finish it with West Tennessee.

Phillippe Aumont gets a write up in the New York Times.

Four years ago, the future of Canadian pitching spoke only French. Phillippe Aumont, a 20-year-old bold enough to retire three major league stars with the bases loaded, was too shy to talk with his teammates on a junior national team.

“I couldn’t speak a word,” Aumont said Monday at Rogers Centre before Canada played Italy in the World Baseball Classic. “I couldn’t talk with anybody. We had five other guys from Quebec, and I was always hanging out with them because I couldn’t communicate with the other guys.”

His silence did not last long. Aumont was a quick study in English, just as he has been in baseball. An All-Star last season with the Class A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Seattle Mariners’ system, Aumont has introduced himself on the world stage.

Although he speaks English fluently now, French steered him out of the worst kind of jam against the United States on Saturday. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the seventh inning, Aumont prepared to face David Wright, Kevin Youkilis and Curtis Granderson.

Le français ? Que signifiez-vous ?

The catcher, Russell Martin, and the pitching coach, Denis Boucher, both of whom were also raised in Quebec, met him at the mound. Boucher knew what he wanted to say — relax and have fun — but he did not decide how until he opened his mouth.

“I looked at him,” Boucher said, “and it just came out in French.”

And it worked. Read the rest of that piece for some pretty big comparisons for a pitcher with some pretty big talent.