PCL Best Defensive SS: Jonathan Villar PCL Best Infield Arm: Jonathan Villar PCL Best Outfiled Arm: Che-Hsuan Lin PCL Most Exciting Player: George Springer TXL Best Batting Prospect: George Springer TXL Best Power Prospect: George Springer TXL Best Pitching Prospect: Mike Foltynewicz TXL Best Fastball: Mike Foltynewicz TXL Best Breaking Pitch: Mike Foltynewicz TXL Best Control: David Martinez TXL Best Defensive Catcher: Rene Garcia TXL Best Defensive 3B: Jonathan Meyer TXL Best Infield Arm: Jonathan Meyer TXL Best Defensive OF: George Springer TXL Most Exciting Player: George Springer CAL Best Strikezone Judgement: Nolan Fontana MWL Best Breaking Pitch: Lance McCullers MWL Best Defensive SS: Carlos Correa MWL Best IF Arm: Carlos Correa Edit: Linkage: http://ht.ly/nGGGU
Didn't even notice it was from the league managers. Makes it more interesting to me. No Astros made the ML Best Tools if anyone was curious. I do think Villar could challenge for baserunning, speed, and bunting.
Yes. Some players will have to be jettisoned from the 40 man roster to make space. Some will be waived. Some under club control can be DFAed back to AAA but then exposed to the Rule 5 draft.
The most interesting part of the Best Tools BA list is that our CAL affiliate is dominating that league with so few members on that list.
One would hope that Carlos Corporan would be sacrificed before letting Perez, Garcia, or Stassi exposed to the Rule 5 draft. I expect one of those three to be C2 next year and at least one other traded. That would leave three catchers on the 40 man roster. Of the advanced pitchers you mentioned, only one is a prospect, Wojo, who is a 40 man lock. The rest may be MLB bullpen candidates. I am guessing that Stoffel, Chapman, Buchanan, and Martinez are projecting to be league average bullpen pitchers, a current 25 man roster need. I think the only way Luhnow will keep them on the 40 man roster is if he commits to giving them a spot in the bullpen for next season. Domingo Santana is an Astros top 10 prospect who is still at least a year away and will likely be protected. The Astros are going to lose some players on this upcoming offseason, either through a pre-emptive trade or the Rule 5 draft.
So, I think George Springer is a kind of exciting player. I like the fact that Folty and McCullers, two guys with pretty elite fastballs, were voted as the guys with the best breaking balls in their league.
Jeffrey Johnson covers the Cedar Rapids Kernels. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Mark Appel's velocity between 95 and 98 MPH in 1st inning. I'm sold. 9 pitches, 1 strikeout. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CRGKernels&src=hash">#CRGKernels</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23twins&src=hash">#twins</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23astros&src=hash">#astros</a></p>— Jeffrey Johnson (@jeje66) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeje66/statuses/364896455196024834">August 6, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Got to 99. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Travis Harrison just check swung at a 99-mile-per-hour Appel fastball. 3 up, 3 down again for Kernels. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CRGKernels&src=hash">#CRGKernels</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23twins&src=hash">#twins</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23mlb&src=hash">#mlb</a></p>— Jeffrey Johnson (@jeje66) <a href="https://twitter.com/jeje66/statuses/364899039143137280">August 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Mark Appel has a no-hitter through 4. Brian Holberton broke up a no-hitter with a solo homer (3) for Greeneville in the 6th. It's tied at 1.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Final line for <a href="https://twitter.com/QCRiverBandits">@QCRiverBandits</a> Mark Appel: 5 IP (season and career high), 2 H, 2 R (0 ER), BB, 2 Ks.</p>— Cedar Rapids Kernels (@CRKernels) <a href="https://twitter.com/CRKernels/statuses/364911797511262208">August 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The heat map is brought to you by MLB Farm. Jordan Sams is a contributor for The Crawfish Boxes. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Check out Carlos Correa's heat map. Goes opposite field a lot. <a href="http://t.co/wJ7mp3bjkm">pic.twitter.com/wJ7mp3bjkm</a></p>— Jordan Sams (@astrosjordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/astrosjordan/statuses/364924096485683200">August 7, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Patrick Christensen followed up with some good work in his Quad Cities debut. 3 innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 5 Ks. Par for the course for him -- in Tri-Cities, he went 14 innings, with 16 Ks and.... 0 walks. 27th rounder this year, but a guy who can go double digit innings with better than 1 K an inning and not walk anyone is interesting.
