Casey Kotchman suffers odd injury

Spring training is an extremely dangerous time for MLB players. Just when you think you may have heard it all when it comes to bizarre injuries, something new comes along. Miami Marlins first baseman Casey Kotchman provided yet another example of that earlier this week. Being the courteous veteran that he is, Kotchman grabbed a pop-up machine at Marlins practice to keep it from breaking when it was about to fall over. According to The Palm Beach Post, he sliced the ring and middle fingers on his right hand in the process, leading to four stitches. “(I was) trying to be a gentleman to the machine and try not to throw it down on the ground,” Kotchman explained. “It sounds like my teammates would have been happy if the drill was over and the machine got broke. “The wheel was kind of cutting my finger. I guess instead of hitting it over I held onto it and kind of picked it up and it just kept slicing. I didn’t even realize it was bleeding at first. When I walked back to first base, ok it is bleeding.” Kotchman is referring to teammate Greg Dobbs, who needled him about grabbing the machine. “Why did you grab it?” Dobbs jokingly asked. “What was going through your brain? Dude, if the machine falls and breaks the drill is over.” I’m guessing professional baseball teams have more than one pitching machine in case something breaks, we are talking about the Miami Marlins so you never know. Kotchman said the injury is probably the most bizarre he has suffered during his nine-year career. “That’s got to be one of (them),” he said. “It’s probably not every day that you get your hand caught in the pitching machine on a pop fly.” In an offseason where we have already seen injuries like this, this, and this, nothing is all that strange to us anymore.

Luke Scott brought a boar's head to Spring Training

Written by Joe Lucia on Tuesday, 19 February 2013 09:40.

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Tampa Bay Rays DH Luke Scott is a bizarre man. When Scott showed up at Rays Spring Training on Monday, he showed up with the head of a boar in tow. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times shared the picture to the right, and Gary Shelton of the Times has the full story on the head.

Scott bounced through the clubhouse carrying a large boar's head — the first one he killed with a spear, he would later explain. The eyes stared ahead blankly, and the tusks curled around the snout. Scott thought it would be a wonderful attachment to the side of his locker.

Soon, he would tell the story, again, about the clacking sound the boar made just before it threatened to charge. To emphasize, Scott thrust his lower jaw forward and clacked himself.

Different guy, Luke Scott.

Yeah...different is a good word for Scott, who has gone on birther rants, called Fenway Park a dump, and slumped so badly last season, that it drove him to tears. Taking all of that into consideration, is it really any surprise that Scott hunts boars with spears, let alone that he would bring the head of one of them into the clubhouse?

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Luke Scott brings stuffed boar’s head to Rays camp for show and tell

Of course he did.

About a year ago, slugger Luke Scott of the Tampa Bay Rays mentioned to Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune that he had gone hunting in Charlotte County, Fla., and had tracked and killed a wild boar with a spear. Now, almost any other player in Major League Baseball making such a claim would be met with a healthy amount of skepticism. Maybe not Roy Halladay. He would kill a wild boar with a spear and make everyone ham sandwiches. And so would Scott, who brings with him a certain ... authenticity ... when it comes to the great outdoors.

And yet, where has the proof been? Evidence could be shown in the form of photos. Scott will show you deer he's hunted. Just ask him for a viewing. Well, evidence of Luke Scott vs. The Wild Boar is starting to trickle in, again via the Tampa Times:

Luke Scott promised to bring something interesting this morning for “show and tell” and he did – a stuffed boar’s head.

“My first confirmed kill with a spear,” he said before heading out for today’s workout.

This is why Joe Maddon is the best manager in baseball. Because he (presumably it's him) sets up team exercises such as "show and tell." It's doubtful that any other player on the Rays could top a stuffed boar's head that the player himself killed with a spear.

Getting pictures of stuff inside the clubhouse can be tricky, and I haven't seen any shots of the boar's head from Mooney or others on the Rays beat, though Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times also tweeted that Scott brought the taxidermy to Rays camp. Two sources is good enough. In the meantime, enjoy our photo illustration of what The Stew imagines Luke Scott spearing a boar's head looks like.

Scott has had, for him, two subpar seasons in a row with another kind of weapon — the baseball bat. If he can return to 2006-2010 hitting form, the Rays will appreciate it even more than they did hearing about the boar.

Chicago Cubs players played prank on skipper Dale Sveum during first speech to players

The Chicago Cubs pulled a prank on manager Dale Sveum on Sunday. But to understand it, you must know that Sveum was accidentally shot in his right ear by Hall of Famer Robin Yount during a quail hunt in December.

Cubs players capitalized on Sveum's misfortune by conspiring in a team-wide prank at the team's spring training complex in Mesa, Ariz.

It was there, during Sveum's first full squad meeting with the team, that players began shedding their warm-up jackets in perfect unison.

“Halfway into the meeting they all took their jackets off and they all had bright orange hunting gear on, and hats,” Sveum said. “Of course they gave me one with a target.”

The mastermind behind the plot has yet to step forward, but Sveum swears that he will unleash some wrath of fury once he figures out who it was.

“I haven’t gotten to the bottom of it yet. But God help them when I find out.”

Of course, the second-year coach said that jokingly. He added that he thought the practical joke helped to break the ice on the first day of practice as a full team.

“It was a good one, just to kind of loosen people up,” he said. “I know the first day is usually a little nerve-wracking, especially with (all the media around). Whoever did that, it was a good one.”

David Wright has a strong message for fellow players about steroids: ‘If you cheat, I hope you get caught’

New York Daily News | Feb 20

On the morning that Mets minor leaguer Cesar Puello refused to field questions about an alleged link to a Miami clinic accused of providing him and many others with performance-enhancing drugs, a far more prominent player had strong words for drug cheats - but said he was sticking with his embattled agents.

"If you cheat, I hope you get caught," David Wright told the Daily News. "I don't care if you're with the same agency I'm with or not. If you're a cheater, I hope you get caught, and I hope you get punished."

Wright is represented by Seth and Sam Levinson, who found themselves in the middle of a scandal last summer when their client Melky Cabrera drew a 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. As the Daily News first reported, Cabrera and former Levinson associate Juan Carlos Nunez devised a fictitious website in an attempted cover-up.

The Levinsons denied any knowledge of those activities. At the time, Wright needed to hear that himself, so he asked his longtime agents for an explanation. Satisfied that the Levinsons were not involved with PEDs, he remained with the agency, which in December negotiated an eight-year, $138 million contract for him.

Since then, the Biogenesis scandal has brought new scrutiny on the Levinsons. Puello is a client, as is former Met Fernando Martinez, also linked by ESPN's Outside the Lines to the clinic on Tuesday.

Other Levinson clients linked to Biogenesis include Seattle catcher and former Yankee Jesus Montero, Washington pitcher Gio Gonzalez, Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz and San Diego reliever Fautino De Los Santos.

Target of teasing?

Cowart No. 1 with a bullet

TEMPE, Ariz. --

Kaleb Cowart gave his Angels teammates some prime hazing material heading into his first Major League Spring Training.

While going through airport security on his way from Georgia to Arizona, the 20-year-old third baseman and avid hunter didn't realize he left a handgun bullet in his book bag. So he got stopped by TSA, caused a scene, spent an extra half-hour getting interviewed, tweeted about it, then didn't hear the end of it.

"First day," Cowart said. "First day of camp I was getting picked on about it."

On Friday, prior to the first full workout, Angels manager Mike Scioscia made Cowart explain himself to the entire room of 64 players. And on Tuesday, as part of the presentations every newbie must give in the pre-workout meetings, Cowart was getting set to present on gun safety, deer hunting and, as the cherry on top, mating season.

"It took awhile just to get all the stuff together," said Cowart, who had to run to Office Max five separate times because of pictures he forgot to print out for his poster boards. "Once I got all the stuff together, it was 20, 30 minutes. But just to get all the stuff together took awhile."

Cowart is the Angels' No. 1 prospect, the only one in the organization ranked in the Top 100 by MLB.com (67th), and is slated to take over as the full-time third baseman in two years. But here, heading into his first season of Double-A, he's just like any other first-timer, giving embarrassing presentations and even sharing a locker.

His focus is to improve on his greatest weakness, consistency from the left side of the plate, and to soak in these next few weeks.

"I'm having a blast, just being around these guys," said Cowart, the switch-hitter who batted .276 with 16 homers and 103 RBIs at both Class A levels last year. "I couldn't be more excited about this year and what's going on here in Spring Training."

Jurickson Profar is almost universally considered the game’s top prospect but he doesn’t yet have a spot in the Rangers’ lineup. (Landov)


Myers, Bundy, Profar lead top rookies who could impact AL

Though they didn’t arrive until the end of April, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper took the majors by storm last year, living up to the considerable hype they received as prospects to deliver history-making seasons for their ages (20 and 19, respectively) and win Rookie of the Year honors. In addition, Harper helped the Nationals to their first playoff appearance, while Trout nearly took home American League MVP honors despite Miguel Cabrera’s Triple Crown.

The odds are against seeing such stellar performances from top rookies in 2013 — those were once-in-a-generation showings, if not once-in-a-lifetime ones — but that doesn’t mean we’ll have a shortage of outstanding rookies, and right now is the season to dream on them. On Wednesday, Baseball America released its Top 100 Prospects list, the most hotly anticipated of the major rankings of minor leaguers but by no means the only one. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo and ESPN Insider’s Keith Law have also published their lists, while those of SB Nation’s John Sickels and Baseball Prospectus’ Jason Parks are still a week away; the latter is timed to coincide with the publication of BP’s annual book, of which I’m a part for the eighth consecutive year.

Since I’m not a scout, and have seen very few of the players on the lists myself, those are the people I turn to when I want information about young players on the rise, and if you’ve been reading this space, you know that I tend to distill their reports and opinions into information I can use here. What follows is a look at a handful of prospects who could have real impacts for AL teams in 2013 (a similar selection of National Leaguers will follow). They may not be the team’s best prospect overall, and may not break camp with the big club, but they’re the best bets to make significant contributions some time this year. They’re ranked according to my own understanding of what they’ll contribute in 2013.

JAFFE: Top rookies who could have an impact on the National League in 2013

RF Wil Myers, Rays.

Myers, a player I’ve written about frequently, is BA’s reigning Minor League Player, coming off a 37-homer, .314/.387/.600 season split between Double-A and Triple-A, and the focal point of the winter’s most controversial deal, that between the Royals and the Rays. Ranked fourth on BA’s list, the 21-year-old righty is major league ready, with a middle-of-the-lineup profile as a hitter, but service time issues will almost certainly prevent him from breaking camp with the Rays. Whether his arrival time is decided by the idea of milking an extra year before free agency (indicating a late April recall) or arbitration (likely sometime in June) remains to be seen.

RHP Dylan Bundy, Orioles.

The fourth pick of the 2011 draft out of an Oklahoma high school, Bundy rocketed up the ladder in his first professional season, putting up a 2.08 ERA with 10.3 strikeouts per nine in 108 2/3 innings at three stops before making a brief cameo at the major league level — all of 1 2/3 innings in two late September relief appearance. Not too shabby for a 19-year-old who wound up second on BA’s list.

Bundy complements a near-elite level 94-98 mph fastball with above-average curve and changeup, though his command still needs a bit of work. If service time and workload weren’t concerns, he’d have a shot at starting the year in Baltimore’s rotation, but he’s probably going to be limited to 140-160 innings overall, with a call-up in the second half. The Orioles have no shortage of other options, but odds are that they won’t get the same level of outstanding work across 90 starts from Jason Hammel, Miguel Gonzalez and Chris Tillman that they did across 50 last year. With former top prospects Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton around as both options and cautionary tale, there’s enough depth to buy time until Bundy gets more seasoning in the upper minors, given that he threw just 16 2/3 innings at Double-A.

RHP Trevor Bauer, Indians.

As with Myers, if you’ve been reading this space, you’re familiar with Bauer, who was chosen one spot ahead of Bundy out of UCLA in the 2011 draft. The now-22-year-old gained attention for his unorthodox throwing program and extreme long-toss regimen, but struggled in four big league starts with the Diamondbacks. Beyond his control problems (13 walks and two wild pitches in 16 2/3 innings), he battled with catcher Miguel Montero and other teammates, so general manager Kevin Towers made a statement by gifting him to the Indians in an unbalanced three-way trade.

Bauer’s exceptionally deep repertoire stars a 93-95 mph fastball that can touch 97, an outstanding curveball, an average-to-above-average slider with a two-plane break, a deceptive, late-breaking changeup and even a splitter and a cutter. Given that he has whiffed 11.5 per nine in his three minor league stops, he’s a welcome addition to the strikeout-poor Indians rotation, but in order to succeed, he’ll have to adjust to the major league level with less hard-headedness than he showed in Arizona.

RHP Bruce Rondon, Tigers.

A 6-foot-2, 265 pound flamethrower whose fastball has been clocked as high as 102 mph, Rondon isn’t just the closer of the future for the Tigers, he’s the closer of the present despite throwing just eight innings at Triple-A and none in the majors thus far. Detroit let Jose Valverde depart as a free agent and avoided overpaying for an established ninth-inning vet because it wants to give the 22-year-old a shot at the job. Rondon’s maximum-effort delivery can lead to struggles with his control and command, particularly when it comes to his slider, his second pitch; that said, he cut his walk rate from an unsightly 7.6 per nine in 2011 to 4.4 per nine last year while striking out 11.2 per nine in 53 innings split between three levels. The length of his leash remains to be seen; Phil Coke, Octavio Dotel and Joaquin Benoit could be used to close games while Rondon acclimates to the majors, but if he’s too wild or otherwise struggles, he could find himself back in Triple-A.

C Mike Zunino, Mariners.

Seattle is known more for its trio of top pitching prospects (Taijuan Walker, Danny Hultzen and James Paxton), but Zunino, who turns 22 on March 25, could beat them to the show and make his mark sooner. The third pick of last year’s draft out of the University of Florida, he hit a sizzling .360/.447/.689 with 13 homers in 190 PA at Low-A and Double A, and threw out 43 percent of would-be base thieves. He’s both a polished hitter with quick hands and average or better power as well as a decent receiver. The Mariners are apparently going to give the defensively questionable Jesus Montero a long look behind the plate early in the year, and they brought in Kelly Shoppach as a backup/insurance policy, but the consensus is that after gaining more upper-level minor league experience (he played just 15 games at Double-A), Zunino could find his way to Seattle sometime this summer.

CF Aaron Hicks, Twins.

The combination of trading both Denard Span and Ben Revere this past winter was something of a headscratcher given that it left the Twins with Darren Mastroianni as the likely opening day centerfielder. It all makes more sense, though, given that the switch-hitting Hicks enjoyed a breakout year at Double-A (.286/.384/.460 with 13 homers and 32 steals). A 2008 first-round pick out of a California high school, Hicks had progressed slowly up the ladder due to a surprising dearth of in-game power and an approach that some considered too passive (as in, “What was wrong with that pitch?). Now 23 years old, he has improved his pitch recognition skills as well as his power. He has the speed for centerfield, not to mention an outstanding arm. If he can avoid his typically slow starts, he could debut for Minnesota sometime this summer.

IF Jurickson Profar, Rangers.

Ranked number one on all four aforementioned prospect lists, Profar turned 20 on Wednesday. As a 19-year-old, he hit .281/.368/.452 with 14 homers and 16 steals at Double-A Frisco, then made a nine-game cameo with the Rangers. As Law summarizes, Profar offers “an incredible combination of tools, skills, and baseball instincts rarely found in players who play in the middle of the field. His feel for the game is unusual for a player of any age…” That assortment include an exceptional arm and an outstanding approach at the plate, not to mention considerable power. The problem — and the reason he’s not ranked higher here — is that the Rangers’ shortstop spot is occupied by the young and talented Elvis Andrus, and a shift by second baseman Ian Kinsler to first base has been considered but dismissed for the moment, leaving Profar without a clear major league role. The team may consider him in a utility spot, and a couple of talent evaluators familiar with the system think that they might reconsider the Kinsler move this spring, so he’s worth a spot here.

LHP Martin Perez, Rangers.

Perez ranked 81st on BA’s list, the fifth year in a row he made the cut, though his stock has fallen from when he ranked 17th going into 2010. He was introduced in this space last June, just before his major league debut, but the 21-year-old lefty scuffled in six starts and six relief appearances totaling 38 innings, with a 5.45 ERA due to high BABIP and walk rates. His numbers at Triple-A Round Rock (4.25 ERA, 4.0 walks and 4.9 strikeouts per nine) weren’t all that good either, as he sacrificed strikeouts for efficiency. Even so, he offers above-average raw stuff, starting with a great late-fading changeup and a 92-95 mph fastball that can go higher; his curve lacks consistency but is at least average with the potential to be better. He’s a fifth starter candidate who will nonetheless need a good spring to win the job.

RHP Chris Archer, Rays.

Like Myers, this 24-year-old righty was also acquired via a blockbuster, in this case the Matt Garza deal with the Cubs — the second time he was traded since being drafted in the fifth round by the Indians in 2006. Archer threw 29 1/3 innings for the Rays last year, with a 36/13 strikeout-to-walk ratio, after putting up a 3.66 ERA with 9.8 strikeouts per nine for Triple-A Durham. His signature pitch is his two-plane slider, which he backs with a 93-97 mph fastball and a changeup that still needs some refinement. Command is an issue; he has walked 4.3 per nine in 141 innings at Triple-A, and was at 4.0 during his brief major league stint. He doesn’t have a guaranteed rotation spot, but could challenge Alex Cobb or trade candidate Jeff Niemann, or simply continue to work out of the bullpen while he awaits an opening.

Top prospect Puig makes first clubhouse appearance

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | 2/14/2013 5:57 P.M. ET

GLENDALE, Ariz. --

With the remaining Dodgers position players set to report Friday in advance of Saturday's first full-squad workout, Cuban defector Yasiel Puig made his first appearance in the Major League clubhouse on Thursday.

The Dodgers signed Puig to a $42 million deal last summer, a stunning splash to announce the franchise's return to the international talent market.

But unlike 25-year-old Hyun-Jin Ryu, who dominated in the Korean professional league, Puig was only 21 and hadn't played any organized ball in more than a year. Elevating the risk is that he was given a Major League roster spot, starting the clock on his options that will require him to reach the Major Leagues by 2016. MLB.com ranks Puig as the Dodgers' top prospect.

Puig, a muscular 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, is considered a corner outfielder with light-tower power. He played only 23 games in the low Minors for the Dodgers last year and was scratched from the Arizona Fall League because of an elbow infection.

To make up for that lost opportunity, Puig was sent to the Puerto Rican Winter League, where he hit .232 with one home run in 69 at-bats. He said his arm is healed and he's eager to see how his game plays against the top level of competition.

"That's what Spring Training is for, for me to figure that out," Puig said.

Soler impressive in first spring appearance

By Carrie Muskat / MLB.com | 2/15/2013 5:34 P.M. ET

MESA, Ariz. --

Jorge Soler reported to Cubs camp Friday and hit a home run in his first batting practice session. That's not really news, but watching the 6-foot-4 Cuban outfielder swing is definitely an event.

"It's a pretty impressive batting practice for the first day out there," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said of Soler. "The ball comes off his bat like you want a ball to come off the bat if you're a manager.

"I'm really, really interested to see him on the field," Sveum said. "I've gotten to see him take [batting practice] and do things, but I haven't gotten to see the instincts on the field and all that stuff. I haven't gotten to see his arm either."

Sveum said Soler, ranked as the club's No. 3 prospect by MLB.com, reminded him of a right-handed Cliff Floyd the way he could put backspin on the ball.

After hitting a ball over the fence in left-center, Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations, walked over to shake Soler's hand and welcome him to camp. Soler turns 21 on Feb. 25, and still needs time to develop.

"He's still got to play and learn so much and face better pitching on a consistent basis and older pitchers who can do things," Sveum said. "That experience factor comes in handy."

Soler arrived in Arizona early Friday after spending the offseason in Miami working out. He had been hitting for one month prior to reporting, and said he hoped everything went well in his first big league camp.

Other teams were interested, but Soler picked the Cubs after a workout at their Dominican Republic academy.

"I felt they taught the game the right way," Soler said through Cubs coach Franklin Font.

Cubs hitting coach James Rowson went to Miami to work with Soler this offseason.

"He has the hand strength, which none of us can teach," Sveum said. "It's nice to watch that kind of [batting practice], but until things happen in a game is when you see why things are breaking down or why you need to make this adjustment. Does he have plate coverage? Is his bat staying in the strike zone long enough to handle a cutter on the outside part of the plate? You can go on and on.

"That's why I'm really looking forward to games," he said. "Mechanically, his lower half, I really like. He's a guy who holds onto the bat with both hands, which I like, and right now, in [batting practice] it looks like it should play. It's a pretty nice approach."

After signing a nine-year, $30 million deal in June, Soler began his pro career in the Arizona Rookie League, hitting .241 in 14 games, and then batted .338 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 20 games with Class A Peoria.

The Cubs don't want to rush him but when does he want to be playing in the big leagues?

"Next year," Soler said, smiling.

One year too late????

Too bad the Indians could not have freed up all that cash last year! Perhaps we could have been looking at an all Cuban outfield with Jorge Soler, Yoenis Cespedes, and Yasiel Puig.

It's going to be an interesting year for Soler and Puig. I think Cespedes has lived up to his hype. I'm a huge fan of all three.

If all three perform as well as I think they might, we may have missed out on a lot of excitement. I think they may have been worth the gamble.

Guess not. Even though you will never understand that free agents get to pick where they go. Not the other way around.

Tribe's last dip into the Cuban market was Danys Baez. Once burned.....

Guess not. Even though you will never understand that free agents get to pick where they go. Not the other way around.

We'll have to agree to disagree. 95% of the free agents follow the money. That's exactly what Cespedes, Puig, and Soler did.

Saw Baez pitch in Akron and watched him warm up in the bullpen, was very close. Honestly did not see what the scouts saw in him. On the other hand saw CC in Akron and was impressed.

I know this is dead horse country but I'm just sayin.......

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Finding the Next Yoenis Cespedes

By John Sickels on Feb 21, 12:51p

The Cuban Outfielders: Looking for the Next Yoenis Cespedes

There are three top Cuban outfield prospects who should see the majors in the next few years: Leonys Martin of the Texas Rangers, Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Jorge Soler of the Chicago Cubs. Can these guys duplicate what Yoenis Cespedes did for the Oakland Athletics in 2012? Cespedes hit .292/.356/.505 with 23 homers and 16 steals in 487 at-bats, with an OPS of +137, wRC+136, posting a 3.1 WAR.

Major league teams have invested more than $86 million in these three players. Here is my take on each one, starting with their comment in the 2013 Baseball Prospect Book and expanding from there with additional comments.
(Leonys Martin, photo by Kevin Jairaj, USA Today Sports)

Leonys Martin, OF, Texas Rangers
Bats: L Throws: R HT: 6-1 WT: 180 DOB: March 6, 1988
2012: Grade B

This is what I wrote about Martin in 2012:

A Cuban defector, Martin signed a major league contract worth $15.6 million in May, then zipped quickly through the Rangers farm system. He performed well in Double-A but seemed overmatched at times against Triple-A pitching, not driving the ball effectively at that level. Martin makes contact and has gap power, but his best attributes are speed and defense. He has the range and arm strength to handle any outfield position, and he is dangerous on the basepaths. Scouts aren't sure how much home run power he'll show, although no one expects he'll be a big slugger, and even opinions about his on-base abilities are mixed. Some believe he'll be a mainstay at the top of a major league lineup and contend for gold gloves in center field, while others believe he'll settle in as a fourth outfielder. The Rangers buy into the first scenario. Grade B.

We have some answers now. Martin made the necessary adjustments to Triple-A pitching and tore up the Pacific Coast League last summer (wRC+164), although he missed a month with a thumb injury. He saw sporadic playing time in the majors, hitting .174/.235/.370 in 46 at-bats, just enough to develop some frustrating rust perhaps, but given consistent at-bats I think he'll adapt to the American League as well. He isn't going to be a walk machine, but should hit for average while providing moderate power and sound defense in center field. I don't think he's a superstar, but Martin should be better than a fourth outfielder. Grade B.

(Yasiel Puig, Photo by Gary Vasquez, USA Today Sports)

Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Bats: R Throws: R HT: 6-3 WT: 215 DOB: December 7, 1990

Using some of their new-found financial resources, the Dodgers signed Cuban defector Yasiel Puig to a seven-year contract worth $42,000,000 last June. There was mixed opinion about this in the baseball world: some scouts felt that Puig was too raw and risky to be worth that kind of money, but the Dodgers see him as a possible superstar. The early returns are positive: he butchered sacrificial lamb rookie ball pitching (.400/.500/1.000 in 30 at-bats), then looked very good in two weeks of play in the more-appropriate California League (.327/.407/.432). Puig features enormous power, above-average speed, and a strong throwing arm. His plate discipline was quite good in his debut; granted the sample is small, but at least it was a positive sign. His fielding and baserunning skills are rough and will need to be polished, but that's small potatoes compared to his impact hitting potential. There are some questions here and Puig has risk. Is he really 22? Were the numbers at Rancho just a Cal League small sample fluke? Even accounting for those issues, he looks like a Grade B+ guy to me, balancing the tremendous upside with the undoubted risk.
(Jorge Soler, Photo by Jake Roth, USA Today Sports)

Jorge Soler, OF, Chicago Cubs
Bats: R Throws: R HT: 6-3 WT: 205 DOB: February 25, 1992

A Cuban defector, Soler signed a free agent contract worth $30,000,000 over nine years last summer. He spent two weeks working off rust in rookie ball (.241/.328/.389 in 54 at-bats), then moved up to the Midwest League and crushed Low-A pitching for three weeks (.338/.398/.513 in 80 at-bats). All told, it was a very successful debut. Soler is a chiseled athlete with outstanding raw power, above-average speed, and a strong throwing arm. He demonstrated all of those tools in his first pro look, and he showed good skills once he got settled in. Although he could use some polish with the strike zone, his pitch recognition skills weren't terrible. He kills fastballs. Breaking balls will cross him up sometimes, but note his very low strikeout rate for Peoria. Granted the sample is small, but a low whiff rate like that, combined with huge power, is a strong sabermetric marker. Soler also needs more experience on defense, but his range and arm strength will work well in right field. Assuming Soler's listed birthday is correct, he looks like a helluva prospect to me. Grade B+, and that might be too conservative.


ADDITIONAL COMMENT/COMPARISON:

I like all three of these guys. Right now, I have Soler ranked the highest, slotted in at #23 on my Top 50 Hitting Prospects list. Puig isn't far behind at #29, with Martin checking in at 45.

Martin is the most polished hitter of the trio, which makes sense since he is also the oldest at age 24 (25 in March). Martin is also the most contact-oriented, although I think he has a bit more home run pop in his bat than people think.

That said, both Puig and Soler have more home run potential than Martin and you could give both of them a 70 raw power grade. Both Puig and Soler showed good plate discipline in their debuts, though it remains to be seen if they will maintain that against better pitching and advanced breaking stuff. Scouts aren't sure their batting averages will hold up.

All three run well, with Martin having the most current speed and the greatest likelihood of maintaining the speed as he gets older. All three have above-average arms, with Soler and Puig fitting the right field profile more classically than Martin. Martin is the best overall fielder and most likely to stick in center field.

In my view, both Puig and Soler have higher upsides than Martin due to their greater raw power potential, but they also lower floors. Assuming their listed birthdays are correct, Martin is the oldest and has the least room to grow, but he also has nothing left to prove in the minors and his skills are the most polished.

In my mind, both Puig and Soler profile very similarly to each other. I can see them turning into something very much like Cespedes, or like the 1994-1997 version of Sammy Sosa. I put Soler slightly ahead because he is younger than Puig, plus there are some questions about Puig's makeup. Depending on what they show in spring training, both Puig and Soler will probably begin 2013 in High-A. Martin is ready to contribute in the majors right now.

I'm really excited to see how these kids progress this season. I think we passed up on some pretty decent prospects last year. Like Seagull mentioned earlier, we may still be suffering from the Danys Baez Syndrome. If Cubans Heredia, Despaigne, Bell, or a couple of those young Cuban pitchers become available this summer, I hope we reconsider and make them some legitimate offers.

In my opinion, Alfredo Despaigne could be another Yoenis Cespedes without all the speed. Despaigne broke Cespedes' home run record last season as well as breaking his own record several times. Since the Cubans play half as many games as they do in the majors, Despaigne's equivalent totals would have been 72.