Jameson Taillon, Pirates: Taillon was the No. 2
overall pick in the 2010 Draft for good reason -- he was a big, strong high
school right-hander with outstanding stuff and a better feel for pitching than
many prepsters. While the Pirates maintained a strict innings limit on Taillon
in his first season, nothing happened to dampen the excitement for his future.
He has the potential to have four above-average or plus pitches -- fastball,
curve, slider and changeup -- and can throw all of them for strikes. He'll move
up a level in 2012, and with the gloves coming off a bit, could start pushing
his way up the ladder more quickly. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120112&content_id=26330142&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26330142
I thought
that most in the scouting world agreed that Montero would never have the
stuff to catch every day in the big leagues. But it turns out I was wrong. I
know, shocking. But in an informal survey I did of some high-level scouts, most
actually thought he’d eventually be OK behind the plate. No one was ready to
etch his name on Gold Gloves, but those I talked to made comparisons to Javy
Lopez (he came up several times), Jorge Posada and, of course, Mike Piazza
(Yes, many think Montero’s bat could be THAT good). Here’s some of what they
had to say: “There are a bunch of ex-catchers that made their mark with their
bats and figured out the catching position the more they played. Remember, this
kid is 22 years old and he can really throw. That’s a good start for his
continued development.” http://minors.mlblogs.com/2012/01/17/thoughts-on-the-montero-deal-and-much-much-more/
The Yankees avoided arbitration with the
right-hander Phil Hughes on Monday by agreeing
on a one-year, $3.2 million contract, with performance bonuses, for the 2012
season. But that may not be the final transaction for Hughes this year. Hughes had a disappointing 2011 season, going
5-5 with a 5.79 earned run average, after winning 18 games in 2010. His spot in
the rotation is now in doubt after the Yankees signed Hiroki Kuroda and traded
for Michael Pineda, both right-handers who will be in the rotation http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/
In Colorado, Seth Smith was largely limited to a platoon role,
but it was one he filled quite well. In three seasons and change, he managed a
.275/.348/.485. Even with the lift provided by Coors Field, Smith was a clearly
above-average hitter, sporting a 113 wRC+. Although his fantasy numbers will
certainly take a hit on the move from Colorado to pitcher-friendly Oakland, the
characteristics that made him an above-average hitter — good (not great) power
and slightly above-average contact and walk rates — shouldn’t disappear. The
bigger question will be how Smith handles everyday at-bats should the Athletics
commit to him in a full-time role in left field. The Rockeis were careful to
limit his exposure to left-handed pitching — of his 1449 career plate
appearances, 1209 (83.4%) have come against right-handers, as opposed to the
league average of 70.4%. Smith’s splits show this was done for good reason — in
his 240 plate appearances against righties, Smith only owns a .202/.269/.319
line. Although the split is likely exaggerated due to sample size, the split is
so huge — 115 points of wOBA — it isn’t difficult to envision Smith struggling
mightily against right-handers in an expanded role. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/oakland-finishes-outfield-with-seth-smith/
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