Jarrod Parker,
A's: Parker put his 2010 Tommy John surgery behind him last year, particularly
in the second half, earning a September callup and a spot on the D-backs'
postseason roster. He was then the key prospect sent to Oakland in the Trevor
Cahill deal, immediately becoming the A's top prospect. He has a very good
four-pitch mix and his stuff was all the way back. He also came back a more
mature and complete pitcher, one who used his time away from the game wisely.
He profiles as a top-of-the-rotation starter and should get an opportunity in
Oakland in the very near future. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120112&content_id=26330142&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26330142
Mike Montgomery,
Royals: Little seemed to go right for Montgomery in 2011. He headed into the
year at the front of an impressive group of pitching prospects in the Royals
system, with many thinking he'd be the first to reach Kansas City. The Triple-A
Pacific Coast League handed Montgomery a healthy serving of humble pie, as he
struggled with his command for much of the season. His pure stuff is still as
good as it ever was, with the potential to have three plus pitches, and he did
stay healthy all season. Montgomery seemed to learn from his tough season and
it could serve him well this year, when the 22-year-old should break through to
the big leagues. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120113&content_id=26339048&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26339048
Segura goes on to argue that organizations are
mistakenly placing a premium on youth in the Dominican because only six players
that were signed at age 16 made big league debuts between 2008-2011, while
17-year-old signees had 23 debuts and 18-year-old signees had 24 debuts. Organizations
do not sign Dominican teenagers to six-figure deals merely to have them scratch
the big leagues, though. They wish to exploit the perceived inefficiencies of
the Latin American market and buy premium talent at a fraction of the market
value.
Keep in mind an important caveat to this discussion
of “value” in regards to Dominican prospects. The lavish bonuses dished out to
16-year-old players are not always directly tied to their skill level. Teams
sometimes need to vastly overpay if their connections with the local buscones
(or trainers) are not well-established. These buscones also serve as the young
players’ agents, drumming up interest and creating an auction-like atmosphere
of unfettered capitalism that drives up asking prices. http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/younger-is-not-always-better-in-the-dominican/
Bryce Harper, Nationals:
Harper might play all of the 2012 season at age 19, but it would be a mistake
to think that's a reason he won't be in Washington this year. All signs point
to him getting every chance to make the Opening Day roster, and why not? Harper
has already shown an ability to make adjustments. He started out slowly after
his double-jump to Double-A last summer, but was just heating up when he got
shut down by a minor hamstring injury. No matter, Harper simply went to the
Arizona Fall League and raked there. His plus power shows up in games
consistently, and he didn't strike out quite as much as some thought he would.
Harper gets on base, is an aggressive base runner and is improving in the
outfield, where his plus arm works very well. He could be ready to take the
nation's capital by storm on Opening Day. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120120&content_id=26407614&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26407614
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