Baseball: Gerrit Cole, Danny Hultzen, Devin Mesoraco, Brandon Belt

Gerrit Cole, Pirates: Look at Cole's size and pure stuff and it's easy to see why he was the No. 1 pick in the Draft. If he can harness his three plus pitches, he has everything a team wants from a top-of-the-rotation starter. He has three plus pitches with his fastball, slider and changeup. He gets into trouble when he overthrows, leaving everything too hard and straight. Outside of a rough Rising Stars appearance, he showed just how successful he can be when he stays under control while pitching in the Arizona Fall League. He has the stuff to move quickly and should do just that. Assuming he can learn to be consistent with his delivery, it shouldn't take him too long to make it to Pittsburgh. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120112&content_id=26330142&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26330142

Danny Hultzen, Mariners: While most thought the Mariners would go after Rice third baseman Anthony Rendon with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, they actually had their sights set on Hultzen all along. The University of Virginia product is the kind of college lefty who is expected to move quickly, but he's more than just a command/pitchability type. Hultzen's velocity increased in his junior season, giving him a plus fastball from the left side as well as a plus changeup. His breaking ball -- a slider -- isn't quite as good as those first two, but it's a serviceable pitch, and Hultzen is the type of player who will work to improve it. If his performance in the Arizona Fall League is any indication, he should indeed be able to move quickly through the Mariners' system. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120113&content_id=26339048&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_26339048

Catcher – Devin Mesoraco (23):  Barring some strange turn of events, Mesoraco is going to be the Reds Opening Day Catcher and with good reason. As I mentioned above he is the team’s consensus top-prospect and I regard him as the best catching prospect out there right now. Nathaniel, who ranked Devin 12th in his recently completed Top-100, agrees with me on that. In Mesoraco, I see a guy who will make his share of all-star teams during the course of his career.  I believe he will hit for a good average and his share of power. He’s solid defensively and intelligent in all aspects of the game. The fact that he looked into the “prospect bust abyss” and bounced back to become one of the best prospects in baseball makes me believe he’s going to be better than most people project and that’s saying something. When a guy’s floor is that of a solid major league regular, you know you have something special on your hands and Devin Mesoraco fits that description. http://seedlingstostars.com/2012/01/19/s2s-2012-team-prospect-lists-cincinnati-reds/#more-3181

Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants — Yes, Belt was on our sleeper list as well last year, but things didn’t quite work out for Belt who started the season as the starter, then got demoted.  His replacement, Aubrey Huff, was not able to duplicate his 2010 season, however, thus opening the door again for Belt.  Belt struggled to hit for average throughout the season but flashed some power, hitting seven homers after August 1.  Perhaps that’s an indication of his 2012 potential. http://www.fantasybaseballdugout.com/2012/01/20/sleepers-first-base-2012/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Baseball: - Yankees, Gerrit Cole, Clubhouse Chemistry, Yoenis Cespedes, Edinson Volquez

The Yankees have a long path to go to get to the World Series this coming year, especially given that their team remains at a standstill, unexpected to improve greatly from last year. It is not a positive sign that the Yankees rotation will most likely consist of C.C. Sabathia, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia, with a likely spring training knockdown competition between Hector Noesi, A.J. Burnett, Dellin Betances and Phil Hughes for the final two rotation spots. http://mlbreports.com/2011/12/17/yankees-2012

Year in Review: The best college pitcher frustrated evaluators at times with his performance, but his pure stuff was too good to pass up with the first overall pick in the draft. The Good: Gerrit Cole's arsenal matches up with any young pitcher. His fastball sits in the mid- to upper-90s, and it consistently reached triple digits over the last year. He throws a plus-plus slider with heavy horizontal and vertical break. He also developed a changeup in college that flashes plus, and could be a consistent plus pitch with more use. His mechanics have also improved significantly from his high school days. The Bad: One of the biggest debates in the scouting community is why Cole is not better than he has been on a production level; one scout called it “The $10 million question.” He certainly has more control than command, but that's not a full explanation. Others point to an arm that is more trackable than most, and the hope for a more aggressive approach on the mound. Others think he just needs innings to turn into an ace. http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=15692

There's always going to be some jealousy of the superstars. That's life. The sociology of what goes on inside a baseball team is very similar to what goes on inside society. There are good people and there are bad people. There are agreeable people and disagreeable people. There are people who are admirers and people who are jealous. It's not extraordinary to have jealousy and resentment within a group of twenty-five competitive men who are all compensated differently. That said, I do think it's rare to see real animosity inside a clubhouse. If there is some, you still have a job that you're paid to do. There's still a responsibility to be a professional about your work. http://www.beyondtheboxscore.com

Yoenis Cespedes will have his Dominican residency taken care of in the coming days. The latest delay stems from a photo snafu: front and side shots of Cespedes, submitted to the Dominican government for processing purposes, feature the outfielder wearing different clothes, which is not allowed. Unfortunately, Dominican residency is just the first bit of a three-part process. Next, he'll have to be cleared by Major League Baseball, which should take another two to three days, and because Cespedes is Cuban, the United States government gets involved, as he has to be cleared to sign by OFAC, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a division of the treasury office. United States businesses and individuals are not allowed to enter into any business arrangements (including baseball contracts) with Cuban companies or individuals under current law, so distinguishing Cespedes as a Dominican could take an additional 10-15 days after MLB declares him a free agent. That pushes the opening of his signing window into January, but interest remains sky high, so he'll certainly be signed in time for spring training. Cespedes is “anxious. He says he wants to play baseball for real,” relays Mercedes. “He wants to play in a game that counts for something.”

Edinson Volquez, the oldest player (he’s still just twenty-eight) involved in the trade, might end up being an invaluable addition for the Padres. A member of the 2008 NL All-Star team, Volquez was considered the Reds’ pitching staff ace before Dusty Baker’s workloads blew out his elbow. Just before finishing his rehab from Tommy John surgery, Volquez’s luck worsened, and the MLB suspended him fifty games in April 2010 after he tested positive for human growth hormone. Since returning to the mound mid-way through 2010, Volquez hasn’t been the dominant pitcher he was pre-surgery. Shuffled between AAA and the Reds’ rotation last season, his career hit a low-point; he managed an ugly 5.71 ERA and issued sixty-five walks in just 108 innings pitched (twenty starts). http://baseballnewshound.com/?p=2052

Amir Garrett, Brandon Pierce, Tyler Beede, Gerrit Cole, Mikie Mahtook

Amir Garrett is a ridiculously athletic left handed pitcher who is a top 100 basketball recruit as well. He hasn't played organized baseball in a while but he reportedly has been working with a private pitching coach and is throwing in the low 90's. If he shows low 90's stuff and any ability to spin a curve or pull the string on a change, he could be taken in the 1st round. The good thing is, it sounds like he wants to play baseball and that would be a good thing for all of us. mlbbonusbaby.  



Brandon Pierce - Average height Worked exclusively out of the stretch; high leg kick with an overhand arm slot Long arm action with a noticeable inverted "W" Fastball has average velocity with a touch of arm side run; got a bit true at times Slow 1-7 curve ball with good shape and big break Control of both pitches was solid Got ground balls with curve ball and the fastball when it was low in zone bullpenbanter  


Tyler Beede heads up one of the best groups of Massachusetts high school pitching prospects ever seen in one draft. While Beede is the premier arm of the group, RHP’s Pat Connaughton (St. John’s Prep), Adam Ravenelle (Sudbury-Lincoln HS) and John Magliozzi (Dexter HS) are all potential top 5 round arms. LHP Andrew Chin (BB & N), RHP Devin Perry (BB & N), RHP Barrett O’Neill (Ashland HS) and RHP Robert DeCosmo (Cathedral HS) all have 90+ mph fastballs and have received plenty of scouting attention as well. That talent base belies the fact that no Massachusetts high school player at any position has been picked in the first five rounds since 2003, when the Marlins selected Jeff Allison in the first round. Beede is far from the stereotypical raw arm from the region, however. His father, Walter, was a 13th round pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1981 as a first baseman and played one year of minor league ball, so baseball definitely is part of the Beede bloodlines. Most importantly, Beede has been participating in national level events since early in his sophomore season, including the 2010 Aflac All American Game, and has a polished maturity on the mound that is equal to any Sun Belt pitcher. He has a low effort delivery with good lower half use and repeats his mechanics consistently. Beede’s fastball doesn’t touch 97-98 mph like many of top high school arms seem to be doing this year but he’s a consistent 92-93 mph and will touch 94-95 occasionally perfectgame.



Gerrit Cole, RHP, UCLA - Pros: Cole has true elite-level stuff. He has mid- to upper-90s heat with two well above-average secondary offerings in his slider and changeup. His 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame is ideal, and his mechanics are much improved from his high school days. Cons: He occasionally struggles with command. This has been especially of late, as he has a 6.17 ERA in his last five starts while allowing 40 hits in 35 innings. That's far too many base knocks for a pitcher with his arsenal. “Cole has the physical ability, the stuff, and the body is just unbelievable... but for whatever reason, it's never been easy for him,” said one evaluator. baseballprospectus



LSU junior OF Mikie Mahtook went 9-for-14 with a 3B, HR, 6 RBI and 2 SB’s this past week; the bat is potent and is the prime reason Mahtook is a consensus 1st-round pick next month; but where in the round he goes has been the subject of debate; we’ve seen Mahtook projected as highly as #8 to the D’backs and as low as #20 to the Rockies and everywhere in-between; it seems that scout’s opinions are mixed as to whether he can stay in centerfield or not and this is the reason we’re seeing the variance in projections… prospectnation.