This time: Nov. 18-23
Previous installment: Nov. 6-17

The 40-man additions here are duplicated in our team-by-team rundown. Elsewhere, we find news of a few free agents signing and also the Giants formally going about adding Angel Villalona to the restricted list. His status for ’10 remains up in the air. He has been freed on bail but still stands charged of first-degree murder in the Dominican Republic.

Check out the Transactions Glossary for the key to deciphering the various inactive lists presented here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Traded: LHP Scott Maine and 1B Ryne White to Cubs for RHP Aaron Heilman
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Roque Mercedes, RHP Daniel Stange, LHP Jordan Norberto, OF Cole Gillespie

Atlanta Braves
Signed: RHP Jon Huber, C J.C. Boscan
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Kyle Cofield, RHP Jeff Lyman, LHP Lee Hyde, LHP Jose Ortegano, LHP Jonny Venters

Baltimore Orioles
Signed: RHP Ross Wolf
Added to 40-man roster: RHP Brandon Erbe, RHP Luis Gustavo, 1B Rhyne Hughes, 1B Brandon Snyder, 3B Josh Bell, SS Pedro Florimon
Reinstated from inactive list: C Ansony LaPaix [...] Continue Reading »

Nearly two months after Major League Baseball lifted his suspension, Dominican center fielder Eladio Moronta has signed with the Yankees, a team official confirmed today.

MLB had suspended Moronta for one year earlier this year for misrepresenting his age, then lifted the suspension on September 28 after Moronta admitted he was 20 years old, not 17.

Moronta, who turns 21 on December 16, is a 6-foot-1, 183-pound righthanded hitter with plus-plus speed, a strong arm and projectable power.

Thanks to the Pitch F/X data that is being gathered at several Arizona Fall League sites, we have consistent pitch data that has never been available for prospects before. So if you want to know who’s the hardest and softest tossers in the AFL, now we know. You probably won’t be surprised by who’s No. 1, but it’s worth noting that converted shortstop Sergio Santos may have a future as a pitcher if his raw arm strength is any indication.

[...] Continue Reading »

GLENDALE, Ariz.—The Dodgers have shown a knack over the years for taking prospects and moving them to catcher. Russell Martin is the most successful example, a third baseman who moved behind the plate in 2003. Carlos Santana, traded to the Indians last year for Casey Blake, is another third baseman-turned-catcher and one of the game’s elite prospects. Tony Delmonico and Lucas May, both still in the Dodgers farm system, began their careers in the infield before converting to catcher.

With 22-year-old Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers have another conversion project on their hands. Only this time, the Dodgers are moving a player off the catching position and putting him on the mound.  

[...] Continue Reading »

Milwaukee has made its second major signing this year in the Dominican Republic, this time agreeing to terms with shortstop Santo Aybar.

Aybar, who turns 17 on Saturday, still has to pass his investigation into his age and identity for the signing to become official, according to Fernando Arango, the Brewers coordinator of Latin American scouting. The Brewers also signed Dominican right fielder Jose Pena for $400,000 on July 2, the first day of the international signing period.

A righthanded hitter from Bani, Aybar is around 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, with Arango comparing his frame and power potential to Juan Encarnacion. Though Aybar is currently a shortstop, several scouts have said they expect him to move either to third base or the outfield, and Arango said he expects Aybar to fit in at third or second base.

A complete scouting report on Aybar is available for Baseball America subscribers.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Giants catcher Buster Posey might have been the best position prospect in the Arizona Fall League.

Posey, 22, hit .325/.416/.531 in 115 games between high Class A San Jose and Triple-A Fresno during the regular season. Yet he had a rather pedestrian showing for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League. A few talent evaluators around the league said Posey looked tired, though he still showed good bat speed and the other solid all-around tools that made him the fifth overall pick in the 2008 draft out of Florida State.

"You see the catching ability, obviously the receiving, the blocking, the nice arm, you see the arm strength and the quickness in his release," said Scottsdale manager Jeff Banister, the Pirates minor league field coordinator. "The bat plays—he’s hit some balls very well here. I think being tired and worn out that he’s trying to press a little bit and trying to generate a little too much with the bat, but you do see all the skill set of a major league catcher, of a guy that potentially could be that everyday catcher that San Francisco is looking for."

[...] Continue Reading »

BY BILL MITCHELL

PHOENIX—The Arizona Fall League championship game was supposed to be the occasion for No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg to lead the Phoenix Desert Dogs to their sixth straight league championship in front of a national TV audience.

Instead, local product C.J. Retherford (White Sox), who went undrafted in 2007 after the end of his career at Arizona State, turned himself into the unlikely hero of the game. Retherford’s two-run homer off Desert Dog reliever Josh Perrault (Orioles) in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Peoria Javelinas a dramatic 5-4 victory for the AFL title. [...] Continue Reading »

Teams faced a midnight EST deadline on Nov. 20 to add players to their 40-man rosters in order to keep them free from the clutches of rival organizations. Any player with requisite experience left unprotected is fair game in December’s Rule 5 draft. Eligibility for the Rule 5 hinges on the player’s age when signed.

• Players signed at age 19 and older must have four years in the organization. This group consists mostly of college players drafted in ’06.

• Players signed at age 18 or younger must have five years in the organization. This pertains mostly to players signed internationally or drafted out of high school in ’05.  

Players in [brackets] were added to 40-man rosters earlier in the offseason to prevent them from qualifying for minor league free agency. On average, they have two or three additional years of experience than the players here, so they don’t count against the teams’ totals. But by the same token, they qualify as offseason additions, seeing as they did not receive September callups.

Peruse our 2005 and 2006 Draft Databases.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves (5): RHP Kyle Cofield, RHP Jeff Lyman, LHP Lee Hyde, LHP Jose Ortegano, LHP Jonny Venters

Marlins (5): RHP Jose Ceda, RHP Jay Buente, RHP Brett Sinkbeil, RHP Kris Harvey, OF Scott Cousins, [RHP Hayden Penn]

Mets (0): [3B Shawn Bowman]

Nationals (3): RHP Juan Jaime, LHP Atahualpa Severino, LHP Aaron Thompson

Phillies (3): RHP Jesus Sanchez, LHP Yohan Flande, OF Quintin Berry, [RHP Scott Mathieson] [...] Continue Reading »

Stephen Strasburg’s time in the Arizona Fall League is finished after the Nationals righthander twisted his left knee prior to today’s game.

The Nationals in a press release claimed the injury was "not serious" and that an MRI showed inflammation. Strasburg will fly to Washington D.C. tomorrow to visit medical director Dr. Wiemi Douoguih. Strasburg, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, will miss his scheduled start for Saturday’s AFL championship game.

We’ve heard conflicting reports on the details and severity of the injury at Baseball America since it happened earlier this morning, but we will pass along further information as we learn more.

This offseason will be longer than most for Double-A corner infielder Ron Bourquin. He won’t be able to suit up for a Tigers affiliate until early next June after he drew a 50-game suspension for testing positive for an amphetamine, MLB announced today.

Bourquin, a second-round draft pick in 2006 out of Ohio State, ranked as the team’s No. 20 prospect in 2007, but has not been in the Top 30 since then.

He spent most of this season with low Class A West Michigan before being promoted to Double-A Erie, where he finished the year. Over 424 at-bats, the 24-year-old hit .267/.361/.408 with 30 doubles and eight home runs.

This time: Nov. 6-17
Previous installment: Oct. 26-Nov. 5

The full list of this year’s minor league free agents is available elsewhere on our site. Here you’ll find a spattering of 40-man roster-related moves—players removed and players added in advance of Friday’s deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft.

Check out the Transactions Glossary for the key to deciphering the various inactive lists presented here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Granted free agency: OF Alex Romero

Atlanta Braves
Signed: 3B Wes Timmons (re-signed)
Released: OF Brian Barton

The Braves traded Blaine Boyer to the Cardinals in late April to acquire Barton, who had been a St. Louis big league Rule 5 pick in ’08. The Cardinals nabbed him from the Indians, meaning that in the past three years Barton played for three organizations. (Incidentally, the Cards lost Boyer to a waiver claim by the D’backs in June.) In 114 games for Triple-A Gwinnett last year, Barton batted .266/.354/.390 with seven homers and 46 RBIs. He intends to suit up for a fourth organization in ’10. [...] Continue Reading »

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—It doesn’t take long to see what all the fuss is about with Phillies right fielder Domonic Brown.

Brown, 22, is a potential true five-tool player with a wiry 6-foot-5, 204-pound frame that screams projection. He’s an outstanding athlete with plenty of bat speed, plus raw power that’s beginning to translate to game situations and, despite a bit of an awkward load, a solid swing with good extension. After tearing through the league in his first dozen Arizona Fall League games, Brown’s performance has tapered off to .239/.302/.407 through 29 games.

"Early in the season, he showed you the raw power and showed you the hitting ability," said Scottsdale manager Jeff Banister, the Pirates minor league field coordinator. "He’s playing deeper now than he’s ever played before, more games than he’s ever played—it is a grind. But he does possess all the five tools to go out and take over the game. When he’s not doing it with the power, he can do it with his legs on the bases. He has that dominating right fielder’s arm that can shut down guys on the basepaths as well. He’s big and lanky, and he can use that speed in the outfield. Boy, I tell you, I wouldn’t mind having him patrolling right field every day."

[...] Continue Reading »

PHOENIX—For all the accolades Stephen Strasburg has received, he might be even better than you think.

Strasburg didn’t have much need to throw his changeup at San Diego State, not with an arm that consistently pumps mid- to high-90s fastballs and a filthy breaking ball.

Strasburg does have a good changeup though, as Aaron Fitt points out in the Nationals top 10 scouting reports, and the Arizona Fall League provides him with the perfect outlet to mix in his changeup against more advanced hitters. It’s plus pitch at 88-91 mph with good sink, which the Peoria Saguaros found out on Saturday.

Facing Houston’s Jose Vallejo to lead off the game, Strasburg struck out Vallejo swinging on a 91-mph changeup on a 2-2 pitch. After Padres shortstop Lance Zawadzki popped out, Reds outfielder Chris Heisey struck out swinging on another 91-mph changeup in a 2-2 count. Strasburg struck out Heisey swinging again in the fourth inning, this time getting him to swing through an 89-mph changeup in a 3-2 count. 

"He has an excellent changeup, and he has thrown it quite well," said Phoenix pitching coach Paul Menhart, who spent the 2009 minor league season coaching the Nationals’ high Class A Potomac club. "It is a plus pitch, in my opinion, and he’s used it as we’ve asked him to quite effectively to go along with the electric fastball and very above-average curveball."

[...] Continue Reading »

The World Baseball Classic last spring pushed back Opening Day and, consequently, the World Series, which finally concluded with a Game Six on Nov. 4. It also delayed the free agent filing dates for both major and minor league players. Major League Baseball granted free agency on Nov. 9 to 536 minor league players, i.e. those not included on 40-man rosters. We have them all here, listed by organization. Access past lists in our MiLB Free Agents archive.

• We’ve included the classification at which the player finished the season: Triple-A (AAA), Double-A (AA), high Class A (Hi A), low Class A (Lo A), short-season (SS) and Rookie ball (R) and the Dominican Summer League (DSL).

• Twelve players here spent the entire season (equal to 153 days) on the disabled list—they’re denoted with a double plus sign (++). Among them, three players (Chris Capuano, Mike Rabelo, Oswaldo Sosa) technically did play in 2009, but they did so in Rookie ball while on rehab assignments, which did not require them to leave the DL.

• Players with a single plus sign (+) spent more than half the season (77 days or more) on the DL. Shane Costa (2 PA), John Ennis (1/3 IP), Devern Hansack (1 IP) and Donnie Murphy (10 PA) all effectively missed the entire season with injuries.

• Free agents by classification: Triple-A, 59.7 percent; Double-A, 26.7 percent; high Class A, 8.2 percent; low Class A, 2 percent. The 18 players in short-season ball constitute 3.4 percent of the pool.

• The Dodgers had 34 free agents, the highest total here; the Cardinals had just seven.

Arizona Diamondbacks (15)
RHP: Scott Dohmann (AAA), Seth Etherton (AAA), Bobby Korecky (AAA), Ramon Sanchez (Hi A)
LHP: Jon Coutlangus+ (AAA)
C: Orlando Mercado (AA), Matt Tupman (AA)
2B: Guillermo Reyes (AA)
3B: Ruben Gotay (AAA), Agustin Murillo (AAA)
SS: Abraham Nunez (AAA), Ed Rogers (AAA)
OF: Trent Oeltjen (AAA), Chris Roberson (AAA), Brandon Watson (AAA)

Atlanta Braves (12)
RHP: Bobby Brownlie (AA), Jerome Gamble (AA), Moises Hernandez+ (Hi A), Lance Niekro (R)
LHP: Mariano Gomez (AAA), Juan Perez (AAA)
C: Jose Camarena (AA), Alvin Colina (AAA)
1B: Ernesto Mejia+ (AA)
2B: Chris Burke (AAA), Antonio Perez (AA)
3B: Kody Kirkland (AA) [...] Continue Reading »

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—There isn’t anything too flashy about Chase D’Arnaud.

While the Pirates infielder won’t hit 460-foot home runs, show off a rocket arm or fly down the line in four seconds flat, he’s a very good athlete with a well-rounded skill set.

"He does everything well enough," said an American League scout. "He doesn’t have a standout tool, but he has some bat speed and he can square it up. He’s got gap power, but he can turn on one and hit it out."

[...] Continue Reading »

PHOENIX—For most of their careers, Baltimore’s Josh Bell and Brandon Snyder have been known as defensive liabilities.

Coming into the season, Bell appeared to be a likely candidate to move off of third base, while Snyder was a below-average defender at first base after trying his hand at catching earlier in his career.

That perception is changing.

[...] Continue Reading »

SURPRISE, Ariz.—Jenrry Mejia signed with the Mets two and a half years ago in relative anonymity.

His $16,500 signing bonus looks like a clearance-aisle price today for the organization’s No. 1 prospect, a power-armed righthander who reached Double-A in June before just turning 20 last month.

Pitching for Surprise yesterday after missing his last scheduled start due to illness, Mejia touched 96 mph with his fastball once, otherwise ranging from 90-95 mph and mostly sitting 92-95 (he’s been clocked as high as 98 mph in previous outings here in the AFL and during the minor league season). 

His fastball is a swing-and-miss offering, not just because of its velocity but because of its outstanding movement. Mejia generates tremendous cutting action on his fastball, and he’ll also put some sink on his heater as well. Between the velocity and movement, Mejia has a pitch he can use as an out pitch or to induce grounders—71 percent of his outs on balls in play were groundouts during the minor league season. 

“It has a lot of power—it gets on you quick,” said Surprise pitching coach Tom Phelps, the Yankees’ Double-A pitching coach at Trenton during the 2009 minor league season. “He has a fastball that will cut, and he also has a fastball that will sink. As long as he keeps it down in the zone, he gets a lot of ground balls and a lot of early outs and quick innings. The big thing for him is controlling it in the zone and not getting behind hitters and walking hitters.”

[...] Continue Reading »

PEORIA, Ariz.—After catching all season, some of the catchers in the Arizona Fall League are starting to show some wear and tear.

The Astros have already sent catcher Jason Castro home, while some scouts have said Giants catcher Buster Posey looks worn down as well. 

While it’s been a struggle for the 2008 first-round picks after the grind of their first full professional seasons, Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been a standout for the Peoria Javelinas.

“He’s pretty impressive as a catcher,” said an American League scout. “He’s been one of the better—if not the best—catchers here. He plays good defense, has just enough power and throws well at times.”

[...] Continue Reading »

This time: Oct. 26-Nov. 5
Previous installment: Oct. 14-25

The complete minor league free agent list will be available later this week. For now, chew on these additions and subtractions from 40-man rosters as well as the 13 newly-minted free agents.

Check out the Transactions Glossary for the key to deciphering the various inactive lists presented here.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Released: RHP Ben Dollar, RHP Jordan Meaker, RHP Pira Rodriguez, RHP Houston Summers, RHP Clayton Suss, LHP Ariel Brea, 3B Nelson Gomez, OF Brendan Duffy, OF Astolfo Inciarte, OF Greg Thomson
Outrighted to Triple-A and removed from 40-man: OF Trent Oeltjen, OF Alex Romero

Baltimore Orioles
Granted free agency: LHP Rich Hill, C Guillermo Rodriguez, OF Jeff Fiorentino
Outrighted to Triple-A and removed from 40-man: RHP Chris Lambert, RHP Bob McCrory, RHP Jim Miller, RHP Alfredo Simon, LHP Rich Hill, C Guillermo Rodriguez, OF Jeff Fiorentino

Boston Red Sox
Traded: LHP Jose Alvarez and LHP Hunter Jones to Marlins for OF Jeremy Hermida
Granted free agency: SS Nick Green
Outrighted to Triple-A and removed from 40-man: RHP Fernando Cabrera, SS Nick Green, OF Joey Gathright [...] Continue Reading »

SURPRISE, Ariz.—How a player translates his tools into game situations is important, but batting practice is a great time to get a better feel for prospects.

BP is an opportunity to measure a player’s raw power and get a better feel for his swing—the length, the plane, the bat speed, how a hitter loads and generates torque, and so on. It gives scouts (and journalists) an extra 40-50 swings or so for each player that they won’t see in the game, and while the ability to translate everything from BP into game situations is another question, it’s a helpful way to assess raw tools and mechanics.

Yet while watching Mesa take BP, I found myself unable to take my eyes of the left side of their infield taking ground balls. I know I’m not the only person to say that, either.

The AFL is a great league for hitters with the favorable Arizona air and disproportionate ratio of hitting prospects to hitting prospects. Still, the Mesa pitchers have to feel pretty good when a ground ball is hit to third base or shortstop, where the Solar Sox have three premium defenders: Red Sox shortstop Jose Iglesias, Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro and Marlins third baseman Matt Dominguez.

[...] Continue Reading »