Prospects: Column
Scout Billy Blitzer Believed In Jamie Moyer From The Start
May. 8, 2012
A bad inning in a start against Central Florida helped ensure that Billy Blitzer and the Cubs could sign Jamie Moyer. [...] Continue Reading »
Draft Class Remains Muddled At The Top
Apr. 11, 2012
Unlike 2011, the 2012 draft class offers few prototypical top-of-the-draft players. That's bad news for teams such as the Astros and Twins, who own the first two picks this June. [...] Continue Reading »
For Scout Jack Powell Lightning Struck Twice
Apr. 4, 2012
Jack Powell entered scouting as a bird dog for the Reds in 1974. Though he helped land Tom Browning as a part-timer in 1982, he still hadn't claimed a big leaguer all his own when he visited Chipola (Fla.) JC in the spring of 2000. Little did he realize he was about to see the most talented player he would ever scout. [...] Continue Reading »
Rays' Farm System's Productivity Stands Out
Mar. 22, 2012
Ranking the 30 organizations for what they've recently produced. [...] Continue Reading »
Expect The Rangers To Contend For A While
Mar. 14, 2012
Jim Callis previews the 2015 World Series. [...] Continue Reading »
Where Unsigned Talent Would Fit In The Top 100
Feb. 21, 2012
With our Top 100 Prospects issue annually coming on the heels of our Early Draft Preview, we often get asked where the best unsigned prospects would fit among the game's premier talents. Read on to find out. [...] Continue Reading »
If College Were Required, Gamecocks Would Still Be Tough To Beat
Feb. 14, 2012
South Carolina's hopes for a three-peat would be even stronger if MLB mirrored the NFL and required players to attend college for three years before turning pro. Instead of worrying about replacing five starters from last year's team, South Carolina would be celebrating one of the best outfields in college baseball history. [...] Continue Reading »
Picking AL Players Who Just Missed The Top 10
Jan. 31, 2012
There's never enough room on a Top 10 Prospects list. We just concluded our organization Top 10 coverage with the American League West, and some tough cuts had to be made. [...] Continue Reading »
Athletics' Complaints Don't Explain Losing Skid
Jan. 11, 2012
The Oakland A's like to talk about windows, but there struggles in recent years have more to do with struggles to develop and acquire talent. [...] Continue Reading »
CBA Shouldn't Squash Small-Market Teams' Chances
Dec. 20, 2011
When details of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement began trickling out, initial reaction from many scouting officials and agents was that MLB and the Players Association had killed the draft. And along with it, almost any chance small-revenue teams had to compete. As more particulars became available, it became apparent that rumors of those deaths had been greatly exaggerated. [...] Continue Reading »
Best Of The Rest: The 2012 NL Just-Missed Team
Dec. 15, 2011
We pick our all-non-Top-10-Prospects team for the National League. [...] Continue Reading »
Cardinals' Luhnow Has An Enviable Record
Nov. 22, 2011
Jeff Luhnow's fingerprints were all over the Cardinals' recent World Series championship. [...] Continue Reading »
Nationals Pick A Good Time To Be Bad
Nov. 9, 2011
There's nothing enjoyable about losing 100 games in back-to-back years. But at least the Nationals' timing was impeccable. [...] Continue Reading »
Early Success Doesn't Ensure A Great Draft Class
Oct. 26, 2011
Draft Report Cards are one of our most popular features, and perhaps our most unfortunately named. [...] Continue Reading »
Buckley Reunion Is Paying Off For Reds
Oct. 13, 2011
Sean Buckley didn't want to join his dad's team, but his talent made it to hard for the Reds to pass him up. [...] Continue Reading »
Astros Can Start Prepping For The First Pick
Sep. 16, 2011
Predicting how the first 10 picks of the 2012 draft could work out. [...] Continue Reading »
Summer Lists Give A Great Sneak Peek For The Draft
Sep. 12, 2011
Cory Spangenberg showed last year how a strong summer league performance can build a prospect's draft momentum. [...] Continue Reading »
MLB Attempts Aren't Slowing Draft Spending
Aug. 31, 2011
Commissioner Bud Selig and his cohorts at Major League Baseball don't understand the fundamental principles of the draft. Lucky for them I'm here to help. [...] Continue Reading »
Ranking The Top Prospects Who Were Traded
Aug. 1, 2011
Teams were willing to trade pitching prospects this year, as Jim Callis notes while ranking the top 10 prospects dealt at the deadline. [...] Continue Reading »
For Many Futures Game Prospects, The Future Is Now
Jul. 26, 2011
The Futures Game included many prospects who could make a big league impact before the season is over. [...] Continue Reading »
MLB's Amateur Attitude Is Baffling
Jul. 13, 2011
MLB has a double standard when it comes to signing amateur talent. Though the draft has proven to be a bargain in talent acquisition and the rampant inflation of bonuses has been curtailed, the commissioner's office continues to try to cut costs. At the same time, international bonuses have exploded and MLB lets the international market go unchecked. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Seldom Hit On Top Two Picks
Jun. 28, 2011
Trevor Bauer and Archie Bradley may cost Arizona a combined $10 million to sign. Their ceilings are that high, so high that it's not out of the question that they could develop into the best pair of top choices in draft history—a standard currently held by a duo whose bonuses totaled what a pick in a double-digit round might get these days. [...] Continue Reading »
In The Callis Draft, Value Comes To Those Who Spend Money
Jun. 13, 2011
The strength of a deep 2011 draft was college pitchers, starting with seven who were possible top-10 picks. So when I randomly wound up with the 10th slot in my annual hypothetical 10-round draft for Baseball America, I assumed I'd get a college arm unless teams backed off potential quarterbacks Bubba Starling and Archie Bradley because of signability. [...] Continue Reading »
Top College Draftees Were On The Radar In High School
Jun. 2, 2011
Most of the top college prospects for this year's draft were also very highly regarded coming out of high school. [...] Continue Reading »
Draft Bonanzas Rarely Pay Off
May. 23, 2011
History indicates, however, that a surfeit of draft picks rarely translates into a surplus of talent. Fourteen teams have had seven or more selections in the first two rounds, including the 2007 and '10 Blue Jays and 2009 Diamondbacks, whose crops haven't had much time to develop. The other 11 draft bonanzas produced a total of three all-stars. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Outsource For Shortstops
May. 17, 2011
As stacked as the 2011 draft is, there's one glaring weakness. There may be college and high school arms galore, as well as plenty of athletic prep switch-hitters and college up-the-middle players, but there sure aren't a lot of shortstops. But that's not unusual. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Have All Kind Of Options In 2011 Draft
Apr. 28, 2011
Once the top two players are taken in this year's draft, a very deep talent pool will give teams all kind of options. [...] Continue Reading »
The No. 1 Pick Isn't Usually Clear Cut
Apr. 14, 2011
Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper may have convinced you otherwise, but the identity of the No. 1 prospect in the draft usually isn't etched in stone. [...] Continue Reading »
NCAA's Recent Rulings Show No Consistency
Mar. 22, 2011
Jim Callis can't explain the consistency of the NCAA's recent agent rulings, and he doesn't think anyone else can either. [...] Continue Reading »
Braves Will Top Rays In 2014 Series
Mar. 14, 2011
Jim Callis predicts the 2014 playoffs, four years early. [...] Continue Reading »
Scout Billy Blitzer Believed In Jamie Moyer From The Start
May. 8, 2012
A bad inning in a start against Central Florida helped ensure that Billy Blitzer and the Cubs could sign Jamie Moyer. [...] Continue Reading »
Draft Class Remains Muddled At The Top
Apr. 11, 2012
Unlike 2011, the 2012 draft class offers few prototypical top-of-the-draft players. That's bad news for teams such as the Astros and Twins, who own the first two picks this June. [...] Continue Reading »
For Scout Jack Powell Lightning Struck Twice
Apr. 4, 2012
Jack Powell entered scouting as a bird dog for the Reds in 1974. Though he helped land Tom Browning as a part-timer in 1982, he still hadn't claimed a big leaguer all his own when he visited Chipola (Fla.) JC in the spring of 2000. Little did he realize he was about to see the most talented player he would ever scout. [...] Continue Reading »
Rays' Farm System's Productivity Stands Out
Mar. 22, 2012
Ranking the 30 organizations for what they've recently produced. [...] Continue Reading »
Expect The Rangers To Contend For A While
Mar. 14, 2012
Jim Callis previews the 2015 World Series. [...] Continue Reading »
Where Unsigned Talent Would Fit In The Top 100
Feb. 21, 2012
With our Top 100 Prospects issue annually coming on the heels of our Early Draft Preview, we often get asked where the best unsigned prospects would fit among the game's premier talents. Read on to find out. [...] Continue Reading »
If College Were Required, Gamecocks Would Still Be Tough To Beat
Feb. 14, 2012
South Carolina's hopes for a three-peat would be even stronger if MLB mirrored the NFL and required players to attend college for three years before turning pro. Instead of worrying about replacing five starters from last year's team, South Carolina would be celebrating one of the best outfields in college baseball history. [...] Continue Reading »
Picking AL Players Who Just Missed The Top 10
Jan. 31, 2012
There's never enough room on a Top 10 Prospects list. We just concluded our organization Top 10 coverage with the American League West, and some tough cuts had to be made. [...] Continue Reading »
Athletics' Complaints Don't Explain Losing Skid
Jan. 11, 2012
The Oakland A's like to talk about windows, but there struggles in recent years have more to do with struggles to develop and acquire talent. [...] Continue Reading »
CBA Shouldn't Squash Small-Market Teams' Chances
Dec. 20, 2011
When details of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement began trickling out, initial reaction from many scouting officials and agents was that MLB and the Players Association had killed the draft. And along with it, almost any chance small-revenue teams had to compete. As more particulars became available, it became apparent that rumors of those deaths had been greatly exaggerated. [...] Continue Reading »
Best Of The Rest: The 2012 NL Just-Missed Team
Dec. 15, 2011
We pick our all-non-Top-10-Prospects team for the National League. [...] Continue Reading »
Cardinals' Luhnow Has An Enviable Record
Nov. 22, 2011
Jeff Luhnow's fingerprints were all over the Cardinals' recent World Series championship. [...] Continue Reading »
Nationals Pick A Good Time To Be Bad
Nov. 9, 2011
There's nothing enjoyable about losing 100 games in back-to-back years. But at least the Nationals' timing was impeccable. [...] Continue Reading »
Early Success Doesn't Ensure A Great Draft Class
Oct. 26, 2011
Draft Report Cards are one of our most popular features, and perhaps our most unfortunately named. [...] Continue Reading »
Buckley Reunion Is Paying Off For Reds
Oct. 13, 2011
Sean Buckley didn't want to join his dad's team, but his talent made it to hard for the Reds to pass him up. [...] Continue Reading »
Astros Can Start Prepping For The First Pick
Sep. 16, 2011
Predicting how the first 10 picks of the 2012 draft could work out. [...] Continue Reading »
Summer Lists Give A Great Sneak Peek For The Draft
Sep. 12, 2011
Cory Spangenberg showed last year how a strong summer league performance can build a prospect's draft momentum. [...] Continue Reading »
MLB Attempts Aren't Slowing Draft Spending
Aug. 31, 2011
Commissioner Bud Selig and his cohorts at Major League Baseball don't understand the fundamental principles of the draft. Lucky for them I'm here to help. [...] Continue Reading »
Ranking The Top Prospects Who Were Traded
Aug. 1, 2011
Teams were willing to trade pitching prospects this year, as Jim Callis notes while ranking the top 10 prospects dealt at the deadline. [...] Continue Reading »
For Many Futures Game Prospects, The Future Is Now
Jul. 26, 2011
The Futures Game included many prospects who could make a big league impact before the season is over. [...] Continue Reading »
MLB's Amateur Attitude Is Baffling
Jul. 13, 2011
MLB has a double standard when it comes to signing amateur talent. Though the draft has proven to be a bargain in talent acquisition and the rampant inflation of bonuses has been curtailed, the commissioner's office continues to try to cut costs. At the same time, international bonuses have exploded and MLB lets the international market go unchecked. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Seldom Hit On Top Two Picks
Jun. 28, 2011
Trevor Bauer and Archie Bradley may cost Arizona a combined $10 million to sign. Their ceilings are that high, so high that it's not out of the question that they could develop into the best pair of top choices in draft history—a standard currently held by a duo whose bonuses totaled what a pick in a double-digit round might get these days. [...] Continue Reading »
In The Callis Draft, Value Comes To Those Who Spend Money
Jun. 13, 2011
The strength of a deep 2011 draft was college pitchers, starting with seven who were possible top-10 picks. So when I randomly wound up with the 10th slot in my annual hypothetical 10-round draft for Baseball America, I assumed I'd get a college arm unless teams backed off potential quarterbacks Bubba Starling and Archie Bradley because of signability. [...] Continue Reading »
Top College Draftees Were On The Radar In High School
Jun. 2, 2011
Most of the top college prospects for this year's draft were also very highly regarded coming out of high school. [...] Continue Reading »
Draft Bonanzas Rarely Pay Off
May. 23, 2011
History indicates, however, that a surfeit of draft picks rarely translates into a surplus of talent. Fourteen teams have had seven or more selections in the first two rounds, including the 2007 and '10 Blue Jays and 2009 Diamondbacks, whose crops haven't had much time to develop. The other 11 draft bonanzas produced a total of three all-stars. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Outsource For Shortstops
May. 17, 2011
As stacked as the 2011 draft is, there's one glaring weakness. There may be college and high school arms galore, as well as plenty of athletic prep switch-hitters and college up-the-middle players, but there sure aren't a lot of shortstops. But that's not unusual. [...] Continue Reading »
Teams Have All Kind Of Options In 2011 Draft
Apr. 28, 2011
Once the top two players are taken in this year's draft, a very deep talent pool will give teams all kind of options. [...] Continue Reading »
The No. 1 Pick Isn't Usually Clear Cut
Apr. 14, 2011
Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper may have convinced you otherwise, but the identity of the No. 1 prospect in the draft usually isn't etched in stone. [...] Continue Reading »
NCAA's Recent Rulings Show No Consistency
Mar. 22, 2011
Jim Callis can't explain the consistency of the NCAA's recent agent rulings, and he doesn't think anyone else can either. [...] Continue Reading »
Braves Will Top Rays In 2014 Series
Mar. 14, 2011
Jim Callis predicts the 2014 playoffs, four years early. [...] Continue Reading »
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