By Matt Eddy
July 23, 2010



Moderator: Matt Eddy will chat about this week's Hot Sheet beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Matthew Eddy: Hey folks let's get started. I have to bolt early to finish a transactions installment for the blog.

Erik R (Jackson, NJ): Why does Grant Green have left to prove at Single A? When do you see him getting the call up to Midland?

Matthew Eddy: Green will certainly make a pop-in with Double-A Midland, but I bet the A's want to see him clean up his glovework first. A 3-error game on July 15 preceded a couple of miscues this week. There's really no rush here. Green could still be ready for a big league callup next September if he hits in Double-A.

JAYPERS (IL): After watching the FoxSports Hot Sheet preview video with JJ Cooper and how he raved about Hosmer, I was surprised not to see him make an appearance this week. He's certainly made an excellent impression with his new team thus far. How close was he, and what kept him off?

Matthew Eddy: Thanks for the plug. Hosmer is worthy of platitudes and even the occasional J.J. rave, but the lesson here is not that Hosmer is unworthy. It's that it's really freakin' hard to make the Prospect Hot Sheet. We single out just 20 player a week.

Ben (Leland Grove): If you had to pick one team's farm system as the most impressive overall at present, who would it be and why?

Matthew Eddy: I'm really coming around on the Royals. I liked Moustakas, Hosmer, Myers and Lamb perhaps more than most coming into the year, and they certainly have done nothing to extinguish that flame this year. The Braves and Phillies would also have to be in the discussion, but what separates the Royals is the two elite hitters at the upper levels.

Sean (Newport): Oswaldo Arcia: Top 100 prospect?

Matthew Eddy: He's looking like a shoo-in for a high ranking in the Appy League. Beyond that, well, stay tuned . . .

Virgil Dahl (Waterloo, Iowa): Matt; with San Francisco graduating Posey and Bumgarner to the majors, and their remaining top prospects stalling somewhat, could Francisco Peguero jump from number l0, to number 1?...is there a chance he could make your top l00 list? Based on your handbooks description of Peguero, and his perfromance this year, it suggests that he could provide the spark at the top of the Giants line-up that they sorely need. Could he be compared to Juan Pierre, with more pop, and a much better arm? thanks

Matthew Eddy: To say the least, I think Peguero will have a hard time hurdling Zach Wheeler and Brandon Belt in the Giants' ranking. But is he better than 2010 first-rounder Gary Brown, assuming he signs? That might be the appropriate starting point. Both are speed-oriented, righty-hitting outfielders in their early 20s. Peguero has proven himself as a pro, up to this point, so perhaps he gets the nod.

Tom (San Francisco, CA): Given the struggles of the Flying Squirrels squad this year, I'm growing increasingly wary of Cal League performances. Do envision Peguero meeting a similar fate next year?

Matthew Eddy: High Class A is a strange place. Some prospects head to the Florida State League, the most oppressive hitting environment in the minors, while others head to the Cal League, which is just about the polar opposite. As to Peguero, yes I would expect him to give back a lot of power in the Eastern League, and to also lose points on his average. Balls in play in the Cal League fall for a hit much more frequently than in others leagues. This seems to be a product of faster infields and deeper outfield positioning. But what do you guys think?

Nick (MD): Although Tim Beckham has had a rough season. He has shown some good signs. His BB% has almost doubled, and he has been stealing more bases. On the other hand his contact rate is not improving and he isn't sluggging. Are you still hopeful he will become a solid major leaguer? Any positives you can share?

Matthew Eddy: You did nicely in summing up the positives. One other caveat: the FSL makes his performance seem worse than it is in reality — particularly with regard to his slugging pct. And that's going to be the one area to monitor for Beckham, especially if, as expected, he moves to an easier defensive position, like second or third base.

Eric K (Hopkins-near Carrington): Any love for Logan Morrison this week? Think he bumps Gabby to LF before the year is out? Thanks.

Matthew Eddy: I really like Morrison, personally, and you can read more about him in a few weeks: he's slated for a close-up in an upcoming Triple-A feature. Because he's a bit more athletic and younger than Gaby Sanchez, I think Morrison ends up in left field, unless Sanchez dematerializes.

JAYPERS (IL): Princeton's Todd Glaesmann showed some serious signs of life last night. What is his ceiling in your opinion, and who does he remind you of?

Matthew Eddy: Rays 2009 third-rounder Todd Glaesmann looks the part of power hitter. Or rather he will when he fills out his 6-foot-4 frame over the next 2-3 seasons. In Princeton's recent series at Burlington, he went 6-for-13 with two homers in one game, a triple in another and six RBIs total. I can vouch for the dimensions in Burlington, N.C. — it's a legit 330 down each line, so there are no cheap home runs.

AG (San Jose): Where do you see Chris Nelson 5 years from now, Starting SS. 2bman, 3bman or just utility player? Looks like he is finally living up to that potential, no?

Matthew Eddy: For a player who's taken so long to matriculate to the majors, I'll take the under on Nelson, who went 9th overall to the Rox in 2004. So that's bat-oriented utility player.

Dan (Tulsa, OK): How good is Shelby Miller? I'm hoping your answer is "Good enough that the Cards wouldn't think about including him in a trade for an overpriced, declining veteran starter."

Matthew Eddy: Question of the day right here. It would be a risky play for the Cards to deal Miller, their first pick in '09, for late-career Oswalt. But hey, at least it wouldn't be as bad as the Mets dealing Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano six years ago.

Craig (Milwaukee): What are your thoughts on Indians 3Bman Lonnie Chisenhall? I read after the Futures Game that he displayed arguably the best bat in BP. Is he a guy that can hit 25+ HR's with an above .300 avg?

Matthew Eddy: Terrific buy-low candidate. Chisenhall can handle the defensive responsibilities at third base while chipping in with above-average hitting and power tools. But then I'm predisposed to favor lefty-hitting third basemen.

Lance (Memphis): Is Cory Vaughn better than most people thought heading into the draft, or is this just a hot streak that he doesn't have the tools to maintain?

Matthew Eddy: This is exactly the question I've been trying to answer, so I turned to college baseball guru Aaron Fitt for more. His response: "Vaughn has always had big tools — look at our writeup of him when he ranked as the top prospect in the Northwoods League after his freshman year. And he's had hot streaks like this in his college career, but sustaining has always been the issue. As pitchers adjust to him, can he make adjustments? He did not show a whole lot of ability to do so in college."

Danny (Toronto): Whos a good comparison to J.P. Arencibia?

Matthew Eddy: Maybe a catcher like Rod Barajas — low on-base, huge power, strong arm. Before you scoff, realize that Barajas has turned that skillset (plus great makeup) into a 12-year big league career that has earned him more than $12 million and a World Series ring.

mick (cali): Brandon Belt is quite a polarizing prospect. So what is your take... future star, average big leaguer, or the next Giants 4A player?

Matthew Eddy: Cautiously optimistic, but as with any prospect, I want to see results in Double-A and beyond.

Ken Rule (Lakewood CA): Hi Matt. So has Luebke passed up Castro on the San Diego Minor League Depth Chart? I thought Castro was the bomb, but now??? Does Luebke project that much higher than Castro?

Matthew Eddy: A lot of people appear to be jumping off the Simon Castro bandwagon. Sure, he was terrible in the Futures Game and in the Texas League all-star game, but that's nothing compared to how terrible he was in Rookie ball in '06 and '07. He's come a long way in three years and certainly has the capacity to overcome his latest struggles. In others words, few prospects will work harder to refine their craft than will Castro. Just give him time. Castro and Luebke appear to be best-case No. 3 starters in the big leagues.

Boudan Willie (Down by da creekbed): Was Garrett Richards considered for this week's Hot Sheet? Considering he had 2 starts that qualified for this HS time-frame & his 2 starts looking like the following: 7ip, 4hits, 4runs, 1HR, 4BB's, 7K's, 3.86ERA 6.0ip, 2hits, 0runs, 0HR, 0BB's, 8K's, 0.00 & got the "W" I would think he would've at least been in consideration for the Hot Sheet?

Matthew Eddy: We looked at Richards for Hot Sheet . . . for the Man Among Boys section. A 22-year-old from a four-year college program *should* dominate low Class A hitters. And dominate Richards has: 9 strikeouts, 2.8 walks, 0.5 homers per nine innings.

Matthew Eddy: Great questions this time. Thanks for stopping by. Look for a fresh batch of transactions later this afternoon.