The eyes of the sporting world were diverted from early spring baseball and the playoff chases of the NHL and NBA by the unveiling of the 2012 NFL schedule on Tuesday night. Naturally, the prediction and hype machines cranked up into high gear and talk of Super Bowl runs and colossal failures began. Amid the talk of Week 9 match-ups were references to team needs and the NFL Draft. In the next week, sports fans will be inundated with information and profiles of prospects not named Luck or Griffin III. I’ll be among the throng shouting with bullhorns.
In that vein, I’m taking a step back from the early returns of Major League Baseball squads to review the next class of prospects. I begin the tour in Chicago with two players whose names I heard frequently while visiting Wrigley Field last week.
Chicago fans entered the 2012 season with renewed optimism following the arrival of Theo Epstein to spin his front office magic. One of the prospects that fans are watching intently is first baseman Anthony Rizzo. The former hot San Diego prospect was sent to Triple-A despite batting .364 this spring. Rizzo didn’t dwell on it long and brought his power stroke to Iowa. Through Tuesday’s games, Rizzo was batting .400 (20-for-50) with a double, five home runs and 13 RBI.
- Bryan LaHair was tabbed as the Cubs’ everyday first baseman. He missed time early because of a stiff back, but has acquitted himself fairly well. LaHair has hit safely in six of his past seven games and owns a .360 batting average (9-for-25) with two doubles, two home runs and six RBI. Note that the big-swinging LaHair has also struck out 10 times in his 29 plate appearances.
Fellow Cubs prospect Tony Campana didn’t mount much of an attack in spring training (.222 batting average), but the speedy outfielder may run back to Wrigley Field early this summer. Campana owns a .333 batting average (17-for-51) with a double, home run, three RBI and eight stolen bases (11 attempts).
As we expected, the Bobby Valentine Era in Boston did not begin without some fireworks. The Red Sox have opened the season with a record of 4-7, and he’s already buzzed tenured veteran Kevin Youkilis with stinging comments. Naturally, I thought I’d take a look at the early-spring production of third base prospect Will Middlebrooks to further the story. Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-4, 23-year-old slugger, owns a .333 batting average (16-for-48) with six extra-base hits (three home runs), 11 RBI and two stolen bases this spring.
Travis Snider found himself on the outside of the Toronto outfield rotation this spring. He batted .271 with four home runs and 16 RBI this spring, but failed to land a roster spot. Snider is batting .432 (19-for-44) for Triple-A Las Vegas with nine extra-base hits (three home runs) and 16 RBI. The former first-round selection struggled to a .225 batting average in 49 games for the Blue Jays last season after posting 14 home runs in 2010.
I would be remiss if I failed to take a detour to Salt Lake City in this piece to update you on the exploits of Angels super prospect Mike Trout. The highly-touted prospect has dominated PCL pitchers this spring, ripping at a .407 clip (22-for-54) while demonstrating fleet feet. In addition to his four stolen bases, Trout has also legged out three triples. He has produced one home run, one double and six RBI. The logjam in the Angels outfield will be addressed at some juncture and Trout will begin his long residence in Anaheim.
Washington super prospect Bryce Harper has produced a single RBI in 49 at-bats for Triple-A Syracuse. Harper owns a .245 (12-for-49) with four doubles, one triple and a stolen base. Relax. He’s all of 19 years old and will figure it out soon, perhaps early enough to assist in a pennant run. I said it.
One of my most highly-anticipated pitching prospects is former Washington prospect Brad Peacock, who is now dealing in the Oakland organization. Peacock has made three appearances for Triple-A Sacramento, pitching to a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings of work. He’s allowed a single earned run on seven hits and six walks with four strikeouts following a terrible camp (10 earned runs in three outings). Peacock’s low strikeout rate early in the season is somewhat concerning, but I suspect that he’ll hold value for owners while pitching in the spacious confines of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum this summer.
I turn back to the Angels organization for a moment to put Garrett Richards, the top pitching prospect on the radar. Richards has blown away PCL batters for Salt Lake, producing 21 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched while allowing 12 hits and five walks. Richards earned wins in two of his three starts with a 2.14 ERA.
The Braves optioned right-hander Julio Teheran to Triple-A Gwinnett following a dismal spring training period when he posted a 9.37 ERA. Teheran has rediscovered his “stuff” at Gwinnett by hurling 10 2/3 consecutive shutout innings. He shut down Norfolk on Tuesday, pitching 5 2/3 shutout innings with seven strikeouts. Teheran has allowed three earned runs in 12 1/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and six walks.
The Indians used Corey Kluber in middle relief during his three appearances in 2011. Kluber is positively obliterating hitters for Triple-A Columbus this spring. The 6-foot-4 righty has struck out 25 batters in 16 innings (2.81 ERA and 1.19 WHIP).
