• The KillerFrogs

2019 MLB Thread

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FBallFan123

Active Member
https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-teams-having-unexpectedly-good-offseasons/c-303316940?tid=282421090

5 teams that have had sneaky-good offseasons

MLB.com said:
General manager Jon Daniels will have turned over 80 percent of his starting rotation and a significant chunk of his bullpen by Opening Day. Rather than spend big on a single free agent, he invested in numbers.
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MLB.com said:
1. Rangers

Key additions: RHPs Lance Lynn, Shelby Miller, Shawn Kelley, Jesse Chavez; LHP Drew Smyly; 3B Asdrubal Cabrera; C Jeff Mathis

Bottom line: Lynn, Miller, Chavez and Kelley will make about $15 million in 2019. Another right-hander, Edinson Volquez, will make $2 million in his comeback season from Tommy John surgery. Daniels is hoping that finding a few bounce-back candidates will give him the best chance of turning the page on a 95-loss season and improving a rotation that had MLB's second-highest ERA. Not all of these signings will pan out, but a few could.
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FBallFan123

Active Member
MLB Pipeline is going through their top 30 prospects lists for each MLB team.

They're about halfway through releasing them all.

Here's how some of the former frogs are ranked.

(They have ETA's for Feltman, Ferrell and Howard for this season.)

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2019?list=bos


Durbin Feltman | Rank: 12 (Preseason: 12)


Team: Salem Red Sox (A Adv) ETA: 2019 Position: RHP Age: 21 DOB: 04/18/1997 Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 0" Weight: 205 lb. Drafted: 2018, 3rd (100) - BOS
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Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 55 | Overall: 45

Feltman didn't become a full-time pitcher until his senior season as a Texas high schooler, attracting little attention from scouts but earning a scholarship from Texas Christian. He became the Horned Frogs' closer as a freshman, set a program record with 17 saves as a sophomore and posted a 0.74 ERA and tied another school mark with his 32nd career save last spring. Signed for $559,600 as a third-round pick, he reached Class A Advanced in his debut and is a leading candidate to become the first 2018 draftee to reach the big leagues.

Feltman has a devastating pair of pitches that could make him a closer in the Majors. His fastball combines velocity (95-97 mph to 99) with running action and deception. Batters also have difficulty picking up his mid-80s slider, which has depth and is a wipeout pitch at its best.

In addition to blowing hitters away, Feltman also can throw them off balance with a decent changeup. Though he has three pitches, he's definitely a reliever because he's relatively small and there's effort in his delivery. He's wiry, strong and durable, however, and does a nice job of locating his pitches where he wants.
 
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FBallFan123

Active Member
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2019?list=mia


Riley Ferrell | Rank: 20 (Preseason: 20)


Team: Miami Marlins ETA: 2019 Position: RHP Age: 25 DOB: 10/18/1993 Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 2" Weight: 200 lb. Drafted: 2015, 3rd (79) - HOU
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Scouting grades: Fastball: 65 | Slider: 60 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

Ferrell was on the fast track to reach the Majors after signing with the Astros for an above-slot $1 million in the third round in 2015, but his timetable got altered when he needed surgery to remove an aneurysm from his throwing shoulder the following May. He spent the second half of 2018 in Triple-A, but his inability to throw strikes led Houston to gamble by not protecting him on its 40-man roster. The Marlins claimed him in the big league phase of the Rule 5 Draft in December.

Ferrell has a two-pitch power mix that should play in the late innings and makes him a candidate to someday be a closer. His fastball ranges from 93-98 mph with some late hop, and his mid-80s slider flashes two-plane break. Both can be well-above-average offerings at their best.

Because Ferrell pitches at a high tempo and has a tendency to overthrow, command and control have been issues for him dating back to his college days at Texas Christian. He did a better job of finding the strike zone when he returned from surgery, but his walk rate jumped from 2.3 per nine innings in 2017 to 5.9 last season. Rule 5 guidelines maintain that he stay on Miami's big league roster throughout 2019, or else he has to be exposed to waivers and then offered back to the Astros for half his $100,000 draft price.
 
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FBallFan123

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http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2019?list=oak


Brian Howard | Rank: 21 (Preseason: 21)


Team: Midland RockHounds (AA) ETA: 2019 Position: RHP Age: 23 DOB: 04/25/1995 Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 9" Weight: 185 lb. Drafted: 2017, 8th (231) - OAK


Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Cutter: 55 | Slider: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55 | Overall: 45

The A's might have hit the senior sign jackpot in the 2017 Draft. One round after getting Parker Dunshee in the seventh round, they were able to get Howard, a four-year member of TCU's pitching staff, in the eighth for just $40,000. Like Dunshee, he pitched his way to Double-A in his first full season and finished fourth in the organization in ERA and third in strikeouts.

Howard and Dunshee have similarities beyond beyond being shrewd senior signs. Both right-handers use a bevy of largely average offerings and the ability to command them to succeed. While Howard doesn't miss quite as many bats as his rotation-mate, he does have a healthy strikeout rate and gets more ground-ball outs thanks in part to the good sink on his 89-92 mph fastball that plays as average due to its movement. His best secondary pitch is an 89 mph cutter that misses bats and gets more weak contact on the ground. Howard can morph his cutter into a slightly slower slider that flashes plus, and he mixes in an effective curve and changeup as well.

Howard uses his 6-foot-9 frame extremely well with outstanding extension to create uncomfortable at-bats, a big reason why he has a high pop-up rate in addition to his ground-ball tendencies. A's fans could see he and Dunshee fill the back end of the big league rotation soon.
 
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FBallFan123

Active Member
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2019?list=stl


Luken Baker | Rank: 24 (Preseason: 24)


Team: Peoria Chiefs (A) ETA: 2021 Position: 1B Age: 21 DOB: 03/10/1997 Bats: R Throws: R Height: 6' 4" Weight: 265 lb. Drafted: 2018, 2C (75) - STL
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Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 20 | Arm: 60 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45

Baker was an intriguing two-way high school prospect heading into the 2015 Draft, one who asked MLB teams not to take him because he was intent on heading to Texas Christian University. After one year pitching and hitting, an arm strain led to him focusing on his offensive skills. While productive, he's also had a string of scary injuries: a hairline fracture and ligament/muscle damage in his left arm in 2017, then a broken fibula and torn ankle ligaments in his left leg as a junior last spring. The Cardinals liked Baker's power potential enough to take him No. 75 overall, and he returned to health and reached full-season ball quickly during his pro debut.

Baker has tremendous strength and leverage thanks to his 6-foot-4, 265-pound frame. Coupled with good bat speed, he has legitimate power to all fields and finished his three-year college career with a .347 average, 28 home runs and 129 RBIs. There is some length in Baker's right-handed swing, but he has advanced barrel control and is comfortable hitting to all fields. His advanced approach led to more walks than strikeouts during his TCU career, and he demonstrated patience and managed the zone well even when he was pitched around.

A solid athlete for his size, Baker is nonetheless limited as a runner and defender. He does have a plus arm that once delivered low-90s fastballs, but he is decidedly a first baseman only. The good news is it's looking like Baker's bat will profile just fine at the position.
 
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Eight

Eight

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FBallFan123 said:
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this is how it starts

MW-GD647_skynet_20180213113524_ZH.jpg
 

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