Thursday, February 11, 2010

Top (Remaining) Cuban Baseball Free Agents: Ruiz, Anderson, Hechevarria

Check out the MLB Chronicle's 2010 Top 400 MLB Prospects

After many of this year's wave of Cuban baseball have been signed by MLB teams, there are still a number of talented players that remain available. So far this winter, Jose Iglesias, Noel Arguelles and Aroldis Chapman have flooded sports and business news after signing lucrative contracts. Chapman especially, was considered to be a gem on the free agent market, approaching the notoriety that Japanese star pitcher, Daisuke Matsuzaka, held a few seasons ago.

Earlier this month, first basemen Jose Julio Ruiz and outfielder Leslie Anderson were cleared to seek MLB contracts. Now, possibly the most talented Cuban defector not named "Aroldis Chapman," 19-year-old shortstop, Adeiny Hechevarria, is reportedly being sought after by as many as six MLB teams, including the Los Angeles Angels.

While Jose Iglesias, signed by the Red Sox earlier this winter for $8.2 million dollars, has garnered more buzz, Hechevarria actually forced Iglesias to second base while playing on the Cuban Junior National Team in 2007. While Iglesias has the tools to be something like a softer-hitting Orlando Cabrera, Hechevarria has the power potential to hit 15-20 home runs, and the range and arm to win a Gold Glove in the MLB. There's no doubt, Iglesias is a very talented player, and one who has a chance to embody the classic MLB shortstop-- mixing his steady glove with a contact-oriented bat. However, Hechevarria is much more athletic than the two-dimensional Iglesias, and can offer more bat and even more glove (if he adjusts well to American baseball). A shortstop similar to Yuniesky Bethancourt, with better defense, isn't a tall order from a player like Hechevarria, and at best, he could be something similar to a 2007-2008 J.J. Hardy.

Set to turn 26 this March, Jose Julio Ruiz-- arguably the most advanced bat available among the 2009-2010 class of Cuban baseball free agents-- can hit for both average and power, and has enough speed and athleticism to handle the outfield corners. While he won't hit 30 bombs in the MLB, Ruiz could use his strong cut to hit .280 with 18-25 home runs and he could rack up doubles with his above average speed and base-running instincts. At best he will be similar player to the Mariners' Casey Kotchman. He isn't a high-reward prospect, but because his skill-set (athletic first baseman with a polished, line-drive bat) is one that shouldn't deteriorate with his adjustment to American baseball, he isn't one that comes with considerable risk either.

Leslie Anderson is an older prospect, turning 28 this spring, but he does offer an impressive hitting savvy that could be useful on an MLB club. While Anderson played centerfield for the Cuban National team, he would probably fit better in left field or even first base in the MLB-- he also has experience in right. While his tools are fairly pedestrian, Anderson does have plus to plus-plus bat control, regularly hitting well over .300 and striking out far less than he walks. If given the chance, Anderson could be something like the Braves' Matt Diaz or a young Orlando Palmeiro with more gap-power. As always, until young Cuban ballplayers get a few months worth of red meat and protein in their diets, it's difficult to project their power and arm strength. However, because Anderson is already in his prime years, his ceiling isn't far off and he probably won't develop the power to hit more than 10-15 homeruns when given 600 at bats.

Below are videos of Ruiz, Anderson and Hechevarria provided by CubanBallPlayers.com.

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Hechevarria comes to bat at the 3'40" mark in this video, then makes a web gem later in the video...

Monday, February 1, 2010

MLB Top 350+ Prospects for 2010 (Arranged by Position)

The Spreadsheet is viewable below. Click here to view The MLB Chronicle's 2010 Top 350+ MLB Prospects (ranked and arranged by position)!

The following spreadsheet file is a listing of The (Major League) Baseball Chronicle's top 300 MLB prospects for 2010. The prospects are arranged by position and ranked by their overall talent, and their distance from the Major Leagues. For position players, scouting ratings (using the standard 20-80 Scouting Scale) are provided for their hitting ability ("Bat"), power ("Pwr"), base-running speed ("Spd"), overall defensive ability ("Fld"), and for their plate discipline/batting approach ("Dis"). I've also provided, each players' name, primary position(s), career on-base-plus-slugging percentage ("OPS")-- in the minor leagues (including the Dominican Summer League)--, their handedness with which they bat and throw ("B/T" for "bats and throws"), their date of birth ("D.O.B."), their height and weight ("Ht/Wt"), and their overall prospect grade ("Grade").

The 20-80 scouting scale used by The Major League Baseball Chronicle, is one that is almost universal utilized by baseball scouting organizations. The numbers are projections of what the player could do, when (and if) they reach 80% of their potential. A scouting rating of "50" represents the MLB average-- 15 homeruns, an 87-88 mph fastball, a .270 batting average etc... A scouting rating of "80" is extremely rare, and only given to the most impressive skills-- Adam Dunn's power, Jose Reyes' speed, Tony Gwynn's batting ability, Ozzie Smith's defense, Pedro Martinez' changeup, Nolan Ryan's fastball, Barry Zito's curveball, etc... A scouting rating of "35" is fringe MLB-passable for most skills, except defense due to the existence of the designated hitter in the AL. Occasionally subpar skills (a Tim Wakefield's fastball velocity, Sean Casey's foot-speed, Adam Dunn's defense) (below a "35" rating) are acceptable if the player's other skills compensate. Jason Tyner for instance, had 1358 MLB at bats despite hitting just one homerun during that span. A scouting rating of "20" is a skill that will keep a player from receiving an at bat in the Major Leagues and is rarely seen in Minor League baseball.

For pitchers, the same information that was listed for batters is provided (Name, position, team, grade, etc...)-- except their scouting ratings are appropriate for their position. In the hitter's batting-ability column, pitchers have a rating for their fastball movement and velocity ("fb"). In the hitter's power column, pitchers have a rating for their breaking-ball movement and velocity ("Bb"), followed by a rating for their changeup movement/velocity ("ch") in the next column, their overall command and control ("Cmd") in the next, and finally a rating for their polish ("pol") (-- a measure of major-league readiness and pitching intelligence-- in the final column. Note that, instead of providing an OPS, a pitchers' career, minor league, earned-run-average ("ERA"), is listed.

All of the prospects listed on this spreadsheet have less than 150 Major League at bats and less than 50 MLB innings pitched. Most of the players listed on this sheet have no experience in the Major Leagues, while some have no professional baseball experience whatsoever.

For players that have an inadequate amount of statistical data in the Minor Leagues, "N/A" is listed under their "OPS" or "ERA" columns.

By the end of the week, written scouting reports for each of these players will be posted, but premium information will only be available to online subscribers ($19.95 + $2.95 s&h for access to the 2010 TBC Prospect Handbook). For subscription information, please contact Ryan Kelley (rskelley9@gmail.com) or Laura Ryan (lryan09@gmail.com) for further details. The official website of The Major League Baseball Chronicle (www.mlbchronicle.com) is currently being repaired, and will be available by February 3rd, 2010.



(c) 2010, RyanSK LLC. MLB Top 350+ Prospects 2010 is property of RyanSK LLC. Any attempt to copy or redistribute MLB Top 350+ Prospects for 2010 is illegal and those responsible will be prosecuted to the utmost of the law.
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