Rising Prospect #5 - Clint Frazier (Cleveland Indians)

Background on Clint

Clint Frazier was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) by the Cleveland Indians in 2013. He was very highly thought of as a great high school talent. By the end of the 2014 Minor League season, Clint was rated as the Indians #2 overall prospect and MLB's #44 overall prospect according to MLB.com. During the 2014 season, Frazier played for the Lake County Captains who are a full season A team.

How Did 2014 Go?

In 474 at bats during the season, Frazier had 126 hits with 13 of those being home runs. He has the ability to hit the long ball which is always a plus for a young talent with a lot of upside. He also hit 50 RBIs. From looking at Clint's stats, we can see that he has a tendency to strike out a decent amount. During the season, he struck out 161 times along with compiling 56 walks. We can also tell that Frazier has some speed by the 12 stolen bases that he had on the year. This kind of stat can be expected from someone who plays center field. Now we get to one of my favorite stats, batting average. Clint Frazier has a batting average of .266 for the 2014 season. This is not so bad for someone who has the ability to hit for power along with the ability steal some bases. I believe that as time goes on, he may be able to bring down his strikeout rate a lot with toning and changing up his mechanics a bit. This may also allow him to hit for a better average and to have improved power.

Clint Frazier did not earn any awards or honors during the 2014 season.

Overall Thoughts

Frazier may stand out for his power which is helped tremendously by his great bat speed. He usually has a good approach at the plate but it is something that could be improved on based on how many strikeouts he had during the year. When it comes to his defense, Frazier had a great upside with his strong arm and his ability to cover a decent amount of ground. If he had to move to another position, he could easily make the transition to a corner outfield spot due to his arm strength. One thing that may worry some people is his physical ability and size. For some, this may not even be a concern based on Frazier's wide range of great tools that he possess. Overall, Clint Frazier may prove to be a great asset to his Major League team when he gets that call up.

Mike's Rating
           B


As always, feel free to share your thoughts and comments about Clint!

Rising Prospect #4 - Carlos Rodon (Chicago White Sox)

Background on Carlos

Carlos Rodon was drafted in the First Round (3rd overall) in the 2014 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. Carlos was a very highly thought of player coming into the draft and it was somewhat of a surprise that he was not drafted with the first overall pick. At the end of the 2014 Minor League Season, Rodon was rated at the White Sox's #1 Prospect along with the MLB's #19 prospect according to MLB.com. Carlos split his 2014 season between the Arizona White Sox (Rookie League), the Winston-Salem Dash (A+), and the Charlotte Knights (AAA).

How Did 2014 Go?

Despite having such a small sample size of Carlos Rodon in the 2014 season, it is still clear to see why he was drafted so highly. In 24.2 innings pitched between the three teams this season, he complied an ERA of 2.92. This is not bad considering this is the first time he has seen professional league action against those who (for the most part) have much more experience than him. Although having a zero win and zero loss record for the season, Carlos pitched in nine games in which he started six. In those innings, he gave up twenty hits and thirteen walks. These numbers clearly show that there is some room for improvement. His most impressive stat is his strikeouts. He had a total of 38 strikeouts in less than 25 innings. Impressive!

Carlos Rodon did not earn an honors or achievements in his short 2014 season.

Overall, I think that Carlos Rodon will prove to be a great asset for the White Sox in the future. It has been said by the front office of the Sox that they value Rodon very highly. There are also some talks of having him join the MLB roster at some point in the 2015 season. With Rodon's ability to throw his better-than-average slider and change up, with the addition of his high-velocity fastball, he definitely had the potential to be a teams ace one day. I believe that there is a reason that he received the highest bonus ever for his organization.

Mike's Rating

           A

Feel free to share your thoughts on Carlos Rodon! Thanks for reading!

Rising Prospect #3 - Dylan Bundy (Baltimore Orioles)

Background on Dylan

The prospect that I will talk about this week is Dylan Bundy of the Baltimore Orioles. Bundy was drafted in the first round (4th overall) in the 2011 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. At the end of the 2014 Minor League season, Bundy was rated as the Orioles #1 prospect and MLB's #12 prospect according to MLB.com. He spent his 2014 season split between two teams, the Aberdeen Ironbirds (A-, Short Season A) and the Frederick Keys (A+, Class A Advanced).

How Did 2014 Go?

So why is Dylan Bundy thought of so highly? Prior to 2014, Bundy was seen as one of the best up and coming pitchers in all of baseball. In 2012, he had an Earned Run Average (ERA) of  2.08 in 103.2 innings between three minor league teams. He also compiled a 9 win and 3 loss record that year. This was also the year that Bundy saw some time in the Major Leagues. He only managed to pitch 1.2 innings for the Orioles but only gave up one hit. Sounds promising, right? He was projected to pitch again for the Orioles in 2013 but ended up getting Tommy John Surgery (Major surgery on the elbow where the tendon is replaced). He spent the entire 2013 season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.

By the time 2014 rolled around, it was time for Dylan Bundy to get back on the mound. In his season split between two teams, he compiled a 1 win and 3 loss record along with 3.27 ERA in 41.1 innings. This is a good start for someone who is just getting to play the game after taking a whole year off for elbow surgery.

 Dylan Bundy did not earn and honors or achievements in the 2014 season.

Overall, I think that Bundy will come back to the form that he possesed prior to Tommy John surgery. He is already on his way to recapturing his old stuff by having his fastball sitting in the mid up upper 90's. He also displays incredible athletic ability and is known for having amazing work ethic. If he can come back from this surgery, he can easily become a top-tier starter in the big leagues. It may be the case that he will have will have future problems with his arm, but only time will tell.

Mike's Rating
         B+

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions about this blog and about Dylan Bundy! Thanks for reading!

Rising Prospect #2 - Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs)

Background on Kris

The prospect that I am going to talk about this week is non other than the Chicago Cub's own, Kris Bryant. Kris Bryant was drafted in the first round (second overall) by the Cubs. By the end of the 2014 Minor League season, Bryant was ranked as the Cubs #1 prospect on MLB.com. In all of baseball, Bryant was ranked as the #3 overall prospect. During the 2014 season, he spent his time split between two teams, the Tenneesee Smokies (AA) and the Iowa Cubs (AAA). 

How Did 2014 Go?

During this past season, Bryant had 43 home runs and 110 runs batted in. These are excellent numbers for a player who has only been in the league for two years! He also had a very solid .325 batting average between the two clubs that he played for. This stats not only show that he has a lot of power, but he also has the ability to hit for average and get on base a lot. Like I mentioned last week with Joey Gallo, the potential of striking out may happen a good amount for power hitters. This may or may not be the case with Bryant. As time goes on and with the more at bats he gets, we will be able to see how that plays out. Besides being a power house on the offensive side of the field, Bryant has the potential to be a solid defender as well. He has a very strong arm which is needed for when he plays third base. Another upside to Bryant's game is that he is very athletic. This is something that is not often seen as much with players of his frame and size. His ability on the base paths is something that should not be underestimated as well! 

Kris Bryant earned many awards and honors during the past season. Some include:

• 2014 USA Today Minor League Player of the Year
• 2014 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year
• Baseball America Minor League All-Star
• Futures Game Selection
• 3x Player of the Week

Overall, I think that Bryant will have a great future in the big leagues. He is already showing a lot of promise while only playing two season of minor league ball. His ability to hit the long ball along with his ability to hit for average and play good defense at third base will allow him to be a very solid player in this next upcoming years. If needed, Bryant has the ability to play the corner outfield positions well due to his athletic ability and arm strength. He may be one of the main pieces that the Cubs are missing in order to turn the franchise around!

Mike's Rating

          A+

Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions on Kris Bryant or on anything that was said in this blog! Thanks for reading!

Rising Prospect #1 - Joey Gallo (Texas Rangers)

Baseball is known to many as America's Pastime. Many people across the country enjoy playing and watching this lovable game. Some, even get the pleasure of playing the game of baseball as their career. In the great span of things, very few individuals get to fulfill their lifetime dream of reaching the Major Leagues to become a superstar. In this blog, I am going to divulge into some of the best prospects across minor league baseball.

Background on Joey

The prospect that I will talk about this week is Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers. Joey Gallo was drafted in the first round (39th overall) in the 2012 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers. As of the end of the end of the 2014 Minor League season, Gallo was rated as the Rangers #1 overall prospect and MLB's #7 overall prospect according to MLB.com. He split the entire 2014 season between the Rangers Single A Advanced affiliate and their Double A affiliate.

How Did 2014 Go?

Now that some of the basic information has been established about Mr. Gallo, we can talk about why I consider him to be one of the fastest and most promising rising stars in all of baseball. In his split time in A+ and AA ball, he was able to hit a whopping 41 home runs. Not many 20 year olds have power like that! Not only did he hit 41 home runs, he was able to hit for an average of .271 between both teams while compiling 106 runs batted in (RBI). With Gallo's power comes the chance that he will strikeout a lot. This is something that is very common with many power hitters. Gallo can hit very well but he can also play some pretty good defense. He had a fielding percentage of .951 between both teams. He may lack some defensive ability but he has a very strong arm from the hot corner at third base. The most lacking part of his game involves his ability on the base paths, which limits him to some extent.

Gallo also earned many honors and awards from the past season. Some of his awards include:

• MVP in the Carolina League (A+)
• Futures Game selection along with Futures Game MVP
• 4x player of the week throughout the 2014 season

Overall, I believe that Joey Gallo is a very talented and promising player. I think that he can go very far with his career in baseball. He will most likely have to depend on his bat to become the star that he has the potential to be. Due to his power, he might find himself in the DH role for a large majority of his career as he goes through the ranks.

Mike's Rating
           A

Feel free to share your thoughts and insight on Joey Gallo or anything that was said in this blog! Thanks for reading!