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!