CIV- OK but we have not been able to get a left fielder for how long now?

Funny but when I played ball, eons ago, left field was usually one of your best hitters and one of your worse fielders.

I know that from experience.

Uhhh! The reason Phelps won't be seeing any major league time at any position is he can't hit major league pitching.

If you can hit, they'll find a position for you.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): It's a long way from the Arizona League to the American League, but do you foresee Paulino as a 300 hitter or a 30 home run hitter or maybe even both?


Bill Mitchell: Elliot, you are correct in stating that it's a very long way from the AZL to the American League, especially for Paulino who is still only 17. I could envision Paulino being that kind of hitter but it's way too early to project those kind of numbers. Just enjoy watching him along the way.


[i.e. Keep enjoying the minors for what they are, not what they project. That's been my approach anyway.]

Seagull- I dont know about that, I have seen guys take a bit longer than Phelps has to show their skills. We overall are not the best judge of that (our scouts and so on).

If they could trade Phelps, they would in a heartbeat.

I concur. but 2nd baseman are one of the least tradable commodities, since it's a position SS or 3B are converted to, not visa versa.

Going to be 26 in January. At best a throw in.

Exciting article about one of our few power hitters, who could well turn out to be as successful as Nick Weglarz.

CLEVELAND First baseman Jesus Aguilar did not speak a word of English when he signed with the Indians as a minor league free agent out of Venezuela 2007.
Like many Latin American players coming to the United States for the first time, the language, customs and food were very different than those back home.

"People would talk to me and I would just freeze like, 'What are trying to tell me?' I just didn't understand," said Aguilar, who spent a majority of this season at high Class A Carolina before a late-season promotion to Double-A Akron. "It's really hard at first for every Latin player that comes here to play, but you learn."

Aguilar joked that he learned how to say, "Number two combo, please," pretty quickly to ensure he wouldn't starve regardless of where he was playing. But he was also pleasantly surprised to find his new American roommates and teammates willing to be helpful language instructors.

Aguilar took English classes in rookie ball to help lay the foundation for a second language. Now, he understands English a majority of the time and can speak it pretty well during a conversation.

Having hurdled the language barrier and in the midst of a steady climb in the Indians minor league system, Aguilar has enjoyed a breakout season in 2012. He hit .277/.365/.454 with 12 home runs and 58 RBIs for Carolina before batting .292/.402/.500 in 20 games with Akron.

Aguilar, 23, has improved his footwork at first base while maintaining pop at the plate.

"Offensively, his power's the other way to right center—he can pull a ball," Akron manager Chris Tremie said. "He's continued to work on identifying breaking balls and off-speed pitches and staying back. But there's a lot of potential there, a lot of power potential . . . There's a pretty big ceiling with him."

We need lots of big ceilings.

Ceilings? We need A-Frame roofs!

In fact, first we need a foundation.

Today BA will post and chat about New York-Penn League prospects. Unlike the Arizona League where our team was full of 17-19 year old prospects, the MV Scrappers had little talent of interest. Tyler Naquin performed like a Trevor Crowe-wannabe. His offensive line was 270/379/380 and successfully four of 7 attempts. Our wise men drafted him about 15 spots higher than the industry experts expected. He is said to have CF offensive skills (if you want a CF who never hits any homers) but RF defensive skills. He could find his way onto to the Top 20 list anyway just because he was a No. 1 pick.

Joe Wendle, a cheap 4th year college player draft choice, hit well: 327/375/469. But he's yet another 2B only in the Scott Pratt and Cord Phelps tradition. They tried him at 3rd too, where he managed 8 errors in 21 games.

Luis DeJesus was successful on the mound 0.921 WHIP but he recorded only 5.8 K/9 IP.

Jake Sisco, highly rated 3rd rounder from 2011, was 5.03 ERA, 1.442 WHIP, 5.3 K/9 IP. Pretty poor stats across the board.

Dorsyss Paulino hit pretty well in his one week here after promotion when the Arizona season ended. Not enough exposure in the NYPL to qualify on the prospect list.

I don't note anyone else whose stats suggest a hidden surprise. We'll see what if anything BA says about our prosepcts here.

Is Taylor Naquin really danny peoples?

And the verdict is in, with no surprises.

Naquin rated No. 16 prospect and no one else on the list. Not a very impressive report on Naquin, not even his great arm was great.

Naquin built a reputation as one of college baseball's best pure hitters during his standout three-year career at Texas A&M, earning him a $1.75 million bonus as the No. 15 overall pick in the 2012 draft. He missed most of August with a back injury but returned in time to participate in the low Class A Midwest League playoffs.

Naquin has outstanding hand-eye coordination and a handsy, line-drive swing, but he'll need to incorporate his lower half better and turn on more pitches in order to maximize his gap power. Because of his quick hands and good vision, he can let the ball travel very deep into the hitting zone. He handles breaking balls very well and is a good bunter, though he could use his solid speed more aggressively on the bases.

After playing right field at A&M in deference to speed merchant Krey Bratsen, Naquin moved to center in his pro debut. He had some trouble coming in on balls early in the summer, though his jumps improved during the season. While he owns a well above-average arm, his throwing didn't stand out much in the NY-P.

Dump him non prospect. Signablility pick. Where have we seen this before. Dont really understand how Dolan justifies giving the brain trust their pay checks every month. Of course it is all manny acta'a fault. Guess his players didnt grind didnt respect the game and above all were not gritty.