For the Pittsburg Pirates there's been a new look to the team. With trading away franchise fan favorite CF Andrew McCutchen and former #1 overall pick Ace SP Gerrit Cole. These transactions made the Pittsburgh Pirates be ranked in the bottom part of standings in the NL Central with the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers all improving this offseason. The Pirates did pickup 2017 All-Star OF Corey Dickerson to fill in McCutchens void in the outfield, but is not a long-term commitment. With Pittsburgh losing there core players and going back to there losing ways. Austin Meadows will be ready to raise the jolly roger in 2018. The former #9th overall pick in the 2013 draft is now 22 years old, ranked #45th in the MLB Top 100 list, and the Pirates #1 prospect in their system. Meadows is right now a 3-tool player with his hitting, fielding, and arm with power coming on the way. Meadows has a smooth fluid swing that gives him good recognition through the strike-zone with the ability to draw more walks than strikeouts. He can also hit off of lefties as well as he can hit off righties, spreading the defense thin hitting the ball to where it's located not being pull favored. His fielding is improving with covering enough ground in Center Field with good tracking recognition and an accurate arm making his cutoffs consistently enough to be an everyday MLB Center Fielder. Center Fielders are known for having the weakest arm in the outfield so if his velocity never develops there won't be problem for his other solid tool in the outfield. The problems Austin will encounter once he enters the show is the difference between MLB left-handed pitchers and Minor League pitchers, pitchers throwing off-speed low and away from him, and with his health to play everyday. Austin has struggled to stay on the field being sidelined with injuries, but that has not let him destroy his progress for already making the jump to Triple-A last season playing in 72 games. With a healthy a Meadows beginning in Triple-A this season. We can see Austin get the call-up either just before the All-Star game or at the end of the season in August-September depending on if Pittsburgh decides to tank and if someone on the MLB roster gets injured. Right now for Pirates fans there's not a lot to be excited about this season but if there's one thing to be optimistic about it's Austin Meadows waiting for the call up.
This week the majority of MLB teams decided to cut down on their 40-man Spring Training rosters to get ready for Opening Day that's 15 days away. The first to go are clubs highly touted prospects who we can see get the call-up sooner than later. Organizations give their top prospects enough time with their MLB team to experience what there lifestyle will be once called up and to still give them enough time in the Minor League Camps to get there reps in and prepare for the season. I will be talking about the prospects that are ranked in the MLB Top 100 list that have the best shot of getting called up in 2018 and had an impressive Spring Training. Maybe these young guys didn't get the call up today, but don't be surprise to see them make an impact this upcoming season. Hope you Enjoy..
For the St. Louis Cardinals and Randal Grichuk, they agreed that it was time to part ways. The Toronto Blue Jays decided to pickup the 27 year old outfielder knowing that Grichuk still has some work to put in, but can reach his potential in a matter of his first season in Toronto. This isn't the first that the Cardinals and Blue Jays decided to make a deal with a young outfielder. The Cardinals sent there young touted outfielder to the 6th in Colby Rasmus. Rasmus never reached his potential in St.Louis but produced well enough in Toronto to be their everyday starter and to move on in his career getting the contract he wanted with another team. Randall shows a lot more promise then what Colby did. Rasmus only wanted to leave St.Louis because he didn't like how they ran the club and St.Louis didn't like his attitude and lack of performance which got him to where is he now. For Grichuk, he just needed a change of scenery for letting the Cardinals high expectations of him get to the best of him. This weakened his confidence and performance of play which got him sent down to the minors for a little bit to work on his swing, but only weakened his confidence more. Last year Grichuk played in 122 games batting .238 with 22 home runs and 59 rbi's. For his ceiling he can do a lot more. The Cardinals thought he could be a .280-300 hitter with 25-35 home runs and 80-100 rbi's but the bat never came along and got to stuck on trying to hit the long ball rather than just hitting the ball in general. Grichuk has natural power to all sides of the field with a solid glove in the outfield. With a change of scenery for Grichuk we can see that he can be more relaxed with less expectations, and can improve on his game with star players Josh Donaldson and Tulo and veteran presence Curtis Granderson to mentor him. He can now relax at the plate more be slated lower in the lineup and can expect more home runs being in the AL and for being in Toronto a hitter friendly ball park. For his defense he doesn't have to worry about running the outfield for defensive star Kevin Pillar will be in Center and Randall will be pushed to Right Field with some playing time in Center. Randall will be their everyday right fielder turning 27 in 2018 with a lot positive things to look forward too. We could see Grichuk be named the most improved player of the year in 2018 with the opportunity that he's been given and team that he's with. We can project Grichuk to play in 125-145 games batting .255-285 with 25-32 home runs and 65-85 rbi's. Grichuk still shows a lot of promise, he just needs to build his confidence up and with the move to Toronto. We can see a new 6th God emerging this season.
For Stephen Piscotty the Cali life is the only thing he knows. He was born and raised in Pleasanton California, played for the University of Stanford, and is now playing for the Oakland Athletics. Piscotty was traded from the Cardinals for 2 low level prospects. Piscotty will be on the young side of 28 entering 2018 who's ready to have a bounce back year. Stephen struggled last year, being sidelined from the game with multiple injuries and from his mother being diagnosed with ALS in 2017. With his health not at 100% and putting his time and focus towards his mothers health lead to Piscotty only playing in 107 games batting .232 with 9 home runs and 39 rbi's. In 2016 Stephen played in 153 games batting .273 with 22 home runs and 85 rbi's which is the Stephen you can expect to see in 2018. Piscotty's advantages are his hitting and arm. He has above average power with a solid swing that can hit to all parts of the field with a low strikeout rate. For his fielding he has enough speed to cover Oaklands spacious outfield and has an above average arm with solid accuracy always hitting his cut-offs and sometimes gunning some runners at the plate. Piscotty needs to realize that the A's won't be competing in the West until another 2-5 years. Luckily for him the contract that he signed in 2016 with the Cardinals won't end until 2022. This gives Stephen the time to grow with the team, become a leader of the A's, be a valuable piece to there playoff runs in the future, and will definitely be a fan favorite for being a Cali kid. The only problem Stephen might encounter next year is not to on the field but at home. ALS is a terrible disease that takes the ones we love away from us with no way of us helping to make the process easier. One of my favorite coaches mothers had ALS who was a very sweet lady and was grateful enough to help raise money for ALS and to meet her before she passed away. It was hard to watch my coach handle taking care of someone that you knew couldn't be saved, so I can't imagine how hard it is for Stephen Piscotty and his family right now. It does help a lot that he is close to home so he can go see his mother whenever but the worse she get's the harder it will be for Stephen to stay focused on the game but who could blame him. If Stephen can find the perfect middle of balancing his work and family then we can see the Stephen Piscotty from 2016 then the bad Piscotty in 2017. With the Swingin A's having Kris Davis who went back to back 40 homer seasons, a rejuvenated Jonathan Lucroy, and a young core with Dustin Fowler, Matt Olson, Franklin Barreto, and Jorge Mateo on the way. We can project Piscotty batting in the heart of the lineup preferably 3rd playing in 125-155 games batting .270-295 with 18-28 home runs, 80-100 rbi's and a couple outfield assists to watch on Top 10 plays. Stephen's a good player and I hope for the best for him and for his family one day we will strike out ALS for good sooner than later just have faith. Stephen's now in his element and is time for the Cali native to prove what he's got.
With the Tampa Bay Rays remodeling their whole roster. The Rays decided to trade away franchise captain 3B Evan Longoria, OF Steven Souza Jr, SP Jake Odorizzi, and designating All-Star OF Corey Dickerson for an assignment. At first it was confusing to hear that Corey got DFA'd with no valid reason to why the move after coming off his best season in the show hitting .282 with 27 home runs in 150 games. In a few days after the move was made, the Pittsburgh Pirates came in to acquire the unloved left fielder. Since the Pirates didn't want to wait for Corey to decide whether to be released or accept staying in the minors for knowing that some other teams would jump on trying to pick him up soon. The Pirates had to give up reliever Daniel Hudson, infield prospect Tristan Gray, and $1 million for the 29 year old power hitting left fielder. This was a great lowkey move for the Pirates for not digging out there top prospects, giving up Daniel Hudson who is an overpaid reliever that hasn't even posted an under 4.25 era in the past 2 seasons, and $1 million which will be valued as pocket change once Corey starts playing everyday in Pittsburgh. Corey is on the young side of 29 entering in his prime with a lot of upside. Last summer he lost over 25 pounds and with no back pain allowing him to swing with no stress or extra weight holding him back having a dominant 1st half of the season giving him the call to the summer classic. Corey has natural raw power to all sides of the field now having a more steady and fluid swing that gives him the opportunity to elevate his launch angle and performance. Corey is also an average outfielder that is a determine to get the out when he can. He will putout for the play, jump over the wall, and throw out some batters too if it helps the get the win at the end of the day which is nice to see his passion for the game and the drive to win. The main reason why we think Corey got DFA in the first place is due to his performance in the second half of last season. The second half of the season was not as what Corey hoped for it to be getting tired at the end batting .242 with an OBP of .282 and SLG .408. His defense is also not the best and with playing 57 games at DH doesn't help his adjustments to being back in the NL playing at LF everyday. With his lack of speed could cause more fatigue playing in the outfield everyday which can hurt his hitting, but Corey did only commit 1 error in 93 games at LF with an above average arm, he just needs to be ready to play close to 110-130 games at LF. Clint Hurdle could decide to put Corey at 1st base sometimes when Josh Bell is resting but seems unlikely since the rookie 1st basemen played in 159 games at 1st base last year. To me I believe the 2nd half of Corey's season last year was just a fluke and can see him excel in Pittsburgh. Corey has played in the NL before with the Rockies so he's experienced everyday play in the NL. Also Corey gets to play in front of a real fan base compared to the Rays. Tampa is a dull team with no life from there players or fans while Pittsburgh can be one of the most exciting cities to watch baseball. Even with the Pirates departing ways with former MVP OF Andrew McCutchen and ace pitcher Gerrit Cole, the Pirates still can compete this year with the boost of Dickerson adding power to the middle of the lineup. If the Pirates start to tank we can see them start shipping out the rest of there high leveled players in Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, and Corey Dickerson, but depends on how 2018 will go. We know Corey can't live up to what McCutchen brought to the Iron City, but he is a solid replacement to recover to makeup for. If Corey is healthy with the improved lineup that he's now penciled in everyday in the heart of the lineup. We can see Corey playing in 120-145 games batting 265-285 with 20-32 home runs and 75-95 rbi's. Corey is a solid player that got dealt a band hand. Corey's now in the house and ready for vengeance with helping the Pirates get out of there funk this upcoming season. Stepping aside from my more recent topic. On Monday morning March 13, Carlos Gonzalez agreed to stay with the Colorado Rockies for a 1-year deal worth $8 million staying as their primary right fielder. CarGo had an upsetting offseason hoping to achieve a multi-year deal with any team preferably a contender, but no offers came his way due to his disappointing 2017 campaign and for the idea of his performance is only magnitude due to playing at Coors Field. Carlos decided to come home realizing that this was the best choice if we wants to be apart of a playoff caliber team and to bounce back from last season. CarGo struggled for the majority of 2017 batting .262 with 14 home runs and 57 rbi's in 136 games which are all lows for his expectations. What Carlos struggles with season to season is staying healthy but not in 2017. Carlos had sleeping problems majority of the year with a simple problem with his swing rolling over his wrist losing his bat speed, power, and made him more impatient at the plate. It did take until the end of the season when Carlos watched future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera hit and realized what adjustments he had to make with his swing. Once he made the adjustments with his wrists, got more hours of sleep and get out of his head he was able to excel for the last 2 months of the season. He batted .279 in August and .377 with 6 home runs in September helping Colorado push there way to the playoffs since 2009. He hit close to half of his home runs just in the month of September which isn't a surprise for how hot CarGo can get once he get's in his groove. It's a surprise that no one took a chance with CarGo for only a season ago batting .298 with 25 home runs and 100 rbi's and the season before that hitting 40 bombs and 97 steaks. To some people thinking that this deal was bad for the Rockies think again. They got CarGo on an club friendly contract with him being an All-Star caliber player who has been known in past seasons as one of the best offensive players in the game and having one of the smoothest swings in the game. Even with the outfield staying congested for another season pushing top prospect David Dahl and outgoing platoon player Raimel Tapia back in the minors or to the bench plus making Bud Blacks job more difficult in using Desmond and Parra doesn't change how valuable Carlos Gonzalez has been and will be to the club. The only problem with CarGo is his health hitting the injury bug multiple times in his career and if his sleeping problems come back this year. Besides those two problems we can see CarGo having a huge bounce back year. Carlos is entering 2018 at the age of 32 still in the prime of his career and ready to show the league that he is the CarGo from the last 2 months of the seasons then the season total. With rejoining one of the most explosive lineups in the league with rising star (SS) Trevor Story, All- Star (2B) DJ LeMahieu and MVP candidates (CF) Charlie Blackmon and (3B) Nolan Arenado who's the new face of the Rockies will help generate a lot more oppurtunities for CarGo to bump up his stats. Also with being in Colorado a hitters perfect dream and pitchers nightmare will help get a couple more balls over the fence for Carlos as well. If Carlos is healthy and back to his normal form we can see him play 130-155 games batting .275-.300 with 30-45 home runs, and 95-125 rbi's. I wouldn't sleep on CarGo if I were you because he did that enough last year and ready for 2018 to be his best season yet. Glad to see you back CarGo.
With the Anaheim Angles pushing to be back in October since 2014. Ian Kinsler is one of the key acquisition that the Angels are hoping can help get them over the hump. The Angels were 5 games away from clinching the 2nd Wild Card until Minnesota broke away from the crowd. With the duration of Mike Trout's contract ending soon. The Halo's needed to make some head wave this offseason to show Mike and Anaheim that they want to win now. Ian Kinsler was one of the key pieces that they picked up this offseason now becoming there everyday 2nd basemen in 2018. Ian is turning 36 this year and understand's that his career is coming to an end sooner than later with the outlook of hoping to get one more chance at a World Series ring. The Tigers are now in a position to rebuild there team after losing 98 games with an aging team that is stocked with high leverage contracts and no farm system. Detroit realized that Kinsler still has value to his name and has no reason to play for a team that's preparing to tank. With being in his final year of his contract Detroit traded Ian to Anaheim for cash consideration and a low level prospect. Anaheim's hoping to make playoff run this year with the additions of re-signing former Tiger Justin Upton, signing All-Star Zach Cozart, and the signing the Japanese Babe Ruth Shoehai Ohtani. Kinsler is a solid veteran that has playoff experience going to the World Series back to back years with the Texas Rangers and a couple playoff runs with the Tigers. What is a bonus for Ian in this trade is that he is heading back to the AL West where he's spent the majority of his career with the Rangers. Now joining a form division rival, Kinsler can make the simple adjustment of heading back to the West. Ian still has atleast 2 more years of performing at an above average rate in the show with him staying in shape, never being injury prone, and rejuvenating his career to a new shot of October. Kinsler will yearly play around 125-155 games with a career batting average of .273, varies in home runs every year, 60-80 rbi's and 10-20 stolen bases with over 90 runs a season depending on the lineup, and solid defense at 2nd. His glove will also be a big factor with only committing only 10 erros last season and 9 the season before. With his solid defense and Andrelton Simmons at SS (2017 Gold Glove Winner) at his side, you can see a lot of Top 10 plays coming from Anaheim's middle infielders. Ian's purpose for the team is to show the how to prepare for October and to provide enough offense to keep the Angels in the plus column with a steady glove. Kinsler did have a career low in average last year batting .236 but still had 22 homer's and 14 bags so the average could be a fluke, but the home runs and stolen bases could deplete this season with his age. With Ian at the top of the lineup, having Mike Trout and Justin Upton batting behind him. We can see Kinsler batting around .255-275 with 15-25 home runs, 55-75 rbi's and 85-115 runs. Anaheim is an interesting team to watch this year. They have a good chance of going to the playoffs, with there upgraded lineup, having the best player in the game leading them, and Ian Kinsler at 2nd chasing for October. Better enjoy it while you can Ian because this could be your last shot for a ring so don't take it for granted.
The Miami Marlins and the New York Yankees made the biggest splash this offseason sending Marlins franchise player and 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees for Cash and Starlin Castro. Most people like to hear about how improved the Yankees are with the addition of Stanton and how the Marlins are now rebuilding saving their payroll, but no one is talking about Starlin. The 28 year old 2nd basemen still has a lot to offer after coming off of 2 solid seasons with the Yankees including being an All-Star last season. Starlin batted .300 last season with 16 home runs, 63 rbi's and career highs in SLG (.454) and OPS (.792) in only 112 games. If Starlin didn't get injured before the All-Star Game we would've seen him in the summer classic and would most likely had career highs in homers and rbi's last season. Also Castro's fielding has improved a lot with the transition from SS to 2nd base only comitting 11 errors last season and 12 erros in 2016 playing in 153 games. What Starlin brings to the table is a man that you can pencil in the lineup everyday with a solid bat, enough power from the position, veteran presence, NL experience, and a solid glove. Starlin has spent the majority of his career in the NL with the Cubs so the adjustments from leagues won't deflate his performance. The only problem with Castro can be his lack of effort and character. Joe Madden in 2015 told him he needs to put more effort in the field or he won't play for him and gave his position up to a younger more poised SS in Addison Russell. That gave Starlin the drive to perform at his usual success rate and did so with the remainder of his 2015 campaign and was shown off during his time with the Yankees. Starlin also was driven due to the fact that he's been on teams that have made playoff runs and had a winning atmosphere to the team which can excite any player to perform better. Also Castro has been apart of high market teams being with the Yankees and Cubs who every year brings in great attendance while Miami struggles to even break 10,000 people to attend there home games. Now being with the Marlins who are expecting to sell more key players and tank for seasons to come. This can affect Starlin's interest of playing and competing which will hurt the Marlins and most of all Starlin's image.Castro has already informed the organization that he does not intend or desire to be apart of their rebuild and would like to be traded as soon as possible, but will depend on what contenders are in need for a middle infielder. Also whatever team that pursue's him will have to accept that Castro has 2 years left of his contract earning $10 million this season and $11 million in 2019 with a 2020 club option. So if you acquire Castro then you're acquiring either you're starting 2nd basemen for the next 2 seasons, or to be another trading piece. Starlin's now entering his prime and has 7 years of service in the show with more power coming, and can play everyday at SS or 2nd. If he would like to be traded to a contender this season he needs to prove that he can perform under any circumstances and show off more of his versatility going back and forth with SS and 2nd with also maybe playing some games at 3rd base which would increase his value. I won't project what Starlin's stats will be as of now due to the fact that I think Miami can make or break his career, and would like to see him on a better team. With that being said I wish for the best for Starlin to not let this disappointment of a team affect his personal performance and hope to see him on a better team soon. It's been over 2 years now since the Cardinals have been in the playoffs. For how successful the Cardinals reputation has been in the past. These past 2 years have been a disappointment with the expectations of always being the top 2 teams in the NL Central which has lead to the acquisition of star outfielder Marcell Ozuna. What the Cards have been missing these past couple season have been a power bat that can bring in 30 bombs and 100 steaks and Marcell fits the vacancy perfectly. After the Miami Marlins decided to get rid franchise player Giancarlo Stanton, they decided to sell out overall giving up their second best hitter in Marcell. Ozuna had a breakout year last season batting 312 with 37 home runs, 124 rbi's, 191 hits, and an OPS of 924 in 159 games. Ozuna was an NL All-Star in 2017 with also winning a Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger award. He will be turning 28 in 2018 with 2 more years left on his contract becoming the Cards new cleanup hitter and new face of the franchise. Ozuna's ceiling is set very high in 2018 with the expectations of him either repeating last seasons performance or breaking more career statistics. Marcell has above average power with a level swing that can spread the defense thin, and in the outfield has a solid glove with an above average arm. With such a high leveled peforming player coming to St.Louis means Miami's return needed to be as valuable as Marcell. The Cardinals got lucky with this trade only giving up key prospect pitcher Sandy Alcantara and 3 other low quality prospects without giving up there favorites in catcher Carson Kelly, pitcher Alex Reyes, starting pitcher Jake Flaherty, and rookie phenom Luke Weaver. The only other prospect that looked promising for Miami is Magneuris Sierra who could be starting in Right Field for the Marlins this year, but still has a lot of maturing to do. With all this being put into perspective the Cardinals got the best bang for there buck getting a high level quality player entering in his prime with a club friendly contract being the Cards next X-factor. With a new look for the Cards and for Ozuna we can see Marcell playing in 140-155 games batting 280-310 with 30-38 home runs and a 90-115 rbi's. Marcell is done hiding in the shadows of Giancarlo's stardom and ready to the lead the Cards back to October. The New York Yankees have been the powerhouse team this offseason from filling in all their holes without going over their $197 million payroll threshold. Now the Bronx Bombers struck gold picking up veteran infielder Neil Walker to a 1-year deal worth $5 million. Neil will be turning 32 entering in his 10th season of the show for 2018. Neil and the Yankees have talked last offseason, last years trade deadline, and earlier this offseason about Neil joining the Yanks but struggled to reach an agreement until now. Last year Neil played in 111 games for the Mets and Brewers, batting .265 with 14 home runs, 49 rbi's, a career high OBP of .362, and an above average OPS of .802. For the past couple years the switch hitting 2nd basemen has struggled to stay on the field battling with back and hamstring injuries, but is optimistic being apart of a World Series caliber team. Neil now fills in the void of the Yankees need for an everyday 2nd baseman after trading last years 2nd baseman Starlin Castro to the Marlins for headline superstar Giancarlo Stanton. Before Neil signed with the Yankees, the bronx bombers struggled on who was going to fill in the vacancy of 2nd base with the options they had with Tyler Wade who had some playing time in the league last year but not their desired player to take on the everyday role, top prospect Gleyber Torres who needs more maturing in the minors especially after recovering from Tommy John surgery last year, and star bench player Ronald Toe Torreyes who's thrives as a bench platoon player than starting everyday. Neil now brings stability to the position with his switch hitting power and his above average fielding. Neil is a patient batter that doesn't strike out excessively with power from both sides of the plate. He will enjoy the opportunity to hit more home runs from the left side of the plate with New York's short right field and being another above average hitter in an already dominant lineup. For Neil's fielding he has always been a solid second basemen that has never committed over 10 errors in a full season, has played 3rd base before and played 17 games 1st base. This gives New York verticality and a reliable glove on the field. The only problem with Neil is that he is a rental not long term commitment with Gleyber Torres on the rise. If Gleyber starts thriving in Triple-A we could see Neil get traded later on in the season performing or not with the Yankees wanting Gleyber to be apart of there future. The other problem that Neil might encounter is if his back and hamstring start acting up again and can't perform to his usual expectations, but we'll see what the season holds. With a healthy Walker joining the Yankees and being apart of one of the best lineups in the game. We can see Neil playing in 120-145 games batting around 265-285 with 15-27 home runs and 55-75 rbi's with an with an OPS well over 800. If you thought the Yankees couldn't get any better you thought wrong. Welcome to Bronx Neil you're going to enjoy wearing the pinstripes and maybe win a ring as well.
|
|