Plugging Away

Things have returned to close-to-normal around here, so I am now plugging away again at the Diamondbacks. To keep you busy, here are a couple of player comments from the 2009 Baseball Prospect Book, to give new readers a feel for what the comments are like. Sorry about the font problem in this post, the software does not like my attempts to cut-and-paste these comments. Rest assured in the book it is all in the proper font.

Dan Cortes, RHP, Kansas City Royals

Bats: R    Throws: R     HT: 6-5     WT: 205   DOB: March 4, 1987

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One of the brighter lights in the Royals system, Cortes made a reasonably successful transition to Double-A last year. Compared to 2007, he had slight slippages in all ratios, but scouts were still impressed with him overall. His velocity was down early in the season and he missed two weeks with a strained quad muscle, but by the end of the year he had his 91-95 MPH fastball back in full gear. Cortes continued to refine his curveball and changeup, but still needs to improve his command within the strike zone. Although often reported in the press as a ground ball pitcher, his GO/AO ratios consistently show him as a fly ball type, and he could be vulnerable to home runs at higher levels. I think Cortes will need at least 15 starts at the Triple-A level to put the finishing touches on his game. If he gets pushed at a faster pace, he is more likely to struggle. He gets the same Grade B rating he got from me last year.

Joseph Cruz, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

Bats: R    Throws: R     HT: 6-4     WT: 190   DOB: July 20, 1988

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Cruz was drafted by the Rays in the 30^th round in 2007, from East Los Angeles Junior College. He is an under-the-radar guy, but has sleeper potential, being tall and projectable and already effective in pro ball. He flashes an above average fastball at times, hitting 93 MPH, but is still putting his secondary pitches together. He does throw strikes, and his K/BB and K/IP marks have been above average in the Appalachian League. We need to see what Cruz does against better hitters, but the Rays have had good success with similar pitchers, and I think he could take a step forward in 2009. Grade C but interesting.