Prospect of the Day: Danny Hultzen, LHP, Seattle Mariners

One year ago, Danny Hultzen was the ace starter for the University of Virginia, preparing for the 2011 draft. Now he's the ace starter for the Double-A Jackson Generals of the Southern League, forming a devastating starting trio with fellow Seattle Mariners top prospects Taijuan Walker and James Paxton.

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Some Thoughts on Baseball Player Makeup

As the 2012 baseball draft approaches, one of the key factors that teams must assess for potential draftees is "makeup." This is the essential baseball term for a player's personality and character. The general assumption is that a player with good makeup has a better chance to turn his physical tools into baseball skills than a player with poor makeup. You have to have the tools of course; having great makeup doesn't magically turn a poor prospect into a good one, but when other things are equal, a player with good makeup has a better chance to maximize his ability than a player with poor makeup.

This seems obvious enough. But what exactly are good makeup traits for a baseball player?

I've been having a running conversation with a scout friend for a couple of weeks about this issue, and we've come to the mutual conclusion that "good baseball player makeup" is not necessarily the same thing as "good human being makeup." There is overlap, but they aren't quite the same thing. Here are my thoughts on the matter.

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My usual souce has yet to twwwt the notable starters. So, I am providing a list of all starters (quicker for me). I realize only seeing last names can make it hard to determine who exactly a player is. But, this still looks interesting to me. Lots of interesting names on the mound today.

First, today's random tweets:

In 2 starts since fingernail flareup Zack Wheeler has gone 2-0, 1.80 with 14 SO, 6 BB & just 4 H in 15 IP for Double-A Binghamton

Twitter quote from Thomas Neal: "Got a goodnight sleep. Headed to the gym to get this lift in. So I can hit a few HomeRuns soon."

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Top 2012 Draft Prospect Keon Barnum (via jonathanmayoB3)

Each year, there are some sophomores who are eligible for the draft instead of having to wait until their junior year. Kevin Gausman is this seasons' biggest name. To be eligible you have to meet one of three criteria:

• High school players, if they have graduated from high school and have not yet attended college or junior college;
• College players, from four-year colleges who have either completed their junior or senior years or are at least 21 years old; and
• Junior college players, regardless of how many years of school they have completed

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Prospect of the Day: Zack Wheeler, RHP, New York Mets

One of the most dominant pitchers in the minors this year is right-hander Zack Wheeler of the New York Mets, currently pitching for Double-A Binghamton in the Eastern League. Acquired for Carlos Beltran last summer, he's been everything the Mets could have possibly hoped this spring, solidifying his status as one of the top right-handed pitching prospects in the game.

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Florida High School Pitchers Drafted in the First Round, 1981-2011

A few days ago, we looked at Texas high school pitchers drafted in the first round between 1981 and 2010.

I'm curious if things are different for the other two big-population, warm-weather states of Florida and California. So let's find out. Here is a list of all Florida high school pitchers drafted in the first round from '81 through '11 who signed.

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Today's notable minor league baseball starting pitchers - Alex Meyer, Henry Owens vs Tyler Anderson, Parker Bridwell, Zack Wheeler, Deck McGuire, Gerrit Cole, Jimmy Nelson..

Felix Sterling, Cody Buckel, Domingo Tapia, Aaron Miller, Jake Odorizzi, Noel Arguelles, Drew Pomeranz (go Drew!)...

Danny Hultzen, Trevor Bauer (many eyes will be watching)

Today's randomness:

Smokies 1B Justin Bour has 8 multi-RBI games this month and ranks 4th in @MinorLeagues with 23 RBI in May.

High-A Lakeland 3B Nick Castellanos goes 4-for-4 in game started by Jameson Taillon, opens 23-point lead in minors batting race—he's @ .411.

Prospect of the Day: Christian Yelich, OF, Miami Marlins

Seldom does a first-round draft pick become a positive surprise, but it happens occasionally. Case in point: Miami Marlins outfield prospect Christian Yelich. Two year ago he was a promising high school first baseman, but now he's one of the best center field prospects in baseball.

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