Minor League Ball Gameday Discussion: Ides of March

Good morning prospect fanatics. Here is today's discussion thread for hot spring training action in Florida and Arizona. On the agenda for today:


***It is (almost) official: San Diego Padres pitching prospect Casey Kelly is probably having Tommy John surgery, pending a second opinion, but it sounds like a long shot. Obviously his status for 2013 is in severe doubt. Even with no surgery, a long rehab period would seem likely.

***Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Albert Almora has a broken hamate bone. I will have a full Prospect Note up for him in a little while.

***The Minnesota Twins signed Netherlands first baseman Curt Smith as a minor league free agent.

***Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly says that Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig will definitely begin 2013 in the minor leagues. I think that's appropriate. He's been ripping the ball, but his 0/10 BB/K so far this spring is a caution flag about his level of polish. I assume that he'll begin the season in Double-A and it will be interesting to see how he responds when pitchers at that level try to get him to chase stuff out of the strike zone.

***Coming up later this afternoon, George Brett Prospect Retro, college baseball stuff, and Off-Topic Airplane Blogging.