Posts belonging to Category High School Baseball

#41 Zach Lee – Los Angeles Dodgers

RHP

DOB: 9-13-91

ETA: 2014

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At this year’s Winter Meetings, the Detroit Tigers struggled to complete a blockbuster trade as they had the previous two seasons.  On a team rich with both young and veteran big-league-ready talent, the first player that every team inquired about was the their prized prospect, Jacob Turner.  In the end, the Tigers were unwilling to hear offers for the 19-year old right-hander, and were forced to pass on several potential trade opportunities.  It seemed that there was nothing offered that could match Turner’s potential impact on both the Tigers’ rotation, as well as the rest of baseball.

After compiling a 20-4 career record and 187 strikeouts for Westminster Christian Academy in St. Louis, Turner was widely considered to be one of the best right-handed pitchers in the 2009 draft class.  Although he had previously committed to play for North Carolina, the Tigers drafted the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Turner in the first-round with the 9^th overall selection.

Continue Reading ‘St. Louis’ Jacob Turner could reach big leagues in 2011′ >>

• In a stunning eight-player deal, the Tampa Bay Rays traded Matt Garza, Fernando Martinez, and Zach Rosscup to the Chicago Cubs, and received a slew of prospects in return- Chris Archer, Brandon Guyer, Robinson Chirinos, Sam Fuld, and Hak-Ju Lee.  Although the players that the Cubs parted with are just prospects – all but Fuld are yet to reach the Major Leagues – I sincerely believe that they surrendered too much for Garza.  And after reading Dave Cameron’s analysis of Garza over at FanGraphs, I’ve only become more convinced this was the case.

• Although they are not nearly as despicable as the staff of the Chicago Tribune – don’t get me started on Phil Rogers – the Chicago Sun Times sports writers are still pretty inept.  On the morning following the announcement of the Garza trade, the Sun Times published a photo of Joaquin Benoit on the cover of the sports section instead of the newly acquired Garza.  A slip up of this magnitude speaks volumes about the crack-squad of writers and editors that they willingly employ.

• This week we learned that the St. Louis Cardinals and their prized slugger, Albert Pujols, resumed talks regarding an extension before the 2011 season.  But even when the Cardinals lock up the all-mighty Pujols, will it be enough? I-70 Baseball explores the trades made by the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, and offers some insight as to how the 2011 Cardinals team will compare.

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#46 Nick Castellanos – Detroit Tigers

3B

DOB: 3/4/92

ETA: 2013

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• In case you have been suffering from an ongoing, post-New Years delirium, Alfredo Simon is the main suspect in a murder case in the Dominican Republic.  It appears that he will be tried for manslaughter after firing a shot that both killed his cousin and wounded his brother (I know, wow).  There are two different stories that have surfaced: Simon fired a celebratory New Year’s Eve shot in the air that somehow inflicted the before mentioned damage; he fired a warning shot to disrupt an argument between two women.  Apparently the “magic” bullet that Simon fired struck his brother in the arm before lodging in the chest of his now deceased cousin.  By no means am I an expert in ballistics, but something sounds fishy about how this all went down.  If only we had some Zapruder-esque footage to fuel our suspicions.

• We have also come to learn that both Miguel Tejada and Julio Lugo – fellow Dominicans – have offered to pay for Simon’s legal fees, which will surely be enormous if he intends to fight the case in court.  If Simon is indeed charged with manslaughter, he will face up to 30-years in prison and will more than likely serve as the set up man for Ugeth Urbina on the Latin American Correctional Team.

• On The Black, a blog dedicated to the New York Mets, posted a video of David Wright that features the third baseman discussing what it is like to play for the team that he grew up rooting for.  He also touches on why he loves baseball and offers a quote that I really like, “Every game is like Saturday morning Little League, going out there and playing with your friends.”

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