Posts belonging to Category Prospects/Rookies

With a third of the MLB season in the books, and some of the baseball’s best prospects now suiting up for their respective big league squads, it’s time to reflect on the performances of our Top 50 Prospects.  Today we look take an expanded look at 9-1, which includes: Brandon Belt, Jarrod Parker, Jesus Montero, Eric Hosmer, Domonic Brown, Jeremy Hellickson, Dustin Ackley, Mike Trout and, of course, Bryce Harper.

9. Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants

Triple-A: .337/.470/.525, 7 2B, 4 HR, 21 RBI, 27 BB, 31 K

MLB: .211/.328/.281, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 SB, 9 BB, 15 K

8. Jarrod Parker, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Double-A: 5-5, 4.95 ERA, 56.1 IP, 27 BB, 52 K, 1.385 WHIP, 0.2 HR/9

7. Jesus Montero, C, New York Yankees

Triple-A: .292/.338/.421, 10 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 13 BB, 50 K

6. Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals

Triple-A: .439/.525/.582, 5 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 3 SB, 19 BB, 16 K

MLB: .288/.341/.442, 7 2B, 3B, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 2 SB, 12 BB, 29 K

5. Domonic Brown, OF, Philadelphia Phillies

High-A: .368/.429/.737, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K

Triple-A: .341/.431/.537, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 BB, 9 K

MLB: .228/.311/.443, 5 2B, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB, 10 BB, 11 K

4. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays

MLB: 7-5, 3.09 ERA, 84.1 IP, 33 BB, 54 K, 1.138 WHIP

3. Dustin Ackley, 2B, Seattle Mariners

Triple-A: .303/.421/.487, 17 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 35 RBI, 7 SB, 55 BB, 38 K

*Set to make MLB debut on Friday night against the Phillies

2. Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels

Double-A: .329/.431/.559, 9 2B, 8 3B, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 23 SB, 33 BB, 44 K

1. Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals

Class-A: .326/.421/.585, 14 2B, 3B, 14 HR, 45 RBI, 12 SB, 35 BB, 55 K

It’s another special Friday here at The Golden Sombrero.  One week ago marked the MLB debut of Royals prospect Mike Moustakas, and we celebrated it in style with some videos of Moose backed by the musical stylings of the Tri-Lams.

This week we are once again excited to bring you another big league debut, this time by the Mariners’ Dustin Ackley.  Ranked as the Sombrero’s No. 3 prospect in all of baseball headed into the 2011 season, Ackley is hitting .303/.487/.908 with 17 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 35 RBI at Triple-A Tacoma.  More importantly, he’s demonstrating a ridiculous eye at the plate, drawing 55 walks and fanning only 38 times.

So to commemorate the arrival of Dustin Ackley, here a few videos to hold you over until 9:10 pm cst when the Mariners host the Philadelphia Phillies.

Happy Dustin Ackley Day

And some random tunes:

Top 1: Freddie Freeman struck out swinging against Brett Myers

Top 3: Freeman stuck out swinging against Myers

Top 6: Freeman struck out on a foul tip against Myers

Top 9: Freeman struck out swinging against Fernando Rodriguez

Final Line: 0-4, 4 K

Notes: There’s no better way to bring a hot streak to a screeching halt than with a sombrero, which is exactly what happened to Freeman on Sunday against the Astros.  He had hit safely in seven of his last nine games—four of which were multi-hit efforts—prior to his sombrero.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 41

As the Super Regionals head toward a conclusion and the Omaha field is set, it seems appropriate to introduce to our readers to Arizona State shortstop Deven Marrero, who is likely to land in the first-round and perhaps even within the first 10 picks.  Yet, he is not even the top shortstop in his own conference that will be eligible for the 2012 draft.  That honor belongs to Stanford’s Kenny Diekroeger.

Marrero profiles as an above-average defender at short with a plus arm and a plus glove.  He has outstanding instincts for the position and should have no problem staying there as a professional.  At the plate, he fails to generate tremendous bat speed in large part due to a lack of lower body action.  He hits against a pretty quiet front, though, and keeps his hands inside well enough to be a 50 to 55 hit tool player.  He will never hit many bombs in the pros, but he runs well enough to at least have an isolated power.

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Baseball fans have waited patiently for this day since the Royals drafted him second-overall in 2007.  But after Eric Hosmer received the call ahead of his fellow future cornerstone, it became obvious that Moose would be loose at Kauffman within a matter of months.  As a baseball fan and prospect junkie, this is an awesome day.  It’s a day that’s been at the forefront of every Royals discussion and signifies that the future has officially arrived in Kansas City.

So, in honor of Moose’s arrival, here are a couple videos of the slugger that will hopefully hold people over until 9:05 PM cst, when he makes his MLB Debut against Ervin Santana and the Los Angeles Angels.  The first video is courtesy of FarmSystem, and features Moustakas taking batting practice prior to the 2009 California League All-Star Game:

The second video features Moustakas crushing a three-run shot in August of 2010:

And what would Mike Moustakas Day be without some celebratory tunes???