{"id":2891,"date":"2011-02-09T20:12:28","date_gmt":"2011-02-10T02:12:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/?p=2891"},"modified":"2011-02-09T20:20:07","modified_gmt":"2011-02-10T02:20:07","slug":"prospect-buzz-craig-kimbrel-carlos-santana-kyle-gibson-jaff-decker-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2891","title":{"rendered":"Prospect Buzz: Craig Kimbrel, Carlos Santana, Kyle Gibson, Jaff Decker and more&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/craig-kimbrel.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2892\" title=\"photo courtesy of Curtis Compton  ccompton@ajc.com\" src=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/craig-kimbrel-300x220.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"332\" height=\"243\" srcset=\"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/craig-kimbrel-300x220.jpg 300w, http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/craig-kimbrel.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 332px) 100vw, 332px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This week Braves\u2019 manager Fredi Gonzalez stated that youngsters <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/v\/ventejo01.shtml?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker\" target=\"_blank\">Jonny  Venters<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kimbrcr01.shtml?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker\" target=\"_blank\">Craig  Kimbrel<\/a><\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sbnation.com\/2011\/2\/7\/1980424\/might-braves-use-platoon-closers\">could split the closing duties in 2011<\/a>, just as <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/soriara01.shtml?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker\" target=\"_blank\">Rafael  Soriano<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gonzami02.shtml?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker\" target=\"_blank\">Mike  Gonzalez<\/a><\/strong> did in 2009.\u00a0 Last season, Kimbrel burst on the scene and to say the least, <a href=\"..\/archives\/1045\">was absolutely filthy<\/a>.\u00a0 In just 20 2\/3 innings, Kimbrel recorded 40 strikeouts, which for those of you keeping score at home is a ridiculous 17.4 K\/9.\u00a0 He also racked up four wins and a save along the way, and allowed just a single earned run.\u00a0 If he can repeat his success, Kimbrel could very well become a household name in 2011.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The Cleveland Indians cleared catcher <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/santaca01.shtml?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker\" target=\"_blank\">Carlos  Santana<\/a><\/strong> to <a href=\"http:\/\/sports.espn.go.com\/mlb\/news\/story?id=6101381\">resume all baseball activities<\/a>, and he will be ready for the start of Spring Training next week.\u00a0 In 2010, Santana\u2019s eye-opening rookie campaign came to an abrupt halt after he suffered a hideous knee injury on August 2.\u00a0 Considering that the switch-hitting catcher posted slashes of .260\/.401\/.467 last year in 192 plate appearances, the fact that he\u2019s been cleared significantly increase his fantasy value.\u00a0 I\u2019m really excited to see what this guy can do over the course of a full, healthy season.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Minnesota Twins blog, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twinstarget.com\/\">Twins Target<\/a>, has been counting down the organizations\u2019 Top 15 prospects leading up to commencement of Spring Training.\u00a0 Yesterday they <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twinstarget.com\/2011-archives\/february\/top-15-prospects-1-kyle-gibson.html\">announced their #1<\/a>, RHP <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/player_search.cgi?search=Kyle+Gibson&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker\" target=\"_blank\">Kyle  Gibson<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 As a White Sox fan, just looking at the team\u2019s top 4 prospects \u2013 Gibson, OF <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=hicks-001aar\" target=\"_blank\">Aaron  Hicks<\/a><\/strong>, 3B <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=sano--001mig\" target=\"_blank\">Miguel  Sano<\/a><\/strong>, and OF <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=benson001wil\" target=\"_blank\">Joe  Benson<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 makes me nervous.\u00a0 All four are well on their way to the Major Leagues, and Gibson could even make his debut this year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Over the last few weeks, the Sombrero has published several pieces about the Indians\u2019 2B prospect, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=kipnis001jas\" target=\"_blank\">Jason  Kipnis<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 Once a <a href=\"..\/archives\/2609\">former rival of mine<\/a> in high school, we recently ranked Kipnis as the <a href=\"..\/archives\/2847\">26<sup>th<\/sup> best prospect in baseball<\/a> here at the Sombrero.\u00a0 However, <a href=\"http:\/\/fansided.com\/fansided\/featured\/2011\/02\/07\/is-cord-phelps-better-than-jason-kipnis\">Call to the Pen<\/a> argues that <a href=\"http:\/\/fansided.com\/fansided\/featured\/2011\/02\/07\/is-cord-phelps-better-than-jason-kipnis\">Kipnis might not be the best 2B prospect<\/a> in the Indians\u2019 organization.\u00a0 They compare Kipnis to <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=phelps001rob\" target=\"_blank\">Cord  Phelps<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 who posted eerily similar numbers as Kipnis last year in Triple-A.\u00a0 So if Phelps put up superior numbers at Triple-A, why hasn\u2019t he received the same hype as Kipnis?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/friarhood.com\/\">Friarhood<\/a> tries to make sense of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.friarhood.com\/on-the-farm\/710-jaff-decker-male-model--or-not.html\">all the mixed reviews<\/a> about outfield prospect, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=decker001jaf\" target=\"_blank\">Jaff  Decker<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 The Padres drafted Decker with the 42<sup>nd<\/sup> overall pick in the 2008 Amateur Draft, and have since eased him through their system.\u00a0 Last year, the 20-year-old struggled to adjust after making the jump from Single to High-A, and many believe his 5-foot-10, 190-pound frame will limit his potential. Although Decker posted a disappointing .874 OPS in 2010, he did put up an 1.034 OPS as an 18-year-old, and an .956 OPS as 19-year-old in his two previous seasons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Our friend MTD over at <a href=\"http:\/\/offbasepercentage.com\/\">Off Base Percentage<\/a> assembled a team <a href=\"http:\/\/www.offbasepercentage.com\/2011\/02\/25-year-old-and-under-team.html\">of the best 25-year-old and under<\/a> players in Major Leagues.\u00a0 Although they can no longer be considered prospects \u2013 I think All-Stars is more appropriate \u2013 they are all yet to hit their prime.\u00a0 I always forget that <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/longoev01.shtml?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker\" target=\"_blank\">Evan  Longoria<\/a><\/strong> is only 25; it\u2019s scary to think about the type of career he might put together. When I look at all the names on his roster, my first thought is that it looks like my ideal fantasy team.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>What\u2019s going on <a href=\"http:\/\/web.minorleaguebaseball.com\/news\/article.jsp?ymd=20110208&amp;content_id=16597534&amp;vkey=news_milb&amp;fext=.jsp\">with the catchers<\/a> in the Washington Nationals\u2019 organization?\u00a0 Last week they lost <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=nieto-001adr\" target=\"_blank\">Adrian  Nieto<\/a><\/strong> to a 50-game suspension after he tested positive for Oxandrolone.\u00a0 On Tuesday, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/minors\/player.cgi?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;id=tavera001hec\" target=\"_blank\">Hector  Taveras<\/a><\/strong> was suspended for 25-games after he was found with an unauthorized syringe.\u00a0 Both will begin serving their respective suspensions to begin the 2011 season, which for a Single-A ballplayer means most of the season.\u00a0 I bet the Nats are glad they decided to stick Bryce Harper in the outfielder.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Prospect Buzz is the new, prospect-related link drop of <a href=\"..\/..\/\">The Golden Sombrero<\/a> that will appear every Wednesday and Sunday.\u00a0 As you may already know, we love prospects here at the Sombrero.\u00a0 So if you have an article or link that you would like us consider for this segment, feel free to either <a href=\"mailto:thegoldensombrero.com@gmail.com?subject=Prospect%20Buzz\">email us<\/a> or send it our way on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/GoldenSombrero\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><br \/>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week Braves\u2019 manager Fredi Gonzalez stated that youngsters Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel could split the closing duties in 2011, just as Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez did in 2009.\u00a0 Last season, Kimbrel burst on the scene and to say the least, was absolutely filthy.\u00a0 In just 20 2\/3 innings, Kimbrel recorded 40 strikeouts, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1300,6,16,9,11,13,1779,10,14],"tags":[1807,1621,1808,589,239,264,654,1805,851,173,1802,1809,1806,1691,1804,1609,1718,1803,357,688,1039,210,151],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2891"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2891"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2896,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2891\/revisions\/2896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thegoldensombrero.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}