Baseball America Hotsheet 2012 edition

[Can_of_corn]

Lets hope there are more thread updates from yours truly then last season.

#1 Dylan Bundy

Team: low Class A Delmarva (South Atlantic)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: 0-0, 0.00, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 SO
The Scoop: If you want to quibble, you can make an argument that a pitcher who throws six innings in two starts shouldn't lead the first Prospect Hot Sheet of the season. We believe the teen righthander's absolute dominance to this point has to be acknowledged.

Throwing three innings per start on six days of rest, the fourth overall pick in last year's draft has been able to air it out on every pitch knowing he's not going to be around long enough to worry about fatigue. And if Bundy had given up a hit, or a baserunner, or thrown one pitch from the stretch in his first two outings, we might be inclined to agree. Besides, it's not Bundy's fault that the Orioles are exercising such caution. Unofficially, he's thrown 76 pitches in his first two starts?a normal night's work for many pitchers. Just six of the 18 batters he's faced have put the ball in play.

Bundy's already making the case that he's too good for low Class A. Scouts heading into last year's draft described him as a college pitcher on a high school team. Scouts who saw him in spring training this year said he was as sure a bet to succeed as any young pitcher you will see. With a fastball that has touched 100 mph, a plus curveball and an already developed changeup, Bundy pitches beyond his 19 years. Expect to see him on the Hot Sheet again (and again).

#11 Manny Machado

No. 11 MANNY MACHADO, SS ORIOLES
Team: Double-A Bowie (Eastern)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: .323/.417/.581, 10-for-31, 2 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 5 BB, 9 SO, 1-for-1 SB
The Scoop: If you look hard, you can find prospects who put up better numbers than Machado did during the first week of the season. But you can't find a teenage shortstop in Double-A who did any better.
The youngest player in the Eastern League, and the third youngest player in Double-A (behind Jurickson Profar and Taijuan Walker), Machado already is showing he not only belongs in the Eastern League, he's likely to be one of the circuit's best players.
The Orioles system doesn't have much depth when it comes to prospects, but with Bundy and Machado at the top of the system's rankings, it does have ample star power on its way.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...2/2613259.html

Now that is more like it!

[The Maestro]

Great to see our 2 top prospects getting off to such fast starts. Can't wait to get a look at Machado in Bowie in the very near future.

[Can_of_corn]

Bundy's light workload relegated him to the "in the team photo" part of the list:

It's going to be tough for Orioles RHP Dylan Bundy to rank too high on the Hot Sheet given his light workload so far, but we want to acknowledge his continued brilliance. The 19-year-old was perfect again on Tuesday, throwing four unblemished innings for low Class A Delmarva, striking out six. Bundy has 21 strikeouts and has allowed only one baserunner in 13 innings this year . . .

[Can_of_corn]

Xavier Avery at #5

Team: Triple-A Norfolk (International)
Age: 22
Why He's Here: .414/.452/.862 (12-for-29), 3 HR, 4 2B, 8 RBIs, 10 R, 2 BB, 4 SO
The Scoop: While Avery won't supplant Adam Jones in center field so long as Jones is an Oriole, Avery's recent hot spell indicates that he has the potential to perhaps serve as table-setting left fielder. Avery already has hit more home runs this season (five) than he did all of last year in Double-A (four), and even more encouragingly he's upped his walk rate and cut his whiff rate, both by substantial measures in the early going. A good month in Triple-A or signs of progress from a talented athlete? Avery will answer that question in the coming months.

No picture for Mr Avery which is odd.

Glad to see him make some noise nationally.

[hoosiers]

Nice to see the recognition for Avery. He is now Top 25 in the IL in OBP and 15th in OPS.

Lots of hits the past 10 games, few Ks and not make BBs either.

[Can_of_corn]

Dylan Bundy comes in at #13

Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
The Scoop: The sturdy 6-foot-1 righthander won his first game as a professional on Sunday against the Hagerstown Suns as he went five innings for the second straight start, while not allowing a run and striking out four. In his eight South Atlantic League starts, Bundy did not give up a run, walked just two, and struck out 40 percent of the batters he faced. On Wednesday the Orioles promoted Bundy to high Class A Frederick and he'll make his highly-anticipated Carolina League debut on Saturday against Salem.

[Can_of_corn]

No O's this week but Tyler Matzek came in at #2.

Why am I mentioning this? I'm bitter.

[weams]

No O's this week but Tyler Matzek came in at #2.

Why am I mentioning this? I'm bitter.

So am I. http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=390206

[BobDylanBundy]

No O's this week but Tyler Matzek came in at #2.
Why am I mentioning this? I'm bitter.

Wow, where did Hobgood come in?

[Can_of_corn]

MANNY MACHADO is #9 this week.

Team: Double-A Bowie (Eastern)
Age: 19

Why He's Here: .393/.452/.714 (11-for-28), 2 HR, 3 2B, 10 RBIs, 7 R, 3 BB, 3 SO
The Scoop: Machado has raised his average 22 points in the past 10 games, going 14-for-32 (.438), smashing six extra-base hits and drawing four walks. If he keeps it up, the teenage shortstop could head into the Future Game on a hot streak. Don't dwell on Machado's early-season performance?he batted .250/.349/.375 with two homers in April and May?because the Orioles' top position prospect is committed to making the fundamental changes to his swing required to hit pitchers with better velocity and command, as detailed in a recent prospect bulletin.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...2/2613626.html

[Can_of_corn]

No news is better then the news we do get this week.

Not-So Hot Sheet

Parker Bridwell, rhp, Orioles: Bridwell's strong arm and athleticism convinced the Orioles to sign him out of high school for $625,000 in the ninth round of the 2010 draft, but the 20-year-old's rawness hasn't allowed him to translate stuff into results at low Class A Delmarva. Bridwell carried a 5.74 ERA through the end of June, but his last two starts have been disastrous. He gave up seven runs in five innings on July 1 and followed that up by giving up 11 runs (10 earned) in 4 2/3 last Saturday, an outing that included four home runs allowed. His ERA has ballooned to 7.09, the worst among qualified SAL starters.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...2/2613725.html

[Can_of_corn]

Bundy is back

In at #7

Team: high Class A Frederick (Carolina)
Age: 19
Why He's Here: 1-0, 0.00, 1 GS, 6 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO
The Scoop: Fans in Lynchburg got to witness a first on Wednesday night: Bundy pitching in the sixth inning of a minor league game. The Orioles have gradually loosened the reins on Bundy's prized arm, and Wednesday was the first time all season he's pitched more than five innings. He responded to the challenge, retiring 14 Hillcats hitters in a row at one point. Bundy has looked mortal at times since moving up to high Class A in late May, but he's allowed two runs or fewer in eight of 10 starts and dropped his Carolina League ERA to 2.57 with Wednesday's win.

"Tonight, it was a little different going out there in the sixth and seventh," Bundy told the Lynchburg (Va.) News & Advance. "It's no adjustment at all. I mean, I felt better in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings than I did in the first two innings of this game."

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...2/2613835.html

[Can_of_corn]

Going out on top:

No. 1 MANNY MACHADO, SS

Why he's Here: .500/.577/1.045 (11-for-22), 2 HR, 2 3B, 2 2B, 5 RBIs, 9 R, 4 BB, 1 SO
The Scoop: Not reflected in the line above is Machado's big league debut for Baltimore yesterday in which he went 2-for-4 with a triple and made his first career start at third base. Despite Machado's recent burst of productivity—he's batting .275/.365/.505 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 walks in 25 games since the Eastern League all-star game—he doesn't have a long track record of success in the high minors on which to draw. Still, the Orioles determined his bat to be at least as potent, and his defensive play more consistent, than big league incumbent Wilson Betemit.

Ordinarily, calling up a top prospect as young as Machado would symbolize an act of sheer desperation. The Orioles, though, need look no further than the Nationals, their Beltway rivals, and the impact made by 19-year-old Bryce Harper to find positive reinforcement for their strategy. EL managers raved about Machado's maturity and talent, voting him the league's Most Exciting Player in our annual Best Tools survey (subscribers only). "He can beat you in five different ways," said one league manager, "with the glove, the arm, the bat—both with line drives and power—and this is a very difficult league for a young man to compete in."

Improbably, Baltimore clings to one of the American League wild cards with 50 games to go, but they must outpace the Athletics, Tigers, Rays, Angels and possibly Red Sox to make the playoffs for the first time since 1997. Can Machado help swing the balance in their favor? Stay tuned.

Incidentally, we may reflect on the 2012 rookie class as one of the greatest in history if Machado, Harper and Mike Trout fulfill their considerable promise.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today...2/2613883.html

[Scrat1]

Hard to imagine Hoes isn't on that list.

[Lucky Jim]

Hard to imagine Hoes isn't on that list.

Forgotten man. Words of warning:

• Deck McGuire, rhp, Blue Jays: When you draft a college arm in the first round, you always have to wonder how well the pitcher will respond to pitching every five days instead of once a week. In McGuire's case, the answer has not been encouraging. Never a flamethrower, McGuire in college dominated with a 90-92 mph fastball that touched 94. Now he's more consistently 86-89, touching 92. His slider is still a solid pitch, but without a fastball that can strike fear in hitters' hearts, McGuire has had a lot of trouble missing bats this year with Double-A New Hampshire. That was true again this week when he allowed 19 hits and 12 earned runs in 10 innings. He also gave up two more home runs, giving him 19 for the season.