Futures Game Players to Watch

All star festivities start before the all star break, with the futures game (this Sunday, 11 AM PDT). Baseball America selects some of baseball's finest prospects in their expert estimation from around the minors, and assembles them on one field in a United States versus the World format. Only two prospects can be picked from each farm system, so it is a virtual lock that every organization will be represented. Really, everyone is worth watching in this game. However, here are a few players I will be watching in particular:

WORLD ROSTER

Neftali Feliz, RHP, AAA, Rangers - Feliz is only 21 years old, and doing a fine job in AAA. Perhaps most impressive, he has allowed only 1 home run in 69.1 innings pitched. Neftali has flown through the Rangers system, and he may be in Texas impacting the AL West pennant race by the end of the year. He is a legitimate in-house option for them, and looking more long-term he could anchor their pitching staff for years to come.

Junichi Tazawa, RHP, AA, Red Sox - There was a bidding war over this Japanese pitcher in the offseason, with some scouts and clubs thinking Tazawa was ready for the majors. Boston signed him for fairly big money, especially for a guy that they sent to AA. Junichi is having a solid year though, and at 23 is a solid looking prospect. It will be even more interesting to see if Tazawa blazes the trail for many Japanese players to not sign with Japanese teams and head to America, or if he remains an exception.

Carlos Santana, C, AA, Indians - It's doubtful that the Indians will trade Victor Martinez, but the main reason they can somewhat seriously consider it is because of Santana (though, honestly, Victor's current backup, Kelly Shoppach, isn't all that bad). If Santana has a great futures game, don't be surprised if the national media starts reporting more Victor Martinez trade rumors. Personally, I think Santana is clearly at least a year away from the majors, and on top of that I think he is a bit overrated at this point.

Jesus Montero, C, AA, Yankees - Meet the heir apparent to Jorge Posada. At 6'4", Jesus is a tall catcher, and I do not know how good his defensive skills are. However, he can definitely swing the bat. Montero is only 20 years old, and already holding his own in AA. In particular, his power numbers are impressive. If the Yankees can squeeze one or two more decent years out of Jorge, it doesn't look like they will have to worry about catcher for another decade.

Alcides Escobar, SS, AAA, Brewers - Escobar has been a highly thought of prospect for a few years now, though his path to the majors is still blocked by the rather young JJ Hardy. The reason Hardy rumors continue to persist are because of how good most scouts think Escobar is. I have never had the chance to see him play, but reports are that his defense is fantastic, and he projects as a good hitter too. Escobar hits for good average, but he'll never have the power that JJ Hardy has. He is another prospect that I think is overrated just a bit, though I like his future. Expect JJ Hardy rumors to ramp up if Escobar has a great futures game.

Alex Liddi, 3B, A+, Mariners - This is the third time I've written about Liddi this week, so if you follow me you've probably got a good idea what I'm about to say. He has always had five-tool talent, but put it all together for the first time in High Desert. He is a threat to capture the California League triple crown right now, and I hope he gets significant playing time in the Futures game. I want to see how he handles himself against pitchers in more advanced leagues, even if it is for only an at-bat or two.

Dayan Viciedo, 3B, AA, White Sox - Viciedo, like Tazawa, was a highly touted international free agent. This time, the White Sox won the bidding war, and many believed Viciedo may go straight to the majors. Chicago started him out in AA though, and it is a good thing they did. The Cuban is overly aggressive, like Cubans tend to be, and as a result he has struggled. Then again, he is only 20 years old playing in AA ball, so it was probably unfair to expect him to dominate. Suffice it to say his production did not get him in the futures game; his raw talent and potential did.

Tyson Gillies, OF, A+, Mariners - Representing the M's along with Liddi is Tyson Gillies, a 20-year-old Canadian with significant hearing loss. He profiles as a leadoff hitter with good defense in center field, and he has enjoyed a fine season so far in the leadoff spot for the potent High Desert lineup. Again, if you follow me, this is the third time you've read something about Tyson this week. He's still the same player he was at the start of the week, and I am looking forward to seeing him play.

UNITED STATES ROSTER

Brad Lincoln, RHP, AAA, Pirates - The 2006 watchlist member is recovering from major arm surgery quite nicely, and will likely be in the majors by year's end. Pittsburgh has a few nice starters, but nobody with the power stuff that Lincoln has.

Brian Matusz, AA, Orioles - Baltimore's first-round pick just a year ago is flying through the minors, and may even reach the majors by the end of the year. He was considered one of the most polished pitchers in the 2008 draft, making him a candidate to rise through the minors quickly. Still, Matusz has certainly been more overpowering than I expected him to be thus far, and I think the Orioles may have a better pitcher on their hands than maybe even they thought they were getting.

Chris Tillman, AAA, Orioles - Yes, this is the same former Mariners farmhand included in the Erik Bedard deal. He is now one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, and if you think the Bedard trade looks bad now, wait until Tillman makes the majors. He and Matusz should anchor the top of Baltimore's rotation for years to come. They even complement each other nicely, with Tillman being a righty and Matusz a lefty.

Tyler Flowers, C, AA, White Sox - Flowers can flat-out rake. His bat would is easily good enough to get him to the majors at any position, but at catcher it makes him especially valuable. He is a little bit older at 23 years of age, but he should be ready to crush major league pitching right as A.J. Pierzynski runs out of gas.

Pedro Alvarez, 3B, AA, Pirates - The 2008 watch list member has prodigious power. In fact, I'd like to see him in home run derby on Monday, because he would more than hold his own. Pedro's plate discipline is lacking though, and I am worried that he may never develop it because it looks like Pittsburgh is already pushing him quickly through the minor league system. I expect him to look a bit like Wily Mo Pena at the plate in the futures game.

Brett Wallace, 3B, AAA, Cardinals - If there is one prospect to watch in this entire game, it has to be Brett Wallace. Granted, I am partial to him, considering he was on my 2008 watchlist. However, he should get the warmest ovation since the game will be in St. Louis. More importantly, the Cardinals need some bats to protect Albert Pujols, and Wallace is the best internal option they have. You can bet that Cardinals fans know that, and that they will be watching Brett intently. Wallace is the mostly likely player in this game to impact the 2009 playoff picture.

Jemile Weeks, 2B, A+, Athletics - Another 2008 watchlist member, Weeks started the year hurt, but is off to an extremely fast start as a professional now that he is healthy. He has been awful against left-handers (in a very small sample size though), but he has more than made up for it against righties. Also, Jemile's defense receives high marks. His set of skills at second base definitely make him a candidate to fly through the minors.

Every player in the game deserves a write-up, but here is more than a handful of gems that I am particularly looking forward to seeing. The futures game is a great kick-off to the all-star festivities, and the first opportunity to see many of baseball's future all-stars.

Trade Deadline Recap

The trade deadline came and went yesterday with one big move and a flurry of smaller ones. The nature of the deadline has changed considerably the last couple years as bad teams are much less willing to part with their superstars. That's partly because contenders are also less willing to give up their best prospects. As a result, deadline trades are often moves involving second-tier players and either marginal or extremely young prospects. Here's a look at what happened this year (numbers in parentheses are the player's value according to my rating formulas; in the case of prospects with minor league numbers, their adjusted Major League rating is first followed by their raw, unadjusted rating):

• Rangers trade 1B Mark Teixeira (86) and LHP Ron Mahay (68) to the Braves for C/1B Jarrod Saltalamacchia (72), SS Elvis Andrus (37/68), RHP Neftali Feliz (23/93), LHP Matt Harrison (59/84), and LHP Beau Jones (30/71) - This was easily the biggest trade of the deadline, as it would be the biggest pretty much any year. This is a huge deal for the Braves as they shored up their biggest hole in the lineup, and even got a little bullpen help while only moving one guy off their major league roster. Atlanta was in the hunt for the wild card before this move, but now they are right there with the Mets for the NL East crown, and have also positioned themselves for a World Series run. This is the type of deal that makes giving up great young talent worth it. As for the Rangers, they really had to trade Teixeira. They did have control of him next year, but he turned down a contract extension worth about $140 million, so it was clear he wasn't interested in staying, and keeping him would have turned ugly. The Angels were rumored to be offering 1B Casey Kotchman (85) and LHP Joe Saunders (76/85), which is the deal I would have picked between these two, but the concern of trading within the division is understandable. In the Braves deal the Rangers got five legitimate prospects, though it will be some time before anyone besides Saltalamacchia contributes. All in all, an amazing deal for Atlanta and a good one for Texas.
• Red Sox trade RHP Joel Pineiro (56) and cash considerations to the Cardinals for a player to be named later - The only intriguing thing about this trade is if that player to be named is worth paying attention to. Pineiro certainly isn't at this point. I think St. Louis wants to have a starting rotation completely comprised of converted relievers by the end of the year.
• Astros trade 3B Morgan Ensberg (67) and cash considerations to the San Diego Padres for a player to be named later - Without a doubt, Ensberg has slipped some, but the Astros never fully valued Ensberg's ability to work counts. They couldn't get past his low batting average the last couple years. Unlike most deals that are this small, I could see Ensberg making a bit of an impact in San Diego.
• Royals trade RHP Octavio Dotel (65) to the Braves for RHP Kyle Davies (65) - The Royals got the better end of this deal. Dotel is an oft-injured mediocre reliever in the twilight of his career at this point, while Davies is a struggling young starter. Dotel has more value to the Braves right now, but these two players are of essentially equal value right now, except one is on his way down and the other on his way up.
• Dodgers trade INF Wilson Betemit (75) to the Yankees for RHP Scott Proctor (53) - This deal is going to blow up in the Dodgers' face. Betemit, much like Ensberg, wasn't valued thanks to a low batting average. However, he has shown good plate discipline and very good power, and he's also just 25 years old. On the other hand, Scott Proctor's ERA will jump up in a hurry if he doesn't start pitching better. The Dodgers could use some help in the bullpen, but not at this price.
• Giants trade RHP Matt Morris (80) to the Pirates for OF Rajai Davis (77/88) and a player to be named later - This gets my vote for oddest trade at the deadline. I can't believe that of all the teams looking to upgrade pitching the Pirates end up landing the best pitcher at the deadline. However, in classic Pirates fashion, they still got the worst end of this deal by far. This is a great move for the Giants because they unload Morris's contract and they have plenty of talented young pitchers. What they don't have are younger position players, and Davis looks like a leadoff hitter cut out of the Juan Pierre/Willy Tavares mold (though Davis has a little pop too). I don't get what the Pirates are thinking here, but I could say that for virtually anything they have done in the last 15 years.
• White Sox trade OF Rob Mackowiak (74) to the Padres for RHP Jon Link (39/72) - This is another underrated move by the Padres. Mackowiak is a tremendous option off the bench thanks to his solid bat and versatility. Really, he's good enough to be a serviceable starter. It probably made sense for the ChiSox to move an outfielder and make space for OF Jerry Owens (66/73), since he fits the small-ball style Ozzie Guillen prefers, but they either should have got a little more for Mackowiak or offered OF Darin Erstad (68) instead.
• Padres trade LHP Royce Ring (75/83) to the Braves for LHP Wil Ledezma (54) and RHP Will Startup (64/75) - I wonder if the Braves know how good Royce Ring is, because though Mahay is being heralded as the lefty the bullpen needed, Ring is younger and better. Ledezma has had a tough year, but he's young and not as bad as he has performed this year. Talent-wise the trade is pretty equal, but Ring clearly upgrades Atlanta's bullpen (if they are smart enough to put him there and not AAA) and I don't see how Ledezma and Startup really help the Padres, though they don't hurt the team either.
• Rangers trade RHP Eric Gagne (74) and cash considerations to the Red Sox for LHP Kason Gabbard (73/81), OF David Murphy (65/76), and OF Engle Beltre (6/65) - This deal would have been great for the Rangers even with only Gabbard included, but they also got a solid outfielder in Murphy, and a complete wild card in Beltre. As for the Red Sox, I don't see why they did this deal given how strong their bullpen already is. They mortgaged a little too much young talent for a rather minimal gain.
• Mariners trade RHP Julio Mateo (67/75) to the Phillies for SS Jesus Merchan (66/94) - Really, this move was all about letting Mateo move on. Merchan intrigues me, but he's shown only marginal hitting ability at any level before this year. However, it was clear that Mateo was going nowhere with the Mariners. I included Mateo's unadjusted rating, but considering his age and MLB experience, in all likelihood he has peaked around the 67 rating. Mateo is going to be a nice addition to the Phillies bullpen, and maybe the M's really got something in Merchan.