Giants scouting Cuban CF Eddy Julio Martinez

Let's see. All the big budget teams are in the mix, meaning the price gets bid up. Not the Giants usual International M.O. They are more bargain hunters it seems than anything else.

from mlbtraderumors.com
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/05/international-notes-martinez-fox-kbo.html

The Giants were among the clubs to scout 20-year-old Cuban center fielder Eddy Julio Martinez in the Dominican Republic recently, reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (All Twitter links). At this time, the Giants, Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Nationals, Rockies, Tigers and Dodgers are all in the mix for Martinez. One scout placed the lofty comp of a young Andruw Jones on Martinez, Sanchez adds, though clearly not every scout will be quite that bullish. Martinez is expected to work out for more clubs this week and is eligible to sign at any time.

A young Andruw Jones, even if you have to wait, may be worth the price.

Wait a second, Andruw Jones was in the league at age 19 and was Rookie of the Year at age 20.

This kid is 20 years old.

Maybe this is one bidding war you might want to win. Baseball America did not have Martinez on their Top 20 Cuban Prospect list posted in April 2015.
http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/top-20-prospects-cuba-1-10/  (Subscription required)

Plus, the last bargain, bonus-baby Daniel Carbonnel is struggling in AA.

It seems as if the days of signing a ready-made, immediate impact Cuban bat or arm like Jose Abreu are over, If this guy is an International budget-buster, I say PASS.

Giants (although interested) miss out on Moncada

This is starting to look / feel / sound like my adolescent dating history.

Thanks for playing ( or being played ) by another free-agent Gigantes. The franchise appears to need a breath mint or something. Getting treated like some Disco Danny at a debutantes ball. Hey, freaking three time World Champs here, babe!!!

Given the comps mentioned below, you can see how a team might spend $25-$30M on a chance that he may achieve the projection scouts have for him. What is the cost of developing one superstar? Those are lofty comparisons for this kid. Now he HAS to succeed to make the investment worth the while for the Red Sox. There is no wiggle room. I am surprised the Yankees didn't come with a stronger bid.

Too rich for the Giants blood, no doubt. It does illustrate the inequity that American kids, or really any kid subject to the draft is operating under. How much would Bryce Harper have received in an open bidding system? $100M? The new commish has made noises supporting the development of a world-wide draft. It is sorely needed just from a fairness standpoint.

Either all go through the same / similar system or nobody does.

from mlb.com
Everything you need to know about Cuban phenom and newest Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada | MLB.com:

His MLB player comparisons: 

 Jerry Crasnick, ESPN: "'He's a younger Robinson Cano type with better speed and more positional versatility,' said a National League executive." 

Jim Callis, MLB.com: "The only player with more than three plus tools among MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects is Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, who has five and claims the No. 1 spot on the list." 

Nick Cafardo, The Boston Globe: "One National League talent evaluator pointed out, 'He could be the next Robinson Cano/Chase Utley, but more Cano. That's the kind of potential bat we're talking about.'" 

Jerry Crasnick, ESPN: "'I don't know how people can say [Moncada] is like Cano. How many hitters in the big leagues are like that? To compare him to Cano is unfair to Moncada and disrespectful to Cano.'" 

Our take: Cano, Buxton, Utley, Cano? Yeah, it's time to be excited.

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Yadier Alvarez Emerges While Other Cubans Move Closer to Deals | FanGraphs Baseball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEMOA0cElXo


Dodgers reportedly are set to sign Olivera. There is some great analysis of the major Cuban prospects available and although the Giants are reportedly "interested" in all, the next question begged is "at what price?"

from FanGraphs Baseball:
Yadier Alvarez Emerges While Other Cubans Move Closer to Deals | FanGraphs Baseball:

I returned a few days ago from a three-day trip to the Dominican to see top July 2nd prospects (more on that in the coming weeks) and also a workout that had 18 Cuban players in it. Two of those 18 were big-time prospects, the well-known and hyped 29-year-old 2B Hector Olivera and the brand new name, 18-year-old righty Yadier Alvarez.  Here’s my notes and video on those two, along with some quick updates on the other two notable Cubans on the market, 2B/3B/CF Yoan Moncada and 2B Andy Ibanez. For reference, in my top 200 prospects list that is coming next week, these Cuban players aren’t included on the list, but Moncada would be 8th, Alvarez would be 57th and Ibanez would be in the 150-200 range, while Olivera is ineligible due to his age and experience.

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Moncada will be priced out of the G-mens budget, so we can all stop salivating right now.

Olivera projects as maybe a utility piece at best and a health risk at worst. Maybe he helps if Uribe gets real old, real fast.

Ibanez seems to be in the Giants wheelhouse from a prospect standpoint, so if any, he would be the Cuban prospect from this report that is most likely to wear a Giants hat.

Giants Hot-Stove Buzz and Speculation

Let me see if I have this straight, the Giants are:

• "in the picture on James Shields" @ 5 years / $110 million
• "interested in acquiring" Cole Hamels @ $23.5 for next four years + $20 option year 2019 when he'll be 35
• and "haven't talked to, don't plan to" talk to Matt Scherzer

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hamelco01.shtml

2015 31 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2016 32 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2017 33 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2018 34 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2019 35 Philadelphia Phillies *$20,000,000

$20M Team Option, $24M Vesting Option, $6M Buyout Vests if he 1) has 400 IP in 2017-18, including 200 IP in 2018, and 2) is not on the disabled list with a shoulder or elbow injury at the end of the 2018 season

Hamels would be the most attractive from a contract versus performance potential comparison with Shields coming in second only because Scherzer is just looking to break the bank. He has Scott Boras as his agent, so go figure. Hamels will likely cost a king's ransom of prospects and seems attracted to San Diego under the "going home" banner. Hamels is from the San Diego area originally and reportedly would not mind ending his career there. So the Padres may have a leg up there and they have both the pieces to make a deal and a GM who is in wheeler-dealer mode right now.

The current signs point to either "Shields or bust" for the Giants with bust looking like the best bet.

from Bleacher Report:
Cole Hamels Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Star Pitcher | Bleacher Report:

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels has been the subject of numerous trade rumors and reports, as teams look to bolster their rotations with the lefty's services. The Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have all expressed interest in acquiring the ace. 

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from Bleacher Report:
 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2250529-james-shields-rumors-latest-buzz-and-speculation-surrounding-star-pitcher

The final Shields numbers are expected to be close to the five years and $110 million remaining (if the option is picked up) on the Cole Hamels deal, according to one major league source who was privy to Shields’s demands. The Giants and Red Sox are in the picture, and the Yankees may be another suitor.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:

Maybe Cuban phenom switch-hitting, SS-3B Yoan Moncado as a decent consolation prize? Giants odds are 13-1 according to this analysis, but the Yankees and Red Sox are in on this kid, among others.

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2280818-ranking-signing-odds-for-cuban-phenom-yoan-moncadas-top-8-suitors/page/7

Moncada is 19 and packs a lot of tools into his 6'1/210 frame. He’s a plus-plus runner with above average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet, and his track record of hitting at big tournaments and in Cuba’s professional leagues is excellent considering his age. 

 Different sources had Moncada timed differently in the 60-yard dash, though he ran somewhere in the 6.56- to 6.6-second range. That gives him a 70 for his speed on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, or close to the top of the scale. Moncada reportedly looked better at third and second than he did at shortstop, with enough arm from any infield position. He swung the bat well from both sides of the plate, showing plus raw power both ways. The only negative was that Moncada didn't face live pitching, hitting only off of a BP pitcher. When asked to grade out his tools based on this workout, in combination with previous reports, one scout gave the following grades:

Hit - 60
Power - 60
Speed - 70
Arm - 60
Field - 50

Short-term Shields works, the back end of his contract is going to suck, not the same with Hamels or Scherzer, but they hurt you down the road in other ways. Moncado the risk is he flops, but that seems like a low-risk and the Giants have to win one of these Cuban lotteries, don't they?

Moncado would move the Giants hot-stove league grade from a B-/C+ level to a solid A-/B+ in a hurry. If you knew what Cain and/or Lincecum were going to give you in the next 2-3 year, life would be so much easier. But life is not like that.

Giants fans are looking for one more present under the tree waiting to see if upper management deems them to have been naughty or nice last year. Given the fan support and the results from what has to be a worn out cash register in the Giants back office, woe to management if there isn't at least one more gift to the masses.

Giants options should the Panda thing not work out...

This is what we get? A 19-year old prospect? I doubt this is going to get it done, but whatever.

It seems as if the Giants should be around 50/50 to still retain Pablo given the Sawks renewed wanderlust for John Lester and the dollars he will require to sign. Toronto just signed Russell Martin and seems to be bidding on every available mega-free agent out there. The White Sox could still surprise from the rear.

San Francisco is still the best spot for Pablo overall unless he feels a compelling need to squeeze the free-agency lemon dry. If he weighs 290 and hits .220 in Boston for any length of time, especially after he signs for near $20 million per, do you think they go easy on him? Think it through Panda and Company. Sometimes you sacrifice dollars for quality of life.

from Bleacher Report / Baseball America:
8 Favorites to Watch in Moncada Sweepstakes:

One of the biggest stories in baseball is what will happen with Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada.

Trying to peg the market for Moncada is tricky. He’s widely viewed throughout the game as a premium talent, he’s able to play nearly anywhere on the field except shortstop, and he doesn’t need to fit a team’s major league roster immediately because he’s a 19-year-old who’s going to start his career in the minors. High and low revenue teams could all make a case to sign him.

While Major League Baseball has declared Moncada a free agent, Moncada has not obtained the specific license from OFAC that Major League Baseball requires players to have before signing, and there’s no clear timetable for when that will come.

San Francisco Giants

The World Series champions will have one of the lowest bonus pools in baseball. They have signed players the last couple years in the $500,000 neighborhood, but they have stayed away from the bigger-ticket items after spending heavily on Angel Villalona, Rafael Rodriguezand Gustavo Cabrera with little to show for their investment. The Giants are trying to become more active in the Cuban market, and with a fairly light farm system, Moncada would be a good fit, and a potentialPablo Sandoval replacement at third base should the Panda end up elsewhere.

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Giants are front-runners for another Cuban prospect? Do tell......

Obligatory Yasmany Tomas highlight

The Giants are always listed as front runners for these Cuban ex-pats but have been bridesmaids on virtually all of them (Cespedes, Puig, Abreu,  et al) so take this report for what it's worth.

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/ddZc3?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=san-francisco-giants

• Gammons thinks that Pablo Sandoval‘s days as a member of the Giants are numbered. Sandoval will be one of baseball’s most sought-after free agents this offseason, and the Marlins and Red Sox are both “very interested,” according to Gammons. “The Giants, I don’t think have any chance of re-signing him,” he adds.

• At least two dozen teams will be on hand to see Yasmani Tomas‘ showcase in the Dominican Republic this weekend, and Gammons hears that the early front-runners to sign him are the Giants, Phillies, Padres, Rangers and Tigers. All of that, of course, could change quickly following his showcase. The Padres might seem a curious fit there, given the team’s typically tight payroll, but I’d imagine that the international focus of new GM A.J. Preller might be a factor.

The report about Sandoval is probably closer to reality. The thinking has always been that if the Giants let him go to market, somebody will overpay for him. If you were totally certain that Scutaro would be back and healthy for a full season you already have him signed for $6M+ and could slide him over to 3B. Duvall is a possibility. I still think Posey could transition there a lot easier than Bochy/Sabean seems to believe.

Losing Sandoval drops $8.25M from the payroll and the savings could be used to sign Morse, depending on what he feels he is worth after this season. Maybe he's tired of bouncing around and is more reasonable than Sandoval / and Mr. Market can be. Sergio Romo $6.3M is also a FA, so is Vogelsong @ $5.0M as well as our new hero Jake Peavy $14.5M. That's a lot of money that may or may not find a new home, $40M by my count.

After 2015, Tim Lincecum $18M, Tim Hudson $12M, Marco Scutaro $6.7M, Jeremy Affeldt $6M, Joaquin Arais $1.15M and Juan Gutierrez $0.85 are Free Agents, but Gutierrez could be lost to arbitration in 2014 (hint, hint). That's $44M, so half of the payroll is being rolled over or reinvested in the next two off-seasons. Enjoy these Giants while you can, because in just a short while they will not look the same as they do now.

Scouts Update Reports On Rusney Castillo - BaseballAmerica.com

http://youtu.be/ci14LWlYGKI

Rusney Castillo

I remember back in the pre-testing days when if we heard a player "packed on 20lbs. of muscle" in a year or so he was the object of derision, suspicion and scorn. But now, it's just a prelude to the sound of a cash register ringing. It's a better day for Major League Baseball and of course, thank God, the children are safe.

from BaseballAmerica.com
Scouts Update Reports On Rusney Castillo - BaseballAmerica.com:

After watching Rusney Castillo’s showcase this weekend, several scouts went back and updated their reports on the 27-year-old Cuban free agent. Some scouts who had followed Castillo with the Cuban national team felt he would be a steady, everyday center fielder in the big leagues, while others felt he would fit best as a fourth outfielder, with good speed and defense in center field, a line-drive stroke, an aggressive hitting approach and occasional power. When Castillo showed up on Saturday at the University of Miami, scouts saw a different physique, which has translated to more power. At 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, Castillo is 20 pounds heavier than he was in Cuba, and it’s in a good way, with plenty of muscle packed on to his athletic frame.

...

Before Castillo’s rapid strength increase, he was a similar player to Rajai Davis, a 5-foot-9, 195-pound righthanded-hitting outfielder, when they were the same age. Davis, now 33, was another similarly-built speedster who could play center field with an aggressive hitting approach, a solid bat and occasional power, with an underappreciated skill set for a player who was often thought of as a fourth outfielder himself.

Davis might not be the flashiest comp, but during his age 27-29 seasons, Davis amassed 6.5 Wins Above Replacement (per Baseball-Reference.com), with a peak of 3.3 WAR for Oakland as a 28-year-old in 2008. That’s an average of a little over 2 WAR per season at the same age as Castillo, which is a league-average player.

That, however, was before Castillo increased his raw power. If Castillo can give teams comparable production to Davis at the same age with a little extra pop, he might not be a star like Yoenis Cespedes or Jose Abreu, but that’s a very solid everyday player, with no draft picks or prospects to surrender to acquire him.

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Anyone want to bet money that Yoenis Cespedes was dumped because the "effect" of his pre-workout, pre-signing cycling  was about to wear off?

Time will tell, but don't be too surprised with anything that happens in baseball anymore.

This is another example of where the money attached to baseball prospects allows international players to have a distinct advantage over their American counter parts.

All of a sudden athletes are coming  to America with distinctly different physiques than a generation ago, never mind a year or two ago. And there hasn't been a corresponding increase in the standard of living, diet or nutrition that would help to explain such an extraordinary change.

Hmmmm, I wonder what could be happening here. But 2+2 still equals 4, right? Do the math.

 

Tyler Beede and Daniel Carbonell in AZL (plus an Angel Pagan sighting) — Giant Potential

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SF Giants No. 2 prospect Tyler Beede | AZL Giants 2014

Beede debuts for Giants in AZL, which is good news. Better news is that a kid named Angel Pagan led off, played CF and went 2-3. H/T to Conner Penfold at the blog Giant Potential for providing the You Tube videos for both prospects. Where these guys fall on future prospect lists will be determined by somewhat limited performances so we take what we can get. Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com has already placed young Beede at #2 on the Giants list which may seem somewhat aggressive at first blush, but theoretically Beede should be a more polished, advanced prospect than Crick. The edge in pure stuff may lie with Crick for the time being but Beede should have more command and control of his.



It's good to have stuff, it's better to harness stuff.



from Giants Potential:

Beede strikes out two in first pro inning — Giant Potential:

Beede attacked hitters with a four-seam fastball that averaged between 92 and 94 miles per hour, topping out at 95, while using a mix of his changeup and curveball, which were both low-to-mid-80s offerings.

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SF Giants Cuban prospect Daniel Carbonell | AZL Giants 2014

from Giants Potential:

https://sfgiantpotential.squarespace.com/daily-prospect-recaps/2014/7/30/july-30-2014

AZL Giants: More to come from this game later, but for now, here's an inside look into the Giants' most intriguing prospect — Cuban center fielder Daniel Carbonell. In two games I've watched, Carbonell clearly shows a hit tool (from the right side only) that could push the 23-year-old quickly through San Francisco's system. His bat speed is quick and has a good amount of power behind it. I didn't get video Tuesday, but he hammered a double over the center fielder's head, one-hopping the fence at the 402-foot mark. His speed is a plus skill, as well, and his arm is rumored to be above-average, too, though I haven't seen it yet. His third at-bat in the below video was a ball smoked at the left-fielder, who had to leap and make a remarkable catch to avoid it getting by him. It would have surely led to a double or triple, likely reaching the wall on one or two bounces. Carbonell went 2-for-7 with a strikeout in a 13-inning contest.

Giants Prospects Review

The prospect list is going through a little bit of a restructuring after the MLB Draft and the Carbonell signing with the first order of business being "where do you slot Carbonell?" OK, he's not Cespedes or Puig or even Jose Abreu but at least the Giants are in the game as far as the recent Cuban exodus of players. Other than Panik, Susac and perhaps Mac Williamson, I'm not sure if we have a better hitting prospect. From a tools standpoint, only WIlliamson comes close. 

The second order of business is saying good-bye to this year's crop of 25 year olds, Ehire Edrianza and Heath Hembree. You know my theory there, at age 25 you become more suspect than prospect. At least we're getting some utility (no pun intended) out of Adrainza. Hembree seems to be the pitching version of Gary Brown, more of a teaser than a pleaser. The Giants have to see what they have in Hembree at the major league level. 

Also leaving the list, but not the organization, are 1B Ricky Oropesa and OF Jarrett Parker, both of whom struggle with contact but otherwise look good in the uniform. OF Shawn Payne shows good speed, but you can't steal 1st base. The other hope from the offensive side is the elder statesman 3B Adam Duvall, who feel of the list last year with 25 year-itis, but proceeded to crush his way through AA-AAA ball. Like my man, Conor Gillaspie, Duvall is blocked by the Panda. 

Among the pitchers, Chris Marlowe, Jorge Bucardo, Stephen Harrold never really caught fire. However, Jose Casilla, in limited work, has shown potential to be a late contributor.  This doesn't hurt BTW. I think the younger Casilla can give the Giants similar type inning and play as important a role as his older brother. The mirror doesn't lie. 

SF Giants brothers Jose and Santiago Casilla side-by-side

 GIANT Potential

http://youtu.be/yJSycOQIl3c

Next year's group of 24 YO's is key. The Giants have to get some mileage out of:

C Andrew Susac

2B Joe Panik 

OF Mac Williamson

RHP Chris Stratton 

RHP Derek Law

Law's recent arm problem complicates things as does Stratton's placement in Hi_A San Jose. He needs to start advancing or that pick starts to look pretty iffy. Two of the three bats need to contribute. 

I saw some analysis crediting the Giants with a good pick in the second round with C Aramis Garcia, but looking up and down the organization, this was a clear need pick. After Susac it's  a long fall before you find another C prospect, perhaps stopping at the surprise late round signee from last year's draft John Riley.

This draft is really uninspiring after seeing Beede almost fold up in Omaha, not even looking like Vanderbilt's ace. If he and Garcia don't come up large, this draft could come up empty.

After the first two, Dylan Davis seemed to wow more guys with his 95+ MPH arm from the hill than the OF, so a toss-up between mound and RF. He did hit well in the Cape Cod League, so FWIW. 

Sam Coonrod the RHP from SIU is a project, albeit a project the Giants have shown some skill at turning into a prospect. Maybe a Jake Dunning type at best? It seems like the jury is still out on 6th rounder Skyler Ewing as far as whether he sticks at 1B or C and same with 8th rounder from Stanford Austin Slater as OF/3B. 6-2, 205 seems to lean toward 3B, ultimately he has to hit his way up regardless of where he plays. 

That's your future Giants fans, should the present be too much for you to handle. 

Daniel Carbonell: Giants next five-tool prospect

Daniel Carbonell ~ CF ~ Camagüey Music by Imagine Dragons per

I guess this is the SF Giants next superstar CF. I liked the workout video, although at times it seemed like a Cuban underwear video or some American commercial for cheap cologne.  The beat was good and you could dance to it. Or at least tap your feet to it.

A 6.44 forty doesn't lie. And 6-3, 220 is really going to look good going through airports or getting off the team bus.

A switch-hitter with power? Well, the switch-hitter part I saw, but with a wood-chopper swing against some real meatballs. We'll see how professional pitchers carve him up. If he hits, it looks like he has the rest of the goods. Didn't really see him air out the arm much, but there was more beef than bone there, that much you could see.

The routes to the ball looked better than Pagan recently, not saying much, and those were room service fly balls as well. The INTL dollars count against last years dollars, so that's a plus. The Giants can go after another guy, maybe a near-ready pitcher and maximize the signings.

This makes up somewhat for a rather pedestrian, nondescript 2014 Draft.

from  MLB Trade Rumors: (before the Giants signing, they appeared to fly under the radar)

Daniel Carbonell Weighing Five Offers – MLB Trade Rumors:

By Mark Polishuk [May 19, 2014 at 9:11am CDT] 

Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell has received five offers from Major League teams, all of which range from five to seven years in length, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports. 

Carbonell is said to be looking for a four-year deal.  If he doesn’t sign by July 2, Carbonell’s signing bonus will count against his new team’s 2014-15 international signing period pool money.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reported over the weekend that the Mariners and Yankees were two of the five finalists for Carbonell, though Chavez doesn’t believe either team has made the 23-year-old a concrete offer. 

The Dodgers also aren’t finalists and the White Sox, Red Sox and Braves are “not among the favorites to sign” Carbonell, though those teams showed interest in him earlier this year.

The only other team linked to Carbonell on the rumor mill is Minnesota, who attended his recent showcase and are “monitoring” him.  1500ESPN.com’s Darren Wolfson tweeted, however, that the Twins don’t seem to be “heavily involved” to the extent of other clubs like the Yankees.

Carbonell is a 6’3″, 220-pound switch-hitter with four years of pro experience in Cuba.  Chavez notes that Carbonell “is known for his speed and power” and is considered by some scouts to be a five-tool talent.

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