Mastersball

The big prospect note of this week is Trevor Bauer’s proposed debut later today.   Bauer, 22,  will be replacing Joe Saunders , who is on the DL with a shoulder strain, in the rotation. This could be a short-term stay on the first go around , but keep in mind that Saunders is an impending free agent who will be on the block as soon as he is healthy, so that should provide the long-term opportunity for Bauer.

Bauer was the third overall pick in the 2011 Rule-4 draft out of UCLA. Since then he has done nothing but miss bats at every level of professional play  and has yet to post a sub-11.0 K/9.  The young righty features multiple plus--if not plus-plus pitches--and a repertoire that says “potential ace." His shortcomings are in the control and command department. While Bauer is generally unhittable, he has also continuously walked over 4 batters per nine innings pitched. When you combine that number of walks with his high strikeout rates that translates to quite a few pitches, so the key task for his long-term success and quite possibly his health will be improving his efficiency.  For now, if somehow available, Bauer is recommended in NL only and most mixed formats given strikeout potential.

The second biggest prospect call-up of note is Martin Perez by the Rangers.  The 21-year old lefty may get a start against Oakland on Saturday, but has been far from phenomenal this season, failing to miss bats (5.2 K/9) and to throw strikes (4.1 BB/9)/ While Perez has good raw stuff, he has not appeared to be ready to handle Triple-A level hitting let alone meet the stadard of MLB quality pitching given his performance each of the past two seasons. Perez' recall is directly linked to his most recent performances where he seems to have gotten things a bit more together and started throwing strikes. Despite some success over a small sample of starts I recommend staying away in non-keeper seeking situations given the potential for volatility. Perez is not quite ready for prime time and could easily end up on a bullpen/loogy path if things do not get better. At least Perez has age on his side.

Los Angeles Keystone

The Dodgers have been using a patchwork of players at second base, throwing in veterans Mark Ellis, Adam Kennedy, and utility guys like Ivan DeJesus Jr., and Elian Herrera. Meanwhile, at Triple-A, Alex Castellanos has been on a tear batting .379 .459 .719. Granted, the hitting environment of Albuquerque favors the batter, however, Castellanos has shown improved plate discipline, drawing walks and making good, hard contact. The 25-year old is not a high-end prospect, but has legitimate middle teens or better power and stolen base talents. Defensively, he is not the best second basemen, but he could be play adequately enough there given the upgrade in offense he might bring to the team.

Arencibia Owners Get a Reprieve

Well, at least in deference to the kicker above, if batting less than .220 is a reprieve. Anyway, I feel like I jinxed Travis D’Arnaud. His PCL injury will have him out until at least early August and probably closer to late August, which means the best we can hope for is a brief September call-up. In other words, it would be far from surprising for him to end up being shut down for the year and instead challenging for the starting job next Spring or again on mid-season call-up watch.