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I’ve had several of Seijas’ managers confirm he’s 6-foot-2 or taller. 5-foot-8 was his listed height as an amateur.
According to Scott Lauber, who covers the Red Sox for ESPN, Giancarlo Stanton has not expressed an unwillingness to accept a potential trade to Boston or St. Louis.
Kyle Glaser of BA, who did the Cardinals Top 10 for the site, got this interesting question in the Top 10 chat a week ago:
Kyle (St. Louis): Was Andrew Knizner close to making the Top 10? Is he better than what Carson Kelly is at this time last year?
Kyle Glaser: Knizner isn’t there yet. He shows some really promising hitting skills and he’s working hard behind the plate, but there are still quite a few steps he needs to take defensively. And no, Kelly’s defense puts him way, way ahead of where Knizner is, although Knizner is a fine prospect in his own right and has a place in the Handbook.
I took away that he’s a versatile, future utility option with potential above-average power for a middle infielder. Plate awareness still needs work, but definitely a get for a 37th round draft pick, who signed for $3,000 dollars and one scouts should feel proud about.
Ymfante and Whalen definitely from JC. Bandes needs to be pushed, too. I believe he has five years in Rookie Ball. Same with Schlesener, so the clock is ticking. I fully expect one of Machado or Montero to make the GCL jump.
Hickey to the Cubs:
Source: #Cubs are closing in on a deal that will make Jim Hickey their new pitching coach as part of the broader staff shakeup.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) October 26, 2017
Speaking of Knizner, the former middle infielder player first base last night for the Surprise Saguaros.
Just to clarify, my above post about Knizner doesn’t mean he wasn’t well-liked by scouts/coaches. In fact, he has chance to grow into a everyday catcher at the highest level someday and will definitely be in my Top 20. Mercado and Adolis were brought up the most in conversations for POY.
The big separator, though, Knizner wasn’t mentioned once when I asked around about a Player of the Year to scouts and coaches. The only two were Mercado and Adolis Garcia.
I disagree completely. I saw Springfield play on a regular basis and even consulted with their manager about the Player of the Year. It was remarkable what Knizner accomplished in his half-season, but he was simply not in Double-A long enough to receive more consideration. While he was up-and-down offensively in the second half, Mercado was still a valuable asset in all facets (baserunning, defense, and leadership in the clubhouse, particularly to help the Latin prospects with English).
If I chose again, Mercado would still be my choice.
I also named Mercado TCN’s Springfield Player of the Year today. Check out my article on the home page.
P-D reported the other day Wisdom is expected to be added to the 40-man: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/cards-expected-to-add-sluggers-wisdom-o-neill-to-/article_647cec40-2364-591d-bfe6-dc04abb48cfc.html
Seijas pitched better than his numbers reflect: 3.60 FIP compared to 4.97 ERA. Strikeout rate was okay, but his walk rate was lower than his number at the Jupiter complex last year. Strong year considering he pitched in front of a crowd and at night for the first time in his life, IMO. Also, don’t forget he isn’t undersized anymore, either.
For the third straight BA league top 20, Cardinals were represented by one prospect – Alvaro Seijas (No. 14) in the Appy League Top 20.
Cardinals only had one in the NYPL Top 20 as well. Evan Mendoza comes in at No. 12 for State College.
I’m sure O’Reilly (hopefully) will be brought up in today’s chat. Same with Knizner, Edman, and Carlson.
