Francisco Cervelli (45)

Pos: C	DOB: 3/6/1986	Ht: 6’1
Team: NY Yankees	B/T: R/R	Wt: 205

Batting: 45	Speed: 35	Arm: 50
Power: 45	Defense: 65

Stance: Starts in a closed stance with his front foot slightly ahead of his back foot. He keeps both elbows up and has a slight lean over the plate with both knees bent. He does a good job of triggering his lower half by raising his front foot as the pitcher is set to release. As he swings his back leg pivots and allows his weight to shift. His upper body keeps good pace with his lower half and he stays inside the ball well.

Approach: Cervelli steps up to the plate looking to slug and does not hesitate to swing early in the count. His catching has helped his good pitch recognition at the plate, and he has maintained a fairly decent strikeout to walk ratio over his career. Cervelli has maintained below average O-Swing% rates, while posting an above average Contact%. (Career average 84.5%). Therefore, despite his aggressiveness at the plate, he minimizes the swings he takes on bad pitches.

Hitting Ability: Cervelli has a fairly level swing and this contributes to solid contact rates. He does well against left-handed hitters, and holds his own against righties. (Career average v RHP is .256). He does a fairly good job of using the whole field. Expect him to hit .270 consistently.

Power: Cervelli possesses good power potential but his low home run totals have been a result of injury-ridden seasons and limited plate appearances. Most of his home runs will be hit to the pull side. He can be expected to hit 10 home runs over 200-250 at bats this season.

Running: Cervelli has below average baserunning skills and speed. He hustles hard at all times and rarely makes poor baserunning choices.

Fielding: Cervelli has done well as a backup catcher throughout his career. He is very mobile behind the plate and often motions with both his hand and glove to give the pitcher a better sense of wear to locate. He does a great job of blocking pitches, as there is no hesitation to sacrifice his body. He has a very good understanding of the movement on pitches he calls for, and does well at catching hard breaking balls. His pitch framing abilities are underrated, and before his injury last season he was among league leaders in framing pitches that were outside the zone. (CSOZ% of 7.94%). Cervelli has good arm accuracy but is not known for throwing out a ton of base stealers.

Physical Description: Cervelli has an average size and build, but gets the most of his body for his catching. He has good weight distribution and strong legs, which allows for durability behind the plate. Despite PED usage, Cervelli’s body made very little changes.

Projection: Cervelli will maintain his role as backup catcher if he stays with the Yankees, due to the long-term signing of Brian McCann. His ability to get the barrel on the ball consistently and use his whole body at the plate will result in increased offensive production if he stays healthy. Specifically, look for an increase in power numbers should he get 200-250 at bats in 2014. He is an ideal backup to have on most contending teams and some organizations may look to acquire him this season.

Carlos Villanueva (45)

Pos: RHP (Reliever)	DOB: 11/28/1983	Ht: 6’2
Team: Chicago Cubs	B/T: R/R	Wt: 215

Fastball: 45	Slider: 60	Command/Control: 55
Changeup: 55	Curveball: 45	Delivery: 60

Pitch #1: Fastball, sits around 88-92 MPH using both the two and four seam grips. Not an overpowering pitch, but gets good movement on it. Lack of velocity on this pitch is most likely the biggest reason he has never settled into a more prominent role (Closer/top of rotation arm)

Pitch #2: Slider, highly effective pitch that he will use in almost any count. Sits in the high 70s and low 80s and can control it most of the time. Gets very good movement on this pitch and opponents have consistently hit below .200 against it over his career. Villanueva is at his best when he can consistently locate this pitch in the bottom third of the strike zone.

Pitch #3: Changeup, sits in the low 70s and is another off speed pitch Villanueva uses in almost any situation. This is a pitch he has worked on and improved quite a bit since entering the big leagues and has allowed him to be a viable option for a starting rotation. Opponents hit .229 against his changeup in 2013, by far the best result for that pitch in career.

Pitch #4: Curveball, used as Villanueva’s fourth offering, this can either be highly effective or useless. Sits mid 70s and gets good 12 to 6 action on it but can get into serious trouble when he leaves it up in the zone. Over his career opponents are batting to .262 against his curveball.

Delivery: Compact, highly repeatable delivery. He starts with a relatively high leg kick leading into an “inverted W” arm alignment, then turns his wrist to hide the ball and comes through. He sometimes has a tendency to go into a short arm motion when throwing off speed pitches

Control: Villanueva likes to attack the strike zone and go right after hitters. He likes to use the entire strike zone, but he sometimes keeps the ball up in the zone which has led to high home run totals. Overall his control is quite good as evidenced by his 2.58 K/BB ratio.

Poise: Being shuttled back and forth between roles can definitely take a toll on a pitcher, as has occurred with Villanueva. He seems to get flustered in situations with multiple runners on base and right after defensive problems occur. Perhaps if a team would allow him to stay in a role, he would be able to exude more poise and confidence on the mound.

Physical Description: Villanueva is of average build for a Major League pitcher. Has solid height and muscle distribution. Conditioning does not seem to be an issue for him.

Projection: Villanueva has shown throughout his career that he is a very capable of pitching out of the 4/5 hole in a rotation but has struggled with consistency which explains his status as a swing man who will give 10-15 starts when injuries occur while shadowing as the long man out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. As a pitcher who uses 4 pitches that are all at least average he will never struggle to find work as a long man although his preference has been to be a starter. Unless the Cubs trade one of their pitchers before the season, Villanueva figures to start the season out of the bullpen.

Jon Jay (45)

Pos: CF	DOB: 03/15/1985	Ht: 5’11
Team: St. Louis	B/T: L/L	Wt: 195

 

Batting: 50	Speed: 45	Arm: 60
Power: 35	Defense: 65

Stance: Starts with closed stance, knees bent and bat resting on his shoulders. As pitch is delivered hands become very active, first coming down then cocking back to sync his hands up with hip and leg movement. Hands then become flat when contact is made with ball, and he then gets into running stride in same action.

Approach: Hitting approach gels well with the Cardinals’ philosophy: get on base and let your teammates move you around the paths. Is good at taking a walk and seeing a lot of pitches, overall a pretty patient hitter. More of a slap hitter as evidenced by his overall lack of extra base hits, but runs well enough to turn the occasional single into a double.

Hitting Ability: Jay has always hit for good average at the major league level and has been able to couple that with solid on-base numbers. He will not hit for much power and thus profiles as a decent number 2 hitter who could hit leadoff in a pinch or be perfectly good in the number 8 slot where he could get on base on have the pitcher bunt him over. Shows the ability to take a walk which translates to his solid on base numbers. Showed the worst batting average of his career in 2013 at .276.

Power:  Jay will hit about 5-10 home runs per season adding 25-30 doubles which translates to below average power. Instead of playing a power game, Jay will try to get on base and let his teammates move him around to home, a trademark of Cardinals baseball.

Running: For a CF his speed would be considered below average, although it does not seem to affect his ability to get to balls in the outfield. That being said, he should still be a lock for 10-15 stolen bases this season and has shown good instincts on the bases.

Fielding: Shows excellent range in CF and takes good routes to balls. Has been very reliable over the past few seasons making very few errors and his ability to double up runners is also a positive for Jay showing off a plus arm. Fits the profile of a classic defense-first outfielder and has found himself on many morning highlight reels due to his ability to make outstanding plays.

Physical Description: At 5’11 and 195 lbs. Jay is not the biggest guy on the field but is quite solidly built with good muscle distribution. Is in good physical condition and will need to stay that way to remain at the big league level (can’t afford to add to much bad weight).

Projection: With the addition of Peter Bourjos in the Cardinals lineup, Jay figures to battle for all of his at bats this season, starting with a crucial Spring Training to determine playing time. While neither has been anointed the starter in CF just yet, you have to figure that Jay is aligned to start the season as the Card’s fourth outfielder. This is a role he is familiar with, having played it while Colby Rasmus was in town, and he excelled in it hitting over .300 in both 2010 and 2011. With a career high in at bats leading to a dip in performance in 2013, this could be a positive turn of events for Jay as he has statistically been his best when he plays less often. Therefore you can expect Jay to be an outstanding bat off the bench providing solid defense or a bottom tier Centerfielder for years to come. Case could be made to bump him up to a 50 overall but I want to see him hold down the job with some competition now present.

Will Smith (45)

Pos: LHP (Reliever)	DOB: 7/10/1989	Ht: 6’5
Team: Milwaukee	B/T: R/L	Wt: 250

Fastball: 40	Curveball: 40	Command/Control: 60
Slider: 65	Changeup: NA	Delivery: 60

Pitch #1: Fastball, low to mid 90s velocity. Uses both a four-seam and a two-seam grip almost equally. (His two-seam frequency rose from 9.9% in 2012 to 23.9% in 2013). His four-seam fastball does not overpower, but it is controlled well. He has had success with his two-seam fastball against righties, and its good tailing action has resulted in a sustained GB% but fewer line drives.

Pitch #2: Slider, low 80s velocity. Great downward sweeping movement and moves late. He can throw both a hard slider and a tight slider to both right and left-handed hitters. A plus pitch, and can be thrown for a strike consistently and early in the count. Virtually unhittable when thrown well, and can draw some terrible swings. Arguably his most effective pitch, and thrown about 28% of the time. (Up from 9% in 2012). This pitch is a big factor for explaining the drop in the Contact% of opposing hitters – from 85% in 2012 to 67% in 2013.

Pitch #3: Curveball, mid 70s velocity. Average, late break on this pitch and only effective late in the count and when ahead.  Smith only uses the curveball 11% of the time (down from 22% in 2012) as it does not break well enough to have consistent success.

Delivery: Smooth delivery and fairly quick. Very repeatable and does not put a lot of strain on any body part. Uses a high leg kick and a 3/4-arm slot. Does well at landing his right foot upon releasing the ball.

Control: Smith can throw all of his pitches for strikes. He has good control of his four-seam and two-seam fastballs and can locate them well. He is very economical with his pitches and has cut down on his walks dramatically. Despite his Zone% dropping to 42% in 2013, Smith has raised opposing hitters’ O-Swing% in 2013 to 37% – up from 28% in 2012. This speaks to the excellent command of his recently improved slider.

Poise: Shows great confidence on the mound. Made impressive strides in one season of work, after moving to the bullpen. Works very quick, and attacks batters, no matter what the count.

Physical Description: Does not possess the velocity to match his powerful frame. However, he has good muscle distribution and his powerful back and lower body help make his delivery so effective.

Projection: Smith has made impressive strides since making the transition to the bullpen. Expect his walk numbers to increase as hitters will lay off more sliders in 2014. His changeup was hardly used in 2013, but should the Brewers use him in the rotation, expect for this pitch to return to his repertoire. It would be wise for the Brewers to keep Smith in the bullpen, as his slider is the only dominant pitch he features. He may project as a late inning, left-handed specialist in the future.

Nick Punto (45)

Pos: SS (2B/3B)	DOB: 11/8/1977	Ht: 5’9
Team: Oakland	B/T: S/R	Wt: 195

Batting: 45	Speed: 40	Arm: 50
Power: 30	Defense: 70

Stance: From the left side he starts with both feet parallel to the plate, with his front elbow below shoulder height and back elbow parallel to his shoulder. He uses a slight trigger by quickly raising his front foot and then driving his hips towards the ball. He uses a slight upper cut, inside out type of swing. From the right side he starts with his front foot closer to the plate in a more closed stance. His elbows are slightly lower than from the left side. He uses a very slight leg kick to trigger his lower half and drives his hips towards the ball. His swing cuts the zone in half, and is less of an upper cut than from the left side.

Approach: Punto’s approach throughout his career has been to keep a short, compact swing, maintain a high contact percentage and put the ball in play by using the whole field. He likes the ball down and in from the left side but up and in from the right side. He shows good pitch recognition and has the ability to use the opposite field with consistency.

Hitting Ability: Punto has always maintained below league average O-Swing% rates while consistently posting an above league average Contact%, which speaks to his ability to control the strike zone and limit bad swings. Despite limited playing time over the course of a season, Punto has the ability to hit near .300 against left-handed pitching. Against righties, Punto will hit anywhere from .220-.260 depending on playing time.

Power: Possesses below average power. He cannot be expected to hit more than 5 home runs per year. His lack of power comes from his small stature and approach at the plate.

Running: Once a plus, he is now an average baserunner. He hustles hard and runs the bases well with few careless mistakes.

Fielding: Extremely versatile player who has played second, third, shortstop and the outfield throughout his career. He is best defensively at shortstop (where he has a career UZR/150 rate of 18.6) and at third (where he has a career UZR/150 rate of 20.4). He takes a good first step to the ball and has excellent footwork. He possesses quick hands and throws with slightly above average arm strength and good accuracy.

Physical Description: Very short and somewhat stocky. He has a strong lower half but has a bit of bad weight in the midsection. Adding more bad weight could be a problem as he ages.

Projection: Punto’s value is mostly in his defensive versatility. His ability to play second, third and shortstop at above league average rates makes him an asset to any team. His consistency in hitting left-handed pitching has also added to his value. Punto has been on playoff rosters in two of the past three years, and his versatility, leadership and experience will keep him in the big leagues for years to come.

Jose Molina (45)

Pos: C	DOB: 06/03/1975	Ht: 6’2
Team: Tampa Bay	B/T: R/R	Wt: 250

Batting: 40	Speed: 20	Arm: 75
Power: 35	Defense: 80

Stance: Front foot is very slightly back but keeps his hips closed. Holds his hands around letter level and away from his body. Leans back with his upper body to stay relaxed and then straightens and hunches over the plate as the ball is delivered. Uses a leg lift tripper that he plants in a straight up stance.

Approach: Likes the ball belt high on the inner half of the plate. Really struggles with the ball up in the zone and down and away. Swings and misses a lot but has a good idea of the strike zone and doesn’t chase very often, unless he has two strikes against him. Struggles a bit with pitch recognition at times.

Hitting Ability: Has a slight upper cut to his swing, and his swing can get long. Has a tough time pulling his hands in on the up and in pitch. Struggles offensively, not going to offer much beyond replacement level at the plate. Expect him to hit around .230-.240. Hits the ball to all fields and goes with the pitch well. Has traditionally hit better against LHP’s, but over the past several years has struggled against lefties.  

Power: Has some pop but not much, will typically hit around 5 homeruns a year. All of his power will come to the pull field. Power plays in all ballparks, but has played down in Tamp Bay do to a pitcher friendly park.

Running: Aggressive for his size and speed. Will typically attempt a handful of steals annually with solid success rates. Does well picking his spots to run as pitchers often fall asleep on him. Overall, lacks speed or any quickness and is a station to station runner. Generally a base clogger.

Fielding: Fantastic defensive catcher, works incredibly well with pitchers and calls a great game. Does a great job of blocking balls in the dirt and picking balls that skip in front of him. Real soft hands and quick feet/reactions. Shows a quick and smooth transition from glove to hand, with a strong and extremely accurate arm. Isn’t afraid to throw behind runners or throw from his knees. Throws look effortless and he is always aware of runners on base and how far off the bag they are.

Physical Description: Prototypical catcher body. Carries weight in his upper body, has decent weight distribution. Muscular lower body and broad shoulders, but lacks muscle definition in his chest. Has had the same body for his entire career and isn’t a concern for adding more bad weight.

Projection: One of the best defensive catchers in baseball. Fits best as a top tier backup catcher. Doesn’t offer much offensively but makes up for it with his leadership, game calling ability and defensive prowess.

Stephen Vogt (45)

Pos: C	DOB: 11/01/1984	Ht: 6’0
Team: Oakland	B/T: L/R	Wt: 215

Batting: 40	Speed: 30	Arm: 50
Power: 50	Defense: 55

Stance: Starts with a slightly open stance, feet shoulder width apart with hands close to the ears and knees bent. As the pitcher comes set his hands move back and he takes a medium-aggressive leg stride to generate extension from his lower half. Has a slight upper cut stroke, which plays well for his power.

Approach: Very aggressive approach at the plate. Looks to drive the ball into the gaps and make use of his power. Likes the ball down and in, struggles to make contact on the outside part of the plate. In AAA he maintained a fairly decent strikeout to walk ratio, but early in his big league career he has struck out almost 20% of the time.

Hitting Ability: Has a slight upper cut stroke with the ability to drive the ball into the gaps. He is used primarily in a platoon and his bat is most valuable against right handed pitching but he has the ability to hit for contact against lefties. (Based on minor league stats). Possesses below average bat speed and swings at too many pitches outside the zone. However, he does a good job of getting the barrel to the ball and using an inside out swing when necessary. Not capable of hitting over .250 over a full major league season.

Power: Has above average power with the ability to drive the ball with an upper cut stroke. He can hit 15 home runs over the course of a season.

Running: Vogt is not a threat on the base paths. He will not attempt many steals and is a liability in going first to third or second to home.

Fielding: Vogt has compact positioning behind the plate and has the ability to control the tempo of an at-bat. He has average arm strength but combined with good footwork and a quick release, he has limited the running game over his short major league career. (Pop time average is 1.8). He has an all-out approach when blocking balls but has allowed too many passed balls thus far. He has excellent positioning on plays at the plate and can block off runners well, with the ability to effectively sacrifice his body. He is very aware with runners on and shows good leadership behind the plate. He has made a big league roster by catching two very young and talented pitching staffs in his career, (Rays and A’s) which speaks to his catching ability.

Physical Description: Possesses the ideal build for a catcher. He has an extremely powerful lower half, with good weight distribution. He has strong shoulders and a wide back.

Projection: Stephen Vogt was a career minor leaguer who almost gave up baseball two years ago. His perseverance speaks to his character, but his tools as a catcher are what will keep him in the big leagues for years to come. His good receiving and the ability to shut down the running game make him a good defensive catcher. His above average power and ability to hold his own against right handed pitching will provide the Athletics with an excellent platoon option for Derek Norris, taking pressure off Norris’ maturing process.

Alberto Callaspo (45)

Pos: 2B (3B)	DOB: 4/19/1983	Ht: 5’9
Team: Oakland	B/T: S/R	Wt: 225

Batting: 50	Speed: 35	Arm: 45
Power: 35	Defense: 55

Stance: From the left side he starts with both feet parallel to the plate, elbows low and below shoulder height. He uses a slight trigger by raising his front foot and then driving his hips towards the ball. He has a smooth line drive swing that cuts the zone in half. From the right side he starts with his front foot closer to the plate in a more closed stance. His elbows are slightly higher than from the left side. He uses a very slight leg kick to trigger his lower half and drives his hips well towards the ball.

Approach: Callaspo is capable of hitting in many different spots in the lineup because he is able to adjust his approach. He likes the ball up in the zone from the right side but down and in from the left side. He is a very consistent hitter throughout the course of a season. Shows good pitch recognition. Likes to put the ball in play any way possible.

Hitting Ability: From the right side Callaspo looks to drive the ball into the gaps and will hit in the 5 or 6 hole. He has good bat speed and hits the ball well to all fields from this side. From the left side Callaspo is more of a slap hitter and will hit lower in the order as he fails to make consistent contact. Overall he is a good contact hitter who walks more than he strikes out.

Power: Below average power. He cannot be expected to hit more than 10 home runs per year. He does have more power from the right side.

Running: Below average runner, but he hustles hard. He runs the bases well and does not make careless outs on the base paths.

Fielding: Extremely versatile player who has played second, third, shortstop and the outfield throughout his career. He is best defensively at second base or third. His versatility was shown this year as he made the transition back to second base seem effortless, despite the fact that he had not played there consistently since 2009. He takes a good first step to the ball and has good footwork. He does not possess the most powerful arm but it is very accurate. He is not a flashy defender but can be relied on to make all the routine plays.

Physical Description: Very short and somewhat stocky. He has a strong lower half but he has a bit of bad weight in the midsection. Adding more bad weight could be a problem in the future.

Projection: Callaspo is an excellent option to have platoon at second base with a stronger left-handed bat, or come off the bench to back up shortstop and third base. He is a consistent hitter from the right side but holds his own from the left side, enough to see a fair amount of at bats against right-handed pitching. He is an intelligent player who has the ability to adjust given the situation at hand.

Daric Barton (45)

Pos: 1B	DOB: 8/16/1985	Ht: 6’0
Team: Oakland	B/T: L/R	Wt: 205

Batting: 50	Speed: 35	Arm: 50
Power: 35	Defense: 75

Stance: Fairly open batting stance, with hands at eye level. Strides into the ball with his front foot, and does a good job of keeping balanced. His swing is fluid and crosses the strike zone on an even plane. Does a good job of launching his lower half into the ball.

Approach: Very patient hitter, looks to work the count and draw walks. In 2010 he was among league leaders in OBP. He struggled in 2011 and 2012 as his swing got a big long in attempt to raise his power numbers. This year he has done well to regain his old form of working the count and getting on base. He has excellent zone awareness, but only average pitch recognition.

Hitting Ability: Has the ability to hit .270-.280 if he can stick to his patient approach. He hits left-handers far better than righties, which allows him to platoon well with left handed hitting power first basemen. He hits the ball well to all fields with his smooth line drive swing.

Power: Below average power, capable of hitting no more than 10 home runs in a full season. Most of his home runs come to the pull field. He hits the ball well to the gaps and can be a doubles machine at times.

Running: Below average runner, but he hustles hard on every play. Never a big threat to steal, but good base running instincts.

Fielding: Excellent defensive first baseman, one of the best in the American League. He has great range at his position and can handle tough hops very well. He can play further off the bag than most first basemen because of his quick feet. He possesses a slightly above average arm and has been called on to play third base at times.

Physical Description: Slightly short for a first baseman, but has a good powerful lower half. He has good weight distribution and adding bad weight has never been an issue. He has strong shoulders and back.

Projection: An excellent option to have for a late inning defensive upgrade at first base. He struggles at times with elite pitching, but he has good hitting ability altogether. His approach of working the count, drawing walks and putting the ball in play works well for his lack of power. He hits lefties better than righties, which allows him to play a few times a week, at least. This year may be his last opportunity with the Athletics, as they were once very high on Barton but he has failed to show any consistency since 2010.

Dan Otero (45)

Pos: RHP (Reliever)	DOB: 02/19/1985	Ht: 6’3
Team: Oakland	B/T: R/R	Wt: 215

Fastball: 55	Slider: 40	Command/Control: 60
Changeup: 45	Curveball: NA	Delivery: 55

Pitch #1: Fastball, high 80s to low 90s velocity. Otero throws a four-seam fastball as well as a sinker. He has relied on his sinker almost 70% of the time this year. The pitch has good late movement and cuts in on right-handed hitters. It s not overpowering but it is an excellent pitch when a ground out is needed. Otero needs to keep this pitch down and in on righties or away from lefties, because if he keeps it up in the zone he can get hurt.

Pitch #2: Slider, low 80s velocity. Otero relies on this pitch about 15% of the time. The slider comes out of his hand almost identical to the fastball, with the same arm slot. It has downward sweeping movement and breaks fairly late. Otero cannot rely on this pitch to be a strike consistently because he does not possess the best control of it.

Pitch #3: Changeup, low 80s velocity. The pitch looks similar to the fastball coming out of his hand. The changeup is used about 8% of the time and usually when he is ahead of batters. It has good late break. Otero possesses good control of this pitch, but it is used only when he has two strikes on a hitter.

Delivery: Smooth and very repeatable delivery. He varies his leg kick from short to very high at times. However he does not over exert any part of his body. His arm keeps good pace with the rest of his body through his delivery. Otero uses a ¾ arm slot. He hides the ball fairly well.

Control: Otero has a zone percentage under 50% thus far this year. (Percentage of pitches thrown inside the zone). However, he is yet to issue a walk this year. He has excellent command of the zone and works primarily from east to west on hitters. Otero possesses very good control of his fastball, both four seam and sinker. He does not possess the greatest control of his slider and it is often a pitch thrown in the dirt or away from hitters to try and get them reaching. He has decent control of his changeup.

Poise: Otero has not pitched in many important games but he has a workhorse mentality on the mound and does not argue with tough calls. He handles himself very well and has the makings of an excellent long relief pitcher. He has done well with stranding inherited runners.

Physical Description: Otero has a good build. He has good weight distribution and does not possess any bad weight.

Projection: Dan Otero was a 21^st round pick who has not had an easy path to the big leagues. He has become a very reliable long relief option for the A’s and was called up after posting an ERA under 1 in Sacramento. He is yet to issue a walk for the A’s this year and keeps the ball in the park.