![]() ![]() He wowed scouts at the Under Armour All-America Game (yes, ironic) at Wrigley Field in 2011. It's symbolic of the virtual dearth of information pertaining to Munoz, who's become one of the A's best prospects, boasting one of the flashiest tool sets in the organization.Īt 16, Munoz flew to the United States to play baseball without a contract. No outlet - not Baseball America, not, not Baseball Reference, hell, not even the Stockton Ports media guide - lists his hometown. I lead with this because, amazingly, it's new information. Yairo Munoz is from Nagua, a beach town on the North Eastern coast of the Dominican Republic. For the full scouting report on Nottingham, read my interview with BP's California League scout Wilson Karaman. Evaluators seem to think his improvement behind the plate this year will augur well for his chances to stay there long term. He's calling pitches and meeting before games to go over scouting reports, and is continuing to develop his chops behind the plate. " emphasize being a professional and doing things the right way," he said, evoking classic baseball cliche. And, despite the Astros' publicity as catcher-framing organization - in 2012, they hired Baseball Prospectus's Mike Fast after his groundbreaking research into catcher-receiving value - Nottingham says there haven't been many differences in terms of emphasis. Although his regular catching routine was broken in the wake of the trade, he's now settled back into his regular pre-game work: blocking and receiving etc. On the field, the transition has been smooth as well. "I still have a long way to go," he explained, "but I'm just trying to sit one pitch and take advantage of it." ![]() Like many power hitters, Nottingham has a long swing that's dependent on timing and some guesswork, so something as simple as looking fastball, on the outer-third of the plate can have a profound effect. It may sound like a cliche, but it's the same thing I've heard from other players, including Red Sox catching prospect Austin Rei, who credited his offensive improvement at the University of Washington to looking for specific pitches in specific zones, and adjusting to the rest. Focusing on good contact and hitting the ball where it's pitched." " swinging at better pitches, and, honestly, trying to do less. So, how did Nottingham go from an unpolished hitter with shaky defense to one of the best catching prospects in baseball? "It started off in Spring Training," he said. the Walk of Trade - Nottingham was regarded as one of the better prospects in a loaded Astros farm system and, to wit, a likely fixture on industry top-100 prospect lists this offseason. Once in Lancaster, he continued to hit, hit, hit, and by July 23 - i.e. This season, he started at Low-A Quad Cities (Midwest), but, after a thorough manhandling of the league, was promoted. 692, explaining why he was left off Baseball America's organizational Top-30 prospect list heading into the season. At both stops, he struggled offensively, posting OPS's of. Nottingham was drafted by the Astros in 2013, in the sixth round, and spent his first two pro seasons in the Appalachian and Gulf Coast Leagues (Rookie). "The team was very welcoming, a lot of great guys," he said. He said the A's organization welcomed him with open arms and the transition has been smooth. " called me and just told me that I'd done a great job, but I got traded, they need some pitching to make a playoff run. "I didn't know how to react at first," Nottingham related to me before a game against the R.C. Call it preparation, call it practice, or - simply - call it a way of life. From one clubhouse to the other #WalkofTrade ⚾️ /rcE2nQTpY4įor better or worse, the three words above aren't foreign, or they shouldn't be, to past, present, and future A's. The trade from the Astros to the Athletics is official. ![]() It was dubbed the "Walk of Trade" by Astros trainer Taylor Rhoades. He packed his stuff and walked across the field at The Hangar (Lancaster, Calif.) to the visitor's clubhouse, where his new team, the Stockton Ports, readied themselves for a 7:00 game. ![]() These were the words that came out of the receiver, spoken by Astros' Field Coordinator Paul Runge, telling Jacob Nottingham he and his mustachioed teammate Daniel Mengden were no longer Astros they had been traded for Scott Kazmir. At first, it's shocking, "You've been traded." ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |