Padres Press Clips Thursday, February 2, 2017
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Padres Press Clips Thursday, February 2, 2017 Article Source Author Page Around the Horn: Solarte in line to start at third for Padres MLB.com Cassavell 2 Espinoza among pitching prospects with best pure tools MLB.com Callis 4 Padres’ Margot packs some of top tools among prospects MLB.com Callis 6 Anderson Espinoza the Padres’ consensus top prospect UT San Diego Sanders 9 Padres roster review: Zach Lee UT San Diego Sanders 11 Report: Padres drawing consistent trade interest in lefty relievers The Score McWilliam 13 How a tainted trade last summer still is impacting at least 3 MLB franchises Fox Sports Rosenthal 14 Can Padres take advantage of lone franchise status? Baseball America Glaser 17 1 Around the Horn: Solarte in line to start at third for Padres Club has options at the position, but switch-hitter's bat will be in lineup regardless By AJ Cassavell / MLB.com | @AJCassavell | 10:09 AM ET Earlier this offseason, when the Padres gave Yangervis Solarte a two-year contract extension with a pair of club options, they made a statement: Solarte is the third baseman for the foreseeable future, a middle-of-the-order piece who can help anchor a very young lineup. Unless, of course, Solarte isn't their third baseman at all. Make no mistake, Solarte is the clear-cut favorite to man the hot corner for the Padres in 2017. But for now at least, the club is leaving its options open as the front office mulls the possibility of moving him to second base. "Maybe [Ryan Schimpf and Cory Spangenberg] move over to third and Solarte plays second," Padres manager Andy Green said. Schimpf and Spangenberg are currently fighting for a starting job. "That's a conversation we're still internally throwing around. But the expectation right now is Soley's probably at third base." Wherever Solarte ends up playing, he has developed into a formidable presence in the Padres' lineup. He batted .286/.341/.467 with a career-high 15 homers in 109 games last season. And he likely will serve as the primary lineup protection for Wil Myers. At third base, Solarte has proven himself a capable defender, though not especially flashy. (He has done the same at second over his career -- albeit in a much smaller sample size.) Whether Solarte switches positions could depend on who emerges between Spangenberg and Schimpf. As it stands, they're the two front-runners for the second-base job, with Carlos Asuaje also fighting for a roster spot. Again, the sample sizes are small, but Schimpf has proven himself better defensively at third than Spangenberg, whereas the opposite is true at second. If Spangenberg seizes the job in camp, Solarte will almost certainly stay put. If Schimpf does, the Padres might be best served to consider flipping the two. 2 But for all intents and purposes, Solarte is the Padres' starting third baseman right now. He has become a fan favorite in that capacity, known for his energy and passion on the diamond. Solarte endured personal tragedy during the 2016 season, when his wife, Yuliett, lost her battle with cancer. After his return, he spoke constantly of the Padres organization as a family. After signing his extension, he noted how that played a role in his decision to commit his future to San Diego. "Coming back and having that support meant a ton," Solarte said through a team interpreter. "Just being here with my teammates ... knowing that I'd be here, I could play here calmly and know that I have this family." Solarte's bat will be critical to the Padres in 2017, that much is obvious. But in the clubhouse, Green believes he's worth just as much. "He's energy, he's life. Everybody gravitates to him because of those things," Green said. "He's always smiling, he loves to be at the yard. He's one of the guys, as we go into this season, we're expecting big things from." Projected starter: Solarte Potential backups: Schimpf, Spangenberg, Asuaje Top 30 prospects: Luis Urias, No. 11; Asuaje, No. 20 3 Espinoza among pitching prospects with best pure tools By Jim Callis / MLB.com | @JimCallisMLB | 11:47 AM ET Brent Honeywell is the foremost practitioner of the screwball in the Minors. Yadier Alvarez's $16 million bonus was nearly twice as much as any other pitcher got during the 2015-16 international signing period. Riley Pint had the highest ceiling in the 2016 Draft. What do these three right-handers have in common? Among all the pitchers on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, they possess the best combination of top three pitches (fastball, best breaking ball, changeup) plus control. Utilizing the 20-80 scouting scale, where 50 represents big league average, we grade each of a pitcher's offerings and his ability to locate them where he wants. Honeywell (Rays, No. 31 on the Top 100), Alvarez (Dodgers, No. 49) and Pint (Rockies, No. 51) all tied for first at 240. (As we did with the position-player version of the story, we'll issue a quick disclaimer. We understand that there's more to evaluating prospects than just adding up their tools. We consider other factors, such as track record of performance and how close or far they are from reaching their ceilings. This look is intended to be more interesting than scientific.) Honeywell is notable for his screwball, which rates as a 65, and also as one of just three pitchers on the Top 100 to earn a 60 for his control. He might have the deepest repertoire on the list as well, as he employs a screwball, a 92-97 mph fastball (we graded it as a 60), a solid changeup (55) and cutter and a curveball he mixes in to keep hitters off balance. A relatively unheralded second-round pick out of Walters State CC (Tenn.) in 2014, he's on the cusp of arriving in Tampa Bay after posting a 2.58 ERA with 286 strikeouts in 279 1/3 pro innings. Alvarez entered pro ball with much more fanfare after defecting from Cuba, costing Los Angeles not just his $16 million bonus, but also a matching tax penalty for exceeding its international spending pool. His arm speed and athleticism produce overpowering stuff: a 75 fastball that sits in the mid-90s and tops out in the triple digits, a 60 slider in the mid-80s and a 55 changeup and curveball. While his control merits only a 50 grade at this point, he showed more polish than expected in his pro debut and cut his walk rate to 2.5 per nine innings in low Class A late last season. Pint's profile is more similar to Alvarez's than Honeywell's. He may own the best pure stuff on the Top 100 -- a 75 fastball that parks at 94-96 mph and can reach 102, a 60 power curveball that he can morph into a harder 50 slider when he wants and a shockingly advanced 60 changeup with fade -- which earns 4 him Justin Verlander comparisons and made him the fourth overall pick last June. The caveat is that his delivery features considerable effort, detracting from his control (a 45) and command and leading to some concerns about his long-term health. Six right-handers finished close behind Honeywell, Alvarez and Pint with tools totals of 235. That group includes top-rated pitching prospect Alex Reyes (Cardinals, No. 6), who can make hitters look silly with his 75 fastball and 60 curveball; Lucas Giolito (White Sox, No. 12), who ranked first a year ago with a total of 260 before his velocity and control regressed last summer; and Michael Kopech (White Sox, No. 16), who made headlines by reportedly hitting 105 mph in a game in July. We cited Kopech as having the best fastball and Giolito as possessing the top curveball in our breakdown of the best individual tools on the Top 100. The other 235s belong to Francis Martes (Astros, No. 20), Anderson Espinoza (Padres, No. 25) and Jose De Leon (Rays, No. 33). Martes and Espinoza both feature 70 fastballs, with the former backing his up with a 65 curveball and the latter displaying a 60 changeup. De Leon is just one of four Top 100 pitchers to earn three different plus-or-better grades: 65 changeup, 60 fastball, 60 control. The highest-graded left-handers are Jason Groome (Red Sox, No. 41) and Kolby Allard (Braves, No. 53) at 230. MLBPipeline's top-rated 2016 Draft prospect, Groome has one of the best curveballs (65) in the Minors, a fastball (60) that peaks at 97 mph with armside run and more polish (55 control) than a typical high schooler. Allard, considered by many scouts to be the best prep pitcher in the 2015 Draft, has a similar profile with a better changeup (55) and a little less curveball (60). 5 Padres' Margot packs some of top tools among prospects By Jim Callis / MLB.com | @JimCallisMLB | 11:13 AM ET There's a reason Victor Robles' name surfaced in trade talks when the Nationals were linked to Andrew McCutchen and Chris Sale this offseason. And there's a reason Washington wouldn't give him up, even if it meant not landing one of those All-Stars. Robles has the best all-around tools of any player on MLBPipeline.com's just-released Top 100 Prospects list. Using the 20-80 scouting scale, where 50 represents Major League average, we projected Robles as a 60 hitter with 50 power, 70 speed, 65 arm strength and 60 defense in center field.