Baseball America published its weekly Hot Sheet yesterday, and the list was headed by Diamondbacks pitching prospect David Holmberg. Holmberg was a throw-in in the Edwin Jackson-Dan Hudson trade. It appears the Diamondbacks have won this trade in a big way. Here is what one scout had to say about Holmberg:
"He's really, really good," said a scout who saw Holmberg recently. "He's got an innate feel of how to pitch. The delivery is as good as you want it to be. He's everything you draw up for a Class A guy. He's advanced for Double-A."
Here are excerpts from the Hot Sheet Chat:
Jason (Patterson): Who's a better prospect Jerry Sands or Trayvon Robinson?J.J. Cooper: Was just talking to a scout who once again repeated the mantra, tie goes to the athlete. Robinson plays a tougher position defensively, and while he's not the hitter that Sands is, it's not as significant a difference as some may believe. I'm still going to go with Sands because of his power, but it's closer than one might think.
Sands made the Hot Sheet list as well as he hit .417/.517/1.000 (10-for-24), 4 HR, 2 2B, 8 RBIs, 7 R, 4 BB, 4 SO, 1-for-1 SB. Two of his HRs came on the road. I can see him called up after the All Star break at some point, and could see Sands playing first base over James Loney. Robinson could also get a call up to play left field, but some say he will have to hit for power or he could just be a 4th outfielder in the big leagues.
More Hot Sheet chat excerpts after the jump:
Joseph (Pittsburgh, PA): No Manuel Banuelos? Heard his stuff wasn't great, but the results are still there and he still the same guy.J.J. Cooper: It was a very solid start so he wasn't far off the list, but it was hard to make it with only five innings pitched. And yes, the stuff for Banuelos has diminished a tick.
Oh, the Yankee fans will be all up in arms over this comment. His stuff is "down a tick"? He was getting high praise in spring training, if I remember correctly, and did land on the DL at one point this season, so I wonder if he is still hurt.
Chris (Long Island): It seems like more and more scouts are hopping on the Carlos Martinez train. We have heard the "Pedro-like" comparisons, so who would you say has better pure stuff over Carlos Martinez that is currently pitching in the minors?J.J. Cooper: I'd throw Matt Moore out there as having better pure stuff—better secondary pitches, nearly as good a fastball coming from the left side. You could put Shelby Miller and Jameson Taillon up there with Martinez as far as pure stuff from the right side. Maybe Julio Teheran. It's a short list.
Expect to hear a lot more on Cardinals pitching prospect Carlos Martinez who was recently promoted to High A and is only 19 years old. In 38.2 innings at Low A, he struck out 50 and walked 14, with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP.
Minor League Ball's John Sickels published an article here on Friday on Martinez and here is an excerpt:
Basically my sources say that Martinez looked really damn good most of the time, throwing 95-97 MPH consistently and topping at 98-99. He throws that fastball with little apparent effort. He can spin a strong curveball, but his changeup is erratic right now. That should get better with time.