Currently viewing the tag: "Aaron Blair"

The BayBears have been a force to be reckoned with in the Southern League since 2011. They’ve won two league titles and made the playoff consistently since that time, and with this roster, they’re definitely looking like heavy favorites to take the crown again. How long this core of players remains together is unknown, but they’re loaded with elite talent. …

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As we recently discussed on the latest edition of The Pool Shot, it’s prospect season right now. Some prospects will be making their first Spring Training appearances in about a month, hoping this is the year that they make the 25-man roster right out of the gate. Those opportunities are rare, and for the Diamondbacks, there’s very little chance …

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Earlier this month, Jonah Keri of Grantland rolled out his MLB Trade Value rankings (part 1, part 2), which is a tremendous read, and even better than last year’s list. Only one D-backs contract made the list, although if you’re going to have just one player among the top 50, it’s nice to have number 3. One …

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As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the Diamondbacks recently signed Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas. That was big news. Then the Athletics traded All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson to the Blue Jays. That was arguably bigger news, and surely more surprising news. Early in the offseason, the A’s had stated that Donaldson wouldn’t be moved; and then he got moved. The …

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The top 10 is finally here, and make no mistake, there’s plenty to like in the upper echelon of the Diamondbacks’ minor league system. While you’re likely familiar with the top couple of names here, take notice of the young prospects, from Single-A or below, who likely represent something of a new wave of potentially future D-backs. Arizona has done …

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It was a tale of two seasons for the Mobile BayBears in 2014. They started the season with guys like Jake Lamb, David Peralta and Chase Anderson on the roster, but lost them to the majors as injuries decimated the Diamondbacks. In their wake came guys like Brandon Drury, Aaron Blair and Braden Shipley. There were plenty …

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An unbelievable second half led the Visalia Rawhide to within one win of a California League title, as they ultimately lost game five of the championship series. Along the way, top pitching prospects Aaron Blair and Braden Shipley logged most of their innings with the Rawhide while promising third baseman Brandon Drury powered the offense. Surrounded by a strong supporting …

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The struggles of 2012 first-rounder Stryker Trahan have been well-documented. The bat has never stepped up as Arizona had hoped, and in an effort to relieve some pressure on the 20-year old, the organization moved him to the outfield prior to the start of the 2014 season. He’s always been rough around the edges defensively but the power is more …

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Tuesday I posted the first half of the Diamondbacks’ Midseason Top-10 Prospect List and this will serve as the second and final installment. If you missed yesterday’s work, I’d suggest revisiting it before diving in here. If you’re the wild and crazy type, well, just keep reading! First the prospects, then the capsules:

Picture 4b

*Note: OFP (overall future projection) is

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Over the All-Star Break, while Braden Shipley was representing the Diamondbacks in the Futures Game, the team announced that right-hander Aaron Blair has been promoted to AA Mobile. Blair began his 2014 campaign in Single-A South Bend with the Silverhawks where he made six starts. His ERA was ugly due some shoddy work by the bullpen, but he was effective …

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There are a lot of headlines to cover in this edition of the Minor League Update. The Diamondbacks’ minor league affiliates have been playing well on the season and there have been some notable tidbits to emerge over the last couple of weeks. In case you missed it, we posted a “Who To Watch” version of the update last week …

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The Diamondbacks have turned things around to a degree as of late, but it’s always worth keeping an eye on the future of the franchise. With the struggles of the team, there’s been a bit of a vacuum effect leading to a series of promotions. When Mike Bolsinger was sent down, Chase Anderson and Evan Marshall were called up. This …

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If you were with us last fall, you likely caught a few of these features and they’re back for the 2014 season. It’s never too early to look to the future, especially when you’re winning percentage is where it is for the Diamondbacks. So we’ll be checking in on the D’backs minor leagues all throughout the season, highlight the recent …

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Maybe you missed it or maybe you didn’t, but Baseball Prospectus’ Jason Parks revealed the BP Top 101 Prospect List on Monday. Just two days later, Keith Law of ESPN released his own Top 100 Prospects. I bring this up not because individual rankings are important in a vacuum. On the contrary, arguing that player X should have been …

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Last fall, we rolled out our first prospect rankings. In case you missed them at the time, you can see them here: 1-10, 11-20 and 21-30. Since that time, a number of other publications have released their rankings. While ours came out after the minor league championship games were played, the other lists have had the benefit of …

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On Tuesday, we released the beginning of our Top 30 Prospects series with numbers 21-30. If you missed it, check it out as there are some names there that have a chance to really move up in 2014. Today we move on to prospects 11-20, where we start to see some guys with real star power.  There’s a first-rounder …

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