At Bats and Innings pitched limits:
(130 AB - 50 INN)

Chris Withrow - 40.2 INN
Jackie Bradley - 124 AB
Kevin Gausman - 47.2 INN
Carlos Martinez - 36 INN
Nick Castellanos - 35 AB
Travis d'Arnaud - 130 AB
Xander Bogaerts - 86 AB
Taijuan Walker - 15 INN

Hunter Harvey - Lucas Giolito matchup on Wednesday, April 16

RHP Hunter Harvey (Orioles)
6-foot-3 accurate; nice broad shoulders and beautiful frame to add good weight; great physical projection; very athletic; 3/4 arm slot; uses high kick to create good momentum toward the plate; stretch: 1.40 to 1.53 range; has slight crossfire; also can open early and land toward first-base side; front-side glove can get big, creating deception before throwing front side through; ball explodes out of his hand; hips and shoulders rotate in unison and arm comes through fast; easy release; low-effort delivery; stays over top of pitches well; uses tall frame to create plane; repeatable mechanics; presently more of a thrower than pitcher and needs work with pitchability; very good demeanor and killer mentality on the mound and I love it; also plus-plus hair flow.

Fastball 90-95; a lot of 93, 94; uses tall frame to create downhill plane; arm-side life; can cut it at 90, 91; ball explodes to plate and gets on hitters quick; gets good fastball extension; presently command better to arm side; command profile overall is solid-average and will get to plus; generated double-digit swing-and-misses; could see a velocity tick from where he sits comfortably with added strength. Future 70 grade.

Curveball 78-82; power breaking hammer; great shape with tight spin; hard vertical action; late, sharp hard snap coming from loose wrist; really snaps the breaker; shows good bite with great depth; comes from same arm motion as fastball; has ability to throw for strike and as chase pitch; true swing and miss pitch. Future 70 grade.

Changeup 82-85; best when in 82-83 range; great arm action; plays well off fastball; arm-side fade with vertical action; easy arm with loose wrist (noted from curveball), can improve depth and deception; needs to improve command profile in zone but has bat-missing ability; present below average but work in progress. Future 60 grade.

Role: 70; no. 2 starter

There’s high risk here because Harvey is young and there’s much more development to go. His floor is lower than his fellow pitching prospects in the Orioles system, Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman. But Harvey was amped to pitch against fellow top prospect Lucas Giolito. His fastball was explosive out of his hand and got on hitters quickly. He generates easy velocity from plus arm speed and a clean delivery. He would bust righties inside with 94, then cut it away at 91 with the fastball and it was sick. His curveball is a true hammer and will be a weapon at the highest level. The changeup is a work in progress but I trust the development of it because of the arm action. Harvey is presently more of a thrower than pitcher and the overall command profile needs refinement but Harvey has the skill set and determination to do that. The things that stood out to me the most were Harvey’s demeanor and mentality. He kept cool and collected but was pissed when he gave up a hit and hit two batters. Not to the extent of it being inappropriate but he was mad at himself for not blowing it by the hitter. Also, he has a killer instinct on the mound. He has a “here it is, come and hit it” mentality and that’s what I want from a pitcher. I love this guy.

RHP Lucas Giolito (Nationals)
6-foot-6, big boy; muscular build throughout; dreamer’s body for an innings-eater horse; elite arm strength; stays tall throughout delivery; arm stab in back to a high 3/4 arm slot; creates extreme downhill plane; has high leg kick but momentum varies to the plate from the windup; stretch: 1.2 to 1.3 range; has extremely long stride and keeps good balance throughout delivery; hips and shoulders rotate and explode fast toward plate; can land toward first-base side and hips open early; ball explodes from hand; delivery has a bit of effort; can get violent at times when reaching back for extra velocity.

Fastball 92-97; sat comfortably at 92-95 but could reach back for 96, 97 when needed; extreme plane; late, late life and bores on hitters; explosive out of hand; changes eye level of hitters extreme amount; command is below average presently; with command improvement could be elite pitch based on extreme plane and life making it nearly impossible to square. Future 80 pitch.

Curveball 80-84; wipeout pitch; extreme depth in pitch; looks like a fastball half-way through then dives; has true hammer 11-5 shape; tight, tight spin; massive snap and bite with two-plane break; only threw a handful but they were extreme; elite-level offering. Future 80 pitch.

Changeup 82-88; best in 82-84 range; comes from same arm motion as fastball; arm-side sink with deep vertical action; bottom falls out; very loose command; presently can get firm and lose effectiveness at higher velocity; mostly effective because of fastball fear; presently average; with development could to get to plus-plus. Future 65 pitch.

Role: 80; elite starter

There’s extreme risk here obvious with TJ on his resume. Giolito could very well be the top pitching prospect by year’s end and rightfully so. That being said, he’s not perfect. The command profile is fringy and needs work. Giolito could very well have the most elite arsenal in all of the minors but tends to nibble too much around the plate instead of attacking hitters. His fastball is an elite offering that he will dominate with at the highest level to go along with an elite curveball. The changeup is a work in progress but when he gets it, it may be the most effective pitch he’ll have based on fear of the others. Giolito is something special.

I had an awesome time watching two of the premier pitching prospects in the game duel. Both seemed hyped up for the occasion and it showed. They punched out a combined 13 while only giving up three hits. They also broke three bats combined. If I had to choose one, I would choose Giolito based on the elite power stuff. But if it were Game 7 of the World Series and I want a killer on the mound to win it all, give me Hunter Harvey.

zdroj: Baseball Prospectus

Trey Ball: After starting the season in extended spring training, left-handed pitcher Trey Ball is moving north to join the Greenville Drive, will make his debut sunday night

Oscar Taveras: was back in centerfield Friday night for the Memphis Redbirds, apparently suffering no lingering effects of the left ankle injury he suffered earlier this week.

Kyle Crick: On Saturday night Crick walked three during a four-batter stretch of the second inning, threw 51 pitches overall, and received an automatic hook from Richmond manager Russ Morman. “He got to that magic pitch count total for an inning,” Morman said of Crick. Morman chose not to reveal what the pitch count is, but said the number does not vary pitcher to pitcher.

Jon Gray: pitched arguably the best game of his professional career on Wednesday. Gray retired the first 17 batters he faced, but allowed a single run and three hits in his sixth and final inning. He wound up with eight strikeouts and did not walk a single batter.

Archie Bradley: In his last 3 starts Bradley has pitched 12.1 innings allowing 19 hits and 8 walks leading to 12 earned runs

Noah Syndergaard: on Friday night Thor threw a season high 96-pitches (58 strikes) over the five innings, giving up three runs on six hits, walking two while striking out a season high six batters.

Robert Stephenson: on saturday night Stephenson allowed three solo home runs in the first two innings before settling in and getting a quality start with eight strikeouts. He looked much better than he has this season outside of his first start of the season.

Eduardo Rodriguez: will miss his scheduled start due to a sprained knee.The injury is not considered serious, but Rodriguez is likely headed for the minor league disabled list. Rodriguez saw a doctor who diagnosed the injury as a sprain. The organization now wants to give Rodriguez some time to rest and recover.

Jon Sigleton: Unlike Springer, he might have to wait until after the Super Two cutoff date (usually late June/early July) to get called up.

Matt Wisler: struck out a career-high 10 batters in seven scoreless innings Friday. Wisler needed just 94 pitches to go seven innings, matching the longest start of his career. He allowed three hits and walked none. At 21 years old, he was the seventh-youngest player in the Texas League on Opening Day. Through five starts and 25 innings this season, Wisler has a 2.16 ERA and a 30-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Joey Gallo: drastically cut down on the strikeouts. His strikeout rate is 25.3 percent and his walk rate is up to 18.1 percent. On wednesday he hit 3HR, with 6 RBI´s, scored 4 times , walked 3 times and didn´t strike out. good times.

Taijuan Walker: He was examined by Dr. Edward Khalfaya on Wednesday and was cleared to begin playing catch starting Monday.

Kyle Zimmer: is expected to make his 2014 debut with Northwest Arkansas in about three weeks.

Maikel Franco: Franco, after a 4-for-41 start to the season, has three multi-hit games in his last five games.

Tyler Glasnow :After being held back in extended spring training because of a back injury, Glasnow made his season debut Friday night for Class A Advanced Bradenton. The right-hander threw five scoreless innings

Gregory Polanco: Not taking anything from Andrew,” he says, “but when Andrew was in the minor leagues, he was nothing close to Polanco. This kid has the potential to be one of the best ever.”

Braden Shipley: Shipley was making his second start of the season after being held back in extended spring training to begin the season because of soreness in his right shoulder.Through six innings Thursday, Shipley had yet to allow a hit, facing the minimum. his night ended soon after, having allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out six batters and walked none.

Kevin Gausman: Over his last two starts, Gausman has not allowed a run over 9.2 IP. Over that span, he's yielded 7 hits and 3 walks with 9 strikeouts. it is worth noting that Gausman has not thrown more than 74 pitches in a single outing.He was expecting an innings limit of around 160-170 innings back in January, which could help explain that little detail.

Mark Appel: the top pick in 2013 draft, has been sent from Class A Lancaster to extended spring.The move is being made to help him adjust to a five day pitching schedule. He has pitched every seventh day at Stanford and low-A Quad Cities for the most part last year. Appel pitched an average 115 innings his last three seasons at Stanford, and pitched 33 innings at low-A Quad Cities in 2013.

Byron Buxton: will play three innings in extended spring training Saturday, Antony said.

Kohl Stewart :the fourth overall pick of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, earned his first professional victory on Friday night. He threw a career-high six innings as Class A Cedar Rapids earned a 6-1 win over Clinton.He allowed one unearned run and one hit. He struck out six batters and walked one.

Jesse Winker: on Thursday he came out of the game after crashing into the outfield wall. He was taken to the hospital with concussion symptoms. Has been placed on DL.

Jorge Soler, sidelined with a sore right hamstring, is rehabbing at the team's complex in Mesa, Ariz., and doing some baseball activities. However, Soler is not ready to play in games in extended spring training. The Cubs will take their time to avoid having Soler aggravate the injury.