by Jeff Moore
Yesterday’s trade-deadline excitement involved a number of prospects of varying levels of notoriety. Not wanting to leave any fan in the dark about their newest acquisition, below is a Reader’s Digest-type rundown of the prospects on the move.
Wilson Ramos, C (AAA)
A trade involving Wilson Ramos was inevitable for the Minnesota Twins, considering the conversion of three major trade factors - the need for a contending team to add a piece, Ramos' status as a major-league ready prospect, and his positioning on the Twins' depth chart behind the reigning AL MVP who just signed a long-term deal. The only question that remained concerned his ultimate destination.
We know now that our nation's capital is where Ramos has ended up, sent to Washington in exchange for Nationals' closer Matt Capps. Ramos had been rumored in multiple deals in the past month, including one centering around Cliff Lee. Considering Ramos was one of the Twins' most attractive trading chips, not everyone is happy with a two-month rental as a return.
Anthony Gose, CF (HiA), Justin Villar, SS (LoA), and Brett Wallace, 1B (AAA)
Gose was a part of the Phillies' 2008 draft in which they took a number of high-risk/high-reward players whose athleticism and tools were off-the-charts but were unpolished on the diamond. Gose, a 2nd round pick, has fit that profile precisely, showing flashes of brilliance on the field mixed in with moments of inexperience.
A brilliantly fast player, the 19 year-old has stolen 115 bases in 245 minor league games. However, this year he's being caught at an alarming rate (36 SB in 63 attempts). For a player with Gose's speed, he does not show enough patience at the plate and has already struck out over 100 times in back-to-back seasons.
The third player in the deal, along with Gose and pitcher J.A. Happ, is the 19 year-old Villar, a shortstop prospect who may need to move off of the position soon, thanks in part to his 42 errors in 99 games there this season. Scouts believe in Villar's bat enough that he could be a big league regular, although if he has to move to a corner position, he may not have the power to be an impact player. He's much more of a line-drive hitter, and his fly-ball rates are way too high (career 27 %) for a player with such little power.
In a surprising turn of events, the Houston Astros then sent Gose to Toronto in exchange for Wallace, who joins his fourth organization since being drafted in 2008. Not far from the majors, the 23 year-old is a far superior offensive player to Gose, but the Jays put a lot of value in Gose's defense, which scouts rate as having the potential to be at a Gold Glove level.
Wynn Pelzer, RHP (AA)
Pelzer is a hard-throwing 24-year-old righty who has some control issues, but also a power arm (mid 90's fastball) that will ultimately lead him to the Baltimore bullpen. His role will be determined by just how much he is able to reign in his control. Currently in Double-A, he should remain there upon arrival in the Orioles farm system, where they could continue to develop him as a starter until he proves otherwise unable to remain in that role or they may have already come to that conclusion.
Jeff Moore is the creator of MLB Prospect Watch, your one-stop site for all the information you need about minor league prospects. If it happens on the farm, it happens here!
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