Welcome to the March 22nd installment of The Daily Farm Report! We rake the news for each organization’s top farmhands and give you a digest with some commentary for you greedy prospectors to enjoy. Here are some recent news and highlights:
Casey Mize
Tigers #1 by Baseball Farm
Mize To Start Season With A+ Lakeland
Casey Mize is expected to begin season at Class A Lakeland, according to Tigers GM Al Avila.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) March 21, 2019
The Tigers announced that top prospect Casey Mize will start the 2019 minor league season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the A+ Florida State League. This should be a good place for Mize to start 2019, as the FSL is notoriously pitcher-friendly and Mize is probably more advanced than the A+ competition anyway. If Mize gets out of the gate fast, look for him to get pushed to AA and even possibly AAA this season. Mize was the #1 draft choice out of Auburn in the 2018 draft.
Eloy JimenezWhite Sox #1 by Baseball Farm
Eloy Jimenez Signs Largest Ever Deal For Player Yet To Make MLB Debut
White Sox guarantee Eloy Jimenez $43 million, which to them is the same kind of safe bet they made with long-term deals to Chris Sale and Jose Quintana early in their careers. My take for Forbes: https://t.co/5KvKklrZMQ
— Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) March 21, 2019
White Sox top prospect Eloy Jimenez, who has yet to make his MLB debut, signed a contract with the White Sox which sees him get a guaranteed 6 years and $43 million. The deal also includes two club options for Eloy’s 7th and 8th years of service, with the total amount of the deal potentially reaching $77 million if the club exercises it’s options. The good news is that this should remove any further objection to starting Eloy on the White Sox opening day roster. For a deeper look at the implications of Eloy’s deal, I’d refer you to Jeffrey Paternostro’s excellent (and free) article for Baseball Prospectus.
Brandon LoweRays #9 by MLB Pipeline
Brandon Lowe Signs Extension
#Rays sign 2B/OF Brandon Lowe to 6-year, $24 million extension. Lowe, who has 50-grade tools across the board, is No. 9 on the @RaysBaseball's Top 30 Prospects list. Complete scouting report: https://t.co/tqdDZ3uOjH pic.twitter.com/1Ke4w8ONSW
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 20, 2019
A little lost in the extension shuffle this week was the news that Tampa Bay Rays’ 2B/OF Brandon Lowe signed a 6 year, $24 million extension with the team. Lowe, 24, posted a solid .334 wOBA in a 43 game MLB debut last season. The former University of Maryland Terrapin figures to be a fixture in Tampa’s lineup this season.
Estevan FlorialYankees #1 by MLB Pipeline
Florial To Miss Significant Time With Wrist Fracture
The latest on #Yankees top prospect Estevan Florial — https://t.co/FlOK3apTrQ
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) March 18, 2019
Florial, who broke his right wrist attempting to make a catch at the wall in centerfield last week, underwent imaging on Monday which confirmed he suffered a non-displaced wrist fracture. Because of the nature of the fracture, Florial will not have to undergo surgery. Whoever, the team has confirmed that he will be in a hard cast for “a few weeks” and then will be re-examined. A tough blow for the Yankees top prospect.
