Former Gators pitcher Dane Dunning is among prospects in the White Sox organization with a shot at the majors in 2019. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Gators Stand Out Among MLB's Top Prospects
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 | Baseball, Scott Carter
Share:
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The most impressive big-league prospect I ever saw in spring training was Josh Hamilton during his days with the Devil Rays. Even as a teenager, when Hamilton stepped into the batter's box, you didn't need to be looking to know it was him hitting just by the crackling sound that echoed across the team's minor-league facility.
When Lou Piniella took over as manager in 2003, he had already managed recent one-name phenoms A-Rod and Ichiro in Seattle. Still, Piniella raved about how the ball jumped off Hamilton's bat in their first spring training together.
Former big leaguer Carl Crawford, who along with Hamilton and Rocco Baldelli were projected as Tampa Bay's future outfield in the early 2000s, once recalled the first time he shared the outfield with Hamilton for Tampa Bay's rookie-league team in Princeton, W.Va. Hamilton chased down a ball in center field and threw home to nail a runner at the plate.
"I couldn't believe how hard he threw it," Crawford said. "I was like, 'Damn, we've got something special right here.' He was in a different class."
Hamilton, who never played a game for Tampa Bay because of injuries and substance abuse problems, later resurrected his career and won the 2010 American League MVP award with Texas. Prospects like Hamilton turn executives, managers, media and fans into dreamers this time of year.
The Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues are underway and as usual, the focus is on the future – and Tim Tebow of course. As the stars of today prepare for the arduous six-month season, the stars of tomorrow are on display next to them.
The Gators have produced some of the top prospects currently in big league camps in Florida and Arizona. On MLB.com's list of the 100 top prospects for 2019, 5 percent of those players once called McKethan Stadium home.
Oakland left-hander A.J. Puk, coming off Tommy John surgery, is the highest-ranked on MLB.com's list at 42nd overall. He is followed by Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (No. 51), Reds third baseman Jonathan India (No. 53), Royals right-hander Brady Singer (No. 54) and White Sox right-hander Dane Dunning (No. 80).
Considering the list includes players signed directly out of high school, college and the international talent pool, that is a startling testament to the job UF head coach Kevin O'Sullivan and his staff have done over the past decade in recognizing and developing talent.
Here is a look at former Gators who are currently ranked among the top prospects in their respective organizations (organizational player rankings are via MLB.com unless noted otherwise; not all of MLB.com's organizational rankings have been released):
BOSTON
LHP Bobby Poyner (22nd) – A 14th-round pick in 2015, Poyner made his major league debut last season and was extremely effective in a limited role for the World Series-winning Red Sox. He bounced up and down between AAA Pawtucket and Boston, and in five different stints with the Red Sox, he struck out 24 and walked three in 22 1/3 innings. Poyner is projected as a situational lefty at this point in his career.
BALTIMORE
Former Gators shortstop Richie Martin.
SS Richie Martin (15th) – Martin hopped on the fast track to the majors when the Orioles selected him in the Rule 5 draft from the A's in December. Oakland's first-round pick in 2015, Martin hit .300-6-42 with 25 steals in AA last season. As a Rule 5 pick, Martin is required to spend the season on Baltimore's 25-man roster and has a strong chance of being the Orioles starting shortstop on Opening Day. Martin is likely to struggle at the plate since he is going straight from AA to the majors, but coming off a 115-loss season, Baltimore is building for the future and liked Martin enough to use the first pick in the Rule 5 draft to nab him from Oakland.
CHICAGO (AL)
RHP Dane Dunning (7th by Baseball America) – Dunning is a strike thrower and features a plus fastball/slider combination. Prior to a strained elbow that ended his 2018 season at AA Birmingham, Dunning allowed only two home runs in 86 1/3 innings. Originally drafted by Washington, Dunning was traded to Chicago as part of the deal that sent Adam Eaton to the Nationals. The 24-year-old Dunning projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter who could be in the majors by season's end.
DETROIT
RHP Alex Faedo (10th) – The 18th overall draft pick in the 2017 draft, Faedo's velocity dropped last season as he went 5-10 with a 4.02 ERA in 24 starts between A and AA. Dominant during Florida's run to the program's first national title, Faedo took the rest of the year off after the Tigers drafted him and speculation is that caused his effectiveness to dip in his first professional season. Faedo remains a key prospect in Detroit, an organization that is stocked with right-handed starters, including former Auburn star Casey Mize, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018. If he can regain his form, Faedo has a fastball-slider combination that projects as a starter in the big leagues.
RHP Logan Shore (16th) – Oakland's second-round pick in 2016, Shore was shipped to the Tigers as part of the Mike Fiers trade in September 2018. A standout starter for the Gators from 2014-16, Shore has been plagued by injuries in the minors. He will be tested against better hitters in the upper minors this season, providing a better gauge of where stands. Scouts project him as a backend starter or long reliever.
KANSAS CITY
RHP Brady Singer (1st) – Singer took over as Florida's ace last season following Faedo's departure and did not disappoint, leading the Gators back to Omaha. The Royals selected him with the 18th overall pick in the draft and signed Singer to a $4.2 million signing bonus. Singer is projected to pass through the minors quickly if he progresses at the rate Kansas City envisions.
RHP Jackson Kowar (7th) – Never the Friday night starter at UF because of Faedo and Singer, Kowar went 25-6 in three seasons. The Royals used the 33rd overall pick in last June's draft to select the lanky right-hander. Kowar has a nasty changeup to go along with a fastball in the mid-90s and like Singer, is a key piece on the mound as the Royals seek to rebuild from their recent slide back to mediocrity.
OAKLAND
Former Gators starter A.J. Puk.
LHP A.J. Puk (2nd) – Puk underwent Tommy John surgery last April and is not expected to be full strength until midsummer. Still, Puk is considered a potential No. 1 starter in the big leagues and arguably the most intriguing of all UF prospects. Puk led the minor leagues in 2017 with 13.2 strikeouts per nine innings. If Puk is healthy and pitches well to start the season, all indications point toward him joining Oakland's starting rotation in 2019.
New York (NL)
1B Peter Alonso (1st) – The 24-year-old Alonso crushed pitchers in AA and AAA a season ago (.285-36-119) with 76 walks. In the first pitch he saw this spring, Alonso homered. New York's second-round pick in 2016, Alonso's bat has him on the fast track to the majors. He has worked hard to improve his defense and could be the Mets' starting first baseman very soon.
RHP Eric Hanhold (25th) – Milwaukee's sixth-round pick in 2015, Hanhold flew under the radar at UF and in the minors prior to making his big-league debut late last season with the Mets. He made three appearances out of the bullpen before an oblique injury ended his season. Hanhold projects as part of New York's bullpen in 2019 if healthy.
CINCINNATI
3B Jonathan India (4th) – India parlayed a breakout season with the Gators (.350-21-52 with 60 walks) into a $5.3 million signing bonus as the fifth overall pick of last June's MLB draft. India has the tools to be a starting infielder in the majors but is behind former Tennessee star Nick Senzel, who has similar traits, on the Reds' organizational depth chart. India spent time at shortstop in his first professional season and is projected to make a jump up the system in 2019 if he is productive at plate.
LHP Scott Moss (15th) – Another player who flew under the radar at UF due to Tommy John surgery, Moss has steadily climbed the system in minors since the Reds used a fourth-round pick on him in 2016. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Moss went 15-4 with a 3.68 ERA in 25 starts at high A in 2018. He projects as a back-of-the-rotation starter or swingman should he reach majors.
SAN DIEGO
OF Buddy Reed(25th by Baseball America) –The Padres' second-round pick in 2016, Reed moved up to AA a season ago but struggled to hit. Scouts are impressed his defense and arm, but question whether Reed will hit enough to become more than a bench player in the majors. Reed continues to work on his hitting -- he switched to a crouched approach at the plate -- and batted .333 in the Arizona Fall League.
SAN FRANCISCO
Pitcher Shaun Anderson during his UF career.
RHP Shaun Anderson (4th) – The 24-year-old Anderson went 8-7 with a 3.69 ERA in 141 1/3 innings between AA and AAA last season and projects as a middle-of-the-rotation starter in the big leagues. A third-round pick of Boston in 2016, he joined the Giants in 2017 in the Eduardo Nunez trade. Anderson spent his career at UF in the bullpen but has developed into a candidate to join San Francisco's starting rotation in 2019.
