Vince Mazzaro - Starting Pitcher Oakland A's
Vince Mazzaro was one pitcher in the A's organization that didn't get a lot of hype entering the 2009 season but Oakland's 3rd round pick from 2005 has jumped 3 levels in less than two seasons. His last jump was to the majors in early June and he's made four starts with the A's, going 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA, .208 OBA, and an 0.97 WHIP.

His MLB numbers are soft across the board. Vince has fanned just 4.9/9, and he's benefited from incredibly favorable BHIP (.236) and strand (84.8%) percentages. His start on Friday against the Giants where he allowed 3 runs in 6 IP (6 hits, 4 K, 1 BB) is more of what you can expect, especially in terms of ground ball outs which has been his calling card in the minors. So far in the majors his GB/FB is 1.11 which is low for him and he's less than 50% on first pitch strikes.

Last year at 21 years old, Vince lead the Texas League in ERA (1.97). The 6-2/190 right-hander has a low-to-mid 90s fastball that plays like three fastballs. He can run it in on hitters, cut it, or most importantly throw it with a heavy sink. Vince comes at hitters with that pitch, and a decent slider. In the majors he's throw his fastball 66% of the time (92.7 mph average) and his slider 19% of the time (85.3 mph avg.). He's shown what is just a show-me curve and Mazzaro has used the change he's trying to develop, but only 7% of the time.

Mazzaro lacks true punch-out ability and lives off the groundball, and that leaves little margin for error. He's also basically a two-pitch pitcher which isn't going to keep his head above water as a starter in the majors.

He needs to develop his offspeed stuff and continue to be stingy with walks and HRs (0.35 HR/9 in the majors this year).

It's hard to watch a pitcher post a a sub-2.00 ERA over 4 starts in the majors and say it's smoke and mirrors, but you almost have to say it here. Vince has a good sinker and a versatile fastball, but little else that's major league ready. He is not a punch out guy and you have to think major league hitters are going to catch up. That having been said, he's in the right ballpark, the right division, and the right organization to maximize his skill set.

Still, if you own Vince my advice is to explore his market and sell high. Best case scenario, we are looking at a Derek Lowe type of starter here but that seems like a reach. Worst case scenario, Vince's two-pitch arsenal relegates him to long relief. The final truth, as in almost all things, will likely fall somewhere between.

I peg Vince as a #4/#5 starter until I see significant improvement in his secondary pitches. But I also know never to give up on an Oakland pitcher until the A's do.

Long Term Fantasy Grade - C+

Seas Lvl  W  L   ERA    IP  K/9 BB/9 HR/9  AVG  WHIP 

2006 A    9  9  5.05 119.1  6.1  3.2  0.5 .303  1.58 

2007 A+   9 12  5.33 153.2  6.7  4.2  0.8 .268  1.50 

2008 AA  12  3  1.90 137.1  6.8  2.4  0.2 .229  1.10 

2008 AAA  3  3  6.15  33.2  7.2  2.4  0.8 .340  1.72 

2009 AAA  2  2  2.38  56.2  7.0  2.7  0.3 .208  1.04 

2009 MLB  2  1  1.75  25.2  4.9  2.1  0.4 .208  0.97

Michael Taylor - Outfielder Philadelphia Phillies
Recently I took my son and sidekick to see the Reading Phillies in Manchester New Hampshire as they faced the Fisher Cats. When Michael Taylor came out onto the on deck circle we both let out a simultaneous "wow"

At 6-6, 250 pounds, Michael begs that reaction. He looks immense but in the rock-hard-NFL-linebacker sense of immense. Michael is athletic and baseball smart. He has very good speed for his size, takes decent routes and is not a liability in the outfield. His power and power potential is obvious. Taylor generates good bat speed and has started to bring the bat head around better.

Taylor isn't as gifted in the hitting sense. His contact skills are not innate and his zone command is borderline to questionable at times. He is a decent bad ball hitter though, and he limits his strikeouts, but if he could zone up and swing at more drivable pitches Taylor could be a force.

As it is he's handling AA in his first tour, hitting .326 (.350 BHIP%) with 10 HRs and a .546 SLG% in 227 ABs. The exchange of a 15% K rate is more than fair for that slugging percentage but a hitter as imposing as Taylor should walk more than 8.8%, especially in AA.

Taylor is a pro package. He's an adequate OF and while he has slugger's holes, gets pull happy at times, and chases a little more than you'd like, he should mature out of a lot of that. Oddly even thought he's a right-handed hitter Michael is hitting .356 against RHP this year and just .263 vs. LHP, although his SLG% vs. LHP is a few points higher. He needs to punish left-handers more and lift the ball more (46.8% GB rate)

As raw as he is as a hitter it's hard not to be intrigued by Taylor's size and potential. It's not hard to see him as a middle of the order corner OF in Philadelphia, a ballpark that would be a playground to him offensively.

Taylor is one of those guys who may not quite be on your league's radar yet, but he should be on yours. He becomes a factor next spring. If your roster has spec room, this is a good prospect to roll the dice on.

Long Term Fantasy Potential - B+

Seas Lvl  AB XBH  HR  SB  AVG   BB%     K%  OBP  SLG 

2007 A-  233  20   6   8 .227  9.0%  22.7% .300 .365 

2008 A-  249  25  10  10 .361 11.1%  17.3% .441 .554 

2008 A+  243  37   9   5 .329  7.3%  18.9% .380 .560 

2009 AA  227  26  10  10 .326  8.8%  15.0% .391 .546

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