“I think very highly of Curtis Mead,” Bendix told me in November. The Tampa Bay Rays GM brought up both players when I asked him which of the organization’s prospect(s) is most flying under the radar. Peter Bendix is bullish on Curtis Mead and Kyle Manzardo. We’re looking forward to his continued development, and success in Triple-A next year.” “He’s an elite hitter in terms of his strike zone control, and he continues to get better. “Foscue continued to show a great approach, with the walk and strikeout rates,” continued Young. We’re thrilled that he’s now our starting third baseman.” We think he’s going to be a very bright spot with us for a long time. Ultimately, we’re super excited about his future. “Josh got his first taste of the big leagues this year and experienced some highs, and also saw some of the challenges of facing big-league pitching on a daily basis. “I think they both had really good years,” opined Young. I asked Rangers Executive Vice President & General Manager Chris Young about Jung, and fellow infield prospect Justin Foscue, during November’s GM Meetings. A first-round pick in 2019, Jung is the top position-player prospect in the system. 204/.235/.418, with five home runs and 39 strikeouts in 102 plate appearances. The 24-year-old San Antonio native slashed a ho-hum. The numbers that Josh Jung put up in his 26 games with the Texas Rangers in September were nothing to write home about. Over this last five starts, he fanned 45 batters while allowing just two earned runs over 29 innings. Greene had a 4.44 ERA and a 4.37 FIP, with 164 strikeouts in 125-and-two-thirds innings on the season. “He’s got a lot of runway to get better,” the executive told me. After noting that the young flamethrower finished strong after going through some bumps in the road, he opined that at age 23, Greene isn’t close to reaching his peak talent. Krall had similar things to say about rookie right-hander Hunter Greene. He just needs to continue to refine what he’s doing, and keep learning how to pitch at this level as opposed to in the minor leagues.” There is obviously room for improvement he’s 24 years old, so there’s still more upside there. “He pitched a good amount of innings, and I think he really improved. I asked Nick Krall if the 2019 first-rounder met expectations in his rookie campaign. In 19 starts, the left-hander logged a 3.66 ERA and a 3.90 FIP, with 131 strikeouts in 103-and-a-third innings. Nick Lodolo had a solid season for the Cincinnati Reds. Jimmy Foxx went 19 for 39 against Wilcy Moore. Marty Marion went 6 for 20 against Xavier Rescigno. A lot of that is going to come from approach, from doing a better job of key-holing pitches and being aggressive when I get them.” “I have a lot of contact to my game, and now I need to start tapping into my power and doing more damage. “Power is one of the things I really want to focus on,” explained Black, whom our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen described as having 70-grade plate discipline. As fortune would have it, Black homered mere minutes before I talked to him in Arizona. But he does have the ability to impact a baseball. More of an Olerud than a Carter, he went deep just four times in a 2022 season that ended in early July due to a fractured scapula. Reaching the cheap seats is something the left-handed-hitting prospect is hoping to do more frequently going forward. Legendary Blue Jays broadcaster Jerry Howarth, who was alongside Tom Cheek when the latter emoted “Touch ’Em All Joe!” - a moment that will forever live in Canadian baseball lore - is among those who reached out after Rod Black’s son was drafted by the Brewers. My dad used to announce Blue Jays games, Toronto Raptors games - pretty much everything - so I was always around ballparks, and around athletes. “I’ve never really thought about it seriously, but I can say that it was definitely great growing up around sports. “Maybe when I’m done playing,” Black told me during his stint in the Arizona Fall League.
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