Slade

Can only imagine Atkins was happy to see him go. I don't even know what his role with the team has been since AA left.

Maybe they went to a small school. Maybe they were a cold-weather high school player who didn't stand out at high-profile showcases. Maybe they were good hitters or instinctive players who lacked the type of quick-twitch athleticism or premium tools that quickly catch the attention of scouts, or maybe they have those loud tools but had other holes that created red flags. Every year, there are players who slip through the cracks and become late-round draft success stories. In many cases, the scouting directors and their top crosscheckers didn't even see them before the draft. These are 10 late-round sleeper prospects from the 2018 draft to keep an eye on, players drafted from Round 10 on who signed for less than $300,000. 1. Cal Stevenson, OF, Blue Jays (10th round) Stevenson signed for $5,000 as senior out of Arizona, then led the Rookie-level Appalachian League in on-base percentage by hitting .359/.494/.518 in 53 games. Stevenson has some of the sharpest strike-zone judgment in the minors, which he showed by drawing more than twice as many walks (53) as strikeouts (21) in the Appy League. He's a disciplined, high contact hitter (he struck out in just eight percent of his Appy League plate appearances), though he has little power, with just one home run his last year in college, then two in his pro debut. He's also an above-average runner who should be able to handle center field. 2. Justin Toerner, OF, Cardinals (28th round) Toerner moved fairly quickly for a $3,000 signing. He spent most of his pro debut with short-season State College, but he also played with low Class A Peoria and high Class A Palm Beach in the final month of the season, batting a combined .312/.410/.385 in 67 games. A four-year starter at Cal State Northridge, Toerner is a lefty who hit well throughout his college years and controls the strike zone well, though the risk is that he hasn't shown much power, with just one home run in pro ball. He's an above-average runner with an average arm in center field. 3. Jack Herman, OF, Pirates (30th round) A Maryland commit, Herman instead signed with the Pirates for $50,000. He slid under the radar as a high school player in New Jersey, but he made a loud impression with his bat in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, where he ranked second in on-base percentage and third in batting average by hitting .340/.435/.489 in 37 games. He's a bat-first prospect with quick hands, sound swing mechanics and a strong grasp of the strike zone. Herman split time between center and right field in the GCL, though he fits best in right field long term. 4. Brandon Howlett, 3B, Red Sox (21st round) Howlett was a Florida State commit but signed with the Red Sox for $185,000. With third baseman and first-round pick Triston Casas also on their GCL club, the Red Sox were planning to send Howlett to left field, but when Casas went out for the year with an injury, Howlett stepped in and played solid defense at third base with a chance to stick at the position. Mostly, though, Howlett shined offensively, batting .307/.405/.529 in 39 GCL games before a late promotion to short-season Lowell. While some scouts had concerns about Howlett's pitch recognition going into the draft, he showed a patient approach in pro ball, with solid-average raw power that he was able to get to in games. 5. Logan O'Hoppe, C, Phillies (23rd round) Between lefthanders Nick Fanti and Kyle Young and righthander Ben Brown, the Phillies have added a collection of Long Island high school draft picks to their system in recent years. The latest addition is O'Hoppe, who signed for $215,000 and batted .367/.411/.532 in 34 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League. O'Hoppe showed promise both at the plate and behind it, where he has a plus arm with advanced receiving skills and flexibility. 6. Michael Helman, 2B, Twins (11th round) Helman spent two years at Hutchinson (Kan.) JC before transferring to Texas A&M. He made a quick impact as the Aggies' leadoff hitter, then signed with the Twins for $220,000. Helman, 22, split his pro debut between the Appy League and low Class A Cedar Rapids, batting a combined .361/.409/.510 in 39 games. Helman has good hand-eye coordination and a selective approach, helping him make frequent contact to get on base. Some scouts have reservations about Helman's defense at second base, but he's a good athlete with plus speed who could also fit in center field. 7. Brock Deatherage, OF, Tigers (10th round) As a junior at N.C. State, Deatherage showed exciting tools but hit .218/.304/.330. The Pirates still drafted Deatherage in the 27th round, but he returned to school for his senior year, bounced back to hit .307/.397/.548, then signed with the Tigers for $10,000. He progressed quickly, finishing 2018 with high Class A Lakeland and showing big power in his pro debut. Deatherage is a tooled-up, athletic center fielder with plus-plus speed (he stole 19 bases in 22 attempts in pro ball), a plus arm and above-average raw power. Deatherage's biggest risk factor is his swing-and-miss rate, but his dynamic tool set at a premium position is exciting if he can keep his strikeouts to a manageable level. Nolan_Gorman_DannyParker.jpg St. Louis Cardinals 2018 MLB Draft Grades St. Louis Cardinals first rounder Nolan Gorman shows plus-plus power, Luken Baker can mash and more superlatives. 8. Gus Varland, RHP, Athletics (14th round) Varland overmatched hitters in college, but he did it at Division II Concordia in Minnesota. Signed for $125,000, Varland replicated his success as a starter in his pro debut, posting an ERA of 0.95 in 38 innings with a 50-8 K-BB mark, mostly with short-season Vermont and low Class A Beloit. Varland isn't a smoke-and-mirrors guy either. He ran his fastball up to 97 mph in college and regularly registered in the low to mid-90s in pro ball, with a high spin rate that helps him miss bats when he elevates. Varland's mechanics give some scouts pause as to whether he will remain a starter, but he repeats his delivery and fills the strike zone. 9. Jonah Davis, OF, Pirates (21st round) Davis hit two home runs between his freshman and sophomore seasons at California, but he showed big power as a junior, slugging 14 homers in 54 games. After signing for $125,000, Davis kept the power show going for Rookie-level Bristol, batting .306/.398/.612 with 12 home runs in 51 games. At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Davis isn't that big, but he has legitimate plus raw power from the left side, though he still has holes in his swing that create swing-and-miss risk. Davis played center field in his pro debut, though he fits better in a corner. 10. Simon Rosenblum-Larson, RHP, Rays (19th round) An $85,000 signing from Harvard, Rosenblum-Larson had an excellent pro debut. Working out of the bullpen for short-season Hudson Valley and low Class A Bowling Green, Rosenblum-Larson posted a sparkling 62-9 K-BB mark in 38.2 innings with a 1.16 ERA. He's a low-slot righthander who drops down to a low three-quarter, near sidearm angle, giving hitters an uncomfortable look with his low-90s fastball and a solid slider.

I understand the A's doing everything they can to keep him but why is MLB sending marketing execs so lure Murray? Why would they even consider letting the A's offer him more money or give him a major league deal. This is the risk the A's made.

Is this a MLB vs NFL thing? The A's took a risk, if they lose him to the NFL so be it, not sure why they are looking to bend the rules for him.

Obviously a joke but I can already see it on twitter. "Atkins hates Canadians! First Martin and now Axford"

I think we could do better than Axford or at least find a younger guy to give a chance to. I would do a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Might of painted Atkins in the corner with the casuals. I can already see it on Twitter.

The Dodgers are bringing back an old friend, as catcher Russell Martin is returning to Los Angeles. The Dodgers acquired Martin from the Blue Jays on Friday afternoon in exchange for righthander Andrew Sopko and infielder Ronny Brito. Martin hit .194/.338/.325 for the Blue Jays last season in what was the worst offensive season of his career. The 35-year-old is in the final year of a five-year contract and is slated to earn $20 million in 2019. A seventh-round pick out of Gonzaga in 2015, Sopko ranked 26th on the Dodgers' Top 30 Prospects as recently as two years ago. He has spent much of the past three seasons at Double-A Tulsa. Brito ranked 25th on Baseball America's Top 50 International amateur prospects in 2015. The 19-year-old switch-hitter spent much of last season at short-season Ogden. DODGERS ACQUIRE: Russell Martin, C Age: 35 It's been a long time since Martin backstopped the Dodgers to back-to-back NLCS appearances in 2008-09 and made back-to-back All-Star games with the team. Then a young, rising standout, Martin is now a veteran on his last legs. He played only 91 games last season and 90 games the year before due to injury, and he has seen his offense decline rapidly, cratering with last season's career-worst showing. Martin is still an able defensive catcher on a part-time basis, and he moved to third base for 21 games last year as well (in addition to three games at shortstop). With the Dodgers lacking a big league catcher to pair with Austin Barnes, Martin fills that need and provides veteran leadership in the clubhouse. For Toronto, this move opens up playing time for rising young catchers Danny Jansen and Reese McGuire. Aaron-Sanchez-2017-cw Blue Jays Build New Culture The Blue Jays are trying to win now and build something sustainable BLUE JAYS ACQUIRE: Andrew Sopko, RHP Age: 24 Sopko has spent the last three seasons bouncing between high Class A and Double-A, but he appeared to finally solve the higher level last season, going 3-1, 2.88 with 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 41 appearances (10 starts) at Double-A Tulsa. Like many Dodgers pitchers, Sopko primarily works north-south with a four-seam fastball up and a curveball down in the zone. He sits 92-93 mph and stands out more for his pitchability than his pure stuff, hitting his spots and mixing in a slider and changeup to keep hitters off balance. None of Sopko's offerings are truly plus, but he throws strikes and mixes his pitches enough for evaluators to see him contributing in the majors in some form. Sopko will begin his Blue Jays career in the upper levels of their system and has a chance to make his major debut in 2019 if he performs. Ronny Brito, SS Age: 19 Brito signed for $2 million as part of the Dodgers’ loaded 2015 international class that included Yadier Alvarez and Oneil Cruz. A broken leg limited him to 28 games in 2017, but he re-emerged in 2018 by leading all Pioneer League shortstops in home runs (11) and OPS (.841) at Rookie-level Ogden. Brito signed as a slick-fielding defensive shortstop whose defense was ahead of his bat, but he put on 20 pounds after his injury and now has a more balanced projection. Brito shows rare opposite-field power for a teenager, ambushing fastballs with a steep, uphill swing. He’s an aggressive free-swinger who doesn’t adjust with two strikes, resulting in plenty of strikeouts, but he makes impact contact when he connects. He is still working to improve his secondary pitch recognition and strike zone management. Brito has slowed down in the field but still flashes excellent hands, a smooth transfer and plus arm strength, giving him a chance to remain a shortstop. He is lethargic in the field sometimes and makes poor baserunning decisions, so his effort and focus are areas targeted for improvement. Brito’s ability to hit the ball hard and play a smooth defensive shortstop provide a workable foundation. Now, he needs to add maturity to his game. He will try to do that low Class A in 2019.

No way that wouldn't make much sense. Jansen starting, Maile backup and McGuire in AAA. McGuire has shown some potential too, i wouldn't be so fast to delegate him as a backup.

Ranked Los Angeles Dodgers #26 prospect after the 2016 season Sopko arrived at Gonzaga from a Montana high school and eventually developed into one of the better starters in the West Coast Conference. He signed with the Dodgers for $147,500 as a seventh-round pick in 2015, then caught the attention of scouts with his feel for pitching in his first full season of pro ball. Like fellow Dodgers righthander Chase De Jong, Sopko stands out more for his pitchability than his pure stuff. Sopko lacks a plus pitch, but he's able to command his arsenal, hit his spots, moves the ball around the zone and change speeds. He works off a fastball that sits at 89-92 mph and can hit 94. It's not overpowering, but he pounds the zone and attacks hitters on the inner third. Sopko is able to land his curveball, slider and changeup for strikes, though without a true out pitch, Double-A hitters made him pay for mistakes he was able to get away with at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga. They're all fringe-average pitches, with his slider his best weapon against righties, while he uses the changeup and curveball more to attack lefties. Sopko, who likely returns to Double-A Tulsa in 2017, has the upside of a back-end starter.

#BlueJays announce trade of Russell Martin and cash to #Dodgers for minor-leaguers SS Ronny Brito and RHP Andrew Sopko

Gotta imagine we are eating at least $15M+ on this deal but it had to happen.

Seems like a weak draft class this year outside of the top 3. Names I want the Jays to be in on. Carter Stewart Corbin Carroll Matt Alan Kameron Misner Ryne Nelson Kendall Williams

Were you expecting them to trade Pillar, Martin, Morales and Smoak? I think most of those guys are long shots to move and it's not like we have anyone who could take over full time for any of them except Martin who won't play everyday. I think they did a pretty good job a collecting a s*** ton of pitching depth(more than we've ever had). There might not be any 1-2 guys here but there are a bunch of serviceable arms that they can just throw out there and see who sticks.

If Connor Panas can get this guy maybe Dalton Pompey actually does have some value.

Doesn't really change much about the deal but there are incentives.

No clue man, that's what I've read on twitter. We are exactly as bad as the Giants and probably going to be in the same boat again next year.

It would be a fantastic signing, exactly what we need but i doubt we will be given serious consideration. It's already rumored the Giants are the favorites.

I'm hoping for Sam McWilliams either as a pen guy or a potential backend starter.

I'm ok with them going to pen route with him. He's proven he can't stay healthy as a starter.

All for bringing Gravemen back.

I can live with McKinney, Pillar and Grichuk in the OF in a rebuilding year. There are other potential guys but they won't be good defenders. There's no real need for Hamilton. I want to see as many young guys playing as possible even if they suck.

Meh Pillar is a better player.

I cannot believe the Mets are going to make this trade.

Damn man I hate the Yankees but I admire how good a GM Brian Cashman.