Minors report: D-backs still stocked

[DravenX]

Diamondback.mlb.com

Hot topic: The prospects keep coming. For the past two years, D-backs fans have anticipated the arrival of shortstop Stephen Drew, first baseman Conor Jackson and outfielders Chris Young and Carlos Quentin. Now that they've arrived, there's another wave on the way.

"That's the amazing thing," D-backs manager Bob Melvin said. "We have this group here now that we couldn't wait to get here and we feel like is going to be the group of the future. Then you look right behind them, Carlos Gonzalez, [Emilio] Bonafacio, they just keep coming."

And those two are just the tip of the iceberg. There's also pitchers Micah Owings and Greg Smith along with infielder/outfielder Mark Reynolds and outfielder Gerardo Parra.

So enjoy the current wave, but then get ready. There's another right behind it.

On the move: Smith was impressive in the club's intrasquad game and followed that up with two scoreless innings in his first Cactus League game.

"He's got a good changeup, throws to both sides of the plate and throws a little harder than I thought he did," Melvin said. "He's been impressive."

Poise counts: Outfielder Justin Upton, the first overall pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, continues to impress. The 19-year-old smoked a double down the right-field line with two out in the ninth inning of Saturday's exhibition game. Only a nice throw to the plate to nail Rich Thompson prevented Upton's hit from tying the game.

"He hits the ball out of the ballpark, he wins the game, and [when] you're 19, that's all you're thinking about," Melvin said. "So to stay the other way like we've been preaching here, that was an impressive at-bat. You can go on and on and on about how this guy is well beyond his years not only physically but emotionally and mentally, and it certainly showed up in that at-bat."

Class of '06: GM Josh Byrnes, farm director A.J. Hinch and director of pro scouting Jerry DiPoto flew to California last week to visit with No. 1 draft pick Max Scherzer and his agent, Scott Boras. Scherzer, the 11th overall pick last year, is the only unsigned pick from the first round.

Byrnes said the meeting was more to share with Scherzer more about the D-backs organization than it was to negotiate.

"Hard to say," Byrnes said when asked if the meeting increased the D-backs' chances of signing the right-hander before the midnight May 31 deadline.

Meeting time: Hinch will lead three days of meetings with the organization's managers, coaches and instructors beginning Monday.

"I set my expectations and we go over our philosophy as an organization," Hinch said.

This and that: The D-backs recently completed their pre-spring mini camp for pitchers. Brett Anderson, Brooks Brown, Hector Ambriz and Esmerling Vasquez were among the standouts. ... Pitchers and catchers report Wednesday and have their first workout the follow day. Position players are due Saturday, with the initial full-squad workout March 11.

What they're saying: "As a left-hander, he certainly showed some weapons that can get lefties and righties out." -- Melvin on Evan MacLane

[realmofotalk]

They hope that A.J. Hinch and Jerry DiPoto are better talent evaluators than they were players.