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Seven Minor League prospects you'll be rooting for this season
7個值得關注的小聯盟潛力股
Tired of only rooting for young players who top the prospect rankings and make
the cover of magazines? Want a sleeper with a wacky swing to snag in your
keeper league, or a former two-sport star to see on that mid-summer road trip?
You're in luck. Here are seven less heralded prospects that you should be
cheering for in 2016. And if you were already high on one of these guys, we're
sorry for blowing up your spot.
對於只能關注潛力榜單中的前幾名與雜誌封面寵兒感到厭煩？想要占有一個擁有古怪揮棒
姿勢的低調新人在你的Fantasy Baseball、或是在今年夏天出遊時順道觀看一個前雙棲運
動明星嗎？你真走運。這邊列出七個2016年你該支持但較少受關注的潛力選手。如果你早
就注意到他們。我們只能說抱歉毀了你的私房景點。
Eddy Alvarez, SS
prospect ranking: No. 25 in the White Sox system
Current team: Birming ham Barons, Double-A
Alvarez's immense speed on the basepaths previously helped him excel in
another sport: short track speed skating. Nicknamed "Eddy the Jet", Alvarez
was winning national speed skating competitions by age 11. After playing
shortstop in high school, he chose to forego a college scholarship in favor of
pursuing his dream of competing at the Olympics. Six years later, Alvarez
became the first Cuban-American male speed skater to make the U.S. Olympic
team, and went on to help win the silver medal in the 5,000 meter relay at the
2014 Sochi Olympics. He returned to the diamond after the Olympics and signed
a Minor League deal with the White Sox in June 2014. In 123 games across
Low-A and High-A last season, Alvarez hit .296/.409/.424 with 53 steals.
Alvarez在壘間的速度讓他在另一項運動表現出色:短道極速滑冰。綽號"噴射機艾迪"的他
在11歲時就贏得了國內的極速滑冰競賽。在高中擔任游擊手之後，他選擇放棄大學獎學金
轉而追逐他參加奧運的夢想。六年後，Alvarez成為第一個加入美國奧運極速滑冰隊的古
巴裔美國人，更在2014索契冬季奧運中贏得了5000公尺項目的銀牌。他在奧運結束後回到
了棒球場上的內野，並在2014年6月與白襪隊簽下了小聯盟合約。在123場橫跨低階1A與高
階1A的比賽中，Alvarez的打擊三圍是.296/.409/.424附帶53次盜壘。
Amir Garrett, LHP
Prospect ranking: No. 4 in Reds system, No. 67 in Top 100
Current team: Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Double-A
It's safe to say Garrett is the only Top 100 prospect with a summer hoops
mixtape full of huge dunks from his high school days. The 6-foot-5 southpaw
spent most of his time in high school dominating on the basketball court,
developing into one of the top small forward recruits in the country.
Garrett's dad convinced him to hold a tryout for Major League scouts despite
not even playing baseball during his senior year, and the southpaw impressed
everyone with a mid-90's fastball. The Reds selected him in the 22nd round of
the 2011 Draft and gave him a $1 million signing bonus and permission to
continue his basketball career in the offseason at St. John's University. After
two seasons of college hoops, Garrett decided to focus on baseball full time,
and hasn't looked back since. After a stellar full-season debut in 2014,
Garrett excelled in 2015 at Class A Advanced Daytona (2.44 ERA with 133
strikeouts in 140.1 IP) and cemented himself as one of the top left-handed
pitching prospects in baseball.
我們能保證Garrett是唯一一個擁有灌籃集錦的前100潛力選手。這位6呎5吋的左投高中時
幾乎整天在籃球場內大殺四方，成為了國內前幾名的小前鋒。Garrett的父親說服他參加
了MLB球探的試訓，儘管在高三時完全沒碰棒球，這位左投用90幾英哩的速球驚呆了所有
人。紅人隊在2011年以第22順位將他選走，給了他1百萬美金的簽約金，並同意他在休賽
季期間在聖約翰大學繼續打他的籃球。在打了兩季大學籃球之後，Garrett決定專心在棒
球上，從此不再變心。在2014年投完不錯的一季後，Garrett在2015年更上一層樓，在高
階1A交出了140.1局、2.44防禦率、133個三振的好成績，鞏固了他前幾名潛力左投的地
位。
Raimel Tapia, OF
Prospect ranking: No. 7 in Rockies system
Current team: Hartford Yard Goats, Double-A
Signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2010, Tapia has done
nothing but mash since making his stateside debut in 2013. The outfielder won
Pioneer League MVP as a 19-year-old during his debut campaign and hit .315 and
59 steals over the last two years at Class A. Tapia is perhaps best known for
an unusual batting stance quirk: with two strikes, he descends into a
pronounced crouch that made at least one teammate ponder "what in the world
is that guy doing?" Tapia developed his unorthodox approach at a very young
age, shrinking the strike zone and drastically shortening his swing in an
effort to square up more pitches. A season at Double-A will tell whether his
efforts to shrink the strike zone have true staying power.
在16歲簽約後，Tapia這位多明尼加人便在聯盟中攪動風雲。這位外野手在19歲時贏得了
新秀聯盟的MVP，並在兩年的1A中繳出了打擊率.315與59次盜壘的好成績。Tapia最為人
所知的可能是他怪異的打擊姿勢:兩好球後，他會蹲得有夠低，低到至少有一個隊友會嘟
囔:這傢伙在衝三小?Tapia在很年輕時就養成了這個怪姿勢，使好球帶變小，並縮短他的
揮棒半徑，試著纏鬥更久。升到2A的這季將會告訴我們這姿勢是不是真的管用。