Jazz Chisholm headlines today’s group of non roster invitees"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Diamondbacks Farm TeamsGameday ThreadsDiamondbacks NewsDiamondbacks Game ReportsFang FoodArizona Diamondbacks Non Roster Invitees: Position Players BNew http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey ,3commentsJazz Chisholm headlines today’s group of non roster inviteesESTShareTweetShareShareArizona Diamondbacks Non Roster Invitees: Position Players BJAZZ CHISHOLMAbout to celebrate his 21st birthday this Friday,shortstop Jazz Chisholm is no stranger to the pages ofthis blog. Hailing from Nassau in the Bahamas, Jazz had a breakout season in 2018.After hitting .244/.311/.472 with 15 homers in 341 PA for Kane Countey, Class A ball, he earned a promotion to Advanced A+ Visalia, and in 160 PA mashed 10 more homers while hitting .329/.369/.597. Not done impressing for the year, he went on to the Arizona Fall League where he wowed scouts and prospect junkies alike with his stellar defense, dynamic baserunning, and oh by the way hit .442/.489/.767 in 47 PAThe only obvious flaw in this young man’s game is his propensity to strike out, which he did a whopping 157 times while taking just 43 walks in his 548 PA’s across the three leagues this year.He will be facing more advanced pitchers in 2019 in AA Jackson, and he will be challenged to maintain his forward momentum. However the team is obviously fast tracking him, as evidenced by the Fall League appearance and the spring invite. I’m sure if he has any kind of success in 2019, he will be called up in early September at the latest. If you get a chance to get out to any of the spring workouts or games, look for this player. He is FUN to watch. TYLER HEINEMANA California native, catcherTyler Heineman was drafted out of UCLA by the Houston Astros in the 8th round of the 2012 draft.He hit well in the low minors, batting .358 in short season A-, and then hit .286 with 13 HR and a .837 OPS in the California League. However the bat stalled once he got to AA & AAA, posting respectable batting averages, but the power completely disappeared, and the OPS fluctuated between .664-.714. After the 2016 season he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent 2 years in the Brewers organization, and it seemed like he did well enough to earn a shot with the major league club, but that chance never came and he was released at the end of 2018Heineman has a strong defensive reputation, at least in terms of throwing out baserunners, which he has done to the tune of 43% in his minor league career. He also had very good pitch framing numbers in Houston, although that backslid with Milwaukee.So it should be no great surprise that the Diamondbacks signed him as a minor league free agent. He is not a candidate to make the opening day roster, but teams need at least 4-5 catchers in Spring Training. (There are a lot of bullpens to be thrown by all the pitchers in camp, and of course plenty of split squad games too.) It’s also notable that Tyler’s brother Scott is an outfielder in the Rangers organization. WYATT MATHISENWyatt Mathisen was draftedas a catcher out of high school by the Pirates in the 2nd round of the 2012 draft.A RHB, he got off to a promising start in rookie ball, batting .295 with a .795 OPS, but struggled mightily both at and behind the plate in 2013 http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , batting just .228 with no homers. The Pirates, clearly unimpressed with his work as a catcher, moved him to 3rd base starting in 2014. Over the next 4 seasons, playing mostly 3b, with a little 1b sprinkled in, he hit for decent batting averages, usually around .270-.280, but with very little power, just 13 HR in over 1400 PA. Also somewhat error prone, he has just a .935 fldg % at 3b. However in 2018, playing mostly at 1b, he had his best year at the plate, batting .261/.363/.440, .803 OPS with 10 HR in 323 PA. It wasn’t enough to gain him a spot on the Pirates 40 man roster, and he became a minor league free agent at the young age of 24, and then signed by the Diamondbacks this off season. It is a low risk move for the Dbacks to see if his power improvement in his age 24 season is for real. In fact he had battled injuries in several ofhis previous minor league seasons.And he owns a career 9.5% walk rate and just 16% K rate, both numbers better than minor league averages.Perhaps the now 25 year old will be one of those nice surprise stories.DAULTON VARSHODaulton Varsho is another favorite here at the pit among the folk that enjoy following prospects. Taken with the 68thoverall pick of the 2017 draft, Varsho has impressed in each of his first two seasons. He hit the ground running in Hillsboro , batting .311/.368/.534 .902 OPS and doing well behind the plate, throwing out 32% of baserunners.He also gave a hint of his baserunning prowess swiping 7 bags. moves Avila at the deadline or if injuries open up slots. But most likely the team’s plan is to have him come up in September and then compete for a spot on the 25 Man roster in 2020. One thing to look out for in spring is whether or not Varsho is asked to play any other positions besides catcher, as with his athleticism he could easily man another position as a way to get his bat in the lineup. But for now, he is a catcher, and he is doing fine back there. The newly minted No. 8 prospect just turned 18 years old this week."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections NewsAnalysis & EditorialsCleveland Indians prospects & minor leaguesGame RecapsTransactionsCleveland Indians prospects & minor leaguesLGT Top Indians Prospects for 2019Brayan Rocchio is our No. 8 Cleveland Indians prospect. Who should be No. 9? New,9commentsThe newly minted No. 8 prospect just turned 18 years old this week.ESTShareTweetShareShareBrayan Rocchio is our No. 8 Cleveland Indians prospect. Who should be No. 9? Joseph CoblitzYoung middle infielder Brayan Rocchio is our No. 8 Cleveland Indians prospect for 2019, improving drastically from not being ranked at all in last year’s rankings.Rocchio was signed out of Venezuela in the highly-touted 2017 international signing class for the Indians that included George Valera and Aaron Bracho, but injuries to Bracho and Valera opened the door for Rocchio to shine. The switch-hitter debuted in the Dominican Summer League, but didn’t stay there long after proving he needed a greater challenge, earning a promotion to the Arizona Rookie League after sporting a .323/.391/.434 slashline through 25 games.Once he arrived in Arizona, Rocchio actually played even better, slashing .343/.389/.448 and finishing third in the league in batting average while flashing some impressive leather defensively from shortstop Trea Turner Jersey , third and second base. He also led all Indians rookies in doubles with 10, and he did this all while just 17 years old.Nicknamed “The Professor” due to his high baseball IQ and game awareness, Rocchio already shows the signs of a disciplined hitter, improving his walk rate to 6.3 percent and dropping his strikeout rate to 10.8 percent after getting promoted to the AZL. He was rated by Baseball America as the top prospect coming out of the 2018 Arizona Rookie League.In addition to his sensational hitting and defense, Rocchio also possesses some serious wheels, stealing 22 bases last season and consistently putting pressure on the defense by aggressively looking to stretch singles into doubles while looking to also move from first to third.If there are any negatives with Rocchio, he needs to improve his jumps and timing on the basepaths because he was caught stealing 13 times last year. He also doesn’t have tremendous arm strength so it’s possible he gets transitioned to second base by the time he’s ready for the major leagues.Rocchio likely will begin the 2019 season in Low-A Mahoning Valley and could be promoted to Single-A Lake County if he continues to find the same amount of success he’s experienced thus far in his young career.WHO SHOULD BE THE NO. 9 PROSPECT FOR 2019?Bo Naylor, C (Age 18)2018 (R): 139 PA, .274/.381/.402, 2 HR, 5 SB, 15.1 BB%, 20.1 K%, 126 wRC+2018 first round pick, Naylor brings an advanced plate approach and plus hitting to the catcher position. His prospect value will stay high as long as he can stay behind the plate.Luis Oviedo, RHP (Age 19)2018 (A-): 9 GS, 48.0 IP, 32.5 K%, 5.3 BB%, 1.88 ERA, 2.44 FIP2018 (A): 2 GS, 9.0 IP, 16.7 K%, 19.4 BB%, 3.00, 4.48 FIPThe Venezuelan broke out in 2018, winning back-to-back-to-back Pitcher of the Week awards in his Low-A debut for Mahoning Valley. He’s a sinkerballer with nasty swing and miss stuff in the mid 90s.Lenny Torres, RHP (Age 18)2018 (R): 5 GS, 15.1 IP, 34.9 K% http://www.nationalsfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-adams-jersey , 6.4 BB%, 1.76 ERA, 2.38 FIPIndians 2018 first round competitive balance pick was completely unfazed in pro debut, pounding the strike zone and missing bats with a mid to upper 90s fastball and a potentially wicked slider.Sam Hentges, LHP (Age 22)2018 (A+): 23 GS, 118.1 IP, 24.2 K%, 10.5 BB%, 3.27 ERA, 3.21 FIPThe six-foot-six southpaw didn’t miss a beat in his first full season since 2016 Tommy John surgery and Indians showed faith in him by adding him to the 40-man roster to avoid the Rule 5 draft.Daniel Johnson, OF (Age 23)2018 (R): 24 PA, .300/.417/.450, 1 HR, 1 SB, 8.3 BB%, 8.3 K%, 152 wRC+2018 (AA): 391 PA, .267/.321/.410, 6 HR, 21 SB, 5.9 BB%, 23.0 K%, 103 wRC+Acquired in the Yan Gomes trade, Johnson possesses plus speed, arm strength and power from the outfield. Johnson’s 2018 season was affected by a broken hamate bone injury, which sapped his power.