Justin Christian, who was designated for assignment a week ago, cleared waivers today. According to numerous reports (and as confirmed by an official team announcement), the San Francisco Giants have now re-signed him to a minor-league contract, and he'll be a non-roster invitee at Spring Training.

Christian, 31, hit .294/.376/.459 with 54 steals while splitting time at Double-A Richmond and Triple-A Fresno this past season. He even saw some time in the majors toward the end of the season, hitting .255/.286/.362 across 51 plate appearances.

• Twitter / @SFGiants: Justin Christian cleared w ...
  "Justin Christian cleared waivers today and has re-signed with Giants as non roster invitee. #SFGiants"
• Twitter / @jonmorosi: Justin Christian signed mi ...
  "Justin Christian signed minor-league deal with #SFGiants after clearing waivers. He will be invited to major-league camp."
• Twitter / @CSNBaggs: OF Justin Christian cleare ...
  "OF Justin Christian cleared release waivers today. Has agreed to re- sign as non roster invite."

According to William Ladson of MLB.com, the Washington Nationals have signed outfielder Rick Ankiel to a minor-league contract. If he makes the major-league roster, he could presumably platoon with Mike Cameron in centerfield, as Ladson notes.

Ankiel, 32, hit .239/.296/.363 (81 OPS+) with nine home runs in 415 plate appearances with the Washington Nationals last year. He's spent time at all three outfield positions over the last several seasons, but 84 of his 90 starts in 2011 came in center. Since 2007, Ankiel has played with the Cardinals, Royals, Braves, and Nationals, putting together an overall line of .248/.311/.430, good for a 96 OPS+.

• Twitter / @washingnats: I have confirmed that the ...
  "I have confirmed that the #Nats signed Rick Ankiel to a minor league deal. Great move."
• Twitter / @washingnats: I would not be surprised i ...
  "I would not be surprised if there is a platoon in center between Ankiel and Cameron. #Nats MLB"

The Los Angeles Angels have signed Francisco Murillo Rodriguez to a minor league deal, according to Alden Gonzalez and Spencer Fordin of mlb.com.

Rodriguez (not to be confused with K-Rod*, who has the same name and also played with the Angels), is a 28 year-old righty and has played his first two seasons with the Angels. In 61 combined innings, he's compiled 43 Ks and a 4.43 ERA. A quick glance at b-ref says he those Ks (6.3 K/9) come at a cost, as he also has a tendency to walk batters (4.6 BB/9 over the same time frame.

• Angels bring back Rodriguez on Minors deal - Alden Gonzalez & Spencer Fordin | MLB.com
  "The Angels previously inked reliever Francisco Rodriguez (not K-Rod) to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Rodriguez, the Mexico native who was signed as an amateur free agent by the Angels in 2005, will make $481,000 if he makes the big league club."
• *Why not F-Rod, or FranGuez, or Super Agent Double-Oh F? Bizarre and boring nicknames.

On Wednesday night, MLB.com released Jonathan Mayo's top 100 MLB prospects going into the 2012 season, and it has its fair share of surprises, as one would expect. But most fans don't delve into these lists just to look for rankings that look a tad wonky; most fans are simply trying to figure out where their favorite team's prospects are ranked.

Considering that, we thought that it might be helpful to break these lists down on a team-by-team basis to give you guys a look. Here's a breakdown of MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list for the NL West.

Los Angeles Dodgers

No. 45, RHP Zach Lee: A big overslot pick by the Dodgers late in the first-round of the 2010 draft, Lee hasn't disappointed yet. He was expected to have some growing pains while playing baseball full-time after being a major football recruit in high school, but he pleasantly surprised many scouts. He's very athletic, and has a lot of upside.

No. 70, RHP Nathan Eovaldi: After a breakout season in 2011, Eovaldi is firmly in LA's long-term plans. The 21-year-old had Tommy John surgery as a high school junior, but finally looked fully recovered from that injury in 2011, hitting the upper 90's with his fastball.

No. 79, RHP Allen Webster: After pitching extremely well in the hitter-friendly California League, Webster moved up to Double-A and had mixed results. Scouts still love his ability to keep the ball on the ground, though, and he could move quickly from here.

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On Wednesday night, MLB.com released Jonathan Mayo's top 100 MLB prospects going into the 2012 season, and it has its fair share of surprises, as one would expect. But most fans don't delve into these lists just to look for rankings that look a tad wonky; most fans are simply trying to figure out where their favorite team's prospects are ranked.

Considering that, we thought that it might be helpful to break these lists down on a team-by-team basis to give you guys a look. Here's a breakdown of MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list for the NL East.

New York Mets

No. 28, RHP Zach Wheeler: Acquired from the San Francisco Giants last year in the Carlos Beltran deal, Wheeler has a huge arm. Already flashing two plus pitches in his fastball and curve, most scouts see him as a potential No. 2 starter.

No. 38, RHP Matt Harvey: Some evaluators tend to swap Wheeler and Harvey, both of whom are very good prospects. Harvey's arm isn't quite as electric as Wheeler's, but he's a bit further along assuming that his command issues don't crop up again.

No. 90, RHP Jeurys Familia: Nobody ever questioned Familia's fastball, it was everything else that worried scouts. His command and breaking offerings have finally shown some improvement, though, leaving evaluators drooling at what he could potentially look like with a few more improvements.

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Matt Eddy of Baseball America is reporting that four catchers have caught on with a club for minor deals - Mitch Canham with the Colorado Rockies, Orlando Mercado with the Miami Marlins, Kyle Phillips with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Max St. Pierre with the Boston Red Sox.

Continue reading this post »

On Wednesday night, MLB.com released Jonathan Mayo's top 100 MLB prospects going into the 2012 season, and it has its fair share of surprises, as one would expect. But most fans don't delve into these lists just to look for rankings that look a tad wonky; most fans are simply trying to figure out where their favorite team's prospects are ranked.

Considering that, we thought that it might be helpful to break these lists down on a team-by-team basis to give you guys a look. Here's a breakdown of MLB.com's Top 100 prospect list for the NL Central.

Chicago Cubs

No. 33, OF Brett Jackson: Generally speaking, Jackson is the consensus top prospect in the Cubs' system. Mayo noted that he has 20-20 potential. Honestly, he reminds me a bit of Mike Cameron with the power/speed combination, solid defense in center field and iffy hitting skills.

No. 37, 1B Anthony Rizzo: Recently acquired from the San Diego Padres, Mayo ranked Rizzo as the best prospect at first base in the entire game. Even after struggling in the majors in 2011, he still sees Rizzo as an impact middle-of-the-order bat.

No. 62, SS Javier Baez: The Cubs' first-round pick in 2011, Baez has more upside than any other player in the Cubs' farm system. He might even have more upside than anyone in the organization that's not named Starlin Castro. Most evaluators don't expect him to stick at shortstop, but he's not a lock to move and he's got major offensive upside.

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Now that Prince Fielder has finally signed, the free agent market is pretty thin. You could make an expensive investment in a guy like Yoenis Cespedes, or a run at Edwin Jackson, but it appears most teams are done making moves and going bargain shopping. Let's take a look at the latest minor moves...

• The Miami Marlins signed outfielder Austin Kearns to a minor league deal with a invite to spring training, the club announced in a press release (via Juan C. Rodriguez of the Sun-Sentinel).
• The Tampa Bay Rays signed right-handed pitcher Bryan Augenstein, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. It's a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
• Tampa Bay also made another move, designating outfielder Justin Ruggiano for assignment, again, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The move was made to make room on the 40-man roster for newly signed free agent Carlos Pena.