The issue of redheadedness and athletic performance took center stage before the 2011 NFL draft, when Sports Illustrated’s Peter King interviewed an anonymous head coach who questioned Texas Christian University product Andy Dalton’s ability to lead a team from the quarterback spot. The scout’s objections were based less on Dalton’s arm strength, pocket presence and his Wonderlic score than his hair color.

“Has there ever been a redheaded quarterback in the NFL who’s really done ...

Do any of these guys have ugly girlfriends?

This year’s MLB Draft is unusually difficult to handicap.

The best player available, Georgia high school outfielder Clint Frazier, will probably not be the first pick. He’s a little undersized and that fact, coupled with his being a prep position player, is historically a bad combination for players hoping to go first overall. If Frazier were a little bigger, he would be a slam dunk as the first choice.

The best pitcher available, righthander Mark ...

Conor Glassey explains the difference between what writers do and what scouts do:

Yes, we often will write about players we’ve seen and we’ll tell you how fast a pitcher was throwing, what kind of offspeed pitches he throws, or how fast an outfielder got from home to first. That’s not scouting, that’s just reporting. Anybody can sit at a game and hold a radar gun or click a stopwatch.

However, there’s a growing number of people online who think the opposite. It’s baffling to me ...

Jake just made it look easy. Odorizzi.

Jake Odorizzi and three Durham Bulls relief pitchers combined on an historic Sunday performance.

The four Durham pitchers combined to throw just the second no-hitter in the team’s International League history as the Bulls defeated the Pawtucket Red Sox 2-1 at McCoy Stadium.

Odorizzi (3-0) pitched the first seven innings, before Frank De Los Santos, Taylor Yates and Jeff Beliveau kept Pawtucket hitless over the final two innings despite allowing one ...

In other news, I am monitoring Kate Upton. Up in a tree. With binoculars.

When the Marlins traded Jose Reyes and Josh Johnson to Toronto last November, Mets officials began asking one another questions that remain in their minds today: Can we get Giancarlo Stanton?  Would we trade Zack Wheeler to do it?

According to three team sources, the Mets then spent time at the winter meetings debating whether to make Wheeler available in a variety of trades, including for Arizona’s Justin Upton and ...

David Dahl has been a bad boy, a baaaaaaaaad boy.

The Red Sox have started out 2-1 this year, on the road, against the Yankees. Height of optimism, right? Yes, let’s bask in the glow, and live in the moment.

Or, if your thoughts are already focused on the future, the good folks at soxprospects.com have compiled projected rosters for 2014 at every level in the Red Sox system, from the majors all the way down to the Dominican Summer League. (Tangent: They’ve listed for the DSL an outfielder who might get nannied.)

At the MLB level, ...

A listing of where the Top 20 MLB.com Prospects will begin their seasons.

Kevin Slowey? Donovan Solano? John Maine? Alex Sanabia? I’ve never heard of half these guys, and the ones I have heard of are way past their primes!

The Miami Marlins knew their young pitching staff would be a work in progress this season. But no one expected major changes a day before the season opener.

The Marlins this morning announced that 20-year-old super-prospect Jose Fernandez, a right-hander, will be on the opening day roster because of shoulder injuries to starters Nathan Eovaldi ...

24. Michael Wacha, RHP, St. Louis: The first real big shock on this list, in part because he’s ranked so high and in part because he’s ranked ahead of the likes of Shelby Miller (albeit one spot) and Trevor Rosenthal. Wacha has dominated in pro ball – both in 2012 and during this spring. Critics will say it’s because of his small sample size, as well as his limited innings due to pitch counts (rarely turning the lineup over). If you watch him pitch, though, it’s not hard to envision ...

Fangraph’s 2013 Top 15 Prospect Reports.

The Cardinals are stacked in the minors. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them peddle some of their surplus for a good young shortstop. The Cardinals and Texas could definitely be a good trade match-up.

Hope for Astros fans!

While fans will have to be patient, they don’t have to look too far into the horizon to see hope and excitement. While Springer, Cosart, Singleton and Villar are among those knocking at the door to reach Houston, another wave is coming.

“The most reliable estimate for all those guys to reach the big leagues is 2014,” Luhnow said. “Just because they’re good prospects doesn’t mean they’re going to have an immediate impact on the big league level. It’s a substantial step, and ...

Ryan Westmoreland announced his retirement from professional baseball in an email to several members of the media on Wednesday.

“With a clear mind and heart, as well as the unwavering support and friendship of my family, friends, agent(s), doctors, therapists and the Boston Red Sox, I have decided to voluntarily retire as a professional baseball player,” Westmoreland wrote. “Although it is a very difficult decision for me, it has become clear that the neurological damage caused by the ...

Yeah, but with the stadium gun’s inflated numbers, he was probably only really around 107 or so.

Here’s a great resource for prospect aficionados. I found it very helpful when prepping for my sim league’s minor league draft.

Here’s their Top Ten:

1. Jurickson Profar, SS, Rangers
2. Oscar Taveras, OF, Cardinals
3. Gerrit Cole, RHP, Pirates
4. Dylan Bundy, RHP, Orioles
5. Zack Wheeler, RHP, Mets
6. Jose Fernandez, RHP, Marlins
7. Wil Myers, CF, Rays
8. Byron Buxton, CF, Twins
9. Taijuan Walker, RHP, Mariners
10. Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians

1. Jurickson Profar, ss/2b, TEX
2. Dylan Bundy, rhp, BAL
3. Oscar Taveras, of, STL
4. Wil Myers, of/3b, TB
5. Jose Fernandez, rhp, MIA
6. Shelby Miller, rhp, STL
7. Gerrit Cole, rhp, PIT
8. Xander Bogaerts, ss, BOS
9. Miguel Sano, 3b, MIN
10. Byron Buxton, of, MIN
11. Zack Wheeler, rhp, NYM
12. Tyler Skaggs, lhp, ARI
13. Carlos Correa, ss, HOU
14. Trevor Bauer, rhp, CLE
15. Christian Yelich, of, MIA
16. Javier Baez, ss, CHC
17. Mike Zunino, c, SEA
18. Taijuan Walker, rhp, SEA
19. Jameson ...

As a result, the Rays won’t be able to sign anyone next year for more than $250,000 and probably won’t make any major international splashes until July 2 either because of the tax. Going well beyond the bonus pool is a curious move, but the Rays did pull in a considerable amount of talent, including arguably the two best 16-year-old pitchers on the market. Given that their 90-win season last year will give them one of the lower bonus pools for the 2013-14 signing period, which many scouts ...

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Boston Red Sox outfield prospect Bryce Brentz wasn’t one of the 19 non-roster players invited to this year’s spring training. As it turns out, his exclusion was for good reason, as he recently suffered a gun-related injury.

WEEI’s Alex Speier first reported that, earlier this offseason, Brentz suffered an injury to his leg when cleaning a gun at his home.

Boston general manager Ben Cherington clarified to Speier exactly what happened:

  He ...

Villalona had been charged with the September 2009 murder of 25-year-old Mario Felix de Jesus Velete in the Dominican Republic at a bar in La Romana, where Villalona is from. Villalona eventually settled with de Jesus Velete’s family, reportedly for around $139,000. A prosecutor was planning to move forward with the case, but the charges were dropped.

It’s the moment everyone has been waiting for: MLB.com’s 2013 Top 100 Prospects list is now available for perusal and dissection. Let the debate begin!

Lists like this are made to get people talking and arguing. Every year, discussions have been passionate about who’s on the list, who’s not, who’s too high and who is too low. Don’t worry, those responsible for putting tthis together welcome it.

There’s no better place to start that discussion than at the top. The top four prospects separated ...

Best Farm System flags fly forever. Just ask the Royals.

1) St. Louis Cardinals (ranked #5 last year): Strengths: Everything. They have pitching, hitting, high upside, and depth. They have a proven track record of player development. Weaknesses: none really. They could use a shortstop with a better bat but so could most teams.

2) Seattle Mariners (#4 last year): Strength: Good balance between hitting and pitching, strength up the middle with Zunino, Miller, Franklin; potential ace arms; good ...

I understand that we’re supposed to be all-in on the World Baseball Classic and that players who don’t take it seriously have the wrong attitude and are otherwise “idle heroes,” but I’m sorry: if a general manager for a baseball team is saying that participating in it is going to have negative implications for you, you should not be playing in the WBC. If I’m Martinez’s agent I have him call the Spanish manager, say “smell you later,” and make sure my client’s butt is in ...

1) Oscar Taveras, OF, Grade A: One of the easiest grades in the book. Outstanding hitter for power and average, and he improved his baserunning and defense. Next great Cardinals star? Seems like it to me.

2) Shelby Miller, RHP, Grade A: Terrific second half of the season saved his A rating from last year. Still looks like a rotation anchor to me, just needs to stay healthy.

Overall, this is an amazing system, a prospect factory. They find guys at big colleges, they find guys at small ...