MLB Prospect Links: Mark Appel, Byron Buxton, Cody Buckel, Jared Mitchell & More

A few times per week, I will post links to prospect-related articles and video that I highly recommend. The feature is designed to keep the Prospect Pipeline readers informed of happenings across baseball while highlighting some of the web’s top prospect writers. If you have a piece of work that you’d like me to consider for this segment, either send it to me via email or reach out on Twitter (@GoldenSombrero).

Baseball America’s Conor Glassey traveled to Georgia this past weekend to scout Byron Buxton, a consensus top-five pick in the upcoming MLB draft in June. Buxton, who could be the first prep player off the board, flashed all five tools by going 4-for-6 with two doubles and two walks, running down balls in the gaps in the outfield and popping 94 mph off the mound. In addition to detailed scouting notes, Glassey also captured video of the outfielder on both April 13 and 14.

Over at Seedlings to Stars, Kevin O’Brien examines two prospects who are candidates for a bounce-back season : 2B Delino DeShields, Jr. and OF Jared Mitchell. Both prospects are former first-round picks—DeShields was selected eighth overall by the Astros in 2010, while Mitchell was drafted by the White Sox with the 23rd-overall pick in the 2009 draft—and are coming off a lackluster and unsatisfying 2011 campaign. 

Andrew Martin of MLB Dirt posted a Q&A with Rangers pitching prospect Cody Buckel. This season, the 6’1”, 170-pound right-hander is off to a spectacular start. In two starts for High-A Mytrle Beach, Buckel is yet to allow a run over 10 innings. Furthermore, the Rangers’ 2010 second-round draft pick has given up only four hits while posting an astounding 16/3 K/BB ratio. Last season at Single-A, he registered a 120/27 K/BB rate over 96.2 innings.

One of my personal favorites, John Kilma of Baseball Prospect Report (formerly Baseball Beginnings), had another look at Stanford right-hander Mark Appel this past weekend and also recorded some video.  Appel, who could be the No. 1 overall pick as well as the first arm off the board this June, leaves something to be desired, at least for Kilma.

In his words, “Mark Appel needs pro development, period.”