The D'backs wasted little time getting Max Scherzer into the rotation.

AP

By Dennis LePore, Sandlot Shrink, Special to SI.com  

One top prospect to watch among pitchers

The big story of the week is Arizona's Max Scherzer and his record-setting major-league debut as a reliever (4 1/3 hitless innings while fanning seven). But now he is moving into the rotation replacing the struggling Edgar Gonzalez. Scherzer, 23, was the D'backs No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft. He throws a high-90s fastball and his curveball has shown improvement since spring training. He also has a lot of confidence and was lights out at Class AAA Tucson with a 1.17 ERA in four starts, striking out 38 and walking three in 23 innings. He has had command problems in the past though (40 walks in 73 2/3 Class AA innings last year).

If you miss out on Scherzer, you might want to consider Nick Adenhart, Ted Lilly, Aaron Laffey, Garrett Olson and maybe Darrell Rasner.

Adenhart, 21, is the Angels' top pitching prospect, posting a 4-0 record with a 0.87 ERA in five starts for Class AAA Salt Lake. He mixes an excellent curve and changeup with his fastball, but has struggled a bit with his control, walking 15 and striking out 19 in 31 innings. He has not given up a home run, though. He's expected to make three starts until John Lackey comes off the DL. Grade A for the future.

Laffey, 23, was recalled after going 3-1 with a 2.77 ERA in five starts for Class AAA Buffalo. The soft-tosser pitched well enough in a spot start against the Yankees on Monday to remain in the rotation if they need him.  He displayed command of a four- and two-seam fastball while mixing in quality change-ups and sliders. Last year he went 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA for the Tribe in a late-season callup.

Olson, 24, took a shutout bid into the seventh inning in his season debut against the Rays on Tuesday. He pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits for his second major-league win. He was 1-1 with a 1.85 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings with Class AAA Norfolk prior to the recall and is throwing 90-mph with improved command. He is also working faster and inside more which the Orioles brass wanted to see. As a result, he is pitching with more confidence than last year after posting a 7.79 ERA and walking 28 batters in 32 1/3 innings with Baltimore. He has mid-rotation stuff.

Rasner, 27, will be the Yankees' fifth starter for now after going 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA in 31 innings for Class AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre with an excellent 27/6 K/BB ratio. He began last season in the rotation and had three decent starts before breaking a finger and sitting out the rest of the season.  He was non-tendered last December but was brought back on a minor-league deal. If you are desperate for starters, he might be worth a flier and a few wins in New York.

Lilly worked a second straight quality start last Sunday despite being 2-3 mph off his usual velocity. He said it makes it tougher to mix speeds and affects the curveball. "It felt like there were some fastball counts where they were late on fastballs, so I guess it was coming out of my hand ok," he said. "It's still not what I feel I'm capable of, but I believe I'm going to get there. But if you want to win games, regardless of how hard you throw, it's about executing pitches."

No closer recommendations but there is some relief

Left-handed reliever Bill Bray was recalled by Cincinnati after allowing one run and striking out 14 in 8 2/3 innings at Class AAA. He will help out in setup relief and should post solid numbers after struggling last year with injuries. He broke a finger in the spring that led to shoulder problems and a 6.28 ERA. "I'm feeling really good," he said.

Right-handed reliever Francisco Cruceta was recalled by Detroit to help in setup relief as well. He missed all of spring training because of visa problems, but has pitched seven innings for Class AAA Toledo, allowing one run on two hits with three walks and 15 strikeouts. He has a 10.05 ERA in six big-league games with Cleveland in 2004 and Seattle in 2006. But the Tigers believe he can be an effective late-inning guy thanks to his 94-95 mph fastball, a sharp slider and a nasty split-finger, which is his out-pitch. With Denny Bautista struggling with his control (12 walks in 12 innings), Cruceta could quickly work himself into a setup role.

Hitting prospects to consider

Jeff Baker, Colorado Rockies -- Baker, 26, will get some starts at second base. He swings a lively bat and is worth a pickup in most formats for his power potential. Baker, who has played 1B-3B-OF in the majors, lost nearly 20 pounds over the winter in anticipation of playing second this spring. He has batted .231 with 10 homers in parts of three major league seasons prior to this year.

Wladimir Balentien, Seattle Mariners -- Balentien, 23, was recalled to be the everyday right fielder. Last season he went to the opposite field more often, reduced his strikeouts and raised his batting average. This season, he seems to be struggling with that approach a little bit so a projection is tough based on his inconsistency. He has power and speed though. He was batting .254 with six homers, 20 RBI and a .329 OBP at Class AAA Tacoma. He batted .291 with 24 homers and 15 steals at Class AAA last year.

Jeff Clement, Seattle Mariners -- Clement, a top catcher prospect, will be the designated hitter against right-handers and will also catch occasionally. The left-handed hitter has power and is now using the whole field so he should be able to bat .270 in the majors. His value will also increase once he gets catcher eligibility, as he will give the struggling Kenji Johjima some rest. Clement, 24, was hitting .397 with five homers, 20 runs batted in at Tacoma. He batted .275 with 20 home runs last year in the minors.

Brandon Wood, Los Angeles Angels -- Wood, 23, has been up and down several times the past year or so but is not the elite prospect he looked like when he clubbed 43 homers and 51 doubles for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga in 2005. He was hitting .273 with eight homers and six doubles but also whiffed 29 times in 88 at-bats. He has been moved back to shortstop after a tryout at third base last year but his stay again could be brief.  Last year he batted .272 with 23 homers and 77 RBIs for Class AAA Salt Lake.  This year its .260 with seven homers. He might be up until injured second baseman Howie Kendrick comes off the DL.

Dennis LePore is the head writer and editor of the Sandlot Shrink, a group of sportswriters with a direct pipeline to general managers, managers, coaches, players and scouts in Baseball, Football and Basketball. LePore's columns have appeared in several national newspapers, web sites and magazines over the years. At the Shrink site, he combines scouting reports and statistical data to develop his player rankings and dollar values. LePore is also the author of the Shrink's two annual books, the Fantasy Baseball Insider and the Fantasy Football Insider.