Emptying The Notebook: Billy Hamilton, Mike Montgomery, Jorge Alfaro, Chris Owings & More

Sep 23, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds center fielder

(6) take a lead during the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Great American Ball Park. The Reds defeated the Mets 3-2 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

-Cincinnati Reds prospect Billy Hamilton topped Ben Badler of Baseball America’s list of ten prospects to watch who are either playing in Puerto Rico or Mexico this winter. Hamilton, who’s playing in Puerto Rico for Santurce, swiped four bases in a single game Thursday.

–Mike Montgomery seemed to break through in the Arizona Fall League, and Robbie Knopf at Rays Colored Glasses took a look ahead at where he may fit into Tampa Bay’s plans for 2014.

-One of the stars of the AFL this year was Texas Rangers catcher Jorge Alfaro. Nolan Writin’s David Cash reviewed the year that was for The Legend.

-There were a pair of great posts at FanSided regarding the possibility of the Arizona Diamondbacks trading shortstop Chris Owings. Moving on from the idea of snagging Elvis Andrus in the wake of the Ian Kinsler trade, Daniel Solzman of Redbird Rants threw out Owings’ name as a potential target. Thomas Lynch of Venom Strikes acknowledged shortstop was a position of strength and that it would make sense for the team to listen to offers for the 2013 PCL MVP.

–Bernie Pleskoff of MLB.com filed a report on Minnesota Twins pitcher Alex Meyer, giving high praise, though noting he can fall out of sync and get awkward. In the end, he sees Meyer as a potential top of the rotation starter.

–Alan Carpenter of Tomahawk Take noted that the Tommy La Stella bandwagon was starting to get crowded and suggests La Stella could help bring some balance to a Braves lineup filled with guys who have a lot of swing and miss in their game.

–Collin Whitchurch over at Southside Showdown gave an early picture of who the Chicago White Sox may be considering taking with the third pick in next year’s draft. He also does a great job looking back at the team’s history picking near the top of the draft, noting that in the early 1990s the club snagged Alex Fernandez, Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura and Jack McDowell all as top-10 selections.

–Benjamin Hill wrote a great feature for MiLB.com about the scheduling and travel challenges that Pacific Coast League teams face. If you don’t take into account the three-day All-Star break, the Reno Aces have just five scheduled days off during the 144 game regular season. Brutal. Unlike every other league in the minors that do all their travel by bus, however, PCL teams do travel by air. But unlike major league teams that have private jets, PCL teams travel on commercial flights, causing logistic nightmares.

–Ehsan Kassim with Marlin Maniac had a great interview with Jacksonville Suns play-by-play commentator Roger Hoover. There was a ton of talent that cycled through the Marlins’ Double-A affiliate last season.