Hernandez, Cruz and Cano cited in `Best Tools’ survey
Nelson Cruz, Robinson Cano and Felix Hernandez each drew acclaim in Baseball America’s annual survey of major-league managers to determine the "best tools" in each league.
Hernandez’s changeup ranked No. 1 among American League pitchers, but he did not place in the top three for best pitcher. The survey cited Chicago’s Chris Sale, Houston’s Dallas Keuchel and Tampa Bay’s Chris Archer.
Cruz ranked second for best power behind Los Angeles outfielder Mike Trout, and Cano rated as the second-best defensive second baseman behind Boston’s Dustin Pedroia.
The survey’s three best AL hitters: Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera, Trout and Texas designated hitter Prince Fielder.
Arizona first baseman Paul Goldschmidt rated as the National League’s best hitter, and Los Angeles right-hander Zack Greinke as the NL’s best pitcher.
MINOR DETAILS
Outfielder Alex Jackson is 3-for-6 in two games at Short-A Everett since returning from a 23-day absence for an injured left hand.
Jackson, 19, was the sixth overall selection in the 2014 draft and entered the season ranked No. 1 on the TNT Top 10 list of the organization’s prospects.
After a rough start at Lo-A Clinton, Jackson was reassigned to Everett, where he is batting .276 with a .370 on-base percentage and a .460 slugging percentage in 25 games. He has two homers and 12 RBIs.
This story was originally published August 10, 2015 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Hernandez, Cruz and Cano cited in `Best Tools’ survey."