What goes into those top prospects lists?

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Chris Cwik of Sports on Earth (and a lot of other places) has an article today about those top prospects lists you see each late winter or early spring. The ones put out by Baseball America, Keith Law at ESPN, Jason Parks at Baseball Prospectus and Jonathan Mayo at MLB.com.

It’s a good look at the guts of the process: how these analysts scout the players, who they talk to (or don’t talk to) and the technology they use. Also, a look at how successful they tend to be at picking out true talent before everyone else. Given the volatility of ballplayers, they do a lot better than one might first assume they would, even if it’s still an inexact science.

Anthony Rendon fan interaction video looked into by MLB

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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OAKLAND, Calif. – Major League Baseball is looking into a video circulating on social media that appears to show Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon grab a fan by the shirt through the bleacher guardrails after Thursday night’s game in Oakland, a league spokesperson said Friday.

Rendon looks to have grabbed the fan’s shirt near his chest through the bars of the railing and exchanged words with him before appearing to take a swipe at the bill of the man’s ballcap and walking into the tunnel.

Angels spokesman Adam Chodzko says the team has no comment. The Angels do not play Friday, but the club expects Rendon to address the video Saturday in the clubhouse before the game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland.

The video shows the fan, dressed in A’s colors, approach the railing as Rendon turns toward him from the tunnel walkway below. Rendon then appears to grab the man’s shirt and ask him what he just said, accusing the fan of calling him a derogatory term before swiping at his ballcap.

The A’s won the game 2-1.