Rookies 2007

 

                                                          Pitching Line = IP H R ER BB SO

 

07 April, 2007 

    One more entry before I take some leave  ... an update on the Consensus 100 ... now showing assignments.  Have a great summer!

                                #  Ave  Max  Min  League/Team
  1 Matsuzaka Daisuke RHP       7 99.1  100   98  MLB
  2 Young Delmon OF            22 96.2  100   54  MLB
  3 Hughes Philip RHP          22 95.9   99   82  INT Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees
  4 Gordon Alex 3B             22 95.3  100   65  MLB
  5 Bailey Homer RHP           21 90.9   98   33  INT Louisville Bats
  6 Wood Brandon SS            20 90.5   97   63  PCL Salt Lake Bees
  7 Tulowitzki Troy SS         20 88.6   99   75  MLB
  8 Young Chris OF             22 88.3   99   51  MLB
  9 Garza Matt RHP             19 87.7   99   75  INT Rochester Red Wings
 10 Butler Billy OF            21 85.3   98   60  PCL Omaha Royals
 11 Bruce Jay OF               20 84.5  100   32  FSL Sarasota Reds
 12 Gallardo Yovani RHP        21 84.0   95   68  PCL Nashville Sounds
 13 Maybin Cameron OF          20 83.5   97   41  FSL Lakeland Tigers
 14 Longoria Evan 3B           18 83.2   94   64  SOUTHERN Montgomery Biscuits
 15 Miller Andrew LHP          18 82.8   91   63  FSL Lakeland Tigers
 16 Lincecum Tim RHP           19 82.6   95   62  PCL Fresno Grizzlies
 17 Pelfrey Mike RHP           20 81.9   97   43  FSL St. Lucie Mets
 18 McCutchen Andrew OF        19 80.7   96   37  EASTERN Altoona Curve
 19 Laroche Andy 3B            22 80.3   95   53  PCL Las Vegas 51s
 20 Braun Ryan 3B              22 78.0   92   30  PCL Nashville Sounds
 21 Upton Justin OF            20 77.8   95   16  CALIFORNIA Visalia Oaks
 22 Brignac Reid SS            20 75.1   90   16  SOUTHERN Montgomery Biscuits
 23 Miller Adam RHP            21 75.0   94   19  INT Buffalo Bisons
 24 Tabata Jose OF             19 72.4   94   10  FSL Tampa Yankees
 25 Gonzalez Carlos OF         20 72.1   84   41  SOUTHERN Mobile BayBears
 26 Elbert Scott LHP           19 70.8   90   10  SOUTHERN Jacksonville Suns
 27 Martinez Fernando OF       17 70.5   93    9  EASTERN Binghamton Mets
 28 Hochevar Luke RHP          18 70.1   83   52  TEXAS Wichita Wranglers
 29 Kershaw Clayton LHP        15 70.0   87   39  MIDWEST Great Lakes Loons
 30 Adenhart Nick RHP          20 68.0   89   20  TEXAS Arkansas Travelers  
 31 Loney James 1B             21 67.0   93   37  PCL Las Vegas 51s
 32 Lind Adam OF               21 65.5   94   15  INT Syracuse SkyChiefs
 33 Hirsh Jason RHP            19 64.9   90   34  MLB
 34 Pence Hunter OF            21 63.8   83    3  PCL Round Rock Express
 35 Niemann Jeff RHP           18 62.9   86   32  INT Durham Bulls
 36 Jones Adam OF              22 60.6   86   14  PCL Tacoma Rainiers
 37 Kouzmanoff Kevin 3B        19 59.4   95   26  MLB
 38 Pie Felix OF               21 59.1   80   41  PCL Iowa Cubs
 39 Fields Josh 3B             20 58.6   86   21  INT Charlotte Knights
 40 Rasmus Colby OF            19 58.5   96   17  TEXAS Springfield Cardinals
 41 Ellsbury Jacoby OF         18 57.9   74   25  EASTERN Portland Sea Dogs
 42 Humber Philip RHP          17 57.1   75   28  PCL New Orleans Zephyrs
 43 Votto Joey 1B              19 57.1   90    4  INT Louisville Bats
 44 Danks John LHP             19 56.0   81   30  MLB
 45 Iannetta Chris C           19 55.4   93    9  MLB
 46 Stewart Ian 3B             18 52.4   73   31  PCL Colorado Springs Sky Sox
 47 Lofgren Chuck LHP          17 52.2   70   12  EASTERN Akron Aeros
 48 Saltalamacchia Jarrod C    20 52.1   74   19  SOUTHERN Mississippi Braves
 49 Hurley Eric RHP            15 51.9   76   24  TEX Frisco RoughRiders
 50 Snider Travis OF           14 51.4   68   30  MIDWEST Lansing Lugnuts
 51 Buchholz Clay RHP          16 49.3   69    5  EASTERN Portland Sea Dogs
 52 Rowell Bill 3B             14 48.4   71    6  Inj NYP Aberdeen IronBirds
 53 Erbe Brandon RHP           16 47.9   93   21  CAROLINA Frederick Keys
 54 Barton Daric 1B            20 47.6   81   15  PCL Sacramento River Cats
 55 Andrus Elvis SS            13 46.3   62   12  CAROLINA Myrtle Beach Pelicans
 56 Casto Kory 3B               7 46.3   92   12  MLB
 57 Morales Franklin LHP       13 46.2   71    9  TEXAS Tulsa Drillers
 58 Sanchez Humberto RHP       18 45.9   77   20  Injured
 59 Pedroia Dustin 2B          16 45.6   92   18  MLB
 60 Windsor Jason RHP           5 45.4   82    7  PCL Sacramento River Cats
 61 Buck Travis OF             17 44.6   67   27  MLB
 62 Dukes Elijah OF            19 43.9   86    1  MLB
 63 Aybar Erick SS             16 43.8   70   11  MLB
 64 Patton Troy LHP            17 43.4   55   16  TEXAS Corpus Christi Hooks
 65 Volquez Edinson RHP         8 42.9   76    9  CALIFORNIA Bakersfield Blaze
 66 Clement Jeff C             15 40.9   79   12  PCL Tacoma Rainiers
 67 Barton Brian OF             5 40.8   62   15  EASTERN Akron Aeros
 68 Montero Miguel C           17 40.4   85   15  MLB
 69 Sweeney Ryan OF            17 40.3   80    7  INT Charlotte Knights
 70 McGee Jacob LHP            13 40.1   64   10  FSL Vero Beach Devil Rays
 71 Carrasco Carlos RHP        16 40.1   78    3  FSL Clearwater Threshers
 72 Inman Will RHP             14 39.9   98   10  FSL Brevard County Manatees
 73 Veal Donald LHP            15 39.9   67    4  SOUTHERN Tennessee Smokies
 74 Slowey Kevin RHP           20 39.7  100    3  INT Rochester Red Wings
 75 Albers Matt RHP             9 38.1   76    2  PCL Round Rock Express
 76 Sanchez Jonathan LHP        9 37.4   93    4  MLB
 77 Fowler Dexter OF           13 36.2   62   14  CALIFORNIA Modesto Nuts
 78 Rogers Mark RHP             5 36.0   56   19  Inj FSL Brevard County Manatees
 79 Hansen Craig RHP            6 35.8   65   17  INT Pawtucket Red Sox
 80 Campbell Eric 3B            8 34.9   85   14  CAROLINA Myrtle Beach Pelicans
 81 Gomez Carlos OF            12 34.5   67    5  PCL New Orleans Zephyrs
 82 Guzman Joel 3B              6 33.8   56    6  INT Durham Bulls
 83 Garcia Jaime LHP            7 33.6   78    5  TEXAS Springfield Cardinals
 84 Rodriguez Sean SS          13 33.2   76    5  TEXAS Arkansas Travelers
 85 Crowe Trevor OF            15 33.1   58   14  EASTERN Akron Aeros
 86 Guerra Deolis RHP           5 31.6   73   13  Injured
 87 Perkins Glen LHP           12 30.8   80    1  INT Rochester Red Wings
 88 Volstad Chris RHP          14 30.0   61    8  FSL Jupiter Hammerheads
 89 Jimenez Ubaldo RHP         13 29.5   65    5  PCL Colorado Springs Sky Sox
 90 Owings Micah RHP            9 29.4   60    3  MLB
 91 Walker Neil C              11 29.0   67    3  EASTERN Altoona Curve
 92 Reimold Nolan OF            8 29.0   52    5  EASTERN Bowie Baysox
 93 Chamberlain Joba RHP        8 28.4   45   21  FSL Tampa Yankees
 94 Lincoln Brad RHP           11 27.0   40   15  Injured
 95 Bowden Michael RHP         13 26.8   68    1  CALIFORNIA Lancaster JetHawks
 96 Petit Yusmeiro RHP          6 26.5   67    1  PCL Tucson Sidewinders
 97 Gonzalez Gio LHP           11 26.1   54    4  SOUTHERN Birmingham Barons
 98 West Sean LHP              10 25.8   51    2  Inj SAL Greensboro Grasshoppers
 99 Davis Wade RHP             12 25.1   52    4  FSL Vero Beach Devil Rays
100 Morrow Brandon RHP          8 22.8   53    5  MLB
101 Jeffress Jeremy RHP         6 21.3   50   11  ARZ BREWERS
102 Gallagher Sean RHP          7 21.3   29   15  SOUTHERN Tennessee Smokies
103 Parmelee Chris OF/1B        8 20.8   39    4  MIDWEST Beloit Snappers
104 Suzuki Kurt C              10 20.4   51    3  PCL Sacramento River Cats
105 Marrero Chris OF            5 20.4   54    1  SAL Hagerstown Suns
106 Patterson Eric 2B           8 19.3   49    6  PCL Iowa Cubs
107 Betances Dellin RHP         8 19.1   43    1  GCL Yankees
108 Talbot Mitch RHP            5 18.8   44    6  INT Durham Bulls
109 Lillibridge Brent SS        5 18.0   45    1  SOUTHERN Mississippi Braves
110 DeWitt Blake 2B             6 17.3   28    6  CALIFORNIA Inland Empire 66ers
111 Harrison Matt LHP           9 16.9   52    4  SOUTHERN Mississippi Braves
112 Conger Hank C               7 14.9   41    8  MIDWEST Cedar Rapids Kernels
113 Carrillo Cesar RHP          8 13.3   25    1  PCL Portland Beavers
114 Hellickson Jeremy RHP       6 12.0   17    6  SAL Columbus Catfish
115 Swarzak Anthony RHP         8 11.4   28    1  EASTERN New Britain Rock Cats


29 March, 2007 

    Consensus 100, updated to include the missing Troy Tulowitzki (that's "zki" not "ski").

                                #  Ave  Max  Min  League/Team
  1 Matsuzaka Daisuke RHP       7 99.1  100   98  MLB
  2 Young Delmon OF            22 96.2  100   54  MLB
  3 Hughes Philip RHP          22 95.9   99   82  INT Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees
  4 Gordon Alex 3B             22 95.3  100   65  MLB
  5 Bailey Homer RHP           21 90.9   98   33  INT Louisville Bats
  6 Wood Brandon SS            20 90.5   97   63  PCL Salt Lake Bees
  7 Tulowitzki Troy SS         20 88.6   99   75  MLB
  8 Young Chris OF             22 88.3   99   51  MLB
  9 Garza Matt RHP             19 87.7   99   75  INT Rochester Red Wings
 10 Butler Billy OF            21 85.3   98   60  PCL Omaha Royals
 11 Bruce Jay OF               20 84.5  100   32  FSL Sarasota Reds
 12 Gallardo Yovani RHP        21 84.0   95   68  PCL Nashville Sounds
 13 Maybin Cameron OF          20 83.5   97   41  FSL Lakeland Tigers
 14 Longoria Evan 3B           18 83.2   94   64  SOUTHERN Montgomery Biscuits
 15 Miller Andrew LHP          18 82.8   91   63  FSL Lakeland Tigers
 16 Lincecum Tim RHP           19 82.6   95   62  PCL Fresno Grizzlies
 17 Pelfrey Mike RHP           20 81.9   97   43  FSL St. Lucie Mets
 18 McCutchen Andrew OF        19 80.7   96   37  EASTERN Altoona Curve
 19 Laroche Andy 3B            22 80.3   95   53  PCL Las Vegas 51s
 20 Braun Ryan 3B              22 78.0   92   30  PCL Nashville Sounds
 21 Upton Justin OF            20 77.8   95   16  CALIFORNIA Visalia Oaks
 22 Brignac Reid SS            20 75.1   90   16  SOUTHERN Montgomery Biscuits
 23 Miller Adam RHP            21 75.0   94   19  INT Buffalo Bisons
 24 Tabata Jose OF             19 72.4   94   10  FSL Tampa Yankees
 25 Gonzalez Carlos OF         20 72.1   84   41  SOUTHERN Mobile BayBears
 26 Elbert Scott LHP           19 70.8   90   10  SOUTHERN Jacksonville Suns
 27 Martinez Fernando OF       17 70.5   93    9  EASTERN Binghamton Mets
 28 Hochevar Luke RHP          18 70.1   83   52  TEXAS Wichita Wranglers
 29 Kershaw Clayton LHP        15 70.0   87   39  MIDWEST Great Lakes Loons
 30 Adenhart Nick RHP          20 68.0   89   20  TEXAS Arkansas Travelers  
 31 Loney James 1B             21 67.0   93   37  PCL Las Vegas 51s
 32 Lind Adam OF               21 65.5   94   15  INT Syracuse SkyChiefs
 33 Hirsh Jason RHP            19 64.9   90   34  MLB
 34 Pence Hunter OF            21 63.8   83    3  PCL Round Rock Express
 35 Niemann Jeff RHP           18 62.9   86   32  INT Durham Bulls
 36 Jones Adam OF              22 60.6   86   14  PCL Tacoma Rainiers
 37 Kouzmanoff Kevin 3B        19 59.4   95   26  MLB
 38 Pie Felix OF               21 59.1   80   41  PCL Iowa Cubs
 39 Fields Josh 3B             20 58.6   86   21  INT Charlotte Knights
 40 Rasmus Colby OF            19 58.5   96   17  TEXAS Springfield Cardinals
 41 Ellsbury Jacoby OF         18 57.9   74   25  EASTERN Portland Sea Dogs
 42 Humber Philip RHP          17 57.1   75   28  PCL New Orleans Zephyrs
 43 Votto Joey 1B              19 57.1   90    4  INT Louisville Bats
 44 Danks John LHP             19 56.0   81   30  MLB
 45 Iannetta Chris C           19 55.4   93    9  MLB
 46 Stewart Ian 3B             18 52.4   73   31  PCL Colorado Springs Sky Sox
 47 Lofgren Chuck LHP          17 52.2   70   12  EASTERN Akron Aeros
 48 Saltalamacchia Jarrod C    20 52.1   74   19  SOUTHERN Mississippi Braves
 49 Hurley Eric RHP            15 51.9   76   24  TEX Frisco RoughRiders
 50 Snider Travis OF           14 51.4   68   30  MIDWEST Lansing Lugnuts
 51 Buchholz Clay RHP          16 49.3   69    5  EASTERN Portland Sea Dogs
 52 Rowell Bill 3B             14 48.4   71    6  Inj NYP Aberdeen IronBirds
 53 Erbe Brandon RHP           16 47.9   93   21  CAROLINA Frederick Keys
 54 Barton Daric 1B            20 47.6   81   15  PCL Sacramento River Cats
 55 Andrus Elvis SS            13 46.3   62   12  CAROLINA Myrtle Beach Pelicans
 56 Casto Kory 3B               7 46.3   92   12  MLB
 57 Morales Franklin LHP       13 46.2   71    9  TEXAS Tulsa Drillers
 58 Sanchez Humberto RHP       18 45.9   77   20  Injured
 59 Pedroia Dustin 2B          16 45.6   92   18  MLB
 60 Windsor Jason RHP           5 45.4   82    7  PCL Sacramento River Cats
 61 Buck Travis OF             17 44.6   67   27  MLB
 62 Dukes Elijah OF            19 43.9   86    1  MLB
 63 Aybar Erick SS             16 43.8   70   11  MLB
 64 Patton Troy LHP            17 43.4   55   16  TEXAS Corpus Christi Hooks
 65 Volquez Edinson RHP         8 42.9   76    9  CALIFORNIA Bakersfield Blaze
 66 Clement Jeff C             15 40.9   79   12  PCL Tacoma Rainiers
 67 Barton Brian OF             5 40.8   62   15  EASTERN Akron Aeros
 68 Montero Miguel C           17 40.4   85   15  MLB
 69 Sweeney Ryan OF            17 40.3   80    7  INT Charlotte Knights
 70 McGee Jacob LHP            13 40.1   64   10  FSL Vero Beach Devil Rays
 71 Carrasco Carlos RHP        16 40.1   78    3  FSL Clearwater Threshers
 72 Inman Will RHP             14 39.9   98   10  FSL Brevard County Manatees
 73 Veal Donald LHP            15 39.9   67    4  SOUTHERN Tennessee Smokies
 74 Slowey Kevin RHP           20 39.7  100    3  INT Rochester Red Wings
 75 Albers Matt RHP             9 38.1   76    2  PCL Round Rock Express
 76 Sanchez Jonathan LHP        9 37.4   93    4  MLB
 77 Fowler Dexter OF           13 36.2   62   14  CALIFORNIA Modesto Nuts
 78 Rogers Mark RHP             5 36.0   56   19  Inj FSL Brevard County Manatees
 79 Hansen Craig RHP            6 35.8   65   17  INT Pawtucket Red Sox
 80 Campbell Eric 3B            8 34.9   85   14  CAROLINA Myrtle Beach Pelicans
 81 Gomez Carlos OF            12 34.5   67    5  PCL New Orleans Zephyrs
 82 Guzman Joel 3B              6 33.8   56    6  INT Durham Bulls
 83 Garcia Jaime LHP            7 33.6   78    5  TEXAS Springfield Cardinals
 84 Rodriguez Sean SS          13 33.2   76    5  TEXAS Arkansas Travelers
 85 Crowe Trevor OF            15 33.1   58   14  EASTERN Akron Aeros
 86 Guerra Deolis RHP           5 31.6   73   13  Injured
 87 Perkins Glen LHP           12 30.8   80    1  INT Rochester Red Wings
 88 Volstad Chris RHP          14 30.0   61    8  FSL Jupiter Hammerheads
 89 Jimenez Ubaldo RHP         13 29.5   65    5  PCL Colorado Springs Sky Sox
 90 Owings Micah RHP            9 29.4   60    3  MLB
 91 Walker Neil C              11 29.0   67    3  EASTERN Altoona Curve
 92 Reimold Nolan OF            8 29.0   52    5  EASTERN Bowie Baysox
 93 Chamberlain Joba RHP        8 28.4   45   21  FSL Tampa Yankees
 94 Lincoln Brad RHP           11 27.0   40   15  Injured
 95 Bowden Michael RHP         13 26.8   68    1  CALIFORNIA Lancaster JetHawks
 96 Petit Yusmeiro RHP          6 26.5   67    1  PCL Tucson Sidewinders
 97 Gonzalez Gio LHP           11 26.1   54    4  SOUTHERN Birmingham Barons
 98 West Sean LHP              10 25.8   51    2  Inj SAL Greensboro Grasshoppers
 99 Davis Wade RHP             12 25.1   52    4  FSL Vero Beach Devil Rays
100 Morrow Brandon RHP          8 22.8   53    5  MLB
101 Jeffress Jeremy RHP         6 21.3   50   11  ARZ BREWERS
102 Gallagher Sean RHP          7 21.3   29   15  SOUTHERN Tennessee Smokies
103 Parmelee Chris OF/1B        8 20.8   39    4  MIDWEST Beloit Snappers
104 Suzuki Kurt C              10 20.4   51    3  PCL Sacramento River Cats
105 Marrero Chris OF            5 20.4   54    1  SAL Hagerstown Suns
106 Patterson Eric 2B           8 19.3   49    6  PCL Iowa Cubs
107 Betances Dellin RHP         8 19.1   43    1  GCL Yankees
108 Talbot Mitch RHP            5 18.8   44    6  INT Durham Bulls
109 Lillibridge Brent SS        5 18.0   45    1  SOUTHERN Mississippi Braves
110 DeWitt Blake 2B             6 17.3   28    6  CALIFORNIA Inland Empire 66ers
111 Harrison Matt LHP           9 16.9   52    4  SOUTHERN Mississippi Braves
112 Conger Hank C               7 14.9   41    8  MIDWEST Cedar Rapids Kernels
113 Carrillo Cesar RHP          8 13.3   25    1  PCL Portland Beavers
114 Hellickson Jeremy RHP       6 12.0   17    6  SAL Columbus Catfish
115 Swarzak Anthony RHP         8 11.4   28    1  EASTERN New Britain Rock Cats


29 March, 2007 

    And, thanks in order to visitors from more than 80 countries this month including :

Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia (Hrvatska), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yugoslavia

    Dustin Nippert ARZ 5.0 4 0 0 2 1, 2.30 ... John Danks CHA 4.2 8 6 6 6 4, 5.91 ... Chris Young ARZ 1-2, walk, .242 ... Alex Gordon KC 1-2, double, .364 ... Nick Adenhart LAA 5.0 3 0 0 2 2, 1.84 ... Brandon Wood 3B LAA 1-1, error, .320 ... Travis Buck OAK 1-3, .370 ... Andy LaRoche LAD 1-2, .185 ... Josh Hamilton CIN 1-3, .400 ... BJ Upton TB CF 0-4, 3 Ks, .234 ... Ryan Garko CLE 1-4, .277 ... Kory Casto WAS 0-3, walk, .286 ... Dustin Pedroia BOS 1-3, double, .204 ... Darrell Rasner NYA 4.2 9 7 7 2 2, 4.86 ... Sean Henn NYA 0.1 1 0 0 1 0, 3.38 ...

" ... Dustin McGowan started on the mound for Syracuse and tossed five innings allowing two runs on five hits, while striking out three ... Troy Glaus played for the Chiefs at got an at-bat in each of the first eight innings. He went 1-8 with a run scored."  (Syracuse Chiefs)

" ... Jamie Garcia labored through five innings, allowing 10 hits and three runs, as the Double-A Springfield Cardinals suffered a 6-3 loss to the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds in a spring training exhibition this afternoon. Garcia, a 20-year-old left-hander seeking a starting rotation slot with Springfield, served up a two-run homer to Rick Ankiel in the first inning and struggled to find command of his offspeed pitches the rest of the way."  (Springfield News-Leader)

" ... Fans will want to look closely -- and quickly -- at projected Mobile BayBears second baseman and leadoff hitter Emilio Bonifacio. He doesn't usually stay in one place too long, and that may include Mobile. Bonifacio has "been the talk of the camp," according to director of player development A.J. Hinch, who was quoted in an Arizona Diamondbacks Web site story ...  "He's the igniter for the team," BayBears manager Brett Butler, a former standout leadoff man in the majors, said of Bonifacio. "He's the sparkplug. He turns on the car and gets us going. He's going to be very exciting."   (Mobile Register)

" ... The Visalia Oaks' parent club the Arizona Diamondbacks will be sending players to town next week, and the Oaks should be getting top prospect Justin Upton. The outfielder is ranked as the No.1 prospect in the Diamondbacks' system by Baseball America. Upton was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, signing a $6.1 million deal out of Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Va."  (Visalia Times-Delta) 

    Troop movements ...  BAL - Reassigned RHP Paul Shuey to the Minor League camp ... CLE - Optioned OF Shin-Soo Choo, OF Ben Francisco and LHP Juan Lara to Triple-A, reassigned INF Luis Rivas to Minor League camp ...  SEA - Optioned RHP Sean Green, LHP Eric O'Flaherty, OF Jeremy Reed, C Rene Rivera to Triple-A, Reassigned RHP Aaron Small to Minor League Camp ... TEX - Optioned RHP Frank Francisco and RHP Wes Littleton to Triple-A ...  KC - placed shortstop Angel Sanchez on the 60-day DL, sent RHP Ken Ray outright to Triple-A, optioned RHP Brian Bannister and OF Shane Costa to Triple-A, reassigned RHP Jason Standridge, RHP Zach Day, INF Alex Gonzalez, 2B Fernando Cortez and C Paul Phillips to minor league camp ... MIN - optioned RHP Matt Garza to Triple-A ... OAK - returned Rule-5 outfielder Ryan Goleski to CLE ... TB - sent RHP Scott Dohmann outright to Triple-A, optioned LHP J.P. Howell and RHP Tim Corcoran to Triple-A ...

FLO - Released OF Alex Sanchez, RHP Felix Rodriguez and RHP Mike Koplove; Optioned OF Eric Reed to Triple-A  ... WAS - Selected the contract of RHP Jesus Colome from Triple-A, Placed 1B Nick Johnson, RHP Luis Ayala, LHP Mike OConnor and OF Alex Escobar on the 15-day disabled list ... SD - optioned RHP Tim Stauffer to Triple-A  ...   HOU - placed RHP Brandon Backe, Hector Gimenez on the 15-day DL, released outfielder Charlton Jimerson, LHP Kelly Wunsch ... PHI - returned Rule-5 RHP Jim Ed Warden to CLE, released outfielder Karim Garcia ... ARZ - claimed outfielder Jeff Salazar off waivers from COL and optioned him to Triple-A ... CHN - optioned RHP Mark Prior to Triple-A ...

    It's in !  The final installment of the last of the 2007 Top 100s.  Tim Grassey, Fantasy Baseball Cafe, checks in with #s 1 to 10 :

" ...  1. Daisuke Matsuzaka ...   the early favorite to win the Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, MVP and 2008 Presidential Election. Matsuzaka is somewhat of an unknown. It remains uncertain how many different pitches he throws and whether one of those pitchers is the mystical gyroball, or simply a fantastic changeup. He can throw in the mid-90s with a two-seamer and a four-seamer, but Matsuzaka lives off his offspeed pitches: a slider, curveball, forkball, and a change-up ... He thrives under pressure, has a desire to be great, and knows that he is expected to be the ace of this Red Sox staff for the next six years."

" ... 2. Alex Gordon ...  a five-tool player with excellent power, plate discipline, and foot speed. His weakness may be his defense, but the Royals have been impressed by how he has improved at the hot corner. The Royals have already named Gordon their opening day third baseman, and he could fight Matsuzaka for Rookie of the Year honors. The obvious expectation for Royal fans is that Gordon will be another George Brett. Although such comparisons may be a bit premature, Royal fans should have an incredible player in Gordon as the new cornerstone of their franchise."

" ... 6. Yovani Gallardo ...   throws in the low- to mid-90s, with a curveball, slider and change-up. He does a great job of changing speeds by taking a little off each of his four offerings. Additionally, he’s not afraid to change his arm angle to provide hitters with a different look ...  will probably start in Triple-A with a call up inevitable during the season."

    I have used 22 of our Top 100s to form the basis of our 2007 Consensus 100 (the details on the Top 100s page).  A minimum of five mentions required (thus, noted in at least 20% of the lists) to make the chart).  Overall, 330 players were named in the 22 Top 100s.  114 players made the cut.  The first column is the number of lists on which the player is named, then the average of the ratings (1 = 100 pts, 2 = 99, 3 = 98 ... ), then the highest ranking and finally the lowest ranking. 

                                #  Ave  Max  Min
  1 Matsuzaka Daisuke RHP       7 99.1  100   98
  2 Young Delmon OF            22 96.2  100   54
  3 Hughes Philip RHP          22 95.9   99   82
  4 Gordon Alex 3B             22 95.3  100   65
  5 Bailey Homer RHP           21 90.9   98   33
  6 Wood Brandon SS            20 90.5   97   63
  7 Tulowitzki Troy SS         20 88.6   99   75
  8 Young Chris OF             22 88.3   99   51
  9 Garza Matt RHP             19 87.7   99   75
 10 Butler Billy OF            21 85.3   98   60
 11 Bruce Jay OF               20 84.5  100   32
 12 Gallardo Yovani RHP        21 84.0   95   68
 13 Maybin Cameron OF          20 83.5   97   41
 14 Longoria Evan 3B           18 83.2   94   64
 15 Miller Andrew LHP          18 82.8   91   63
 16 Lincecum Tim RHP           19 82.6   95   62
 17 Pelfrey Mike RHP           20 81.9   97   43
 18 McCutchen Andrew OF        19 80.7   96   37
 19 Laroche Andy 3B            22 80.3   95   53
 20 Braun Ryan 3B              22 78.0   92   30
 21 Upton Justin OF            20 77.8   95   16
 22 Brignac Reid SS            20 75.1   90   16
 23 Miller Adam RHP            21 75.0   94   19
 24 Tabata Jose OF             19 72.4   94   10
 25 Gonzalez Carlos OF         20 72.1   84   41
 26 Elbert Scott LHP           19 70.8   90   10
 27 Martinez Fernando OF       17 70.5   93    9
 28 Hochevar Luke RHP          18 70.1   83   52
 29 Kershaw Clayton LHP        15 70.0   87   39
 30 Adenhart Nick RHP          20 68.0   89   20
 31 Loney James 1B             21 67.0   93   37
 32 Lind Adam OF               21 65.5   94   15
 33 Hirsh Jason RHP            19 64.9   90   34
 34 Pence Hunter OF            21 63.8   83    3
 35 Niemann Jeff RHP           18 62.9   86   32
 36 Jones Adam OF              22 60.6   86   14
 37 Kouzmanoff Kevin 3B        19 59.4   95   26
 38 Pie Felix OF               21 59.1   80   41
 39 Fields Josh 3B             20 58.6   86   21
 40 Rasmus Colby OF            19 58.5   96   17   
 41 Ellsbury Jacoby OF         18 57.9   74   25
 42 Humber Philip RHP          17 57.1   75   28
 43 Votto Joey 1B              19 57.1   90    4
 44 Danks John LHP             19 56.0   81   30
 45 Iannetta Chris C           19 55.4   93    9
 46 Stewart Ian 3B             18 52.4   73   31   
 47 Lofgren Chuck LHP          17 52.2   70   12
 48 Saltalamacchia Jarrod C    20 52.1   74   19
 49 Hurley Eric RHP            15 51.9   76   24   
 50 Snider Travis OF           14 51.4   68   30
 51 Buchholz Clay RHP          16 49.3   69    5
 52 Rowell Bill 3B             14 48.4   71    6
 53 Erbe Brandon RHP           16 47.9   93   21
 54 Barton Daric 1B            20 47.6   81   15
 55 Andrus Elvis SS            13 46.3   62   12
 56 Casto Kory 3B               7 46.3   92   12
 57 Morales Franklin LHP       13 46.2   71    9
 58 Sanchez Humberto RHP       18 45.9   77   20
 59 Pedroia Dustin 2B          16 45.6   92   18
 60 Windsor Jason RHP           5 45.4   82    7
 61 Buck Travis OF             17 44.6   67   27
 62 Dukes Elijah OF            19 43.9   86    1
 63 Aybar Erick SS             16 43.8   70   11
 64 Patton Troy LHP            17 43.4   55   16   
 65 Volquez Edinson RHP         8 42.9   76    9
 66 Clement Jeff C             15 40.9   79   12
 67 Barton Brian OF             5 40.8   62   15
 68 Montero Miguel C           17 40.4   85   15
 69 Sweeney Ryan OF            17 40.3   80    7
 70 McGee Jacob LHP            13 40.1   64   10
 71 Carrasco Carlos RHP        16 40.1   78    3
 72 Inman Will RHP             14 39.9   98   10
 73 Veal Donald LHP            15 39.9   67    4
 74 Slowey Kevin RHP           20 39.7  100    3
 75 Albers Matt RHP             9 38.1   76    2
 76 Sanchez Jonathan LHP        9 37.4   93    4
 77 Fowler Dexter OF           13 36.2   62   14
 78 Rogers Mark RHP             5 36.0   56   19
 79 Hansen Craig RHP            6 35.8   65   17
 80 Campbell Eric 3B            8 34.9   85   14
 81 Gomez Carlos OF            12 34.5   67    5
 82 Guzman Joel 3B              6 33.8   56    6
 83 Garcia Jaime LHP            7 33.6   78    5   
 84 Rodriguez Sean SS          13 33.2   76    5
 85 Crowe Trevor OF            15 33.1   58   14
 86 Guerra Deolis RHP           5 31.6   73   13
 87 Perkins Glen LHP           12 30.8   80    1
 88 Volstad Chris RHP          14 30.0   61    8
 89 Jimenez Ubaldo RHP         13 29.5   65    5
 90 Owings Micah RHP            9 29.4   60    3
 91 Walker Neil C              11 29.0   67    3
 92 Reimold Nolan OF            8 29.0   52    5
 93 Chamberlain Joba RHP        8 28.4   45   21
 94 Lincoln Brad RHP           11 27.0   40   15
 95 Bowden Michael RHP         13 26.8   68    1
 96 Petit Yusmeiro RHP          6 26.5   67    1
 97 Gonzalez Gio LHP           11 26.1   54    4
 98 West Sean LHP              10 25.8   51    2
 99 Davis Wade RHP             12 25.1   52    4
100 Morrow Brandon RHP          8 22.8   53    5
101 Jeffress Jeremy RHP         6 21.3   50   11
102 Gallagher Sean RHP          7 21.3   29   15
103 Parmelee Chris OF/1B        8 20.8   39    4
104 Suzuki Kurt C              10 20.4   51    3
105 Marrero Chris OF            5 20.4   54    1
106 Patterson Eric 2B           8 19.3   49    6
107 Betances Dellin RHP         8 19.1   43    1
108 Talbot Mitch RHP            5 18.8   44    6
109 Lillibridge Brent SS        5 18.0   45    1
110 DeWitt Blake 2B             6 17.3   28    6
111 Harrison Matt LHP           9 16.9   52    4
112 Conger Hank C               7 14.9   41    8
113 Carrillo Cesar RHP          8 13.3   25    1
114 Hellickson Jeremy RHP       6 12.0   17    6
115 Swarzak Anthony RHP         8 11.4   28    1

    John Sickels, MinorLeagueBall, on Franklin Morales COL :

" ... may have the best pure arm of any lefty in baseball ... clocked as high as 98 MPH, with movement ... excellent curveball, and he improved his changeup last year.  His K/IP and H/IP marks are very strong ... weakness ... control ... I am optimistic about his long-term chances ... ranks 16th on my Top 50 Pitching Prospects list, and I expect that to rise this year. From a scouting perspective, there's nothing not to like here ...  Morales transition to Double-A will tell us a great deal ...  Even slight improvement in his command this year could vault him into the Top Ten Pitching Prospects, and even (possibly) the Top Five."

    Allan Simpson, CrossChecker, with some draft notes :

" ... Los Angeles Angels scouting director Eddie Bane says, without hesitation, that the crop of lefthanders in this year’s draft is the best he’s seen in all the years he’s been scouting. “It’s far better than normal,” he said. “It’s as good as I’ve seen in 25 years.” ...  this year, you can stack up the lefthanders with any righthander in terms of stuff—and even command. That’s highly unusual.” ... As many as eight college lefthanders have been mentioned prominently as potential first-round picks, starting with Vanderbilt southpaw David Price, a heavy favorite to be the first player drafted. Only once in the last 30 years (Brien Taylor in 1991) has a lefthander been drafted first overall ... Price, who has gone 5-0, 2.79 with 79 strikeouts in 52 innings in his first seven starts, continues to roll along as the heavy favorite to be the first player selected in this year’s draft. He has also set the tone for this year’s powerful group of lefthanders. Clemson closer Daniel Moskos and Missouri State starter Ross Detwiler are right on his heels ...  Entering the 2007 season, North Carolina State junior Andrew Brackman, another pitcher with a limited pitching background, was touted as the college righthander with the best fastball. The 7-foot, 240-pounder was clocked at 99 mph last summer in the Cape Cod League. He was expected to continue his evolution into full-time pitcher this spring after abandoning his basketball career with the Wolfpack, but hasn’t dominated as expected. Brackman (4-2, 3.79, 40 IP/38 SO) pitched to expectations his first two or three times out, but has deteriorated with each outing since. Against Wake Forest in his most recent outing, he was the losing pitched as the Wolfpack was beaten 16-3. Brackman worked the first four innings, allowing nine hits and six runs (five earned)."

    The Phillies with some pitching help on the way :

" ... Kyle Drabek ...  considered to have perhaps the best arm in the 2006 draft, but there were concerns about maturity and makeup that allowed him to slip to Philadelphia at No. 18 overall. The Phillies are thrilled to have him. He got in a few outings in the GCL last summer, then did some nice work in instructs over the fall. This spring, he came to big-league camp and was immediately taken under the wing by veteran Jamie Moyer, who did everything from talking pitching to explaining the benefits of playing catch. It was a real eye-opener for Drabek and the Phillies haven't had a single issue with him since he signed ... Physically, his stuff is impressive, with a nasty curve and plus fastball. In instructs, he improved his changeup greatly. While his dad, Doug, had a very good big-league career, this Drabek has the chance to be even better."

" ... Carlos Carrasco ...Phillies tried to send Carrasco to Lakewood in 2005 with disastrous results. To his credit, he regrouped and pitched all season there at the ripe old age of 19 last season, finishing with a 2.26 ERA, a strikeout per inning and a .182 batting average against. He made some great strides over the course of the season ...  He'll move to the FSL at 20, but if he pitches anything like he did a year ago, he might not be there long. If all goes well, Carrasco will take his fastball, changeup, curve mix to Double-A Reading at some point during the year. From there, the sky is the limit."  (MinorLeageBaseball)


28 March, 2007

    Oh my.  Thank you.  Due to the sheer volume of messages, I'm afraid I won't be able to respond individually to your kind notes, but please be assured I really appreciate your responses. 

I do have hopes to resume, perhaps in the fall/winter, but so far it is uncertain.  Whatever, it has been an amazing run which has enabled me to "meet" so many marvelous people along the way.  So many have stepped forward to assist, including a trio of correspondents --  Bob Reed, Herb Walters and Wayne Stevens -- who've been around from near the beginning.  A toast and round of applause for their outstanding efforts and to all of those who have offered their time and effort to make this effort such a success. 

Hmmm ... from Sports Illustrated, 1997, the next wave of "Big League Boppers" :

  1. Derek Lee          9. Dan Denbow
  2. Derrick Gibson    10. Ricky Ledee
  3. Nate Rolison      11. Miguel Tejada
  4. Paul Konerko      12. Pat Cline
  5. Richard Hidalgo   13. Russell Branyan
  6. Paul Wilder       14. Geoff Jenkins
  7. Bobby Estralella  15. Gary Coffee
  8. Bubba Trammell

    Chris Sampson HOU 5.0 3 1 1 1 3, 5.62 ... Ryan Garko CLE 1-4, .279 ... Andy Marte CLE 1-4, .294 ... Rick Vanden Hurk FLO 4.0 4 3 3 2 1, 6.75 ... Matt Lindstrom FLO 2.0 2 0 0 0 1, 0.73 ... Matt Kemp LAD 1-3, walk, .241 ... James Loney LAD 1-3, .448 ... Andy LaRoche 0-4, .173 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 2-3, double, walk, .327 ... Elijah Dukes TB 1-3, double, .345 ... Delmon Young TB 1-3, .323 ... Gavin Floyd CHA 3.0 6 4 4 0 3, 0-3, 9.00 ... Dustin Moseley LAA 6.0 8 2 2 1 6, 2.29 ... Casey Kotchman LAA 2-3, double, .345 ... Erick Aybar LAA 2-5, double, .300 ... Dana Eveland ARZ 4.0 11 9 9 1 4, 8.25 ... Chris Young ARZ 3-4, double, .233 ... Alex Gordon KC 1-3, 2nd homer, .358 ... Travis Buck OAK 1-4, triple, .373 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff SD 2-4, walk, .314 ... Adam Jones SEA 1-3, .190 ... Scott Hairston ARZ 3-4, 3 homers, 5 rbi, walk, .426 ... Josh Hamilton CIN 1-2, .403 ... Jerome Williams WAS 5.0 3 2 2 4 1, 3.44 ...

" ... Jered Weaver ... Weaver effortlessly worked three scoreless innings against Cubs Triple-A players at the Angels' Minor League facility, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out three. "Everything felt good," Weaver said. "I snapped off a few good breaking balls. I'm right on schedule." 

    Troop movements ... BAL - Optioned RHP Sean Tracey to Triple-A, Reassigned INF Mike Cervenak, INF Cesar Crespo, RHP Steve Green, C J.R. House, RHP Andy Mitchell, INF Terry Tiffee and OF Ruddy Yan to Minor League camp; Acquired C Alberto Castillo from BOS for Minor League OF Cory Keylor ... BOS - Optioned RHP Manny Delcarmen and RHP Craig Hansen to Triple-A; assigned RHP Bryan Corey to Minor League camp, to place Jon Lester on the disabled list to begin the season  ... KC - Acquired RHP Ben Hendrickson from MIL for Minor League C Maxim St. Pierre ... LAA - Reassigned RHP Matt Hensley to Minor League camp ... MIN - Reassigned LHP Mike Venafro, C Brad King, C Matthew LeCroy, INF Tommy Watkins and INF Glenn Williams to Minor League camp ... WAS - Purchased the contracts of 1B Dmitri Young and LHP Ray King ...  TOR - reassigned outfielder Jeff Duncan to minor league camp ... PIT - optioned RHP Josh Sharpless to Triple-A, reassigned OF Michael Ryan and C Einar Diaz to minor league camp ... CHA - sent outfielder Luis Terrero outright to Triple-A, released first baseman Eduardo Perez, reassigned C Wiki Gonzalez and RHP Ryan Bukvich to minor league camp ... LAD - optioned LHP Tim Hamulack to Triple-A, reassigned C Sandy Martinez, C Kelly Stinnett and RHP Joe Mays to minor league camp ... WAS - reassigned RHP Jason Simontacchi and OF Abraham Nunez to minor league camp ... ARZ - optioned RHP Casey Daigle to Triple-A ... MIL - sent RHP Grant Balfour outright to Triple-A, sent catcher Mike Rivera outright to Triple-A ...

     Good prospects ...  but, no room for a pair of LAD young guns :

" ... First baseman James Loney and third baseman Andy La Roche are projected as the corner infielders of the future for the Dodgers, but they might be the corner outfielders of the present at triple-A Las Vegas. Barring a last-minute change of heart by the front office, Loney and La Roche will return to the minors, team sources said. Although the primary reason is that veterans are standing in their way, they might as well try to become proficient outfielders while waiting their turn ...  "They won't play exclusively outfield [at Las Vegas], but they'll be out there a lot," a source said. For the second day in a row, the normally agreeable Loney, who leads the team with a .455 spring batting average, made his feelings clear. "I came here to work hard to help the team win and I can't do that in Las Vegas," he said."

    MinorLeagueBaseball checks in with a review of the WAS farm :

" ... Chris Marrero ...  Last season's top pick saw limited action in the Gulf Coast League before a bout with meningitis cut his season short in August. Still, he hit .309 with 16 RBIs in 81 at-bats. He's young -- he won't turn 19 until July -- but that won't slow him down much. The Nats have also been testing him out at first base. "We like his bat," Williams [Bobby Williams, Washington's director of player development] said. "He has tremendous power. Though he's young, he's somewhat advanced in his approach. It's a pretty good approach for an 18-year-old kid. It's just going to be a matter of finding a position for him, but he's probably going to end up in the outfield."

" ... 1B Larry Broadway has been held back by injuries so often in recent years that it's difficult to imagine him playing a full season. When completely healthy, he has power and can hit consistently in the neighborhood of .290. He had 15 homers and 78 RBIs in 444 at-bats last year at New Orleans."

    Drew Stubbs CIN, Dayton it is :

" ...  "He has speed and power," said Reds Director of Player Development Terry Reynolds, who was part of the scouting department when Stubbs was drafted last summer. "He does everything well, but needs to make contact. That's the thing he needs to work on." Stubbs will work on that in Dayton next week as the Class A Midwest League Dragons' center fielder. Last season, Jay Bruce, the No. 1 pick by the Reds in 2005, played for the Dragons, and was an all-star. "It doesn't matter where I go," Stubbs said. "You just want to progress as quickly as possible." ...  As a junior at Texas, Stubbs was his team's co-MVP, a first team All-American, co-Big 12 Player of the Year and a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award as the season's best college player ...  "He has a lot of tools," Dragons manager Donnie Scott said. "He's known as a good defensive player. I think the guy's going to hit for power. He's got to work on his swing, like anybody else."  (Dayton Daily News)

    Wade Townsend TB, on the rebound :

" ... Townsend, Tampa Bay's first-round draft pick two years ago, missed all of last season after Tommy John surgery. This spring, he's back on the mound and yearning to start the season. "It feels a lot better now," Townsend said. "I'm throwing the ball really, really well and I'm ready to go. As corny as it sounds, my stuff feels a lot better." The right-hander is scheduled to go to Class A Columbus  ... Reaching Class AA Montgomery this year is a long shot, but still a possibility. "He's right on schedule," Rays farm director Mitch Lukevics said Monday. "He hasn't missed a turn all spring. We still have five more days, but as of now everything is right on schedule." Townsend worked four innings in a Class A intrasquad game Sunday and "was dealing," he said."  (Montgomery Advertiser)

    Still some hope for Matt Bush SD :

" ... The No. 1 overall pick from the 2004 draft has yet to conquer the lower levels. That won't keep the Padres from pushing Matt Bush at Lake Elsinore in the advanced California League. Still a week away from setting minor league rosters for the 2007 season, Padres vice president Grady Fuson indicated the organization planned to send the beleaguered middle infield prospect to the Storm for the start of his fourth season in professional baseball. "Matt has held up pretty good in camp," said Fuson, in his second year as the Padres' director of scouting and player development. "He's 12 pounds heavier, he's made a commitment to getting stronger and the ball is coming off his bat a little better. Barring any kind of injury between now and the time we break, I expect him to be in Elsinore."  (North County Times)

    Bill Rowell BAL, still out of the lineup.

" ... Rowell, the Orioles' first-round draft pick last year ...  is injured and has yet to play in a spring training game. Rowell has a rib injury that is "coming along pretty good," Orioles director of minor league operations David Stockstill said Thursday. He describes it as an oblique strain. He said the Orioles found out about it when Rowell reported to camp and had a physical. "He's not able to play at all right now," Stockstill said. Stockstill said that Rowell is spending his time riding a bike, doing some exercises and taking some light swings with the bat. He said he would like players to get at least 35 to 40 at-bats before joining their regular minor league team. If Rowell doesn't get that, he could start in extended spring training."  (Frederick News-Post)

    A cautious approach for Jon Lester BOS :

" ...  the lefty will start his season at Class A Greenville. It is all part of the team's incremental plan to get Lester back up to full speed after an offseason that included several chemotherapy treatments for anaplastic large cell lymphoma. "He's going to start the season in Greenville for four starts and progressively ramp up his pitch count [and] endurance, and then we will make the next step from there," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "That takes him through roughly 3 1/2, four weeks of April. It's another start down here, and then four in Greenville ...  Lester, regarded as one of Boston's top pitching prospects, went 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 15 starts for the Red Sox last year."  (MinorLeagueBaseball)


27 March, 2007

    Hard to believe.  This is the 10th year of our Rookie Report !  And, it's time to take a break.  You may have noticed a missing element this pre-season, the lack of our usual "Spare Change" appeal and the ol' tin cup.  I have held off with the appeal as I wasn't certain I would be in a position to carry through the summer with our normal, day-by-day coverage of all of the minor leagues.   Indeed, as it turns out, other commitments will force a break in our coverage after a decade of checking out the highs and lows of baseball's coming attractions.  It has been a delight.  Many thanks for your interest and support.  Of course, we'll finish off the Top 100s before we adjourn.

Some highlights from one of our first reports in 1998 :

Kris Benson PIT SP made his first start within the week, not  overpowering -- 4 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 3 BB 4Ks.

Chad Hermansen had a pair of RBI for AAA Nashville. Yes, he is at 2B. Aramis Ramirez (.100) having a slow start for the same club.

Alex Cora the future LA SS (if he can show he can hit) had a homer as the AAA Albuquerque Dukes Beat New Orleans. Cora is at .286

Mitch Meluskey HOU C (.333 on the season) had a a homer and a double for the AAA Zephyers.

Edgard Clemente COL OF, homer and 4 RBI AAA Colorado Springs. BTW - Derrick Gibson playing left and hitting third, Clemente in CF and hitting 5th.

Benji Gil CHA SS, a homer among three hits. He's hitting .500 with 2 HRs. AAA Calgary

Bill VanLandingham ANA SP, awful -- 7 hits, 8 runs, 4 BB, WP, BLK, HB over 4 innings. AAA Vancouver.

Steve Karsay CLE, SP a good start for AAA Buffalo -- 8 shutout innings, 6 hits, no walks, 3 K's.

Richie Sexson CLE, 1B AAA Buffalo -- a homer.        

Ramon Ortiz ANA SP, the winner as AA Midland won. 8 2/3, 7 hits, 5 runs, 1 BB, 10 K's.

Ramon Hernandez OAK C, a homer and 3 RBI. AA Hunstville. He's at .484 and leading the Southern League in hitting.

Adrian Beltre LA 3B -- leads the AA Texas League in hitting .484 with 2 HRs. (31 ABs) Went 2-5 last night with a pair of doubles.

Troy Glaus ANA 3B leads the AA Texas League in homers (8) and RBI (18). He's hitting .400 in 40 ABs.

Ruben Mateo TEX OF -- .306 with 2 HRs at AA Tulsa.

Jason Grilli SF SP, a reasonable start (in AA to begin his career).  10 2/3, 3.38 ERA, 6 BB 6K's.

    Adam Wainwright STL 6.0 4 0 0 0 6, 0.98 ... Paul Maholm PIT 6.0 3 2 0 2 4, 1.98 ... Daisuke Matsuzaka BOS 5.0 0 0 0 5 6, 2.04 ... Craig Hansen BOS 0.2 2 5 5 2 2, 15.43 ... Kei Igawa NYA 5.0 3 1 1 2 4, 2.65 ... Adam Loewen BAL 6.0 3 1 1 1, 1.42 ... Jeremy Sowers CLE 6.0 5 1 1 1 4, 3.21 ... Delmon Young TB 0-4, .322 ... BJ Upton TB 2B 1-3, walk, CS, 3rd error ... Elijah Dukes TB 2-3, double, .346 ... Andy Marte CLE 1-3, 2nd double, .298 ... Chris Snelling WAS 0-3, .227 ... Kory Casto WAS 1-3, .408 ... Josh Hamilton CIN 1-3, .400 ... Jason Hirsh COL 6.0 6 6 6 1 0, 7.13 ... Justin Upton ARZ 1-3, homer, .231 ... Chad Billingsley LAD 2.0 3 1 1 0 3, 1.46 ... Matt Kemp LAD 1-1, homer, .235 ... Brandon Morrow SEA 1.0 2 1 1 1 0, 1.08 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff SD 0-3, .298 ... Ryan Braun KC  1.2 1 0 0 1 1, 1.04 ... Alex Gordon KC 0-4, walk, .360 ...

Philip Hughes NYA, one run allowed in 4 innings with Trenton, Double-A ...

    Troop movements ... STL - reassigned C Eli Marrero, 1B Tagg Bozied, INF Edgar Gonzalez, C Brian Esposito to minor league camp ...  ATL - purchased the contract of LHP Mark Redman from Triple-A ... CIN - reassigned INF Mark Bellhorn, C Ryan Jorgensen, INF Anderson Machado and OF Dewayne Wise to Minor League camp ... PIT - reassigned RHP Jim Brower and INF Yurendell DeCaster to minor league camp ... SD - reassigned INF Manny Alexander, INF Royce Huffman and C Luke Carlin to Minor League camp ... LAD - Acquired OF Brady Clark and cash from MIL for RHP Elmer Dessens ...  PHI - Optioned LHP Eude Brito and LHP Fabio Castro to Minor League camp, Reassigned INF Brennan King and C Dusty Wathan to Minor League camp ... FLO - acquired RHP Jorge Julio and cash from ARZ for RHP Yusmeiro Petit ... CHN - optioned OF Felix Pie to Triple-A, reassigned C Koyie Hill and INF Tomas Perez and LHP Les Walrond to minor league camp ... NYN - optioned RHP Jorge Sosa to Triple-A ... SF - reassigned RHP David Cortes and RHP Tyler Walker to minor league camp ... MIL - sent RHP Marino Salas outright to Double-A ... SD - announced that infielder Todd Walker will be released on Wednesday ... HOU - acquired catcher Danny Ardoin from WAS for infielder Wade Robinson, purchased the contract of infielder Matt Rogelstad from SEA ...

DET - released LHP Felix Heredia, reassigned OF Timo Perez, RHP Preston Larrison, LHP Tim Byrdak, LHP Bobby Seay, C Dane Sardinha, C Steve Torrealba and OF Ryan Raburn to minor league camp, optioned 1B Chris Shelton, SS Ramon Santiago and RHP Chad Durbin to Triple-A, announced Edward Campusano to have Tommy John surgery ...  BAL - returned Rule 5 pick Adam Donachie to KC ... TEX - designated RHP Rick Bauer for assignment, claimed RHP Ezequiel Astacio off waivers from HOU ... OAK - optioned RHP Jason Windsor to Triple-A ...  KC - optioned SS Andres Blanco and 1B Justin Huber to Triple-A  ... LAA - optioned RHP Greg Jones to Triple-A ... 

    Scott Rex, OnDeck, has swept through his team-by-team Top 40s.  I'll have an updated Top 10s page tomorrow. 

    Jason A. Churchill, at SEA Prospect Insider, moves up to No. 2 on his Mariners' chart - catcher Jeff Clement :

" ... Clement is a left-handed bat with plus power potential and solid plate skills, including a much better batting eye than he displayed post-knee surgery a year ago. With quick wrists propelling a short, line-drive swing, the offense-first catcher has all the tools to bat in the middle of a big-league lineup for several years ... possesses good makeup and has the desire to improve enough defensively to succeed Kenji Johjima as the Seattle Mariners full-time backstop ...  lacks athleticism which may catch up with him in his endeavor to prove he can stick behind the plate ... Clement isn’t a bad defensive catcher, his shortcomings are mostly due to lack of proper instruction and, here’s that word again, repetition. Injury pretty much robbed him of a full year of development, but he’s made strides since the end of last season that have the Mariners excited about what lies ahead ...  While a Gold Glove is not likely in Clement’s future, it appears that his chances to catch, at least some, in the big leagues improve with every day of experience."

    It's the FLO system on tap at MinorLeagueBaseball :

" ... Chris Volstad ...   Pitching at age 19 in full-season ball last year, he made some impressive adjustments in the second half. He had a 4.05 ERA at the All-Star break, then turned it on and went 6-1 with a 1.53 ERA post-break. He doesn't strike out many (99 in 152 IP in 2006), instead relying on tremendous command and the ability to get ground balls. The Marlins have never hesitated to push young pitchers in the past, though with the depth they have, there isn't a need to. That being said, he starts off like he ended, he'll see Double-A before the year's over."

" ... Gaby Hernandez ...  had an outstanding first season with the Marlins after coming over from the Mets. Pitching at age 20 in the Florida State League, he had the ninth-best ERA in the circuit (3.68). He struck out 115 and walked just 35 in 120 innings. He's got a three-pitch mix -- fastball, changeup, curve -- that is improving quickly, though he may feature a slider as his breaking pitch in the future. He won't turn 21 until late May and will move up one notch as one of the youngest pitchers in the Southern League this season."

    MinorLeagueBaseball is offering yet another variation on the prospect theme, the top prospects by position by division.  It appears to be one of those ideas which fared better as a proposal than in the actual doing. 


26 March, 2007

    Tom Gorzelanny PIT 5.0 7 7 5 3 4, 9.45 ... Elijah Dukes TB 2-4, .327 ... Delmon Young TB 3-5, double, .345 ... BJ Upton TB 2B 1-5, walk, 2 SBs, .246 ... Jason Windsor OAK 5.0 6 4 4 0 0, 6.75 ... Travis Buck OAK 3-5, .391 ... Zack Greinke KC 5.0 4 3 1 1 7, 3.32 ... Alex Gordon KC 1-2, .391 ... Tony Pena Jr KC 0-3, 2 errors, .317 ... Kendry Morales LAA 1-1, homer, .333 ... Chris Young ARZ 0-4, .200 ... Fernando Nieve HOU 4.0 0 0 0 0 3, 2.81 ... Matt Albers HOU 2.0 0 0 0 1 0, 3.21 ... Mike Pelfrey NYN 5.0 6 4 4 1 2, 2.84 ... Matt Garza MIN 3.0 4 1 1 1 3, 1.50 ... Yusmeiro Petit FLO 4.1 3 3 3 4 2, 6.19 ... James Loney LAD RF 3-4, 5th double, .444 ... Mike Rouse CLE 3-5, 3 doubles, .368 ... Matt Chico WAS 3.2 10 6 5 2 3, 4.76 ... Jeff Karstens NYA 2.0 6 6 6 2 2, 5.87 ... Sean Henn NYA 1.2 5 3 3 3 0, 3.52 ... Anthony Reyes STL 4.0 8 5 5 2 2, 2.70 ... Joey Votto CIN 0-2, 2 Ks, .240 ... Josh Hamilton CIN 1-5, 2 Ks, .404 ... Ryan Garko CLE 0-3, walk, .281 ... Shin Soo Choo CLE 2-3, homer, .250 ...  Dustin Pedroia BOS 0-3, .200 ...

    Troop movements ...  OAK - optioned RHP Scott Dunn to Triple-A .... FLO - assigned infielder Robert Andino to Triple-A ... ATL - optioned reliever Blaine Boyer and outfielder T.J. Bohn to Triple-A ... CHA - optioned RHP Charlie Haeger to Triple-A, reassigned RHP Adam Russell to minor league camp ... TOR - optioned RHP Brandon League to Triple-A  ... WAS - sent LHP Billy Traber and RHP Jermaine Van Buren outright to Triple-A, sent RHP Tim Redding outright to Triple-A, optioned RHP Joel Hanrahan to Triple-A, reassigned infielder Joe Thurston to minor league camp  ... BAL - optioned RHP Hayden Penn, RHP Sendy Rleal, LHP Kurt Birkins and SS Brandon Fahey to Triple-A ... BOS - optioned RHP Devern Hansack to Triple-A, reassigned RHP Mike Burns to minor league camp ... PIT - sent outfielder Andrew McCutchen down to Minor League camp ...

    MinorLeagueBaseball checks in with reviews of the KC & MIN systems :

" ... Jeff Bianchi ...  Since being a second-rounder in 2005, the multi-talented Bianchi has managed to see just 40 games of pro action due to a series of injuries. Those 40 games have sure been tantalizing as he's hit .414 with a 1.221 OPS over 140 at-bats in the Rookie-level Arizona League ...  seems to be healthy this spring. Had he stayed healthy, he'd probably be further along in the system, but he's still just 20 as he gives full-season ball a try this season. He's an offensive player with the ability to hit for average and power, but he's not one-dimensional. He's got the defensive skills to stay at short and is a pretty good runner."

" ... Luke Hochevar ...  No. 1 overall to the Royals in the 2006 draft, reaching Double-A and pitching in the playoffs there, then getting shut down early in the Arizona Fall League. It was merely a precaution, say the Royals, as Hochevar just had some minor shoulder stiffness and had more or less reached the innings they had hoped for him through instructs. He didn't pitch much in big-league camp this spring, but was working on smoothing out some kinks in his delivery. He was hoping to soften his landing with his front foot, which will enable him to keep the ball down more consistently and produce more groundouts. If he can do that, and continue to develop his change, he'll see Kansas City at some point this year."

" ... Chris Parmelee ...  top pick in 2006 was considered one of the top high school power prospects, and his selection shows the organization's commitment to maintaining the pitching balance down the line. He hit .279 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in his Gulf Coast League debut and moves up to make his full-season debut at Beloit. Probably a right fielder, thanks to his strong arm, he is also a fine defensive first baseman."

" ... Alexi Casilla ...   spent the season at Fort Myers and New Britain, finishing up with a taste of the bigs as he earned the organization's Minor League Player of the Year award after hitting a combined .318 and leading the system with 50 steals. An excellent defensive infielder who's hit a career. 306 in four seasons, the 22-year-old stands to inherit the second-base job by next year when incumbent Luis Castillo becomes a free agent."  


25 March, 2007 

    Andy Marte CLE 2-3, double, .295 ... Ryan Garko CLE 2-4, 2nd homer, 3 rbi, .296 ... Kelly Johnson 2B ATL 2-2, 2 walks, 4th double, .286 ... Hideki Okajima BOS 2.0 1 0 0 1 2, 1.89 ... Edwin Jackson TB, maybe he's turned the corner, 4.2 5 1 1 2 6, 1.84 ... Dustin Pedroia BOS 0-3, .214 ... BJ Upton TB 0-5, .250 ... Elijah Dukes TB 1-3, walk, CS & picked off, .311 ... James Loney LAD 1-4, 4th double, .420 ... Andy LaRoche LAD 1-4, .191 ... Lastings Milledge NYN, leadoff, 2-4, 4th double, 2 SBs, .373 ... Joey Votto CIN 0-3, walk, .261 ... Josh Hamilton CIN 0-2, .423 ... Glen Perkins MIN 2.2 1 1 1 1 3, 4.61 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 2-2, triple, .308 ... Hayden Penn BAL 4.0 1 0 0 4 0, 1.80 ... Casey Janssen TOR 4.0 4 2 2 0 4, 2.31 ... Micah Owings ARZ 4.0 2 0 0 2 2, 1.93 ... Miguel Montero ARZ 0-2, 2 walks, rbi, SB, .464 ... Chris Young ARZ 1-2, double, .216 ... Justin Upton ARZ 0-2, .217 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff SD 1-3, .326 ... Terrmel Sledge SD 1-2, 6th homer, walk, .288 ... Angel Guzman CHN 3.1 4 2 2 0 4, 5.79 ... Alex Gordon KC 1-3, 5th error, .386 ... Brandon McCarthy TEX 2.1 6 5 5 3 4, 10.45 ... Travis Buck OAK 1-3, homer, walk, .366 ...

    Troop movements ...  PIT - Optioned LHPs Sean Burnett and Shane Youman to Triple-A; Reassigned RHP Kevin Gryboski to Minor League camp ... MIN - placed LHP Francisco Liriano on the 60-day DL, placed outfielder Lew Ford & infielder Alejandro Machado on the 15-day DL, optioned LHP Glen Perkins to Triple-A  ... NYA - Chien-Ming Wang headed for the DL ... TEX - (looks like the Roy Halladay treatment) demoted Edinson Volquez to Class A Bakersfield  ... TB - placed LHP Jon Switzer on the 15-day DL ... STL - sent LHP Chris Narveson outright to Triple-A ... CIN - sent outfielder Bubba Crosby outright to Triple-A ... KC - reassigned outfielder Billy Butler to minor league camp, optioned shortstop Angel Berroa to Triple-A ... CLE - optioned INF Hector Luna to Triple-A ... HOU - released outfielder Richard Hidalgo ...

    Adam Foster, Project Prospect, takes a little different approach with a Top 150 of the "under 25" young guns.  A very interesting read.  If nothing else, a good check of your team's long-term potential :

" ... 1 Miguel Cabrera 3B Best hitting 3B in the world; Miggy walks more and has more power than A-Rod."

" ... 7 Grady Sizemore OF Bobby Bonds with more power and plate discipline but not as much speed."

" ... 9 Ryan Zimmerman 3B Taken after Gordon in 2005 draft but already looking like a better pick."

" ... 45 Clayton Kershaw LHP All-Star potential if you can wait 4 yrs; could reach AA by year's end…at least A+."

" ... 57 Andrew McCutchen OF Double-A impact (.308/.379/.474) at age 19 certainly doesn't hurt his stock."

" ... 61 Fernando Martinez OF Had 119 AB’s at High-A level as a 17-year-old, started at AFL on 18th birth day."

" ... 96 Matt Wieters C 6'5'', 230-pounder plays sound D, and has a sweet stoke from the right and left."

    If you've managed to draft Donnie Veal CHN you'll likely be interested in Jonathan Mayo's piece at minorleaguebaseball.

    Danks downs Floyd :

" ... Manager Ozzie Guillen officially named John Danks the White Sox fifth starter on Saturday afternoon, a move decided upon during a morning meeting with his coaching staff and general manager Ken Williams ...  Over six Cactus League games, including two starts, Danks posted a 2-0 record and 4.32 ERA in 16 2/3 innings. Guillen liked the way Danks attacked the strike zone and appeared almost fearless on the mound, a quality that will be put to the test in Danks' first Major League season."  (MLB.com)


24 March, 2007

    Kyle Davies ATL 6.0 3 1 1 1 4, 1.93 ... JA Happ PHI 5.0 3 2 2 3 6, 6.06 ... Dustin Pedroia BOS 0-2, walk, .231 ... Chad Billingsley LAD 1.0 0 0 0 0 2, 0.87 ... Matt Lindstrom FLO 1.0 2 0 0 0 0, 0.96 ... Henry Owens FLO 1.0 2 1 1 0 3, 0.90 ... Matt Kemp LAD 1-2, homer, .222 ... James Loney LAD 1-2, .435 ... Sean Henn NYA 1.1 0 0 0 0 1, 0.00 ... Josh Hamilton CIN 1-4, .440 ... Delmon Young TB 2-4, double, .320 ... Ryan Garko CLE 2-4, .280 ... Brandon Morrow  SEA 1.0 0 0 0 0 0, 0.00 ... Erick Aybar LAA 2-3, .280 ... Casey Kotchman LAA 1-3, .340 ... John Danks CHA 4.0 1 0 0 3 2, 4.32 ... David Price Vanderbilt, 6.0 6 5 4 4 8, 125 pitches ... 

    Troop movements ... TEX - optioned OF Victor Diaz and OF Freddy Guzman to Triple-A; re-assigned INF Drew Meyer and INF Desi Relaford to minor league camp ... COL - sent Clint Barmes to Triple-A, released RHP Danny Graves, optioned OF Cory Sullivan and RHP Ubaldo Jimenez to Triple-A, reassigned INF Erick Almonte, LHP Mike Gallo and RHP Matt Herges to minor league camp ... NYA - optioned RHP T.J. Beam to Triple-A ... KC - acquired shortstop Tony Pena Jr. from ATL for RHP Erik Cordier, placed RHP Joe Nelson on the 60-day disabled list ...  BAL - claimed RHP Sean Tracey off waivers from CHA ... MIN - optioned RHP Scott Baker, 2B-SS Alexi Casilla and 1B-OF Garrett Jones to Triple-A ... BOS - optioned OF David Murphy to Triple-A, reassigned 1B Jeff Bailey to minor league camp ... SF - signed RHP Jesse Foppert to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A ... STL - sent LHP Chris Narveson outright to Triple-A ...

    Dayn Perry, FOXSports, has capped his annual Top 100 with the final installment and at least a couple of surprises :

" ...  8. Fernando Martinez ...  tremendous in his full-season debut, but he scuttled a bit after a promotion to High-A St. Lucie. Still, his performance was thoroughly impressive for a 17-year-old. On the field, he's impressive on a number of levels. He's got speed, a quick and level bat through the zone, good range in center and a polished approach overall. The only question is whether he'll develop the power. Considering his success against much older competition and his natural hitting skills, the power will probably come. "

" ... 5. Andrew McCutchen ...  a career .298 hitter in the minors with speed on the bases, exceptional command of the strike zone and perhaps the quickest bat of any prospect this side of Delmon Young and Alex Gordon. Once he settles in at the highest level, he'll be an annual threat to go 20-20 and provide top-shelf defense in center."

" ... 2. Chris Young ...   has emerged as the best outfield prospect in the game. Since making his full-season debut in 2004, Young has shown tremendous raw power at every stop. He plays a nifty center, steals bases at high rate of success, hits for power and takes his walks. Young strikes out a bit too much, but that's not unusual for a power hitter who works counts. If you've ever wondered what Eric Davis would've done had he stayed healthy, then Young just might give you the answer."

So, we've all the Top 100s with the exception of the last segment of the chart at Baseball Cafe.  I'll wait a couple of days and hope Tim posts the last installment. Then I'll post the consensus Top 100 (including 22 Top 100 listings). 

    Thanks to Bill Fowler for sending along his discovery of another Top 100, the ScoutingBook chart.  It's a bit different in that it is an evolving ranking system, changing as Spring Training progresses (for example, Justin Upton and Clayton Kershaw among those moving up this week, Ryan Braun and Yovani Gallardo dipping) :

" ... 6. Billy Butler ...  The good news is that Butler is a hitting machine who is ready for the majors. The bad news is that he's in an organization that seems determined to block him at every possible turn. Playing in AA last season he hit .331 with 15 HR's and 96 RBI's in 477 AB. He has below average defensive skills in the OF. He is not fast and will not get you SB, but boy can he hit."

" ... 10. Jay Bruce ...  In the past 5 years, only 21 players have slugged .500 or better in the Midwest league (300+ AB). And only four (4) have done so at age 19 (or younger). And with Bruce's swing, expect many of those 42 doubles to turn into HR's as he gets older. An elite power prospect, and a good fielder in RF."

" ... 13. Troy Tulowitzki ...  has pretty good pop in his bat, strikeouts more than he should and is a good fielder with a strong arm. Prior to being called up to the majors at the end of last year, Tulowitzki batted .291 with a .370 OBP. He also had 13 HR's, 6 SB's and 71 K's in 423 AB at the AA level. Remember this though, he is playing in COL and has a good power stroke."

" ... 39. Elvis Andrus ...  The mercurial Andrus has been confusing to watchers: on some days, he looks ready for the big leagues, as Brave-watchers were calling for him even before the team acquired Edgar Renteria. On other days, he looks like a one-trick pony, a slick fielder who looks overmatched by breaking balls. The early reports this spring show his bat with more pop than he's recently held. If Elvis can ever put up consistent numbers, he'll be a fixture in Atlanta for decades, bringing back memories of Rafael Belliard, if not visions of Ozzie Smith."

" ... 46. Brandon Erbe ...  Young and unpolished, Erbe still shows signs of greatness, chief among them the 98 mph fastball that got him a nice contract to begin with. He shows flashes of dominance, but has never demonstrated that he can hold down a job for a full season, tiring in the summer months and usually stumbling to a poor finish. This all projects "relief pitcher", if you haven't been paying attention, though he could be the backup plan if and when Chris Ray has his first bad spell as closer in the bigs."

" ... 57. Deolis Guerra ...  1.25 WHIP at his age is impressive, and this might be the Next Big Thing to come out of the Mets system. He's easy to lock up in the late rounds of a draft this year, but he promises to be much more attractive (and widely known) next year. Of course, given the shallow Mets pitching pool, he just might end up on the big club before the end of the year. A scary-good strikeout artist, Guerro could be one of those guys who blows through the league, Jared Weaver-like, at least once."

    Lisa Winston checks out the CLE farm at MinorLeagueBaseball :

" ... Trevor Crowe ...  first-round pick in 2005 out of Arizona is a switch-hitter with a high energy game, good bat speed and excellent plate discipline. He started the '06 season, his first full season, batting .329 with 29 steals at Kinston before moving up to Akron. There, a strained oblique muscle and a late-season position change to second base (later rescinded) may have contributed to a .234 average, though he swiped 16 more bases in that span. He returns to Akron to refine his game since there is no rush to get him to the bigs."

" ... Chuck Lofgren ...   Carolina League's Pitcher of the Year at 20 years old, the fourth-rounder from 2004 led the Minors with 17 wins, posting a 2.32 ERA which ranked second in the league (behind teammate Scott Lewis) ... His fastball, changeup and poise rank him just a tick behind Miller in the Indians' pitching prospect hierarchy."

" ... OF Brian Barton ...  one of the more exciting players in the Minors. The nondrafted free agent ...  has hit .324 in two pro seasons, showing both power and speed. He was hitting .308 with 13 homers, 57 RBIs and 26 steals at Kinston before moving up to Akron where he finished .351-6-26-15."


23 March, 2007 

    Matt Kemp LAD 0-2, .209 ... James Loney LAD 1-1, .432 ... Jon Papelbon BOS 3.0 2 1 1 1 3, 2.31 ... Alejadro De Aza CF FLO 3-4, 2 doubles, .387 ... Josh Hamilton CIN 1-4, walk, .467 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 1-4, .298 ...  Andy Marte CLE 2-2, .263 ... Delmon Young TB 1-2, walk, .304 ... BJ Upton TB CF 2-4,  .277 ... Jerome Williams WAS 5.0 2 2 0 1 1, 3.38 ... Chris Sampson HOU 2.1 12 10 6 1 0, 7.36 ... Mark Prior CHN 4.0 4 1 1 2 3, 9.82 ... Charlie Haeger CHA 5.0 9 7 6 3 3, 8.76 ...

    Troop movements ... TB - reassigned 1B Hee-Seop Choi and C Yamid Haad to minor league camp ... WAS - purchased the contracts of 2B Ronnie Belliard, Robert Fick from from Triple-A, sent 2B Bernie Castro and OF Michael Restovich outright to Triple-A, optioned LHP Billy Traber to Triple-A ...  FLO - reassigned infielder Joe Dillon to minor league camp ... CHN - optioned RHP Roberto Novoa to Triple-A ...  SD - optioned LHP Royce Ring to Triple-A ... TOR - granted RHP Pete Walker unconditional release ... TOR - sent RHP Matt Roney outright to Triple-A ... BOS - moved Jon Papelbon back to the pen ...

" ... Papelbon, who was charged with a blown save  ...  after allowing one run in three innings, said that he approached Francona prior to Tuesday night’s game to make the request to return to closing. His manager was only too happy to accommodate. “This is something I want to do for the rest of my career,” said Papelbon, who went 4-2 with 35 saves and a 0.92 ERA in 59 appearances last season. “Hopefully, what (Mariano) Rivera did for the Yankees, I can do for the Red Sox.” Papelbon said that he arrived at spring camp with every intent of starting but began to have a change of heart as the days progressed. “I hadn’t been sleeping well all spring because I had this feeling that I wanted to close,” he said. “In my heart, I had feelings for being a closer.” Francona said that he had been toying with the idea of reinstating Papelbon in the role all spring but didn’t go ahead with the plans until the pitcher came to him ... Francona, who acknowledged having to use Papelbon more than he would have liked during the second half of last season, said that his workload will be closely monitored this season to make sure he doesn’t re-injure the shoulder."  (Boston Herald)

    MinorLeagueBaseball with a look at the CHA farm :

" ... Josh Fields ...    hit .305 with 19 homers and 70 RBIs on one of the International League's more dominant teams. He then came up and got 20 at-bats with the White Sox, a well-earned reward. The problem is that there isn't a position for Fields at the Major League level ...  He'll likely begin the season in Triple-A, but where he'll ultimately wind up in 2007 remains to be seen. "I'm a big fan of Josh's and he's had a solid camp," Regier [director of player development Alan Regier ] said. "But he has Joe Crede ahead of him. I don't have any criticism of Josh because I think he's going to be an impact player at the big-league level. He just has to bide his time."

" ... Lance Broadway ...  2005 first-rounder had a strong season at Double-A Birmingham, going 8-8 with a 2.74 ERA ... has been working on incorporating a sinker into his repertoire this spring, with mixed results. He's got a great curve ball and an above-average fastball, but by adding the sinker he'll be able to throw the first two with more effectiveness. Broadway needs to spend time in Charlotte working on the pitch and not worrying about moving up to the big leagues, because that's bound to happen soon enough."

    Dodger lefty continues to impress.

" ... LHP Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers' top pick in last year's draft, has followed up a successful Gulf Coast League season (2-0, 1.95 ERA in 37 IP) with an impressive spring. Watson [farm director DeJon Watson] said the youngster showed up in great shape and hasn't been awed by his surroundings. Kershaw has been working on getting a better feel for his changeup, though that will require little more than some simple refinement. "He had a solid mix when he came in, so it's just a matter of cleaning up his pitches, refining what he brought with him because this guy's stuff is pretty good," Watson said." (minorleaguebaseball)

    Owners who've managed to grab Alex Gordon ought to be pleased with a career forecast by John Sickels

    David Luciani, Baseball Noteball, posts his Different Type of Prospect List 2007.  And, to my surprise, no shock, both Ryan Braun's make the X-3 Top 50 and the more highly rated one isn't the MIL third baseman. 


22 March, 2007

    Daisuke Matsuzaka BOS 5.2 1 1 1 1 7, 2.84 ... Tom Gorzelanny PIT 4.2 2 4 4 5 5, 9.60 ... Dustin Pedoria BOS 2-3, double, 2 walks, .243 ... Adam Loewen BAL 5.0 4 0 0 2 5, 1.38 ... Matt Garza MIN 3.0 1 0 0 1 2, 1.00 ... Adam Wainwright STL 5.0 3 1 1 2 3, 1.25 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT, still hangin' in major league camp, 1-1, double, .302 ... Josh Hamiltion CIN 1-3, walk, .476 ...  Joe Saunders LAA 4.1 8 2 2 0 4, 4.05 ... Chris Young ARZ 1-3, .217 ... Miguel Montero ARZ 1-3, double, .464 ... Alberto Callaspo ATZ 3-4, .444 ... Chris Iannetta COL 3-3, double, .360 ... Lastings Milledge NYN 1-3, double, .378 ... Matt Albers HOU 2.0 2 0 0 4 0, 3.75 ... Elija