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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 O’Connor 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 ... Elijah Dukes TB
3-3, double (first xbh), walk, .314 ... BJ Upton TB 2B-CF 2-5,
.256 ... Delmon Young TB 2-4, triple (just his 2nd extra base hit
in 14 games), .295 ... Joakim Soria KC 3.0 4 2 2 1 6 ... Alex
Gordon KC 2-4, 2 doubles, 3 rbi, .390 ...
" ... the Royals made it official on Wednesday that
Alex Gordon would be their starting third baseman when the season opens.
Manager Buddy Bell informed Gordon before a night game with the Athletics.
Gordon, who doubled in his first two at-bats, entered the game hitting .378 with
a .622 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage. Gordon's emergence led
to the Royals to move Mark Teahen, their starting third baseman the past two
years, to the outfield." (minorleaguebaseball)
Troop movements ...
CHN - optioned LHP Sean Marshall, RHP Carlos Marmol
and C Geovany Soto to Triple-A ... CHA - optioned INF Josh
Fields, OF Jerry Owens, OF Ryan Sweeney and
RHP Sean Tracey to Triple-A, Reassigned LHP Gio Gonzalez,
INF Robert Valido to Minor League camp ... CIN - released RHP
Paul Wilson ... MIN - Reassigned LHP Randy Choate
to Minor League camp ... HOU - reassigned outfielder Hunter Pence to
minor league camp ... MIL - J.D. Closser cleared waivers and was
outrighted to Triple-A ...
Aaron Gleeman wraps his Top 50 with
an interesting mix in the leading 10 (topped by Alex Gordon) :
" ... 6. Andy LaRoche ... first made a name for himself by hitting .305 with 30 homers between
Single-A and Double-A in 2005. He followed that up by hitting .315 with 19
homers between Double-A and Triple-A while playing through a torn labrum,
posting a fantastic 64-to-66 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 117 games. Considered a
solid defensive third baseman, LaRoche's all-around game is without flaw."
" ... 3. Chris Young ... The
most underrated elite prospect in baseball, Chris Young is an outstanding
defensive center fielder with big-time power, speed, and plate discipline. With
275 strikeouts between 2004 and 2005 his main weakness had been making
consistent contact, but Young made huge strides in that department last season,
striking out a total of 83 times in 472 at-bats between Triple-A and Arizona.
The clear favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, Young is capable of a 20-20 season
right out of the gates."
" ... 2. Philip Hughes ... has emerged as the consensus top
pitching prospect in baseball thanks to electric stuff and impeccable numbers.
After thoroughly dominating the low minors to begin his pro career, Hughes made
the leap to Double-A as a 20-year-old, posting a 2.25 ERA, .179 opponent's
batting average, and 138-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 116 innings. An
extreme ground-ball pitcher, Hughes is a near-perfect pitching prospect."
From MiLB.com, Deric
McKamey, Baseball HQ, on Billy Rowell BAL :
" ... I’d say it’s about 50/50 as to whether he stays
at 3B. He was a SS in high school and is athletic, so there is enough defensive
instincts and ability for him to stick if he works hard enough at it. His hands
are a little stiff and his range will never be greater than average. How he
matures physically will ultimately determine whether he can stay at 3B. His
projected offense is impressive enough that he could handle a corner outfield
spot or 1B if things don’t work out at the hot corner ... I see Rowell
being a Scott Rolen type player offensively, but obviously a lot less defense.
Assuming normal development and progression, he could make his MLB debut late in
2009 with a chance to be a regular in 2010."
Notes on some DET farmhands at
MinorLeagueBaseball :
" ... Cameron Maybin ... despite missing a month
with a finger injury, the former first-rounder lived up to the huge expectations
heaped upon him. He hit .304 with nine homers and 69 RBIs in 385 at-bats. He
stole 27 bases and was a dominant force in the postseason as West Michigan won a
league crown. He committed only one error in 218 chances in center field, though
it has yet to be determined whether he will remain there or move to one of the
corners. Maybin will be a fast mover, possibly seeing action at as many as three
levels this season barring any injuries."
" ... Kyle Sleeth ... first-round
pick in 2003 appears to have come back all the way from "Tommy John" surgery
that cost him the 2005 season and part of last year. Sleeth appeared in 13 games
(11 starts) last year for the Gulf Coast Tigers and at Lakeland. He went 2-5
overall but was 1-4 with an 11.90 ERA in eight games (seven starts) in the
Florida State League. He looked sharp early on this spring and was impressive
enough, tossing three scoreless innings. He says he's feeling fine and he looks
comfortable on the mound, prompting the club to send him directly to the Eastern
League rather than having him head back to Lakeland."
Perhaps only a minor setback for the Angels' rotation :
" ... Jered Weaver, slowed by shoulder
tightness, will open the season on the disabled list. But if the right-hander
continues to progress as he has recently, there's a good chance he'll sit out
only one regular-season start. Weaver will throw another 45-pitch simulated game
... mixing in breaking pitches for the first time, and he could
pitch in a minor league game this weekend. Right-hander Dustin Moseley is
expected to start April 6 against Oakland. Weaver will probably make a
rehabilitation start for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga that night and return to the
Angels on April 12 at Cleveland." (LA Times)
Jason A. Churchill, Prospect
Insider, is providing a very detailed reports on the top SEA prospects,
including No. 3 - Brandon Morrow :
" ... has good size, plus stuff and grades
average or better across the board, including makeup, mechanics and pitchability.
He’s a bit of a late-bloomer ... After posting a combined ERA of 7.57
during his first two years at Cal Berkley, Morrow responded with a strong year
in 2006 where the right-hander showed vast improvement in all areas, most
importantly cutting his walk rate in half. Morrow has all the makings of a
successful power arm, whether he’s getting 30 starts a year or finishing games
... possesses a frontline starter’s arsenal but has yet to display more
than average command. Combined with his lack of a true off-speed pitch, each
could provide a major obstacle to Morrow’s long-term future as a member of the
rotation. Diagnosed with diabetes four years ago, Morrow pitches with a glucose
tablet in his back pocket and checks his blood sugar between innings. There’s no
reason to believe it’ll ever interfere with his baseball career, however, and
surely hasn’t limited his physical abilities ... could step in this spring
and help the Mariners out of the bullpen, but he’s most likely slated for
Double-A West Tennesse to get work in the starting rotation."
21 March, 2007
Making some corrections on the Top 100s page (I'll upload the revised page
tomorrow) ... preparing for the consensus 100 (the last three with 1 to 10 to
go) ... will also post revised version of the Top Prospect Alert 100 ...
corrections in names and positions ... names most commonly misspelled by the
various Top 100 authors - Lincecum, Yovani Gallardo, Niemann, Jason Hirsh,
Buchholz, Chris Parmelee, Collin Balester. And, for the sake of
uniformity, Hughes and Humber are Philip not Phil. Most common mistakes in
positions - Matt Harrison, Sean West, Andrew Miller as RHPs. Found a couple of
errors - in the MLB.com list Brett Gardner OF NYA had gone missing, and in the
X-3 list Ryan Braun had been listed twice ... revised page to come ...
Ryan Garko CLE 0-4, .261 ... Delmon Young TB 2-4, double,
.275 ... BJ Upton TB CF-2B 1-1, walk, .237 ... Sean Burnett
PIT 4.1 2 0 0 3 4 ... Matt Chico WAS 4.0 2 0 0 2 2 ... Matt
Lindstrom FLO 1.0 2 2 0 0 0 ... Kory Casto WAS LF 0-4, .320
... Charlie Haeger CHA 3.1 5 4 4 2 1 ... Josh Fields CHA
2-5, double, 3 Ks, .333 ... Travis Buck OAK 0-4, .361 ...
Felix Pie CHN 0-2, 2 Ks, .354 ... Troy Tulowitski COL
2-4, 5th double, .361 ... Chris Young ARZ 1-4, homer, 3 rbi, .209
... Kei Igawa NYA 5.0 2 0 0 3 3 ... Mike Pelfrey NYN 5.0 7 1 1 0 1
... Anthony Reyes STL 6.0 4 0 0 1 1 ... Glen Perkins
MIN 2.0 4 4 4 4 0 ...
Casey Kotchman LAA 2-4, .341 ...
Troop movements ... MIL - reassigned 3B Ryan Braun, RHP Yovani
Gallardo and RHP Luther Hackman to minor league camp;
optioned 2B Hernan Iribarren to Double-A ... CHN - reassigned LHP
Ryan O'Malley, LHP Carmen Pignatiello, C Jake
Fox, 1B Micah Hoffpauir and 3B Casey McGehee
to minor league camp; optioned C Geovany Soto to Triple-A ... BOS
- Optioned LHP Kason Gabbard to Triple-A ... CLE -
reassigned OF Trevor Crowe, RHP Jeff Harris, RHP
Adam Miller, LHP Tony
Sipp to Minor League camp
... FLO - Reassigned RHP Wes Obermueller
to Minor League camp ... PIT - Reassigned INF Brian
Bixler and INF Neil
Walker to Minor League camp ... SEA - Optioned RHP Cha
Seung
Baek and LHP Ryan
Feierabend
to Triple-A ... WAS - Signed RHP Pedro Astacio to a Minor League
contract ...
Dayn Perry, FOXSports,
moves up into really interesting territory in his Top 100 :
" ... 16. Andrew Miller ... made it all
the way to Detroit in 2006 despite pitching only five innings in the minors.
He's got the power arsenal — mid-90s fastball, hard slider — but his
change-of-pace needs refinement. Still, his front two pitches are exceptional.
He'll open 2007 back in the Florida State League, but Miller should be in
Double-A by mid-season. Expect him to crack the Detroit rotation by September."
" ... 14. Clayton Kershaw ...
made fools of Gulf Coast League hitters (37 innings, 1.95 ERA, 54 strikeouts,
five walks, zero homers allowed). He has command of three pitches, and he's got
excellent control, particularly for a hard-throwing lefty still in his teens. As
well, his poise on the mound belies his young age. Barring injury (always a
possibility with young arms), he's a future ace."
" ... 11. Ryan Braun ... The
fifth-overall pick in '05, Braun hit .303 AVG/.367 OBP/.589 SLG last year after
a mid-season promotion to Double-A Huntsville. Braun's not much with the glove,
but his bat will play anywhere. At the plate, he hits for tremendous power,
handles breaking stuff with aplomb and uses the whole field. Braun's athleticism
may yet allow him to become a passable defensive third baseman, but he needs
much work in that regard. Still, it's the bat that will make him a star."
Tim Grassey, Fantasy
Baseball Cafe, also moves up to No. 11 :
" ... 12. Jay Bruce ... turns 20 on April 3,
and is already one of the best hitters in the minors. Just last week he took
Curt Schilling deep in a minor league Spring Training game ... could stand to
cut down on his strikeouts, but his power is undeniable. In Low-A last year he
had 63 extra-base hits in only 444 at bats. He will probably begin in High-A or
Double-A this season with the possibility of a cup of coffee as early as 2008."
" ... 17. Evan Longoria ...
Longoria burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign. He has above-average plate
discipline and power, with the ability to maintain a .300 average. Although the
Devil Rays have both B.J. Upton and Akinori Iwamura as potential third base
options, Longoria could unseat them both by the year’s end."
" ... 20. Justin Upton ...
just 19, and has the Diamondbacks salivating over his potential. The comparisons
to Ken Griffey Jr. may be legit with regard to talent, but not necessarily with
regard to attitude. One perception is that Upton believes his ticket to the
majors will be handed to him as the Diamondbacks’ golden boy. The Diamondbacks
feel that opponents were overly cautious pitching to Upton which led to a
frustrated teenager getting overanxious at the plate. Either way, the
Diamondbacks are willing to push him along quickly, and he’ll likely start the
season as one of the youngest players in the California League (High-A)."
Twins decide it's not yet time for Alexi Casilla, in spite of an injury
to Alejandro Machado. Manager Ron Gardenhire says he'll use Luis Rodriguez and
possibily Jeff Cirillo as backups :
" ... Casilla, who has made two errors in 68
innings at shortstop this spring, will not break camp with the team, Gardenhire
said. "Alexi needs to play," he said. "He doesn't need to be a backup. He needs
more playing time. He gets a little erratic, but he's a good player."
Gardenhire's comfort with his infielders is a recent development. On March 3, he
told reporters, "In my eyes, it's really not here right now," regarding a backup
shortstop. He called Rodriguez's ability at short "very limited." Rodriguez has
played only 48 innings at shortstop in his career. Cirillo doesn't seem a viable
option, either. The veteran infielder has played just five of his 1,476 games at
shortstop." (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
According to the Rocky Mountain News, it's in the bag :
" ... Troy Tulowitzki, the 2005 first-round
draft choice out of Long Beach State, has won the battle, unseating incumbent
Clint Barmes. Tulowitzki has continued to show impressive defensive skills and a
run-producing bat, while Barmes has been unable to shake the offensive
inconsistency that haunted him last year. The versatility of Jamey Carroll and
Jeff Baker - and the need to get them regular at-bats - means Barmes could be
the starting shortstop for Triple-A Colorado Springs or could be traded. The
Rangers and Cubs have interest in him as a super sub, but the Rockies want more
in return than what a utility player would bring." (Rocky Mountain News)
A quick transition in PIT :
" ... third baseman Neil Walker. That's
the same Neil Walker who once was the team's top catching prospect. But with the
emergence of Ronny Paulino as the Pittsburgh catcher last year and the probable
move of NL batting champ Freddy Sanchez to second base, Walker is on the fast
track at his new position. His bat always has been his strong point (he hit .370
with two homers this spring) but the Pirates are thrilled with what they see
defensively. "I'm surprised at how quickly it's happened," says Pirates general
manger Dave Littlefield of Walker's transition. "He's agile. He's very athletic.
But we're all surprised at this level, at the speed of the game that he's been
able to adjust as quickly he has."
20 March, 2007
Wow, Adam Miller CLE 5.0 3 0 0 1 4 ... Fernando Nieve HOU
4.0 5 1 1 0 2 ... Chris Snelling WAS 1-1, 3 walks, .310 ...
Neil Walker PIT 0-2, .370 ... Andrew McCutchen PIT 0-5,
.293 ... Brandon Morrow SEA 1.1 0 0 0 1 2 ...
Micah Owings ARZ 3.0 5 2 2 1 1, 2.70 ... Chris Young ARZ
0-3, .205 ... Zack Greinke KC 5.0 2 2 2 1 3, 3.86 ... Alex
Gordon KC 1-4, 3 Ks, .378 ... Yovani Gallardo MIL 1.0 5 5 3
0 1, 7.27 ... Felix Pie CHN 3-6, triple, .370 ... Ryan
Braun MIL 1-2, 5th homer, 4th error, .353 ... Cedric Hunter SD
1-1 ... Travis Buck OAK 3-4, 6th double, .406 ... Ryan
Feierabend 2.0 9 8 8 1 1 ... Ryan Theriot CHN 4-5, 2
doubles, triple, .391 ...
" ... Adam Miller ... The 22-year-old blanked
Atlanta on three hits over five innings on Monday to run his string of scoreless
innings to 14 in four Grapefruit League appearances, but with the Indians
rotation fairly set, Miller will probably open the season at Triple-A Buffalo.
"He's been as impressive as anybody in camp," Indians manager Eric Wedge said.
"Obviously, he's had an outstanding camp. I think when you talk about a young
pitcher in his first camp getting three starts, you couldn't ask for much more
than what he's done here." Besides the 0.00 ERA, Miller has allowed just eight
hits, three walks and struck out eight." (minorleaguebaseball)
Troop movements ...PHI - optioned INF Danny Sandoval and RHP Brian
Sanches to
Triple-A, reassigned RHP Ryan Cameron, RHP Kane Davis and 1B
Randall Simon to minor league camp ... LAD - optioned LHP Eric
Stults, RHP D.J. Houlton and OF Delwyn Young to Triple-A; reassigned LHP
Matt White, RHP Jonathan Meloan, OF Choo Freeman and 2B
Tony Abreu to minor league camp ... DET - optioned OF Brent
Clevlen to Triple-A, reassigned RHP Craig Dingman, RHP Dennis
Tankersley, LHP Joey Eischen, OF Cameron Maybin and OF
Brandon Watson to minor league camp ... CIN - optioned LHP Brian
Shackelford and RHP Brad Salmon to Triple-A ... TB - optioned 3B Joel Guzman to Triple-A ... SD - claimed RHP
Justin Germano off waivers from PHI ... HOU - INF Brooks
Conrad, RHP Paul Estrada and RHP Miguel Asencio
to Triple-A ; Reassigned LHP Scott Sauerbeck to Minor League camp
... TOR - reassigned RHP Pete Walker, INF Ray Olmedo
and OF Mike Vento to minor league camp ... PIT - signed RHP Alay Soler
to a minor league contract, optioned RHP Brian Rogers to Triple-A ...
OAK - reassigned OF Charles Thomas, INF J.J. Furmaniak, 2B
Kevin Melillo, LHP Erasmo Ramirez to minor league
camp ... WAS - released RHP Colby Lewis ...
MinorLeagueBaseball checks in with a report on the SD farm system :
" ... Cedric Hunter ... Padres grabbed Hunter in
the third round ... last year and he quickly showed he was worth the
selection. He destroyed the Arizona League, hitting .371 with 44 RBIs in 213
at-bats. He fashioned a 23-game hitting streak, won league MVP laurels and then
got bumped up to Eugene for a handful of games, where he hit .267 in 15 at-bats.
He stole 17 bases and showed considerable patience at the plate, walking 41
times while striking out only 25 times. "For me, he's the best all-around
prospect we've had in the eight years I've been here [in this position]," Bryk
[Bill Bryk, special assistant to the general manager ] said. "I had Tony Gwynn
in '81 and I'm not going to jinx the guy and say he's the next Tony Gwynn, but
he's got things you can't teach. He's got instincts and he's patient at the
plate."
" ... Cesar Carrillo ... A strained elbow
ligament shelved Carrillo for half of last season and prevented him from
participating in any of the available fall programs. He came into camp healthy
this season but pulled a hamstring while doing a shuttle run and didn't begin
throwing to live hitters until early March. Still, the club is anxious to see
the pitcher who dominated at the University of Miami, turning himself into a
first-round selection. ... "There are two ways to look at the situation,"
San Diego's vice president of scouting and player development Grady Fuson said.
"We have a rotation in the big leagues that's a solid five. So from a health
standpoint, let's hope we don't need him [Carrillo] in '07. It will do him good
to break camp and get six or seven starts in Triple-A...to make sure he rebounds
well, that his sides are crisp and there are no lingering effects. We want to
take away the rush and move slowly. If we err, we want it to be on the side of
caution, and hopefully we can have this guy back in the mix by midseason."
And another one bites the dust ...
" ... RHP Thomas Diamond will have season-ending Tommy
John surgery ... Rangers GM Jon Daniels said Diamond felt arm
discomfort in his "A" game appearance on March 6 (he gave up two runs on three
hits with two walks in one inning of work). He had a MRI and Daniels said
doctors were surprised, based on where they thought Diamond's discomfort was,
that he needed Tommy John surgery to repair the ligaments in the elbow."
(Dallas Morning News)
Better news in the Angels' camp :
" ... Recovering from a fractured hamate bone in his right
hand, 2006 first-round pick Hank Conger, 19, is swinging freely from both
sides of the plate and is hopeful of getting in a full season behind the plate
in Class A ball. Before injuring the hand, Conger hit .319 with eight extra-base
hits in 69 at-bats for the Angels in Arizona League rookie ball." (minorleaguebaseball.com)
19 March, 2007
Josh Hamilton CIN 1-4, 3rd double, .2 Ks, .474 ... Kelly Johnson
ATL 1-4, 2nd homer, .225 ... Kason Gabbard BOS 3.0 1 0 0 0 2 ....
Edward Campusano DET 0.2 0 0 0 1 1 ... Anibal Sanchez FLO 4.0 4 1 1 2
2, 1.46 ... Matt Lindstrom FLO 1.0 2 0 0 0 1, 1.23 ...
Chris Snelling
WAS 0-3, .286 ... Chad Billingsley LAD 1.0 1 1 1 1 1, 0.96 ...
Matt Kemp LAD 0-3, .194 ... Andy
LaRoche LAD 1-3, double, .222 ... James
Loney LAD 0-3, .410
... Trevor Crowe CLE 2-4, 2 rbi, .269 ... Andy
Marte CLE 0-2, .212 ...
Ryan Garko CLE
2-3, 2 rbi, .293 ... JA Happ
PHI 3.2 6 3 2 2 2, 7.15 ... Kevin Slowey
MIN 1.0 4 3 3 1 2, 3.38 ... Edwin Jackson TB 3.0 2 1 1 5 4, 1.80
... BJ Upton TB CF 1-3, triple, walk, .216 ... Casey
Janssen TOR 2.2 1 0 0 1 5, 1.17 ... Hunter Pence HOU, reduced
to PH the last few games, 1-1, triple, .593 ...Zack Duke PIT 3.2 9
7 7 2 1, 7.02 ... Nick Adenhart
LAA 4.0 3 2 2 3 2, 2.79 ... Travis Buck OAK 2-2, 2 walks, .357 ...
John Danks CHA
3.2 9 6 6 0 4, 5.68 ... Gavin Floyd CHA 4.1 3 1 1 2 2, 6.43 ...
Felix Pie CHN 0-3, .350 ... Casey Kotchman LAA 2-3, double, .325 ... Chris
Iannetta
COL 0-3, .273 ... Alex Gordon KC 1-4, homer, .394 ... Mark
Reynolds ARZ 2-2, homer, .385 ... Felix Hernandez SEA 5.0 6
4 3 0 6, 3.21 ...
Troop movements ... TEX - optioned RHP Josh Rupe, LHP John
Koronka and LHP A.J. Murray to Triple-A, ressigned RHP
Franklyn German, RHP Willie Erye and 1B Nate
Gold to minor league camp ... BAL - optioned RHP Jim Hoey and
OF Jeff Fiorentino to Triple-A ... WAS - optioned first
baseman Larry Broadway to Triple-A, added first baseman Dmitri
Young to major league camp ...
MIN - reassigned RHP Kevin Slowey to minor league camp; optioned
OF Denard Span to Triple-A ... TOR - reassigned 1B Kevin
Barker, C Curtis Thigpen to Minor League camp ... MIL -
sent RHP Ben Hendrickson outright to Triple-A ...
Such promise derailed by injury :
" ... The Mariners now official have notthing to show
for the mid-2005 trade of Randy Winn to the San Francisco Giants. Starting
pitcher Jesse Foppert was the last player left from that deal ...
and he was one of seven players released Sunday morning ... Foppert, a
one-time promising pitcher with the Giants, had struggled with his control while
coming back from injuries, and that Mariners ultimately decided they'd seen
enough." (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)
Yesterday's sleeper, today's patient :
" ... Tony Abreu's surprising spring came to an abrupt
end Saturday when the rookie infielder jammed his left shoulder sliding
headfirst into second base in ... the Dodgers' 7-5 victory over the Houston
Astros. Abreu lay on the ground for several minutes before leaving the field in
a golf cart, clutching the shoulder. An MRI exam Saturday night showed a
moderate bone bruise. That injury will keep him out for the rest of spring
training and perhaps as many as four weeks. "He was in a lot of pain on the
field when it happened," Manager Grady Little said. Abreu, 21, probably will
begin the season at triple-A Las Vegas once he recovers. He had impressed the
Dodgers this spring with his offense (he's batting .394) and his versatility (he
has made only one error in 15 games at second base and shortstop)." (LA
Times)
MinorLeagueBaseball checks out the ARZ farm and a couple of lesser lights :
" ... Micah Owings ... 2005 third-round
pick ... started the season at Double-A Tennessee, going 6-2 with a 2.91
ERA, before moving up to Tucson, where he was 10-0 with a 3.70 ERA, combining
for 130 strikeouts in 162 innings to share the organization lead. He also was an
excellent hitter in college, and that will aid him when he cracks the Arizona
rotation, which he will before long. Owings throws a low-90s fastball and a
slider."
" ... Chris Carter ...
left-handed batter ... may be the best hitter in the system that you
haven't heard a lot about -- yet. A 2004 17th-round pick, he batted .301 with 19
homers and 97 RBIs last season at Tucson, adding 30 doubles while leading the
organization with 79 walks. In three pro seasons, he's drawn 189 walks compared
to only 180 strikeouts. The only knock on Carter is his defense; he led all
Pacific Coast League first basemen with 15 errors and he doesn't profile to
another position. An outstanding hitter with good power, his best value to the
organization may end up as someone who'll draw a lot of interest from an
American League team in a trade. Otherwise, he could be a terrific addition to
the Major League bench."
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