8/4 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on August 5, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Eric Young Jr. couldn’t stay off of the bases as he rapped two hits and drew three walks yesterday, scoring three times.  Oddly, he didn’t add to his PCL-leading total of 54 stolen bases but his three runs scored yesterday brings his season total to an MiLB high of 99 for the season.  Young’s name was bantied about in trade rumors but the Rockies held fast to their speedy 2B prospect.  There was some thought prior to last season of moving Young to the outfield where his speed and marginal infield glove would be a better fit.  Young has work dilligently over the past couple of years to improve his infield defense, cutting his errors nearly in half and raising his fielding percentage by more than 20 points.  Clint Barmes is the current second basemen for the Rockies, but he is arbitration eligible and due to receive a raise from his current $1.6M contract.  Young is ready to take over the helm and is a much more potent top of the lineup hitter.  Unlike many speedsters, Young has some pop in his bat.  This season, the 24 year old has collected 30 XBH and his 49 BB/64 K ratio falls in line with a prototypical top of the order hitter.  Expect Young to get his callup by September and to be the odds on favorite to be the opening day starter in 2010.

Today’s top prospect is rapidly rising catcher Buster Posey.  The Giants’ future backstop hit his first AAA HR, driving in four runs and scoring twice.  Posey had gotten off to a slow start after his promotion, but has regrouped to hit .281 over his last 10 games.  Posey’s plate discipline has not waned as he has a 55 BB/55 K ratio.  I expect Posey to continue to swing a hot bat through the rest of the AAA season, which should enhance his chances to earn some playing time behind Benji Molina at some point in September.  Molina’s contract expires at the end of the ‘09 season and it seems quite reasonable that he will not return to the Giants in 2010.  The market for Posey’s cards is understandibly hot right now as he has rapidly shot up through San Francisco’s farm system.  His top selling cards are his 2008 Bowman Chrome Draft autos which command a healthy $37-42 each.  There are more affordable first year autos to be had, like his ‘08 Donruss Elite Extra autos (#/934) which command $27-32 each, 08 Bowman Sterling ($24-27), and ‘08 Razor ($20-22).  Even with this elevated market, I think there is still room for some value growth in his products, especially if he can help contribute to the Giants’ pennant run.  A more opportune time to purchase his first year autos, though, should be during the offseason when the collecting masses diverts its attention to football cards and memorabilia.

AAA Player of the Day—BUSTER POSEY

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Jaime Hoffmann—2-5 2 2B 2 RBI SB(14)
• Tony Abreu—2-5 HR(8) 2 RBI
• Joe Koshansky—1-5 HR(18) 2 RBI
• Angel Salome—1-1 R RBI 2 BB
• Buster Posey—2-4 HR(14) 4 RBI 2B 2R BB
• Brett Wallace—2-5 2B R RBI
• Eric Young Jr.—2-3 3R 3B 2 RBI 3 BB
• Kila Ka’aihue—3-5 r RBI
• Van Pope—2-3 HR(4) RBI 2R SB(2)
• Michael Brantley—2-3 BB SB(37)
• Brandon Snyder—3-5 2R SB(3)
• Nick Evans—3-5 2 2B R
• Jeff Frazier—3-5 2 2B 2R RBI
• Chris Heisey—3-4 2B
• Neil Walker—1-4 2B R 4 RBI
• Desmond Jennings—2-5 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Matt Joyce—3-4 2 RBI
• Jose Morales—2-3 2 2B 2 RBI BB

Pitching:

• Drew Carpenter—6 IP 6H 2 ER BB 6K W (9-2)
• Travis Wood—7 IP 3H 2 BB 4K W (10-4)

6/14 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on June 15, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Sunday’s action at the AAA ranks saw a couple very nice performances from former callups who are making strong cases to be promoted by their major league clubs.  The Brewers duo of Alcides Escobar and Angel Salome both had excellent showings yesterday.  Escobar went 2-3 with a triple, RBI and two runs scored.  Escobar has effectively defied my earlier concerns about his makeup by hitting .310 with 3 HR 22 RBI 17 doubles and 49 runs scored through his first 64 games.  He’s also been successful on 25 of 31 SB attempts and has played sparkling defense.  The Brewers’ middle infield has been truly pathetic this season, with All-Star SS J.J. Hardy hitting just .205 and Rickie Weeks sidelined for the entire year with a wrist injury.  Craig Counsell has taken most of that playing time, but his punchless bat and meager production on the basepaths pale in comparison to Escobar’s potential.  The callup has to happen soon.  The glaring weakness in Escobar’s game is his lopsided 15 BB/41 K ratio.  Those numbers are not indicative of a top of the order threat, but his ability to make contact and his speed on the basepaths would be a nice fit in the #8 spot in MIlwuakee’s order. 

Angel Salome is another prospect that I was wary of.  He broke out big time last season at AA Huntsville, hitting .360 with 13 HR 83 RBI and 30 doubles.  While his BB/K ratio was solid and his athleticism behind the plate was a plus, there were some raw elements of his game that I felt would be a struggle going forward.  Salome has an unorthodox swing and, at times, gets sloppy behind the plate.  Knowing these things, I felt that 2009 would be an adjustment period at the AAA level.  While his numbers have been below last year’s output (.267 2 HR 23 RBI), it bears worthy of notice that his BA has improved each month (.191 in April, .295 in May, and .316 in June).  The power seems to be increasing as well.  He’s hit six doubles during the month of June and has 9 RBI.  Current Brewers starter Jason Kendall, for all his defensive acumen, has been miserable at the plate hitting just .227 with zero homeruns.  Like Escobar, Salome’s tenure with the Nashville Sounds will be brief.

Today’s top player is L.A. Dodgers RHP James McDonald.  The lanky 24 year old put up his second consecutive double digit strikeout performance by punching out 13 in seven scoreless innings.  McDonald’s control with the Dodgers was a far cry from last year’s stellar showing as he allowed 16 walks in 18.2 innings.  This led to a 6.75 ERA and a trip to AAA Las Vegas.  It will be very interesting to see how the Dodgers handle McDonald going forward.  The boys of Chavez Ravine are clicking on all cylinders right now with an MLB best 42-22 record.  The rotation has been very quite strong, though McDonald’s presence in the #5 slot seems much more lucrative than the two Erics (MIlton and Stults).  Could the Dodgers be in the market for a bat come late July?  If so, McDonald’s stock as a trade chip would be quite high, allowing the Dodgers to add some protection to Manny Ramirez once he returns.  Hard to say what the Dodgers will do, but McDonald is not long for the lights of Las Vegas.

AAA Player of the Day—JAMES MCDONALD

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Kila Ka’aihue—2-5 R RBI
• Jake Fox—2-5 3B R 2 RBI
• Brandon Wood—2-5 2B R RBI
• Howie Kendrick—2-5 2B R RBI
• Alex Romero—3-3 2R 2 RBI
• Cliff Pennington—2-4 2 2B R RBI
• Alcides Escobar—2-3 2R 3B RBI BB
• Angel Salome—3-4 3 2B 2R 4 RBI BB
• Cameron Maybin—2-3 2 2B
• Chin-Lung Hu—3-5 2R
• Chris Carter—3-6 2B 2 RBI 2R
• Aaron Bates—3-5 2R BB
• Drew Stubbs—3-4 R BB 2 SB(22)
• Wes Bankston—2-5 HR(11) 2 RBI
• Wilkin Ramirez—3-4 2 RBI SB(20)
• Matt LaPorta—2-4 R

Pitching:

• David Purcey—7.2 IP 4H 2 ER 3 BB 9K W (2-1)
• Wade LeBlanc—7 IP 5H 2 ER 6K L (1-4)
• Jame McDonald—7 IP 2H BB 13K W (1-0)
• Kevin Pucetas—7 IP 2H BB 3K W (6-2)
• David Hernandez—4 IP 2H 2 ER 3 BB 7K

6/11 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on June 13, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Milwaukee Brewers OF prospect Cole Gillespie hit his 4th HR of the season and drove in two runs yesterday.  I had high hopes for the former Oregon State Beaver last season as he flew under the prospecting radar for most of last season.  Much of that was due to the fact that he played for the star-studded Hunstville Stars team last year that boasted the talents of Matt LaPorta, Mat Gamel, Alcides Escobar, Angel Salome, and Michael Brantley.  Still, Gillespie had a well rounded stat line, hitting .281 with 14 HR 79 RBI 17 SB 38 doubles and 73 runs scored.  He doesn’t have any standout tool, but he does everything well and has an enormous baseball IQ.  This season has been a disappointment since Gillespie moved to AAA, hitting just .202 with his 4 HR and 20 RBI.  His plate discipline has been solid (28 BB/43 K), but he doesn’t seem to be driving the ball with much authority against AAA pitchers.  My initial projection of him as an everyday corner outfielder at the major league level is starting to look a little too generous.  There’s still quite a bit of potential there for him to be an effective, offensively minded 4th outfielder though.

Non-flashy Twins pitching prospects seem to grow on trees, and 23 year old Villanova alum Kevin Mulvey fits the bill perfectly.  The ‘06 second rounder tossed a seven hit shutout Thursday walking one and striking out seven for his third win of the season.  Mulvey can bump his fastball up to 94 MPH on occasion, but normally moves it around the strike zone at 87-91 MPH while mixing in a sharp slider and serviceable curve and change.  This season, Mulvey has gone 3-3 with a 3.61 ERA and 28 BB/59 K in 72.1 IP.  The main positive in his game has been his increased ability to force groundball outs.  Last year, Mulvey was a flyball pitcher forcing just 0.79 GO/FO while being touched up for 16 HR.  This season has been quite different, though, as Mulvey has nearly doubled his GO/FO ratio to 1.53 which has limited his HR’s allowed to just five. 

Long term, Mulvey’s stuff should limit him to a ceiling as a #3 or 4 starter.  There’s been some conjecture that he could be called up to serve a long reliever/spot starter role, but recent callup Anthony Swarzak has seemed to handling things quite capably.  The Twins are starting to improve their level of play, as the offense has kicked into full gear.  Mulvey’s arm could be a valuable asset either in the bullpen or rotation at some point this summer.

AAA Player of the Day—KEVIN MULVEY

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Angel Salome—3-5 R RBI
• Cole Gillespie—1-4 HR(4) 2 RBI
• Alcides Escobar—1-4 R BB 2 SB(24)
• Max Ramirez—2-3 2B BB
• John Raynor—2-5 2B 2R RBI SB(6)
• Cameron Maybin—2-5 2B 2 RBI
• Brett Hayes—2-4 2 2B 2R 3 RBI
• Ben Copeland—2-4 HR(2) RBI
• Jesus Guzman—1-5 HR(9) 2 RBI
• Sean Rodriguez—2-5 2B RBI R
• Brandon Wood—1-5 HR(13) 2 RBI
• Mike Carp—2-4 RBI R BB
• Dan Putnam—1-4 HR(3) 2 RBI
• Chris Nowak—3-4 2B 3B 4 RBI
• Dustin Martin—3-5 R RBI 2 SB(16)
• Jason Donald—1-4 R SB(6)
• Drew Sutton—1-4 2B R 2 RBI
• Wellington Castillo—2-4 HR(2) RBI

Pitching:

• Jack Egbert—6 IP 4H ER BB 3K L (4-1)
• Drew Carpenter—7 IP 6H ER 4K W (5-0)
• Kevin Mulvey—9 IP 7H ER BB 7K W (3-3)
• Sean O’Sullivan—6 IP 5H 2 ER 3 BB 5K W (5-2)
• James Simmons—5 IP 4H ER BB 4K

6/2 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on June 3, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Eric Young Jr. has gotten off to a red hot start in the month of June with seven hits over his last two games.  Pacing the league with 31 SB, Young has shown that he is a quite capable candidate to hit atop Colorado’s order as soon as the Rockies are ready to give him a shot.  His HR yesterday was evidence that he has some potential to drive the ball with authority at times.  Cameron Maybin had four hits yesterday and Will Venable had a big day at the plate with two HR and five RBI.  Angels OF prospect Chris Pettit is working on raising his average back towards the .400 plateau as he had three hits, including his 4th HR and two doubles. 

Yesterday’s top prospect is former Cincinnati Reds ace-in-waiting Homer Bailey.  The Reds’ former 1st round pick from the ‘04 draft has had a roller coaster season quite similar to his volitile professional career.  Yesterday, he was on top of his game as he allowed just four hits over eight scorelesss innings, walking two and striking out five.  For the season, Bailey is 5-5 at AAA Louisville with a 3.79 ERA and 22 BB/52 K over 59.1 IP.  He has, at times, looked like a #1 starter (as shown by his April 29th 15 strikeout performance against Toledo).  Other times, he has looked overmatched (as shown by his sole four innings, six run, six walk outing for Cincinnati earlier this season).  Bailey reminds me a bunch of Boston’s Clay Buchholz as a pitcher with stuff that is far better than his performance at the major league level.  On the upside, Bailey has been quite durable this season, going at least six innings in each of his last eight starts.  He has had good control, allowing just the 22 walks, but he has also been a bit more hittable, surrendering a .264 BA to opposing hitters including 9 HR.  He has historically been a flyball pitcher, which in a park like Cinergy Field, often spells D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R.

Bailey is just 23 years old and still has considerable upside that could be realized given the right opportunities.  The Reds have shopped him around to several other clubs over the past season, and it may in fact be a change of scenery that puts him back on the right road to success.  Two months in, the Reds are in the thick of a competitive NL Central hunt, though could be losing ground fast as Edwin Encarnacion is on the shelf until at least late June with a fractured wrist and Joey Votto is on the DL for an undisclosed personal issue. 

The Reds are desperately in need of a bat and a couple more starts like this out of Bailey could be his ticket to a better opportunity with a new franchise.  Watch this closely….

AAA Player of the Day—HOMER BAILEY

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Cameron Maybin—4-5 R
• Angel Salome—1-3 2B RBI
• Jon Jay—2-5 R SB(12)
• Julio Borbon—1-4 R BB SB(15)
• Chris Johnson—2-4 3B R RBI
• Kila Ka’aihue—3-4 2B R
• Ben Copeland—4-5 HR(1) RBI 2B 3R
• Eric Young Jr.—3-5 HR(2) RBI 2B 2R
• Chris Pettit—3-4 HR(4) 2 RBI 2 2B
• Will Venable—3-5 2 HR(12) 5 RBI 2R
• Chad Huffman—2-3 2B R 2 BB
• Trevor Plouffe—2-4 HR(5) 2 RBI
• Drew Stubbs—2-5 2B R
• Drew Sutton—1-2 HR(2) 2 RBI 2 BB 2R
• Juan Miranda—2-4 3B R
• Will Rhymes—2-3 2B R BB SB(8)
• Brent Duglach—2-4 HR(5) 2 RBI BB SB(3)
• Gordon Beckham—1-4 2B R

Pitching:

• Chris Tillman—5 IP 4H 4 UER 4K L (5-1)
• Homer Bailey—8 IP 4H 2 BB 5K W (5-5)

5/17 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on May 18, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Michael Bowden threw eight innings of shutout ball, striking out seven and allowing just three hits.  He’s been even better this year than last year allowing just four earned runs in his first 42 IP, mainly on the strength of a stingy .136 BAA.  The Red Sox have a plethora of good pitchers on the big league club right now, but there is ample reason that both he and Clay Buchholz will get another opportunity at some point this season.  Detroit Tigers OF prospect Wilkin Ramirez rapped three hits including is 5th HR and Kila Ka’aihue blasted his 7th.  One time top catching prospect Jeff Clement continues to break out of his horrible early season slump, collecting three more hits and driving in two runs.  Clement has been used primarily as a DH with recently promoted Adam Moore getting the bulk of the time behind the plate.

Today’s top performer is no stranger to the prospecting world.  Former 1st overall pick and 2008 post season hero David Price tossed five hitless innings fanning 9 hitters in a no decision.  Price has struggled with his control this season and has not resembled the pitcher that dazzled the baseball world this past October.  As a result, the final eBay values of Price’s first year cards have dropped to less than 50% of their peak values from this past fall.  The Rays currently have Jeff Niemann filling the #5 spot in their rotation, but he has struggled with his command all season making him the most likely candidate to be shuttled to the bullpen once Tampa is ready to recall Price.

AAA Player of the Day—DAVID PRICE

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Brandon Jones—2-4 R RBI
• Wilkin Ramirez—3-3 Hr(5) RBI BB SB(14)
• Alcides Escobar—2-4 2B RBI
• Angel Salome—3-4
• Matt Antonelli—1-4 2B R 2 RBI
• John Raynor—2-3 2 2B R BB
• Kila Ka’aihue—3-5 HR(7) 2 RBI 2B
• Freddy Sandoval—2-4 HR(4) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Jaime Hoffmann—1-3 HR(3) RBI BB
• Jesus Guzman—3-5 2B R RBI
• Matt Downs—1-4 HR(6) 3 RBI BB
• Jeff Clement—3-5 2 2B 2 RBI BB
• Cliff Pennington—2-4 RBI BB 3 SB(13)
• Eric Patterson—1-2 4 BB 2 SB(13)

Pitching:

• Vin Mazzaro—5.2 IP 3H ER 2 BB 4K
• Doug Fister—7 IP 9H 5K W (2-0)
• David Price—5 IP 0H 2 BB 9K
• Cesar Ramos—5.1 IP 3H ER 3 BB 2K W (2-2)
• Dillon Gee—6.1 IP 3H 5 BB 8K
• Michael Bowden—8 IP 3H 4 BB 7K
• Billy Buckner—6.1 IP 5H 3 BB 8K W (2-2)

5/16 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on May 17, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

I have a little window of time to give you the reports for Saturday’s games as I have been super busy with family festivities.  Saturday’s games saw Tommy Hanson continue his dominance of the International league as he threw seven two-hit innings of shutout ball striking out seven and earning his second win of the season.  Teammate and best friend Kris Medlen may be beating him to the Braves rotation, but rest assured that they will both be pitching there for the bulk of the 2009 season.  Brett Wallace looked exceptional in his AAA debut going 3-4 with two runs and an RBI.  His presence in Memphis’ lineup should help to improve the bats of both Jon Jay and Allen Craig.  As good as Wallace was, he was outshone by the sterling pitching performance of P.J. Walters who tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out 9.  Jake Fox continues to put forth an MVP performance this season with a 3-4 day scoring two runs and raising his season average to .429.  On Friday night, Fox clubbed his 16th HR and, with his 46 RBI, he has continually pushed the envelope for another Cubbie callup.

Today’s top L.A. Angels prospect is 2B/SS Sean Rodriguez.  Sean-Rod went 5-5 with two HR, boosting his total to 14, and driving in 5 RBI.  He also scored three times.  The Angels are a team that is impending transition with several of their stars aging, therefore ushering in the need for a new era of talent.  Rodriguez, along with Brandon Wood seem to be in line to inherit roles with the big league club, but they have struggled to show that capability during their brief stints with the big club.  Both Wood and Rodriguez are still just 23 years old and have immense offensive potential that should be realized within the next season or two, either with the Angels or another big league club.

AAA Player of the Day—SEAN RODRIGUEZ

Other Notable Peformances

Hitting:

• Alcides Escobar—2-4 2 2B 2R RBI
• Angel Salome—2-4 2 RBI
• Cole Gillespie—1-4 HR(2) RBI
• Chad Huffman—2-2 HR(7) RBI 2BB
• Brett Wallace—3-4 2B 2R RBI
• Jon Jay—2-5 2B R
• Allen Craig—2-5 2B R
• Jake Fox—3-4 2B R
• Freddy Sandoval—2-6 2 RBI 2R SB(9)
• Matt Brown—2-4 2 HR(5) 5 RBI 3R
• Sean Rodriguez—5-5 2 HR(14) 5 RBI 3R
• Brandon Wood—1-3 3R 2 BB
• Jeff Clement—2-5 2B 2 RBI
• Mike Carp—2-4 2B 2R BB
• Adam Moore—2-4 R RBI BB
• Cliff Pennington—2-4 3 RBI R SB(10)
• Adrian Cardenas—1-2 2B 2R 2 BB SB(3)
• Fernando Martinez—1-2 R 2 BB SB(2)
• Brandon Jones—2-4 2B R RBI
• Wilkin Ramirez—4-5 2 HR(4) 2 RBI 2R

Pitching:

• David Hernandez—5.1 IP 2H 4 BB 6K W (3-1)
• Matt Maloney—7 IP 6H ER BB 5K L (3-2)
• Tommy Hanson—7 IP 2H BB 7K W (2-3)
• Gaby Hernandez—6 IP 4H ER 4 BB 4K W (3-2)
• Sean O’Sullivan—7 IP 4H 3 ER BB 9K W (3-1)
• P.J. Walters—9 IP 3H BB 8K W (2-1)

4/15 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on April 16, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Jake Fox went yard for the fourth time and Sean Rodriguez, Jai Miller, and Will Venable added their first.  Xavier Paul was simply outstanding yesterday going 4-4, driving in two runs and stealing a base, but it wasn’t good enough to win top player honors.  Brett Sinkbiel threw six quality innings, striking out five and added three RBI of his own in a winning effort.

Pacific Coast League Player of the Day—BRETT SINKBIEL

Other Notable Performances:

• Angel Salome—2-2 2B R BB
• Carlos Gonzalez—1-2 R 2 BB
• Franklin Morales—6 IP 2H 5 BB 4K
• Kyle Blanks—2-3 R 3 BB
• Will Venable—2-4 HR(1) RBI 2B 2 BB
• Chad Huffman—3-6 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R
• Cesar Ramos—5 IP 4H ER BB 6K W(1)
• J.P. Arencibia—2-3 2B R RBI
• Sean Rodriguez—1-3 HR(1) 2 RBI R BB
• Chris Pettit—2-4 2 2B RBI R
• Jai Miller—3-5 HR(1) 2 RBI 3R 2B
• Brett Sinkbeil—6 IP 6H 3 ER 5K W(1) (2-3 2B 3 RBI R)
• Shane Robinson—2-4 2B R SB(1)
• Luke Hochevar—6 IP 6H 2 ER 2 BB 4K W(2)
• Kila Ka’aihue—2-3 2B 2R 3 BB
• Chris Lubanski—2-6 3B 2R 2 RBI
• Brian Bogusevic—1-4 2B RBI BB
• Yordany Rodriguez—3-3 HR(1) 2 RBI 2B
• Jake Fox—2-4 HR(4) 2 RBI
• Jose Ascanio—4 IP 3H BB 4K
• Blake DeWitt—2-4 2B 2 RBI SB(1)
• Xavier Paul—4-4 2B R 2 RBI BB SB(3)
• Matt McBryde—2-4 R RBI BB 2 SB(5)
• Matt Downs—2-5 R RBI
• Garrett Olson—5 IP 2H 3 BB 3K W(1)

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

Lots of good pitching peformances to report!  Ian Kennedy won his second game, allowing one earned run over six innings, Michael Bowden also allowed just one run over four innings.  Daniel Bard finished things off for Pawtuckett striking out three over two hitless innings for his second save and David Huff got win number two with his solid five inning outing.  Offensively, Jordan Brown blasted his second HR and Juan Miranda hit HR number three.  Jason Donald doubled, tripled and scored three times but that performance could not outshine Kris Medlen’s five innings of no-hit ball for Gwinnett.  Medlen allowed just one walk and struck out six but didn’t receive a decision for his efforts.  No matter, we’ll reward him with player of the day honors.

International League Player of the Day—KRIS MEDLEN

Other Notable Performances:

• Michael Aubrey—2-4 R
• Jordan Brown—3-4 HR(2) 2 RBI 2B 2R
• Andrew McCutchen—1-3 3B R BB
• David Huff—5 IP 5H ER 2 BB 3K W(2)
• Scott Moore—3-5 HR(1) 2 RBI 2R
• Brad Bergerson—6 IP 2H 2 ER 2 BB 3K W(1)
• Diory Hernandez—2-5 2B R
• Kris Medlen—5 IP 0H BB 6K
• Ian Kennedy—6 IP 5H ER 2 BB 5K W(1)
• Juan Miranda—1-3 HR(3) RBI 2R BB
• Dillon Gee—5 Ip 4H 2 ER 3 BB 3K L(1)
• Fernando Martinez—2-5 2 RBI
• Jose Correnado—2-4 2B
• Michael Bowden—4 IP 5H ER 2 BB 3K
• Daniel Bard—2 IP 0H 2 BB 3K SV(2)
• Justin Maxwell—2-4 R
• Jason Donald—2-3 2B 3B 3R RBI 2 BB
• John Mayberry Jr.—1-4 HR(1) RBI
• Chris Valaika—2-4 2B R
• Clete Thomas—2-5 R SB(2)

4/11 AAA Report

Posted by Jeremy on April 11, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Let’s begin in the Pacific Coast League where Chris Lubanski belted a HR in his second consecutive game.  Jake Fox and Kila Ka’aihue each homered and had four RBI, but it was once again the Brewers’ Mat Gamel who stole the show.  The Nashville 3B had a 4-5 day with four RBI and three runs scored.

Pacifc Coast League Player of the Day—MAT GAMEL

Other Notable Performances:

• Chris Coughlan—2-4 2B R RBI
• Gaby Sanchez—2-4 2B 2R RBI
• Mat Gamel—4-5 2B 3R 4 RBI
• Angel Salome—1-2 R 2 RBI
• Jake Fox—2-3 HR(1) 4 RBI BB
• Jose Ascanio—4 IP 2H 4K
• Julio Borbon—2-5 R
• Joaquin Arias—2-5 2B R RBI
• Max Ramirez—2-4 2B RBI
• Neftali Feliz—4 IP 4H 6 BB 4K
• Adam Ottavino—5.1 IP 6H ER 3 BB 5K L(1)
• Shane Robinson—3-5
• Tyler Greene—2-5 HR(1) RBI
• Bryan Anderson—1-1 HR(1) RBI
• Freddy Sandoval—2-3 BB
• Sean Rodriguez—2-4 RBI R
• Brandon Wood—1-4 3B R RBI
• Anthony Ortega—5 IP 4H ER 2K W(1)
• Chris Lubanski—3-4 HR(2) RBI 3R 2 SB(2)
• Kila Ka’aihue—1-4 HR(1) 4 RBI
• Luke Hochevar—5 IP 7H ER BB K W(1)
• Xavier Paul—3-4 3 2B RBI BB
• Chin-Lung Hu—2-4 2B
• Will Venable—3-5 2B 3B 2R
• Kyle Blanks—3-5 2B R RBI
• Jesus Guzman—2-5 2B 2 RBI
• Mike McBryde—3-5 2R SB(2)
• Sean Doolittle—2-3 2B 3B 2R RBI BB

In the International League, Andrew McCutchen and Trevor Plouffe continued to swing hot bats, but it was the pinstriped pariah Ian Kennedy that dominated.  Yesterday’s six inning, 11 K performance went a long way towards helping the one time top pitching prospect earn his way back to the major leagues.

International League Player of the Day—IAN KENNEDY

Other Notable Performances:

• Trevor Plouffe—2-2 3B RBI R 2 BB
• Luke Hughes—1-4 2B R 2 RBI
• Dustin Martin—2-4 2B 2R
• Michael Bowden—4.2 IP 2H 2BB 5K
• Austin Jackson—2-5
• Kevin Russo—3-5 2 2B SB(1)
• Ian Kennedy—6 IP 4H ER 11K
• Carlos Carrasco—6 IP 4H 4K
• Diory Hernandez—2-4 2 2B 2 RBI
• Eider Torres—3-3 2 2B 2R RBI
• Wilkin Ramirez—1-4 2 RBI SB(1)
• Andrew McCutchen—1-4 HR(1) RBI

3/2 Spring Training Report

Posted by Jeremy on March 3, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

There are some trends developing in the early parts of the season worth noting. Jarrod Saltalamacchia continues to sting the ball, batting at a .600 clip. John Mayberry Jr. continues to make a case to be considered as a fourth outfielder for the World Champion Phillies as his enhanced plate discipline numbers offer some positives in the early going. Chicago Cubs infielder Micah Hoffpauir continues his hot hitting with a hit in his fourth straight game. The performance of the day, however, belongs to Tampa Bay Rays pitching prospect Wade Davis who threw 3.2 innings of one hit ball striking out one and en route to his first win of the spring.

Youngster of the Day—WADE DAVIS

Other Notable Performances:

• Justin Masterson—2 IP H K
• Daniel Bard—IP K
• Brad LIncoln—IP K
• Brian Barton—1-3 2R BB SB(1)
• Allen Craig—1-1 R
• Jeremy Slayden—2-5 HR(1) 2 RBI 2R
• John Mayberry Jr.—1-4 2B 2 RBI R BB
• Jason Donald—1-4 R BB
• Brad Emaus—1-2 HR(1) RBI
• Brett Cecil—2.2 IP H BB 3K
• Brandon Wood—3-4 HR(1) 3 RBI 2R 2B
• Matt Brown—2-2
• Andrew Romine—3-5 RBI
• Adam Pavkovich—3-5 3 2B 4 RBI R
• Chris Pettit—1-1 R RBI 2 BB
• Sean Rodriguez—2-4 2R
• Joe Koshansky—1-4 3B R RBI
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia—2-3 2B 3 RBI
• Julio Borbon—1-2 SB(1)
• Beau Mills—2-3 2B 3B R RBI
• Jordan Brown—1-1 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Emmannuel Burriss—2-3 RBI R
• Eider Torres—2-4 R SB(1)
• Chris Lubanski—3-3 3B 2R 2 RBI
• Jose Duarte—1-2 2R BB
• Derrick Robinson—1-1 R 2 RBI 2 BB
• Rob Johnson—2-3 3B R RBI
• Reggie Corona—1-4 2B 2 RBI R
• Carlos Triunfel—1-1
• Josh Fields—2-2 2 2B
• Sergio Santos—2-2
• Angel Salome—1-4 2B R
• Brad Nelson—1-3 RBI BB
• Josh Whitesell—1-3 2R
• Mark Hallberg—1-1 2B R RBI
• Daniel Schlereth—IP 2H ER BB 3K
• Micah Hoffpauir—1-4 R 2B

2/27 Spring Training Report

Posted by Jeremy on February 27, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

Victor Martinez hit two dingers today and Evan Almighty also went deep.  Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara pitched well in his debut with the Orioles, 19 year old Cuban import Dayan Viciedo belted his first HR for the White Sox, and the Brothers Hoffpauir both had solid performances for thier respective teams’ but it was Mike Carp that snatched the Youngster of the Day honors.  The new Seattle Mariners 1B prospect belted a long HR (I listened to the game) and drove in 5 RBI as the M’s decimated the L.A. Dodgers 18-1.

Youngster of the Day—MIKE CARP

Other Notable Performances:

• Pedro Alvarez—1-3 BB
• Shelby Ford—1-2 R
• Kris Medlen—IP 2 BB 2K
• Matt Wieters—1-2 R BB
• John Raynor—1-3 R SB(1)
• Dallas McPherson—1-3 R RBI
• Ryan Tucker—2 IP H 2 BB 2K
• Koji Uehara—2 IP H BB 3K
• Jake Arrieta—IP K
• Tim Beckham—1-1
• Jeff Niemann—2 IP H 2K (W)
• Mike Hessman—1-3 R BB 2B
• Brad MIlls—2 IP H
• Austin Jackson—1-2 R
• Brett Gardner—2-2 R 2 SB(2) BB 2B
• Juan Miranda 1-2 2B
• Ian Kennedy—2 IP H BB 3K
• Jarret Hoffpauir—2-3 2 RBI 2B R
• Micah Hoffpauir—2-3 HR(2) 3 RBI
• Allen Craig—2-2 2 RBI
• John Jay—2-4 3R RBi BB 2B
• Ivan Nova—IP 2K
• Angel Salome—1-2 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Logan Schafer—1-2 RBI SB(1)
• Alcides Escobar—1-4 RBI R SB(1)
• Cutter Dykstra—1-2 RBI R 2B
• Aaron Cunningham—1-1 R RBI 2B
• Adrian Cardenas—2-2 R
• Mike Carp—2-3 HR(1)
• Mike Wilson—1-3 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Matt Tuiasosopo—2-4 HR(1) RBI 2R 2B
• Freddy Sandoval—1-2 R RBI
• Sean Rodriguez—1-3 RBI 2B
• Mark Trumbo—2-4 2B R
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia—2-2 2 2B
• Greg Golson—1-3 R
• Evan Frey—2-3
• Gordon Beckham—1-2 2B
• Chris Getz—1-4 RBI BB
• Dayan Viciedo—2-3 HR(1) RBI