8/2 AAA Minor League Report

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

Wow, lots has happened since the last minor league reports.  Several prospects have gotten fresh starts with new franchises and some are capitalizing on those opportunities.

Jeff Clement has,  as predicted, donned a first baseman’s glove and has hit like a top tier corner infielder since joining the Indianapolis Indians, hitting .545 with three HR and five runs scored in three games.  Clement is going to get a shot with the Bucs in the very near future and I think that the move to the NL and to 1B is going to be one that benefits him greatly.  The market for Clement’s cards is starting to pick up steam as many prospect prognosticators feel the same way that I do about his yellow and black rebirth.  Despite the optimistic start, beware!  Jeff Clement is an incredibly streaky hitter who could rip out 5 HR one week and manage just 5 hits the next.  Expect to pay $8-12 for each of his ‘06 autos right now and $2.50-3.50 for each of his ‘05 Bowman Chrome or Bowman Sterling first year cards right now.

Speaking of streaky hitters…..Travis Snider is molten hot right now.  The beefy Blue Jays OF blasted his 9th HR with the Las Vegas 51’st, driving in three runs and scoring three runs.  Snider is hitting .436 over his last 10 games with 4 HR 16 RBI and 12 runs scored.  In addition, he’s walked 8 times vs. 9 K’s during that time.  Strikeouts are always going to come in bunches for Snider, but his ability to work counts and get on base is key to his success in his next audition with the Jays.  Things are poised to open up for Snider soon as OF Jose Bautista’s production has been anemic at best.  At the same time, there is no real reason to rush the 21 year old slugger back to Toronto either.  This season was supposed to be Snider’s coming out party, but plate discipline woes and a shoulder injury mitigated his production.  The market for his first year autos in 2007 Bowman Sterling has been cut by more than half since this spring from $35-40 each to $15-18 today.  The bat speed is real, the power is prestigious, and the market for his cards are at all time lows.  Buy accordingly. 

Today’s top prospect is another Blue Jays farmhand.  Brian Dopirak is a long time minor league slugger who, at the age of 25, is experiencing a rebirth of his own as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays organization.  Drafted as an 18 year old in 2002, Dopirak pounded his way on prospectors’ radars in 2004 when he blasted 39 HR and 120 RBI for High-A Lancaster.  Since then, he has continued to hit HR’s at each minor league stop but has never been able to hit beyond AAA.  Yesterday’s 4-5 day that saw him hit HR’s #23 and 24 may change all of that.  At 6-4 and 220 lb., Dopirak is all hitter and is a below average defender at 1B.  Dopirak hits LH and RH pitching equally well but shows more power against southpaws.  He’s bound to get a look in September but it is unclear how much playing time he’ll get.  The market for Dopirak’s cards is low and slow right now, but a power surge in a big league uniform can create a brief window of collector interest for his cards.

AAA Player of the Day—BRIAN DOPIRAK

 

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Brandon Allen—2-5 2B HR(17) RBI
• John Hester—3-5 2 2B 2 RBI R
• Trent Oeltjen—2-4 HR(10) 2 RBI 2R BB SB(18)
• Matt Downs—2-4 HR(11) RBI 2B 2R (Game 1)…..2-4 2B 3B R
• Matt Tuiasosopo—2-4 HR(2) 3 RBI (Game 1)…..3-3 RBI (Game 2)
• Brad Nelson—2-3 HR(11) RBI 2R 2B
• Tyler Greene—3-3 3R BB 2 SB(21)
• Allen Craig—2-3 R RBI BB
• Wes Hodges—1-4 HR(4) RBI
• Austin Jackson—2-4 2 RBI R 2 SB(19)
• Jeff Clement—1-2 HR(17) RBI 2 BB 2R
• Neil Walker—3-4 2 2B 2 RBI
• Greg Golson—1-4 HR(2) RBI
• Brett Wallace—1-3 HR(12) 2 RBI
• Cole Armstrong—2-4 HR(9) 3 RBI 2R
• Scott Sizemore—2-4 2R
• Gaby Sanchez—1-2 HR(10) RBI 2 BB
• Travis Snider—1-3 HR(9) 3 RBI 3R 2 BB
• Brian Dopirak—4-5 2 HR(24) 3 RBI 4R

Pitching:

• Junichi Tazawa—5.1 IP 2H 2 ER BB 3K L (9-7)
• Clay Mortensen—5.1 IP 5H ER 3 BB 5K

7/21 High A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on July 24, 2008 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Lots of solid performances by great prospects! 

Jon Still

• 2-5 HR(19) 2 RBI 2B—HR’s in 3 straight games (underrated Red Sox power hitter)

 

Carlos Triunfel

• 3-5 HR(4) 4 RBI 2R 2B—Young super prospect starting to heat up (.333 HR 7 RBI last 10 games)

 

Matt Spencer

• 2-4 2R 2B BB—6-12 since trade to the A’s

 

Chris Carter

• 2-4 2B 2 RBI—.317 3 HR 14 RBI 8 R last 10 games

 

Adrian Cardenas

• 2-6 2 R—Where will he play for the A’s?

 

Austin Gallagher

• 3-3 2B 2 RBI—Blazing hot in last 10 games (.436 11 RBI 17 H)

 

Carlos Santana

• 2-5 2R 2B RBI—Closing in on 100 RBI for the season (look for his ‘08 Bowman Chrome card)

 

P.J. Phillips

• 2-3 HR( 8 ) 3B 2R 2RBI—.359 2 HR 5 RBI 4 SB last 10 games

 

Ryan Mount

• 1-5 HR(6) RBi—.267 6 HR 22 RBI 7 SB in 43 games (good hitting prospect when healthy)

 

Ian Gac

• 1-4 HR(23) RBI–Hitting well since promotion to Bakersfield (.309 4 HR 18 RBI)

 

Marcus Lemon

• 3-5 2B RBI R–.388 19 H 9 R last 10 games

 

Brandon Snyder

• 1-4 HR( 8 ) 2 RBI—.292 8 HR 53 RBI 24 2B (young power hitter one to watch)

 

Gorkys Hernandez

• 2-3 2B R—.287 4 HR 26 RBI 11 SB (running less since returning from injury)

 

Eric Campbell

• 2-4 2 RBI—.351 2 HR 8 RBI 10 R 9 BB last 10 games (he’s back on my radar)

 

Jim Negrych

• 2-4 R 2 RBI—.368 137 Hits 36 2B 5 HR 61 RBI—(polished college hitter, can he replicate @ AA?)

 

Brian Dopirak

• 3-4 2 HR(23) 6 RBI 2B 2R—.410 7 HR 26 RBI 12 R last 10 games (Is he the 2nd coming of Chip Cannon?)

 

Brad Mills

• 6.1 IP 3H 3BB 7K—4-0 1.15 ERA 34K/31IP in 4 starts since promotion

 

Logan Morrison

• 1-4 HR(10) RBI—.286 3 HR 9 RBI last 10 games

 

Andrew Carpenter

• 9 IP 4H ER 7K—Pitching better since demotion to Clearwater (2-3 2.55 ERA 27K/42IP)

 

Juan Francisco

• 2-4 HR(13) 4 RBI 2B—.277 13 HR 64 RBI 12 BB/87K (young switch hitter with power, but still raw)

 

BUY/SELL Analysis

Is there such a thing as an underrated Red Sox prospect?

Jon Still was an All-ACC catcher out of N.C. State when the Boston Red Sox nabbed him with their 4th round pick in 2006.  Still broke out in a big way last season hitting .291 with 25 HR and 98 RBI and 90 runs scored at Greenville and Lancaster.  Additionally, Still walked 105 times en route to a .429 OBP.  This season Still has played the entire season at Lancaster hitting .282 with 19 HR and 65 RBI and 59 BB/65K’s.  Still has played C, 1B and DH for Lancaster this season and it remains unclear where he will play if and when he reaches the big leagues.  Still has superb power and advanced plate discipline, though he is prone to streakiness and has yet to prove that he can replicate his sterling numbers at higher levels.  Still’s sole first year cards can be found in the 2006 Bowman Draft and Chrome sets.  Currently, his Bowman Chrome Draft cards sell for 50-75 cents each with the refractors selling for $6-8 apiece.

Market Advice: There is a big logjam at 1B within the Red Sox organization with the likes of Lars Anderson, Anthony Rizzo and Aaron Bates ahead of Still on the depth chart.  Still’s ability to stay at catcher is questionable at best as he was drafted for his bat.  I seem to think that Still would be a nice fit with a rebuilding team like Seattle who will be looking for a 1B to replace Richie Sexson.  At less than a buck apiece, Still is a low-risk, mid-ceiling BUY.  Granted, if he is traded from the Red Sox, his exposure as a prospect will not be as high, but his opportunity to play will come sooner.