10/27 Arizona Fall League Report

Posted by Jeremy on October 29, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Back to the keyboard to provide some more AFL updates.  Tuesday’s games saw Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Jose Tabata have his best game as at the plate, going 3-6 with his first HR and six RBI.  Tigers SS prospect Cale Iorg logged his first dinger as well, driving in three and scoring three times.  Freddie Freeman went yard and looks to be emerging from an early season slump. 

In Phoenix, the Oakland A’s OF tandem of Corey Brown and Grant Desme are providing ample evidence that the A’s’ present offensive woes may become a thing of the past.  Desme is currently leading the league with eight dingers and, though he didn’t add to that total Tuesday, he did drive in two runs and score three times.  Brown, an Oklahoma State alum, also had three RBI on the strength of his fourth HR of the season.  Both Brown and Desme are highly athletic players who have the ability to hit 30 HR per season at the major league level.

Tuesday’s top star, however, is household name Stephen Strasburg.   The Nationals’ franchise player bounced back big time from his lousy outing last week by tossing 4.1 innings of one-hit, one run ball walking one and striking out five for his second win of the season.  Despite the poor outing last week, Strasburg’s various 2008 and 2009 cards remain white hot commodities on the eBay trading floor.  A couple more outings like this will only amply that market.

AFL Player of the Day—STEPHEN STRASBURG

Other Notable AFL Performances:

  Peoria Saguaros 6

• Freddie Freeman—2-4 HR(1) RBI 2R
• Matt McBride—1-4 HR(2) 3 RBI
• Cedric Hunter—2-3 3 RBI
• Zack Cozart—2-4 2B 2R SB(2)

  Mesa Solar Sox 5

• Chris Parmelee—2-5 2 2B 2 RBI
• Luis Exposito—2-3 2B RBI BB
• Greg Burns—2-4 R
• Rene Tosoni—1-4 2R RBI BB

  Phoenix Desert Dogs 7

• David Espinosa—2-4 2B R
• Grant Desme—1-2 2B 3R 2 RBI 2 BB
• Corey Brown—2-4 HR(4) 3 RBI 2B SB(1)
• Brad Emaus—2-3 2 RBI BB SB(2)
• Steven Strasburg—4.1 IP H ER 2 BB 5K W (2-1)

  Surprise Rafters 6

• Jeff Bianchi—2-5 HR(1) 3 RBI 2R
• Mitch Moreland—2-4 2B RBI BB
• Marcus Lemon—2-4 3B 2R RBI

  Peoria Javelinas 10

• Jordan Danks—2-3 3R RBI 2 BB
• Cale Iorg—3-5 HR(1) RBI 3R SB(3)
• Russ Mitchell—1-4 3 RBI
• Dustin Ackley—1-4 2R BB

  Scottsdale Scorpions 9

• Jose Tabata—3-6 2B HR(1) 6 RBI
• Domonic Brown—2-5
• Cole Gillespie—3-5 2B R
• Brandon Crawford—1-2 3R RBI 2 BB
• Scott Mathieson—1.2 IP H BB 3K

10/20 Arizona Fall League Report

Posted by Jeremy on October 21, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Yesterday’s AFL results are littered with four hit performances from the likes of Bryan Petersen, Starlin Castro, Jon Lucroy, and Carlos Rivero, not to mention HR’s by Grant Desme (#3), Brad Emaus, Chris Parmelee, Matt Dominguez,  and Russ Mitchell (#3).  Today’s top performer is L.A. Dodgers OF prospect Andrew Lambo.  The 21 year old blasted his second HR of the fall as part of a three hit day, driving in four runs and scoring three times.  The former 2007 4th round pick has had a scalding start to his AFL campaign, hitting .478 with 2 HR 9 RBI and 6 runs scored in his six outings.  The Dodgers are by no means extending Ramirez’s contract beyond the 2010 season and will be in hoc for a significant portion of his deferred contract for several seasons beyond ‘10.  Lambo is not quite ready for a starting OF role with the Dodgers yet, but his start to the AFL season looks like it could catapult him into a significant role in the latter months of next season.  Lambo, at his peak, has the same offensive capabilities of current Dodgers RF and first time All-Star Andre Ethier.  The market for Lambo’s 2008 Bowman Chrome autos is pretty undervalued right now as many of them can be fetched for $6-8 each and refractors (#/500) for about $10 a pop.  Given his upside as future 25-30 HR guy, this seems to be an excellent opportunity to snag a few at single digit prices.

AFL Player of the Day—ANDREW LAMBO

Other AFL Performances

Peoria Javelinas 14

• Lorenzo Cain—2-6 2B R 2 RBI
• Jordan Danks—1-4 2B 2R RBI 2 BB
• Scott Sizemore—1-3 2R 3 BB
• Andrew Lambo—3-6 HR(2) 4 RBI 3R
• Russ Mitchell–1-2 HR(3) 2 RBI BB
• Jon Lucroy—4-4 HR(1) RBI 3R BB
• Zach Braddock—2 IP H 3K

Mesa Solar Sox 10

• Bryan Petersen—4-5 2B 3R
• Starlin Castro—4-5 2R RBI
• Ryan Kalish—3-4 2B 3R 2 RBI BB SB(1)
• Chris Parmelee—1-4 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Matt Dominguez—2-5 2B HR(1) RBI

Peoria Saguaros 11

• Chris Heisey—3-4 2b 2R 3 RBI BB
• Brandon Hicks—2-2 2B 2R 2 BB SB(1)
• Cedric Hunter—2-5 2B R RBI
• Carlos Rivero—4-5 2 2B 2 RBI R
• Jose Vallejo—2-45 2R SB(1)

Phoenix Desert Dogs 8

• Matt Angle—3-5 2B R RBI
• David Espinosa—2-5 R RBI
• Chris Marrero—2-5 2B RBI R
• Grant Desme—2-5 HR(3) 3 RBI
• Brad Emaus—1-5 HR(1) 2 RBI

Scottdale Scorpions 7

• Jose Tabata—3-5 2 3B 2 RBI 2R
• Brandon Crawford—1-3 2B R 2 BB
• William Susdorf—2-3 2R RBI SB(1)
• Hector Gomez—2-4 2B R 2 RBI

Surprise Rafters 3

• Ike Davis—2-4 2 2B R
• Jeff Bianchi—1-4 2B 2 RBI

10/19 Arizona Fall League Report

Posted by Jeremy on October 20, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | 2 Comments to Read

Domonic Brown hit his second HR of the season while the potent middle of Phoenix’s lineup (Josh Bell, Brandon Snyder, and Grant Desme) continue to punish the ball with multi hit games.  Brandon Erbe looked good in his AFL debut (2 IP 2K) and Reds OF prospect Chris Heisey hit his second HR.

Today’s top prospect is red hot Detroit Tigers 2B prospect Scott Sizemore.  Already three HR’s into his season, Sizemore logged in with a 3-4 day at the plate with two doubles and four RBI.  Sizemore now has a league leading 9 RBI and is hitting .375 through his first four games.  The 24 year old infielder had a breakout season splitting time between AA Erie and AAA Toledo, hitting .308 with 17 HR 66 RBI 21 SB 88 runs and 39 doubles.  Sizemore’s AFL season should factor greatly in shaping Detroit’s offseason plans when it comes to re-signing free agent Placido Polonco.   Sizemore’s ability to step into the role would allow the Tigers to save $5-6 next season to allocate to other need areas.  Sizemore has only one rookie card, an autograph in the 2007 Bowman Heritage set, to date.  His hot start in the AFL has garnered some attention for the card as it currently sits at $7-9 and is only intermittently listed on eBay at this time.

AFL Player of the Day—SCOTT SIZEMORE

Other AFL Performances:

  Scottsdale Scorpions 7

• Pedro Ciriaco Jr.—2-5 2B R RBI
• Domonic Brown—2-5 HR(2) RBI
• Brandon Allen—2-5 2B 2 RBI
• Thomas Neal—1-2 2B R 2 RBI 2 BB SB(2)
• Joe Martinez—3 IP 3H ER BB 3K W (1-0)

  Surprise Rafters 3

• Ruben Tejada—2-4 2 2B
• MItch Moreland—2-4 2B R
• Jeff Bianchi—2-4 BB

  Peoria Javelinas 8

• Scott Sizemore—3-4 2 2B R 4 RBI
• Dayan Viciedo—1-5 2 RBI
• Jordan Danks—1-1 HR(1) RBI BB
• Lorenzo Cain—0-3 3R 2 BB SB(2)
• Scot Drucker—3 IP 3H K W (1-0)

  Mesa Solar Sox 1

• Chris Parmelee—3-4 2 2B R
• Ryan Kalish—2-4 RBI

  Phoenix Desert Dogs  6

• Josh Bell—4-5 2B 3B 3R RBI
• Grant Desme—3-5 2B R
• Brandon Snyder—2-5 2B R
• Adam Loewen—1-4 HR(1) 3 RBI BB
• Brandon Erbe—2 IP 2K
• Mickey Storey—2 IP H 4K
• Drew Storen—IP H 2K

  Peoria Saguaros  2

• Nick Weglarz—3-4 2B
• Jason Castro—1-3 R BB
• Chris Heisey—1-4 HR(2) RBI

Arizona Fall League: Mesa Solar Sox Roster and Analysis

Posted by Jeremy on October 14, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | 2 Comments to Read

This is the first of a six part series that will examine the rosters of each Arizona Fall League team.  The Arizona Fall League is annually renown for showcasing the elite talent of each major league organization and often serves as a spring board for talented youngsters to carve out opportunities with their big league clubs in the following MLB season.  For the savvy prospect investor, the AFL offers a prolonged look at the development of key prospects during the baseball offseason and shapes the buying and selling strategies to be employed throughout the ensuing season.

Our first look is at the Mesa Solar Sox which boasts talents from the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, L.A. Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, and Florida Marlins.  Enjoy!

Top 5 Players to Watch:

1.) Michael Stanton

• It was a tale of two seasons for the king-sized Florida Marlins slugger who split time between High-A Jupiter and AA Jacksonville this season.  With Jupiter, Stanton hit .294 with 12 HR 39 RBI and a solid 28 BB/45 K ratio in 50 games.  His promotion to Jacksonville, however, exploited some still raw strike zone judgement (31 BB/99 K in 79 games) that plagued him throught 2008.  As a resut, Stanton mustered a .231 BA against Southern League hurlers, though his 16 HR and 53 RBI were demonstrative indicators of the power to come.  The market for Stanton’s various ‘08 RC autos is still quite active but the costs have diminshed by about 25% since his hot spring numbers.  His cheapest autos can be found in the 2008 Razor series (#/1199) for a shade under $10 each.  His more popular autos in the Bowman Chrome Drat set command $30-35 each.

AFL Outlook:

• Stanton has drawn rave reviews from members within the Marlins organization for his work ethic and cerebral approach to the game.  His struggles with the strike zone are issues stemming strictly from a lack of experience and an expedient ascent through the system.  Like other power hitters, he will always rack up high K totals, but I think that he will find a way to be more selective at the plate which should raise his BB totals as well as his batting average in future years.  If his AFL season is a successful one, Stanton should figure heavily in the Marlins’ plans at some point in 2010.

2.) Josh Vitters

• The top prospect of the Chicago Cubs played like one in his first full professional season, hitting .316 with 15 HR 46 RBI and 42 runs scored in his 70 games at Low-A Peoria.  That performance earned him a promotion to the Cubs’ High-A affiliate Dayton where his numbers dropped considerably (.238 3 HR 22 RBI in 50 games).  Like Stanton, plate discipline was the main culprit of Vitters’ struggles as he earned just 12 walks in 458 AB. 

AFL Outlook:

• Vitters is at least a year to year and a half away from making his major league debut, so this AFL experience is really just an opportunity for Josh to show the Cubs’ brass where he is development-wise.  Current Cubbies 3B Aramis Ramirez is under contract through next season and has a $14.6 million player option that he can utilize for 2011.  This should give Vitters just enough time to develop into a player that can effectively replace Ramirez’s production once he hits the free agent market.  Vitters has autographed cards in various 2007 and 2008 products that all seem to fall in the $10-20 range.  For someone who has promise to be the face of the Cubs franchise within the next two to three seasons, his cards seem like rock solid investments.

3.) Casey Kelly

• Is he a pitcher or an infielder?  Judging by last year’s numbers, his arm seems to be ahead of his bat.  Propelled by a 6-1 record and 1.12 ERA, the 19 year old Sarasota native rocketed his way to High-A Salem and continued to post excellent numbers (3.09 ERA 7 BB/29 K in 35 IP).  Kelly, as per the Red Sox plans, stopped pitching in the second half of the season and played at SS, where his bat (.222 3 HR 16 RBI 16 BB/49 K) failed to muster the same heat has his electric right arm.

AFL Outlook:

• On a roster drunk with top tier shortstops (Starlin Castro, Jose Iglesias), it seems that Kelly’s initial AFL experience will be limited and a primary source of extra offseason work against elite talent.  My gut tells me that Kelly will eventually develop as a pitcher, forgoing the offensive side of his game.  There are several other fine SS (Iglesias, Yamiaco Navarro, Argenis Diaz, Oscar Tejeda) within the system.

4.) Starlin Castro

• The 19 year old Chicago Cubs farmhand had an excellent debut season shooting up to AA Tennessee, hitting .299 with 3 HR 49 RBI and 28 SB over two levels.  The youngest participant in the Arizona Fall League, Castro has shown sound strike zone discipline (29 BB/53 K) and the ability to hit for future power (32 XBH). 

AFL Outlook:

• Castro’s AFL performance could go a long way towards determining just where the Cubs will start him for the 2010 season.  My hunch is that he will go back to AA Tennessee with the intent of earning a promotion to AAA Iowa within the first couple of months.  Current Cubbies SS, Ryan Theriot, had another solid season with both the glove and the bat, which could mean that Castro’s first MLB action may be at 2B instead of SS.  That could happen at the tail end of the 2010 season.  Castro’s first year cards have just been issued in the 2009 Bowman Chrome set.  The base chrome cards are currently trading at $1.25-2.00 each and his refractors can be found for $4-5 per card.  Vitters may be the face of the franchise, but Castro should be playing next to him and hitting in front of him for several future seasons.

5.) Ryan Kalish

• Kalish bounced back after a ho-hum 2008 season to put up big numbers at his High-A and AA stops this year, hitting .279 with 18 HR 77 RBI 21 SB and 84 runs scored.  The increase of his power output did not come at the expense of his plate disciline, which at a rate of 68 BB/107 K in 141 games, is still quite acceptable.

AFL Outlook:

• After being outsted by the L.A. Angels in a three game sweep, the Red Sox have some glaring offseason questions to answer.  Current LF Jason Bay is an unrestricted free agent and J.D. Drew is a prolonged stint on the DL (35 or more days) away from allowing the Red Sox the ability to opt out of the rest of his contract.  Josh Reddick, who received a couple of brief stints with the Sox this year, is at the front of the list of potential replacements, but Kalish may offer a more comprehensive skill set than Reddick has.  Long term, both are quite talented enough to flank Jacoby Ellsbury as a formidable Fenway trifecta for seasons to come.  The current eBay market for Kalish’s various 2008 first year autos between $8-12, which seems like a bargain considering the future potential that Kalish posesses.

Others to watch:

• Luis Exposito–Red Sox top catching prospect highly successful @ AA (.337 3 HR 12 RBI in 23 games)
• Ryan Mount—Disappointing ‘09 season but now top 2B with departure of Sean Rodriguez
• Hank Conger–1st fully healthy season at AA rendered good results (.295 11 HR 68 RBI 55 BB/68 K)
• Andrew Cashner—Cubs ‘08 1st rounder w/ power arm showed he can start (24 starts 2.60 ERA)
• Rene Tosoni—Twins OF w/ solid all around skill set may be playing for a change of scenery
• Chris Parmelee—’06 1st rounder developing plate discipline and light tower power (16 HR 27 2B)
• Jose Iglesias—Cuban FA SS with dynamic glove and emerging offensive potential for Red Sox
• Matt Dominguez–A disappointing 2009 season may be due more to being rushed than overall talent
• David Cooper–Unlike Dominguez, his extremely good ‘08 may be the aberration

7/7 High-A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on July 9, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

San Francisco Giants OF prospect Roger Kieschnick went 3-4 yesterday, blasting his 17th HR, driving in three runs and scoring twice.  In an organization chocked full of blue chip talent, Kieschnick’s 2009 season has gone widely unnoticed.  However, the former Texas Tech star has been excellent this season, hitting .303 with 17 HR 66 RBI 7 SB and 55 runs scored.  At 6-3 200 lb., Kieschnick has the size and strength of a prototypical right fielder.  The biggest knock on him, at this point, is his plate discipline.  This season, Kieschnick has walked just 20 times while striking out 78 times in 81 games.  This ratio will clearly affect his batting average as he advances to higher levels and make him more of a one dimensional hitter.  He will definitely hit for power at the major league level, but notions of a .300 plus batting average should be tempered significantly.  Kieshnick’s numbers are likely inflated a bit because of the wonderful hitting parks in the California League.  His next stop will be AA Connecticut, though, a league that tends to lean toward the pitchers.  Watch to see how he adjusts after his promotion, either this year or next, to get a better reading on his porjected future.

Today’s top player is a more nondescript prospect in Baltimore Orioles 1B prospect Robbie Widlansky.  The former Florida Atlantic standout and ‘07 11th round pick went 2-4 yesterday with his first two HR of the season, three RBI and three runs scored.  Widlansky is a versatile player who can play both corner OF positions and both corner infield positions.  He was injured for the first two months of the season, but has been red hot since his return, hitting .388 10 doubles and 18 runs scored in 31 games.  Widlansky doesn’t profile as an everyday player at this point in his career.  At 24 years old, he is a bit old for the High-A level but may be due for a promotion before the end of this season.  He’s got decent size (6-2 210 lb.) and showed a considerable boost in power during his final season at FA, hitting .433 with 15 HR and 69 RBI.  I don’t expect that he will be a full time player at the major league level, but his reputation as being a hard nosed workaholic, plus his versatility in the field may open up some opportunities in the future.

High-A Player of the Day—ROBBIE WIDLANSKY

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Conor Gillaspie—3-5 2B 2R
• Buster Posey—3-5 HR(12) RBI 2B 3R
• Roger Kieschnick—3-4 HR(17) 3 RBI 2B 2R
• Angel Villalona—2-4 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Elian Herrera—3-5 2R HR(3) 2 RBI
• Scott VanSlyke—1-4 HR(12) RBI BB 2R
• Matt Clark—2-4 2 2B 2 RBI R
• T.J. Steele—3-5 2B 2R 2 RBI SB(8)
• James Shuck—1-3 HR(1) RBI 2 BB SB(17) 2R
• Koby Clemens—2-5 2 2B R
• Jeremy Moore—2-4 HR(16) RBI BB
• Grant Desme—1-3 HR(16) RBI BB
• Ramon Ramirez—3-5 2 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Hector Gomez—2-4 2B 2 RBI
• Engel Beltre—2-7 2 RBI
• Ryan Adams—3-5 R 3 RBI
• Matthew Angle—2-5 2R 2 RBI SB(26)
• Robbie Widlansky—2-4 2 HR(2) 3 RBI 3R BB
• Tyler Henson—2-5 2R 3B
• Michael Burgess—3-4 2B 2R 3 RBI SB(9)
• David Espinosa—2-4 2 2B 3R RBI Bb
• Mike Moustakas—3-4 2B
• Johnny Giavotella—1-3 2B 2R BB
• Moises Sierra—2-5 2B 2R BB
• Ben Revere—2-5 2R 3B SB(31)
• Steven Singleton—2-5 2 3B 4 RBI R
• Chris Parmelee—1-5 HR(11) RBI
• Charles Cutler—3-4 2 2B 3R

Pitching:

• Scott Barnes—6 IP 6H 2 UER 2 BB 9K w (9-3)
• Joshua Collmenter—4.2 IP 4H 2 UER 4 BB 7K
• Casey Kelly—6. IP 6H ER BB 5K L (7-5)
• Tom Milone—7 IP 7H ER 2 BB 3K W (4-3)

5/29 High-A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on May 30, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Angel Villalona and Nick Noonan each went yard for San Jose.  Villalona has made great strides offensively this season raising his average nearly 40 points over last year’s totals and improving his BB/K ratio slightly.  There is still an ample amount of work that needs to be done in this department as he has only earned 7 BB vs. 38 K’s in his 45 games, but it is an improvement over last year’s 18 BB/118 K debacle.  In other action, Neftali Soto rapped four hits and drove in a run, a feat exceeded by Boston’s catching prospect Luis Exposito who also went 4-4 with his 3rd HR and three RBI.

Michael Stanton raised his average to .296 by collecting three hits, including his 11th HR, driving in three runs and scoring four times.  Stanton’s plate discipline has improved by leaps and bounds as he has a very respectible 25 BB/37 K’s thusfar.  Adding that element to his game makes him infinitely more dangerous as a power hitter.

Today’s top prospect is another Philadelphia Phillie, Kyle Drabek.  The fireballing son of former N.L. Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, tossed a complete game shutout, allowing five hits and striking out seven.  The win gives Drabek a 4-1 record this season with a 2.48 ERA and 19 BB/74 K in his first 62 innings.  Going at least 5 innings in each of his first 10 outings, the 21 year old is showing that he has moved well beyond his injury woes of the past and previous concerns about his makeup and work ethic have been mitigated significantly.  Expect Drabek to get a promotion at some point this season and, with the poor pitching of top prospect Carlos Carrasco, it seems reasonable to expect that Kyle could wind up as Philly’s best young hurler by the end of the ‘09 season.

High-A Player of the Day—KYLE DRABEK

Other Notable Performances:

Hitting:

• Logan Forsythe—2-5 3 RBI
• Tyson Gillies—2-4 2 3B 2R
• Angel Villalona—3-5 2B HR(7) 2 RBI 2R 2B
• Nick Noonan—3-5 HR(3) 3 RBI 2B 2R
• Thomas Neal—3-5 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Jemile Weeks—1-4 HR(2) 2 RBI
• Matthew Sweeney—2-3 HR(6) 2 RBI
• Cord Phelps—1-5 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Luis Exposito—4-4 HR(3) 3 RBI 2B
• Freddie Freeman—3-5 2B R
• Derrick Robinson—2-6 R SB(24)
• Johnny Giavotella—2-4 2B R
• Miles Durham—1-3 HR(6) RBI
• Brandon Tripp—4-6 HR(3) 3 RBI 3B 3B 2R (Cycle)
• Michael Stanton—2-3 2B 2R 3 BB (Game 1)…..1-3 HR(11) 2 RBI 2 BB 2R (Game 2)
• Jesus Montero—2-4 2B
• Chris Parmelee—2-4 2B RBI
• Ben Revere—2-4 RBI SB(21)
• Arlon Quiroz—3-4 2B RBI R
• Justin Jackson—2-3 2B
• Yonder Alonso—2-4 R
• Neftali Soto—4-4 2B RBI R SB(1)

Pitching:

• Travis Webb—7.1 IP 5H ER BB 6K W (3-3)
• Jeremy Hefner—5 IP 6H 2 ER BB 4K W (4-6)
• Alberto Bastardo—7 IP 5H BB 8K W (4-2)
• Bruce Billings—6.2 IP 4H UER 13K L (3-5)
• Scott Barnes—6 IP 2H er 3 BB 6K W (5-2)
• Alexander Torres—6 IP 5H Er 3 BB 7K W (3-2)
• Brad Meyers—6.2 Ip 4H ER 2 BB 8K L (3-2)
• Jose Rosario—5 Ip 5H Er 7K W (4-1)
• Deolis Guerra—6 IP 5H K W (4-4)
• Kyle Drabek—9 IP 5H BB 7K W (4-1)
• Jeff Allison—5 IP 6H 2 ER 2 BB 2K W (3-3)

5/11 High-A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on May 12, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

There was a light schedule in the High-A ranks yesterday as both the California League and Carolina league had the night off.  Kyle Drabek continues his comeback bid with great success tossing five innings of one run ball in a no-decision.  Neftali Soto seems to have shaken off an early season slump as he hit his fourth HR as part of a three hit day.  Jesus Montero drove in three runs as did teammate Eric Fryer.  Matt Dominguez’s bat is showing signs of life as he had two hits and scored twice, but it was a teammate of his who takes home top honors for the second time this season.

Today’s top player is none other than Florida Marlins statuesque slugger Michael Stanton.  The 6-5 outfielder hit his seventh HR and doubled, driving in two runs.  Stanton has been solid this season, but really hasn’t heated up yet as he is hitting .281 with 7 HR and 23 RBI thusfar.  The market for his cards is still quite vibrant, but it has subsided somewhat since his excellent performance with the Marlins in spring training.  Stanton is still indubidly a fast track player who should make the transition to AA Chattanooga at some point this season.  Looking for a good deal on an ‘08 auto?  His Razor autos are currently selling for $10-12 each.

High-A Player of the Day—MICHAEL STANTON

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Jordan Newton—2-4 HR(1) 2 RBI 2B
• Moises Sierra—2-5 RBI SB(3)
• Tim Kennelly—3-4 3 2B RBI BB
• Lee Haydel—2-5 RBI R 2 SB(13)
• Eric Farris—3-5 BB SB(16)
• Michael Stanton—2-3 HR(7) 2 RBI 2B BB
• Matt Dominguez—2-4 2R RBI
• Gregory Burns—3-5 2R 2 RBI SB(5)
• Pedro Cipriano—1-4 HR(4) 2 RBI
• Neftali Soto—3-3 HR(4) RBI BB
• Yonder Alonso—1-2 R 3 BB
• Chris Parmelee—2-3 HR(5) RBI BB
• Austin Krum—3-3 3R BB
• Eric Fryer—3-4 HR(1) 3 RBI
• Jesus Montero—2-4 3 RBI 3B R

Pitching:

• Kyle Drabek—5 IP 5H ER 3 BB 5K
• Joshua Butler—7 IP 6H 2 ER 2 BB 4K
• Eric Nielson—6 IP 4H 2 BB 7K W (2-2)
• Carlos Gutierrez—6 IP 3H 3 BB 3K W (2-1)

4/12 High-A Minor League Report

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

Let’s start with the Florida State League which played no games on Sunday, but had a full docket of games on Saturday.  Jesus Montero went yard for the first time this season but Ben Revere upstaged him going 3-6 with his first HR, three RBI and two runs scored.

Florida State League Player of the Day—BEN REVERE

Other Notable Performances:

• Justin Reed—2-3 HR(1) RBI 2R SB(1)
• Greg Veloz—2-5 2B R SB(3)
• Reese Havens—1-4 2B RBI
• Carlos Guzman—2-4
• Scott Shaw—5 IP 4H Er 5K
• Zach Stewart—4 IP 6H ER BB 3K
• Jesus Montero—2-4 HR(1) RBI BB
• Brandon Laird—3-5 2B RBI
• Charlie Furbush—4 IP 5H 6K
• Andy Dirks—2-5 RBI R SB(3)
• Michael Stanton—2-4 RBI
• Matt Dominguez—1-3 BB R
• Alejandro Sanabia—5.2 IP 3H BB 4K W(1)
• Pete Kozma—2-4 2B
• Shane Peterson—2-4 RBI
• Justin Jackson—2-5 2R SB(2)
• Kevin Ahrens—2-4 2R RBI BB SB(1)
• Eric Thames—1-2 2B R 2 RBI BB SB(1)
• Dominic Brown—1-3 2R 2 BB
• Tim Kennelly—1-5 2B 3 RBI
• Derrick Mitchell—2-4 2B R
• Dan McDaniel—6 IP H BB 3K W(1)
• Nate Samson—1-3 R RbvI
• Russ Canzler—2-3 RBI
• Evan Anundsen—6 IP 6H ER BB 3K L(1)
• Ben Revere—3-6 HR(1) 3 RBI 2R
• Joe Benson—2-5 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Deibinson Romero—3-5 2B 3 RBI
• Chris Parmelee—1-4 HR(2) RBI 2R BB
• Ryan Royster—2-4 2B RBI BB R

Sunday’s action in the Carolina League saw Freddie Freeman rack up three hits and two RBI while Ryan Kalish and Derrick Robinson each had a couple of hits and a stolen base.  On the mound, excellent pitching performances from Tim Bascom and Zach Putnam resulted in winning results, but Cole Rohrbough trumped them all with a five inning, four hit, six strikeout performance against Wilmington.

Florida State League Player of the Game—COLE ROHRBOUGH

Other Notable Performances:

• Matt McBride—2-4 2 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Lonnie Chisenhall—2-5 R RBI
• Tim Fedroff—0-2 3 BB R 2 SB(2)
• Zach Putnam—5 IP 5H Er 2 BB 5K W(1)
• Ryan Adams—2-5 2B
• Brandon Waring—2-4 RBI
• Billy Rowell—1-3 2B BB
• Tim Bascom—5 IP 4H BB 2K W(1)
• Ryan Kalish—2-3 R SB(2) BB
• Eddie Prasch—1-1 2B R 2 RBI
• Chi-Hung Cheng—4 IP 2H 2 BB K
• Derrick Robinson—2-4 R RBI BB SB(4)
• Mike Moustakas—1-4 2B RBI
• Cole Rohrbough—5 IP 4H ER BB 6K W(1)
• Freddie Freeman—3-4 2B R 2 RBI
• Jason Heyward—1-5 2B R

Buster Posey and Alex Liddi blasted their first California League HR’s while Roger Keischnick and Conor Gillespie rapped three hits each.  The top player award goes to Brandon Crawford for his perfect 3-3 day that included his second HR of the year, two RBI and two runs scored.

California League Player of the Day—BRANDON CRAWFORD 

Other Notable Performances:

• Mitch Moreland—1-4 2B R RBI
• Willin Rosario—2-3 2B
• Mike Kirkman—7 IP H 3 BB 8K W(1)
• Bruce Billings—6 IP 2H 4 UER 2 BB 7K L(1)
• Brandon Crawford—3-3 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R
• Nick Noonan—2-4 2R RBI BB
• Buster Posey—2-4 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Conor Gillespie—3-5 2B RBI R
• Roger Keischnick—3-4 R RBI
• Collin Cowgill—1-2 2R 2 BB
• Sean Coughlan—2-4 HR(1) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Kyle Greene—3-5 2B 2 RBI
• Taylor Harbin—2-4 BB
• Patrick McAnaney—5 IP 4H ER BB 5K W(1)
• Jason Castro—2-4 R
• Jonathan Geston—1-4 HR(1) 2 RBI 2R
• Alex Liddi—1-4 HR(1) RBI
• Joe Dunigan 2-3 3B RBI R BB
• Chris Hicks—5 IP 4H 2 ER BB 6K W(1)