Posted by Jeremy on July 28, 2009 under Uncategorized |
Cleveland Indians 1B prospect Beau Mills rapped two more homeruns last night, raising his season total to 10. Yesterday’s pair of HR’s marks the first time this season that Mills has went yard in back to back games. He’s been, in my opinion, a mild disappointment during his first full year at AA, hitting .261 with 10 HR 54 RBI and 22 doubles. His contact numbers are solid with just 64 K’s in 101 games, but he’s walked just 24 times and has a .305 OBP. June and July has shown an uptick in his numbers and could be an indicator of a strong finish to his season. The Indians just traded Ryan Garko last night to the San Francisco Giants which should open up a litany of future options for the Tribe at 1B. Will they move LaPorta there or, perhaps, Nick Weglarz or Wes Hodges? My gut says that Mills is still the long term guy and a strong finish to his ‘09 season will go a long way towards confirming that thought.
Kyle Drabek had a solid outing last night in what may be his last as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Drabek tossed seven innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs while striking out five en route to his 11th win on the season. Drabek has been at the center of trade rumors as a primary piece in the deal that could potentially send Roy Halladay to the Phillies. Philadelphia’s hesitance to trade him is a primary indicator on just how far he has come this season. Last year, the 21 year old battled injuries and concerns about his make up but his future really seemed to turn towards the positive after a strong showing in the Hawaiian Winter League. The value of Drabek’s 2006 and 2007 autos will be strongest if he remains a member of the Phillies. Philadelphia remains a major market team primed to sustain a long run of success in the NL East. However if Drabek is dealt, the opportunity for him to make a 2009 MLB debut rises significantly and with that the short term value of his cards.
Today’s top AA prospect is another elite pitching prospect, Brian Matusz. Seven innings of four hit, six strikeout ball raises his perfect AA record to 7-0 and gives him 11 total wins this season. Chris Tillman was just called up by the Orioles to make his MLB debut and to further rub salt into the wounds of the Seattle Mariners who just recently put much maligned starter Erik Bedard on the DL….again. The move by the O’s may soon open up a spot for Matusz to move up another notch to AAA Norfolk. I expect that this will happen within his next couple of starts. Matusz’s 2008 Razor cards range from about $12-15 for his Exclusive autos and $15-18 for his serial #’ed cards. If he gets the call in September, these cards could jump significantly.
AA Player of the Day—BRIAN MATUSZ

Other Notable Performances
Hitting:
- Jordan Danks—2-5 R RBI
- C.J. Retherford—2-4 2B RBI BB
- Michael Stanton—1-4 HR(22) 3 RBI
- Logan Morrison—1-3 HR(6) RBI
- Josh Thole—4-5 2B 3R BB SB(5)
- Ike Davis—2-6 2B R
- Lucas Duda—1-5 2B 2 RBI 2R BB
- D.J. Wabick—3-6 HR(2) 6 RBI 2R
- Nick Weglarz—2-4 HR(14) 2 RBI
- Carlos Santana—1-4 HR(19) RBI
- Beau Mills—2-4 2 HR(10) 2 RBI
- Michael Daniel—3-4 HR(4) 3 RBI 2R BB
- Josh Reddick—2-4 2B R BB
- Ryan Kalish—1-4 HR(10) RBI
- Mitch Moreland—2-5 R RBI
- Taylor Green—2-5 2B HR(6) 2 RBI
- Lorenzo Cain—1-3 HR(2) 2 RBI BB
- Corey Wimberley—3-4 3 RBI BB R 2 SB(14)
- Matt Sulentic—2-3 2B 2R 2 RBI BB SB(19)
- Chris Carter—1-4 2B 2R 2 RBI 2 BB
- Tony Thomas—2-4 HR(9) 2 RBI 2R
- Mark Reed—2-4 2R 2B 2 RBI
Pitching:
- Tommy Mendoza—7 IP 4H ER 3K
- Tyson Ross—6 IP 4H Er BB 3K W (6-6)
- Steven Johnson—6 IP 3H BB 7K W (9-5)
- Luis Atilano—7 IP 6H 2 BB 3K W (5-7)
- Dylan Owen—5 IP 6H 3 BB 3K
- Brian Matusz—7 IP 4H 3 BB 6K W (11-2)
- Kyle Drabek—7 IP 7H 2 ER 5K W (9-5)
Tags: baseball card investments, beau mills, brian matusz, brian matusz auto, brian matusz razor, brian matusz rc, carlos santana, chris carter, dylan owen, ebay, ike davis, jordan danks, Josh Reddick, josh thole, kyle drabek, logan morrison, lorenzo cain, major league baseball, major league prospects, matt sulentic, michael daniel, michael stanton, Minor League Baseball, minor league prospects, mitch moreland, nick weglarz, rookie cards, rookie prospects, ryan kalish, sports cards investments, sportscards, taylor green, tyson ross
Posted by Jeremy on August 21, 2008 under Minor League Ball today |
Too much coffee and a Western Washington rainstorm keeps me up tonight to deliver some great AA action to you!
Stephen Head
Matt Wieters
- 1-4 HR(25) 2 RBI BB—When is this guy not on the list?
Chris Tillman
- 6 IP 3H 2BB 8K (W)—9-4 3.32 ERA 139K/125IP (M’s=StupidX3)
Fernando Martinez
- 3-4 2B 2 RBI R SB(6)—.290 7 HR 35 RBI 44 R in 75 games
Dylan Owen
- 6 IP 6H ER 2BB 5K (W)—Nice AA debut (12-6 @ St. Lucie)
Lars Anderson
- 1-4 2B R 2 RBI BB SB(1)—On Fire (.378 2 HR 12 RBI 10 R 8 BB last 10 games)
Jim Negrych
- 2-3 RBI SB(12)—.342 7 R 5 SB last 10 games
Julio Borbon
- 2-6 2B RBI 2R BB 3 SB(46)—.371 HR 5 RBI last 10 games
Kyle Blanks
- 5-7 2 HR(17) 6 RBI—.315 17 HR 91 RBI (monster game for monster prospect)
Daryl Jones
- 1-4 HR(11) RBI—.419 2 HR 5 RBI 11BB/4K last 10 games
Brandon Allen
- 1-4 HR(23) RBI—8 HR 18 RBI 21 R in 31 games at Birmingham
Javier Herrera
- 2-5 HR(7) 3 RBI 2B—.266 7 HR 29 RBI 36 runs in 50 games
Sean Doolittle
- 2-4 2 RBI R BB—Doolittle doing much better lately (.359 9 R 6 RBI last 10 games)
James Simmons
- 7.1 IP 3H ER 2BB 10K (W)—7-2 2.53 ERA 63K/68IP last 10 games
Tyler Colvin
- 2-5 HR(14) 2 RBI—Hot! .413 3 HR 13 RBI 19 H last 10 games
Jeremy Hellickson
- 5 IP 8H 2 ER BB 5K (W)—3-2 3.02 ERA 61K/60IP last 10 games
Mark Trumbo
- 2-3 2B RBI BB—.285 32 HR 85 RBI 81 R over two levels
BUY/SELL Analysis

No Blanks in his barrell
At 6-6 270 lbs. Kyle Blanks has all the looks of a mammoth-sized one-dimensional power hitter. The truth is that Blanks is really an advanced hitter whose agility and plate discipline belie the conventional characteristics of prospects of his stature. Blanks broke out last season at High A Lake Elsinore hitting .301 with 24 HR 100 RBI and…gasp…11 SB. This season, Blanks is on track to equal those numbers at AA hitting .316 with 17 HR 91 RBI and 5 SB. Blanks has some work to do as his power is to his pull side while he opts to slap balls on the outside part of the plate for RF singles. His weight also brings concerns of future injury issues. Blanks has a 1st year autograph in the 2006 Bowman Prospects set and a base card in the ‘06 Bowman Chrome Prospects set. His autos sell for $13-15 each while his chromes sell for $1.50-2.00 apiece.
Market Advice: Blanks’ size and power potential is intriguing to say the least. He will turn just 22 in Septermber which bodes well for his future development. The biggest concern I have for him is his weight. He is a soft 270 lbs and, unless he gets into better shape, a major injury risk in the future. That being said, it is hard to turn away from his cards at the prices they are at. If you can snag an auto for less than $15 do it and hope he continues to develop. The Padres are in rebuilding mode and Blanks could get a look next season. I would like to see what kind of shape Blanks is in when he shows up to Spring Training. An off-season strength program and diet plan could pay huge dividends for him and for collectors of his cards.
Tags: AA Baseball, aaron bates, Brandon Allen, chris tillman, daryl jones, dylan owen, fernando martinez, james simmons, javier herrera, jeremy hellickson, jim negrych, Julio Borbon, kyle blanks, lars anderson, mark trumbo, matt wieters, Sean Doolittle, stephen head, tyler colvin