7/2 AA Minor League Report

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

Prior to the start of the ‘09 season, San Diego Padres 2B prospect Eric Sogard was very high on my sleepers list.  Perhaps it was his excellent first season in the California League (.308 10 HR 87 RBI 92 runs 42 doubles) or the fact that he is a former ASU Sun Devil, but I couldn’t help but compare him to ‘08 AL MVP Dustin Pedroia.  While the two share many similarities, style of play, body size and structure, plate discipline, etc., Sogard’s got a long way to go before those comparisons have any merit.  The fact remains, however, that Eric Sogard is an intriguing MLB talent.  After a slow month of May that saw him hit .212,  he bounced back nicely during the month of June by hitting .314 with 21 runs scored and 11 RBI in 24 games.  Sogard’s main competition for the 2B job with the Padres is the disappointing enigma known as Matt Antonelli.  I believe that he will leapfrog him by this point next season, perhaps into a starting job with the Padres.

Madison Bumgarner remains the top left handed pitching prospect in all of baseball, but the hype for him has cooled a little bit since his promotion to Connecticut.  Regardless, the former ‘07 1st rounder continues to tack up wins.  His seven innings of four hit, shutout ball netted him his sixth AA win and ninth overall for the season.  Bumgarner has allowed just one earned run over his last 19 innings, but the strikeout numbers have been down a little bit and his 19 BB/66 K in 74 innings is less impressive that last year’s Nintendo-like 21 BB/164 K’s in 141 innings.  Also, it seems like Bumgarner’s workload has increased over his last two outings (8 IP and 7 IP respectively).  Perhaps this is because the Giants are edging into playoff contention and the chances that Bumgarner will be called upon to pitch for San Fran in 2009 are waning.  I believe that Bumgarner can hold his own against MLB hitters right now, but holding him back until 2010 may be the more prudent move.  Watch the market for his cards.  If it dips, jump on his stuff now.  He’ll have a prominent role with the Giants in 2010.

Today’s top prospect is another southpaw, Baltimore Orioles top ‘08 draftee Brian Matusz.  his seven shutout innings marked his third consecutive dominant start at Bowie where he’s gone 3-0 with a 0.49 ERA and 6 BB/21 K in 18.1 IP.  Matusz has been flat out dominant this season going 7-2 with a 1.80 ERA in 14 starts this year.  His 27 BB/96 K ratio in 85 IP is a fine indicator that he is commanding his mid-90’s heater well while keeping hitters honest with his slider and change.  He profiles as a #2 or 3 starter for a Baltimore Orioles rotation that could soon rival that of the pennant winning O’s of 1979.

AA Player of the Day—BRIAN MATUSZ

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Carlos Santana—2-4 HR(12) 3 RBI
• Gorkys Hernandez—1-4 HR(1) RBI
• Jose Tabata—1-4 HR(2) RBI SB(6)
• Brad Emaus—3-4 3R BB SB(7)
• Shawn Bowman—4-4 2B
• Desmond Jennings—1-3 R 2 BB SB(29)
• Jesus Montero—2-5 HR(13) 2 RBI
• Ryan Strieby—2-5 HR(15) 2 RBI 2R
• Brennan Boesch—2-3 HR(16) RBI 2R BB
• Alex Avila—2-4 2B 2R 2 RBI BB
• Zack Cozart—1-4 HR(9) 2 RBI
• Todd Frazier—1-4 HR(8) RBI
• Andrew Lambo—1-4 2B 2 RBI R
• Josh Bell—2-3 2B RBI
• Pedro Ciraco—3-5 HR(2) 2 RBI 2 2B 2R
• Mark Hallberg—3-4 2B R
• Steffan Gartrell—3-4 HR(15) RBI
• Eric Sogard—2-4 HR(3) 3 RBI BB
• Logan Forsythe—2-4 R RBI BB
• Cole Garner—1-4 HR(7) RBI
• Justin Smoak–1-2 3 BB
• Mitch Moreland—1-5 HR(11) RBI 2R
• Dan Delasco—1-4 HR(8) 2 RBI BB
• Josh Donaldson—2-5 2B R RBI
• Matt Spencer—2-4 2R RBI BB

Pitching:

• Brian Matusz—7 IP 4H 2 BB 6K W (7-2)
• Hector Rondon—6 IP 4H 3 ER BB 8K L (7-5)
• Madison Bumgarner—7 IP 4H 3 BB 5K W (9-2)
• Tyler Herron—4.2 IP 4H ER 4 BB 7K
• Matt Torra—7 IP 4H Er BB 4K W (6-6)
• Chaz Roe—5.2 IP 2H 2 BB 6K W (3-1)

Your Daily Value #38

Posted by Jeremy on January 26, 2009 under Your Daily Value | Be the First to Comment

1997 Bowman Chrome JASON WERTH RC

Current eBay Price—$2.00-3.00

This late bloomer’s stock began to rise during the second half of last season in which he hit .279 with 13 HR 35 RBI and 12 SB, and his stellar performance in the World Series (8-18 HR 3 RBI 4 SB) could mean that Werth’s cards could experience a significant bump in market value in 2009.

Jayson began his career as a catcher in the Orioles organization before injuries and mediocre minor league performances bounced him to the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and finally, the Phillies.  Prior to 2008, Werth was strictly a platoon player whose right handed bat absolutely decimated LHP’s.  Last year was no exception, as Werth batted .303/.368/.652 with 16 HR in just 155 AB’s against southpaws.  Manager Charlie Manuel decided to give Werth more at bats against righthanders and, while his splits are less impressive, (.255/.360/. BA), there has been considerable improvement which may lead him to feel more confident in taking a more power condusive approach against RHP’s.  In addition to his power numbers, Werth has demonstrated that he is a highly aggressive and intelligent baserunner (20 of 21 SB attempts) and an athletically gifted defensive OF as well.

I think that we can expect even more from Werth this season IF he can stay healthy.  This has been a problem in the past and he has yet to prove that he can handle the rigors or a 162 game schedule.  If he does, it seems quite possible that Werth could bump his numbers up into the 30 HR/30 SB range while scoring 100+ runs at the top part of Philly’s high-octane offense. 

Werth’s best 1st year card is the 1997 Bowman Chrome card and, while it is not a rare card, it is one that is difficult to find in bulk quantities.  Autographed cards for Werth are not that plentiful either.  He has a 2005 SPX auto #/350 that seems like a good bargain at $6-8 and his 2007 UD Elements Autos can be had in the $7.50-10.00 range.