4/14 High-A Minor League Report

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

CAROLINA LEAGUE

Freddie Freeman and Cody Johnson both homered, but Brian Matusz was able to pitche well enough to earn a win against Myrtle Beach.  Salvador Sanchez hit his third HR of the season, but it was the Indians’ 21 year old flame thrower Kelvin De La Cruz who takes home top prospect honors after his electifying six inning, nine strikeout shutout performance en route to his second win of the year.  This effort comes on the heels of a season debut in which he struck out 10 hitters over six innings.

Carolina League Player of the Day—KELVIN DE LA CRUZ

Other Notable Performances:

• Salvador Sanchez—1-3 HR(3) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Jordy Mercer—2-5 R RBI SB(1)
• David Hague—3-4 2 RBI
• Kelvin De La Cruz—6 IP 4H 9K W(2)
• Alex Caldera—5 IP 4H ER BB 2K L(1)
• Tyler Henson—1-4 2 RBI R 2 BB SB(1)
• Brandon Waring—1-4 HR(1) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Caleb Joseph—3-5 RBI R
• Pedro Florimon Jr.—2-5 2R SB(1)
• Chris Vineyard—1-3 2B 2 RBI 2 BB
• Brian Matusz—5 IP 4H 3 ER 3 BB 6K W(1)
• Jason Heyward—2-4 2B R
• Freddie Freeman—1-4 HR(2) 2 RBI
• Cody Johnson—2-3 HR(4) RBI 2B 2R BB

FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE

Darin Mastroianni is the early clubhouse leader with six stolen bases this year, but Greg Veloz is closing in gathering his fourth yesterday.  The Cardinals’ younger OF prospect Shane Peterson (they have two in their system) continues to hit gathering two hits and an RBI but it was Adron Chambers who blew away the competition with a 4-4 two triple, two run game.

Florida State League Player of the Game—ADRON CHAMBERS

Other Notable Performances:

• Justin Reed—1-4 3B R RBI BB SB(2)
• Adron Chambers—4-4 2 3B 2R RBI SB(1)
• Shane Peterson—2-4 RBI
• Pete Kozma—1-5 2B 2 RBI
• Matt Fields—1-4 HR(3) 2 RBI
• Greg Veloz—2-5 R SB(4)
• Ike Davis—2-4
• Zach Lutz—2-5 2B RBI
• Darin Mastroianni—2-2 3B 3 BB 2 SB(6)
• Eric Thames—2-4 2R 3 RBI 3B BB
• Kevin Ahrens—1-4 2B RBI BB
• Russ Canzler—2-4 2R

CALIFORNIA LEAGUE

Collin Cowgill and Mitch Moreland went deep on Wednesday and Chris Minaker, Jose Felix, and Jonathan Greene each rapped four hits.  On the mound, Trevor Reckling threw six quality innings in a losing effort, and Corey Kluber did the same with winning results.  The player of the day is Giants top prospect Buster Posey whos 3-4 day included a double, walk and two RBI.  Posey is heating up and should move quickly through San Francisco’s talented farm system.

California League Player of the Day—BUSTER POSEY

Other Notable Performances:

• Alex Liddi—2-4
• Danny Payne—2-4 2R 3B 2 RBI
• Logan Forsythe—1-3 2B BB 2R
• Ali Solis—1-3 2B BB 2R
• Corey Kluber—6 IP 3H 6K W(1)
• Engel Beltre—2-5 2B 2R SB(3)
• Mitch Moreland—3-4 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Matt Lawson—2-4 2 RBI SB(1)
• Jonathan Greene—4-5 2B 2R RBI
• Jose Felix—4-5 2B R 3 RBI
• Buster Posey—3-4 2B 2 RBI R BB
• Brandon Crawford—1-4 2R BB
• Angel Villalona—2-4 RBI
• Darren Ford—2-5 R
• Scott Van Slyke—2-4 2B RBI
• Chris Minaker—4-4 R RBI
• Shane Wolf—5 IP 5H 2 ER BB 9K
• Bryan Shaw—5 IP 5H ER 4K W(1)
• Collin Cowgill—2-4 HR(2) 2 RBI SB(2)
• Ed Easley—1-4 2 RBI
• Manny Ferrer—2-4 2R SB(1)
• Trevor Reckling—6 IP 4H ER 6K L(1)
• Jeremy Moore—2-4 2B R
• Efren Navarro—2-3 2B

7/18 Low Class A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on July 20, 2008 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Hello to all! After a sun drenched day of picking raspberries and looking at vintage cars, it feels good to cozy up to my keyboard and give you the minor league report for Friday’s Class A performances.

Kelvin De La Cruz

• 6 IP 3H BB 8K—5-2 1.64 ERA 59K/55IP last 10 games

Matt Dominguez

• 1-3 HR(6) RBI 2R BB—Has played well at Greensboro

Steffan Wilson

• 2-4 2 2B 3 RBI R—.419 HR 18 RBI 18 Hits last 10 games

Michael Mitchell

• 3-4 2R 2 SB(40)—.333 11R 7 SB last 10 games

Darin Holcomb

• 1-3 2B R RBI—.340 39 2B 13 HR 75 RBI .968 OPS

Jeff Locke

• 5 IP 7H 3 ER BB 5K—4-9 3.82 ERA 90K/113IP

Cody Johnson

• 0-4 4K—.239 16 HR 54 RBI 138K/30BB (must change approach to advance)

Freddie Freeman

• 2-4—.513 3 HR 12 RBI 20 Hits last 10 games

Stephen King

• 4-6 2B R—.292 5 HR 30 RBI

Angel Villalona

• 2-6 2R—.341 8R 4 RBI last 10 games

Zack Cozart

• 1-4 HR(11) 2 RBI—.308 2 HR 6 RBI last 10 games

Jamie Ortiz

• 3-5 RBI—.211 11 HR 31 RBI

Jemile Weeks

• 2-4 3R RBI 2 SB(4)—Starting to heat up over his last couple games

Mike Moustakas

• 3-4 2R BB—.247 12 HR 42 RBI (I think he’ll be better than this)

Daniel Gutierrez

• 6.1 IP 5H ER BB 4K—.2-1 2.05 ERA 658K/53IP (watch this guy)

BUY/SELL Analysis

What in the name of Adam Dunn is going on with Cody Johnson this season?  After a torrid stretch late last year at Danville where it appeared that Johnson had cut down the K’s and hit for greater power, he stars in Rome as a human air conditioner.  Johnson has struck out an ungodly 141 times in just 94 games.  Johnson was drafted out of high school in the 1st round of the 2006 draft.  He has solid athleticism, above average speed, great power and a strong RF quality arm.  The problem is Johnson’s makeup at the plate, where he has shown little effort to change his approach or cut down his hole-riddled swing.  On the plus side, Johnson is still just 19 years old and the Braves can afford to be patient with him.  However, Johnson is also a victim of circumstances, as the Braves appear to be loaded to the gills with high quality OF prospects like Jordan Schafer, Jason Heyward, Brandon Jones, Gorkys Hernandez and Jon Owings.  Johnson has 1st year autos in the 2006 Bowman Chrome Draft and Bowman Sterling sets.  While the chromes sell for $13-16 each, the Sterlings are available for about $10-12 each. 

Market Advice: No one doubts Johnson’s immense power potential.  With a 6-4 195 lb. frame, it is quite possible that Cody will add much more brawny strength to his frame.  The strike out numbers coupled with being surrounded by superstar quality OF prospects stand as hugh concerns for me as an investor.  I would have to HOLD on Johnson’s cards and wait to see if he can make significant improvements to his approach in the off season.  I would venture to say that he will repeat at Rome next year, with a promotion to Myrtle Beach pending on his performance.  If he struggles next year, SELL before its too late.  I still like Johnson as a prospect, but my enthusiasm from last season has been tempered substantially.

7/13 Low A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on July 15, 2008 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Brett Lorin

• 6 IP 4H 4BB 2K—1-0 2.82 ERA 29K/22IP at Everett

Adrian Ortiz

• 3-5 RBI—.314 2 HR 30 RBI 27 SB

Justin Jackson

• 1-4 HR(6) 2 RBI—.232 33 RBI 12 SB 103 K’s

Kevin Ahrens

• 2-3 HR(2) 2 RBI R BB—.270 33 RBI

Cristian Santana

• 3-4 2B 3B 2R—.238 8 HR 29 RBI (watch this guy)

Tyler Johnson

• 2-2 2 2B 2 RBI 2BB R—.254 8 HR 32 RBI 17 SB (talented but still raw)

Robert Fish

• 6 IP 5H 2ER 3BB 9K—7-2 4.88 ERA 91K/94IP

Ben Revere

• 1-3 RBI BB SB( 28 )—Avg. down to .401 since moving to 3rd spot in the order

Zack Cozart

• 3-5 HR(10) 2 RBI 2R—.262 27 RBI

Darin Holcomb

• 2-4 HR(13) 3 RBI R—.337 73 RBI .960 OPS

Michael Mitchell

• 1-3 2R BB SB( 38 )—.301 3 HR 30 RBI

Ryan Morris

• 5 IP 7H ER 2BB 4K—7-2 3.11 ERA 63K/93IP

Kelvin De La Cruz

• 7 IP 4H 2ER 7K—8-4 2.09 ERA 88K/90IP

Connor Graham

• 7 IP H 2BB 6K—8-4 1.92 ERA 89K/103IP

Scott Moviel

• 6 IP 3H 3K (W)—6-2 2.81 ERA 36K last 10 games

Brad Suttle

• 2-4 2B 2 RBI R—.278 7 HR 19 RBI

Carmen Angeleni

• 3-4 2 RBI 2 SB(15)—.245 HR 27 RBI (being groomed to succeed Jeter someday)

BUY/SELL Analysis

Ryan Morris was a 2006 4th round selection by the Cleveland Indians out of a high school in North Carolina.  At 6-3 175lb., Morris is a 19 year old finesse LHP who was overlooked by Baseball America as a prospect.  This season, Morris has been solid at Low-A compiling a 7-2 record with a 3.11 ERA and a respectible .239 BAA.  Morris has shown that he can get groundball outs (1.77 GO/FO), which will need to continue at higher levels as he does not yet have dominant stuff.  Morris has cards in the 2006 Bowman Draft and Chrome set which sell right now at 40-70 cents each.  Refractors can be had at less than $3.

Market Advice: Morris is a classic example of low-risk, mid-ceiling as a prospect.  His frame suggests that he could easily build strength and velocity as he matures and scouts report that he has a very good mental approach to his game.  I think he is a strong BUY and hold right now and my gut tells me that AA will dictate a great deal about whether or not Morris is a good long term investment.  All told, I think Morris will be a solid mid-level prospect that will find a home in the middle of Cleveland’s rotation within the next 2-3 years.

7/2 Low Class A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on July 4, 2008 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

There wasn’t too much that happened in Wednesday night’s games, but here are some notable performances.  Feel free to add your own.

Adrian Ortiz   2-4 2 RBI 2R—.311 2 HR 25 RBI 26 SB 109 Hits

Corey Brown   3-4 3 RBI R—.429 3 HR 13 RBI last 10 games

Jay Brossman   3-5 HR( 8 ) RBI 2R—.262 8 HR 38 RBI 12 SB

Engel Beltre   3-4 R—.278 4 Hr 28 RBI 11 SB

Jered Stanley   2-3 2R—Tearing it up at Greenville (.383 9 HR 25 RBI 1.136 OPS)

Daryl Maday   6IP 3H BB 7K (W)—7-4 1.47 78K/86IP

Kelvin De La Cruz   4.1 IP 9H 3ER 4K—6-3 1.74 ERA 74K/78IP (Watch this guy!)

Derek Mitchell   2-5 2B RBI R—.261 7 HR 43 RBI (Needs better plate discipline 10BB/48K)

BUY/SELL Analysis

Engel Beltre was acquired by the Rangers from the Red Sox in the one-sided Eric Gagne trade.  Beltre, still just 18, oozes 5-tool potential.  He is having a solid season at Clinton, hitting .280 with 4 HR 28 RBI and 11 SB.  However, the rawness of Beltre is equally apparent as his plate discipline (7BB/64K) and 7 times caught stealing are areas that need to, and likely will, be improved.  Beltre profiles as a very good defensive CF with plus power and above average speed.  Beltre’s first year cards are in the 2008 Bowman and Chrome Prospects set and, I am sure that autographed versions in Bowman Sterling and, perhaps, in the upcoming Bowman Chrome set.  Currently, his chrome base cards are selling for $1.25-2.00 each with refractors (#/599) selling for $8-12 each.

Market Advice: Beltre has plenty of seasons to develop into the All-Star he is capable of being.  While he is a long ways off, his cards are worth purchasing en masse now at their current prices.  Watch for the upcoming autos and snag a couple of those as well.