8/11 AAA Minor League Report

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

Allen Craig really likes to hit in the thin air of Colorado Springs as he belted three HR’s during a double header to raise his tally to 21 on the season.  Craig has been as hot as any hitter in the minor leagues since the All Star break, hitting .446 with 13 HR 30 RBI and 27 runs scored in just 28 games.  Craig continues to play in the outfield which surprises me in the wake of the Brett Wallace trade.  He’s never been a bad fielder at 3B, but the organization seems to find him a better fit in left field.  Regardless of where he’s playing, Craig has been the best hitter in the Cardinals’ organization this season and should earn a big league call up at some point this year.  His only first year cards are in the 2006 Bowman Chrome Draft set and his singles can still be had in lots for less than a buck apiece.

Gaby Sanchez was a darkhorse N.L. ROY candidate by some baseball pundits on the heels of his fine 2008 season at AA Carolina.  Instead, he like fellow Marlins teammate Cameron Maybin, struggled to earn playing time with the big club and was demoted to New Orleans.  Last night, Sanchez went 3-5 with his 12th and 13th dingers, driving in five runs and scoring four times.  Sanchez has been hot during the month of August, hitting .325 with 4 HR 7 RBI and a killer 10 BB/3K ratio.  Sanchez is in a tough spot.  Logan Morrison has made a successful return from a broken wrist and is driving the ball with authority in AA.  He’s the heir to the first base job in Miami, leaving Sanchez either to switch to a new position or continue to toil at AAA.  At his best, Gaby is a well disciplined hitter with decent power to the gaps and above average defensive skills that could help him carve out a starting job with a big league club someday.

Today’s top prospect is one of Cleveland’s newest additions, RHP Carlos Carrasco.  After back to back rocky starts with Columbus, Carrasco tossed eight innings of four hit, one run ball, striking out 10 hitters for his 9th victory of the season.  Carrasco has the stuff to be a frontline pitcher at the major league level, but his inability to establish consistency and pitch with confidence at times was maddening to the Phillies franchise.  Perhaps the move to Cleveland will be just what Carlos needs to rediscover his potential as an MLB stopper.  Surely this outing does wonders for his chances to crack the Indians’ rotation at some point this season.  Carrasco’s 2008 Bowman Sterling Jsy/Autos are currently trading at $4-6 each on eBay and seem like a solid low risk buy for someone who has slipped off of many collectors’ radars.

AAA Player of the Day—CARLOS CARRASCO

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Matt Tuiasosopo—1-4 2B 2 RBI R
• Mike Carp—1-4 R 2 RBI BB
• Adam Moore—4-4 2B 2R 2 RBI
• Tony Abreu—1-5 HR(10) RBI
• Gaby Sanchez—3-5 2 HR(13) 5 RBI 4R BB
• John Raynor—2-6 2R RBI SB(16)
• Brett Hayes—2-4 R 3 RBI BB
• Travis Buck—3-4 2B 3 RBI SB(3)
• Allen Craig—2-3 2 HR(20) 3 RBI 2R (Game 1)…..1-3 HR(21) RBI (Game 2)
• Jarret Hoffpauir—2-3 2B 3B RBI R
• Eric Young Jr.—3-5 RBI (Game 1)…..1-2 R BB SB(55) (Game 2)
• Brandon Allen—3-4 2B 2R RBI BB
• Cole Gillespie—2-5 2B 2 RBI
• Chris Johnson—2-3 2B HR(10) RBI
• Juan Miranda—1-5 2B R 2 RBI
• Travis Snider—2-4 RBI
• Drew Stubbs—2-4 RBI
• John Mayberry Jr.—2-3 R SB(6)
• Lou Marson—3-4 R RBI
• Wes Hodges—2-4 2B R
• Justin Maxwell—2-3 R SB(28)
• Brent Clevlen—2-3 HR(15) RBI
• Aaron Bates—2-4 2B R

Pitching:

• Scott Elbert—4 IP 2H 3 BB 3K
• Travis Wood—6 IP 6H ER 3 BB K W (12-4)
• Carlos Carrasco—8 IP 4H ER 10K W (9-9)

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

7/19 AAA Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on July 20, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Cameron Maybin went 4-4 yesterday with two doubles and two runs scored.  Since his demotion to New Orleans in mid-May, Maybin has been spectacular hitting .345 with 3 HR 23 RBI five triples and seven stolen bases in 55 games.  Plate discipline did Maybin in during his time with the Marlins, but he’s had much better success with the Zephyrs walking 26 times versus 38 K’s.  Despite his stratospheric power potential, Maybin has not developed as a middle of the order hitter yet.  At just 22 years old, there’s plenty of reason to believe that it will develop.  I am encouraged by his high line drive rates that he has posted since being sent down.  Over the last month, Maybin’s line drive rates have hovered at around 28 percent.  For a guy that has been criticized in the past for hitting too many groundballs, this is an marked improvement, giving further evidence that he is getting better leverage out of his swing.

Maybin has an assortment of first year autos from the various Bowman sets that are currently hovering in the $15-20 range—about 40 percent below their Opening Day totals.  Maybin is playing his way back into the Marlins’ lineup and will likely perform better in his next go around.  Current Marlins RF Jeremy Hermida’s name has been bantied around in trade rumors and after being swept by the Phillies over the weekend, the team’s trade deadline dial may have been shifted from “BUY” to “SELL”.  If a spot opens in the Marlins’ OF, Maybin is definitely the first name to be recalled.

Michael Bowden made a successful return from the DL yesterday by tossing five no-hit innings for Pawtuckett, walking four and striking out five.  Like Hermida, Bowden’s name has been bantied about in trade rumors both this season and last as a key prospect in bringing a final piece for the Red Sox’s title run.  Bowden’s numbers in June were terrible (1-2 6.28 ERA and 8 HR allowed in 28.2 IP) but he seems to have things working well in July allowing just one earned run in two starts.  He’s not been sharp with his control during that stretch, walking a batter an inning, but history has proven that he typically has good command of his pitches.  I have long maintained that he is not a future staff ace, rather a mid-rotation innings eater in the mold of Jeff Suppan.  Developmentally, he’s blocked by too much talent ahead of him and a pennant race in Boston, but should be an immediate callup if he gets shipped to a different organization.

Today’s top player is a back to back selection.  Allen Craig blasted two HR’s yesterday and drove in four runs raising his average to .275 and giving him 11 HR and 40 RBI on the season.  The spike in power (he hit a homerun on Saturday as well) seems to be a direct result of a more aggressive approach at the plate.  He’s walking less and striking out more often over the last 10 games (2 BB/10 K).  This was also an issue during May where he had his best power month.  While swatting 4 HR and 12 RBI, Allen also compiled a dismal 5 BB/30 K’s.  He’s shown in the past that he can meld power with plate discipline which gives me hope that he can do it again. 

AAA Player of the Day—ALLEN CRAIG

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Brian Duglach—3-4 2B R
• Scott Sizemore—1-4 2B R 2 RBI
• Alcides Escobar—2-4 R SB(35)
• Brendan Katin—2-3 HR(20) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Allen Craig—2-4 2 HR(11) 4 RBI 2R
• Mario Lisson—1-4 HR(9) 3 RBI
• Eric Young Jr.—3-4 2R SB(50)
• Eric Patterson—3-4 HR(9) RBI 3R 2B
• Daric Barton—1-4 HR(9) 2 RBI
• Brandon Allen—1-3 HR(12) RBI
• Sean Rodriguez—1-4 3B RBI
• Trevor Plouffe—2-4 HR(7) RBI
• Drew Stubbs—2-5 2B 2 SB(35)
• Chris Valaika—2-5 2B R 2 RBI BB
• Cameron Maybin—4-4 2 2B 2R BB
• Gaby Sanchez—1-4 HR(9) 2 RBI 2R
• Jai Miller—1-4 2B R 2 RBI BB
• Jovanny Rosario—3-5 3R 3B RBI
• Chin-Lung Hu—2-4 3 RBI
• Julio Borbon—3-4
• Yorandy Ramirez—3-4 RBI
• Matt Tuiasosopo—1-4 HR(1) RBI

Pitching:

• Andrew Carpenter—7 IP 3H ER BB 8K
• Brandon Hynick—6 IP 5H 2 ER 2 BB 3K
• Michael Bowden—5 IP OH 4 BB 5K

4/20 AAA Minor League Report

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

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Mat Gamel hit homerun number four and Jake Fox, Brandon Wood, and Josh Whitesell continue to prove to their prospective major league clubs that they are ready for a recall.  After slow starts, it looks like Colorado’s Eric Young Jr. and Toronto’s J.P. Arencibia are starting to catch stride, but today’s top performer is former #1 overall pick Luke Hochevar.  The tall righty tossed eight innings allowing a run on five hits and four strikeouts for his third win of the season.

Pacific Coast League Player of the Day—LUKE HOCHEVAR

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Kala Ka’aihue—1-4 2B R RBI BB
• Mat Gamel—1-2 HR(4) RBI 2 BB
• Joe Koshansky—1-4 HR(2) RBI
• Alejandro De Aza—2-4 3B HR(1) RBI 2R
• Jake Fox—1-4 2B 2 RBI
• Nate Spears—1-4 2R 2 RBI BB
• Freddy Sandoval—2-5 2 RBI
• Brandon Wood—2-4 2 RBI BB
• Sean Rodriguez—2-4 2B 2 RBI R
• Alex Romero—2-4 2B 2R 2 RBI SB(1)
• Josh Whitesell—2-3 2 2B 2R RBI BB
• Jacob Hester—2-4 GS HR(1) 4 RBI
• Cliff Pennington—3-4 2R SB(2)
• Matt Tuiasosopo—2-5 2B R RBI
• Eric Young—2-4 R 2 SB(7)
• J.P. Arencibia—3-5 2B 2 RBI
• Kyle Blanks—1-3 RBI BB

Pitching:

• Luke Hochevar—8 IP 5H ER 2 BB 4K W(3-0)
• Kevin Pucetas—6 IP 4H 2 BB K
• Cesar Ramos—5 IP 6H BB 2K

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE 

Several games in the IL were washed out by rain last night, but there were still a few nice performances.  Kris Medlen continues to look like a nice sleeper pitcher as he won his second game by striking out six in five innings.  Matt LaPorta and Chris Valaika rapeed two hits and an RBI apiece, and Daniel Bard save his third game, punching out two in the ninth.  Today’s top prospect was Pawtucket’s starting pitcher Michael Bowden who surrendered just three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts.

International League Player of the Day—MICHAEL BOWDEN

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Chris Valaika—2-4 2 2B RBI BB
• Matt LaPorta—2-5 RBI R
• Jordan Brown—2-3 2B R RBI BB
• Brandon Jones—2-3 2 RBI BB

Pitching:

• Michael Bowden—5.1 IP 3H BB 7K W(1-0)
• Daniel Bard— IP BB 2K SV(3)
• Kris Medlen—5 IP 5H 2 ER 6K W(2-0)
• David Huff—6 IP 4H 2 ER 2 BB 4K

Recent Additions to Hot-Prospects.net

Posted by Jeremy on March 23, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

As some of you may already know, I do the content writing for the baseball prospecting website Hot-Prospects.  Currently, we have profiled and done basic scouting reports on about 250 prospects to date and are adding new ones on a daily basis.  Here are a few reports that have been recently added to the site…

• Matt Tuiasosopo—Seattle Mariners 3B
• Blake Beavan—-Texas Rangers RHP
• Michael Main—Texas Rangers RHP
• Luke Hochevar—Kansas City Royals RHP
• James McDonald—L.A. Dodgers RHP

I should be adding another 3-5 prospects within the next 24 hours and will alert you of the reports as they get posted.  Check out the site and let me know what you think!  Like this site, it is a work in progress and will be consistently growing into a top-flight online prospecting resource.

3/21 Spring Training Report

Posted by Jeremy on March 22, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

For those of you who entered the PPR Contest, never fear!  I will have the results posted later on this evening or first thing tomorrow morning.  Winners can expect an email from me soon requesting your shipping address.

As for the baseball action, yesterday offered a full slate of action and several outstanding performances.  Jay Bruce belted his 2nd HR of the spring as did Buster Posey and Kendry Morales.  Trevor Cahill continues to look like he his ready for a major league rotation spot throwing 5 innings of one run ball.  Jake Fox pounded his 4th HR of the spring and added 5 RBI as did Billy Butler, but it was Colby Rasmus’ 5 hit day that takes home today’s youngster of the day honors.

Youngster of the Day—COLBY RASMUS

Other Notable Performances:

• Michael Bowden—3 IP 3H ER BB 2K
• Junichi Tazawa—2 IP 2H 2K
• Anibal Sanchez—5.2 IP 5H 2 ER BB 2K
• Luke Hughes—2-4 RBI
• Brian Duensing—2 IP H 2K
• John Mayberry Jr.—2-4 2B SB(3)
• Jordan Schafer—1-4 R BB
• Josh Anderson—1-1 HR(2) 3 RBI
• Brandon Jones—2-4 2 RBI 2R BB
• Freddie Freeman—1-3 2B R RBI
• Jay Bruce—3-4 HR(2) 3 RBI R
• Homer Bailey—4.2 IP 4H 3 ER 2 BB 4K (L)
• Colby Rasmus—5-6 2 2B 2R 3 RBI
• David Freese—2-4 2B R
• Jason Motte—IP K SV(4)
• Jeff Larish—2-5 HR(3) 2R RBI
• Joba Chamberlain—3 IP 4H ER 5K
• Juan Miranda—1-1 HR(2) 2 RBI
• Jesus Guzman—2-4 2 RBI R
• Roger Kieschnick—1-2 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Pablo Sandoval—2-4 2B R RBI
• Emmannuel Burriss—3-5 3R RBI
• Buster Posey—1-3 HR(2) RBI
• Eugenio Velez—1-3 R SB(5)
• Trevor Cahill—5 IP 4H ER 2K
• Aaron Cunningham—2-4 2B R RBI
• Matt Tuiasosopo—2-2 2R 2 RBI
• Chris Carter (A’s)—1-1 2B R
• Kendry Morales—1-3 HR(2) RBI
• Nick Adenhart—5 IP 4H ER BB 6K
• Brad Nelson—2-4 2 2B 2 RBI
• Xavier Paul—1-1 3B R
• Matt LaPorta—3-4 2 2B 2 RBI R
• Jason McDonald—3 IP BB K
• Mitch Maier—3-6 2 2B 3R
• Billy Butler—2-6 HR(3) 2B 5 RBI 3R
• Chad Tracy (Rangers)—1-1 GS HR(1) 4 RBI
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia—2-2 R BB 2 2B
• Joe Koshansky—1-3 HR(2) RBI
• Jake Fox—3-5 HR(4) 2B 5 RBI R
• Chris Getz—2-4 RBI
• Joshua Fields—2-4 HR(2) RBI

3/14 Spring Training Report

Posted by Jeremy on March 15, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

Top New York Yankees prospects Austin Jackson and Jesus Montero belted HR’s yesterday (Montero’s was a grand slam), as did Nolan Reimold, Kyle Blanks, and Buster Posey.  New Orioles 2B prospect Justin Turner liked it so much he did it twice.  That wasn’t quite good enough to win the youngster of the day award, though, as Mariners 3B prospect Matt Tuiasosopo went 4-5 with a HR, double and 4 RBI.  Tui has blistered the ball this spring and is making a strong case to be Adrian Beltre’s successor at the hot corner.

Youngster of the Day—MATT TUIASOSOPO

Other Notable Performances

• Stephen Marek—IP 2K
• Justin Turner—2-4 2 HR(2) 3 RBI 2R
• Nolan Reimold—1-1 HR(2) RBI
• Felix Pie—2-2 HR(1) 3 RBI
• Matt Albers—2 IP H K
• Josh Reddick—2-3 2B R RBI
• Scott Cousins—1-1 RBI 2R BB
• Brett Sinkbiel—IP H BB K (W)
• Jesus Montero—1-1 GS HR(1) 4 RBI 2R BB
• Austin Jackson—2-4 HR(1) 2 RBI 3R SB(1)
• Ian Kennedy—3 IP 3H UER BB 5K (W)
• Ross Ohlendorf—4 IP 0H 2K
• Pedro Alvarez—2-2 2 2B R RBI
• Andrew McCutchen—1-3 2B RBI BB
• Garrett Jones—1-2 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R
• Jose Tabata—2-3 R
• Jason Donald—1-4 2R 2 SB(2)
• Mark Saccomano—1-4 HR(1) RBI
• Carlos Carrasco—3 IP 4H ER 2 BB 4K (W)
• Andrew Carpenter—4 IP 3H ER 4K
• Bud Norris—2 IP K
• Wade Davis—1.2 IP BB SV(1)
• Jeff Niemann—2 IP BB
• Mike Hessman—1-2 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Justin Maxwell—1-2 HR(2) 2 RBI 2R BB
• J.R. Towles—1-3 HR(1) RBI
• Matt Tuiasosopo—4-5 HR(2) 2B 4 RBI
• Carlos Triunfel—1-1 R BB
• Dexter Fowler—3-4 R SB(3)
• Joaquin Arias—3-4 2R
• Chris Getz—2-4 2B
• Aaron Poreda—2 IP BB 3K
• Matt Harrison—4 IP 4H ER BB 4K
• Landon Powell—1-3 HR(3) RBI 2R
• Corey Wimberley—1-3 2R RBI BB SB(4)
• Emmannuel Burriss—2-4 RBI 2B
• Roger Kieschnick—2-3 2B 2 RBI
• James Simmons—2 IP 4H ER K
• Kyle Blanks—1-4 HR(3) 2 RBI
• Nick Hundley—1-3 2B 2 RBI
• Cesar Ramos—3 IP 4H BB 2K (W)
• Madison Bumgarner—IP BB K
• Buster Posey—1-2 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Pablo Sandoval—2-3 2B
• Lorenzo Cain—1-3 HR(1) RBI R
• Chad Huffman—2-3 R BB
• Trevor Crowe—2-2 2R 2 SB(4)
• Michael Brantley—1-3 R BB SB(3)
• Josh Whitesell—2-4 HR(2) 3 RBI 2R BB
• Brandon Wood—1-1 2B 2R BB
• Mark Trumbo—1-1 R RBI

3/13 Spring Training Report

Posted by Jeremy on March 13, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

Tommy Hanson won his first game of the spring, though he struggled a bit allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks in 4.2 IP.  Jordan Schafer and Freddie Freeman continued to assert themselves as elite prospects, Brett Cecil and David Purcey combined to shut out the Rays for 7.2 innings and Jon Jay and Jason Donald continued to swing hot bats.  The youngster of the day, however, was new L.A. Angels starting 1B Kendry Morales who belted a grand slam HR to lead the Angels to victory today.

Youngster of the Day—KENDRY MORALES

Other Notable Performances:

• Cameron Maybin—3-3 R SB(1)
• Jordan Schafer—2-5 2 2B R
• Freddie Freeman—2-3 R RBI
• Brandon Hicks—1-1 HR(1) RBI
• Tommy Hanson—4.2 IP 5H ER 2 BB 2K (W)
• Daniel Murphy—3-5 2 RBI
• Nick Evans—2-5
• Bobby Parnell—2.2 IP 0H BB 2K (W)
• Andrew McCutchen—1-3 R BB
• Brian Bixler—3-4 3B R RBI SB(1)
• Jason Donald—2-5 3B R
• John Mayberry Jr.—1-3 2B R
• Allen Craig—1-2 RBI
• Jon Jay—3-5 2R SB(2)
• Justin Turner—2-2 2B R RBI SB(1)
• Matt Wieters—2-3 R
• Brad Emaus—2-3 2B 3B 2 RBI R
• Brett Cecil—3.2 IP H 4 BB 2K (W)
• David Purcey—4 IP 4H 2K SV(1)
• Junichi Tazawa—2 IP H BB K
• Eugenio Velez—3-5 2B 3B 2 RBI R SB(4)
• Pablo Sandoval—2-4
• Kevin Frandsen—2-5 2B
• Eric Young Jr.—1-3 2R BB SB(4)
• Kevin Pucetas—4 IP 5H ER BB
• James McDonald—2 IP H 4 BB 2K
• Oswaldo Navarro—2-3 RBI
• Richie Robnett—1-2 2B 2 RBI
• Sam Fuld—2-4 HR(2) RBI 2R BB SB(1)
• Matt Tuiasosopo—3-3 2 2B 2 BB RBI R
• Carlos Truinfel—1-2 RBI R
• Josh Whitesell—1-2 2 RBI 2R BB 2B
• Landon Powell—1-1 2B 2 RBI R
• Kendry Morales—2-3 GS HR(1) 4 RBI
• Sean O’Sullivan—2 IP K
• Brent Lillibridge—2-5 2B RBI R
• Nick Hundley—1-2 2B RBI
• Cedric Hunter—2-2 RBI
• Cole Armstrong—1-2 HR(1) 2 RBI

2/27 Spring Training Report

Posted by Jeremy on February 27, 2009 under Uncategorized | Be the First to Comment

Victor Martinez hit two dingers today and Evan Almighty also went deep.  Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara pitched well in his debut with the Orioles, 19 year old Cuban import Dayan Viciedo belted his first HR for the White Sox, and the Brothers Hoffpauir both had solid performances for thier respective teams’ but it was Mike Carp that snatched the Youngster of the Day honors.  The new Seattle Mariners 1B prospect belted a long HR (I listened to the game) and drove in 5 RBI as the M’s decimated the L.A. Dodgers 18-1.

Youngster of the Day—MIKE CARP

Other Notable Performances:

• Pedro Alvarez—1-3 BB
• Shelby Ford—1-2 R
• Kris Medlen—IP 2 BB 2K
• Matt Wieters—1-2 R BB
• John Raynor—1-3 R SB(1)
• Dallas McPherson—1-3 R RBI
• Ryan Tucker—2 IP H 2 BB 2K
• Koji Uehara—2 IP H BB 3K
• Jake Arrieta—IP K
• Tim Beckham—1-1
• Jeff Niemann—2 IP H 2K (W)
• Mike Hessman—1-3 R BB 2B
• Brad MIlls—2 IP H
• Austin Jackson—1-2 R
• Brett Gardner—2-2 R 2 SB(2) BB 2B
• Juan Miranda 1-2 2B
• Ian Kennedy—2 IP H BB 3K
• Jarret Hoffpauir—2-3 2 RBI 2B R
• Micah Hoffpauir—2-3 HR(2) 3 RBI
• Allen Craig—2-2 2 RBI
• John Jay—2-4 3R RBi BB 2B
• Ivan Nova—IP 2K
• Angel Salome—1-2 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Logan Schafer—1-2 RBI SB(1)
• Alcides Escobar—1-4 RBI R SB(1)
• Cutter Dykstra—1-2 RBI R 2B
• Aaron Cunningham—1-1 R RBI 2B
• Adrian Cardenas—2-2 R
• Mike Carp—2-3 HR(1)
• Mike Wilson—1-3 HR(1) 2 RBI
• Matt Tuiasosopo—2-4 HR(1) RBI 2R 2B
• Freddy Sandoval—1-2 R RBI
• Sean Rodriguez—1-3 RBI 2B
• Mark Trumbo—2-4 2B R
• Jarrod Saltalamacchia—2-2 2 2B
• Greg Golson—1-3 R
• Evan Frey—2-3
• Gordon Beckham—1-2 2B
• Chris Getz—1-4 RBI BB
• Dayan Viciedo—2-3 HR(1) RBI

PPR Mailbag: Musings on the Matts for the M’s

Posted by Jeremy on under Readers Mailbag | Be the First to Comment

M's wish this "Gini" would grant them more hits

I opened the mailbox this morning to find a question about the prognosticative futures of Seattle Mariner 3B prospects Matt Mangini and Matt Tuiasosopo. As a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, my devout (albiet long suffering) affinity for the Seattle Mariners hopefully lends a little more credibility to my answer.  Let’s start with Matt Mangini. The 2008 season offered a mixed bag of results. On the positive side, he was able to cut back some of the injury woes that limited his progress late in 2007 but, when he did play, he really wasn’t that good. His numbers at High Desert looked decent on the surface (.265 6 HR 25 RBI 12 doubles in 181 AB), but the fact that he was playing in the hitter-friendly California League mitigates those accomplishments somewhat. Still, the M’s promoted Mangini to AA West Tennessee where he was truly awful (.202 2 HR 25 RBI 5 doubles in 238 AB). The problem?  A raw and undisciplined approach at the plate that saw him garner an anemic 12 BB/64 K ratio. Scouts touted Mangini’s bat highly prior to the ‘07 draft, calling him the 2nd most polished collegiate hitter in the draft behind Matt Wieters. His professional career has been anything but Wieters-esque. The added specter of declining defensive skills at the hot corner (23 errors in 115 games) means that a shift to 1B could happen in the future.  The depth of talent on the other side of the diamond is more shallow, but Mangini’s skill set is far behind new M’s farm hand Mike Carp and his age is more advanced. Neither of these bodes well for the former OSU Cowboy.

The bumpy road to Seattle may yet smooth out

The future for Matt Tuiasosopo looks a little more bullish, yet his path is not obstacle free either.  Tui posted his best season as a pro, hitting .281 with 13 HR 73 RBI 32 doubles and 87 runs scored in 111 games at AAA Tacoma.  Tuiasosopo has excellent athleticism and a strong 6-2 210 lb. frame that still has some projection left to it.  It seems like he has been in the M’s system forever since turning down the opportunity to play quarterback at the University of Washington to sign with the Mariners as a 3rd round pick in 2004.  I think that Tuiasosopo’s early stages of development was grossly mismanaged by the Mariners organization during the dark years of the Bill Bavasi era  He was expedited through the system at an early age being pushed to AA as a 20 year old despite the inability to demonstrate sound plate discipline or power production.  In fact, the power really didn’t start to manifest itself until the second half of the ‘08 season with Tacoma.  That burst allowed for him to earn a September call up where he struggled to grasp the strike zone.  Matt has shown ebbs and flows in his strike zone judgement.  He grinded out 72 walks during his second stint at AA in 2007, but managed just 47 at AAA this season.  

There are lots of tools to like in Tui’s game and his ability to resiliantly handle the breakneck speed that the M’s pushed him through their farm system shows that Matt has a good makeup and work ethic.  Couple that with the good bloodlines he possesses (brother Marques was a QB with the Oakland Raiders, his father, Manu, an 8-year NFL vet with the Seahawks and 49′ers), and there is reason to believe that the best is yet to come for the 22 year old.  

Watch the power numbers and BB/K ratio that he puts up at AAA this spring.  Adrian Beltre’s shelf life as a Mariner expires at the end of the 2009 season (perhaps sooner) which gives Matt a narrow window of time to prove to the organization that he is prepared to take the mantle until the mega-talented Jharmidy DeJesus is ready to snatch it from him.