7/22 Low-A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on July 24, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

How was your day today?  I spent much of mine hitting groundballs to my son Derek and teaching him some of the more subtle nuances of the back float in the lake near my house today.  Finally able to find a quiet moment, I am happy to bring you a closer look at last night’s action in the South Atlantic and Midwest Leagues.

Chicago White Sox right hander Dexter Carter tossed six scoreless innings of five hit ball, adding nine punchouts to his league leading total of 138.  At 6-6 195 lb., the former Old Dominion hurler has dynamite stuff that includes a lively fastball that touches 96 MPH and a curveball that is a devastating strikeout offering.  Carter lasted until the 13th round in last year’s draft due to concerns of his ability to repeat his delivery and command his breaking ball.  After dilligent work with the White Sox instructional staff, that doesn’t seem to be a problem anymore.  This season, Carter has walked just 38 batters in his 111 innings so far and is limiting hitters to a .238 BA.  At just 22 years old, there is some room for projection in his long, lean frame that could help to add a tick or two to his already outstanding fastball.  He doesn’t have any first year cards out right now, but that could change in the upcoming fall sets.

Wednesday’s top prospect from the Low-A ranks is last year’s #1 overall draft pick Tim Beckham.  The Tampa Bay Rays SS prospect collected four hits including a grand slam HR.  The first full season for Beckham has been a solid one that has seen him hit .281 with 5 HR 54 RBI and 23 doubles this season.  Still just 19 years old, Beckham has some developing to do.  His BB/K ratio sits at 25/79 in 86 games and he’s only been successful in 7 of 15 SB attempts.  Additionally, he’s committed 32 errors at SS this season despite the being lauded for his defensive skills.  To me, this is a prime indicator of a player who has an abundance of tools that have yet to fully transpose themselves into consistent skills.  Despite the rawness still present in his game, Beckham looks to be the real deal as the Rays’ future shortstop.  As a high profile coverboy for Razor’s maiden voyage into the baseball card industry, Beckham’s initial autos sold like hot cakes, averaging $45-50 each for his short printed versions (#/499) and about $30-35 for his non-numbered, or exclusive autos.  The market has cooled a bit since then as his cards sell for less than half of their market highs. 

Some would surmise that this is due to Razor’s decline in collector appeal or are a result of the overall state of the economy, but other keynote players in Razor’s checklist like Justin Smoak, Brett Wallace, and Casey Kelly have seen marked improvements in the overall value of their similar autos.  I think that the steady decline in the value of Beckham’s cards can be more closely attributed to the fact that he’s put up ordinary numbers when collectors expected that he would be the keynote performer of the 2008 draft class.

I think his numbers get better from here and the values of his card should start to grow once again.  It may be too much to expect $45-50 values again, but at $15-20 a pop, Beckham’s ‘08 Razor autos seem to be a great long term value.

Low-A Player of the Day—TIM BECKHAM

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Ronnie Welty—1-4 HR(8) 2 RBI
• Joe Mahoney—1-4 HR(4) RBI
• Yoel Campusano—2-5 HR(4) 3 RBI 3B
• Adam Milligan—2-4 HR(3) RBI
• Jahdiel Santamaria—3-4 2B RBI R
• Erik Morrison—1-3 HR(16) 2 RBI
• Francisco Peguero—3-5 2B R
• Eduardo Escobar—3-3 2R 2 3B 2 RBI
• Brandon Short—1-3 HR(2) RBI BB 2R
• Abe Almonte—2-5 2B 2R 2 SB(18)
• Melky Mesa—1-3 HR(19) RBI 2BB
• Corban Joseph—2-4 2R 2 RBI BB
• Travis D’Arnaud—2-3 HR(10) 2 RBI 2 BB
• Harold Garcia—2-5 2B R RBI
• Kai Gronalier—1-4 HR(6) 3 RBI
• Robbie Grossman—3-5 2B R SB(27)
• Steven Souza—2-4 2 RBI SB(17)
• Steve Lombardozzi Jr.—2-4 3R 3B BB 2 SB(10)
• Tim Beckham—4-5 GS HR(5) 4 RBI
• Blake Tekotte—2-5 2B R RBI
• Gabe Jacobo—2-4 3b RBI
• Alex Morales—2-4 2B R
• Danny Rams—1-4 HR(9) RBI
• Johermyn Chavez—1-3 HR(15) 2 RBI 2R BB
• Mike McDade—1-4 HR(10) RBI
• Alfredo Marte—2-6 HR(4) 4 RBI 2R
• Marc Krauss—2-5 HR(2) 3 RBI 2B
• Scott Savastano—2-4 HR(4) RBI
• Byron Wiley—1-2 3B 2R 2 RBI 3 BB
• Kevin Coddington—3-5 RBI SB(9)
• Cody Puckett—2-5 2B 2R
• Peter Fatse—3-4 2B 3B 2R
• Brett Lawrie—2-4 2B R 2 RBI

Pitching:

• Manaurys Correa—6 IP 5H ER 2 BB 5K
• Henderson Alvarez—5 IP 2H 4K W (6-5)
• Brandon Hamilton—6 IP 3H 2 BB 4K W (4-3)
• Stolmy Pimentel—6 IP 6H 3 ER 6K L (9-4)
• Oliver Drake—6 IP 3H 2 BB 7K W (6-6)
• Dexter Carter—6 IP 5H 2 BB 9K W (6-2)
• Cory Arbiso—8 IP 0H 2 BB 4K W (3-7)
• Justin DePratus—7.2 IP 5H Er 7K W (4-3)
• Chris Schwinden—6 IP 5H 10K W (7-5)
• Marcos Frias—6 IP 8H ER BB K W (6-3)
• Michael Watt—6 IP 4H 6
• Brad Tippett—8.2 IP 3H Er BB 3K
• Kenny Smalley—7 IP 2H 2 BB 6K

4/23 Low-A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on April 23, 2009 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

MIDWEST LEAGUE

Young Blue Jays slugger Johermyn Chavez smacked his second HR of the season, as did Paul Cruz, Tyson Auer, and Cody Puckett.  On the mound, Steve Hensley won his third game in a row with a strong seven innings of shutout baseball. 

Today’s top player is Milwaukee Brewers big righty Cody Scarpetta.  The 20 year old was simply dominant yesterday allowing just one run on three hits in six innings while striking out 10.  The 2007 11th round pick has a 1.54 ERA and has punched out 18 in just 11.2 innings this season mixing a power curveball with his 92-94 MPH heat.

Midwest League Player of the Day—CODY SCARPETTA

 


Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Sawyer Carroll—1-3 2B 2R 3 RBI BB
• Matthew Clark—2-4 2B R 2 RBI
• Jeudy Valdez—2-4 2B RBI
• Cody Scarpetta—6 IP 3H ER 2 BB 10K
• Chris Carpenter—5 IP H 2 BB 6K
• Cody Puckett—2-4 2R HR(2) RBI
• Alfredo Marte—3-5 2B 3B 2 RBI 2R SB(1)
• Reynaldo Navarro—3-4 2 2B 3B RBI R
• Johermyn Chavez—1-2 HR(2) RBI 2 BB
• Nick Francis—3-4 HR(2) 4 RBI
• Eric Hosmer—1-3 R RBi BB
• Niko Vasquez2-4 2R
• Paul Cruz—2-3 HR(2) RBI BB
• Denny Almonte—2-4 2B 2 RBI
• Danny Carroll—2-4 2R 2 SB(3)
• Tyson Auer—3-4 HR(2) RBI 2B

Pitching:

• Cody Scarpetta—6 IP 3H ER 2 BB 10K
• Chris Carpenter—5 IP H 2 BB 6K
• Trevor Harden—7 IP 5H ER BB 5K W(2-1)
• Steven Hensley—7 IP 8H 5K W(3-0)

SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE

Travis D’Arnaud had a big game for Lakewood, doubling twice and driving in four runs while Casey Kelly tossed another gem for the Red Sox surrendering just two hits over five innings.  Paul Gran continues to hit the ball well, doubling twice and scoring three times and both Jordan Pacheco and Gerardo Rodriguez hit their third HR’s oe the season. 

Today’s top player is Yankees CF prospect Melky Mesa.  The 21 year old hit two HR, drove in four and scored three times.  Mesa is an athletic outfielder with solid contact skills and emerging power potential.  He still needs to work on his plate discipline (1 BB/16 K), but is hitting .275 with 4 HR 10 RBI and 8 runs scored in 12 games this season.

South Atlantic League Player of the Day—MELKY MESA

Other Notable Performances

Hitting:

• Robi Estrada—1-3 2R 2 RBI BB
• Anthony Scelfo—3-5 2 2B 3B 3 RBI R
• Melky Mesa—3-5 2 HR(4) 4 RBI 3R
• Carmen Angelini—2-6 R RBI
• Justin Greene—2-4 3B RBI BB 2R
• James Cesario—4-5 2 RBI R
• Jordan Pacheco—2-3 HR(3) RBI 2R BB
• David Christensen—1-5 3B 3 RBI SB(3)
• Paul Gran—2-4 2 2B 3R RBI
• Kyle Skipworth—1-3 2 RBI
• Travis D’Arnaud—3-4 2 2B 4 RBI R
• Gerardo Rodriguez—2-4 2R HR(3) rBI
• Wilmer Flores—2-4 R RBI

Pitching:

• Casey Kelly—5 IP 2H 4K
• Ross Seaton—5.2 IP 4H ER BB 6K W(2-1)
• Martin Perez—5 IP 3H 2 ER 2 BB 6K L(0-2)
• Jeurys Familia—6 IP 2H ER 3 BB 5K W(2-0)

4/12 Low-A Minor League Report

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

At last!  I am able to cover the action from the South Atlantic and Midwest Leagues.  The Sally League played last night, but the Midwest had only one game on their schedule.  We’ll start with the Midwest and cover their Saturday results.  Eric Hosmer had a couple of hits as did Blake Tekotte.  Drew Cumberland blasted a double and triple while driving in two and scoring twice.  On the bump, Dodgers young star Ethan Martin threw a gem allowing just two hits over five shutout innings and the Mariners’ Aaron Pribinac was even more effective allowing one hit and one walk over six innings, striking out five.

Midwest League Player of the Day—AARON PRIBINAC

Other Notable Performances:

• Billy Nowlin—2-3 2B RBI R
• Mauricio Robles—5 IP 2H BB 8K W(1)
• Sawyer Carroll—1-4 2B 2 RBI
• Blake Tekotte—1-3 2R 2 BB
• Drew Cumberland—3-4 2B 3B 2 RBI 2R BB
• Allan Dykstra—1-3 2R 2 BB
• Simon Castro—4.1 IP H 5 BB 3K
• Michael Marseco—1-2 2B R 2 BB SB(1)
• Nick Romero—2-4 R BB SB(1)
• Tyson Auer—2-5 2B 2R HR(1) RBI SB(3)
• Bobby Lanigan—5 IP 3H 2 ER 2 BB 5K
• Devaris Gordon-Strange—1-4 R SB(2)
• Austin Gallagher—2-4 RBI
• Ethan Martin—5 IP 2H 2 BB 4K W(1)
• Curtis Partch—5 IP 7H 2 ER 6K L(1)
• Maximo Mendez—2-4 3B R
• Luis Cota—5 IP 3H ER 2 BB 8K L(1)
• Aaron Pribinac—6 IP H BB 5K W(1)
• Eric Hosmer—2-4 2B
• Dusty Coleman—1-3 R 2 BB
• Ryan Flaherty—2-4 R BB
• Chris Archer—3 IP 0H 4 BB 5K

In the Sally League, Anthony Rizzo belted his first HR of ‘09 as did Travis D’Arnaud.  Michael Almanzar had two RBI and big Joe Mahoney had an even bigger day going 4-5 with a triple, six RBI and two stolen bases.  However, his career day was not enough to unseat Rockies first rounder Christian Friedrich who tossed six one-hit innings walking two and striking out nine en route to his first win of the new season.

South Atlantic League Player of the Day—CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH

Other Notable Performances:

• Steven Souza—2-4 2 RBI R BB
• Stephen Englund—1-3 2B R 2 RBI 2 BB
• Joe Mahoney—4-5 3B R 6 RBI 2 SB(3)
• Ronnie Welty—3-5 2B 3R RBI BB
• Travis D’Arnaud—1-5 HR(1) 3 RBI
• Charlie Culberson—2-4 3R
• Josh Mazzola—3-4 2 RBI 2R BB
• Wilmer Flores—2-5 2B R
• Jacob Jeffries—2-4 R
• Jeremy Beckham—2-4
• Mike Sheridan—1-4 HR(1) RBI
• Carlos Pimentel—6 IP 7H 2 ER 6K
• Edward Martinez—1-2 2B 2 RBI R
• Michael Bianucci—1-3 2B 2 RBI R
• Anthony Rizzo—2-4 HR(1) 3 RBI 2R BB
• Tim Federowicz—1-4 HR(2) 3 RBI BB
• Oscar Tejeda—2-5 2R
• David Mailman—2-5 R
• Michael Almanzar—1-3 2 RBI
• Mitch Dening—2-4 R
• Peter Hissey—2-4 R
• Casey Kelly—5 IP 4H BB 4K W(1)
• Joeseph Massey—2-4 R RBI
• Carlos Martinez—2-4 R
• Christian Friedrich—6 IP H 2 BB 9K W(1)
• Garrison Lassiter—3-4
• David Phelps—5.2 IP 3H 4K W(1)
  

8/22 Low A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on August 24, 2008 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Brandon Waring

• 2-3 HR( 18 ) 2 RBI 2B—.267 18 HR 64 RBI 147 K’s

Jonathan Kibler

• 5 IP 6H 3 ER BB 5K—14-5 1.75 ERA 126K/154IP

Jeremy Horst

• 5.1 IP 6H ER BB K (W)—7-2 2.53 ERA 104K/96IP

Jeremy McBryde

• 5 IP 4H 2 ER 12K—7-8 4.33 ERA 147K/127IP

Pat McAnaney

• 5 IP 4H BB 4K (W)—4-2 0.94 ERA 49K/48IP .190 BAA

Mike Moustakas

• 2-3 2B R BB—.271 21 HR 67 RBI 71 R

Jeremy Moore

• 2-5 HR(16) 2 RBI BB SB( 28 )—.247 16 HR 46 RBI 11 3B 28 SB

Robert Fish

• 6.1 IP 9H 3ER BB 8K (W)—9-4 5.07 ERA 126K/135IP

Engel Beltre

• 1-4 HR( 8 ) RBI—.283 8 HR 45 RBI 84R 29 SB

Carlos Hernandez

• 6 IP 4H ER 6K (W)—7-0 2.10 ERA 66K/73IP

Michael Main

• 4 IP 4H 2 ER BB 6K (L)—3-3 2.79 ERA 57K/52IP

Caleb Gindl

• 3-4 HR(13) 3 RBI 2R—4th consecutive HR game (.415 5 HR 11 RBI 11 R last 10 games)

Darin Holcomb

• 2-4 2 RBI—.316 13 HR 93 RBI 86 R 60BB/60K 44 2B

Reid Fronk

• 2-3 2 HR(15) 2 RBI—.275 15 HR 73 RBI 15 SB 67 BB

Jesus Montero

• 3-4 2R 2 RBI—.320 16 HR 79 RBI 32 2B 79 R

Oscar Tejeda

• 3-5 2R 2 RBI—.366 7 RBI 15H last 10 games

Brent Morel

• 2-3 HR(3) RBI 2B 2R BB—.278 3 HR 6 RBI 8R last 10 games

Michael Durant

• 1-5 HR(17) RBI—.231 17 HR 64 RBI 128K

Travis D’Arnaud

• 3-5 HR(6) RBI 2B—.469 2 HR 5 RBi 9R 16H in 8 games with Lakewood

T.J. Warren

• 3-4 R BB SB(5)—.272 2 HR 30 RBI 5 SB in 62 games

BUY/SELL Analysis

Needs oven mitts to hold his bat!

Travis D’Arnaud was a supplimental 1st round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2007 draft.  Lauded for his athleticism and arm strength behind the plate, D’Arnaud’s main question areas revolved around his bat.  Some scouts were not sold on his ability to hit professional pitching but his athleticism and projectible frame has promise of producing power as he develops.  This season, D’Arnaud debuted at Short Season Williamsport where he hit .309 with 4 HR 25 RBI and 13 2B’s in 175 AB’s.  His BB/K ratio of 18/29 was very respectible and earned him a promotion to Low-A Lakewood.  D’Arnaud ramped up his production in his first 8 games hitting .429 with 2 HR 5 RBI and 5 BB’s.  While Travis will most likely not maintain this torrid pace, he has done much to dispell the critics of his bat thusfar.  D’Arnaud has his only 1st year cards in the 2007 Bowman Draft and Chrome set.  Similar to other prospects in that set like Corey Brown, Justin Jackson, Ed Easley, Julio Borbon and Kyle Lotzkar, D’Arnaud has both a chrome base card and autograph available.  His base cards are not in high demand right now and can be found in bunches for 25-50 cents each.  His autos are a little more popular, but not in super high demand either ranging from $5-7 each.

Market Advice: D’Arnaud has the tools to advance steadily through the Phillies farm system.  Looking to the future, D’Arnaud really only has Lou Marson blocking him as a potential backstop for the Phillies in the next 3 seasons.  I think D’Arnaud has more long term upside than Marson, though Marson is at this stage much more polished.  I think it is reasonable to expect that D’Arnaud could be a 15-20 HR per season hitter in the major leagues.  That being said, keep a close eye on him to see how he performs next year at Clearwater and, possibly, Reading.  While plucking his cards right now is a speculative venture, my prognosticative gut tells me that $5-7 per auto is the lowest price that you will be paying for his cards for the next few seasons. BUY, BUY, BUY.

8/18 Low A Minor League Report

Posted by Jeremy on August 19, 2008 under Minor League Ball today | Be the First to Comment

Time is ticking and the minor league baseball season is coming to a close.  Here are some nice performances from the South Atlantic and Midwest Leagues!

Freddie Freeman

• 2-3 2R BB—.325 18 HR 94 RBI 151 H 68 R (How good will he get?)

Cody Johnson

• 2-4 HR(23) 4 RBI 3B 2R —.270 3 HR 13 RBI last 10 (Adam Dunn comps seem fair)

Eric Fryer

• 2-5 2B RBI R—.419 2 HR 5 RBI 12 R 18 H last 10 games (BrewCrew stocked at Catcher)

Caleb Gindl

• 2-5 RBI 2R—.297 9 HR 70 RBI 12 SB 36 2B (133 K’s too much for his moderate power)

David Mailman

• 4-4 (all singles)—.429 2 HR 8 RBI 18 H last 10 games

Oscar Tejeda

• 2-4 2B 3B R—.244 2 HR 29 RBI 9 SB in 84 games (he’ll get better)

Travis D’Arnaud

• 2-4 HR(5) RBI 2R BB—.412 HR 2 RBI 5R in 4 games at Lakewood (higher ceiling than Marson)

Angel Villalona

• 3-4 2 RBI 2B—Just turned 18 (.254 14 HR 56 RBI)

Tyler Henson

• 1-4 HR(10) 4 RBI 2R—.269 10 HR 57 RBI 19 SB

Zach Britton

• 6 IP H 2ER 5BB 7K (W)—11-6 3.06 ERA 99K/136IP (3.06 GO/FO)

Mauricio Robles

• 7 IP 4H Er BB 3K (L)—4-3 2.50 ERA 69K/84IP .167 BAA (watch him)

Andrew Lambo

• 2-4 2B RBI—.294 15 HR 77 RBI 33 2B

Neftali Soto

• 2-4 2B 2 RBI—.338 8 HR 37 RBI .918 OPS 23 2B (in 55 games at two levels)

Devin Mesoraco

• 1-4 HR(9) RBI—.269 9 HR 40 RBI in 74 games

Justin Smoak

• 1-3 2B BB—Long awaited minor league debut for Rangers top pick

Blake Beaven

• 6 IP 3 H ER 2BB 5K—9-6 2.50 ERA 66K/112IP (not dominant, but solid)

Jovan Rosa

• 2-4 2R 2 RBI BB 2B—.288 7 HR 77 RBI 36 2B (119K/118G)

Danny Duffy

• 5 IP 2H BB 7K (W)—5-1 1.14 ERA 55K/47IP last 10 games (read more below)

BUY/SELL Analysis

One of KC's bright stars

Danny Duffy has done nothing but dominated since his debut with the Arizona League Royals club in late 2007.  In that stint, the former 3rd rounder went 2-3 1.45 ERA and 63 K’s in just 37 innings.  This season has rendered much of the same results for Duffy as he has compiled an 8-4 record with 102 K’s in just 82 innings.  Duffy’s fastball ranges from 91-94 MPH, though it is thought to have more life as he matures physically.  He has the makings of a plus curveball and solid slider as well.  One key to Duffy’s success is his ability to hide the ball during his delivery.  Command has been an issue for him in the past and his lack of groundball outs (.55/FO) is a concern as he faces more advanced hitters.  Duffy’s 1st year cards can be found in the 2008 Bowman and Chrome Prospects set and he may have autos in the upcoming Bowman Sterling and Bowman Heritage sets.  His Bowman Chrome cards sell for 75 cents to $1.00 each and refractors (#’ed to 599) can be had for $4-5 each.

Market Analysis: Pitchers, especially young ones, are dicey animals to prospect, as their futures are difficult to predict.  Duffy has been dominant since the get-go, but one has to wonder how much of that is due to being able to exploit young hitters with a deceptive delivery a la Tyler Robertson.  My feel for him is that his numbers will slide as he advances.  This is not to say that he doesn’t have a major league future.  HIs fastball and curve are a nice combination that should set himself into a 3rd or 4th spot in KC’s rotation within the next 3-4 years.  If you can snag his chromes for 75 cents he is might be a decent buy, but I would wait until AA to see if he is able to replicate his sterling numbers.