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13/14 March, 2004
 Here
he goes again, launching the annual appeal with the slightly battered, but
trusty tin cup (staking out the choice street locations). (Although not nearly
as crafty as the guy with the leather jacket, Rolex & cell phone outside
Shopper's Drug Mart on St. Clair Avenue in Toronto.) Many thanks to
those who've already sent in contributions for the new season. If you can
help out, click the cup image (at right or below). Wishes for a great
season ! jdm
Pitching line = IP H R ER BB SO
 Game
action Friday ... Franklin Gutierrez
LA 1-2, double ... Adam Johnson MIN 2 1 0 0 0 2 ... Joe Nathan
MIN 1 0 0 0 0 1 ... Michael Restovich MIN 3-4 ... Bobby Hill
PIT 0-3 ... Jason Bay (still at DH) 1-4, double ... James Loney
LA 0-2 ...Simon Pond TOR 3-4, double, homer ... Chris Shelton
DET 1-1, triple ... Kazuo Matsui NYN 2-4, SB ... Kurt Ainsworth
BAL 3 1-3 5 4 2 1 3 ... Erik Bedard BAL 2 2-3 2 0 0 2 4 ... Tim
Raines Jr. 3-5, double, homer ... Ryan Madson PHI 3 2 1 1 1 2 ... Jeremy
Guthrie CLE 2 3 0 0 0 0 ... Dewon Brazelton TB 3 3 0 0 0 0
... Luis Martinez STL 2 1 0 0 1 2 ... Zack Greinke
KC 3 5 4 4 2 0 ... Jeff Mathis ANA 0-3 ... Dallas McPherson
ANA 1-3, double ... Brian Specht ANA 3-5, 2 doubles ... Casey
Kotchman ANA 2-5, double, 2 RBI ... Brian Anderson CHA 2-4,
double, 2 RBI ... Jimmy Gobble KC 3 2-3 3 1 1 0 1 ... Scott
Hairston ARZ 0-3 ... Billy Hall MIL 1-4, homer, 3 RBI ... Scott
Proctor NYA 2 1 0 0 1 5 ...
Troop
movements ... Yanks' Sean Henn, LA's Andy Brown among the latest
cuts ... Drew Henson, now a Cowboy : "
... Dallas acquired Henson from the Houston Texans on Friday for a third-round
pick in the 2005 draft. Henson then agreed to an eight-year deal with the
Cowboys, his agent, Tom Condon said ... The deal means Dallas has three former
minor-league baseball players at the quarterback position. Starter Quincy
Carter played in the Chicago Cubs' organization in 1996, '97 and '98. Dallas
signed former Stanford quarterback Chad Hutchinson before the 2002 season
after he gave up on a career with the St. Louis Cardinals." John
Sickels, ESPN.com, on Adam Loewen BAL and Chad Gaudin TB : "
... Loewen is tall at 6-6, but has filled out his frame and is now listed at 220
pounds. His fastball can hit 95 mph, but usually works at 90-93. The pitch has
excellent movement, but he sometimes has trouble throwing strikes with it. His
curveball is better than his fastball at this point, giving him two plus pitches
with which to overpower hitters. Loewen needs a better changeup, but scouts like
his composure on the mound and general feel for pitching. If he stays healthy
and continues to refine his command, Loewen could be a staff ace. But he doesn't
turn 20 until April, so we need to keep expectations at a reasonable level for
now." "
... scouts project Gaudin as a reliever because he is a short guy, and has just
two good pitches right now. His height (listed 5-10, but possibly shorter) gives
him less physical projectability than taller pitchers. His fastball is average
in velocity at 88-90 mph, though he throws it for strikes aggressively. His
slider is also very good, and he has done a good job of mixing his two main
pitches. His changeup is mediocre, and while he can improve it with experience,
he's probably best served by using the fastball/slider combination in relief for
now."
SD's
Tim Stauffer, ST scratch : "
... Stauffer, drafted third overall by the Padres last year, will sit out the
Cactus League season because of forearm tightness but should be ready to open
the season with Class A Lake Elsinore. "We're just being extra
cautious," assistant trainer Jim Daniel said. A shoulder ailment kept
Stauffer from pitching last season after the Padres signed him. Daniel said
Stauffer has regained full strength and range of motion in the shoulder."
(San Diego Union Tribune) And
... the Padres have an early favourite for the June draft. The SD Union
Tribune says the club has Jered Weaver, Long Beach State, at the top of
its list. "
... With just five weeks gone by, All-American RHP Jered Weaver was named
Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Week for the third time this
season. For the second time in four starts, Weaver struck out the first 10 men
he faced, as he did so against BYU on Friday en route to a career-best 15
strikeouts. Weaver retired the first 17 he faced before a popup, 20-feet down
the first base line bounced foul, then fair, for one of the Cougars’ two hits.
Weaver has now struck out 10 or more in four consecutive starts as he is 5-0
with a 1.01 ERA, striking out 55 and walking just four. Weaver has given up one
or fewer runs in each of his five contests and has given up three or fewer hits
in four of them. Opponents are “hitting” just .133 against him." (LBS
Web Site) Weaver
was in action Friday against UCLA at the Aztec Invitational. "
... Weaver (6-0) sailed through another opponent, tying his career-high with 15
strikeouts, giving up one hit over 8.0 shutout innings as No. 8-ranked Long
Beach State (12-4) defeated UCLA 3-0 at the Aztec Inviational at Petco Park. For
the fifth time in a row, Weaver struck out double digits, tying his career-high
for the second straight contest. He twice struck out the side in the first and
seventh innings, and retired the final 10 batters he faced with eight of those
strikeouts. Last week, Weaver set his career-high with 15 strikeouts over
Brigham Young." (LBS Web Site)
12 March, 2004 Game
action, Thursday ... Matt Riley BAL 2 2 2 2 4 0 ... Bronson
Arroyo BOS 2 7 6 6 1 1 ... John Stephens BAL 1 0 0 0 1 0
... Andy Dominique BOS 1-2, double, 3 RBI ... Jose Capellan
ATL 2 3 0 0 0 2 ... Grady Sizemore CLE 2-3, double ... Wilson
Betemit ATL 0-1 (now 0-10) ... Joe Mauer MIN 1-3 triple, RBI ... Bobby
Hill PIT 2-3, homer ... Jason Lane HOU (with a turn in CF)
1-3 ... a little hurdle on the way to the HOF, Edwin Jackson LA 2
2-3 7 6 6 2 2 ... LA sleeper, former TEX top prospect, Jason Romano
3-4, 2nd & 3rd homers, 2 runs, 4 RBI ... Sean Burnett PIT 2 2
0 0 0 2 ... John VanBenschoten PIT 3 0 0 0 1 2 ... Gavin Floyd
PHI 2 1-3 3 2 1 2 1 ... Ryan Wagner CIN 2 0 0 0 0 1 ... Jason
Arnold TOR 2 2 2 0 0 0 ... Wily Mo Pena CIN 1-1,
homer ... Alexis Rios TOR 2-2, 2 runs ... Bobby Jenks
ANA 3 2 0 0 2 3 ... Juan Cruz CHN 1 1-3 8 8 8 2 2 ... Rene Reyes
COL 3-4 ... Joe Blanton OAK 2 4 3 3 0 1 ... Bobby Crosby
OAK 0-3, 2 Ks ... Shingo Takatsu CHA 1 2 1 1 0 2 ... Khalil
Greene SD 2-4 ... Laynce Nix TEX 2-4 ... Aaron Heilman NYN
might be a good one after all, " ... Heilman dazzled in his second start
for the Mets, striking out five in his four hitless innings. Only one man
reached against him, Terrmel Sledge on a two-out walk in the fourth." (MLB.com)
... Oh
oh ... LA's Greg Miller heading for the DL : "
... Miller will have arthroscopic surgery next week to determine what is
bothering his throwing shoulder. The procedure virtually guarantees that Miller,
a top prospect, will open the season on the disabled list. Miller, 19, hasn't
appeared in any exhibition games or thrown any bullpen sessions this spring
because of a shoulder injury. He had been rehabilitating the shoulder for two
months in Los Angeles before coming to Dodgertown. "His shoulder continues
to show improvement from a strength and rehabilitation standpoint," Dodgers
manager Jim Tracy said. "But it does not correlate to what takes place when
he goes to throw. He still experiences soreness and pain. We've got to find out
what's going on." ... Miller will have surgery March 19, and any
damage could be repaired then. "I'm excited to finally have a chance to get
it 100 percent," Miller said. "I've been doing rehab for three months
and we haven't been able to nail down exactly what it is." (Associated
Press) Troop
movements ... OAK sent Mario Ramos, Brad Sullivan and Ben Fritz to minor league
camp ... traded infielder Jose Flores to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash
... FLO released pitcher Nelson Cruz... sent Cedrick Bowers, Bryce Florie,
Trevor Hutchinson, Delvin James, Marty McLeary and Mike Nannini to minor league
camp ... BOS assigned Bryan Hebson to AAA, assigned infielder Jesus Medrano,
catcher Jeff Bailey and pitchers Ed Yarnall and Paul Rigdon to minor league camp,
optioned OF Chip Ambres to Triple-A Albuquerque and INF Josh Wilson to Double-A
Carolina and reassigned OF Eric Reed and INF Felipe Crespo to minor league camp ... TB sent RHP Dicky Gonzalez, RHP Gerardo Garcia, RHP Willie Glen, RHP Carlos
Reyes, RHP Al Reyes, RHP Alan Mills, LHP Mike Holtz, C Mitch Meluskey, INF Jared
Sandberg, OF Anton French, OF Joey Gathright, INF BJ Upton to minor league camp ... TB -- INF
Antonio Perez, OF Jonny Gomes and LHP Jon Switzer to Triple-A Durham, RHP Carlos
Hines to Double-A Montgomery and OF Delmon Young to Single-A Charleston
... Deyn
Perry, FoxSports, has the next to last installment in his Top 100. Dallas
McPherson leads off this group at No. 11. At No. 19 (just behind Delmon
Young and ahead of Alexis Rios) sits KC's David DeJesus
: "
... the most underrated prospect in the game. McPherson, a second-rounder in
2001 out of the Citadel ... came back in 2003 like a man possessed. He split
time in the Cal and Texas Leagues ... and laid waste to both circuits. At Rancho
Cucamonga, he hit .308 AVG/.404 OBP/.606 SLG in 292 ABs, and after a promotion
to Arkansas, he kept it up, hitting .314/.426/.569. McPherson has a complete
offensive package: the ability to hit for average, strong plate discipline and
excellent raw power. He's an excellent prospect." "
... DeJesus, a fourth-rounder in 2000 out of Rutgers, has battled injuries for
much of his career, but when he's played he's been outstanding. He shows good
defense in center and outstanding on-base skills (.400 career OBP). He also has
gap power abilities and is a career .296 hitter. Still, after suffering a
fractured elbow and two shoulder injuries and undergoing Tommy John surgery, his
ability to stay healthy is highly dubious. If he's able to curtail his penchant
for injuries, his upside may be in Brady Anderson territory." Jamey
Newberg, Texas Rangers Minor League Report, with kudos for righthander Ricardo
Rodriguez : "
... Rodriguez's four innings of work won't be reflected in his final spring
numbers since it was a "B" game, but that hardly matters. Rodriguez
breezed through four scoreless innings of work, needing only 36 pitches and
finding the strike zone with 28 of them, and limiting the Royals to a pair of
singles. He didn't issue a walk, and nine of his 12 outs came on the ground. So
far, his early work in camp is the story of the spring for this club. As long as
he continues to deal, it's hard to imagine there being another player whose
Cactus League performance could be any more significant. In seven innings this
spring, Rodriguez has scattered just three hits and has yet to allow a
run." Mark
Allen Haverty. The Sporting News, on Jesse Crain and Jayson Nix :
"
... Crain, a former University of Houston closer and second-round pick in
2002, brings two plus pitches with him to the mound - a mid-90s fastball and a
brutal slider that is his primary strikeout pitch ... The only person in front
of Crain for the closer role is Joe Nathan, who never has closed games in his
career and can't be more than a short-term solution ... a safe bet to get plenty
of save opportunities by the end of the season."
"
... Selected out of high school in the 2001 draft, Nix exploded offensively last
season, hitting .281 for Single-A Visalia with 46 doubles and 21 homers. Since
many scouts will tell you doubles become home runs as players continue to
develop, that's some scary power potential, especially for a second baseman. On
top of the power, Nix swiped 24 bags last year ... strikeouts have been
the only negative in Nix's game. Nix will start the season at Double-A, but
another stellar 2004 season could have him pushing for the Rockies' starting job
in 2005."
June
or July debut for Guillermo Quiroz ?
"
... While Quiroz struggled mightily in his first few seasons of low-level ball,
few people in the Blue Jays organization expect his struggles to be chronic. The
reason? Quiroz is too talented. He's gifted defensively, he's athletic, and he's
developing power in his bat. He had a big season in 2003, which vaulted him into
the top ranks of catching prospects. The Blue Jays view Quiroz as one of their
gems. They love that fact that he has a broad palette of skills. He doesn't seem
to have one glaring weakness, and his timetable for the bigs looks something
like this: Assuming normal success at Triple-A Syracuse, Quiroz will reach the
Majors in June or July. He'll split time with Kevin Cash and Greg Myers. Myers,
38, will likely retire after this season, so Toronto wants Quiroz to dip his
feet into the Major League waters this season. Next season, the team looks at
him as the potent half of an offense-defense platoon with Cash. But Quiroz's
upside is so high that he should plant Cash on the bench in a season or
two." (MLB.com)
11 March, 2004 Game
action, Wednesday ... Charlie Zink BOS 1 1 1 1 2 0 ... Adam Loewen
BAL, not looking good, 0 0 4 4 4 0 ... Ramon Castro FLO 2-3, 3rd
homer, 3 RBI ... Josh Willingham FLO 2-2 ... Brandon Larson
CIN 3-3, double, 2nd homer, 2 RBI ... BJ Upton TB 0-3 ... Kenny Baugh
DET 1 1 0 0 0 0 ... Jesse Crain MIN 1 1 2 2 1 2 ... Cliff Lee
CLE 1 2 2 2 0 1 ... Coco Crisp CLE 3-4, double, triple ... Grady
Sizemore CLE 2-4, 2 doubles ... Dustin McGowan TOR 2 2 2 1
2 2 ... Guillermo Quiroz TOR 1-4, 2 RBI ... JJ Davis PIT
1-2, homer ... David Bush TOR 2 2 2 1 2 2 ... Sean Henn
NYA 2 0 1 0 1 3 ... Alexis Rios TOR 0-5 ... Cole Hamels
PHI 3 3 2 2 2 3 ... Yhency Brazoban LA 2 0 0 0 2 3 ... Taylor
Buchholz HOU 2 0 0 0 1 3 ... Cha Baek SEA 2 0 0 0 0 1
... Scott Hairston ARZ 2-2, double, 3 runs ... Jeremy Affeldt
KC 3 4 3 3 2 1 ... David DeJesus KC 1-1, triple, 2 RBI ... Joaquin
Benoit TEX 3 4 2 2 2 1 ... Laynce Nix TEX 1-3, homer ... Jon
Rauch CHA 3 6 3 3 0 3 ... Bobby Crosby OAK 1-4 ... Dennis
Tankersley SD 2 2 1 1 0 4 & 1-1, homer, 2 RBI ... Rickie Weeks
MIL 1-1, double, 2 RBI ... Prince Fielder MIL 1-5 ... Rule 5 Luis
Gonzalez COL (at 2B) 2-5 ... Troop
movements ... LHP Scott Kazmir, first cut for the Mets, off to
minor league camp ... RHP Hong-Chih Kuo LA, to A+ Vero
Beach ... John
Manuel, Baseball America, on Kelly Johnson ATL another former
shortstop :
"
... Johnson had a breakout season in 2001, hitting .289-23-66 at low Class A
Macon, drawing 71 walks (with a .404 on-base percentage) and stealing 25 bases.
In two years since then, Johnson's career has stagnated, and he hit just
.275-6-45 at Greenville in 2003. The organization hopes a move to third base or
the outfield will help jump-start his bat ... Johnson is just 22, and like
Betemit he's moving off shortstop. "He played third base in the Arizona
Fall League, and he's taking a lot of fly balls in the outfield this
spring," Moore said. "Right now, his best position is in the batter's
box. Because of the position change, he'll go back to Greenville this year.
"He's still learning to center the ball on the bat when it's in different
areas of the strike zone. With added strength, his power will come when he
learns to do that. Right now, he's more of a middle-of-the-field hitter."
... "The thing abut both Kelly and Wilson is, they both are athletic enough
to play other positions if they have to," Moore said. "It's no
different from Chipper Jones when he was coming up; in 1994, we had him ready to
play left field. If they're as good as we think they can be, we'll find a place
for them." Jim
Callis, Baseball America, on Joel Zumaya DET : "
... Zumaya was a tough call. Of the five people who hashed out the list, one of
us put him on their personal Top 100, while two others had him in the 101-110
range. There are a lot of positives about him, but also some negatives that
ultimately kept him off the consensus Top 100. Zumaya has a consistent mid-90s
fastball and a hard curveball. Though he was 18 and pitching against more
experienced hitters in the low Class A Midwest League last year, he averaged
12.6 strikeouts per nine innings, which would have led the minors had he pitched
enough to qualify. On the other hand, he has a maximum-effort delivery that led
to back problems and six weeks on the sidelines last year. His command and his
curveball are inconsistent, and he needs to improve his changeup and throw it
more often. Add all that up, and it's possible that he could be a reliever with
one truly reliable pitch rather than a starter."
Off
topic ... but ... chalk up a big win for Scoresheet veteran Brian Fawcett,
winner of major Writers' Trust of Canada award, The Pearson Writers' Trust
Non-Fiction Prize for his Virtual Clearcut: Or, the Way Things Are in My
Hometown. The prize is worth $15,000. Reminds me to visit Brian's
site more often. Now living in one of those communities which relies
on the forest industry and living close to places such as Kelowna, Brian's
remarkable portrait of Prince George hits pretty close to home.
10 March, 2004
Game
action, Tuesday ... Carlos Hernandez HOU 2 2 2 2 2 0 ...
Fernando Nieve HOU 1 2 1 1 1 0 ... Travis Hafner CLE
1-2, 3rd homer ... Josh Hancock PHI 1 0 0 0 0 2 ...
Justin Morneau MIN 2-4, double, 2 RBI ... Ryan Vogelsong
PIT 3 2 0 0 0 4 ... BJ Upton TB 1-2 ... Dan Haren
STL 3 3 1 1 0 3 ... John Stephens BAL 2-3 1 2 2 1 0 ...
James Loney LA 1-2 ... Juan Rivera MON 1-2, double, 2 RBI ...
Hee Seop Choi FLO 1-3, homer, 2 RBI ... Josh
Willingham FLO 2-2, double, 2 RBI ... Chad Hermansen TOR 2-3, homer
... Andy Pratt ATL 2 0 0 0 0 0 ... Chris Capuano ARZ 3
1 0 0 0 1 & 1-1, double ... David DeJesus KC 2-4, 2 RBI ...
Matt Holliday 5-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBI ... Chin Hui Tsao
COL 3 5 2 1 1 6 ... Clint Nageotte SEA 2 0 0 0 0 2 ...
Jamal Strong SEA 2-2, 2 RBI ... Jose Lopez SEA 1-2, 2
RBI ... Casey Kotchman ANA 1-1, run, RBI ... Edgar Gonzalez ARZ
2 6 4 4 1 1 ... Brian Bruney ARZ 2-3 1 4 4 2 0 ... Scott Hairston
ARZ 1-2, double
Bobby Crosby OAK, a two-homer inning ...
" ... In his first at-bat, Crosby hit a two-run shot
and later hit a grand slam to give him six RBIs in the inning. Both shots came
off Padres starter Adam Eaton, who lasted just two-thirds of an inning. Eric
Chavez also homered as the A's sent 12 men to the plate in the inning, scoring
nine runs in all. Five of the runs in the inning were unearned, though. Xavier
Nady started in place of the injured Phil Nevin at first and booted a potential
double-play ball that would have ended the inning." (MLB.com)
Jeff
Mathis ANA, lots of talent, lots to learn :
" ... Mathis, who is in his second big-league
camp with the Angels, said he's heard the hype but refuses to believe it.
"I try not to listen to that stuff," Mathis says. "It's nice to hear, but you
get in trouble if you start paying attention to it. I just keep my head down and
play." So far, so good. While it's unlikely that Mathis will ascend to Triple-A
to start the season, he might get there by the end of the year if he continues
on his quick progression ... Scioscia, ever the student of catching, says he
likes what he sees from his young pupil but realizes there's a lot to learn.
"Jeff's got a lot of talent, but he's still a young catcher," Scioscia says.
"He's still developing. But for a guy that's just barely touched Double-A, he's
terrific." Scioscia says the pitcher-catcher relationship and the ability to
call games are the most important features of a top-notch catcher. Mathis agrees
that those are the things he needs to work on the most. "Scioscia takes pride in
working with catchers," Mathis says. "That's who he looks at and critiques the
most. It's all about calling games, defense, receiving and handling pitching.
You can always get better at everything." (MLB.com)
Glove
needs some work, but the bat seems nearly ready -- Andy Marte ATL :
" ... There has already been some speculation that
Marte could be the Braves starting third baseman next year. But the talented
youngster must first conquer Southern League pitching and improve his sometimes
shaky glove at Double-A Greenville this year. "This is a defining year for Andy
Marte and he knows that," Braves director of player personnel Dayton Moore said.
"Andy is very, very perceptive. He knows what type of player he is and
understands what he needs to do." Marte has already successfully proven his
capabilities offensively. But while hitting 16 homers and compiling a .285
batting average at Class A Myrtle Beach last year, the young third baseman also
committed 28 errors. "The batter's box has come a little more natural to him
than his defense," said Moore ... Scouts say he possesses quick wrists, has the
ability to hit for power to all fields and shows great patience at the plate.
"He has the mindset that allows his hitting skills to work for him," Moore said.
... Moore and the other members of the Braves player development department
aren't conceding that Marte will be in Atlanta next year. But it's apparent that
all of them realize they have a player in their system who appears to have a
very bright future." (MLB.com)
John
Sickels, ESPN.com, on Larry Broadway MON :
" ... has proven he can hit for both average and
power against professional pitching ... plate discipline has been inconsistent
at times ... Scouts say he generates plus power, and he hits his share of
tape-measure home runs ... has sufficient reliability to play an outfield
corner, but he is slow, his range is limited and he's best off remaining at
first base. The problem here is that the Expos now have Nick Johnson manning the
fort at first base, which could leave Broadway without a position ... projects
as a .260-.280 hitter at the major league level, with good-to-excellent power
... should begin the year in Double-A, with a promotion to Triple-A in the
offing sometime in the second half of the year. His bat will be ready for the
major leagues by 2005 ... question now is defense: finding a place to
stick Broadway's bat. He reminds me of Orioles outfielder/first baseman Jay
Gibbons, a solid, productive hitter though not quite a star."
A long shot
perhaps, but there could be spots for both Lew Ford and Mike Ryan
on the MIN roster (with Michael Cuddyer back in the minors) :
" ... On Monday, manager Ron Gardenhire suggested
there was an option that could put both outfielders on the roster, with veteran
Jose Offerman still sticking around as a pinch hitter. "It's not absolutely
necessary that I start the season with two backup infielders," Gardenhire said.
"We have some off days early. If our regular infielders are healthy, they will
be playing every day. "Ford and Ryan have those short, quick swings that can
hold up after spending three, four days sitting on the bench. If Cuddie doesn't
show us some sharpness with the bat down here . . . I could live with one backup
infielder." Cuddie would be Michael Cuddyer, presumed to be a lock for the
roster as a super sub. This pregame conversation with the manager indicated that
Cuddyer might have to produce a few hits this month to claim that spot.
(Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
With
injuries to Bobby Hill and Freddy Sanchez, PIT's Jose Castillo has taken
advantage of an opportunity :
" ... If nothing else, Castillo has seized the
opportunity to display his potential. While he looks a little shaky in the field
and may need another year in the minors to polish his skills, Castillo can hit.
He has eight hits in 18 at-bats in five games ... "He's a player. He's going to
be something special if he keeps up the hard work," (Abraham) Nunez said of
Castillo. "He has tools. He's got some pop. He's got good feet. He's got a good
arm. He wants to learn. He's hungry. He's one of those guys that you don't even
have to see him play to know he's a player. Just watch him in uniform." Castillo
had been a shortstop until he was moved to second base in mid-May while playing
at Class AA Altoona last season. He's still adjusting to the position, as
evidenced by some of his reaction times on plays, but he's also shown why he was
selected to play in the Futures All-Star game last year. "He has the package,"
Nunez said. "His defense will improve with playing time." (Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette)
Behind the
plate or with the bat, the praise gets heaped on MIN's Joe Mauer.
Peter Gammons, ESPN.com :
" ... Mauer is, indeed, special. He receives
the ball like a Bob Boone, with great presentation and hands so soft he looks as
if he could catch an egg thrown 90 miles an hour. He has a rocket arm (throwing
out more than 50 percent of runners in the minors), but more important, for a
6-foot-4, 225-pound man, he has exceptionally quick feet, especially getting
himself into position to throw. "I don't think there's any question that my
football experience helps me back there," says Mauer. "I spent a lot of years
working on the drop back, the footwork and getting rid of the ball properly. I
don't think there's any question that the footwork for throwing as a quarterback
and as a catcher are similar." ... "I don't think I've ever seen a young hitter
recognize pitches the way he does," says Minnesota hitting coach Scott
Ullger.
"He can know what the pitch is as soon as it comes out of (the pitcher's) hand.
He isn't worried about mechanics, he concentrates on seeing the pitch and the
rotation out of the pitcher's hand."
The
revamped O's counting on a big Canadian lefty, Adam Loewen :
" ... the Orioles' top pitching prospect, expected
to reach the rotation by next season. Experts claim the 6-foot-6 left-hander
will need a year, or maybe two, of minor league ball before he is ready. "I
really haven't proven myself yet, so I can't really look at that as reality," a
humble Loewen said. "It definitely motivates me to have a good year. But looking
at myself on a baseball card, when I really haven't done anything, is quite
embarrassing." Loewen patterns his style after Oakland A's left-hander Mark
Mulder, who has mastery of four pitches. Loewen's out pitch is a Barry Zito-type
breaking ball that has scouts salivating ... Slightly ahead of Loewen in the
system are left-handers Matt Riley and Erik Bedard, both of whom have combined
for more Tommy John surgeries -- two -- than Major League wins -- one. Club
officials ensured Loewen would not risk injury by shutting him down after seven
games for Single-A Aberdeen last year. During that stretch, he showed flashes of
dominance, striking out 25 batters in 23 1/3 innings with no home runs allowed.
He is expected to begin this season at Single-A Delmarva or Frederick, and there
is no ceiling to his potential." (MLB.com)
Evan
Grant, Inside The Rangers, with a note on Juan Dominiguez :
" ... It’s an issue of development, maturity and
options. Dominguez hasn’t developed a big-league breaking ball yet, which makes
his repertoire of an electric fastball and deceptive changeup intriguing but
limited. Until he figures how to throw a breaking ball, he’s good for one trip
through the batting order before hitters have seen everything he’s got and are
ready to tee off. Dominguez showed up at camp at least 20 pounds heavier than
last year and during the brief time he was up, he made quite an impression on
the clubhouse folks for his ability to just kill the post-game spread ...
Dominguez has minor league options remaining, and the Rangers need all the
options they can find in sorting out the rotation ... Dominguez, regardless of
how he pitches, will likely get a trip to Oklahoma City."
09 March, 2004
Game
action, Monday ... Brandon Claussen CIN 3 2 1 1 1 2 ...
Sean Burnett PIT 1 3 1 1 1 0 ... Wily Mo Pena
CIN, 3-5 double ... Jose Castillo PIT (taking full advantage of
the injury woes of Bobby Hill) 2-4, homer, 2 RBI ... Brandon
Larson CIN 3-4, homer, 6 RBI, SB ... Jose Capellan ATL 1 1
2 2 3 1 ... Brandon Phillips CLE 1-3, double ... Grady
Sizemore CLE 1-2, triple ... Joe Mauer MIN 1-3 ... Hanley
Ramirez BOS 1-2, run, RBI ... Eric DuBose BAL 3 1 2 2
2 3 ... John Maine BAL 2 1 3 2 2 1 ... Mike
Fontenot BAL 1-2, homer ... Kazuo Matsui NYN 0-2 (as DH)
... Jesse Crain MIN 1 1 0 0 0 1 ... Michael Restovich
MIN 2-4, double ... Terry Tiffee MIN 4-5, 4 runs, 2 RBI ...
Charlie Zink BOS 1 0 0 0 0 1 ... Bud Smith PHI 1 2-3 3 3 3 2 1
... Nick Bierbrodt BOS 1 3 3 3 1 2 ... looks as if BOS is serious
about using Dave McCarty as a pitcher, 2-3 2 0 0 0 0 ... Alexis
Rios TOR 3-4, homer, 3 RBI ... JJ Davis PIT 2-3, 3 RBI ... Jimmy
Gobble KC 3 1 0 0 0 2 ... Jorge de la Rosa MIL 2 4 5 4 0 1 ...
Shingo Takatsu CHA 1 1 0 0 0 1 ... Bobby Crosby OAK 2-4 ...
Troop
movements ... the cuts begin already with the opening of the minor league camps
... KC sending Mitch Maier, Ruben Gotay, Donald Murphy sent
down ... NYA sent LHP Danny Borrell to AAA and RHP Chien-Ming Wang
to AA ...
Maybe he's
figured it out :
" ... Here's who I like: Alex Escobar. Never
thought I'd write that. But Escobar has made some dramatic adjustments in his
swing from early in his career when he was a strikeout waiting to happen. He had
three more hits Sunday, including two of them when he had two strikes on him.
Both were off breaking pitches. In the past, he thought the more strikes on him,
the harder he should swing. He tempered that a bit last season but still whiffed
133 times in 439 at-bats with Class AAA Buffalo. His .251 average was modest,
but his 24 homers were impressive. Especially when he came up late in the
season, hitting .273 with five homers with the Tribe. Right now, he's hitting
.600 with only one strikeout in 10 at-bats. At 25, he might be figuring it out.
He is a serious, hard-working guy who knows with Ryan Ludwick (knee surgery)
out, the door is wide open for him to become the right-handed, power-hitting
outfielder this team desperately needs. ``I can't just be a prospect any more,''
he said. ``It's time for me to show something.'' ``He could be the most talented
guy in camp,'' said Shapiro, obviously hoping something very good finally comes
of his first big deal, the Robbie Alomar trade with the Mets from December 11,
2001. (Terry Pluto, Akron Beacon Journal)
Rockies'
2B competition off to a "nobody-wins" start :
" ... Damian Jackson ... Through three spring
games, he is 0-for-8 with five strikeouts ... competing with Aaron
Miles, who got his first hit of the spring. Miles is 1-for-7 with two
strikeouts. If this keeps up, expect the Rockies to make a play for either
Brian Roberts or Chase Utley." (Denver Post)
In BAL,
youngster steps up to fill a void :
" ... former No. 1 draft pick Mike Fontenot
has seized every opportunity given to him. Fontenot hit a one-out double
yesterday off Florida reliever Chad Fox, with the ball hopping the center-field
fence, and drove in the Orioles' lone run in the eighth with a single ... A
pattern is developing here, left by a 5-foot-8 middle infielder who spent last
season with Double-A Bowie. Fontenot hit a two-run, opposite-field homer to win
the opener, and his hustle delivered the go-ahead run Saturday before the
Marlins rallied to win. He is 4-for-9 (.444) with one home run, three RBIs and
two doubles this spring. With the score tied in the sixth inning, Fontenot lined
a ball off Marlins pitcher Mike Judd and raced to second, beating the throw with
a headfirst slide. He went to third on a bouncer to the left side, holding up
until the throw, and scored on a wild pitch. It was pure hustle, and it brought
hitting coach Terry Crowley off his chair beside the dugout so he could be the
first to congratulate Fontenot. "He's a scrappy little player," manager Lee
Mazzilli said. "He gets good wood on the ball and makes solid contact. The more
you see him, the more you like him." (Baltimore Sun)
Lefty
Jorge de la Rosa (in spite of Monday's result) on the cusp of a MLB roster spot :
" ... Much of the Brewers' optimism is based on the
potential of 22-year-old Jorge de la Rosa, the essential piece of the six-player
trade with Arizona for Richie Sexson ... Yost characterizes de la Rosa's spring
progress to this point as "phenomenal." The idea for now is that he will begin
the season in Class AAA Indianapolis, with the possibility of arriving in the
majors by May." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
With
Jeff Neimann's (Rice) struggles, a Long Beach State righthander moves into
contention for the top pick in the June draft :
" ... All-American Jered Weaver (5-0) put
forth another dominating performance, striking out the first 10 for the second
time this season, setting a new career-high with 15 strikeouts as No. 7-ranked
Long Beach State (11-3) defeated visiting Brigham Young (4-15) 3-1 on Friday
evening. Weaver fired off 5.2 perfect innings ... then went on to fire off 7.2
innings, giving up one run on two hits, while walking one. He hurled 108
pitches, of which 74 were strikes ... . struck out double digits for the
fourth-straight contest." (LBS Web Site)
Weaver, 21, is 6-7, 205 and the younger
brother of the Dodger's Jeff Weaver. 14-4, 1.93 last season with 144 Ks in 133
IP.
" ... Not since the days of Jason Giambi has the
baseball program at Long Beach State had so much to talk about ... Weaver, 21,
is arguably the top college pitcher in the nation, and many mock baseball drafts
have him as the No.1 pick in the upcoming June draft. Weaver's stock went up
over the summer when he pitched Team USA to a silver medal at the PanAm Games.
Weaver hurled a Team USA record 45 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, and
finished the summer with a microscopic 0.38 ERA." (LBS Web Site)
A
treat in store for prospect watchers in the Syracuse area. Marty Pevey,
new manager of the Jays' AAA affiliate with some of the league's top young guns
:
" ... There's no doubt Pevey will have some of the
most talented players in Triple-A this season. Center fielder Alexis Rios,
the Double-A Eastern League's Most Valuable Player last season, is ranked by
Baseball America magazine as the sixth- best prospect in the minor leagues.
Catcher Guillermo Quiroz (No. 35) and outfielder Gabe
Gross (No. 72) are also on BA's top 100 list. And if he doesn't start the
season in Syracuse, starting pitcher Dustin McGowan (No. 18) could
be here by the All-Star break. The SkyChiefs' opening-day roster will likely
include many of the Blue Jays' other top prospects: first baseman/third baseman
Simon Pond (the SkyChiefs' 2003 MVP); second baseman Jorge
Sequea; first baseman/outfielder John-Ford Griffin;
and pitchers Jason Arnold, David Bush and Adam
Peterson. And it’s possible that shortstop Russ Adams, the
Blue Jays’ No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft, will start the year in Syracuse." (The
Post-Standard)
08 March, 2004
Game
action, Sunday ... Bronson Arroyo BOS 3 1 0 0 0 1 ... Dewon
Brazelton TB 2 3 1 1 2 3 ... BJ Upton TB 2-3, homer, 2
runs, 2 RBI ... Justin Morneau MIN 3-6, double, 2 RBI ... Chad
Cordero MON 1 1 1 1 0 1 ... Kurt Ainsworth BAL 3 2 1 0 0 1
... Erik Bedard BAL 2 5 2 2 0 1 ... Mike Fontenot
BAL 2-4, double ... Jeremy Guthrie CLE 1 2-3 0 3 0 3 0 ... Alex
Escobar CLE 3-4 ... Travis Hafner CLE 2-4, 2nd homer, 2 RBI
... John VanBenschoten PIT 2 1 0 0
0 1 ... Jason Lane HOU 2-4, double, homer, 3 runs, 3 RBI ... Aaron Heilman NYN 2 4 3 3 0 4 ...
Victor Diaz NYN 1-3, homer ... David Wright NYN 2-3
... Gerald Laird TEX 3-3, double ... Prince Fielder MIL 1-3 ...
Billy Hall MIL
2-2, double, triple ... Dustin Nippert ARZ 0 5 4 4 1 0 ...
David Bush TOR 2 2 1 1 1 1 ... Ryan Madson PHI 2
1-3 1 0 0 0 4 ... Chase Utley PHI 2-3, 2 rins, 2 RBI, SB ...
Cody Ransom SF 1-3, homer ... Travis Blackley SEA 2 0 0
0 0 4 ... Jose Lopez SEA 1-1, homer, 2 RBI ... Casey
Kotchman ANA 1-4, double ... Jeff Mathis ANA 2-2 ...
" ... Zack Greinke struck out three in 1 2-3
innings in his spring training debut ... Greinke, 20, was pulled after
throwing 38 pitches. He gave up an infield single to Royce Clayton and a line
drive single to Jeromy Burnitz in the first inning to put runners on the corners
with one out. Greinke recovered by striking out Mark Sweeney and Brad Hawpe. "I
pitched tough when I had to I felt like," Greinke said. "It was nice to get out
of that. With a runner on third, I was hoping to get out with one run or get a
double play. I was extremely happy to get out of that. I tried to pump it up a
little more and I guess it worked for my advantage." Manager Tony Pena said
Greinke threw too many pitches in the first, but "threw the ball a lot better"
in the second inning ... . A kid like this only comes along every 10 to 15
years," Pena said. "This kid pitches with so much confidence. On the mound, he
seems like a 20-year veteran." With at least two spots and possibly three
vacancies in the Royals' rotation, Greinke will get a lengthy look in spring
training to make the club." (Associated Press)
" ... Right-hander Bobby Jenks, who was
clocked at 103 miles-per-hour this winter in Puerto Rico, allowed only one hit
over three scoreless innings to pick up the win. "Bobby is starting to show why
everybody is getting excited about him," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
"Everyone knows the tremendous arm he has. But I think you're starting to see
some command and his ability to change speeds. That's what it's going to take
for him to become a big-league pitcher." (Associated Press)
Saturday ... Prince Fielder MIL 0-2 ...
Rickie Weeks MIL 1-2, HBP, walk, 3 runs ... Josh Barfield SD 2-3 ...
Khalil Greene SD 2-3, homer, 4 RBI.
Top SD prospect on the shelf :
" ... Second baseman Josh Barfield, San
Diego's minor league player of the year in 2003, strained his left hamstring. A
non-roster invitee to spring training, he is expected to miss at least two weeks
and return to minor league camp when healthy. "I wish I could have shown a
little more," said Barfield, the son of former major league outfielder Jesse
Barfield. "It's disappointing that in my first big league camp I have to shut
down so early." (AP)
Jeremy
Deloney, GetSportsInfo, selects TB's Delmon Young as the best of the
outfield prospects :
" ... was the consensus best player available in the
draft and the most accomplished hitter. At 6’3” 205 he profiles as a
power-hitting right fielder with a great arm. Young has legitimate five tool
potential and most tools are playable now with the exception of speed. He
projects to hit 35-40 HR in the majors and has already drawn comparisons to
Albert Belle (without the temper). All Young needs is some experience and more
at bats. He’ll probably start in Low A and quickly cruise through the
organizational ranks."
A very interesting Top 5 -- Alexis Rios TOR
as the runnerup, then Jeremy Hermida FLO, Grady Sizemore
CLE and Franklin Gutierrez LA. Jeremy Reed CHA was
placed among the "Others of Note".
Scott
Rex, OnDeck, notes some possible pitching help this season for PIT :
" ... LHP Sean Burnett, RHP John
VanBenschoten, LHP Cory Stewart, and RHP Ian Snell
all could see action in the Steel City this season. Burnett is the most ready
for the show. The 21-year-old southpaw is a pitcher's pitcher. He can command a
game with his plus change-up and high-80s fastball. He will flash the curve to
keep hitters off of his change. Burnett doesn't have #1 or #2 stuff, but his
attitude is of that caliber. He projects to be a winning, #3 starter in the
majors. VanBenschoten has better stuff than Burnett, but he's not as refined.
That's to be expected since he was primarily a hitter in college. JVB has the
build and stuff to be a quality #2 starter in the bigs ... Stewart and
Snell don't project as well as Burnett and JVB, but each could surprise. Stewart
is a hard-throwing lefty (low-90s) with a solid curve. When his curve is on, he
can pile up the Ks ... Snell is one of the sneakiest prospects around. He
throws a darting, low-90s fastball and a power curve for strikes. The main
reason why Snell doesn't receive much fanfare is his height. He's 5-foot-11.
That won't keep the Bucs from taking a long look at Snell."
In
spite of Triple-A beating in 2003, Jeremy Guthrie viewed as a major part
of the CLE future :
" ... The plan now is for Guthrie to return to
Buffalo, smooth out the rough edges, and if all goes well, perhaps be ready to
contribute as a starter in the majors sometime during the second half of the
season. Shapiro is quick to point out that Guthrie's 2003 season was not
considered a disappointment, given that he reached Triple-A in his first year as
a professional. But his struggles in Triple-A were a learning experience that
the Indians hope he will benefit from in 2004. "The biggest difference when he
got to Triple-A was the location of his fastball," farm director John Farrell
said. "When he located properly, he was successful and when he didn't, he got
hurt." ... Guthrie said he realizes he still has work to do at Buffalo before
he's ready to face big league hitters. "It's not realistic to think I'd start
this season in Cleveland, after not having established myself yet at Triple-A,"
he said. ... "He is very advanced mentally," Farrell said. "So we feel
that his period of adjustment will be shortened because of the life experience
he's had. He is a very well-rounded individual, and the adversity he faced
happened at an earlier stage than most pitchers in the position he was in. "I
think that can only help him succeed in the long run." (Baseball America)
Edwin
Jackson winning rave reviews :
" ... Dodger Manager Jim Tracy compared Edwin
Jackson to Dwight Gooden, the 1985 National League Cy Young Award winner, after
the rookie's first start last season. He didn't back off that bold comment after
watching the 20-year-old right-hander work three perfect innings in his first
exhibition outing Saturday, a 6-2 Dodger victory over the New York Mets at
Tradition Field. Jackson mixed 96-mph fastballs with sharp sliders and changeups
while striking out three. "He's pretty good, isn't he?" said Tracy, his face
creased by a wide grin. "It's fair to say this young man has a chance to do some
special things." (LA Times)
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