Rookies 2004

17 October, 2004

      AFL Friday's games ... Huston Street OAK 2.0 2 0 0 0 2, 3rd Save, 1.35 ... Chris Shelton DET 3-4, 2 doubles (3), 3rd homer, 2 RBI, .478 ... Mark Teahen KC 2-4, triple, .250 ... Vito Chiaravalloti TOR 4-4, 2 homers, 3 runs, 4 RBI, .524 ... Aaron Hill TOR 2-5, 3rd double, SB, 2 RBI, .273 ... James Loney LA 4-5, double, .419 ... Conor Jackson ARZ 3-4, 1st homer ... Michael Morse SEA 3-4, triple, .423

      Mexican League Friday ... Josh Kroeger ARZ 2-3, double, 2 RBI ... Jason Dubois CHN 0-4, 3 Ks ... Joe Borchard CHA 0-3 ...  Marshall McDougall TEX homer, 3 RBI

      Philly kids in fine form :

" ... First baseman Ryan Howard is hitting .483 (14 for 29) with three home runs and nine RBIs in the Arizona Fall League. He is playing first base for the Phoenix Desert Dogs and seems unlikely to play in the outfield in the remaining games. Howard is expected to take instruction in the outfield sometime before the schedule ends; the championship game is Nov. 20. Fall League teams are drafted based on position; Howard was selected as a first baseman. Desert Dogs manager Dean Treanor is not obligated to play Howard in the outfield. "We're not in a position where we can say, 'We want to move him to the outfield or play X number of games out there,' " Phillies assistant GM Mike Arbuckle said. "Other organizations who have drafted the outfield spots would obviously have something to say about that."

" ... Lefthander and former first-round pick Cole Hamels is throwing, and reports out of the Florida Instructional League are encouraging after a single-A Clearwater season marred with setbacks. "He looks like his arm is fine," Arbuckle said. "I don't see any issues there at all." Hamels could be back in big-league camp." (Philadelphia Inquirer)

      Bob Reed responding to more comments about his Big 60 ... particularly on Michael Aubrey CLE and Javier Herrera OAK :

" ... To answer a Michael Aubrey question, any first baseman who is merely age-appropriate for his league (23 in AAA, 22 in AA, etc.) needs to be truly dominant with the lumber to earn a ranking spot -- heck, Brian Dopirak batted .300+ with 39 homers in the pitcher-friendly Midwest League and barely made the cut. Aubrey, as well as Wes Bankston, Joey Votto, and Adrian Gonzalez (a year young for AAA) fell a bit short of dominant, and would each rate somewhere between #70-100. Ryan Howard on the other hand was an irresistible force in AA ... but two years too old for his league, with ugly K totals that strongly imply a limited future in the majors. Venezuelan centerfielder Javier Herrera of the A's was quite impressive in rookie ball, but at age 19 not young (for his level), and also burdened with substandard strike zone control in the Northwest League. Even with his improved plate discipline Herrera's hitting in full season A-ball, like that of fellow teens Ryan Sweeney, Brandon Wood, Adam Jones and Sean Rodriguez, was a half notch below top prospect quality. I'll be watching them all very closely next year, though."

      PITCHERS, BY LEVEL, DOUBLE-A ... Top 20, sorted by ERA, minimum of 75 innings ... Others of interest, sorted alphabetically

           PITCHERS          ERA    G    GS    IP    H   BB  SO  K/9  W/9
AA   COL  *Francis, Jeff     1.98   17   17  113.2   73  22 147 11.6  1.7
AA   SF    Begg, Chris       2.30   16   14   94.0   87  11  61  5.8  1.1
AA   DET  *Ledezma, Wil      2.42   17   16  111.2   95  24  98  7.9  1.9
AA   KC    Bautista, Denny   2.53   12   12   81.2   68  32  73  8.0  3.5
AA   PHI   Floyd, Gavin      2.57   20   20  119.0   93  46  94  7.1  3.5
AA   ANA  *Woods, Jake       2.60   14   14   90.0   85  19  60  6.0  1.9
AA   MIL   Woolard, Glenn    2.73   23   11   82.1   61  35  67  7.3  3.8
AA   TOR   Reimers, Cameron  2.78   15   15   94.0   87  20  42  4.0  1.9
AA   NYN   Scobie, Jason     2.82   26   24  147.0  137  49  95  5.8  3.0
AA   TOR  *Chacin, Gustavo   2.86   25   25  141.2  113  49 109  6.9  3.1
AA   MON  *Hinckley, Mike    2.87   16   16   94.0   83  23  80  7.7  2.2
AA   CHN  *Pinto, Renyel     2.92   25   25  141.2  107  72 179 11.4  4.6
AA   HOU   Houlton, D.J.     2.94   28   28  159.0  141  47 159  9.0  2.7
AA   CIN   Kelly, Steve      2.96   28   28  161.1  156  48 116  6.5  2.7
AA   TEX   Thompson, Erik    2.98   15   15   90.2   78  14  65  6.5  1.4
AA   LA   *Ketchner, Ryan    3.02   21   21  119.1  118  36  98  7.4  2.7
AA   OAK   Bazzell, Shane    3.03   34   14  119.0  105  36  86  6.5  2.7
AA   DET   Larrison, Presto  3.05   20   20  118.0  122  36  59  4.5  2.7
AA   SF   *Misch, Pat        3.06   26   26  159.0  138  35 123  7.0  2.0
AA   PIT   Bradley, Bobby    3.11   19   19  101.1   85  41  78  6.9  3.6

AA   BOS  *Alvarez, Abe      3.66   26   26  135.1  133  32 108  7.2  2.1
AA   MIN   Baker, Scott      2.43   10   10   70.1   44  13  72  9.2  1.7
AA   DET   Baugh, Kenny      3.72   24   24  142.2  154  41 107  6.7  2.6
AA   LA    Billingsley, Cha  2.98    8    8   42.1   32  22  47 10.0  4.7
AA   MIN   Bonser, Boof      4.37   27   27  154.1  160  56 146  8.5  3.3
AA   CHN   Brownlie, Bobby   3.36   26   26  147.1  127  36 114  7.0  2.2
AA   PIT   Bullington, Brya  4.10   26   26  145.0  160  47 100  6.2  2.9
AA   SF    Cain, Matt        3.35   15   15   86.0   73  40  72  7.5  4.2
AA   ATL   Davies, Kyle      2.32   11   10   62.0   40  22  73 10.6  3.2
AA   PIT  *Duke, Zach        1.58    9    9   51.1   41  10  36  6.3  1.8
AA   MIN   Durbin, J.D.      2.52   13   13   64.1   62  22  53  7.4  3.1
AA   CLE   Guthrie, Jeremy   4.21   23   21  130.1  145  42  94  6.5  2.9
AA   SEA   Hernandez, Felix  3.30   10   10   57.1   47  21  58  9.1  3.3
AA   TEX   Hudgins, John     3.13   12   12   69.0   57  18  64  8.3  2.3
AA   TB   *Kazmir, Scott     1.44    4    4   25.0   14  11  24  8.6  4.0
AA   NYN  *Kazmir, Scott     1.73    4    4   26.0   16   9  29 10.0  3.1
AA   TEX   Loe, Kameron      3.27   18   18  104.2  117  27  91  7.8  2.3
AA   BAL   Maine, John       2.25    5    5   28.0   16   7  34 10.9  2.3
AA   TOR   McGowan, Dustin   4.06    6    6   31.0   24  15  29  8.4  4.4
AA   CHN   Nolasco, Ricky    3.70   19   19  107.0  104  37 115  9.7  3.1
AA   NYN   Petit, Yusmeiro   4.50    2    2   12.0   10   5  16 12.0  3.8
AA   STL   Reyes, Anthony    2.91   12   12   74.1   62  13 102 12.4  1.6
AA   TEX   Rupe, Josh        4.38    7    6   37.0   41  16  16  3.9  3.9
AA   DET   Sleeth, Kyle      6.30   13   13   80.0   93  34  57  6.4  3.8
AA   PIT   Snell, Ian        3.16   26   26  151.0  147  40 142  8.5  2.4
AA   SD    Stauffer, Tim     2.63    8    8   51.1   56  13  33  5.8  2.3
AA   NYA   Wang, Chien-Ming  4.05   18   18  109.0  112  26  90  7.4  2.1

16 October, 2004

      AFL Thursday's games ...  Jason Repko LA 2-5, double, triple ... Conor Jackson ARZ 3-3, double ... Chris Shelton DET 2-4, 2nd homer, 2 RBI, .421 ...  Mike Stodolka KC, comeback looks real, 4.0 2 1 0 1 4 ... Freddy Sanchez PIT 3-4, double, homer, 3 RBI ... Ryan Howard PHI 0-2 ... Delmon Young TB 3-5, 1st homer, 3 RBI, .381 ... Brian Dopirak CHN 2-5, 2nd homer, 3 RBI, .231 ... Joey Gathright TB 3-5, double ... Kevin Kouzmanoff CLE 2-3, 4th doub le, .462

      Oh oh ... not so good news for folks who drafted Justin Verlander DET ... BA reports DET has officially withdrawn its offer to the college righthander. 

      John Sickels, ESPN.com, on Gavin Floyd PHI :

" ... Despite not pitching that well in Triple-A, Floyd still got a September call-up, and acquitted himself reasonably well. In 28 innings for the Phillies (six games, four starts), he posted a 24/16 K/BB ratio, gave up 25 hits, with a 3.49 ERA. His K/IP and H/IP marks were just fine, but his walk rate was higher than ideal, weakening his K/BB, and over a complete season that would hurt him. Still, he did well for a 21-year-old making his major league debut ... Of course, both his major league and Triple-A sample sizes are rather small. Drawing broad conclusions on 59 innings split between two leagues is risky. Stuff-wise, Floyd is just fine. His fastball is consistently in the low 90s, sometimes a bit higher. His curveball is excellent, and he's made progress with his changeup. He only needs to tighten up his command a bit. His spring training performance will likely determine whether he starts 2005 in the major league rotation or not. He remains a premium prospect without doubt."

      Bryan Smith, Wait Til Next Year, with some young guns who figure to get a shot at the majors (NL) in 2005 :

" ... ATL ... enter Jose Capellan and Dan Meyer. I’ve always thought of Capellan as a reliever, but admitted after seeing him that he could possibly make it as a Bartolo Colon-type. I’m not sold, and would much rather see Meyer land a spot, a pitcher who reminds me of a more polished version of Mark Redman ... possible appearances of four great arms: Gavin Floyd, Scott Olsen, Yusmeiro Petit and Mike Hinckley. Floyd is the most likely to stick ...  I would call Olsen, with some of the best southpaw stuff in the minors, the longshot of the group. Petit could be up there quick if the Mets are in a semi-rebuilding mode, though you know that is not likely. Finally, I have always liked Hinckley, and think he could be ready for the new Washington (Insert Name Here)s ... holes on the left side, are likely to be filled by Maicer Izturis and Brendan Harris ... STL ... I’ll always hope Rick Ankiel gets the first look at any opening in the rotation, also expect competition from Anthony Reyes, Brad Thompson, and Adam Wainwright. The latter fell of the truck with a terrible season in AAA, making the J.D. Drew trade look even better for Atlanta. Thompson began the season amazingly, got hurt, and finished Wainwrightish. Reyes is the stud, posting some jaw-dropping AA numbers, and could be in by midseason ... I think Zach Duke is going to be a good Major Leaguer for the Pirates ... more likely to achieve success than John Vanbenschoten or Ian Snell. Ben Hendrickson has too many innings to still be a rookie, and he could be the Brewers only hyped prospect in the Majors next year. But, don’t rule out significant contributions from Dave Krynzel or of course Rickie Weeks, who needs a bounce back season ... I think the Dodgers should give Joel Guzman a chance at short. Let him start the season in the minors, with Izturis-Antonio Perez up the middle in L.A. If Guzman’s successes continue, either move Izturis to second, or to another team. And finally, I think Chad Billingsley actually might have as much of a chance at a rotation slot as, huh, my 2003 #3 prospect Edwin Jackson ... The two good pitching prospects getting 2005 opportunities will be Jeff Francis and Tim Stauffer. I could have, of course, misunderstood the rookie rule, meaning Francis is not a 2005 rookie, so please correct me. But if he is, he’s the Scott Kazmir of the NL, the young pitcher that could struggle badly, or be the odds-on favorite to win the ROY. Stauffer is solid, and probably your safest bet."

      PITCHERS, BY LEVEL, TRIPLE-A ... Top 20, sorted by ERA, minimum of 75 innings ... Others of interest, sorted alphabetically

           PITCHERS          ERA    G    GS    IP    H   BB  SO  K/9  W/9
AAA  MIL   Hendrickson, Ben  2.02   21   21  125.0  114  26  93  6.7  1.9
AAA  ATL   Smith, Travis     2.59   20   19  107.2   98  26  93  7.8  2.2
AAA  NYA  *Halsey, Brad      2.63   24   23  144.0  128  37 109  6.8  2.3
AAA  OAK   Wood, Mike        2.80   15   15   90.0   83  24  66  6.6  2.4
AAA  CHA   Diaz, Felix       2.97   19   17  115.0   95  24  96  7.5  1.9
AAA  CHN   Mitre, Sergio     2.98   18   15  102.2   97  39  95  8.3  3.4
AAA  KC   *Walrond, Les      3.06   19   19  123.2  114  41 107  7.8  3.0
AAA  SD    Tankersley, Denn  3.15   19   19  120.0  114  37  86  6.5  2.8
AAA  MIN   Guerrier, Matt    3.19   24   23  144.0  135  25  97  6.1  1.6
AAA  CLE   Cruceta, Francis  3.25   14   14   83.0   78  36  62  6.7  3.9
AAA  ATL   Drew, Tim         3.31   19   13   81.2   92  24  44  4.8  2.6
AAA  NYA  *Graman, Alex      3.37   24   22  131.0  115  53 129  8.9  3.6
AAA  SD    Germano, Justin   3.38   20   20  122.2  113  25  98  7.2  1.8
AAA  MIN  *Gassner, Dave     3.41   28   28  174.1  175  30  93  4.8  1.5
AAA  ATL   Romano, Mike      3.42   40   16  123.2  130  51  99  7.2  3.7
AAA  KC   *George, Chris     3.42   20   19  105.1   97  40  74  6.3  3.4
AAA  TEX   Wasdin, John      3.46   18   14  104.0   94  19  81  7.0  1.6
AAA  BOS   Cassidy, Scott    3.46   28   12   80.2   72  38  72  8.0  4.2
AAA  PIT  *Williams, Dave    3.47   21   21  116.2  113  33 103  7.9  2.5
AAA  CIN   Etherton, Seth    3.47   19   19  111.2  107  32 110  8.9  2.6

AAA  SEA   Baek, Cha Seung   4.21   14   14   72.2   85  24  56  6.9  3.0
AAA  HOU   Buchholz, Taylor  5.23   20   17   98.0  107  29  74  6.8  2.7
AAA  TOR   Bush, David       4.06   16   16   99.2  108  20  88  7.9  1.8
AAA  MIN   Crain, Jesse      2.49   41    0   50.2   38  17  64 11.4  3.0
AAA  TEX   Dominguez, Juan   3.13    9    9   54.2   41  19  41  6.7  3.1
AAA  SF    Foppert, Jesse    5.52    4    4   14.2   14   9  13  8.0  5.5
AAA  TB    Gaudin, Chad      4.72   17    7   47.2   48  17  52  9.8  3.2
AAA  CLE   Guthrie, Jeremy   7.91    4    4   19.1   23  18  10  4.7  8.4
AAA  SF    Hennessey, Brad   2.02    5    5   35.2   26  15  16  4.0  3.8
AAA  MON   Karp, Josh        5.95   24   24  127.0  147  51 102  7.2  3.6
AAA  BOS   Kim, Byung-Hyun   5.34   22   19   60.2   71  12  39  5.8  1.8
AAA  ATL  *Meyer, Dan        2.79   12   11   61.1   62  25  60  8.8  3.7
AAA  CHA  *Munoz, Arnie      5.68   13   13   69.2   81  29  60  7.8  3.7
AAA  FLO   Olsen, Kevin      4.37   10   10   55.2   58  13  47  7.6  2.1
AAA  CHA   Rauch, Jon        3.11   14   13   72.1   57  25  61  7.6  3.1
AAA  MON   Rauch, Jon        4.50    3    3   18.0   17   2  13  6.5  1.0
AAA  BAL  *Riley, Matt       1.71   10   10   42.0   26  23  51 10.9  4.9
AAA  TEX   Rodriguez, Ricar  5.11    6    6   37.0   42  12  18  4.4  2.9
AAA  NYA   Wang, Chien-Ming  2.01    6    5   40.1   31   8  35  7.8  1.8

15 October, 2004

      AFL Wednesday's games ...  a sign of life, Jayson Nix COL 1-4, homer, 3 RBI ... Greg Dobbs SEA 2-3, homer, .455 ... SS Ronnie Cedeno CHN 2-4, triple, 3 RBI ... PHI may just have to find somewhere to play him, Ryan Howard 3-5, 3 doubles (6), .483 ... Jason Botts TEX 2-4, homer, .563 ... Francisco Rosario TOR 2.2 6 5 4 1 4 ... Aaron Hill TOR 3-5 ... Dustin Pedroia BOS 2B/SS 3-5 ... James Loney LA 2-4 ...

      Mexican-Pacific League underway ... Joe Borchard CHA 0-3, error, HBP & 1-4, homer, error ... Jason Dubois CHN 1-4 & 2-4, double, homer, 3 RBI ... Josh Kroeger ARZ 1-3, homer, 2 RBI & 1-4

      Bob Reed with more responses to comments on his Top 60 :

" ... Josh Kroeger (#6) performed dreadfully during his brief Diamondback trial this year (9-for-54 with 1 walk and 21 strikeouts). However, that means next to nothing because Kroeger has failed -- then made swift adjustments -- at every level of the minors. In 2002, he hit only .235/.274/.346 in high-A. Bear in mind, he was just 19. Returning to the Cal League in '03, he batted .341/.409/.528 and improved his BB/K ratio from .17 to a solid .60.  Then this season, Kroeger began with 3 weeks of flailing away in the AA Texas League (.232/.254/.420 with 1 BB and 19 K's). But he adapted quickly, mashing to the tune of .369/.434/653 (plus a much-improved 20/29 BB/K) for the next 2 months, earning a promotion to AAA. Once at Tucson, Kroeger batted just .263/.290/.434 for his first 5 weeks. Then for the remaining 5 weeks he hit an amazing .394/.443/.725. Even in the PCL, even at Tucson, those are obviously sterling numbers for anyone -- much less a 21-year-old. If Arizona puts him in the lineup next year and leaves him alone, Josh Kroeger will be a star by the end of 2007. Regarding pitcher Hayden Penn of the Orioles, you have to like any teenager who makes it all the way to even just a taste of AA in his first year of full-season ball. The thing is, in high-A Hayden's ERA and home run rate each graded out at just a C or C+ at best. Overall, he's roughly #28-30 among pitchers, which would be #115-120 among all prospects. As for the Baltimore system, there's definite progress over the desolation of 12 months ago, with Majewski, Markakis, and especially Nate Spears (#56) looking like plausible major league starters of the future. With Adam Loewen and the aforementioned foursome, Oriole fans do have several interesting farmhands to watch in '05."

      Bryan Smith, Wait Til Next Year, with some rooks who figure to get a shot at the majors (AL) in 2005 :

" ...  The majority of the rookies will be coming through Toronto ... Russ Adams looked spectacular in a September call-up ...  While Gustavo Chacin might not have made the difference Adams did, shutting down the Yankees for seven innings will always get you noticed ...  the closer reins could be handed over to Brandon League as early as next year ... Scott Kazmir still qualifies as a rookie, and should be guaranteed a slot in next year’s rotation. This season, Baltimore showed they aren’t hesitant to start rookies, possibly opening a door for ... John Maine ...  two pitchers that could make a difference are Devil Ray reliever Chad Orvella, and Oriole Hayden Penn. Penn busted on the prospect scene this year, and another explosion will surely land him in Camden Yards ... Terry Ryan has already shown confidence in top prospect Jason Kubel. The team also gave a significant number of appearances to Jesse Crain, who should further strengthen next season’s bullpen. The left side of the infield could be entirely new, as both Jason Bartlett and Terry Tiffee, have shown they are ready to replace Guzman and Koskie ...  Kansas City...  only Denny Bautista and Mark Teahen possibly getting serious time ... The Indians rookies should be in the pitching staff, with Francisco Cruceta as the most likely rotation candidate ... The only possible hitter that might make a difference is Ryan Garko, a C/1B type that could steal Josh Phelps’ job from him ... expect [Dallas] McPherson to factor into the ROY debate, if not with average but power and opportunity. I don’t believe that Casey Kotchman still qualifies, but let’s all pray that on Opening Day 2005, no matter how highly Scioscia thinks of Darin Erstad, Kotchman is 3 in your scorecard ...  Nick Swisher showed enough in September to convince A’s brass he’s their starting right fielder next season. Swisher’s average will probably be lower than McPherson, but expect a good OBP and ISO in his first full season ...  If any Ranger prospect makes a difference, it will be John Hudgins, a prospect who I am borderline obsessed with. A former Stanford graduate, if Hudgins avoids arm troubles, I’m convinced he’ll make Grady Fuson proud ... most of all, I would be remiss not to mention Felix Hernandez, who if he reaches the Majors as quick as Zack Greinke, could make waves in the Rookie of the Year debate."

            STARTING PITCHERS, sorted by walks per nine innings. Min - 55 IP
           PITCHERS          ERA    G    GS    IP    H   BB  SO  K/9  W/9
R    PHI   Mitchinson, Scot  1.75   10   10   61.2   40   1  60  8.8  0.1
A+   TOR   Marcum, Shaun     3.12   12   12   69.1   74   4  72  9.3  0.5
SS   PIT   Capps, Matt       4.85   11   11   65.0   84   4  33  4.6  0.6
A    BOS   Gardner, Jarrett  2.51   25   23  136.0  130  11  92  6.1  0.7
SS   NYN  *MacLane, Evan     2.48   12   12   69.0   61   6  68  8.9  0.8
A    CHN   Ransom, Robert    2.47   11    9   62.0   53   6  37  5.4  0.9
A+   NYA   Pope, Justin      3.80   13    9   66.1   66   7  44  6.0  0.9
AAA  BOS   Kester, Tim       4.20   28   24  169.1  186  19  76  4.0  1.0
SS   TEX   Phillips, Shawn   3.93   18   10   71.0   69   8  53  6.7  1.0
A    NYN   Cordova, Vincent  4.25   24   19  120.2  138  14 100  7.5  1.0
AA   SF    Begg, Chris       2.30   16   14   94.0   87  11  61  5.8  1.1
SS   ARZ   Shappi, AJ        1.75   12   11   67.0   64   8  65  8.7  1.1
R    NYN   Fry, Troy         4.06   14    8   57.2   68   7  49  7.6  1.1
AAA  NYN   Ginter, Matt      2.95   11   11   64.0   55   8  49  6.9  1.1
A    KC    Coughlin, Chris   4.50   14   14   80.0   89  10  60  6.8  1.1
A    TEX  *Mattoon, Brian    2.87   32   20  131.2  137  17  88  6.0  1.2
A    PHI   Arteaga, Erick    4.87   27   26  159.0  207  21  87  4.9  1.2
A+   ARZ  *Goocher, Clint    3.67   14   14   90.2   94  12  82  8.1  1.2
SS   TB   *Lavergne, Jarrad  1.64   12    8   60.1   47   8  46  6.9  1.2
A+   TOR   Banks, Joshua     1.80   11   11   60.0   49   8  60  9.0  1.2
AAA  BOS   Brown, Jamie      4.82   23   20  127.0  128  17  92  6.5  1.2
SS   PIT   Johnson, Blair    2.44   14   14   88.2   62  12  40  4.1  1.2
A+   PHI   Ramirez, Elizard  2.44    9    9   59.0   55   8  33  5.0  1.2
R    CHA  *Marshall, Jay     3.59   11   11   57.2   63   8  52  8.1  1.2
R    KC    Morales, Angelo   3.96   14   10   61.1   76   9  45  6.6  1.3
A    NYN  *Maclane, Evan     2.39   14   10   67.2   57  10  66  8.8  1.3
AAA  STL   Simontacchi, Jas  4.33   33    8   81.0  101  12  55  6.1  1.3
AAA  OAK   Woodard, Steve    4.85   18   18  107.2  133  16  59  4.9  1.3
A+   SF    Pavon, Julio      4.50   15    8   60.0   66   9  41  6.2  1.4
A+   CIN   Gardner, Richie   2.50   18   12   86.1   77  13  80  8.3  1.4
A+   TOR   Ramirez, Ismael   2.72   28   27  165.1  151  25 131  7.1  1.4
R    ATL  *Harrison, Matt    4.09   13   12   66.0   72  10  49  6.7  1.4
AA   STL   Thompson, Bradle  2.36   13   12   72.1   56  11  57  7.1  1.4
A    OAK   Knox, Brad        2.59   26   25  156.1  141  24 174 10.0  1.4
R    KC    Begnaud, Rusty    3.74   14   10   65.0   71  10  75 10.4  1.4
AA   TEX   Thompson, Erik    2.98   15   15   90.2   78  14  65  6.5  1.4
R    ATL   Atilano, Luis     4.20   13   13   64.1   64  10  54  7.6  1.4
AA   BOS   Stevens, Josh     5.24   20   20  125.1  148  20 107  7.7  1.4
AA   CIN   Rose, Brian       3.30   20   18  106.1  106  17  85  7.2  1.4
A    SD    Hayhurst, Dirk    2.66   26   17  118.1  114  19 106  8.1  1.4
A+   SEA  *Livingston, Bobb  3.57   28   27  186.2  187  30 141  6.8  1.4
R    PIT   Valdez, Luis      2.79   11   11   61.1   58  10  41  6.0  1.5
R    NYN   Sanchez, Jose     4.42   12   11   55.0   55   9  46  7.5  1.5
AAA  STL   Woodard, Steve    5.68   22   22  128.1  170  21  72  5.0  1.5
A    TB    Peguero, Tony     3.32   23   23  133.0  135  22  87  5.9  1.5
AAA  KC    Wilson, Kris      5.65   28   28  167.1  201  28  97  5.2  1.5
SS   PIT   Hankins, Derek    3.04   14   14   83.0   72  14  57  6.2  1.5
SS   TOR   Perez, Juan       2.76   12   11   58.2   61  10  40  6.1  1.5
AAA  DET   Baldwin, James    3.56   23   21  146.2  144  25  85  5.2  1.5

14 October, 2004

      AFL Tuesday's games ... Adam Wainwright STL 1.1 4 1 1 2 2 ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2-5, 3rd double ... CF Joey Gathright TB 3-5, 3 SB ...  OF Reid Gorecki STL 3-5, double, 2 RBI ... Ryan Howard PHI, a single short of the cyle, 3-4, 3rd double, 1st triple, 3rd homer ... Mark Teahen KC 0-5 ... Don Murphy KC 2B 2-4, homer ... Ryan Garko CLE 2-4, 2nd homer ... Bobby Bradley PIT Bradley 4.0 4 3 2 0 6 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 1-3, 2 runs, RBI ... Jason Botts TEX 2-4, .583 ... 2B Ryan Raburn DET 1-3, homer ... 1B Mike Jones NYA 2-4, 2nd homer

Kevin Thompson named Player of the Week ...

" ... Thompson (NYY) hit .438 (7 for 16) with two home runs and eight RBIs. Thompson hit a grand slam on Opening Day at Peoria, and also recorded two stolen two bases during the first week of the season ...  Another strong candidate was the Desert Dogs first baseman Ryan Howard (PHI). Howard hit .375 with two home runs and eight RBIs, leading the Desert Dogs to a 5-0 start and first place ranking in the National Division." (Arizona Fall League)

      Gold ... Neugerbauer ... Jones ... Saenz ... Parra ... Brewers' arms gone bad :

" ... The news continues to be bad on the pitching front in the farm system. After recently announcing that former top draft pick Mike Jones would miss next season after undergoing shoulder surgery, the Brewers finally revealed that Chris Saenz had Tommy John surgery Sept. 23 and also will sit out next year. Saenz went 5-5 with a 4.15 ERA in 14 games at Class AA Huntsville before being shut down, and pitched six shutout innings against St. Louis on April 24 when summoned by the Brewers for an emergency start. The Brewers also have scratched lefty Manny Parra from an assignment in the Arizona Fall League because of recurring shoulder discomfort that plagued him for much of the season. Surgery remains an option if he does not improve. "The physicians thought it was better for him to rest than pitch," Ash said." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

      Jim Callis, Baseball America, on Cuban duo Maels Rodriguez and Kendry Morales :

" ... Morales has begun working out for teams in the Dominican Republic. His agent, David Valdes, says he hopes to have Morales signed by the end of the month. Though most of the Cubans who have signed in recent years have been disappointments, he doesn't lack for suitors. Several teams have sent scouts to evaluate Morales, billed as possibly the best position player to come out of Cuba in decades. He's a 21-year-old switch-hitter with big-time power and no questions about his age ...  As for Rodriguez, little has been heard from since his disappointing January showcase in El Salvador. In front of a bevy of scouts, the 24-year-old did little to dispel rumors that he had arm and back problems as he labored to throw 87 mph. That was a far cry from the 100-mph fastball he showed against Team USA at the 2000 Olympics. I suspect that if Rodriguez' fastball had rebounded, he would have held another workout in hopes of getting signed. But all has been very quiet on that front."

             STARTING PITCHERS, sorted by strikeouts per nine innings.
           (Minimum 55 innings)
           PITCHERS          ERA    G    GS    IP    H   BB  SO  K/9  W/9
SS   NYA   Hoover, Jesse     1.78   16    9   55.2   28  26  90 14.6  4.2
R    COL   Deduno, Samuel    3.18   15   15   76.1   62  32 118 13.9  3.8
A    NYN   Petit, Yusmeiro   2.39   15   15   83.0   47  22 122 13.2  2.4
A    FLO  *Bostick, Adam     3.79   23   22  114.0  100  58 163 12.9  4.6
A    LA   *Tiffany, Chuck    3.70   22   22   99.2   76  40 141 12.7  3.6
AA   STL   Reyes, Anthony    2.91   12   12   74.1   62  13 102 12.4  1.6
SS   BOS   Sanchez, Anibal   1.77   15   15   76.1   43  29 101 11.9  3.4
AA   ATL  *Meyer, Dan        2.22   14   13   65.0   50  12  86 11.9  1.7
A    TEX   Lorenzo, Matt     3.71   19   14   80.0   67  24 105 11.8  2.7
SS   DET   Bumstead, Nathan  2.03   11    9   57.2   47  15  75 11.7  2.3
AA   COL  *Francis, Jeff     1.98   17   17  113.2   73  22 147 11.6  1.7
A    KC    Burgos, Ambiorix  4.38   27   26  133.2  109  75 172 11.6  5.0
A    MIN   Tyler, Scott      2.60   22   19  103.2   73  64 132 11.5  5.6
AA   CHN  *Pinto, Renyel     2.92   25   25  141.2  107  72 179 11.4  4.6
R    COL  *Morales, Frankli  7.62   15   15   65.0   92  39  82 11.4  5.4
A+   ATL   Davies, Kyle      2.63   14   14   75.1   55  32  95 11.4  3.8
AA   SEA   Dorman, Rich      3.48   20   20  108.2   93  64 137 11.3  5.3
A    HOU   Albers, Matt      3.31   22   21  111.1   95  57 140 11.3  4.6
A    CHN  *Hill, Richard     4.03   28   19  109.1   88  72 136 11.2  5.9
R    MIN   Duguay, Steven    3.36   12   11   56.1   55  11  70 11.2  1.8
A+   SEA   Hernandez, Felix  2.74   16   15   92.0   85  26 114 11.2  2.5
A    FLO   Chick, Travis     4.04   28   11   91.1   79  27 112 11.0  2.7
A+   SF    Cain, Matt        1.86   13   13   72.2   58  17  89 11.0  2.1
R    TOR  *Cheng, Chi-hung   2.82   14   14   60.2   47  35  74 11.0  5.2
A+   LA    Billingsley, Cha  2.35   18   18   92.0   68  49 111 10.9  4.8
A    CHA   McCarthy, Brando  3.64   15   15   94.0   80  21 113 10.8  2.0
A    MIN   Harben, Adam      3.09   26   26  142.2  114  68 171 10.8  4.3
A+   SEA  *Rowland-Smith, R  3.79   29   12   99.2  107  30 119 10.7  2.7
R    ATL   Vines, Chris      3.28   13   10   60.1   58  14  72 10.7  2.1
A    HOU   Stiehl, Rob       4.04   18   18   62.1   59  21  74 10.7  3.0
A+   LA   *Megrew, Mike      3.41   22   22  105.2   84  43 125 10.6  3.7
A    ATL  *James, Chuck      2.25   26   22  132.0   92  48 156 10.6  3.3
A+   BOS   Papelbon, Jon     2.64   24   24  129.2   97  43 153 10.6  3.0
AA   ATL   Davies, Kyle      2.32   11   10   62.0   40  22  73 10.6  3.2
A    CIN   Medlock, Calvin   2.57   22   15   94.2   74  21 111 10.6  2.0
AAA  STL   Haren, Danny      4.15   21   21  128.0  136  33 150 10.5  2.3
A    LA   *Figueroa, Jonath  6.90   14   13   60.0   67  25  70 10.5  3.8
A    CLE   Miller, Adam      3.36   19   19   91.0   79  28 106 10.5  2.8
A+   FLO  *Olsen, Scott      2.97   25   25  136.1  127  53 158 10.4  3.5
R    KC    Begnaud, Rusty    3.74   14   10   65.0   71  10  75 10.4  1.4
SS   HOU   Englebrook, Evan  3.94   14   14   61.2   58  28  71 10.4  4.1
AAA  HOU   Backe, Brandon    2.80   19    9   64.1   57  26  74 10.4  3.6
AA   KC    Serrano, Jim      1.96   11   11   64.1   42  18  74 10.4  2.5
A+   ANA   Shell, Steven     3.59   28   28  165.1  151  40 190 10.3  2.2
AA   BAL   Bautista, Denny   4.74   14   13   62.2   58  33  72 10.3  4.7
AA   BOS   Smith, Chris      3.75   14   14   74.1   77  21  85 10.3  2.5
A    NYN   Lindstrom, Matth  3.21   13   12   56.0   47  10  64 10.3  1.6
A    MON   Everts, Clint     2.49   17   17   90.1   67  21 103 10.3  2.1
A    PIT  *Gorzelanny, Tom   2.23   16   15   93.0   63  34 106 10.3  3.3
A    SEA  *Oldham, Thomas    2.93   19   19  116.2  108  30 132 10.2  2.3

13 October, 2004

      AFL Monday's games ... John Hudgins TEX 4.0 4 1 1 2 2 ... Scott Baker MIN 3.0 4 3 1 1 3 ... Kevin Thompson NYA, the surprise of the AFL thus far, 2-5, .429 ... Shin-soo Choo SEA 3-4, 4th SB, CS 2 ... Ryan Garko CLE 2-5, 2 doubles ... Eric Whiteside BAL 3-4, triple, .636 ... Ryan Howard PHI 2-4, 2 doubles ... James Loney LA 2-4, 3 runs ... Tom Whiteman HOU 3-3, 3 runs, 2 RBI

Top AFL hitters ... early going.

                   CLUB   AVG  G  AB  R  H HR RBI   
 Whiteside, Eli     BAL  .636  3  11  2  7  0   6     
 Duncan, Chris      STL  .583  3  12  4  7  0   3     
 Choo, Shin-soo     SEA  .556  5  18  7 10  1   3     
 Kouzmanoff, Kevin  CLE  .474  5  19  2  9  0   4     
 Napoli, Michael    ANA  .455  4  11  4  5  1   3     
 Shelton, Chris     DET  .455  3  11  3  5  1   4     
 Francoeur, Jeff    ATL  .429  5  21  2  9  0   4     
 Thompson, Kevin    NYA  .429  5  21 10  9  2   8     

      Seth Trachtman, SportsBlurb, with notes on a few of the AFL players with something to prove this fall :

" ... Brian Dopirak ...  emerged this season in Single-A as one of the top hitting prospects in the game with nearly 40 home runs ...  should see the most advanced pitching that he has ever faced in his career. If his hitting continues to go well, we could see a shift to the outfield and a possible replacement for Sammy."

" ... Jayson Nix ...  went into 2004 as a top second base prospect but quickly dropped out of the sky by hitting near the Mendoza Line in Double-A. Laynce’s brother still hit 14 homers and stole 14 bases, but his batting average and plate discipline is beginning to be a serious concern. How he performs in the AFL could determine where the Rockies start him during the 2004 season."

" ... Carlos Quentin/Conor Jackson  ...  turned into the bash brothers for the D-Backs organization after being drafted in the first round of the 2003 draft. They have very similar offensive skills and were similarly impressive all year in 2004 up to Double-A. Fellow prospect Josh Kroeger did little to impress in Arizona this September, nor did Luis Terrero if you look at the numbers. With Danny Bautista’s pending free agency Arizona will have three open outfield spots. Quentin and Jackson could both do themselves a lot of good in Arizona."

      Top pitchers ...

Pitchers, All Levels. Top 20, Minimum of 75 innings. Starters only, sorted by ERA. Then prospects of interest (sorted alphabetically, showing results at all levels), and a group of relievers of possible interest.

           PITCHERS          ERA    G    GS    IP    H   BB  SO  K/9  W/9
A+   PIT  *Duke, Zach        1.39   17   17   97.0   73  20 106  9.8  1.9
A+   NYA   DeSalvo, Matt     1.43   13   13   75.1   48  30  80  9.6  3.6
SS   BOS   Sanchez, Anibal   1.77   15   15   76.1   43  29 101 11.9  3.4
SS   HOU   Martinez, Ronnie  1.96   15   15   92.0   62  20  81  7.9  2.0
AA   COL  *Francis, Jeff     1.98   17   17  113.2   73  22 147 11.6  1.7
AAA  MIL   Hendrickson, Ben  2.02   21   21  125.0  114  26  93  6.7  1.9
A    OAK  *Bondurant, Steve  2.08   21   21  125.2   92  27 132  9.5  1.9
A+   KC    McGill, Trae      2.13   20   17  105.2   92  24  62  5.3  2.0
A    TOR   Mastny, Thomas    2.17   27   27  149.0  123  41 141  8.5  2.5
A    PIT  *Gorzelanny, Tom   2.23   16   15   93.0   63  34 106 10.3  3.3
A    ATL  *James, Chuck      2.25   26   22  132.0   92  48 156 10.6  3.3
A    ATL  *Stevens, Jake     2.27   27   19  135.0  100  39 140  9.3  2.6
SS   NYN  *Williams, Joseph  2.28   15   15   75.0   62  26  64  7.7  3.1
AA   SF    Begg, Chris       2.30   16   14   94.0   87  11  61  5.8  1.1
A+   LA    Billingsley, Cha  2.35   18   18   92.0   68  49 111 10.9  4.8
A    NYN   Petit, Yusmeiro   2.39   15   15   83.0   47  22 122 13.2  2.4
A+   KC   *Hughes, Dusty     2.41   18   18  108.1   95  31  68  5.6  2.6
AA   DET  *Ledezma, Wil      2.42   17   16  111.2   95  24  98  7.9  1.9
SS   PIT   Johnson, Blair    2.44   14   14   88.2   62  12  40  4.1  1.2
A    MON   Everts, Clint     2.49   17   17   90.1   67  21 103 10.3  2.1
A+   CIN   Gardner, Richie   2.50   18   12   86.1   77  13  80  8.3  1.4
A    BOS   Gardner, Jarrett  2.51   25   23  136.0  130  11  92  6.1  0.7
A    TOR  *Romero, Davis     2.53   32   14  103.1   77  30 108  9.4  2.6
AA   KC    Bautista, Denny   2.53   12   12   81.2   68  32  73  8.0  3.5
A    BAL  *Dixon, Zachary    2.54   24   21  120.2   97  65 105  7.8  4.8

12 October, 2004

      Bryan Smith, Wait Til Next Year, touts Daric Barton STL as the best of the catching prospects :

" ... Anaheim will probably move Mathis out of the Texas League ... you can bet that one of the Molinas will be in the O.C. next year. Kevin Cash will get a year to prove himself, as Quiroz needs some more time in Orangemen land. As for Dioner, he’s probably tops on the Yankees list of ‘Players We Should Trade’. None of these players have disintegrated beyond the point of reconcile. In fact, there are still high hopes for all four, probably in the same order (Mauer, Mathis, Quiroz, Navarro) as they were in Spring Training. But what’s different than February, is that there are some names now in front of these guys, not behind."

" ... Barton began the season, his first full season, on the DL, only to rebound to become the Midwest League’s second overall prospect. Still in just his age 18 season, Barton hit an astounding .313/.445/.511 in 313 at-bats ... his defense was about as good as the scouts had told us, which is to say not very. But there is promise there, and Barton will stick for another season. If you want the definition of a ‘solid’ prospect, Brian McCann is your boy. He doesn’t do anything sensational, but there are few things he does badly. .277 batting average in one of the minors’ worst parks. Heck, I’ll raise that, how about a .210 ISO? His defense is sound, and he only struck out 54 times in 110 games. And he’ll reach the Southern League next year, at only 21 years of age. You probably want to bet on the Braves having a bit of catching controversy in 2006-2007, when Estrada’s skill set should begin to decline. And finally, we have Chris Snyder ...  Snyder has now leapfrogged Mathis."

      Let the bidding begin. 

" ... Five veterans of Cuba's national series and a member of the country's national junior program are in Miami after the largest mass desertion of baseball players since Fidel Castro's revolution. The six players, all reportedly under the age of 24, arrived in the Keys a week ago after spending two days at sea. They are infielder Yunel Escobar Almenares, pitchers Yamel Guevara, Jose Angel Cordero Valdez, Rafael Galbizo Figueroa and outfielders Yoel Perez Mendieta and Yoan Limonta Zayas. Of the six, Guevara, a 21-year-old right-hander, likely will draw the most interest from major-league scouts. He went 10-0 with a 2.06 ERA in helping Havana's Industriales to the 2002-03 Cuban championship and has a 17-2 lifetime regular-season record ... None of the six was on Cuban's powerful national team, but Escobar, Perez and Galbizo have all played for the junior national team. The defection of a half-dozen players, coming in the wake of the recent desertions of standout pitchers Maels Rodriguez, Alay Soler and Jose Contreras and first baseman/outfielder Kendry Morales, is a crippling blow to the island's baseball league, which its new season next month."  (Miami Herald)

      Top Minor League hitters ... outfielders ... sorted by OPS :

11 October, 2004

      AFL (Saturday's games, no games Sunday) ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2-4, double, 3 RBI, HBP ... Ryan Howard PHI 2-4 ... JD Durbin MIN 3.0 1 0 0 2 3 ... Kevin Thompson NYA 2-3, 2nd double, 2nd homer, 2nd SB, 4 RBI ... Chris Shelton DET (catching) 3-3, double ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 1-3, double ... Brian Bannister NYN 3.0 3 0 0 0 2 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 1-5, double (at 3B) ... Ryan Garko CLE 1-4, homer, 2 RBI ... Eric Whiteside BAL (catcher) 3-4, 2 doubles, 4 RBI ... Josh Barfield SD 2-4, double ... Kevin Kouzmanoff CLE 2-4.

     Bob Reed responds to comments on his Top 60, in particular, his choice of Daric Barton as the best overall :

" ... First off, I'd like to thank everyone who's taken an interest in my Top 60 list, especially those folks who've contacted Jay with questions or critiques. Your enthusiasm is appreciated, and I'll try to provide a few multiple-query responses over the next week or two.

Daric Barton threw out 19 of 56 runners (34%), which of course is plenty good enough. While Barton has had troubles with passed balls and blocking pitches in the dirt, he is thought to have the smarts and the even temperament required of the catching position. So for right now at least, yes, I consider Daric Barton a future backstop (albeit a somewhat below average one defensively).

To answer another question, if Barton were a RF he'd remain #1; in LF probably still on top, but at 1B it'd be a toss-up with Delmon Young. (By the way, Upton & Wright would've been the top 2 this year if eligible.) Because of Barton's remarkably quick bat and ability to hit for both average and power at the pimply age of 18--in a low-offense league, no less--his eventual ceiling offensively is as high as any minor leaguer. But here's the kicker: Barton's walk and strikeout rates were BOTH very impressive, which means his "floor" offensively is both sturdy and quite high. Almost certainly the best in the minors.

To top it off Barton finished the year in style, batting .357/.496/.595 from the end of July to the end of August. With 24 walks and 4 whiffs. That's right. Four."

     Mychael Urban, MLB.com, on Huston Street OAK :

" ... Leading the list of A's farmhands in the AFL is Street, who went from closing for the University of Texas in the College World Series in June to pitching in the Pacific Coast League (Triple-A) Championship Series for the Sacramento Rivercats in September. Street, 21 ... selected 40th overall of the 2004 draft ... started his pro career at Single-A Kane County, where he went 0-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings over nine appearances. After being promoted to Double-A Midland, Street went 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 10 appearances for the Rockhounds. For the Rivercats, he pitched in two games, allowing two hits without a run while striking out two and picking up a save. There was speculation that Street might be called up to Oakland for the stretch drive, but Street's heavy workload this year was one of the factors in the decision not to promote him. Thus, A's fans who can't get to any AFL games will have to wait for Spring Training to get a look at the hard-throwing righty. Street is expected to challenge for a spot in Oakland's bullpen next spring. "We're working on the assumption that [Street] will not be ready," A's general manager Billy Beane said earlier this week. "But we certainly hope we'll be surprised. ... Huston has all the tools to be a productive Major Leaguer."

     Rob Blackstien, CREATiVESPORTS, on a pair of arms ready to help the Padres :

" ... Brad Baker, a former top Red Sox prospect, could be ready to challenge for a bullpen spot next season. The 23-year-old righty was one of the top closers in the AA Southern League this season before getting a promotion to AAA. Overall, he racked up 34 saves while striking out 85 in 67 IP. The former starter has taken to relieving very nicely and could be an asset for the Padres in the near future. Justin Germano, 22, earned a September call-up and has been handed the Padres’ fifth starter role down the stretch after a great season between AA and AAA. A 13th round pick in 2000, the righty earned his first taste of AAA after starting 2-1, 2.51 at AA, fanning 20 in 5 starts. He didn’t miss a beat at AAA, going 9-5 in 20 starts, walking just 25. He’s struggled in his first MLB action ... but deserves a chance to win a 2005 rotation spot. He’s a great control pitcher and could be used as trade bait."

     Minor League shortstops ... best hitters ... sorted by OPS :

10 October, 2004

     AFL (Friday's games) ... Jeremy Hermida FLO with early succes, 2-5, double, 2nd homer, 2 RBI ... Ryan Howard PHI 1-3, 2nd homer, 2 RBI ... Francisco Rosario TOR 3.0 2 0 0 1 4 ... still surprising, Ian Kinsler TEX 2-3, 2 homers, 3 RBI ... Ryan Garko CLE (catching too) 2-4, 3 RBI ... Shin-soo Choo SEA 3-5, 2nd SB ... Josh Barfield SD 0-5 ... Mitch Jones NYA 1-4, homer ... 1B Chris Duncan STL 3-4, double, 3 RBI ... Delmon Young TB 2-4

     Yet another blow for MIL's pitching hopes :

" ... Right-hander Mike Jones, the team's top draft pick in 2001, underwent shoulder surgery this week and will miss the entire 2005 season. According to a team press release, Brewers doctor William Raasch repaired a SLAP (superior labrum anterior-posterior) lesion in the labrum of Jones' shoulder ...  Jones will be re-examined next week and is expected to recover in 12 months. Jones, 21, appeared in just six games for Class AA Huntsville this season and was 1-4 with a 4.18 earned run average. In 23 2/3 innings, he allowed 22 hits and 14 runs (11 earned). He walked 13 batters and struck out 16 ... Earlier this year, the Brewers released injury-plagued right-handers J.M. Gold and Nick Neugebauer, who were drafted out of high school in the first and second rounds, respectively, in 1998." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

     A new face at third in CIN ?  Not a rook either.

" ...  Austin Kearns will go to the Instructional League in Sarasota, Fla., for a 10-day crash course beginning Tuesday. He's a willing pupil. "I think if it works out, it can be beneficial to me and the team," Kearns said. The Reds are open-minded. "We have no preconceived conclusions whatsoever," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said. But if it works, it will be a tremendous boon for the Reds. By playing Kearns at third, the Reds could play Ken Griffey Jr. in right field to cut down on the wear and tear to his legs ... The move was Kearns' choice. "If he was not motivated to do it, we wouldn't have done it," O'Brien said. Kearns is coming off an injury-plagued season. He hit .230 with nine home runs and 32 RBI in 64 games. But he played much better late in the year. He hit .254 with six home runs and 19 RBI over his last 36 games. That's a 30-homer/95-RBI clip. Kearns is confident he'll be able to play at third. He played shortstop and third in high school. His arm is the best on the team, and his baseball instincts are very good for a 24-year-old. Kearns played two games at third in rookie ball." (Cincinnati Enquirer)

     Minor League hitters ... third baseman ... sorted by OPS.

          BATTERS              AB 2B 3B  HR  BB  SO SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG   OPS
AA   NYN  Wright, David       223 27  0  10  39  41 20  6 .363 .467 .619 1.086
AAA  FLO  Dillon, Joe         403 33  7  30  46  85 12  3 .325 .400 .665 1.065
AA   ANA  McPherson, Dallas   262 17  6  20  34  74  6  5 .321 .404 .660 1.064
AAA  ANA  McPherson, Dallas   259 19  8  20  23  95  6  3 .313 .370 .680 1.050
AAA  COL  Atkins, Garrett     445 43  3  15  57  45  0  0 .366 .434 .578 1.012
AA   SF   Cervenak, Mike      410 36  1  21  52  53  6  1 .337 .414 .583  .997
A    COL  Stewart, Ian        505 31  9  30  66 112 19  9 .319 .398 .594  .992
A+   COL  Baker, Jeffrey      271 23  1  11  47  73  1  0 .325 .434 .539  .973
AAA  BAL  Leon, Jose          283 21  2  17  24  68  1  1 .322 .382 .590  .972
AA   OAK  Teahen, Mark        197 15  4   6  29  44  0  0 .335 .419 .543  .962
AAA  HOU  Coolbaugh, Mike     404 30  0  30  47  96  2  0 .295 .368 .592  .960
A+   CLE  Osborn, Pat         305 16  6  10  37  52  6  6 .344 .421 .534  .955
R    MIL  Festa, Anthony      226 19  0   7  56  39  6  1 .305 .463 .482  .945
A    SF   Schierholtz, Nate   233 22  0  15  18  52  1  0 .296 .353 .584  .937
AA   BOS  Hattig, John        264 21  1  12  47  68  3  3 .295 .411 .519  .930
AAA  PIT  Truby, Chris        466 41  2  25  47  96 11  2 .300 .367 .558  .925
AA   TOR  Hattig, John        406 28  1  22  59 109  3  4 .296 .391 .532  .923
A    CLE  Kouzmanoff, Kevin   473 35  5  16  44  75  5  4 .330 .394 .526  .920
A    OAK  Snyder, Brian       366 18  3  13  67  82  3  2 .311 .421 .484  .905
A    LA   Laroche, Andy       244 20  0  13  29  30 12  5 .283 .375 .525  .900

Others of interest :

AA   ATL  Marte, Andy         387 28  1  23  58 105  1  1 .269 .364 .525  .889
A+   ARZ  D'Antona, Jamie     273 18  1  13  16  36  2  3 .315 .353 .531  .884
AA   SEA  Dobbs, Greg         203 14  4   5  11  23  5  4 .325 .373 .507  .880
AAA  MIN  Tiffee, Terry       316 26  3  12  21  26  0  0 .307 .357 .522  .879
AAA  CLE  Peralta, Jhonny     560 44  2  15  55 129  8  4 .323 .382 .489  .871
AAA  TEX  McDougall, Marshall 354 23  0  19  35  80  2  1 .282 .349 .508  .857
R    LA   Dewitt, Blake       299 19  3  12  28  78  1  1 .284 .350 .488  .838
A    NYA  Duncan, Eric        288 23  2  12  38  84  7  1 .260 .351 .479  .830
AA   SD   Gautreau, Jake      212 13  0  10  31  52  1  1 .259 .351 .462  .813
A    MON  Casto, Kory         483 35  4  16  31  70  1  2 .286 .337 .474  .811
AAA  ATL  Betemit, Wilson     356 24  2  13  32  99  3  3 .278 .336 .466  .802
AAA  ARZ  Barden, Brian       332 30  5   8  17  83  3  1 .283 .324 .476  .800
AA   CIN  Encarnacion, Edwin  469 35  1  13  53  79 17  3 .281 .352 .443  .795
AAA  KC   Teahen, Mark        315 23  1   8  32  91  0  1 .279 .353 .435  .788
A    KC   Maier, Mitch        317 24  3   4  27  51 34 10 .300 .354 .432  .786
AAA  SEA  Dobbs, Greg         255  9  2   8   5  36  4  3 .271 .286 .416  .702

09 October, 2004

     AFL (no games Thursday).

     Over at Orioles Hangout, the BAL post-season Top 10 is up.  Pitching tops the list with a pair of righthanders ranking ahead of outfield prospects Nick Markakis and Val Majewski :

" ... 1. Hayden Penn ...  shot through the system in 2004 after spending all of '03 at Rookie-level Bluefield. He put up decent numbers in the Appy League at the age of 18, but was fast-tracked by the organization when he showed impressive stuff, poise, and numbers at Delmarva, Frederick, and Bowie. He relies on a mid-90s fastball, a good curve, and he's working on his change of pace. At Bowie, where he was one of the youngest players in AA, he maintained a strikeout rate of nearly one per inning while not allowing a homer. He should start 2005 back with the Baysox but if he carries over his successes from 2004 it will be hard for the O's to keep him out of a major league uniform before he can legally drink."

" ... 2. John Maine ... Although 2004 marked John Maine's major league debut, it was also the first professional season where he struggled for an extended period of time. He jumped off to a very strong start at Bowie, averaging well over a strikeout an inning over five starts with an ERA in the low 2.00s. He was quickly promoted to Ottawa where he immediately began to have problems. A master of command in the lower minors, his control became lackluster in AAA, and his 2003 minor-league leading strikeout totals became a bit more pedestrian. But once he got his feet on the ground he pitched much better - over his last three months his ERA with the Lynx was below 3.00. He's a longshot to make the major league rotation to start 2005, but his future should be very bright."

     Jim Callis, Baseball America, with some tidbits on the PCL prospects :

Adrian Gonzalez TEX  " ... His power has really regressed the last couple of years, so I can't see him pushing Mark Teixeira off first base or to DH. PCL observers were underwhelmed by him, and it's possible he becomes trade bait for some much-needed pitching in Texas."

Mark Teahen KC  " ... He'd be in the 26-35 range if I went that low. His power tailed off after he arrived from Double-A, he's a solid but not tremendous defender, looks like his ceiling is as an average big league regular."

Clint Nageotte SEA  " ... Most outside clubs think the Mariners should give up on the idea of Nageotte as a starter and just let him throw be a power reliever with a killer slider. But Seattle still thinks he can refine his changeup and command to become a starter."

Antonio Perez LA  " ... Perez deserves a shot because he'll get the job done at second base and hit more than Alex Cora. Perez could hit .275 with 15 homers and some walks, though maybe not right away."

Jose Lopez SEA  " ... A .232 average and .630 OPS in Seattle shouldn't make Lopez a permanent fixutre yet. He has an impressive array of tools and he's very young, but he's going to have to hit more than that. He's still a better hitter and defender than Adam Jones at this point, though. The Mariners do have a number of other talented shortstop prospects as well, so Lopez will have to pick it up with the stick."

     Top hitters among second baseman ... sorted by OPS :

08 October, 2004

     Arizona Fall League (Wednesday's games) ...  Michael Morse SS SEA 3-5 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B CLE 4-5, 2 doubles, SB, 3 RBI ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 2-4 ... Ryan Howard PHI 2-4, homer ... Brian Dopirak CHN 1-5, homer ... Shin-soo Choo SEA 2-2, SB

     Chris Kline, Baseball America, rates the top dogs in the International League and, to no surprise, comes out with BJ Upton atop the ladder.  All of the top five have seen MLB action.  Justin Morneau MIN is No. 2, followed by Grady Sizemore CLE, Jason Kubel MIN and Jeremy Reed (ranked for his time in the CHA system).

A few tidbits from the chat session :

" ... Jorge Cantu really did hold his own at Tropicana, and has the versatility to play second, third or short. It depends on what the Rays' plan is long term, and I see him as perhaps more of a role player to start and then working his way into a starting role. And yes, he has the range and mobility to play second, though I like him better at 3B."

" ... Jason Bartlett doesn't really have one standout tool for a middle of the diamond player, but he has enough arm and moves well enough laterally to play short. A few scouts indicated that the move to 2B wouldn't be out of the question, but for now, he's not going anywhere. He won't hit for much power, but he is a guy who takes each AB personally and doesn't waste any, which is why he's been around .300 every year in the minors. I'll predict .290-10-60."

" ... Brandon Phillips, Jhonny Peralta ... If they were eligible, both are pretty much top 10 guys. Phillips was sometimes brutal defensively, with 28 errors splitting time between short and second. Still the Tribe has to be more than encouraged with his turnaround from a dismal season last year. Peralta still projects more as a 3B to some scouts, but can play either spot on the left side of the diamond. The biggest change that led to his success this year has really been four years in the making. When he was in Kinston in 2001 and again in Akron the next year, his batting stance changed every AB and he had no consistency whatsoever. Once he finally was able to relax . . . and don't discount the rigors of learning to live in the States as part of this, since he knew no English at all and is just natuarally a shy person . . . he settled into one stance and had a career year. He's the Indians answer at ss if Vizquel bolts."

" ... Kelly Shoppach didn't have the year everyone expected, but is still one of the better catching prospects in the minors and got enough support from managers and scouts to warrant putting him on this list. His defense was solid average and his catch and throw skills are among the best in this league. He just needs to close up some holes in his swing, cut down on K's and hit for more average. I don't think he's close to replacing Varitek in Boston, but I do think he's closer to being ready for the jump."

     And Kline wraps BA's league-by-league Top 20s with the Pacific Coast League report.  ANA kids grab the top two spots -- Casey Kotchman at No. 1 followed by Dallas McPherson.  Edwin Jackson LA ranks No. 3, Nick Swisher OAK at No. 4 and SEA shortstop Jose Lopez at No. 5.

     Top minor league hitters ... first basemen ... sorted by OPS :

07 October, 2004

     Arizona Fall League (Tuesday's games) ... Adam Wainwright STL 2.0 3 1 1 2 1 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO 2-3, homer, 2 RBI, 2 SBs  ... Mike Napoli ANA 1-4, homer ... Scott Baker MIN 3.2 4 1 1 0 6 ... Kevin Thompson NYA 3-5, homer, 4, runs, 4 RBI, SB ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 4-6, double, 3 RBI ... John Hudgins TEX 4.0 4 0 0 3 3 ... Dustin Moseley CIN 3.0 1 0 0 1 3 ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2-3, double, SB

     We are pleased to present Bob Reed's Big 60 !  Bob should be familiar to most here from his super work over the past few seasons with his daily reports on the Midwest League.  Last season, in an unpublished Top 100 he had David Wright at the top of the heap (only Baseball Prospectus and Seth Trachman had him in the Top 5, none of our other ratings had Wright even close to the Top 10).  Bob is a freelance writer, a former Inside Sports staffer and Encyclopaedia Britannica contributor).  It's a fascinating list -- STL catcher Daric Barton as the top dog, significant recognition for newcomers such as Dustin Pedroia. 

"The list simply represents expected major league career value (as opposed to players' perceived "ceilings", or fantasy league viability, or proximity to the Show, etc.). In short, this is the order in which I'd draft them if I were starting an expansion team from scratch."  Comments welcome. 

 1) Daric Barton      21) Lastings Milledge   41) Alex Romero
 2) Delmon Young      22) Dallas McPherson    42) Brian McCann
 3) Jason Kubel       23) Carlos Quentin      43) Erick Aybar
 4) Ian Stewart       24) Jeremy Hermida      44) Chad Billingsley
 5) Casey Kotchman    25) Scott Kazmir        45) Jarrod Saltalamacchia
 6) Josh Kroeger      26) Brandon McCarthy    46) Melky Cabrera
 7) Andy Marte        27) Jeff Mathis         47) Conor Jackson
 8) Felix Hernandez   28) Billy Butler        48) Felix Pie
 9) Jeremy Reed       29) Jake Stevens        49) Gavin Floyd
10) Dioner Navarro    30) Rickie Weeks        50) Guillermo Quiroz
11) Prince Fielder    31) Jeff Francoeur      51) Michael Bourn
12) Matt Cain         32) Mike Hinckley       52) Garrett Atkins
13) Ian Kinsler       33) Hanley Ramirez      53) Jonathan Broxton
14) Justin Huber      34) Shin-soo Choo       54) Tony Giarratano 
15) Dustin Pedroia    35) Adam Miller         55) Anthony Reyes
16) J.J. Hardy        36) Alberto Callaspo    56) Nate Spears
17) Zach Duke         37) Jeff Francis        57) Jason Hammel
18) Brandon Moss      38) James Loney         58) Jon Connolly
19) Joel Guzman       39) Howie Kendrick      59) Brian Dopirak
20) Eric Duncan       40) Yusmeiro Petit      60) George Kottaras

     At Baseball America, Alan Matthews tabs the Mets' David Wright as the top prospect to come out of the Eastern League in 2004.  Jason Kubel MIN is the runnerup with Matt Cain SF No. 3.  Lefty Mike Hinckley MON and righty Gavin Floyd PHI round out the Top 5.

Some observations from Matthews from a chat room session :

" ...  David Wright had a phenomenal season, not only in the EL and Triple-A, but also with the Mets after being promoted. He is going to play a sound third base, probably better in that aspect than [Dallas] McPherson, but he is not going to post the OPS that McPherson should. Wright's stroke is not as powerful as McPherson's or Rolen's. I am not sure he'll produce to the extent Rolen has, and he is not as strong defensively as Rolen, who is arguably the game's best currently as the hit corner. Wright has slightly better speed than McPherson and is a very good baserunner."

" ... Hinckley got the nod over Gavin Floyd because of fastball command. He can spot his pitches just slightly better than Floyd, although we're getting pretty picky here because they both have very good command."

" ... Cain ...  This kid is really advanced, in every phase of pitching. His fastball and breaking ball are major league average pitches currently and his changeup shows potential to be a plus pitch, too. He pitches at 93-94 and he is very composed on the mound. He generates great downward plane on his pitches and absorbs instruction well."

" ... Gustavo Chacin was #21. He has some many positives, with his most outstanding negative being his four years at this level. Keep in mind, however, he was 19 when the Cardinals first called him up to the Southern League so he was not really old, by most Double-A standards this season. He is very composed and confident and he showed that pose in winter ball last season and again in the big leagues this year. His cutter made the difference for him this season, as he added that to his fastball/curveball mix and dominated the EL, leading the minors in wins. He relies heavily on deception, too, so big league hitters could get their payback after facing him a couple times. He could hold down a spot near the back of the Jays' rotation or not stick at all in the big leagues for any considerable period of time."

     The Sports Network names Dallas McPherson ANA as the Minor League Player of the Year and Jeff Francis COL as the best of the hurlers.

" ... Playing for Arkansas in the Texas League and Salt Lake in the Pacific Coast League, the 24-year-old McPherson combined to hit .317 with 40 home runs and 126 RBI. He had an on-base percentage of .387 and a slugging percentage of .670. Drafted in the second round in 2001, McPherson has continued to hammer the ball in the minors, averaging .308/.396/.567 (average, OBP, slugging percentage) over a four-year span. He's blasted 20 homers at each level and has worked hard to improve his defense. He was rewarded for his outstanding play with a call-up to the majors in early September."

Joining Francis on the TSN Minor League All-Stars is a Blue Jays' righthander :

" ... Ismael Ramirez ...  the nastiest right- handed pitcher in the minors this season. Don't believe us? Ask the Florida State League hitters, who faced the 6-3 Dunedin hurler. Just 23 years old, Ramirez posted a 15-6 record, which were the most wins in the FSL. His 2.72 ERA was the league's second best. He also tallied a league-leading 165 1/3rd innings, during which he gave up 151 hits and just five home runs. Ramirez struck out 131 batters and issued just 25 walks. His WHIP was an impressive 1.06."

Clint Barmes COL was selected as the All-Star second baseman in spite of performing almost exclusively at shortstop.

     Dayn Perry, FoxSports, checks in with some NL rooks to watch in 2005.  Among them :

" ... Chris Burke ... Astros aren't likely to pick up Jeff Kent's pricey option for 2005 in part because of the confidence they have in Burke ... hadn't shown much power, but in 2004, despite playing in one of the toughest hitter's parks in all of Triple-A, he slugged .507 and smacked 55 extra-base hits. He doesn't have the ceiling that Milwaukee' Rickie Weeks ... does, but he should be a capable and reasonably productive regular at the highest level. Expect Burke to be Houston's opening day starting second baseman."

" ... Dan Meyer ... the 34th overall pick of the 2002 draft ... isn't a name you hear as much as others, but he's one of the best pitching prospects in the game. Armed with astounding command and good movement on all his pitches, Meyer has thrived at every stop, including a strong 61.1 innings at AAA-Richmond this past season. With Russ Ortiz, Paul Byrd and Jaret Wright all headed for free agency, Meyer will have a shot to be in the rotation on opening day. Under the tutelage of the inestimable Leo Mazzone, he should thrive."

     Minor League stats 2004 ... now onto the position-by-position numbers ... catchers up first, sorted by OPS :

06 October, 2004

     Opening action in the Arizona Fall League Tuesday ... however, no box scores available. 

     In an AFL preview, Chris Kline at Baseball America, noted some of the emerging prospects :

" ... Brian McCann ...  made a name for himself this season as the catcher on BA’s Minor League All-Star Team. A 20-year-old lefthanded-hitting catcher, McCann batted .277-15-65 at high Class A Myrtle Beach, a noted haven for pitchers. Drafted for his bat, McCann is far from one-dimensional and made a strong case for passing Brayan Pena as the best defensive catcher in the system, throwing out 30 percent (33 of 110) of basestealers this season."

" ... Mike Morse ... was the most accomplished shortstop in the White Sox system before he was dealt to Seattle along with outfielder Jeremy Reed and catcher Miguel Olivo, and he continued to improve this season. He hit a combined .281-17-71 in 366 at-bats in the Southern and Texas leagues. And at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, the power should continue to improve."

" ... Brian Dopirak ... The 20-year-old blossomed in his first full season at low Class A Lansing, hitting .307-39-120. A second-round pick in 2002, Dopirak’s weakness remains plate discipline, as he struck out 123 times in 541 at-bats. Still, with a good fall he could skip high Class A next season and go straight to Double-A West Tenn. Scouts say Dopirak’s power will have to carry him, but he hit for the highest average in his career this season."

     Braves' Andy Marte gets the nod as the top prospect in the Southern League.  Will Lingo selected Marte over LA's Joel Guzman for Baseball America's SL Top 20.  Rickie Weeks MIL ranks No. 3 followed by Prince Fielder MIL and Jose Capellan ATL.

" ... Jason Stokes ... going into the information-gathering process I would have expected him to be on the list. And he's not far off. But he's a year older than Nelson [Brad Nelson] and I think Nelson is a little bit better hitter overall. Stokes' swing is long and there was concern from some people about his ability to catch up to the best fastballs. There are also concerns about his work ethic and his wrist injury, which has flared up at least three times in two years. Neither one of those guys is any great shakes defensively (assuming Nelson would eventually end up at his better position of first), but Nelson will be a little bit better."

" ... Josh Barfield ... Much like Weeks, most people were impressed with Barfield this season even though he didn't put up great numbers. His RBI numbers in spite of his average show what a run producer he could be. He needs to take more walks and strike out less but should have a bounce-back year in 2005."

" ... Renyel Pinto ...  Scouts in particular really liked Pinto because of a lively fastball that he threw at 92-94 mph with great movement. He needs to improve his control, but scouts didn't worry about that because his stuff moves so well. He also throws a curveball and changeup. I don't expect his 2004 season to be an aberration."

" ... Bobby Brownlie ... No one I talked to was very impressed with Brownlie. His velocity was in the 87-90 mph range, though no one was quite sure why. At least one scout said he sees Brownlie as no more than a bullpen arm at this point."

     A double for Felix Hernandez SEA ... earlier picked as the top prospect in the California League ... also named by Baseball America as the best of the Texas League.

John Manuel went with Hernandez, Dallas McPherson ANA and Jeff Francis COL at 1-2-3.

" ... Alberto Callaspo is a BA fave ... has a chance to be a Gold Glover at 2B and profiles as an old-school 2-hole hitter, a guy who controls the bat, can run a little, etc. If the Angels continue their current offensive philosophy--which is all about making contact and putting pressure on opposing defenses by running, bunting, etc.--I see no reason why Callaspo can't be a productive part of that approach. I think his ceiling is as a .300 hitter with a .350 OBP who wins Gold Gloves."

" ... Mark Teahen has the unfortunate comparison on him from Michael Lewis' "Moneyball" where his power potential and hitting ability were likened to Jason Giambi. No one saw that power in Giambi 15 years ago, and no one I've talked to (except maybe one A's official) sees it in Teahen now, but TL managers loved his swing, liked his defense, liked his approach. It makes sense for the Royals to take a look next year at a low-cost 3B with the potential to be an average or above-average offensively player."

" ... Josh Kroeger's numbers all year were impressive, and he's got an athletic background, and he has some raw power. I admit when I started researching the league, I thought for sure Kroeger would be on the list. He just got very little support from anyone who saw him ...  He was young for the league and he performed, but I had comments such as "doesn't hit good pitching" or "he didn't do anything for me" come up time and again when I asked about Kroeger."

" ... Shin-soo Choo is a better all-around player . . . he's a true five-tool guy. Carlos Quentin projects to hit for more power for most, though I'm not 100 percent sure of that. Quentin played in two great hitters' parks this year and slugged .549. Choo played in a pitcher's park and slugged .462. They're the same age. I do think Quentin should hit for more big league power, but I see Choo as a guy who can hit .300 with 20-30 steals and 15-25 homers while also being an above-average defender (vs. average for Quentin) ... Quentin could earn a shot next year; I think he's tough to get a read on ceiling wise. That high OBP is inflated by 43 HBPs, and is he going to keep taking doses like that in the major leagues? I don't know how that will happen. To me, the most likely scenario is Quentin hits .270 with 25-30 homers and brings a team all kinds of grit, toughness and character. I think he can be a starter on a championship team."

     Seth Trachtman, SportsBlurb, has his "sleeper" picks ... the often over-looked, but worthwhile investments on draft day.  His position-by-position selections include :

" ... 1B: Brian Dopirak ... becoming a more well-known name all of a sudden due to the power that he has shown in the low minors. Great power at the age of 20 is always impressive, and Dopirak hit 39 homers in Low-A this season. He also hit above .300, but the only scary element is his lack of plate discipline. Still, he has a chance to be considered a top prospect very soon."

" ... SP: Anthony Reyes ... a pleasant surprise in Double-A this season with a 2.91 ERA and outstanding 103/12 K/BB ratio in 74.1 innings pitched. Strikeout rates can be a strong indicator for major league success, and Reyes’s success could have him in the majors by late next season. That is if he can stay healthy, something that has been a major problem for other Cards pitching prospects."

" ... SP: Jon Papelbon ... Red Sox have taken a more sabermetrics driven approach in all facets, and Papelbon is a good result of that newer approach. He finished with a 2.64 ERA with 153 strikeouts in 129.2 innings at Low-A this season. If the results continue next season, he could be looking at a 2006 major league arrival. "

     Fielding ... some guys to worry about.  Minor League errors ... worst to best.  Errors = errors per MLB season.

          BATTERS              AB 2B 3B  HR  BB  SO SB CS  AVG  OBP  SLG  ERR POS ERR*
SS   SD   Bush, Matthew        27  2  0   0   2   9  0  0 .222 .276 .296   7  SS  142
SS   SEA  Tuiasosopo, Matthew 101  6  1   2  10  36  4  3 .248 .336 .386   3  SS   97
R    SEA  Tuiasosopo, Matthew  68  5  2   4  13  14  1  2 .412 .528 .721   8  SS   86
SS   COL  Strop, Pedro        190  6  1   3  17  64  2  1 .200 .286 .289  28  SS   82
R    MON  Desmond, Ian        216 11  0   1  10  40 13  3 .227 .272 .292  25  SS   79
R    ANA  Toussaint, Andrew   194 12  2  12  34  68  6  4 .289 .409 .557  13  3B   78
R    SD   Bush, Matthew        72  2  1   0  11  17  4  1 .181 .302 .236  10  SS   77
R    FLO  Campusano, Jose     196  8  4   1  10  38 11 10 .255 .319 .352  28  SS   77
SS   FLO  Carroll, Brett      211 16  1   6  15  57  1  0 .251 .321 .422  25  3B   75
A    SD   Ciriaco, Juan       348 12  2   2  16  80  5  8 .241 .277 .305  44  SS   73
SS   ARZ  Reynolds, Mark      234 19  1  12  25  65  4  1 .274 .372 .517  27  SS   71
AA   TB   Upton, B.J.         104  7  1   2  14  28  3  0 .327 .407 .471  10  SS   70
SS   PHI  Orr, Samuel         219  8  2   5  12  64  4  1 .228 .272 .352  23 INF   69
R    TB   Brignac, Reid        97  4  2   1   9  10  2  1 .361 .413 .474  10  SS   68
R    ANA  Rodriguez, Sean     225 14  4  10  51  62  9  3 .338 .486 .569  27  SS   67
R    ANA  Leblanc, Joshua     185  8  4   4  27  43 14  3 .297 .394 .449  21  2B   67
R    ARZ  Castillo, Wilkin    243 13  5   4   8  40  5  2 .272 .308 .416  24  C    66
AAA  TB   Upton, B.J.         264 17  1  12  42  72 17  5 .311 .411 .519  25  SS   61
A+   TOR  Tablado, Raul       323 28  0  21  24  91  0  0 .300 .351 .582  20  SS   61
A+   NYA  Sardinha, Bronson   248 12  2   2  29  39  9  2 .315 .389 .403  23  3B   60

Others of interest :

A+   TEX  Arias, Joaquin      500 20  8   4  31  53 30 14 .300 .344 .396  40  SS   57
AA   NYA  Sardinha, Bronson   266 11  1   6  37  65  4  1 .267 .356 .383  20  3B   57
A    TB   Brignac, Reid        14  1  0   0   1   2  0  0 .500 .533 .571   1  SS   54
A    MON  Casto, Kory         483 35  4  16  31  70  1  2 .286 .337 .474  35  3B   50
R    LA   Dewitt, Blake       299 19  3  12  28  78  1  1 .284 .350 .488  20  3B   50
R    MIN  Plouffe, Trevor     237  7  2   4  19  34  2  1 .283 .340 .380  16  SS   50
A+   COL  Baker, Jeffrey      271 23  1  11  47  73  1  0 .325 .434 .539  21  3B   49
AA   TEX  Kinsler, Ian        271 21  0   8  32  47  7  4 .299 .401 .465  20  SS   46
AA   DET  Raburn, Ryan        366 29  4  16  47  96  3  0 .301 .390 .533  27  2B   46
A+   BOS  Ramirez, Hanley     239  8  4   1  17  39 12  7 .310 .364 .389  17  SS   45
AAA  SEA  Lopez, Jose         275 19  0  13  16  30  5  2 .295 .342 .505  20  SS   45
AAA  MIN  Bartlett, Jason     265 15  7   3  33  36  7  3 .332 .417 .475  18  SS   45
AA   ARZ  Santos, Sergio      347 19  5  11  24  89  3  2 .282 .332 .461  24  SS   45
AAA  ANA  McPherson, Dallas   259 19  8  20  23  95  6  3 .313 .370 .680  17  3B   44
A+   OAK  Quintanilla, Omar   452 32  5  11  37  54  1  3 .314 .370 .480  28  SS   44
AAA  TOR  Adams, Russ         483 37  3   5  45  62  6  2 .288 .351 .408  32  SS   43
A    SEA  Jones, Adam         510 23  7  11  33 124  8  4 .267 .314 .404  31  SS   41
A+   ANA  Aybar, Erick        573 25 11  14  26  66 51 36 .330 .370 .485  34  SS   41
AA   COL  Baker, Jeffrey       91  5  1   4   7  22  0  0 .297 .343 .505   5  3B   41
R    KC   Butler, Billy       260 22  3  10  57  63  5  0 .373 .488 .596  12  3B   40
A    ANA  Wood, Brandon       478 30  5  11  46 117 21  5 .251 .322 .404  30  SS   39
A    TEX  Kinsler, Ian        224 30  1  11  25  36 16  5 .402 .465 .692  14  SS   38
AAA  ARZ  Hairston, Scott     115  8  3   5  11  21  0  3 .313 .375 .565   6  2B   37
AAA  NYN  Wright, David       114  8  0   8  16  19  2  4 .298 .388 .579   7  3B   37
A    COL  Stewart, Ian        505 31  9  30  66 112 19  9 .319 .398 .594  25  3B   35
A    STL  Barton, Daric       313 23  0  13  69  44  4  4 .313 .445 .511  11  C    34
AA   ANA  McPherson, Dallas   262 17  6  20  34  74  6  5 .321 .404 .660  12  3B   34
AA   CIN  Encarnacion, Edwin  469 35  1  13  53  79 17  3 .281 .352 .443  25  3B   34
AA   LA   Guzman, Joel        182 11  3   9  13  44  1  2 .280 .325 .522   9  SS   33
AAA  CLE  Phillips, Brandon   551 34  4   8  44  56 14 11 .296 .353 .416  28  2B   32
A+   LA   Young, Delwyn       470 36  3  22  57 134 11  4 .281 .364 .511  23  2B   32
AAA  MIL  Hardy, J.J.         101 10  0   4   9   8  0  0 .277 .330 .495   5  SS   32
AAA  CLE  Peralta, Jhonny     560 44  2  15  55 129  8  4 .323 .382 .489  27  SS   32
R    MIL  Iribarren, Hernan   189  6  9   4  19  23 15  7 .439 .490 .630   9  2B   32
AAA  KC   Teahen, Mark        315 23  1   8  32  91  0  1 .279 .353 .435  15  3B   28
AA   OAK  Quintanilla, Omar    94 10  0   2  10   9  2  0 .351 .419 .521   4  SS   28
AAA  MIN  Tiffee, Terry       316 26  3  12  21  26  0  0 .307 .357 .522  13  3B   28
AA   NYA  Cano, Robinson      292 20  8   7  24  40  2  4 .301 .356 .497  12  2B   26
AA   COL  Nix, Jayson         456 17  1  14  40 100 14  3 .213 .292 .346  19  2B   26
AAA  LA   Perez, Antonio      476 24  6  22  61  87 22 12 .296 .379 .511  20  SS   26
A+   DET  Giarratano, Tony    202 11  0   5  16  38 14  8 .376 .421 .505   8  SS   24
AAA  ATL  Betemit, Wilson     356 24  2  13  32  99  3  3 .278 .336 .466  16  3B   24
A    DET  Giarratano, Tony    165  6  1   1  25  22 11  3 .285 .383 .352   6  SS   23
AA   ANA  Mathis, Jeff        426 24  3  14  49 100  2  1 .223 .308 .392  14  C    22
AA   NYN  Wright, David       223 27  0  10  39  41 20  6 .363 .467 .619   8  3B   22
AAA  COL  Closser, J.D.       298 19  1   7  41  47  0  2 .299 .384 .440  10  C    21
AA   MIL  Weeks, Rickie       479 35  6   8  55 107 11 12 .259 .366 .407  17  2B   21
AA   NYA  Navarro, Dioner     255 14  1   3  33  44  1  0 .271 .354 .369   7  C    21
A+   LA   Guzman, Joel        329 22  8  14  21  78  8  5 .307 .349 .550  11  SS   20
A    ANA  Kendrick, Howie     313 24  6  10  12  41 15  6 .367 .398 .578   8  2B   20
A+   NYA  Duncan, Eric        173 20  2   4  31  47  0  2 .254 .366 .462   6  3B   20
A    CLE  Pinckney, Brandon   165 10  0   3  10  12  6  4 .364 .401 .479   4  SS   20
AAA  MON  Izturis, Maicer     376 19  2   3  57  30 14 12 .338 .428 .423  12  SS   20
A    ANA  Rodriguez, Sean     196  8  4   4  18  54 14  4 .250 .333 .393   7  2B   20
SS   TEX  Nickeas, Michael    233 18  0  10  33  53  2  0 .288 .384 .494   6  C    18
AA   OAK  Teahen, Mark        197 15  4   6  29  44  0  0 .335 .419 .543   5  3B   15
AA   BOS  Ramirez, Hanley     129  7  2   5  10  26 12  3 .310 .360 .512   3  SS   15
AA   SF   Cervenak, Mike      410 36  1  21  52  53  6  1 .337 .414 .583  10  3B   15
AAA  MON  Harris, Brendan     377 27  1  17  26  61  0  3 .302 .350 .515   9  2B   14
AAA  BOS  Shoppach, Kelly     399 25  0  22  46 138  0  0 .233 .320 .461   8  C    13
A    MIL  Palmisano, Lou      409 22  3   7  43  93  3  2 .293 .371 .413   6  C    11
AA   NYN  Huber, Justin       236 16  1  11  46  57  2  2 .271 .414 .487   5  C    11
AAA  TOR  Quiroz, Guillermo   255 19  1   8  28  54  0  0 .227 .309 .404   3  C     7
AAA  ATL  Orr, Pete           460 16 10   1  20  59 24 11 .320 .349 .404   4  2B    6
A    BOS  Pedroia, Dustin      50  5  0   1   6   3  2  0 .400 .474 .560   0  SS    0
A+   BOS  Pedroia, Dustin     107  8  3   2  13   4  0  2 .336 .417 .523   0  SS    0

    
Rookie Reports Archive :

1999   2000    2001 -- Jan-July   Aug-Dec   2002 -- Jan   Feb   Mar-July   Aug   Sept-Oct   Nov-Dec

2003 -- Jan    Feb   Mar-Apr  May-June   July   Aug   Sept   Oct   Nov  Dec 01-07  Dec 08-14  Dec 15-21   Dec 22-28

2004 -- Dec 29-Jan 04   Jan 05-11  Jan 12-18  Jan 19-25  Jan 26-Feb 01  Feb 02-08  Feb 09-15  Feb 16-22  
Feb 23-29  Mar 01-07  March 08-14  March 15-21  March 22-28   Mar 29-Apr 04   Apr 05-11  Apr 12-18   Apr 19-25  Apr 26-May 02   May 03-09   May 10-16   May 17-23   May 24-30   May 31-June 6   June 7-13   June 14-20  
June 21-27   June 28-July 4   July 5-11  July 12-18   July 19-25  July 26-Aug 1  Aug 02-08   Aug 09-15   Aug 16-22
Aug 23-29   Aug 30-Sept 05   Sept 06-12   Sept 13-19   Sept 20-Oct 03 

2003 Minor League Stats 1 (Hitters, by OPS, by AAA, AA, A, Short Season, OBA, SLG, Walks, Ks, SBs, Errors)

2003 Minor League Stats 2 (Pitchers, by ERA, AAA, AA, A, Short Season, Ks & Hitters by position)

2004 Minor League Stats 1  (Hitters, by OPS, by Classification, OBA, SLG, SBs, Errors)

2004 Minor League Stats 2 (Pitchers, by ERA, by Classification, Ks & Hitters by position)