| |
14 November, 2004
Arizona Fall League, Friday's games ... JD Durbin MIN 5.0 3 3 3 1 3, 4.56
... Jesse Crain MIN Crain 1.0 1 1 1 3 1, 2.25 ... Jason
Bartlett MIN 2-5, .377 ... Chris Shelton DET 2-5, .400 ...
Mitch Jones NYA 2-5, 5th homer, 4 RBI, .350 ... Brian
Dopirak CHN 3-4, 7th double, 4th homer, 3 RBI, .277 ... Brian
Anderson CHA 3-4, double, .237 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO 2-4,
11th double, .252 ... Francisco Rosario TOR 4.0 2 0 0 2 4, 5.84
... JR House PIT 3-4, 6th double, .356
Mexico, Friday ... Jorge Cantu TB 2-5,
6th homer, .364 ... Dan Johnson OAK 0-3, .241 ... Andy
Tracy COL 1-4, 6th homer, .357 ... Marshall McDougall TEX 2-5,
5th homer, .294
A glimmer of hope for a major league career, albeit far from expectations, for
Ryan Anderson :
" ... Now 24, Anderson was Seattle’s first-round
draft pick in 1997, then a high school phenom who at 6-foot-10 was hitting 100
mph on the radar. On the cusp of making it to the big leagues in the spring of
2000, Anderson felt discomfort in his left shoulder – and hasn’t pitched in a
game since that season ... When Anderson became a minor-league free agent at the
end of last season, the Mariners had paid for three major surgeries and more
than three years of rehablitation that never actually got Anderson in a baseball
game. Time to say goodbye? “I think we were all on the fence initially,” said
assistant general manager Benny Looper. “We’ve had so many highs and lows with
Ryan since signing him. Since his first injury, we’d be optimistic about him
coming along and he’d have another setback. “He’d rehabilitate, get close,
something else would happen.“ ... Looper and his minor league staff finally
landed on the side of bringing Anderson back, and signed him to a
non-guaranteed, one-year contract. “We decided to make the best of it, hope we
get him back on the mound. In the end, everyone on our staff agreed – it was
worth the risk,” Looper said ... At the minimum, we hope he can be a situational
left-handed reliever." (Tacoma News Tribune)
Hey, it will get better (BA's BAL report yesterday & now
Seth Trachtman's CHA report at
SportsBlurb). Outfielder Brian Anderson rates No. 1, with a
pair of starters at 2-3, Kris Honel and Brandon McCarthy :
" ... The White Sox top pick in the 2003
draft, Anderson looks like a solid yet unspectacular prospect. He hit over .300
in High-A last season before hitting .270 in Double-A. He is a contact hitter
that does not draw a great deal of walks, but 12 homers and 13 steals show that
he is a well rounded athlete."
" ... McCarthy has intimidating stature and has
improved as the year has progressed. The 6-7 right-hander had an ERA below 4.00
in three levels this season including Double-A at the age of 21. He has pinpoint
control and very good strikeout rates due to a solid repertoire that includes a
low-90s fastball. As a 17th round pick, the White Sox may have found a diamond
in the rough."
John Sickels,
ESPN.com, takes a liking to the Jays Brandon League :
" ... He is the top pitching prospect in the Blue
Jays system, and one of the most promising right-handers in the prospect ranks
today ... created a stir this year by touching 102 mph during the Eastern League
All-Star game. His fastball is more often in the 94-96 mph range, sometimes a
notch higher. The fastball drops sharply in the strike zone, to the point where
it is sometimes confused with a splitter ... Even the best hitters have a hard
time making solid contact on the heater, which helps League generate ground
balls and keeps his home run totals low ... main flaws revolve around
command and control, related to inconsistent mechanics ... Ideally, League would
receive some Triple-A innings before being pushed into a major-league job. But a
strong spring training performance could give him a slot on the roster, probably
in the bullpen. Even if he relieves at first, his long-term destiny could still
be in the rotation if he refines the changeup. League could benefit from an Earl
Weaver-style "use the rookie in the bullpen then move him to the rotation in a
year or two" development plan."
David Luciani, Baseball Notebook,
is working on translating 2004 minor league numbers into "how the player would
have performed had he been in a neutral big league environment." A sample
of the translations (minimum 400 ABs) :
BATTING AVERAGE
: SLUGGING :
1. Jason Kubel MIN .300 1. Brian Dopirak CHC
.496
2. Ian Kinsler TEX .290 2. Dallas McPherson
ANA .495
3. Garrett Atkins COL .288 3. Mike Cervenak SF .491
4. Matt Diaz TB .288 4.
Jason Kubel MIN .480
5. Brandon Moss BOS .287 5. Brad Eldred PIT .475
6. Adam Riggs ANA .475
ON BASE :
7. Andy Phillips NYY .472
1. Adam Hyzdu BOS .362 8. Joe Dillon
FLO .471
2. Jason Kubel MIN .360 9. Ian Kinsler TEX
.471
3. Ian Kinsler TEX .354 10. Jason Dubois CHC .469
4. Garrett Atkins COL .351
5. Midre Cummings TB .351
13 November, 2004
Arizona Fall League Thursday ... no boxes yet available, but some notes ...
Jason Repko LA a pair of homers ... Corey Meyers ARZ, 2
doubles, 3 RBI ... James Loney LA, 2-run double ... Mike
Napoli ANA, three hits ... Jason Botts TEX 2-3, 2 walks ...
Vito Chairavalloti TOR, grand slam ... Ian Kinsler TEX,
at least a 2-run double, SF ... the AFL leaders through Thursday's games :
AVG G AB R H HR RBI
Shelton, Chris DET .400 25 95 20 38 6 32
Gorecki, Reid STL .397 20 78 17 31 4 12
Quintanilla, Omar OAK .393 23 84 12 33 0 16
Teahen, Mark KC .393 25 89 20 35 2 21
Botts, Jason TEX .384 24 86 20 33 4 21
Weeks, Rickie MIL .382 22 76 20 29 6 21
Howard, Ryan PHI .357 29 115 18 41 3 22
McAnulty, Paul SD .357 23 84 19 30 5 20
Myers, Corey ARZ .354 21 79 19 28 2 15
Sanchez, Freddy PIT .349 23 86 23 30 3 16
On-base : Slugging :
Weeks, Rickie .520 Weeks, Rickie .737
Botts, Jason .495 Shelton, Chris .705
Gorecki, Reid .484 McAnulty, Paul .655
Shelton, Chris .464 Jackson, Connor .635
Gorecki, Reid .628
Venezuela Thursday ... Terry Tiffee
MIN 2-5, .375 ... Guillermo Quiroz TOR 2-4, double, .300 ...
Franklin Gutierrez CLE 4-4, 7th double, 2 homers (6), .342 ...
Wednesday ... Yusmeiro Petit NYN 4.0 6 1 1 0 3, 1.27 ...
Adrian Hernandez beat Petit in a complete game shutout, 9.0 3 0 0 2
10, 3.54
Matt Lorenzo TEX, soon to lose "sleeper" tag :
" ... Lorenzo and Oakland Athletics prospect
Omar Quintanilla were named the Arizona Fall League’s Pitcher and
Player of the Week, respectively, for the week of November 1- November 6 ...
Lorenzo (TEX) ranks in the top five for league leaders with a 1.89 ERA. In 20
innings pitched he has allowed only four earned runs while striking out 14
batters. For the week, Lorenzo pitched three innings of three-hit ball. He
allowed no runs and earned his first save of the season ... The right hander
began the year in the Midwest League at single-A Clinton. After striking out 105
batters and walking only 24, Lorenzo earned a promotion to Stockton in the
California League ... Quintanilla ranks in the top three in the league with a
.393 average (16-for-64). Quintanilla finished the week 10-for-18 with a double,
three runs scored and five RBIs ... .Quintanilla is playing in the Fall League
after a solid 2004 season in single-A Modesto and AA Midland. Quintanilla hit
.315 with 11 home runs and 72 RBIs in Modesto, and was called up to AA Midland
where he hit .364 in 16 games." (Arizona Fall League)
At
Baseball America, Will Lingo, has BA's picks as the best of the BAL farm,
not one of the majors' showcase systems. Outfielder Nick Markakis
topped the list with up and coming righthander Hayden Penn as the
runnerup. Lefty Adam Loewen ranked No. 3.
Walter Young " ... Young's power is
definitely real, a legitimate 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. If he can keep his
body in decent shape most people think he could play first base as well. The
obvious comparison for O's fans is Calvin Pickering, which didn't work out so
well, but Young is a better athlete and better overall hitter. To me he's the
most intriguing guy in the organization."
Adam Loewen " ... There are different
theories about why Loewen had a disappointing year. Some said while he came to
spring camp in good shape, it wasn't good baseball shape and it took him a long
time to round into form. Others said getting knocked around in big league camp
threw him off his game all year. And some said he was just too anxious to move
quickly through the organization. Whatever the case, he lost confidence in his
command and got knocked around more than you would have expected. Assuming his
shoulder is OK, he should bounce back."
Eli Whiteside " ... He's just outside the top
10. He has shown enough with the bat this year to make people think he can be an
everyday catcher, though not enough to be a premier player. He had become too
bulked up and rigid, and he got rid of some of that this year and needs to
continue to do so."
12 November, 2004
Again, thanks to those who responded to my call to fill a vacancy in one of my
Canadian Scoresheet Baseball leagues. The position has been filled.
In the process, we've received responses from a number of fantasy players in the
United States who've not played the Scoresheet game before but would like to
take it out for a test drive. At this point we're just a couple of owners
short of starting a new loop for USA Scoresheet newbies (fee approx $70-$75 USD
for the season). If interested, please drop me a line.
Arizona Fall League (Wednesday's games) ... Jesse Crain MIN Crain 1.0 2 0
0 0 1, 1.64 ... Brad Thompson STL 4.0 7 4 4 0 2, 6.00 ... Chris
Duncan STL 1B 2-5, 3rd & 4th homers, .278 ... OF Reid Gorecki
STL 3-5, 4th homer, 3 RBI, .405 ... Chris Shelton DET 2-4, .407
... Brad Baker SD 1.0 0 0 0 0 1, 3rd Save, 1.64 ... John
Hudgins TEX 3.2 8 7 4 0 3 ... Ben Johnson SD 2-4, 5th homer,
.333 ... Paul McAnulty 1B SD 2-4, 5th homer, .350 ... Josh
Barfield SD 3-5, 5th & 6th doubles, 3 RBI, .329 ... Ian Kinsler
TEX 1-3, 5th double, walk, HBP, .306 ... John Hattig TOR 2-5, .322
... Freddy Sanchez PIT 2-3, 7th double, 2 walks, .353 ...
Wayne Lydon NYN 2-6, 3rd triple, 2 SBs (12), .292 ... Huston
Street OAK 2.0 1 0 0 0 2, 5th Save, 0.56 (now 1 walk, 19 Ks in 18 innings)
... Jeremy Hermida FLO 1-3, 4th homer, walk, .240 ... Conor
Jackson ARZ 1-3, 8th homer, walk, .351 ... James Loney LA
2-4, double, .333
Mexico (Wednesday's games) ... Jorge Cantu
TB 3-4, walk, 6th double, .343 ... Andy Tracy COL 1-5, 4th homer,
.371 ... Marshall McDougall TEX, more and more looking like an OK
utility candidate, 2-5, 3rd & 4th homers, 5 RBI, .293
The Blue Jays farm gets rated by
Seth Trachtman at SportsBlurb. Dustin McGowan, in spite of Tommy John
surgery this summer, retains the No. 1 spot. Shortstops Russ Adams and Aaron
Hill run 2-3 with some not so well known names further down :
" ... 5. John Hattig ... never a highly
thought of prospect, but as of last season he could be considered not only a
good prospect but Toronto's third baseman of the future. He was acquired from
Boston last season in the Terry Adams trade, and his previous career high in
homers was seven. Last season between two organizations in Double-A he hit 22.
His plate discipline is also not that bad, and he hit near .300 for both
organizations. If he is able to repeat that performance in Triple-A, he should
be on his way to the majors."
" ... 7. Gustavo Chacin ... not
considered a good prospect until last season when he increased his velocity to
the low-90s and started throwing a cutter. He still does not have an out pitch,
but he was highly successful in Double-A, Triple-A and the majors. He has the
control to continue to be an impact player in the majors immediately, but his
ceiling is more as a back of the rotation starter."
MIL appears optimistic JJ Hardy can make their opening day lineup :
" ... Despite the fact that Hardy missed most
of last season at Class AAA Indianapolis because of shoulder surgery, the
Brewers are entertaining the idea of making him their starting shortstop in 2005
... hopes to receive medical clearance in the next week or so ... to play
four to six weeks of winter ball ... "I'd like to consider J.J. as the
everyday shortstop," general manager Doug Melvin said ... Giving that job to
Hardy would allow Melvin to spend money elsewhere to improve his lineup ... "We
think he's special that way," Melvin said. "We have to start finding room for a
few of our younger players, if we want to get involved with free agents."
"My shoulder is feeling great now and I'm ready to play," Hardy said."
" ... Hardy distinguished himself at Class AA
Huntsville in 2003 by being named to the Southern League all-star team and
getting selected for the all-star Futures Game, a showcase for top minor-league
talent. He batted .279 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI in 114 games, with 58 walks
and only 54 strikeouts. He is considered a superior defensive player, with good
range, a strong arm and natural instincts. The Brewers think he'll handle
himself in the field and eventually adjust to major-league pitching." (Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel)
The annual meeting of GMs is underway ... thus, lots of rumours. Sean
Burroughs to be traded? Xavier Nady to take over at third? Seems to
be a longshot :
" ... Nady showed decent skills as a third baseman
at Cal, and again during the Instructional League last month. "He's got a chance
there," said Tye Waller, the Padres' director of player development. Nady's
throwing accuracy from third is in question. Towers said Nady, who will turn 26
on Sunday, could see spot duty at third. "Nady is a pretty good fit as a fourth
outfielder," Towers said. "We should be able to get him at-bats as an extra
outfielder and as an extra corner infielder." (San Diego Union Tribune)
Ryan Howard PHI is one of the most likely trade targets :
" ... Many teams have asked the Phillies about
slugging first baseman Ryan Howard. That was probably what the Seattle Mariners
were pursuing in a lengthy meeting with assistant GM Ruben Amaro yesterday. The
Phils have set a high price for Howard." (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Hard to figure out if the O's really have a plan. Baltimore Sun reports
they're after some vets for the rotation and might move the kids :
" ... To achieve this goal of two new starters, the
Orioles are prepared to part with some of the young pitching they have attempted
to stockpile the past few years. According to major league sources, several
clubs have inquired about left-handers Matt Riley and Erik Bedard,
two of the organization's strongest bargaining chips despite seasons that
alternately left management buoyed and frustrated. "They're inexpensive," said
an official with another team, "and they're promising." ... Riley, who is out of
minor league options, went 3-4 with a 5.63 ERA in 14 games and was demoted in
July after arriving late at the ballpark for a start in Philadelphia ...
"I think he's certainly an attractive arm, a guy who will wow you," said Riley's
agent, Scott Boras. "The problem is, when you trade these kinds of players,
uh-oh, they become Arthur Rhodes or somebody like that. They're very, very
talented." Bedard was 6-10 with a 4.59 ERA in 27 games, and the Orioles shut him
down late in the season as his command grew worse. Like Riley, he has made a
full recovery from ligament-reconstruction surgery on his left elbow. "We have a
lot of left-handers," said an Orioles official. "Most of the teams don't."
11 November, 2004
Arizona Fall League Tuesday ... catcher Eli Whiteside BAL 2-5, 2 homers,
4 RBI, .294 ... Ben Johnson SD 3-5, triple, .326 ... Ryan
Garko CLE 1-3, 9th double, .337 ... Delmon Young TB 2-3,
double, .257 ... Jason Botts TEX 2-5, 3rd double, 4th homer, .380
... Mark Teahen KC 2-4, 2nd homer, 2 RBI, .412 ... Omar
Quintanlla OAK 2-4, .421 ... Jeff Miller PIT 1.2 1 0 0 0 1,
4th Save, 1.23 ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2-4, 6th SB, .382 ... James
Loney LA 1-5, 2nd homer, .326 ... Russ Martin LA 1-1, 4th
double, 4 walks, 3 runs, .357 ... Jason Bartlett MIN 2-5, .375 ..
Wayne Lydon NYN 2-4, 10th SB, .289
Mexico (Tuesday's games) ... Jason Dubois
CHN 0-4, 2Ks, .225 ... Marshall McDougall TEX 3-5, 8th & 9th
doubles, .287 ... Dan Johnson OAK 1-4, .246 ... Andy
Tracy COL 3-4, 3rd homer, 3 RBI, .400 ... Alfredo Amezaga ANA
3-5, 1st homer, .345
Venezuela (Tuesday's games) ... Walter
Young BAL 2-4, .343 ... Alberto Callaspo ANA 0-2, .229 ...
Terry Tiffee MIN 1-4, double, .400
Dominican (games through Tuesday) :
JJ VB H H2 H3 H4 BB SO AVE OBP
Guzman, Freddy SD 8 31 12 4 1 0 6 5 .387 .486
Guzman, Joel LA 14 55 17 2 1 0 3 11 .309 .345
Nivar, Ramon TEX 11 31 9 0 0 2 2 2 .290 .333
Ramirez, Hanley BOS 11 45 13 2 0 3 2 8 .289 .319
Marte, Andy ATL 13 45 13 5 0 1 9 14 .289 .393
Gil, Jerry ARZ 11 40 11 4 1 0 0 16 .275 .275
Pie, Felix CHN 14 50 13 2 0 1 2 20 .260 .315
Aybar, Erick ANA 14 56 14 2 0 1 4 8 .250 .338
Terrero, Luis ARZ 9 29 7 3 0 1 5 4 .241 .371
Diaz, Victor NYN 5 17 4 0 0 1 3 4 .235 .350
Encarnacion, Edwin CIN 14 47 11 2 0 1 5 11 .234 .321
Cano, Robinson NYA 12 36 8 3 0 0 4 4 .222 .317
Betemit, Wilson ATL 10 29 6 1 0 1 5 10 .207 .314
ERA OBA IP H BB SO
Santana, Ervin ANA 0.00 .125 3 1 1 4
Capellan, Jose ATL 0.00 .167 2 1 0 2
Patterson, John WAS 1.59 .231 17 15 2 20
Valdez, Merkin SF 1.80 .244 10 10 3 10
Peña, Ramon A. ARZ 2.81 .203 16 12 5 9
Soler, Alay NYN 3.00 .212 9 7 1 17
There's
a possibility of some free agent action over the weekend ... beginning at 12:01
am Friday, teams are allowed to make offers to those players on other squads
(not just their own). It's also the time for clubs to begin filling their
40-man roster spots in advance of the Rule 5 draft next month.
" ... The Expos purchased the contract of
left-handed pitcher Michael Hinckley, first baseman Larry
Broadway and right-handed pitcher Darrell Rasner from its
Class AA affiliate in Harrisburg, Pa. They also purchased the contracts of
right-handers Josh Karp and Danny Rueckel from AAA
Edmonton. Hinckley is one of the franchise's prized prospects. As a 22-year-old,
he went 11-4 with a 2.77 earned run average in 26 starts split between
Harrisburg and Class A Brevard County. He led the organization in wins and
strikeouts (131 in 90 innings) and was named the Expos' minor league pitcher of
the year." (Washington Post)
John Sickels, ESPN.com, on infield possibilities in Boston -- Hanley
Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia :
" ... Ramirez made a lot of progress this
year. In 62 games for Class A Sarasota, he hit .310 with a .364 on-base
percentage. His power production was marginal ... a mediocre .389 slugging
percentage. But he showed a lot more pop after being promoted to Double-A,
hitting .310/.360/.512 in 32 games ... Ramirez also swiped 24 bases
this year, and scouts were pleased with his improved reliability on defense.
Pure talent has never been Ramirez's problem ... Ramirez is still just 20
years old, and given a normal development curve, he will be a very impressive
player. The main concern is about his personality. He has a reputation for being
impulsive and immature, has been suspended for poor behavior in the past, and
doesn't impress people with his work ethic."
" ... As for Pedroia, Dustin doesn't have anything
close to Ramirez's natural tools. But his baseball skills are highly developed,
and his work ethic is exceptional. Perhaps he can set a good example for Hanley.
In any event ... Ramirez isn't quite ready for the Show at this point, so a
stopgap player would make a lot of sense to me."
Hanley Ramirez is No. 1 among Boston farmhands in the Baseball America
Red Sox report. Pedroia ranked No. 6 behind Ramirez, Brandon
Moss, Jon Papelbon, Jon Lester, and Anibal
Sanchez.
Jim Callis with a few Red Sox tidbits from a chat
room session :
Abe Alvarez " ... don't see Alvarez
becoming more than a No. 3 starter, and more realistically he could be a No. 4
or 5. He has exceptional pitchability, but his stuff is pretty ordinary and
doesn't leave him much margin for error. He can be effective in the majors but I
think it's unlikely he'll be a star. He did have a solid year in Double-A in his
first full pro season."
Justin Pedroia " ... I like him as a prospect
but I think Dustin Pedroia's statistical performance has given people a
misleading impression of what kind of player he is. I think a reasonable
expectation is that he become a Jody Reed-type at second base, but I've seen
some online reports declaring him one of the top 20 prospects in baseball or
touting his impressive power (which really isn't very impressive)."
Lots of younger talent on the Triple-A All-Star team as selected by
Topps/Minor
League Baseball. A half dozen significant prospects were named to the
2004 squad including CLE shortstop Jhonny Peralta, OAK 1B Dan
Johnson, HOU 2B Chris Burke, MIN OF Jason Kubel
and MIL starter Ben Hendrickson.
Joltin' Joe he isn't. WSox disappointed in former top pick :
" ... There was a time when Joe Borchard was
compared to Mark McGwire. It appears he may not even be the second coming of
Julio Zuleta. Borchard, who will turn 26 on Thanksgiving Day, recently suffered
another setback in his bid to justify the $5.3 million signing bonus he received
from the White Sox for walking away from a job as Stanford's top quarterback.
After hitting .174 over 63 games as a replacement for Magglio Ordonez, Borchard
accepted a spot in the Mexican Pacific League. The Sox were excited about this
winter assignment because curveball pitchers dominate in Mexico. Borchard,
however, struggled where journeymen like Zuleta often dominate ... the Mazatlan
Deer recently released Borchard, seemingly making it even less likely he can win
one of the openings in the Sox's outfield next spring." (Chicago Tribune)
10 November, 2004
Arizona Fall League (Monday) -- still doing pretty well, Mike Stodolka KC
4.2 5 2 2 1 2, 2.42 ... Jason Arnold TOR 4.0 3 2 2 2 4, 3.57 ...
Omar Quintanlla SS OAK 2-4, triple, .417 ... Mark Teahen
KC 2-3, HBP, 2 RBI, .407 ... Freddy Sanchez PIT 3-6, 2 RBI, .341
... Aaron Hill TOR 3-5, 4th double, .310 ... Ian Kinsler
TEX 2-5, walk, .305 ... Vito Chiaravalloti TOR 3-5, 6th double, 3
RBI, .377 ... Jesse Crain MIN 1.0 1 0 0 0 1, 1.80 ... Rickie
Weeks MIL 2-3, 2 walks, 2nd triple, 5th SB, 3 runs, .375 ... MIN SS
Jason Bartlett 4-6, 3rd double, triple, 3 runs, 4 RBI, .373 ...
Chris Shelton DET 2-4, 9th double, .405 ... Kevin Thompson
NYA 2-5, 9th & 10th doubles, 3 RBI, .367 ... Brian McCann ATL 1-5,
.250 ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 0-5, 2 Ks, .272 ... Brian
Anderson CHA 0-4, 3 Ks, .205
Venezuela (Sunday) -- Todd Linden SF
3-4, .268 ... Terry Tiffee MIN 4-4, double, 2nd homer, .455 ...
John Stephens (I think this is the former BAL & BOS farmhand) 5.0 6 0
0 0 6, 3-0, 0.75 ... Walter Young BAL 1-2, walk, HBP, 5th homer,
.333
John Manuel,
in the chat room at Baseball America, on the Yankee farm :
Melky Cabrera " ... the Yankees don't have an
outfielder who is a future Gold Glover in the system. Sometimes, an average big
league defensive OF is the best an organization has, and that's the case here.
The organization is split on Cabrera as a CF ... if you take the Jose Vidro comp
to heart, you're talking a .300-.320 hitter with 15-25 homers. That's certainly
enough for a corner guy."
Eric Duncan " ... I like Duncan's bat
(Jim Callis likes it even more than I do), and I think he'll be a solid average
or slightly above-average major league player. It sounds like he is a tad short
defensively tools-wise at third base, but with work he could be an average
defender. If another club believes that and if Duncan gets off to a fast start
in 2005, I think he would be a nice piece in a big league trade."
Robinson Cano " ... Cano is legit. He
could be an everyday starter on a championship team; he's a second baseman who's
pretty good defensively and offensively ... I thought coming into this he
was kind of like Todd Walker, but it sounds like he's not quite the hitter
Walker is but a much better defender ...Cano would make most Top 10s, I should
think. He's young, he's pretty good now, has a chance to be a lot better in
terms of hitting for power, and he's had success at high levels ... Cano rubs
some scouts the wrong way with his seemingly nonchalant playing style. The
Yankees insist that he loves the game and can handle the glare of playing in the
Boogie Down. So yes, I think he could be successful as a 2005 rookie."
Over at SportsBlurb, Seth
Trachtman, is on to the Tampa Bay farm which features some of the most
prized prospects in baseball. Running 1-2 are Delmon Young and Scott Kazmir :
" ... Young ... had an outstanding season in his
first full pro year. The 19-year-old hit .320-25-115 along with 21 steals in 27
attempts with 513 at-bats in Low-A. Strikeouts are the only real concern, as he
whiffed 120 times, but there is little doubt that he has the potential to be an
MVP caliber player at the highest level ... Kazmir has a punishing mid-90s
fastball and slider from the left side, and he dominated up to Double-A before
his call-up to the majors last season. He struggled with major league hitters
... Still, this is a potential ace."
" ... 6. James Houser ... has ace potential
if he can get healthy. He missed several starts last season due to a sore
shoulder and dominated in Low-A when healthy. The lefty throws in the low-90s
with a nasty curveball and has displayed good control to this point."
Chris
Kline, Baseball America, with a nice piece on SEA shortstop Michael Morse :
" ... Morse credits playing quarterback for helping
develop both his rifle arm, accuracy, and even his lateral and vertical
movement. "He’s definitely got the arm to play the position," said an NL scout.
"It’s a 70 (on the 20-to-80 scouting scale). The thing that separates him is
he’s so easy in his actions. He moves well to either side and can make the
accurate throw on the run." ... At the plate, Morse’s goal is to hit .360
this fall. He came into Monday's play hitting .318 in 66 at-bats, after hitting
.281-17-71 overall in 2004 at Double-A. "I’m here focusing on defense, but I’m
not being one-dimensional at all," Morse said. "I haven’t hit for the power I
know I can hit for, but really, I’ve never felt more energized. I’ve never felt
better."
Jonathan Mayo, MLB.com, on Ian Kinsler TEX :
" ... "My first year, it was just getting used to
the wood bats, getting comfortable with it," he said. "I got in some Spring
Training games and got to see those guys play, how they approached the game. It
really helped my confidence level going into the season." He must have been
brimming over when he began the year with Clinton in the Midwest League. Kinsler
hit .402 in 59 games, with a .465 on-base percentage, .692 slugging percentage
(11 HR, 52 RBIs) and 16 stolen bases. The Rangers decided to challenge Kinsler
and promoted him a level, to Double-A. The shortstop proceeded to hit .300 over
71 games, with a .400 on-base percentage. He finished the season with 51
doubles, 20 homers, 98 RBIs, 23 steals and a combined .345 average ... Now
Kinsler is very much on every prospect map. The biggest question may not be when
he reaches the big leagues... but where ... Kinsler obviously sees the
obstacles in his path, but knows that if he continues to perform the way he did
in 2004, he'll force his way into the Rangers' plans in some manner ... Whatever
they want to do, I'm just trying to get them to make a decision as fast as I
can."
09 November, 2004
AFL (no games Sunday)
Mexico (Sunday) ... Dan Johnson OAK 0-2, 2
walks, .246 ... Jason Dubois CHN 0-3, .239
Venezuela (Saturday) ... Franklin
Gutierrez CLE 1-5, .324 ... Terry Tiffee MIN 1-4, 1st homer, .143 ...
Todd Linden SF 1-4, 3rd homer, . 231 ... Guillermo
Quiroz TOR 2-4, double, 3 RBI, .304
BC kid wins the NL Rookie of the Year Award. Jason Bay PIT and
Bobby Crosby OAK named the best rooks in voting by the Baseball Writers
Association of America.
The frenzy begins ... Baseball
America has kicked off its annual Top 10s with the Yankees up first. Third
sacker Eric Duncan grabbed the top rung in a system which, obviously,
needs an infusion of more talent. Robinson Cano was ranked at No.
2.
John Sickels,
ESPN.com, with an update on Rickie Weeks MIL :
" ... While the progress on defense was
notable, Weeks seemed to slip a bit offensively. He had problems with plate
discipline at times, although this had previously been a strength for him. He
didn't show as much home run power as expected, and his swing was a bit too
mechanical on occasion ... scouts remain optimistic that he'll be a fine
offensive player, hitting for a high average with a good OBP and moderate power
... plate discipline has been much better in Arizona than it was for
Huntsville, and scouts remain very positive about his bat in the long run ...
Weeks will head to Triple-A in 2005, hopefully carrying forward the momentum he
has gained in the fall league. While his '04 campaign wasn't quite what people
expected, he is still a premium prospect. Quick progress in Triple-A will get
him a major league job sometime in '05."
Bryan Smith, Wait Til Next Year,
offers his picks as the best of the righty starting prospects (at least of those
who ended the season in the minors). The Mariners' teenage wonder Felix
Hernandez tops the poll with LA's Chad Billingsley as the runnerup :
" ... has drawn comparisons to Kerry Wood for his
great fastball-curveball combination, as well as his problems with control.
Billingsley has a chance to hit the Majors next year, not even two years after
Logan White made the gutsy choice. And that’s why this guy should get some big
bucks."
The Mets' Yusmeiro Petit ranked No. 5 (after
Matt Cain and Adam Miller) :
" ... At 6-0, 230 pounds, Petit’s stature is unlike
any other pitcher on this list. Baseball America started the Sid Fernandez
comparisons this year, which seem quite apt a year later. His inability to light
up a radar gun is what costs him points in the prospect department, no matter
how much higher his K/BB is above the rest of the group. Mediocre stuff combined
with New York lights don’t add up great, ask Aaron Heilman."
CLE updates from the Plain Dealer :
" ... Left-hander Billy Traber (left elbow):
Traber threw bullpen sessions only in the Florida Instructional League. He threw
all his pitches and could be close to 100 percent in spring training.
Left-hander Jason Stanford (left elbow): Stanford, coming off
Tommy John surgery, should start a throwing program in six weeks."
" ... David Valdes, agent for Cuban defector
Kendry Morales, is looking for a major-league deal similar to the
four-year, $9.5 million contract Texas gave Mark Teixeira. There was also a $4.5
million signing bonus. If that's what Morales gets, it will not be from the
Indians. The team scouted Morales in the Dominican Republic and established a
value for him, but it's unclear if they've made him an offer. Valdes said he
could have a deal for the switch-hitting Morales early this week."
08 November, 2004
Thanks folks! Visitors from more than 70 countries in October, including
:
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia (Hrvatska), Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Dominican Republic, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary,
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Latvia,
Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand (Aotearoa), Norway, Old style
Arpanet (arpa), Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania,
Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, South
Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United
Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, US Government, US Military, Venezuela
AFL Friday's games ... Jeff
Miller PIT 1.0 0 0 0 1 1, 1.38 ... Ryan Howard PHI 3-4,
13th & 14th doubles, .389 ... Jason Perry OAK 2-5, 5th homer, 2
RBI, .288 ... Mike Napoli ANA 2nd homer, 3 RBI, .245 ... Rickie
Weeks MIL 2-4, triple, .359 ... Jeremy Hermida FLO 0-5,
.239 ... JD Durbin MIN 4.2 4 3 3 4 6, 4.35 ... Jesse
Crain MIN 1.0 1 0 0 0 1, 2.00 ... Kevin Thompson NYA 3-5, 8th
double, .352 ... Delmon Young TB 1-3, .238
AFL Saturday
... Scott Baker MIN 4.0 5 2 1 1 7, 2.96 ... Kevin Thompson
NYA 2-3, 5th homer, .365 ... Francisco Rosario TOR 3.0 6 7 7 3 1,
6.97 ... Matt Lorenzo TEX 1.0 0 0 0 0 0, 1.53 ... Brad
Baker SD 1.1 0 0 0 0 1, 1.00 ... Jason Botts TEX 1-4, 3rd
homer, 3 RBI, .386 ... Freddy Sanchez PIT 2-5, 3rd homer, 3 RBI,
.329 ... Rickie Weeks MIL 2-5, 6th homer, 3 RBI, .361 ...
Russell Martin catcher LA 2-4, 3rd double, 2 RBI, .341 ... Omar
Quintanlla OAK 4-5, 2 RBI, .418 ... Jeremy Brown OAK 2-3,
2nd double, .421 ... Delmon Young TB 0-2, 2 walks, .231
Mexico -- (Friday & Saturday) Dan Johnson
OAK 1-5, 5th homer & 1-3, .254
Venezuela -- (Friday) Rene Reyes COL 2-5, 3rd
homer, 4 RBI, .291 ... Walter Young BAL 2-5, 6th double, .344 ...
Guillermo Quiroz TOR 2-3, walk, .263
Dominican -- (Thursday) Erick Aybar ANA 3-5
... boxes hard to come back, but the stats through Thursday ... Joel Guzman's
success continues ... Jerry Gil still buy a walk ... Hanley
Ramirez, the leader
in homers (3) ... John Patterson, impressive so far ... Alay
Soler, looks as if
the Mets might be right ... Ramon A. Pena, I believe this is the former Adriano
Rosario ...
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG. OBP
Guzman, Freddy SD 19 5 9 3 1 0 5 4 3 .474 .565
Guzman, Joel LA 38 5 14 2 1 0 2 3 7 .368 .415
Gil, Jerry ARZ 30 8 11 4 1 0 2 0 14 .367 .367
Marte, Andy ATL 36 4 12 5 0 1 10 3 9 .333 .366
Betemit, Wilson ATL 18 1 5 1 0 1 4 1 5 .278 .316
Ramirez, Hanley BOS 41 6 11 2 0 3 8 2 7 .268 .302
Aybar, Erick ANA 42 6 11 2 0 1 3 4 4 .262 .347
Diaz, Victor NYN 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .250 .250
Encarnacion, Edwin CIN 36 5 9 1 0 1 1 2 8 .250 .308
Pie, Felix CHN 42 2 10 1 0 0 1 1 15 .238 .273
Mondesi, Raul FA 19 3 4 1 0 1 5 1 6 .211 .286
Cano, Robinson NYA 25 4 5 3 0 0 0 3 2 .200 .310
Aybar, Willy LA 21 2 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 .143 .143
Cash, Kevin TOR 22 0 3 1 0 0 0 4 8 .136 .296
PITCHING ERA BA G SV IP H BB SO
Santana, Ervin ANA 0.00 .125 2 0 3.0 1 1 4
Capellan, Jose ATL 0.00 .167 1 0 2.0 1 0 2
German, Franklin DET 0.00 .125 3 0 4.1 2 0 2
Valdez, Merkin SF 0.00 .217 2 0 6.0 5 1 5
Patterson, John WAS 0.82 .209 2 0 11.0 9 1 11
Curtis, Daniel ATL 1.13 .241 2 0 8.0 7 4 5
Soler, Alay NYN 3.00 .212 3 0 9.0 7 1 17
Peña, Ramon A. ARZ 3.27 .244 3 0 11.0 10 3 5
Brazoban, Jhency LA 6.00 .190 6 1 6.0 4 4 8
Garcia, Jairo OAK 7.20 .364 4 0 5.0 8 3 8
Wonder if the Rays get a discount for volume ? Rocco Baldelli OK, Wes
Bankston too :
" ... news after a three-hour procedure performed by
renowned knee specialist Richard Steadman was encouraging. "Everything is good,"
Dan said. "(Steadman) said everything was very successful. It was nice to hear."
Now comes the tough part. Dan said he and his son will remain in Colorado until
at least Tuesday as Baldelli begins rehabilitation that could keep him off the
field until July ...
" ... Bankston recently had wrist surgery, but
Cam Bonifay, director of player development and scouting, said the outfielder
should be ready to go by March 1. Bankston, a fourth-round pick in 2002, hit
.289 with 23 home runs and 101 RBIs last season for Class A Charleston." (St.
Petersburg Times)
Seth Trachtman, SportsBlub,
has the Yankee prospect report on tap. Catcher Dioner Navarro is
Seth's pick as the best of less-than-sparkling group :
" ... cannot help but pay attention to him since he
is considered one of the top Yankees prospect, but that is deceiving. The
20-year-old still does not have much to show for his bat other than very good
plate discipline, but he is considered excellent defensively. We have to give
him some benefit of the doubt for moving up so quickly to Triple-A at such a
young age, but he is going to need to hit more than he did last season."
" ... 2. Eric Duncan ... first round
pick in 2003, Duncan has not disappointed yet. Not yet 20, he hit over .250 with
16 homers and seven steals between Low-A and High-A last season. His plate
discipline and contact ability could use some work, but he is well on his way
with power."
Jim Callis,
Baseball America, in the BA chatroom with some thoughts on the 2004 draft :
Nick Adenhart " ...He had surgery in
May, so he should be able to get on a mound sometime next summer but probably
won't be at full strength until 2006. The track record of coming back from Tommy
John surgery is so good that it's reasonable to be optimistic, and that's why
the Angels invested $710,000 and a 14th-round pick in him."
SS in BOS " ... The Red Sox believe Pedroia
can stick at shortstop and will try to keep him there. I think you'll see them
try to put Ramirez in Triple-A and Pedroia in Double-A, so both can play
shortstop."
Stephen Drew " ... Some scouts
question Drew's desire (like they do with his brother J.D.) and some think he
might fit better at second base or in center field than at shortstop, but no one
questions his hitting ability and athleticism. He certainly has all-star
potential."
Billy Butler " ... The Royals will
give him every chance to stay at third base and he should begin 2005 there. In
the long run, he probably has to move to left field or first base, but Kansas
City will see if he can remain a third baseman."
Josh Fields " ... I thought Crede
would be a better hitter than he has been, but Fields has more offensive
potential than Crede showed on the way up. Crede has been a major reason why the
White Sox have underachieved in recent years, and he's running out of time.
Fields could be ready by mid-2006."
06/07 November, 2004
AFL Thursday's games ... Chris Oxspring SD 5.0 6 2 2 0 3, 3.48 ...
Jason Bartlett SS MIN 2-4, .333 ... Curtis Granderson
CF DET 2-4, .358 ... John Hudgins TEX 5.0 4 1 1 2 3, 4.15 ...
Freddy Sanchez PIT (2B & leadoff) 2-4, .328 ... Jason Botts
TEX 1-2, 2 walks, RBI, .394 ... Brad Thompson STL 3.0 5 2 2 0 2,
3.60 ... Huston Street OAK 2.0 0 0 0 0 4, 0.64 (1 walk, 15 Ks in
14 IP) ... Mark Teahen KC 2-5, .411
Mexico -- Jason Dubois CHN 2-2,
2 walks, 4th homer, 4 RBI, SB, .250 ... Dan Johnson OAK 1-4, 4th
double, .255
Venezuela (Wednesday) -- Alberto Callaspo
ANA 1-5, RBI, .241 ... Walter Young BAL 2-4, 5th double, .353 ...
Shane Victorino LA 3-5, 3rd double, 4th homer, 5 RBI, .361 ...
(Thursday) Justin Leone SEA 2-4, double, .381 ... Rene Reyes
COL 3-5, 2nd homer, 2 RBI, .284 ... Guillermo Quiroz TOR 1-4,
double, .188 ... Yusmeiro Petit NYN 6.0 1 0 0 0 8, 1.04 ...
Renyel Pinto CHN 5.0 4 3 2 2 3, 2.57
Dominican (Tuesday's games) ... only one box
available ... Hanley Ramirez BOS (at SS) 2-5, SB ... Erick Aybar
ANA (at 2B) 1-5, double ... Andy Marte ATL 2-3, double ... stats through
games of Tuesday ... not much to analyze in the early going ... but, at least,
provides some info on who's suiting up.
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB AVG
OBP
GUZMAN, FREDDY SD 3 13 3 6 1
1 0 4 2 1 3 .462 .533
MONDESI, RAUL FA 3 11 3 4
1 0 1 5 1 4 0 .364 .462
GUZMAN, JOEL LA 8 31 4 11
1 1 0 2 2 6 1 .355 .394
RAMIREZ, HANLEY BOS 8 31 6 9 2 0
3 8 2 6 2 .290 .333
MARTE, ANDY ATL 7 29 3 8
3 0 1 7 3 9 0 .276 .333
ENCARNACION, EDWIN CIN 8 30 4 8 1 0 1 1
1 6 1 .267 .313
AYBAR, ERICK ANA 8 33 6 8
1 0 1 3 4 3 0 .242 .333
BETEMIT, WILSON ATL 5 17 0 4 1 0
0 2 1 5 0 .235 .278
PIE, FELIX CHN 8 37 2
8 1 0 0 1 1 12 1 .216 .256
CANO, ROBINSON NYA 8 24 4 5 3 0
0 0 3 2 0 .208 .321
ROSS, CODY LA 7 25 4
5 2 0 0 2 6 5 0 .200 .355
AYBAR, WILLY LA 6 21 2 3
0 0 0 1 0 2 0 .143 .143
PITCHING W L ERA BA G SV IP H R ER BB SO
SANTANA, ERVIN ANA 0 0 0.00 .000 1 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 1
CAPELLAN, JOSE ATL 0 0 0.00 .167 1 0 2.0 1 1 0 0 2
SOLER, ALAY NYN 0 0 0.00 .059 2 0 5.0 1 0 0 0 10
VALDEZ, MERKIN SF 0 0 0.00 .217 2 0 6.0 5 0 0 1 5
BRAZOBAN, JHENCY LA 1 0 1.80 .067 4 0 5.0 1 1 1 3 6
PATTERSON, JOHN WAS 0 0 1.80 .286 1 0 5.0 6 1 1 0 3
GARCIA, JAIRO OAK 1 0 9.00 .389 3 0 4.0 7 6 4 3 5
DET slugger, PIT hurler the best of the month in the Arizona Fall League :
" ... Chris Shelton is among league
leaders with a .400 average for the Month. In 65 at-bats, Shelton has collected
26 hits with eight doubles, a triple and four home runs. Shelton has 23 RBIs and
scored 12 runs. Shelton, a Rule 5 selection in 2004 for the Tigers, was
originally a 33rd round pick for Pittsburgh in 2001 ... shared co-player
of the week honors October 11-October 17th behind a .474 performance, with nine
hits, a double, three home runs, eight RBIs and five runs scored."
" ... Jeff Miller (PIT) ranks first in the
league with a 0.00 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a .143 average. Miller
has allowed only five hits in seven games for the Saguaros. Miller has not given
up a walk and has 11 strikeouts for the season. Miller spent the 2004 season
with Pittsburgh’s AA affiliate in Altoona, PA. He had a 5-4 record with a 2.91
ERA. Miller struck out 79 Eastern League hitters, while walking only 28 ...
drafted in the 15th round of the 2001 baseball amateur draft ... first
professional season was a successful one, leading the New York-Penn League in
saves in 2001 for the Pirates’ affiliate in Williamsport, PA." (Arizona Fall
League)
Rocco Baldelli injury might open the door for Joey Gathright :
" ... starting center fielder suffered a torn
anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last week while playing baseball
with his 6-year-old brother in the back yard of their home in Cumberland, R.I.
He'll undergo reconstructive surgery today in Vail, Colo. While the full extent
of the damage won't be known until after orthopedic surgeon Richard Steadman
operates, Rays manager Lou Piniella is bracing for the probability that Baldelli
won't be ready to return to Tampa Bay's lineup until late May - at the earliest.
``It's not good,'' Piniella said. ``We're hoping that it's not as serious as
what we initially heard. But we'll know after the surgery ... Speedy rookie Joey
Gathright may get a chance to compete for a starting spot. Gathright was batting
.365 for the Mesa Solar Sox and led the Arizona Fall League with 15 stolen bases
when his season was ended by a minor shoulder injury." (Tampa Tribune)
Jim Callis, Baseball America, on a sleeper for the 2006 draft :
" ... Kyle Drabek [son of Doug Drabek, former
Cy Young winnter] ... projects as a likely first-round pick in 2006. At
6-foot-1 and 190 pounds he's built a lot like his father, and he already throws
91-92 mph with a hard slider. A righthander, he's also very athletic—he's a wide
receiver on The Woodlands football team—which helps him repeat his delivery and
throw strikes."
Seth Trachtman, SportsBlub,
moves right along with his Boston Top 10 and likes shortstop Hanley Ramirez
as the cream of the crop. And, Seth sees some signs of refurbishing the
RedSox system :
" ... 2. Jon Papelbon ... really turned
some heads in High-A last season. While he was older than much of the
competition at age 23, he finished with a 2.64 ERA and 153/43 K/BB ratio in
129.2 innings pitched. He throws in the mid-90s with an excellent slider, so he
could be a real dark horse candidate to not only become a starting pitcher in
the majors but become an ace."
" ... 4. Dustin Pedroia ... a
sabermetrics hitter that plays solid defense. He was drafted out of Arizona
State in the second round of the 2004 draft and made one heck of a debut in
Single-A. He is an excellent contact hitter whose discipline of the strike zone
is second to none. He may not ever hit more than 10 homers or steal more than 10
bases in the majors, but he has the potential to be an on-base machine."
05 November, 2004
AFL Wednesday's games ... Brian Dopirak CHN 1-3, double, walk, .277 ...
Ryan Howard PHI 2-5, 12th double, 3 RBI, .379 ... Mark
Teahen KC 0-3, but 2 walks, .412 ... Jesse Crain MIN, finally
allowed some runs, 1.0 2 2 2 1 1 ... Ben Johnson SD 2-3, HBP, 7th
double, .321 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff CLE 2-5, 2 RBI, .346 ... Matt
Lorenzo TEX beginning to get some notice, 2.0 3 0 0 1 3, 1.62 ... Ben
DIggins MIL 1.0 1 0 0 1 0 ... Conor Jackson ARZ 2-4, 2 RBI,
.382 ... James Loney LA 2-3, 2 RBI, .338 ... Charlton
Jimerson OF HOU 2-5, double, homer, 4 RBI, .289 ... Freddy Sanchez
PIT 1-2, 3 walks, .317 ... Mike Huggins BAL 3-4, 2nd & 3rd doubles, SB,
.265
Mexico -- Dan Johnson OAK 0-4, .255
... Andy Tracy COL 2-4, homer, .400
Joe Ptak, Cleveland Indians Report, notes the selection of Ryan Garko as
CLE's Minor League Player of the Year and Adam Miller as the Pitcher of
the Year.
Plate discipline ... the very good, good, not-so-good and ugly ... from LA
catcher Russell Martin to ATL OF Jeff Francoeur. Selected players from the
AFL, ranked by BB/SO.
G AB BB SO AVG OBP SLG BB/K
Martin, Russell LA 10 33 8 2 .364 .511 .424 4.00
Brown, Jeremy OAK 8 16 6 2 .375 .522 .625 3.00
Pedroia, Dustin BOS 11 39 7 3 .308 .417 .333 2.33
Whiteman, Tommy HOU 17 61 9 6 .361 .451 .508 1.50
Jackson, Conor ARZ 20 76 15 11 .382 .478 .697 1.36
*Choo, Shin-soo SEA 15 46 10 8 .304 .431 .457 1.25
Sanchez, Freddy PIT 17 63 9 9 .317 .413 .508 1.00
*Loney, James LA 19 71 9 9 .338 .402 .408 1.00
*Rogowski, Casey CHA 15 42 8 8 .357 .460 .548 1.00
Raburn, Ryan DET 14 45 6 6 .200 .288 .400 1.00
Weeks, Rickie MIL 17 57 13 15 .351 .507 .702 0.87
Anderson, Brian CHA 19 60 12 14 .233 .365 .417 0.86
*McLouth, Nate PIT 14 54 6 7 .278 .344 .426 0.86
*Baker, John OAK 11 27 6 7 .259 .394 .333 0.86
#Hattig, John TOR 18 71 9 11 .338 .407 .577 0.82
House, J.R. PIT 10 31 4 5 .355 .444 .581 0.80
Cervenak, Mike SF 16 60 6 9 .267 .343 .433 0.67
*Teahen, Mark KC 20 68 11 18 .412 .476 .618 0.61
#Botts, Jason TEX 18 64 10 17 .391 .473 .547 0.59
*Granderson, Curtis DET 14 49 5 9 .347 .421 .490 0.56
Kinsler, Ian TEX 17 69 6 11 .304 .364 .536 0.55
Shelton, Chris DET 19 73 8 16 .425 .476 .808 0.50
*Howard, Ryan PHI 22 87 9 24 .379 .429 .644 0.38
*Lewis, Fred SF 16 54 7 20 .204 .323 .241 0.35
*McCann, Brian ATL 11 35 2 7 .257 .316 .343 0.29
Kouzmanoff, Kevin CLE 19 78 4 15 .346 .373 .538 0.27
*Hermida, Jeremy FLO 19 82 4 19 .256 .287 .476 0.21
Dopirak, Brian CHN 17 65 3 15 .277 .319 .477 0.20
Young, Delmon TB 16 60 3 17 .233 .281 .300 0.18
Garko, Ryan CLE 20 82 2 13 .354 .382 .585 0.15
Francoeur, Jeff ATL 17 68 1 14 .324 .343 .441 0.07
NL Gold Gloves announced ... even a few deserving winners ;-)
Pitcher: Greg Maddux, CHN, Catcher: Mike Matheny,
STL, First base: Todd Helton, COL, Second base: Luis
Castillo, FLO, Third base: Scott Rolen, STL, Shortstop:
Cesar Izturis, LA, Outfield: Jim Edmonds, STL, Steve
Finley, LA, Andruw Jones, ATL (MLB.com)
Bryan Smith, Wait Til Next Year,
checks out the southpaws and likes Scott Olsen as the top lefty prospect
:
" ... there is a clear-cut top two ... Scott Olsen
and Cole Hamels. While there should not be a lot of debate that
Olsen is the best arm, I do think that Baseball America/other prospect sources
might overrate him a bit. While his 10.43 K/9 is great, I’m less than impressed
by a 3.50 BB/9 and mediocre 8.38 H/9. Finally, in what Baseball Prospectus has
rated as a pitcher’s park, Olsen allowed 8 home runs in 136.1 innings, not a
ton, but still a bit too much. Olsen is the typical power pitcher, with a big
6-4 frame ... needs to cut down that walk rate a bit, and his H/9 needs to come
down to be a top pitching prospect in my book. His stuff, along with one great
peripheral puts him at #1, everything else is purely marginal."
After Hamels, Bryan goes with Chuck
Tiffany LA, Dan Meyer ATL and John Danks TEX.
His Top 25 at the link above.
04 November, 2004
Arizona Fall League (Tuesday's games) ... Jason Arnold 4.0 5 0 0 0 1,
3.38 ... JR House PIT 3-4, 3rd & 4th doubles, HBP, .355 ... Ian
Kinsler TEX 2-5, SB, .309 ... Jason Botts TEX (LF again)
3-5, .407 ... Delmon Young TB 1-4, .233 ... Mike
Stodolka KC 3.0 7 4 1 1 3, 2.04 ... Kevin Thompson NYA 1-4,
7th double, 6th SB, .333 ... Chris Shelton DET 3-5, 6th homer,
2nd SB, .425 ... Michael Cervenak SF 4-5, 4th double, 2nd homer, 4
RBI, .286 ... Jeff Francoeur ATL 2-5, 6th double, .324 ... Ryan
Raburn 2B DET 2-5, 2nd & 3rd homers, .200 ... Ryan Howard
PHI 1-4, 11th double, .378 ... Jason Perry OAK 1-3, 4th homer,
.262 ... Ryan Garko CLE 3-5 .. Conor Jackson ARZ homer
Mexico -- Jason Dubois CHN 1-4, 3rd
homer, .231 ... Jorge Cantu TB 3-5, 4th & 5th doubles, 4th homer,
6 RBI, .360 ... Marshall McDougall TEX 3-4, 5th double, 2nd homer,
.266 ... Dan Johnson OAK 1-4, 4th homer, 3 RBI, .277
Venezuela -- ooops, Franklin Gutierrez
CLE 0-4, Walter Young BAL 0-4
Bryan Smith, Wait Til Next Year,
has an interesting take on a pair of BOS starters.
" ... going to go out on a limb, and predict the
breakout of two more pitching prospects ... My favorite of the two had a 4.28
ERA in the Florida State League ... But, the Red Sox 2002 second-round
pick pitched much better than his ERA implies. A southpaw, Jon Lester had
sparkling peripheral numbers, from a 8.17 H/9, to a 9.66 K/9, to a 0.19 HR/9 ...
had 21 appearances with the Sarastoa Red Sox during the season, with an average
of a little more than 4 IP per game. The Red Sox are using his arm sparingly,
worried they’ll rupture one of their better prospects. This is a big kid, listed
at 6-3, and 200 pounds. He will turn 21 years of age during the offseason, and
spend the 2005 season in the Eastern League. Off the top of my head, I would say
that Lester ranks in my top 5 of southpaw pitching prospects in the minor
leagues."
" ... Jon Papelbon, a 2003 fourth-round pick
... a reliever in college, with a 2.28 ERA in 25 games in his Senior
Season. After being signed quickly, the Red Sox sent Papelbon to the New
York-Penn League, where he had a 6.34 ERA in 13 games split between relieving
and starting. He showed a good ratios in K/9, K/BB and HR/9, intriguing the club
to extend Papelbon’s stay in the rotation. One year later, this looks like a
fantastic decision. In 24 starts with the Sarasota Red Sox, as a 23-year-old,
Papelbon had a 2.64 ERA. He only allowed 97 hits in 129.2 innings, striking out
153, walking 43, and surrendering six home runs. This was a great season for the
6-4, 230-pound right-hander ... my favorite pitchers could be ready for the
Majors by 2006, with Lester having the billing of a future star. Papelbon’s
future in the big leagues is near guaranteed, though he could end up back in the
bullpen."
Thanks to Bryan for the nice plug for JDM's !
Seth Trachtman, SportsBlurb.com, has a look at the sorry BAL farm and views
outfielder Val Majewski as the best of the lot :
" ... third round pick in 2002, the
20-year-old Majewski has strong all around ability and could be a household name
in the majors. He hit .307-15-80 with 14 steals in Double-A last season, and
those stats are more significant considering his age in relation to the
competition. While he does not draw many walks, Majewski has a good idea of
which pitches to swing at, and strikeouts are not a problem for him. He could
very easily develop the offensive skills of a Bobby Abreu in the majors, minus
the walks."
03 November, 2004
Sorry, neglected to note ... the vacancies in the Dowbiggin Leagues have been
filled ... but, in the process, have received several notes from Scoresheet
newbies who might want to give the game a try ... so, let me know if you're
interested. If there are enough prospective managers, I'll try to
establish some specific leagues for newcomers ... please specify if you are in
Canada or the USA (or elsewhere) as the USA & Canadian operations are separate
operations ...
If you want to read up about the
Scoresheet game ... click the link.
Arizona Fall League Monday's games ... James Loney LA 2-5, .324 ...
Ben Johnson SD 3-5, 6th double, 2nd triple, .324 ... Francisco
Rosario TOR 4.0 3 3 3 3 6, 4.58 ... Brian Dopirak CHN 1-3,
3rd homer, 2 RBI, .259 ... Casey Rogowski CHA 3-3, 4th & 5th
doubles, .368 ... Jesse Crain MIN 2.0 0 0 0 0 3, 0.00 ... Chris
Shelton DET 2-3, 2 walks, 5th homer, 3 RBI, .412 ... Mike Cervenak SF
2-4, double, homer, 3 RBI, .235 ... Curtis Granderson DET 2-4, 4th
double, homer, 3 RBI, .356 ... Omar Quintanilla OAK 2-2, 7th
double, .392 ... Tony Pena Jr. ATL 3-5, 3rd double, .340 ... Mark
Teahen KC 1-3, .435
Venezuela -- Todd Linden SF 1-4,
double, .235 ... Franklin Gutierrez CLE 2-5, 4th homer, 3 RBI,
.356 ... Jose Castillo PIT 4-5, homer, 3 RBI, .282
MinorLeagueBaseball, in conjunction with Topps, has announced its picks as the
Players of the Year by league. Names which should be familiar from our coverage
over the past season :
INT, Jhonny Peralta, CLE, PCL, Dan
Johnson, OAK, EL, Ryan Howard, PHI, SL, Richard
Lewis, CHN, TEX, Ryan Shealy, COL, CAL, Brian
Stavisky, OAK, CAR, Brad Eldred, PIT, FSL, Brandon
Sing, CHN, MWL, Brian Dopirak, CHN, SAL, Brandon
Moss, BOS, NYP, Ronnie Martinez, HOU, NWL, Javier
Herrera, OAK, APPY, Mitch Einertson, HOU, PIO, Sean
Rodriguez, ANA, GC, Scott Mitchinson, PHI, ARZ, Hernan
Iribarren, MIL
" ... Bisons shortstop Jhonny Peralta was
named the Topps/International League Player of the Year by Minor League Baseball
today ... This latest accolade is yet another award given to Peralta for his
outstanding 2004 season. In late August, Peralta was named the International
League Most Valuable Player ... as well as the league's All Star Shortstop. He
was also the Bisons Stan Barron Most Valuable Player for 2004. During the
season, Peralta had one of the best offensive years in team history. His
International League-leading 181 hits and 109 runs scored, as well as his 44
doubles (2nd in IL), were all Bison Modern Day single season records. He also
finished in the top ten in the International League in batting average (4th
-.326), extra-base hits (6th -61), RBI (7th -86) and on-base percentage (T-9th,
.384). Peralta hit better than .300 in every month of the season and ended with
15 home runs, eight stolen bases and a team-high 54 walks." (Buffalo Bisons)
John Sickels,
ESPN.com, on LA second baseman Delwyn Young :
" ... Young is just 22. He's a short guy at a
generous 5-10, but he's very strong and has excellent zip in his bat. A
switch-hitter, he has power from both sides of the plate. The large number of
doubles he hits could indicate more home run power to come, and he already hits
quite a few taters. He does swing and miss a lot: he fanned 134 times in 470
at-bats this year. But his walk rate is adequate, and you can't argue with his
production. The main question for Young is defense. He made 23 errors this year,
many on routine plays. Young has a strong arm and enough athleticism to be a
good gloveman, but he has some problems with his footwork, and does not always
concentrate well ... Wherever he ends up defensively, Delwyn has one of the most
intriguing bats in the minor leagues, and should be watched closely in Double-A
next year."
The Sickels' prospect book will again be available
this season. Details to be announced.
BAL gets some good news on injured prospects :
" ... Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen, the team's
first-round pick in 2002 who had a slight tear in his left labrum diagnosed at
the end of the season, will not require shoulder surgery and should be ready for
the start of spring training. Loewen missed the end of the minor league season
because of the tear and it was feared he would require surgery, which would have
caused him to miss next season. Instead, Loewen's shoulder responded to a
throwing program and he will begin baseball activities at the start of next
year. Loewen, 20, was 4-5 with a 4.11 ERA for low Class A Delmarva. Outfielder
Val Majewski also recovered from a torn labrum in his left shoulder and
won't need surgery. Majewski spent most of the season at Class AA Bowie but was
called up by the Orioles in September." (Washington Post)
Gold Glove winners announced for the AL ... prompting the annual debate about
fielding stats ...as players such as Bret Boone and Derek Jeter picked up 2004
awards in spite of less than sterling defensive stats. The gilded ones:
Pitcher: Kenny Rogers, TEX, Catcher: Ivan
Rodriguez, DET, First base: Darin Erstad, ANA, Second base:
Bret Boone, SEA, Third base: Eric Chavez, OAK,
Shortstop: Derek Jeter, NYA, Outfield: Ichiro Suzuki,
SEA, Outfield: Torii Hunter, MIN, Outfield: Vernon Wells,
TOR
02 November, 2004
AFL, no games Sunday. Mexico -- Joe Borchard CHA 0-3, 3 Ks &
1-3, 2 Ks, .140 ... Jason Dubois CHN 0-2, HBP, 2 Ks & 1-3,
2nd homer, .229 ... Josh Kroeger ARZ 0-2, 2 walks, SB, .268
Venezuela (Weekend) -- Franklin Gutierrez
CLE 1-3, .352 ... Justin Leone SEA 2-3, .417 ... Renyel Pinto
CHN, two scoreless frames, one hit, 4 Ks ...
Dominican -- Ervin Santana ANA, back from
injury, one inning, walk, K
Matthew Pouliot, RotoWorld.com, reviews the NL rookie class of 2004. A
few of the entries :
Brandon Claussen CIN : " ... took a
step in the wrong direction in his first full year back from Tommy John surgery,
going 8-6 with a 4.66 ERA for Triple-A Louisville before injuries got him called
up. Since he struggled in his 14 major league starts, he’s not going to enter
spring training as one of the favorites to claim a rotation vacancy. Claussen’s
fastball-slider combination still gives him No. 3-starter potential, but there
won’t be any need to use a roster spot on him until he has a few good starts in
a row for the Reds."
Luis Gonzalez COL : " ... The
Rockies probably would have benefited from making Gonzalez their starting second
baseman last season. The Rule 5 pick out of the Cleveland organization did solid
work at five positions and really started hitting over the final two months.
He’s probably not going to have a long-term future as a regular, but as an
offensive-minded utilityman, he’ll continue to be an asset."
Ryan Madson PHI : " ... was
tagged for six runs in two-thirds of an inning in his one start last season, so
he actually had a 1.65 ERA as a reliever. It would be a shame if that one outing
against the White Sox has any influence on how the Phillies use him in 2005.
Madson has four pitches and he was always viewed as a starter while climbing
through the farm system. If he’s a part of next year’s rotation, he should win
13-14 games with an ERA not much over 4.00. He could also be an asset out of the
pen, but probably not quite so much as he was last season."
01 November, 2004
Arizona Fall League Saturday's games ... Sean Marshall CHN 4.2 4 2 1 0 3,
3.93 ... Jake Dittler CLE 4.0 4 1 1 2 3, 1.69 ... Brian
Anderson CHA 2-3, 2 walks, 3rd homer, 3 SBs (4), .232 ... first action for
Ben Diggins MIL 1.0 2 1 1 1 0 ... Scott Baker MIN
5.0 3 0 0 1 4, 3.10 ... Conor Jackson ARZ 3-4, 3rd double, 2 RBI,
.385 ... Marland Williams ARZ 3-4, triple, .455 ... Bobby
Bradley PIT 5.0 2 0 0 0 7, 4.42 ... Huston Street OAK 2.0 1
0 0 0 0, 0.75 ... Ian Kinsler TEX 2-5, 4th double, .310 ...
Freddy Sanchez PIT 1-5, 2nd homer, .321 ... Jason Botts
TEX 4-5, .408 ... 1B Brett Harper NYN 4-5, homer, .346 ... ooops,
Ryan Howard PHI 0-5, 4 Ks ... Mark Teahen KC 1-3, 2
RBI, .441 ... Jeremy Brown OAK 2-2, homer, 2 RBI, .385
Mexico -- JJ Davis PIT 2-4, 3rd & 4th
homers, 3 RBI, .500 ... Dave Krynzel MIL 1-4, double, .321 ...
Josh Kroeger ARZ 3-4, 2 RBI, .278 ... Tetsu Yofu CHA
8.0 2 0 0 3 7. 4.26
Venezuela -- (Friday) ... Yusmeiro Petit
NYN 4.1 6 4 2 0 6, 1.59 ... Jean Boscan ATL 3-5, .457 ...
Todd Linden SF 1-4, 2nd homer, .250 ... Walter Young
BAL 2-4, 4th homer, .372
Peter Gammons,
ESPN.com, on some high hopes in OAK :
" ... It appears Billy Beane plans to take a step
back and develop young players. OF-1B Nick Swisher ("Jim Edmonds at
$300,000," says one scout) and 1B-DH Dan Johnson are expected to
play a lot in 2005, with RHP Joe Blanton in the rotation and
Huston Street and Jairo Garcia in the bullpen. The A's
think catcher Landon Powell and outfielders Jason Perry
and Richie Robnett will be ready in a hurry, so 2005 may be a
re-tooling season with Erubiel Durazo available."
Ken Gurnick, MLB.com, on LA's late bloomer, Jason Repko :
" ... Repko was originally drafted as a
shortstop out of Hanford High School in West Richland, Wash., and arrived with a
flourish, hitting .304 with power in only 49 games. But injuries limited him to
only eight games the following year and a .220 batting average in 2001 left him
in Class A for the third consecutive season in 2002, when he was shifted to the
outfield and earned Florida State League All-Star honors. Promoted to Double-A
Jacksonville to open the 2003 season, he hit only .240 and was back at
Jacksonville when the 2004 season opened. Hitting .291 after two months, he was
promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas where he hit .311. That earned Repko, 23, an
invitation to the Arizona Fall League, where he has raised his average to .302
with a .667 slugging percentage ... He also has five home runs and 19 RBIs
in 16 games. "Defensively, he's probably the best outfielder in the system,"
said acting farm director Terry Collins."
|
